Cinnamon Swirl Quick Bread
This easy cinnamon swirl quick bread is so good! It is ultra-moist with a perfect cinnamon swirl and a crunchy, buttery cinnamon top.
Meet your new favorite quick bread recipe! A simple vanilla quick bread batter is transformed into something exceptional with that sweet cinnamon ribbon (and don’t even get me started on the cinnamon crunch topping!).
Why You’ll Love This Quick Bread Recipe
This cinnamon swirl quick bread is exceptionally delicious. Everyone goes wild for it! It must have something to do with that lovely cinnamon ribbon cutting straight through the center of the bread. Oh, and the buttery cinnamon top!
Here are a few reasons why this bread is worth making:
- The bread is easy to make. The batter is a one-bowl recipe that can be mixed together by hand.
- With the simple instructions in the recipe, achieving the perfect cinnamon swirl is quick and doable.
- The baked cinnamon swirl bread stays soft and moist for several days.
- The recipe can easily be doubled (and there are instructions in the notes section for baking in mini loaf pans).
Important Ingredients Notes
As noted above, this recipe is not complicated. It comes together really quickly! Below are a few ingredients notes to ensure the bread turns out perfectly:
- Granulated sugar: This is used both in the batter and in the cinnamon/sugar mixture that is mixed together for the cinnamon swirl and the topping.
- Milk: I use 2% milk in this recipe and recommend using at least 1%, 2% or whole milk, and avoid using skim milk.
- Sour cream: I recommend using full-fat sour cream for optimal texture and moistness in the bread.
- Oil: Vegetable or canola oil (or another neutral-flavored oil) work best in this recipe.
- Egg: Believe it or not, the size of the egg matters. Use a large egg (it should weigh 50 grams out of shell). Using too large or too small of an egg can affect the outcome of the bread.
- Flour: I use unbleached all-purpose flour for this recipe. Subbing in other types of flour (bread flour, whole wheat flour) may affect the overall texture/softness of the bread.
- Butter: That tiny bit of butter drizzled on top of the bread before baking makes a huge difference and helps caramelize the crunchy cinnamon topping.
Substitution: You can substitute 1 cup buttermilk in place of the 1/2 cup milk + 1/2 cup sour cream. The crumb is a bit tighter with the milk/sour cream, but the bread is ultra-moist and delicious either way.
How to Get The Perfect Cinnamon Swirl
It’s important to note that you don’t want to over swirl the batter! Doing so may cause the cinnamon mixture to sink to the bottom and/or create cinnamon speckles throughout the loaf rather than a cinnamon swirl.
To achieve the perfect cinnamon swirl:
- Layer half the batter followed by 1/4 cup of the cinnamon sugar mixture.
- Spread the remaining batter on top of the cinnamon and sugar.
- Sprinkle the remaining cinnamon and sugar on top of the batter.
- Use a butter knife to draw three diagonal lines in the batter starting at the top left corner.
- Repeat the pattern starting at the bottom left corner (so the lines cross each other).
Don’t over think the swirling! If the pattern doesn’t make sense, just make a few gentle slashes throughout the batter and call it good.
A Few Last Notes
Keep in mind that this bread won’t dome quite like other quick breads. It stays relatively flat and the top is layered with bubbles and swirls of crunchy cinnamon topping.
Because the top of the bread has some crunch to it, for neat slices, use a sharp serrated knife and gently cut through the corner edge of the bread before drawing the knife across to cut all the way through each slice.
I have made this bread multiple times over the last few weeks for different gatherings, and it is a slam dunk hit every time. It is a wonderful quick bread if you need a different (delicious!) flavor variation from classic banana bread, pumpkin bread, or any of those more common quick bread recipes.
One bite and you’ll understand the appeal. The crumb is perfectly moist, lightly sweet, and absolutely delicious with the contrasting sweet cinnamon swirl and crunch. I hope you love it!
