Baking at home has finally become fun to me again. For quite some time it was simply too hot to turn the oven on. But, some times it was more that I lacked inspriation. I have been baking simple things just for my husband and myself. I've been baking a lot of sourdough bread and pizza dough- two things I love. And then I realized I'm always trying to bake what other people will like and not what I truly want to bake. Today, the air was crisp and I had a couple of apple in the refrigerator, so I made an East Chai Spiced Apple Loaf.

This loaf is soft, moist and filled with warm chai spices. Chai is one of my favorite drinks this time of year and the combination of spices is killer in baked goods. The main difference between pumpkin spice and chai spice is the addition of cardamom.

Portrait of a slice of Easy Chai Spiced Apple Loaf on a white plate

If you have never had it, cardamom is warm and floral. If you don't have it or some want to buy a bottle just to make this loaf, you can leave it out. But you could also grab it and then also make my No-Bake Chewy Cardamom Granola Bars and my Chai Spiced Sheet Cake :).

A hand reaching for a slice of Easy Chai Spiced Apple Loaf

Substitutions For the Apple Loaf

I used So Delicious Unsweetened Coconut Milk Yogurt in this recipe. Any unsweetened yogurt will work other than any Greek style yogurts which will be a bit too thick. I also used So Delicious Coconut Milk, but any unsweetened plant milk will work.

If you have a chai spice blend, you can sub all the spices for that. It would even be good with pumpkin pie spice if you don't have all of the individual spices.

Portrait of Easy Chai Spiced Apple Loaf on a white plate with a gold fork

I used a Fugi apple in my loaf because in my grocery stores, they are the most consistently good. Even in New England where we have a bunch of apple orchards, some of the varieties in my grocery store tend to be mealy and have a thick skin. I have good luck with Fugis, so I tend to go for those. But, pink lady, honey crisp and granny smith would also work great if those are more accessible to you.

This Easy Chai Spiced Apple Loaf is incredibly soft, moist and loaded with spices. Its the perfect Autumn breakfast, dessert or any-time-of-day treat.

Easy Chai Spiced Apple Loaf

Print Recipe

Ingredients

2 Cups All Purpose Flour
1 ½ tsp Baking Powder
½ teaspoon Baking Soda
½ teaspoon Salt
1 tablespoon Cinnamon
1 ½ teaspoon Ginger
½ tsp Cardamom
½ tsp Allspice
¼ teaspoon Cloves
1 Cup Granulated Sugar
1 tablespoon Molasses
1 ½ teaspoon Lemon Juice or White Vinegar
½ Cup Non-Dairy Yogurt I used So Delicious Unsweetened Coconut Milk Yogurt
½ Cup Non-Dairy Milk I Used So Delicious Unsweetened Coconut Milk
½ Cup Canola Oil
1 teaspoon Vanilla
1 ¼ Cups Apple, peeled, cored and chopped into about ¼ inch pieces

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350*. Prepare an 8x4 inch loaf pan with pan spray or coconut oil and create a sling across the bottom for easy removal of the bread for slicing. (see pictures)
In a large bowl, combine sugar, oil, milk, yogurt, lemon juice, molasses and vanilla. Whisk well to combine.
Add all spices and the salt into the bowl and whisk well again to combine.
Place a sifter on top of the bowl with the wet ingredients in it, being careful not to touch the liquid with the bottom of the sifter. Into the sifter, add flour, baking soda and baking powder.
Sift the dries into the wet ingredients and whisk to combine.
Add chopped apple and stir to distribute.
Pour the batter into the prepared 8x4 loaf pan and gently even out the top with a spatula.
Bake in a 350* oven for 60-70 minutes, turning the pan after 50 minutes. The loaf is done when its golden around the edges and when a toothpick inserted into the center of the loaf comes out clean.