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This is the most delicious Cinnamon Loaf Cake and it is incredibly soft. It has a beautiful cinnamon cake swirl throughout the loaf and the most soft and fluffy texture plus it’s topped with a delicious streusel and cream cheese glaze, which gives it a cinnamon roll feel.
This Cinnamon Loaf Cake is so delicious and has a beautiful cinnamon cake swirl. It is topped with a cinnamon streusel and cream cheese glaze, giving the cinnamon loaf cake the most amazing flavor and texture. This delicious moist cinnamon loaf cake is so good you’ll want to make it on repeat.
For more quick bread recipes, try One-Bowl Banana Bread, Lemon Pound Cake and Carrot Cake Loaf.
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WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS
- Cinnamon Loaf Cake: This cinnamon loaf cake is super soft and moist.
- Streusel: The loaf cake is topped with a delicious streusel topping for a crunchy texture.
- Cream cheese glaze: It is also topped with a delicious cream cheese glaze, giving the loaf cake a cinnamon bun feel.
INGREDIENT NOTES
These are some of the key ingredients for this recipe. For a full list of ingredients, check out the recipe card below.
- All-purpose flour: Gives a light and airy cake. I prefer using all-purpose flour with a protein amount that is between 10-11%
- Granulated sugar: The sugar helps sweeten, as well as give moister to the cake.
- Baking powder and baking soda: Help leaven and rise the cake, so it has light and fluffy texture.
- Salt: Helps enhance the flavor of the cake.
- Egg: Take it out of the fridge 1-2 hours before baking, so it comes to room temperature. (depending how warm your kitchen is).
- Oil: Use a flavor neutral oil, such as canola oil.
- Sour cream: Sour cream gives lots of moisture and tenderness to the cake, as well as helps give the cake a great structure.
- Butter: The butter gives the loaf cake a delicious flavor and texture. Bring it out and let it come to room temperature.
- Cinnamon: Ground cinnamon is used for the swirl and in the streusel.
STEP BY STEP INSTRUCTIONS
Here is how to make and bake these Cinnamon Loaf Cake. This recipe needs a stand mixer with a paddle attachment, or a hand mixer.
The full recipe is down below in the recipe card.
Preheat the oven at 175ºC/350ºF conventional oven and grease a 21,5 x 11,5 cm /8,5x4,5 inch loaf pan lined with parchment paper.
STEP 1: For the streusel, add all-purpose flour, dark brown sugar, cinnamon and butter to a bowl and mix it together, using an electric hand mixer or a fork, until a crumble structure and there is no dry flour left. Set it aside.
STEP 2: For the loaf cake, in the bowl of a stand mixer using the paddle attachment or in a mixing bowl using a electric hand mixer add the granulated sugar and butter and mix it together on high speed.
STEP 3: Add the large eggs one at a time into the mixture and mix it in until combined. Continue by mixing in half the dry ingredients.
STEP 4: Then add the sour cream, vegetable oil, vanilla extract and mix until just combined. Then mix in the other half of the dry ingredients.
STEP 5: Pour ½ of the batter into a separate bowl and add the cinnamon. Gently fold it together until combined. Alternate by adding a bit of each of the two batters into the prepared pan and with a butter knife swirl the two batters together and sprinkle it with the streusel.
STEP 6: Bake it for 60-65 minutes or until the cake tester comes out clean. Let the cake cool on a cooling rack.
STEP 7: For the glaze, in a mixing bowl, add all of the ingredients and mix it together until smooth. Drizzle it over the loaf cake and it’s ready to be enjoyed.
EXPERT BAKING TIPS
- Use a kitchen scale: My default setting for my recipes is grams. It is the most precise way of measuring out your ingredients, I therefore highly recommend using a kitchen scale.
- Don't over mix your batter: I always use a spatula after everything has mixed together, to give it one final gentle fold together. This makes sure everything in the bottom of the mixing bowl has been mixed into the batter.
- Light vs. dark baking pans: For the best result, use an aluminum baking pan, greased with butter and lined with baking paper in the bottom. Aluminum pans are light in color and therefore attract less heat. That means it bakes more gently which results in a softer cake. If you use a black baking pan it'll attract a lot more heat. That will then give a darker crust, which can result in a dryer cake.
FAQ
I recommend using a cake tester or toothpick. When the time has passed, per the recipe, insert the cake tester in the in the center of the cake and once it comes out clean, with no cake batter on it, then it's done.
Yes, I recommend to wait to add the cream cheese glaze until ready to serve it. Make the loaf cake as instructed and store it in an airtight container or covered by plastic wrap at room temperature. Then add the cream cheese glaze when serving.
