Preheat the oven to 350ºF (180ºC) and grease a standard metal loaf tin with butter. Line the buttered tin with a piece of parchment paper hanging over the sides of the tin like a sling.
In a large bowl mix together the flour, sugar, cinnamon, baking powder, salt, and baking soda.
Add the butter to the flour mixture. Use a pastry blender or your hands to break the butter into small bits until the entire mixture is coarse and crumbly.
Whisk the buttermilk and egg together in a small bowl. Add the buttermilk mixture to the bowl of flour and use a fork to mix everything together until well combined. The batter may feel stiff and dry but don't worry because the grated apples will add extra moisture.
Add the grated apples to the bowl and continue mixing until the apples are evenly distributed. I like to finish mixing the batter with my hands because the grated apples sometimes clump together.
Scoop the batter into the prepared loaf tin. Smooth the top of the loaf with a butter knife or offset spatula.
Top the apple loaf cake with three thin slices of Red Prince apple. This step is optional, but makes for a pretty loaf.
Place the loaf cake into the preheated oven and bake it for 55 to 60 minutes, or until the top is golden and the sides are starting to pull away from the tin.
Remove the loaf from the oven and cool it on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Lift the loaf out of the tin using the edges of the parchment paper as handles. Cool the loaf completely before topping it with apple cider glaze or any other icing you like.
To make the apple cider glaze—Sift the powdered sugar into a small-medium mixing bowl. Add the apple cider by the ½ teaspoon until you reach your desired consistency. I like glaze fairly thick, but still runny enough to drip slowly down the sides. Spoon the glaze over the cooled loaf before slicing and serving.
Notes
Leaving the apple skins on lend texture, colour, and fibre to the loaf, however, you can peel the apples if you like.If you don't want to make the loaf by hand, you can use a stand or hand mixer. If doing so, add the egg and buttermilk at the same time to mix.For tips on making perfect glaze, visit my post for Lavender Sugar Cookies With Earl Grey Glaze.To freeze, be sure to cool the loaf cake completely. Condensation from any leftover heat will make the slices soggy in the middle, which will create large ice crystals. I like to slice my loaf cake, and store it in a large zip-top bag with the air squeezed out. You can also wrap individual slices gently but tightly with foil to grab quickly in the morning for lunches!
Substitutions
You can use whole wheat or light spelt flour in place of all-purpose if you prefer. Because whole grain flours tend to suck up more moisture than all-purpose, you may need to add an extra tablespoon or two of buttermilk.Substitute brown sugar for half of the white sugar if you like.Homemade chai spice, or homemade pumpkin spice are fun alternatives to cinnamon.