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This Swirly Cinnamon Bread recipe is a cakey bread, baked until perfection and then dipped into butter and coated with cinnamon sugar! And if you’re looking for a mini version, look no further than my Cinnamon Muffins!
How To Make Sweet Donut Cinnamon Bread (YUM)
This is a pretty simple loaf to make, you just need to be prepared to get a little messy whilst dipping the whole loaf into melted butter…and then cinnamon and sugar. For full recipe details see the printable recipe card and video down below.
Prep
Preheat oven. Grease light colored loaf pan with non-stick cooking spray and set aside.
Make the Batter
In large bowl, mix oil, butter and sugar until well combined. Stir in eggs and vanilla until smooth. Gently stir in dry ingredients and buttermilk until uniform batter has formed. Scrape sides to ensure no lumps are present.
Reserve 1/2 Cup of Cinnamon Bread Batter
Reserve 1/2 cup prepared batter from bowl and place into a separate smaller bowl. To that small amount of batter, stir in cinnamon and molasses.
Pour into Pan, Swirl + Bake
Pour half of the prepared batter into the bottom of the loaf pan. Spoon half of the cinnamon batter in small dollops overtop the batter. Pour remaining plain batter over the top. Dot the top with remaining cinnamon batter. Using a butter knife, swirl two batters together.
Bake until toothpick comes out with a few moist crumbs…about 40-45 minutes.
Prep Coating
While loaf is baking, get coating ready. Pour melted butter into a large shallow dish. Stir sugar, brown sugar and cinnamon together in a separate large shallow dish.
Cool
Cool 10 minutes before loosening edges and removing loaf from pan. The loaf should be very warm, but cool enough to handle with your hands.
Coat Loaf in Butter + Cinnamon Sugar
Dip each side of loaf into melted butter until fully coated. Spoon remaining melted butter over the edges that tend to be more crispy. Transfer buttery loaf to the cinnamon-sugar mixture and press into the sides and top until fully coated. Slice into pieces and serve warm or at room temperature.
Storing Cinnamon Bread
Cinnamon Swirl bread can be stored in an airtight container or ziplock beg at room temperature. This bread will stay fresh for 4-5 days.
To Freeze: Let Cinnamon Bread cool completely before wrapping in plastic wrap and placing in a freezer safe bag. Bread will stay fresh in the freezer for 3 months.
Can I Make These into Muffins Instead?
Yes! You can totally make this buttery cinnamon bread into muffins. Be sure to grease the muffin tin and fill 2/3 full and bake until a toothpick inserted comes out clean, around 13-15 minutes. Paper liners wouldn’t work here because you would have to coat the whole muffin in butter, then cinnamon sugar. Unless you just dip the top, which could be a great option if you’d rather not bother washing a muffin tin.
More Sweet Cinnamon Recipes To Try:
- Cinnamon Butterscotch Chip Cookie Recipe
- Snickerdoodle Cookies
- The Best Homemade Cinnamon Rolls
- Buttery Monkey Bread Recipe
So, there you have it! A buttery, sweet, delicious cinnamon bread that you are sure to love. Be sure to save this recipe for your next breakfast or brunch gathering! Have a wonderful weekend!
Cinnamon Bread (swirled donut bread)
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup canola oil or avocado oil
- 1/4 cup softened butter
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 2 eggs at room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup buttermilk or 1/2 cup milk + 1/2 teaspoon white vinegar
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon molasses
coating:
- 1/2 cup butter melted
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350° F. Grease light colored loaf pan with non-stick cooking spray and set aside.
- In large bowl, using an electric stand mixer, mix oil, butter and sugar until well combined. Stir in eggs and vanilla extract until smooth.
- Gently stir in dry ingredients and buttermilk until uniform batter has formed. Scrape sides to ensure no lumps are present.
- Remove 1/2 cup prepared batter from bowl and place into a separate smaller bowl. To that small amount of batter, stir in ground cinnamon and molasses.
