Spicy Applesauce Fruit Bread

Name: Spicy Applesauce Fruit Bread
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 50 min
Yield: 2 loaves (12 slices each).
Ingredients: 2 cups plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour, divided; 2 teaspoons baking powder; 1 teaspoon salt; 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon; 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg; 1/2 teaspoon ground allspice; 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves; 1/2 teaspoon baking soda; 2 large eggs, room temperature; 1-1/4 cups unsweetened applesauce; 3/4 cup sugar; 1/4 cup packed brown sugar; 1/4 cup butter, melted; 1 tablespoon grated orange zest; 1/2 cup dried cranberries or raisins; 1/2 cup chopped candied citron

I've had this fruity loaf in my recipe collection since 1975. I tweak it with spices and candied fruit, depending on the season. —Dawn Lowenstein, Huntingdon Valley, Pennsylvania

Ingredients

2 cups plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour, divided
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
2 large eggs, room temperature
1-1/4 cups unsweetened applesauce
3/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup butter, melted
1 tablespoon grated orange zest
1/2 cup dried cranberries or raisins
1/2 cup chopped candied citron

Directions

Preheat oven to 350°. In a large bowl, whisk 2 cups flour, baking powder, salt, spices and baking soda. In another bowl, whisk eggs, applesauce, sugars, melted butter and orange zest until blended. Add to flour mixture; stir just until moistened. In a small bowl, toss cranberries and candied citron with remaining flour; fold into batter.
Transfer to 2 greased 8x4-in. loaf pans. Bake 30-35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pans 10 minutes before removing to wire racks to cool.

Nutrition Facts

1 slice: 126 calories, 3g fat (1g saturated fat), 21mg cholesterol, 194mg sodium, 25g carbohydrate (15g sugars, 1g fiber), 2g protein. Diabetic Exchanges: 1-1/2 starch, 1/2 fat.

Originally published as Spicy Applesauce Fruit Bread in Taste of Home November 2015

Reviews

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Average Rating:

Osum

Nov 21, 2016

I really LOVED this bread ! I had made it and threw it in the freezer without tasting. I had company coming over and decided to pull it out to serve with our coffee. Well it is so tasty, has a great flavor and texture. The fruit makes it so yummy. It can easily rival a good fruit cake without the heavy texture. This is going in my recipe book and on my Christmas cookie tray ! You won't be disappointed - I can't stop eating it. Thanks for the recipe
reldec03

Dec 3, 2015

Good one
Ilovematty

Nov 7, 2015

Terrific bread! I have already made this bread several times. Light and pleasingly spicy. Couldn't find the citron so I used dried pineapple. Yum!
i_like_pie

Nov 2, 2015

I really liked the taste and texture of this bread! I used a fruitcake mix in place of the citron, and it worked great.
markntracie

Nov 1, 2015

Oh my goodness! This bread was delicious. Moist, perfect texture / spice flavors. I didn't have citron but chopped and used dried cranberries, cherries, walnuts from a half bag of trail mix on hand. Thank you for submitting this.
delowenstein

Oct 23, 2015

These reviews are great to see! I appreciate your input about my bread! And your ideas are wonderful, too! I'm sure that I'll be putting your ideas to work if I make my bread again! Thank you for taking the time to let me know how your breads came out! delowenstein
grandmascooking22

Oct 22, 2015

My sister-in-law, JoAnn, made this bread yesterday and brought some to me warm from the oven. It is so light and has very nice flavors. Sometimes all those spices can be bitey and strong but not these. The bread also was not overly sweet. She added dried cranberries instead of raisins and did not add the citron. She also used fresh made applesauce from our nephew's apple orchard. Truly a keeper and added to my recipe box!!!
cast_iron_king

Oct 8, 2015

I had a bag of craisins begging to be used, so I tried them in this recipe, eliminating the candied citron. The combination of spices went perfect with the cranberries, and the bread is nice and moist without being squishy. A very nice bread I will definitely make again! Thanks for sharing it, Dawn!