Cinnamon Drizzle Cake

Every have one of those days?  I had such a day today.  This morning I decided I was going to bake Mary Berry's Coffee Victoria Sponge Cake. I love her recipes and I adore any cake that is coffee flavored.
I had  spectacular failure, which doesn't normally happen with me.  I was standing at the sink doing dishes and I heard a kind of a popping noise behind me.  
I turned around thinking that the kittens had finally gotten to the stage where they can jump on the countertop.  (Yikes!) I am not looking forward to that stage! 

It was not the cats.  I had no idea (at that time) what the noise might have been.  So I finished the dishes and went to check on my cake layers only to discover they had fallen.
Mystery solved.
I have never had that happen before. I have never had a cake fall so spectacularly that it actually made a noise when it happened!  Have you?   
I have had cakes fall, just not that I had actually heard the moment it happened.  They are still edible, but I will have to find another use for them. I was thinking perhaps a type of tiramisu trifle of sorts?
We shall see.  In any case the episode left me without anything to really show you today in the baking arena.  On the weekends I like to highlight baking recipes because I know people have more time to bake on Saturday and Sunday.  
I don't know about you, but I, personally, happen to like a bit of cake or a cookie at the weekend. Maybe a pie.  I don't eat a lot dessert-wise during the week, but at the weekend, I like to splurge a bit.
I decided to update this older post for a Cinnamon Drizzle Cake that I baked and shared almost 10 years ago now. I hope you will forgive me for repeating myself.
Some things do bear repeating however, and this tasty loaf cake is one of them.
 
This recipe is for an amazingly moist cinnamon cake, baked in a loaf tin.  It smells heavenly when its baking, just a small warning there.
While its baking you make a maple and cinnamon drizzle syrup, which you spoon over the warm cake when it comes out of the oven.  Making it even moister and more cinnamony. 
 I have oodles of recipes on here, so many that often things get hidden and never discovered. This cake is one of my hidden gems.  
So delicious that I felt it bore repeating.  Just in case some of you had missed it the first time around. And I wager that is more than a few of you.
 This is a simple cake to make.  A quick and easy cake to make.  But, don't let its simplicity fool you into thinking that it isn't something special, because it really is! 
I am a proponent of the simple things in life. I have always felt that it is the simple things in life which bring us the most joy and meaning, and this cake is guaranteed to bring you and your family plenty of joy! 
  WHAT DO YOU NEED TO MAKE CINNAMON DRIZZLE CAKE
Simple, simple simple.  I bet you have everything in the kitchen right now.
For the cake:
butter (I use regular lightly salted butter)caster sugar (you can use regular granulated sugar here in North America)dark muscovado sugar (you can use dark brown sugar)free range eggs (I always use free range)self rising flour (I give instructions in the recipe notes on how to make your own)ground cinnamon (I like Saigon)
For the drizzle:maple syrup (don't use pancake syrup, use only pure maple syrup)cinnamon sticks (one cinnamon stick broken in half)water (just from the tap will do)

HOW TO MAKE CINNAMON DRIZZLE CAKE
Incredibly easy to make, this is bound to become a favorite.  I always begin by preheating my oven and buttering my pan.  You will need a 9 by 4 inch loaf tin for this cake. Line it with paper and then butter the paper.
Once you have done that you can start mixing the cake together. Just a tip here, when I am making cakes I like to have everything, all my ingredients, at room temperature unless otherwise specified.  I find this gives you the best results.
 You will need to cream the butter and both sugars together.  Sometimes brown types of sugars can be lumpy.  If you like you can push it through a sieve to remove the lumps, or you can press them out with your fingertips.
When we were children we loved to come across a lump of caramelized brown sugar in our cakes and cookies. It was like finding candy.  As a baker, I don't want that to happen, so I do try to take out any lumps.
  Once you have done this you can beat in the eggs, a bit at a time.  The reason we do this is so that the mixture doesn't curdle. If you find that your mixture is curdling, just beat in a spoonful of the flour needed for the recipe.
That is guaranteed to get rid of any curdles. 
 The cake does use self raising flour.  Sometimes that can be a bit hard to find, but I tell you in the recipe notes how to make your own. Its really very easy.
You will want to sift your flour together with the cinnamon  so that the cinnamon is evenly distributed. Once you have done that you can fold the flour into the beaten mixture using a large metal spoon.  
  I just use a large serving spoon or a dessert spoon. You want to fold the flour in using a cutting motion. This is so that you don't lose any of the lift from the air you have beaten into the batter.
Fold it in only until no dry streaks remain. 
Then you can spoon it into your prepared loaf tin, smoothing over the top.  Bake as per the recipe. While it is baking you will want to make the syrup for spooning over the top of the warm cake. 

Just combine all of the drizzle ingredients in a saucepan and heat gently until you can smell the cinnamon, then set it aside and keep it warm on low until you take your cake out of the oven. 
Once you have the cake out of the oven, then drizzle the cinnamon syrup over the cake a bit at a time letting it absorb as you go along until you have used it all up.  Leave the cake to cool in the tin completely before removing it.
I did dust the top of mine with some icing sugar and used the "spent" cinnamon sticks as a garnish. I thought it looked quite pretty, but that's just me.
You can enjoy it cut into thick slices as is, or if you are like me and you can't resist it, a bit of softened butter on this goes a lovely long way.  Mmmm . . . .  Easy to make and bake. Smells and tastes good.  Works for me!
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Cinnamon Drizzle Cake

Yield: 8Author: Marie RaynerPrep time: 15 MinCook time: 40 MinTotal time: 55 MinMoist and lightly spiced with cinnamon with a scrummy cinnamon/maple drizzle which is poured over the warm cake, soaking in and making it even more delicious!

Ingredients

For the Loaf:

• 3/4 cup (175g) butter, softened 
• 1/3 cup (85g) of caster sugar (1/3 cup)
• 7 TBS  of dark muscovado sugar (can use dark brown sugar)
• 3 large free range eggs, beaten
• 1 heaped tsp of ground cinnamon
• 1 1/4 cups (175g) of sifted self raising flour (see note on how to make your own)

For the drizzle:

• 1/2 cup (120ml) of pure maple syrup
• 1 large cinnamon stick broken in half
• 3 TBS water

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350*F/180*C180*C./350*F/ gas mark 4. Butter a 9 by 4 inch loaf tin and line with parchment paper. Butter the paper.
2. Cream the butter and both sugars together until light and creamy. (You may have to rub the muscovado sugar with your fingers first to break up any lumps) 
3.  Beat in the eggs, a little bit at a time, mixing well after each addition. 
4.  Sift together the flour and cinnamon. Gently fold this into the creamed mixture with a large metal spoon, using a cutting motion, until all is well amalgamated and no dry streaks remain. 
5. Spoon into the prepared loaf tin, smoothing the top over.
6. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes, until the cake is risen and springs back when gently touched on the top, or a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
7. While the cake is baking, about 5 minutes before the cake is done, combine all the drizzle ingredients in a small saucepan and gently heat until it all smells nice and cinnamon-like. Remove the cinnamon stick and set aside for the moment.
8. Pour the drizzle syrup over top of the warm cake, allowing it to soak in as you pour. Allow to cool in the pan completely, before turning out onto a serving plate. If desired you may decorate with the cinnamon stick pieces, but do remove before serving. Cut into slices to serve.

Notes:

It is very easy to make your own self rising flour. For every 1 cup (140g) you need, add 1 1/2 tsp baking powder and 1/4 tsp salt. I usually make this up 4 to 5 cups at a time and store it in a tightly covered container in the cupboard.

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