Simple Easy Cinnamon Cake
This Easy Cinnamon Cake, is one of the best cakes. It’s fast, easy and delicious. A soft full of cinnamon cake recipe. The scent of cinnamon baking in the oven has to be one of the most amazing aromas! The perfect anytime cake, from breakfast, to snack to dessert.
This cinnamon cake was one of my mother’s recipes, my mother is probably my main source for my non-Italian dessert recipes, because holy cow could my mother bake! From her shortbread cookies, to lemon bread to one of my favorite chocolate cake recipes, and of course this amazing cinnamon cake!
Recipe Ingredients
- Brown sugar – light or golden brown sugar
- Cinnamon – ground cinnamon
- Butter – softened
- Sugar – granulated sugar
- Eggs – large eggs room temperature
- Flour – all purpose flour or cake/pastry flour
- Baking powder – for leavening
- Baking soda – for leavening
- Salt (2 grams)
- Sour milk – homemade sour milk
- Vanilla – vanilla extract
How To Make Homemade Cake/Pastry Flour
For every cup of all purpose flour, remove two tablespoons and replace with two tablespoons of corn starch. Be sure to sift the flour and cornstarch together a couple of times, this way it is sure to be properly combined and lump free. Cake flour in cakes will give you a very tender texture and fine crumb, it will also help the cake to rise.
How To Make A Cinnamon Cake Recipe
In a small bowl mix together the brown sugar and cinnamon, set aside. In a medium bowl sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
In a large bowl or stand mixer, cream the butter and sugar, then add the eggs, and beat until fluffy. Add the dry ingredients alternately with the sour milk, ending with the sour milk to the creamed mixture. Add the vanilla and mix well.
Spoon a third of the cake batter into the prepared pan. Sprinkle with half of the cinnamon sugar mixture. Spoon another third of the batter on top.
Add the remaining cinnamon mixture and then the remaining batter. Bake until done or a toothpick comes out clean or with a few crumbs attached. Remove from oven, let cool in the pan then move to a wire rack to cool completely. Dust with powdered sugar before serving.
Why Use Room Temperature Ingredients?
When at room temperature, eggs, butter, and other dairy ingredients form an emulsion which traps air. While baking in the oven, that trapped air expands and produces a fluffy baked good. So be sure to remove the ingredients from the fridge 45-60 minutes before baking.
Why Cinnamon Cake?
Cinnamon, with its sweet, woody aroma, has been cherished in culinary traditions around the world for centuries. It’s versatile enough to enhance both savory dishes and sweet treats, but it truly shines in desserts. A cinnamon cake combines the spice’s bold flavor with the tender crumb of a classic cake, creating a dessert that’s both comforting and irresistibly delicious.
If there was one cake that I could eat all by myself this would be the one, Cinnamon Cake. I can’t tell you how delicious this cake really is, it’s so good it needs no glaze, frosting or streusel topping. A light dusting of powdered sugar if desired is all it needs!
Why Does My Cake Fall?
- There are a lot a reasons a cake may fall, but the most common ones are, your oven temperature is off, you can always check it with an oven thermometer to check this.
- You open the oven door too early. Never open the oven door before 25-30 minutes of baking.
- Once the batter is mixed it should be baked, letting a cake batter sit too long can cause it to fall. The baking powder or baking soda usually start acting immediately and will only last for a very short period of time, therefore if the cake batter is left to stand before baking then there is always a risk that the baking powder or soda will have expired by the time that the cake goes into the oven.
- Your baking powder or soda has expired and is no long active.
- Use room temperature ingredients.
- The pan size might not be the correct size, sometimes using a bundt pan will help.
Recipe FAQs
To make sour milk add one tablespoon lemon juice or white vinegar to one cup measure, top off with milk, let sit for about 10 – 15 minutes.
Baking soda reacts with acids in a recipe, neutralizing them and, in the process, creating carbon dioxide. Examples of acids include: sour milk, brown sugar, lemon juice, or yogurt.
How to store the cake
As long as the cake is unfrosted it should be kept at room temperature. Keep it in a cake container or well wrapped. It will keep for up to 3 days. If you store it in the fridge, wrap tightly to keep it from drying out. It will keep for up to 5-6 days in the fridge.
How to freeze the cake
Be sure to cool the cake completely then wrap it tightly in either plastic wrap or foil, place it in a freeze safe bag. The cake will keep for up to 2 months. When ready to thaw place the wrapped cake in the refrigerator to thaw before serving.
More Cinnamon Recipes To Enjoy!
- Homemade Cinnamon Apple Strudel
- Cinnamon Apple Puff Pastry Squares
- Cinnamon Cake Donuts
- Cinnamon Walnut Coffee Cake
Easy and fast to put together and that amazing smell wafting through the house. Soft, moist and cinnamony and so totally perfect with a cup of tea or coffee, one slice, two or three slices, who cares, who’s counting? Enjoy!
The Best Easy Cinnamon Cake
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon cinnamon
- ¾ cup butter softened*
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs (room temperature)
- 2 cups all purpose flour or cake/pastry flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup sour milk (room temperature)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
*If using unsalted butter then add ½ teaspoon of salt.
