Caramel Topped Apple Spice Bread: Fall Favorites

Today’s post is the next in our series of Blog With Friends theme collaborations. Each month a group  of bloggers get together and each publish a project based on a theme. What I love about this partnership is that it’s not bloggers with similar interests or strengths but a diverse group coming up with a variety of posts. In any given month we may have a recipe, sewing tutorial, crafts projects, book review and/or a technology post all related to the theme of the month.

This month's theme is Fall Favorites.

There will be individual project pictures and links to what everyone else has to offer at the end of my post, but here’s a peek at what we all came up with:

I made Caramel Topped Apple Spice Bread.

Caramel Topped Apple Spice Bread

If you know me at all, you know it's no secret that when it comes to weather, I'm a summer girl. But when it comes to flavors, I'm all about the Fall. I love apples and pumpkins and all kinds of squash. My favorite apples are those with a bit of a bite, nothing too sweet for me. Braeburns or Honey Crisps are almost all I buy.

But it's the spices of the season, though, where my true love lies. The cinnamon, cloves, allspice and nutmeg. Bake a dessert with some or all of the above and once I get a whiff of those spices, I know it's Fall.

My mother in law, many years ago, gave me the recipe for an applesauce spice bread that had just a bit of baking cocoa in it. I thought that was strange, cocoa in a spice bread, but it worked. It was with that in mind that I developed this recipe. Like her recipe, there's some applesauce and a little cocoa. 

But there's also chopped apples in my bread, cinnamon baking chips, a bit of honey, a different spice mix, and just for the fun of it, I placed a line of caramel filled chocolates across the top before baking.

It's really that simple, mix it up, bake, cool and slice. You can see the caramel filled chocolate at the top and the chunks of apple inside.

This bread is really versatile. It's delicious with a cup of coffee for breakfast, but I heated up a slice in the microwave and topped it with a scoop of vanilla ice cream for dessert. No matter how you serve it, you'll be glad you made it. Pinky swear!

As always, any time you make one of my recipes, feel free to post a picture of it to my Baking In A Tornado Facebook Page. I'd love to see it!

Be sure to visit all of this month's other Blog With Friends projects:

Alicia of TaylorLife shares Favorite Fall Foods that Help Fight Depression.

Kia of Think In English shares Fabulous Fall Activities and Resources for ESL Teachers.

Rabia of The Lieber Family Blog shares Fall Wall or Door Decor.

Lydia of Cluttered Genius shares Proven Fall Favorites for Kids.

Dawn of Spatulas on Parade shares Chocolate Faux Peanut Butter Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting.

Be sure to stop by again next month for more theme based projects.

Caramel Topped Apple Spice Bread

                                                                       ©www.BakingInATornado.com

Printable Recipe

Ingredients:

1 stick butter, softened

1 egg, room temperature

1/2 cup sugar

1/4 cup brown sugar

2 TBSP honey

1 2/3 cups flour, divided

1 tsp baking soda

2 TBSP baking cocoa

1 tsp cinnamon

1/8 tsp cloves

1/4 tsp apple pie spice

1/2 tsp salt

3/4 cup apple sauce, divided

1 apple, cored, peeled and chopped 

1/3 cup cinnamon baking chips

7 caramel filled chocolates

Directions:

*Grease a loaf pan. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

*Cream the butter, egg, sugar, brown sugar and honey. Carefully beat in 2/3 cup flour, baking soda, baking cocoa, cinnamon, cloves, apple pie spice and salt.

*Beat in 1/2 cup applesauce, then the remaining flour, followed by the remaining apple sauce. Mix in the chopped apple and cinnamon baking chips.

*Spread into the prepared loaf pan. Place the caramel filled chocolates across the top.

*Bake for 45 - 50 minutes or until the center springs back to the touch. Allow to cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then run a knife around the edges, remove from the pan and allow to cool completely.