This cinnamon bread recipe is soft, buttery, and filled with ribbons of warm cinnamon sugar throughout. It’s a simple quick bread recipe that makes the most delicious breakfast, afternoon snack, or cozy dessert!
Why You’ll Love This Cinnamon Bread Recipe
There’s something so comforting about a warm slice of homemade cinnamon bread, and after plenty of recipe testing, I finally landed on a version that’s everything I wanted it to be. This cinnamon bread recipe is incredibly soft and moist with a beautiful cinnamon swirl running through the middle, a lightly crisp cinnamon sugar topping, and the most delicious buttery vanilla flavor. Here’s why you’ll love it:
Incredibly soft and moist – thanks to the combination of butter, oil and buttermilk, every slice stays tender and fluffy.
The perfect cinnamon swirl – a generous layer of cinnamon sugar creates beautiful swirls throughout the loaf and adds delicious pockets of sweet cinnamon flavor.
Simple ingredients – made with pantry staples that you probably already have on hand.
Easy to make – straightforward steps with no special equipment needed beyond a hand or stand mixer.
Perfect with a cup of coffee or tea – delicious served warm for breakfast, afternoon tea, or as a simple dessert.
For more comforting quick bread or loaf cake recipes, check out my banana bread, blueberry bread and orange loaf recipes!
How to Make Cinnamon Bread
You can find the full list of ingredients for this cinnamon bread recipe in the recipe card at the end of the blog post (for easy navigation, hit the ‘jump to recipe’ button at the top of the blog post). Here is just a quick visual breakdown of the recipe (recipe video is also provided in the recipe card below).
Preheat the oven to 350℉ (180℃) conventional. Lightly grease an 8.5×4.5-inch loaf tin and line it lengthways with parchment paper, leaving some overhang on the sides so it is easy to lift out later. Set aside.
Prepare the cinnamon swirl by combining the sugar and ground cinnamon in a small bowl. Mix until well combined and set aside.
In a medium bowl sift together the flour, cornstarch, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Using a whisk, mix until well combined. Set aside for now.
In a large bowl combine the butter, oil and sugar, and using a hand or stand mixer on a medium speed, cream together for 2 minutes until light and fluffy.
Add the eggs one at a time on a low speed, mixing well after each egg.
Add the vanilla extract (or essence) and buttermilk, then mix on a low speed until well combined. Don’t worry if the mixture looks a little curdled at this stage. Once done, remove any remaining batter from the mixer attachment(s) and set your mixer aside as the rest of the mixing will be done by hand.
Add the pre-sifted dry ingredients from earlier into the wet mixture and using a spatula, gently fold until just combined. Be careful not to overmix and only fold until you can no longer see any streaks of flour.
Pour half of the batter into the prepared loaf pan. Set aside about 1 tablespoon of the cinnamon sugar mixture for the topping, then evenly sprinkle the remaining cinnamon sugar over the batter. Using a thin knife, skewer or the back of a spoon, gently swirl the cinnamon sugar into the batter.
Carefully spoon the remaining batter over the top, then gently spread it out into an even layer, taking care not to disturb the cinnamon swirl underneath (see video for easiest way to do this). Sprinkle over the reserved cinnamon sugar and use a knife to create a few gentle swirls on the surface.
Bake for about 55 minutes in your preheated oven, or until a skewer or butter knife (toothpick will be too short) inserted into the centre comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs.
Allow to cool in the loaf tin for about 20 minutes. Then run a thin knife along the edges that do not have parchment paper to release the loaf from the pan. Using the parchment paper overhang, lift the bread out of the loaf tin and place it onto a wire rack. Cool to room temperature before slicing and serving. Enjoy!
How to Store Cinnamon Swirl Bread
This cinnamon bread recipe can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days. If your kitchen is particularly warm, you can store it in the refrigerator for up to 5 days, although it may become slightly firmer.
To enjoy it at its best, warm individual slices in the microwave for about 10–15 seconds to soften the crumb and bring back that freshly baked texture.
Moist Cinnamon Bread Recipe
Print Pin VideoIMPORTANT: For accuracy, I would recommend using the gram measurements provided, as those are the exact quantities I use. Cup measurements are given as estimates (based on US cup measurements) to make it easier for those who do not have a scale.
Ingredients
Cinnamon Sugar
- 6 tbsps (75 g) white granulated sugar
- 1¼ tbsps ground cinnamon
Loaf Batter
- 1¾ cups (210 g) all-purpose flour
- ¼ cup (30 g) cornstarch
- 1¼ tsps baking powder
- ½ tsp baking soda
- ½ tsp salt - omit if using salted butter
- ¼ cup (56 g) unsalted butter - room temperature
- ¼ cup (53 g) unflavored vegetable oil - I use canola oil
- ¾ cup (150 g) white granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs - room temperature
- 2 tsps vanilla essence/extract
- 1 cup (225 g) buttermilk - room temperature
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350℉ (180℃) conventional (see note 1 if using a convection oven). Lightly grease an 8.5x4.5-inch loaf tin and line it lengthways with parchment paper, leaving some overhang on the sides so it is easy to lift out later. Set aside.
- Prepare the cinnamon swirl by combining the sugar and ground cinnamon in a small bowl. Mix until well combined and set aside.
- In a medium bowl sift together the flour, cornstarch, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Using a whisk, mix until well combined. Set aside for now.
- In a large bowl combine the butter, oil and sugar, and using a hand or stand mixer on a medium speed, cream together for 2 minutes until light and fluffy.
- Add the eggs one at a time on a low speed, mixing well after each addition.
- Add the vanilla and buttermilk, then mix on a low speed until well combined. Don't worry if the mixture looks a little curdled at this stage. Once done, remove any remaining batter from the mixer attachment(s) and set your mixer aside as the rest of the mixing will be done by hand.
- Add the pre-sifted dry ingredients from earlier into the wet mixture and using a spatula, gently fold until just combined. Be careful not to overmix and only fold until you can no longer see any streaks of flour.
- Spread half of the batter into the prepared loaf tin. Set aside about 1 tablespoon of the cinnamon sugar mixture for the topping, then evenly sprinkle the remaining cinnamon sugar over the batter. Using a thin knife, skewer or the back of a spoon, gently swirl the cinnamon sugar into the batter.
- Carefully spoon the remaining batter over the top, then gently spread it out into an even layer, taking care not to disturb the cinnamon swirl underneath (see video for easiest way to do this). Sprinkle over the reserved cinnamon sugar and use a knife to create a few gentle swirls on the surface.
- Bake for about 55 minutes, or until a skewer or butter knife inserted into the centre comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs attached. If you notice the top of the loaf is browning too quickly, tent a piece of foil loosely over the top around the 50-minute mark.
- Allow to cool in the loaf tin for about 20 minutes. Then run a thin knife along the edges that do not have parchment paper to release the loaf from the pan. Using the parchment paper overhang, lift the bread out of the loaf tin and place it onto a wire rack. Cool to room temperature before slicing and serving. Enjoy!
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional information are estimates only as they are automatically calculated by a third party application. Actual values may differ based on brands and types of products used.
2 Comments
Id like to try the cinnamon swirl bread
However, need to replace the eggs we have a family member with severe egg allergies. Can I substitute the eggs for pure fat yogurt or Greek yogurt?
Hi Gabi! I haven’t tried this recipe with an egg substitue myself so I’m not too sure how it would turn out sorry!
Would love to hear how it goes if you decide to try it out 🙂