Cinnamon Swirl Quick Bread
Ingredients
Bread Batter:
- ¾ cup (160 g) granulated sugar
- ½ cup (125 g) milk (preferably not skim milk – I use 2% milk)
- ½ cup (120 g) sour cream (see note)
- ⅓ cup (70 g) vegetable or canola oil
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 ¾ cups (249 g) all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
Cinnamon Sugar + Topping:
- 6 tablespoons (80 g) granulated sugar
- 2 ½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1 tablespoon melted butter
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease an 8 1/2-X4 1/2-inch loaf pan with nonstick cooking spray. Optional: line pan with parchment and grease parchment.
- For the batter, in a large bowl, add the sugar (3/4 cup), milk, sour cream, oil, egg, and vanilla. Mix well.
- Add the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Mix until no dry streaks remain (don't over mix).
- For the cinnamon and sugar, in a small bowl, mix the granulated sugar (6 tablespoons) and cinnamon together until well-combined.
- To assemble, spread half of the batter in the prepared loaf pan. Sprinkle 1/4 cup of the cinnamon/sugar mixture over the batter.
- In large spoonfuls, dollop the remaining batter over the cinnamon and sugar. Spread evenly.
- Sprinkle remaining cinnamon and sugar (about 2 1/2 tablespoons) evenly over the top of the batter.
- Draw a butter knife through the batter in three diagonal lines starting from one corner in a down-up-down pattern and then repeat the pattern one more from an opposite corner so the lines cross each other (see the pictures in the post for a visual). Don't over swirl the batter. It just needs a few slashes for optimal cinnamon and sugar swirling.
- Drizzle the melted butter across the top of the bread.
- Optional: the batter fills an 8 1/2-X4 1/2-inch pan about 2/3 full. If you live at high elevation or are worried about any of the cinnamon topping dripping into your oven while baking, place the loaf pan on a sheet pan to bake. FYI: I live at 2,500 feet elevation, and the bread doesn't overflow/drip in my oven.
- Bake the bread for 50 to 55 minutes. The bread won't dome as much as other quick breads and may be relatively flat across the top, but a toothpick inserted in the center should come out clean or with moist crumbs. Add additional time, if needed.
- Let the bread cool for a few minutes in the pan and then gently turn out (or lift parchment paper to remove) and let cool completely on a cooling rack.
- Because the top of the bread will have some crunch to it, for neat slices, use a sharp serrated knife and gently slice the corner edge of the bread before drawing the knife across to cut all the way through each slice.
Notes
Recommended Products
Recipe Source: from Mel’s Kitchen Cafe
My daughter, Julia is living in Chile right now serving a mission. Her sister sent her this recipe. Julia has made this three times. It has been a hit with her companions and all of the missionaries!
Ok, that is amazing! Thank you for sharing that with me!
With the MKC trademarks of easy & delicious, there is no reason not to make. We’re on our 2nd loaf! Thanks, Mel!
Ah, made my day, Kristi! Yay! Thank you!
This was so yummy! I made a few adjustments because I live at 4000 ft elevation – increased flouer by 2 tbsp and milk by 1 tbsp and decreased sugar by 1 tbsp and used “scant” measurements for baking powder & soda. Made three mini loaves and they came out perfectly! Thank you for another delicious recipe.
Thanks for including your adjustments, Sharri!
This is delicious! Already thinking it might be on the menu for the holidays!
So happy to hear that, Kelly!
We love your recipes so much in our home! I made this bread last night. My husband took one bite and said, “God bless Mel!” I think that says it all 😂 Thanks for helping make my kitchen full of yummy food all these years!
Haha, that made me laugh out loud! So happy your husband loved this bread!!
I am wondering if I can substitute the flour with gluten free flour. Has anyone tried this?
Thanks.
Hi Lavonne, I haven’t tried it, but usually a 1:1 gluten free flour blend works quite well in quick bread recipes like this.
So good and easy!
Thanks, Brina!
