Cinnamon Swirl Cake

Warming cinnamon and soft brown sugar take this cake to a notch above the rest. Imagine all the flavour of a cinnamon bun in a light and extremely fluffy cake, there really is nothing not to love about a slice of this cake.

It’s also extremely simple to make – some cinnamon and sugar are mixed together, then the batter is made using just one bowl – hello, minimal washing up! Dry ingredients are whisked together, then the wet ingredients are poured in one at a time, then it’s all given a gentle whisk to make a velvety smooth vanilla batter. This batter is layered with liberal sprinkles of the cinnamon sugar and then all swirled together.

I do recommend the trick of adding dairy-free butter strips down the centre is you want a lovely even crack, but there is no real need and it will taste delicious either way.

This cake is definitely one you should bookmark – not only is it made in minutes, it is perfect at any time of day. Enjoy a slice for breakfast (Shhhh!), it’s perfect alongside a cup of coffee or tea, and it also works wonderfully warmed a served with custard or ice cream.

If you want an even more dramatic effect, I recommend adding 2 tbsp cocoa powder to the cinnamon sugar, and you’ll end up with the most wonderful dark and light swooshed cocoa swirl cake.

Cinnamon Swirl Cake

dairy-free, egg-free, nut-free, soya-free, sesame-free, vegetarian and vegan

All of taste of a cinnamon bun in a light fluffy loaf cake

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Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Cook Time 30 minutes mins

Course cake

Equipment

• 2lb loaf tin

Ingredients

  

• 3 tbsp soft brown sugar
• 2 tsp cinnamon
• 180 g self-raising flour
• 1 tbsp custard powder or cornflour
• 110 g caster sugar
• ¾ tsp bicarbonate of soda
• pinch of salt
• 145 ml dairy-free milk
• 1 tbsp dairy-free yogurt
• 50 g dairy-free margarine melted
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/4 tsp vinegar or lemon juice

Instructions

 

• Preheat the oven to 180 degrees Centigrade/Gas Mark 5. Grease and line the loaf tin
• Mix together the soft brown sugar and cinnamon and set aside
• Sift together the flour, custard powder, bicarb and salt
• Stir in the sugar and give it all a whisk to evenly distribute the ingredients.
• Pour in the dairy-free milk, melted dairy-free margarine, yoghurt, vanilla and vinegar or lemon.
• Whisk gently until well combined.
• Pour 1/3rd of the batter into the lined tin and then scatter over one third of the cinnamon sugar, repeat until you have used up all the batter (but make sure you have some of the cinnamon sugar remaining)
• Using a blunt knife, swirl together the layers, this works best by doing large sweeping movements and also to turn some of the batter up from the bottom (see my Instagram reel for greater detail)
• Sprinkle over the remaining sugar mix. If you want to get a nice crack down the centre of the cake, lay some thin strips of dairy-free butter down the centre. (see photo above)
• Bake for 30-35 minutes, until a knife comes out clean
• Remove from the tin and cool on a wire rack

Notes

a nice variation is to add 2 tbsp cocoa to the cinnamon sugar for a dramatic cocoa swirl

Keyword cinnamon swirl cake, egg-free muffins, nut-free, vegan