CHUNKY APPLE LOAF... for breakfast

     I've spent the past two days in my kitchen with an enormous bag of Braeburn apples.  I made applesauce, followed by this Chunky Apple Loaf Cake that calls for applesauce and chunks of diced apples.  It's a dense loaf, and I tweaked the recipe slightly by baking it at a higher temperature to avoid an underdone center.
I also eliminated the sugar syrup that is drizzled over the loaf when pulled from the oven, opting instead for a good sprinkling of turbinado sugar. 

                     We've been eating the Chunky Apple Loaf for breakfast!

                           adapted recipe from Whole Living | September 2010

• 1 1/2 cups unbleached, all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup whole wheat flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
• 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
• Pinch of ground allspice
• 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
• 6 tablespoon brown sugar
• 1/4 cup molasses
• 2 large eggs
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1/4 cup applesauce
• 2 large apples
• 2 tablespoon turbinado sugar

PREHEAT OVEN to 375˚
1.  Generously butter a 9x5-inch loaf pan and dust with flour.
2.  In a medium-size bowl, whisk together the flours, baking powder, salt cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and allspice.
3.  In another bowl and using a stand or hand mixer, beat the butter and brown sugar for several minutes until well-blended.  Add the molasses and beat until incorporated.  Add one egg at a time, plus vanilla, beating well after the addition of each egg.
4.  On low speed, slowly add half of flour mixture to the butter.  When it is almost incorporated, beat in the applesauce, then mix in the remaining dry ingredients just until combined.  Peel, core, and dice the apples into 1/4-inch pieces.  Fold the apples into the batter.
5.  Transfer the batter to the buttered and floured loaf pan.  Sprinkle the top with the turbinado sugar.
6.  Bake the apple loaf for 55 minutes.  Reduce the oven temperature to 325˚.  Cover the top of the apple loaf with a sheet of aluminum foil and continue to bake for another 15 minutes, or until a wooden skewer inserted into the center of the loaf comes out clean.  Remove from the oven and let cool for 15 minutes before running a knife around the edge of the apple loaf and inverting to unmold.  Cool completely on a cooling rack. 
  +  The Chunky Apple Loaf can be eaten immediately after cooling, but will slice better on the second day.

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