We are having a miserable snowy cold day out there today. Its snowing bucket loads and blowing like crazy. Its so wild out there I can hardly see across the street. White out!
This is the kind of day that makes you really happy to be tucked up safe inside and out of the elements. Its also the kind of day that makes you want to bake, or is that just me???
I was craving something cinnamony. There are two flavors I really love. One is lemon and the other is cinnamon. If I had to choose between lemon, cinnamon, or chocolate the first two would win every time.
I do like chocolate, but next to cinnamon or lemon, it is no contest. The other two are my favorites over chocolate.
I do have a favorite cinnamon swirl loaf that I have been making for many years. It is a recipe I got from my friend Leona about 40 odd years ago. You can find that recipe here. Its delicious.
Today I was wanting something a tiny bit different however. In Leona's recipe you sprinkle cinnamon sugar over the batter in layers and then swirl it throughout. I wanted one that was more like a marble cake.
I had saved this recipe from Seasons and Suppers on my Pinterest a while back. It had a cinnamon batter swirled with a vanilla batter, and looked very nice. I did make a few adaptations. For one I added some cocoa powder to the cinnamon batter for color. Its not enough to add much in the way of flavor.
I also wanted a streusel topping however rather than just sprinkling cinnamon sugar on top and so I created a cinnamon streusel to scatter over the top. Very moreish, even if I don't say so myself!
There is just something very warm and comforting about the smell and the taste of cinnamon. To me it has to be one of the nicest smells and I do adore the taste.
When I was a child I used to love those cinnamon hearts that you got on Halloween, or for Valentines day. Do they still make them??? I wonder . . .
I have a story about Cinnamon Hearts. I had some that I was going to be using to make some gingerbread men with many, many moons ago. I liked to use them for buttons down the chest of the gingerbread men when I was decorating them.
I had them on the counter but when I went to use them they were gone. I could not find them anywhere. My children were home from school eating lunch. I said to them had anyone seen the cinnamon hearts. Of course nobody had.
It was a huge mystery to me until the children went to get up to go back to school and all these cinnamon hearts fell out of the pocket of my youngest daughter's jumper. Mystery solved.
It was quite surprising actually because it was so out of character for her to do something like that. I would have suspected the boys before I suspected her.
Of course she grew up to be an extremely athletic, very health-conscious woman. Into sports, etc. She is a Nurse Practitioner. I doubt her children have ever seen a cinnamon heart. I would be very surprised if they had.
Now back to the cake!
WHAT YOU NEED TO MAKE CINNAMON SWIRL LOAF
I am betting you have everything in your larder and refrigerator right now!
For the vanilla cake batter:
- 1/2cup (125g)salted butter,at room temperature
- 1cup)200g)white sugar
- 3largefree rangeeggs,at room temperature
- 2tsp purevanilla extract
- 1 1/2cups (210g)all purpose flour
- 1/4tspsalt
- 1/4tspbaking soda
- 1/4tspbaking powder
- 1/3cup(40g)full-fat sour cream,at room temperature
For the cinnamon swirl batter:
- 3TBSbrown sugar
- 1/2 TBS cocoa powder
- 1TBScinnamon
- 1TBSmilk
For the streusel topping:
- 1/4 cup(50g) granulated sugar
- 1 TBS(8g) all-purpose flour
- 1/8 tspground cinnamon
- 2 tspbutter, melted
So as you can see, nothing really out of the ordinary. I do like to use room temperature butter, eggs, etc. when I am baking. When everything is the same temperature you get a much better result in baking.
It only makes sense.
I also only use pure vanilla extract and free range eggs, whole milk and full fat sour cream.
HOW TO MAKE CINNAMON SWIRL LOAF CAKE
Preheat the oven to 325*F/160*C/gas mark 3. Butter an 8 by 4 inch loaf tin and line across the bottom and up the two long sides with some baking paper for ease of removal. (Optional) Set aside.To make the streusel mix all of the streusel ingredients together until crumbly in a small bowl. Set aside.
Sift together the flour, soda, salt and baking powder for the cake batter. Set aside.
Cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy using an electric mixer. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in the vanilla.
Add the flour mixture to the creamed mixture, alternating with the sour cream, making one wet and two dry additions, beginning and ending with dry. Remove one cup of the batter to a bowl and stir in the swirl ingredients (brown sugar, cocoa powder, cinnamon and milk) to combine.
Spoon 1/3 of the plain batter into the loaf tin. Add another third of the batter in alternate dollops with the cinnamon batter. Spoon the remaining plain batter over top, smoothing it over to cover.
Using a long skewer, swirl the batters together. Try not to over mix them. You want swirls. I usually just do a couple of turns down the length and one from side to side.Sprinkle the streusel evenly over top.
Bake in the preheated oven for 55 to 60 minutes until well risen and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool in the pan for about 10 minutes, then lift out to a wire rack to cool completely.
Cut into slices to serve. Store any leftovers in an airtight container.
And that is it. You could of course add a simple vanilla glaze if you wanted to. Just whisk about 1/4 cup (35g) of icing sugar together with a few drops vanilla and about 1/2 tsp of water or enough water to give you a thin smooth drizzle.
Flick this drizzle over top of the cooled loaf and then leave it to set completely before cutting into slices to serve.
This was beautiful. Nice and moist and cinnamony. It made the perfect treat for a snowy mid-afternoon. But then again, I think it would make the perfect treat for any time! I highly recommend!
Cinnamon Swirl Sour Cream Loaf Cake
Yield: one 8 by 4 inch loafAuthor: Marie RaynerPrep time: 15 MinCook time: 1 HourTotal time: 1 H & 15 MMoist and delicious with a scrumptious cinnamon swirl throughout and a sweet streusel topping.Ingredients
For the loaf:- 1/2 cup (125g) salted butter, at room temperature
- 1 cup )200g) white sugar
- 3 large free range eggs, at room temperature
- 2 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 1 1/2 cups (210g) all purpose flour
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp baking soda
- 1/4 tsp baking powder
- 1/3 cup (40g)full-fat sour cream, at room temperature
- 3 TBS brown sugar
- 1/2 TBS cocoa powder
- 1 TBS cinnamon
- 1 TBS milk
- 1/4 cup (50g) granulated sugar
- 1 TBS (8g) all-purpose flour
- 1/8 tsp ground cinnamon
- 2 tsp butter, melted
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 325*F/160*C/gas mark 3. Butter an 8 by 4 inch loaf tin and line across the bottom and up the two long sides with some baking paper for ease of removal. (Optional) Set aside.
- To make the streusel mix all of the streusel ingredients together until crumbly in a small bowl. Set aside.
- Sift together the flour, soda, salt and baking powder for the cake batter. Set aside.
- Cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy using an electric mixer. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in the vanilla.
- Add the flour mixture to the creamed mixture, alternating with the sour cream, making one wet and two dry additions, beginning and ending with dry.
- Remove one cup of the batter to a bowl and stir in the swirl ingredients (brown sugar, cocoa powder, cinnamon and milk) to combine.
- Spoon 1/3 of the plain batter into the loaf tin. Add another third of the batter in alternate dollops with the cinnamon batter. Spoon the remaining plain batter over top, smoothing it over to cover.
- Using a long skewer, swirl the batters together. Try not to over mix them. You want swirls. I usually just do a couple of turns down the length and one from side to side.
- Sprinkle the streusel evenly over top.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 55 to 60 minutes until well risen and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool in the pan for about 10 minutes, then lift out to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Cut into slices to serve. Store any leftovers in an airtight container.
Did you make this recipe?
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