Because of streusel, I wouldn't recommend it, because when it is thawing the streusel with turn out soft and not crunchy.
HOW TO STORE
In the cream cheese glaze has been added, store the Cinnamon Loaf Cake in an airtight container, in the refrigerator. Once you want to eat it, let it come to room temperature before eating, takes about 30-60 minutes. Enjoy it within 2-3 days.
If the cream cheese has not been added store Cinnamon Loaf Cake in an airtight container or covered by plastic wrap at room temperature. Enjoy it within 2-3 days.
Other Loaf Recipes To Try
Make sure leave a STAR REVIEW if you loved this recipe! Make sure to tag me on Instagram @juliemarieeats. To get more ideas by following me on Pinterest.
Cinnamon Loaf Cake
Ingredients
STREUSEL
- 60 g all-purpose flour
- 50 g dark brown sugar
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- 40 g butter room temperature
CINNAMON SWIRL LOAF CAKE
- 270 g all-purpose flour
- ¾ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 100 g butter room temperature
- 200 g granulated sugar
- 2 eggs room temperature
- 200 g sour cream 14-18% room temperature
- 30 g vegetable oil e.g. canola oil or avocado oil
- 1 ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 ¼ tablespoon ground cinnamon
CREAM CHEESE GLAZE
- 50 g cream cheese
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 35 g powdered sugar
- 3-4 teaspoon milk
The US customary cup measurement serves as a rough estimate, as it can have uncertainties, so for precise results, it's recommended to weigh your ingredients using a digital scale in grams. Baking is both an art and a science, which most often requires precision and accuracy.
Instructions
STREUSEL
- Add all-purpose flour, dark brown sugar, cinnamon and butter to a bowl and mix it together, using an electric hand mixer or a fork, until a crumble structure and there is no dry flour left. Set it aside while preparing the cake.60 g all-purpose flour, 50 g dark brown sugar, ½ teaspoon cinnamon, 40 g butter
CINNAMON SWIRL LOAF CAKE
- Preheat the oven at 175ºC/350ºF conventional oven and grease a 21,5 x 11,5 cm /8,5x4,5 inch loaf pan lined with parchment paper.
- Sift together the all-purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt and set it aside.270 g all-purpose flour, ¾ teaspoon baking powder, ½ teaspoon baking soda, ½ teaspoon salt
- Add the granulated sugar and butter to the bowl of a stand mixer, with the paddle attachment, or in a large bowl using a hand mixer, and mix it together on high speed for 3 minutes.100 g butter, 200 g granulated sugar
- Scrape down the sides of the bowl and add the eggs one at a time into the mixture and on medium speed mix it in until combined.2 eggs
- Continue by adding ½ of the flour mixture on low speed. Then add the sour cream, oil and vanilla extract and mix it in. Then add the other half of the flour mixture and give it a final mix until just combined. Scape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula to make sure all the ingredients have been incorporated.200 g sour cream 14-18%, 30 g vegetable oil, 1 ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
- Add ½ of the batter into a separate bowl and add the cinnamon. Gently fold it together with a rubber spatula until combined.1 ¼ tablespoon ground cinnamon
- Alternate by adding a bit of each of the two batters into the prepared pan and with a butter knife swirl the two batters together. Then add the streusel on top.
- Bake it for 60-65 minutes or until the cake tester comes out clean. Let the cake cool on a cooling rack. After 10 minutes, gently remove the cake from the cake tin and let it cool down completely.
CREAM CHEESE GLAZE
- In a mixing bowl, add all of the ingredients and mix it together until smooth. Add the glaze over the loaf when ready to serve. If you add the cream cheese glaze long before serving the streusel will become softer.50 g cream cheese, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, 35 g powdered sugar, 3-4 teaspoon milk
Valerie Veder
That was soooo good!
Didn’t add the icing and it was still very yummy 🤤
Will definitely be making this loaf again
Rachel Miller
We loved this recipe. It came together easily and I appreciated the availability of metric & u.s. measurements (especially when dealing with wet and dry ingredients). When I put it in the pan I was worried that it was fairly thick and that I'd missed something but wow did it rise and the payoff was fantastic. We also had it end-of-day warmed up with ice cream which was delicious We'll be making this again and my husband wants to try the recipes as muffins. Thank you!
Michelle
Can i substitute something else for the sour cream?
Julie Marie
Yes, you can swap it 1:1 for full-fat Greek yogurt 🙂
Barb
Made this today! Saw this recipe over a month ago and just had to try it. Amazing job with this recipe and I will be saving it for a regular rotation! Thanks Julie Marie for sharing your creation with me!
Shari
This came out perfectly. I didn’t add the icing but made everything else as written. Delicious. It’s a keeper.