I made it this morning, yum! House smells so good. I used vanilla Greek yogurt instead of sour cream because that’s what I had& reduced the sugar to 1/3 cup since the yogurt is sweet and it was great!
Thanks for the comment, Ami – glad it worked out!
For some reason, I was really drawn to this recipe even though I don’t like cinnamon. So I decided to try it with a chocolate swirl instead. Just had my first two slices, and it’s a success.
I used those melting wafers for chocolate, and left the top alone. The only issue was getting the chocolate liquid enough to spread without getting it too runny. I did get it a little too runny, but that just resulted in a crust of baked chocolate here and there, so no problem 🙂
After thinking about it a little more, I realized that I could have used a mixture of cocoa powder and sugar in both locations. I’ll try that.
BTW, I’ve had two positive reviews on it. And it’s easy!
This is amazing, Margaret! Thanks for detailing your changes for a chocolate version. Sounds like there’s room to play with it, but so happy to hear the reviews have been great!
Yum! Everyone loved it! I loved the crunchy topping with the delicious soft bread. I am always looking for something to add to the breakfast bread rotation, this one is a winner for sure!
Thanks, Angela!
This sounds delicious. Can’t wait to try it. As a side note, I love that the bread is winking and smiling at us. If that isn’t a sign to make it, I don’t know what is.
Hahaha, I had to go take a look at the photos again after reading your comment, and sure enough, you’re right! Put a huge smile on MY face.
Generally when making a “cinnamon” dish i use brown sugar …is there any reason why I could not use brown sugar instead of white?
It’s definitely worth experimenting. I’m not sure if using brown sugar would cause the cinnamon layer to sink more? If you try it, let us know how it works out.
I am a big fan brown sugar in recipes like this. When I made this last night I subbed 1/2 the whit sugar with brown sugar for both bread and the swirl. PERFECT. I love this bread!!
Sounds like a delicious variation, Toni – thanks for sharing!
absolutely delicious . I will be making this bread a lot
I’m so happy to hear that!
Yay! So glad you liked this bread!
This sounds delicious, and I am going to make it tomorrow. However, I have to admit, as I read the description, something in me was crying for sourdough discard to be added!! I am going to attempt it by reducing some of the flour and sour cream… I’ll let you know how it turns out!
Report back if you have time! I think sourdough discard would work really well!
I admit I don’t have Mel’s loaf to compare mine to (yet, anyway), however, the addition of sourdough discard was lovely. I don’t think the texture was compromised at all. I decreased the milk to 60g and the flour to 200g, and added 115g of sourdough discard to the sugar/milk/sour cream/egg mixture. I rarely post Comments, especially if I’ve tweaked the recipe, but this was absolutely delicious. Not too sweet; not too cinnamon-y; light, moist and crunchy. What a winner. Thanks, Mel!! (Oh! I did use toasted sugar a la Stella Parks that I happened to have in my pantry.)
This sourdough version (and the toasted sugar!) sounds AMAZING! Thanks for detailing how you made it, Valerie!
Made it today. Exactly as written. Quick. Easy. Delicious.
Yay! So happy to hear that, Rosemary. Thanks for making it so quickly and reporting back!
You had mentioned doubling the recipe did you bake as a 9×13 or two loaf pans?
When I double this recipe, I bake in two separate loaf pans.
I’ve made the buttermilk version of this many times, and it’s one of my favorites! I’d just been thinking of trying it with sour cream, so your post was quite serendipitous! I won’t have to guess about it — I know it will be delicious!
I’ve been waiting for a recipe like this one. It reminded me of a similar loaf I purchased at Costco a few years ago. This recipe is delicious and tasted even better than the Costco variety. Thanks Mel for ANOTHER fantastic recipe that my entire family enjoyed!!
Have a fantastic time with your family this week. Precious days indeed. Savor every moment!
Thank you so much, Eileen!
I’ve been waiting for a recipe like this one! Can’t wait to get into the kitchen. Thanks Mel!! Enjoy your time with your family this week. Precious days indeed.