For first-year student April Graham, apple picking and fall are synonymous.

Growing up in Illinois, she says, “Apple orchards are everywhere. I usually always go picking and come home with an obnoxious amount of apples that leaves my parents questioning what in the world am I gonna do with so many apples?”

Her answer? Apple fritter bread, of course.

The recipe she follows is straightforward and produces a loaf of spiced apple bread perfect for sharing. Graham bakes it for everyone she knows.

Apples may be the star of this recipe, but the better the butter, the better the bread.

Apple surplus fritter bread recipe

Ingredients

• ⅓ cup brown sugar
• 2 tsp ground cinnamon, divided
• 2 apples peeled and diced into ½-inch pieces. (Tart or a combination of sweet and tart apple varieties work nicely.)
• ½ cup butter, brought to room temperature
• ⅔ cup granulated sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1½ tsp vanilla extract
• 1½ cups all-purpose flour
• 1¾ tsp baking soda

Optional glaze

• ½ cup + 1 tablespoon milk, divided
• ½ cup powdered sugar

Directions

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and grease a 9-inch-by-5-inch loaf pan.
• Combine the brown sugar with 1 tsp of cinnamon in a small bowl.
• In a separate bowl, stir together the diced apples with the remaining 1 tsp of cinnamon.
• Cream the butter and the granulated sugar in another bowl. Beat both eggs in one at a time. Mix in the vanilla extract until combined.
• In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour and baking soda and then pour ½ cup of the milk in and mix until smooth. Combine with the creamed butter and stir until blended.
• Layer apples and spices like a lasagna, pouring in half of the batter into the prepared loaf pan and layering half of the apple mixture on top, followed by half of the brown sugar and apple-cinnamon mixture. Gently press the apples into the batter. Repeat.
• Swirl the brown sugar between the apple chunks and into the batter.
• Bake for 50 to 60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let cool before removing from the pan.
• While the bread cools, prepare the glaze, if you are using it. In a small bowl, mix the powdered sugar with the remaining 1 tablespoon of milk and drizzle over the top of the apple fritter bread.
• Share the loaf with friends and family.