Video
Cinnamon Swirl Loaf Cake
This easy Cinnamon Swirl Loaf Cake will quickly become a staple recipe for any time of the year. It is so versatile with a classic vanilla and cinnamon flavor combination, and a soft yet sturdy crumb. The warm cinnamon flavor means it is especially nice to make in the Fall with a cup of tea or coffee in the morning or as an afternoon pick-me-up.
Ingredients
Cinnamon Swirl:
- ⅓ cup (65g) granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon (3g) all-purpose flour
Batter:
- 2 cups (284g) all-purpose flour
- 1 ¾ teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 large egg, at room temperature
- ¾ cup plus 2 tbsp (175g) granulated sugar
- ⅓ cup (80ml) vegetable oil
- ½ cup (120ml) sour cream, at room temperature
- ¾ cup (180ml) whole milk, at room temperature
- 1 ½ teaspoon (7ml) pure vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350°F. Line an 8.5x4.5-inch loaf pan or 9x5-inch loaf pan with parchment paper. I used the smaller pan for these photos to get more height.
- Make the cinnamon swirl. Combine sugar, cinnamon and flour in a small bowl and mix to blend evenly.
- Make the batter. Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a large bowl and whisk to blend evenly. In another medium bowl, combine egg, sugar, oil, sour cream, milk and vanilla. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients, then gently mix together using a large whisk or a spatula until evenly combined. The batter should be homogeneous so there are no streaks of flour, but it’s OK if there are a few lumps. Avoid over-mixing which will make the final texture too coarse.
- Scrape just over half of the batter into the prepared pan and spread it out evenly using a small offset spatula. Sprinkle nearly all of the cinnamon sugar evenly on top, reserving 1 ½ tablespoons for topping. It will seem like a lot of filling, but that’s exactly right so it is a nice defined layer through the cake. Dollop remaining batter over top of the cinnamon layer and then gently nudge the dollops together using an offset spatula and then push it out to the edges of the pan to spread it out evenly. The batter will stick to the cinnamon sugar and pull it up as you spread, so trying to join the dollops first and then pushing them out to stick to the sides of the pan will help give it some grip. Watch the recipe video to see how I do it in detail.
- Sprinkle the reserved the cinnamon sugar on top. Then, using a small offset spatula or a knife, swirl through the batter from one end to another to help fuse the cinnamon sugar to the batter as shown in the video.
- Bake for 45 minutes. Reduce oven to 325°F and bake for another 10 minutes until a skewer inserted into the center comes out clean. If using a 9x5 inch pan, you can bake all at 350°F for 45-55 minutes, covering loosely with foil about halfway through to prevent the top from over-browning. Transfer to a wire rack and let the loaf to cool in the pan for 30 minutes, then remove from the pan and let finish cooling on the rack.
- Wrap well in plastic, cover and store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.
