Cinnamon Streusel Loaf Cake

This Cinnamon Streusel Loaf Cake has the most delicious cinnamon flavor and a tender crumb. Its streusel topping adds a nice crunch with every bite and a beautiful and delicious cinnamon stripe in the middle of the loaf.

This cake is really easy to make, but is sure to impress with its beautiful design.

There are two elements to this cake: the cake, itself, and the cinnamon streusel topping.

The topping is split in half so that half of it can be added in the middle of the cake batter and the other half can be sprinkled on top before baking. This is what gives the cake that beautiful cinnamon stripe.

A FEW NOTES BEFORE WE GET STARTED

• Room Temperature Ingredients:
  • Butter: It’s important that your butter is softened. In a pinch, you can put your butter in the microwave for about 5 seconds on each side, but watch closely to make sure it is just softening and not melting.
  • Eggs: You also want to make sure that the eggs are at room temperature to ensure that they are properly incorporated into your batter. If you forget to leave them out before you start baking, place them in a bowl of warm water for about 15 minutes until they become room temperature.
• Measuring Your Ingredients: I strongly encourage that you use a kitchen scale to measure your ingredients and ensure that you have the most accurate measurements possible.
  • However, if you don’t have a scale on hand and will be using cup measurements, make sure to use the “spoon and sweep” method when measuring to avoid packing in too much of any dry ingredient.
• Oven Temperature: Make sure to preheat your oven for at least 15 minutes before you start baking.
  • I recommend purchasing an oven thermometer to get to know your oven so you can adjust your baking temperatures accordingly. Some ovens run slightly warmer or colder so its important to know yours to make sure your baked goods come out right.

Now let's bake! You'll start off by making that delicious cinnamon streusel topping. Combine the brown sugar, flour, cinnamon, and softened butter for the topping in a small bowl.

Mix together with your hands, gently massaging the dry ingredients into the butter. Continue to mix until the butter is in pea sized pieces or slightly larger. Chill until ready to use.

Next, preheat oven to 350º F. Prep a 1 lb loaf pan by coating it with cooking spray and lining it with parchment that slightly overhangs on each side.

Whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon in a large bowl and set aside. In a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugar together on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 4-5 minutes.

Add the eggs, one at a time, with the mixer on medium speed, and scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed. Add the sour cream followed by the flour mixture. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed and mix just until it is incorporated.

Carefully pour half of the batter into the pan and smooth it out with an offset spatula. Sprinkle about half of the streusel evenly on top so that all of the batter is covered.

Top with the rest of the batter and carefully smooth it out. Sprinkle the remaining streusel on top evenly so that all of the batter is covered again.

Bake for 65-68 minutes until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.

Cool for 30 minutes on a cooling rack before gently running a knife along the edges and carefully using the overhanging parchment to lift the cake out of the pan.

The cake is best served slightly warmed. Enjoy!

Print