- Pour half of the prepared batter into the bottom of the loaf pan. Spoon half of the cinnamon batter in small dollops overtop the batter. Pour remaining plain batter over the top. Dot the top with remaining cinnamon batter.
- Using a butter knife, swirl two batters together. Bake 45-50 minutes or until toothpick comes out with a few moist crumbs.
- While loaf is baking, get coating ready. Pour melted butter into a large shallow dish. Stir sugar, brown sugar and ground cinnamon together in a separate large shallow dish.
- Cool 10 minutes before loosening edges and removing loaf from pan. The loaf should be very warm, but cool enough to handle with your hands.
- Dip each side of the loaf into melted butter until fully coated. Spoon remaining melted butter over the edges that tend to be more crispy.
- Transfer buttery loaf to the cinnamon-sugar mixture and press into the sides and top until fully coated.
- Slice into pieces and serve warm or at room temperature.
This looks so ???? yummy!! Making this today!!
Looks yummy yummy
Looks delicious
great recipe
Delicious…I made blueberry sauce for the side…now that’s a yummy treat!
Sounds yummy. I have to make this
What size loaf pan?
I used a 1 lb. Pan: 8″ x 4 1/2″ x 2 3/4″ high
Will be making this . Looks great.
I made it this morning and it’s very good. Keeper!
Everything looks mouth watering
Can you use Almond milk?
Wow this good. Will be making it again. Thank you
Cinnamon Donut Bread
yeah
A must bake. Extra good when still warm.
Looks very good
Great gift idea.
Weellll, I showed this to my hunny…Guess you know what I’ll be doing later! LOL!
Good stuff
Could there be something that could be substituted for the eggs in this recipe
I would try applesauce for eggs.
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[…] Cinnamon Swirl Donut Bread […]
I made this in a heart shaped tin for Valentines Day. I would have attached a pic but there was no where to attach it. This is amazing bread!
This look delish! Can’t wait to bake! I have lots of pecans on hand. How do you think it would be with that addition?
This is the next item on my baking list once I finish up my Christmas cookies.
P.S. Merry Christmas 🙂
This is one of my favorite recipes on your site!! It’s so delish and goes perfectly with a strong cup of coffee 🙂
Yum! This bread looks great. I’m definitely going to make it.
This sounds delicious! I think I’ll try this recipe when my grandchildren are here for Christmas!
Made this bread for my Sunday School kids and we all loved it! I put the batter in mini loaf pans, which made it easier to bathe the loaves in the butter:) Thanks for sharing!
How long did you bake with the mini loaf size?
Mini loaf pans! Great idea
This looks amazing! My daughter and I are making this tomorrow! ♡♡♡
So…I made it…let me just say WOW!!! This bread is DELICIOUSLY AMAZING!!! My entire family loved it! Thanks so much for a fantastic recipe!
Awesome! So glad you all liked it 🙂
This looks SO GOOD! I am getting ready to make a loaf now….I can’t wait! In anticipation of making it AGAIN in the future, I was wondering if you’ve ever made mini loaves with it? Any suggestions would be appreciated. 🙂
I have made this multiple times in the mini loaves and they turn out great. In my oven the are done in 25 to 30 minutes. Great little gifts!!!!!
Thank you Kackie, I am going to make this as gifts in mini loaves so glad to know someone has tried it and for giving cook time for the mini loaves.
This sounds delicious!!
Lauren
Can you use vegetable or sunflower oil as I will not use Canola oil due to GMO?
of course!!
OMG this looks awesome!
Thanks for the great recipe! I just made this, followed the recipe exactly, came out beautifully. I was worried about it falling apart when rolling it in the butter but all went well. I couldn’t help but think that a bit of mace added to the main batch would really contribute to the donut flavor….gotta try that next time….and there WILL be a next time. Thanks again for a great recipe….it was moist, sweet, and very tasty.
Hi! My daughter and I just made this! She did the recipe straight by the book and I jazzed mine up with some cream cheese. Can’t wait for it to come out the oven!!