Instructions
- Pre-heat oven to 325F (160C). Grease and flour or spray an 8 inch / 20cm springform or regular cake pan.
- In a small bowl mix together the brown sugar and cinnamon, set aside.
- In a medium bowl sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
- In a large bowl cream the butter and sugar, approximately 2-3 minutes, then add the eggs, beat until fluffy.
- Add the dry ingredients alternately with the sour milk, ending with the sour milk to the creamed mixture. Add the vanilla and mix well.
- Spoon 1/3 of the batter into prepared cake pan. Sprinkle with 1/2 of the cinnamon mixture. Spoon another 1/3 of the batter on top, then remaining cinnamon mixture, then top with the remaining batter. Bake for approximately 50-60 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean or with a few crumbs attached. Remove from oven and let cool 15-20 minutes in the pan then move to a wire rack to cool completely. Dust with powdered sugar before serving if desired. Enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
Updated from October 5, 2014.
Enjoyed by all! Thank you!
Hey! Can I substitute the brown sugar just for normal granulated sugar? Or will there be a difference in taste?
Hi Berna, yes you can substitute and yes there will be a slight difference in taste and texture, due to the molasses in the brown sugar. If you try it let me know how it goes.
Hi! I made this today however, my cake seems to be crumbling easily! Do you know why this could probably have happened? I have used the exact measures as mentioned by you. Let me know please! Thanks!
Hi Natasha, it could be because your oven temperature is off and it bakes higher than you put it at, or you baked it too long or you over beat it. Hope that helps.
Fantastic recipe. So easy and so tasty. I did 1.5x recipe in 12” tin. Delicious w vanilla frosting thinly spread. Cinnamon flavour is Devine.
Hi Ally, thanks so glad you enjoyed it. And great idea with the vanilla frosting. Have a great weekend.
Sounds like a great recipe. planning on making it for a cinnamon lover;s celebration tomorrow. Would like to make it without eggs. can use the help. Will substituting with flax meal work? how much
Hi Shanta, I really can’t say if that would work as I have never replaced the eggs before, here is a link that might be helpful. Let me know how it goes. https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/egg-substitutes#section1
Even though I used half and half and I didn’t have a Springform pan it turned out perfectly and was very easy. I will be making this again!
Hi Siri, thanks so much, so glad you enjoyed it. Have a great weekend.
I made this recipe and it turned out wonderful. Very moist and lots of compliments. I did double the amount of brown sugar and cinnamon because I really love the cinnamon flavor. Thank you so much for sharing!
Hi Deborah, thanks so much, so glad you enjoyed it. It’s one of our favourites too. 🙂
Hi Rosemary, amazing cake. For the cinnamon mixture, Am I using soft light brown sugar (which doesn’t have much grain) or granulated brown sugar?
Hi Roxanne, I usually use a the soft light brown sugar. Let me know how it goes.
Hi
I have followed the recipe to the tee but mine doesn’t rise and is flat? I used a 22inch springform as can’t find a 20. Would that make the difference?
Otherwise thanks for the recipe
Hi Olivia, I think you mean 22 cm correct? An 8 inch pan would work. Have you checked to make sure your baking powder hasn’t expired or that your oven temperature is correct? And be sure to cream the butter and sugar (about 2 – 3 minutes). Hope that helps.
A couple months ago after work trips to Italy I was searching for Italian cookie recipes and I stumbled on this recipe somehow. I bookmarked it and made it this morning. It is SOOOOOOOO GOOD.
My husband and I both thought it would also be good with a cinnamon streusel topping on it – I’ll be trying that next time!
Hi Michael, thanks so glad you like it and yes great idea with the streusel topping. Let me know how it goes. Everything is better with a streusel topping, frosting is overrated 🙂
Easy and lovely! And my kitchen smells amazing😋. Your recipes never disappoint me,
Rosemary. Happy New Year to you, and to the Italian
Hi Bonnie, thanks so much so glad you enjoyed it and yes nothing like the smell of cinnamon. Happy New Year to you and your family also. 🙂
Thanks Mrs Rosemary! I hardly know how to start an oven but I made this cake for my team and we all had it with vanilla ice cream, it was awesome! The wives were all bamboozled how I could bake! Keep spreading the good word!
Hi Anurag, thanks so much so glad you and your team enjoyed the cake. Have a great weekend.
Tried this recipe today. Couldn’t get any cake flour, so just substituted the dry ingredients with self raising flour! Absolutely delicious and soft! So soft that I had an accident while transferring and part of the cake toppled off and crumbled. Just added icecream to the crumbled cake and it was still a win! Thanks for sharing this recipe
Hi Alice, thanks so much, so glad you enjoyed it. 🙂
This is one of the best cakes I have ever baked! Thank you for giving my family a new recipe that will likely live on for generations!
Hi Brittany thanks so much, so glad you and your family enjoyed it. Have a wonderful weekend.
Would it be ok if I used granuleted sugar instead of brown sugar?
Hi Mary well you could, but the brown sugar gives a slight caramel taste and it helps make the cake moister and softer. I hope that helps, if you do use regular white sugar, let me know how it goes.