CARAMEL CHEESE APPLE BREAD adapted from The Cookie Rookie
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 60 minutes
CAKE
2 large baking apples, peeled & diced
1/2 cup golden raisins
1/4 cup Malibu rum
½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
2 teaspoons QUALITY ground cinnamon
½ cup butter, softened + 2 tablespoons (divided)
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon sea salt
1 cup granulated sugar
3 LARGE eggs
1 teaspoon PURE vanilla extract
¼ cup whole milk
8 caramels, each cut into 8 equal pieces
1-2 tablespoon Turbinado sugar (raw, coarse sugar), optional
PREPARING APPLES
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- Grease and flour a 10” x 5½” loaf pan.
- Pour rum over raisins and let soak 10 minutes.
- In a saucepan over medium heat, add the two tablespoons butter, diced apples, nutmeg and cinnamon. Cook 4-5 minutes or until apples have softened.
- Remove from heat and let cool.
- Drain raisins well and fold into apple mixture and set aside.
PREPARING BATTER**
- In a medium sized mixing bowl, sift together flour, baking powder and salt.
- In a separate large bowl, cream together ½ cup butter and 1-cup sugar.
- Add eggs, one-at-a-time, beating just until egg yolk is no longer visible.
- Mix in vanilla and milk.
- Add dry ingredients in one cup increments, mixing just until flour is longer visible.
CREAM CHEESE FILLING**
8 ounces cream cheese, softened
1 egg
½ cup granulated sugar
Zest of one lemon
PREPARING CREAM CHEESE FILLING
- In a medium mixing bowl, combine cream cheese, egg, sugar and the lemon zest, mixing until smooth.
- Spread 1 cup cake batter in the bottom of the prepared pan.
- Fold in the apple mixture and chopped caramels to the remaining batter.
- Pour half of the remaining batter into the pan.
- Spoon and spread the cream cheese mixture evenly over the batter, and cover with the remaining cake batter.
- Sprinkle the top of the bread with Turbinado sugar.
- Bake at 350°F for 50-60 minutes. The bread is done when it no longer wiggles and springs back when gently pressed in the thickest part.
- Transfer bread to a cooling rack and cool 15 minutes.
- Remove bread from pan and allow to completely cool.
CARAMEL GLAZE
3 tablespoons butter
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon kosher or coarse salt
1/3 cup heavy cream
1/3 cup chopped honey roasted peanuts, optional
- Melt butter in a small saucepan over medium-low heat.
- Stir in brown sugar and cook until brown sugar melts.
- Add salt and heavy cream. Cook (and stir) another 2 minutes.
- Allow glaze to cool 5 minutes.
- Drizzle glaze over cooled bread and sprinkle with honey roasted peanuts.
**NOTE: If you are in a hurry and want to make less of a mess you can combine the cake portion and cream cheese filling portion into the same batter as you are preparing them. The results are just as delicious and less work.