This looks great. I can almost smell it cooking. The picture looks like a 9 x 5 loaf size not an 8 x 4. But want to be sure. 9 x 5? Thanks.
It didn’t say what size pan?
I used an 8×4 and mine came out super dry :/ I’m definitely going to try this recipe again but in a full-size loaf pan.
I made this last night and it was so good! I used maple syrup instead of molasses & vegetable oil instead of canola(didn’t have either of those) I wanna make everything on here! 🙂
This is amazing!!! Made it and just scarfed down 2 pieces???? I just brushed the melted butter on the bread and sprinkled it with tons of the sugar mixture rather than dipping each side…. definitely need that on all sides of the bread for the sheer deliciousness of it! Thanks for a great and easy recipe????
This was totally awesome. I didn’t have canola oil so I used coconut oil! Wow I love the flavor.
OMG I just made this because we needed something sweet to munch on and this is like a fluffy warm slice of perfect!!! I will be making this many many many more times! Thank you.
Reminds me of Amish cinnamon bread, Will have to make this one. YUM!
That’s what I was thinking too! only we not have to wait for a starter to be given to us!
You can make your own starter. Here it is:
2 1/2 t active dry yeast
1/4 c warm water
1 c all purpose flour
1 c sugar
1 c warm milk
is that the recipe from a long time ago when people shared some kind of friendship batter? i can’t remember what it made… muffins or bread or?? what do you do in this recipe you gave?
No, this isn’t friendship bread. I think that has a yeast base.
WOAH, NELLY! That looks insanely Amazing!!! Great job Lauren. I could eat that whole loaf!
I don’t have molasses but I want it so bad!!! I seriously cannot wait to try this out!! It looks like the bread they sell in Costco (which I love!)
The molasses is used strictly for color, so you can definitely try this recipe and leave that out 🙂
Thank you! I will be baking this today! Do you have an Instagram? I love tagging the people who’s recipes I use so others know where to find them 🙂
Yes! You can find me @laurens_latest on instagram 🙂
What size loaf pan do you use?
8.5 x 4.5 x 2.75 inches
Is Distilled white vinger ok
Is Distilled white vinger ok
No, white vinegar is harsh, and mainly used for a cleaning purpose.
I just used it since its going in milk anyways. My loaf is delicious!
I did to worked just fine!
It didn’t say what size pan?
someone used maple syrup instead of molasses
I used dark corn syrup. Not only is it for color, but it adds an extra sweetness to that layer. Yum!
I think I could devour the whole loaf myself! THANK YOU for sharing! (my thunder thighs thank you too, hahaha).
This looks amazing!!
I am going to keep this recipe. I would love to make this in the morning.
This is delicious! Simple recipe. The only bump I had was where it says to add all of the dry ingredients and cinnamon is a dry ingredient so I added it to the batter from the beginning rather than to half of the batter….overall this is a great recipe, thank you for sharing!
Could I use coconut or avocado oil in place of the canola?
Olive oil, safflower oil, coconut oil, sunflower oil, almond oil, cottonseed oil, corn oil, soybean oil,avocado and peanut oil are all possible substitutes for canola oil. Of these alternatives sunflower oil is likely to be the best given its likeness to canola oil in colour, flavour and smoking point
I am so making this…looks wonderfully sinful. Extra workouts for sure!!
Lauren,
Omg! How decadent. Could you use plain yogurt instead of buttermilk? I can almost taste this on Christmas morning.
Thanks!
Sheila Best
Can you use olive oil instead canola oil
The entire recipe didn’t come up so I made it completely different , we will see if it even comes out at all .
Damn….I have all the ingredients on hand! Will be making this, but think I will just melt a little butter and brtush the top only and sprinkle the cinnamon sugar on…that looks totally satisfying for the adults in the house. Or maybe I will make a butter glaze with cinnamon sugar in it and pour over the cake after I poke some holes in it.