This cinnamon swirl cake is simply the best. The brown sugar and cinnamon flavor swirled throughout the cinnamon cake make for a super satisfying and indulgent dessert.

What You Will Need

Mixing bowl
Electric mixer
8 or 9 inch round cake pan
Parchment paper (optional, but recommended)
Toothpick or something similar for swirling!
Bowl scraping spatula

Ingredients for cinnamon swirl cake

Your butter should be room temperature, since you are going to cream it with the sugar as the first step. This will not go well if the butter is cold and the mixer cannot handle it.

The eggs, sour cream, and milk will do better in the batter if they are taken out of the fridge early also. Remember, these ingredients will not be safe left out of the fridge for as long as butter will be. *Do not let the eggs, sour cream, or milk sit outside of the fridge for longer than 2 hours*

Sour cream in particular adds another level of moisture to the cake! As opposed to a liquid ingredient, sour cream will keep the batter thick enough as well.

Vanilla is so important in this recipe! Cinnamon goes so well with this ingredient and they will compliment each other so well.

Baking powder is one of the most important ingredients here. The rise that this ingredient will create makes it fluffy and delicious. If you forget baking powder, you will notice right away!

Cinnamon is the star of the show here! Not only are we adding a flavorful cinnamon mixture to swirl throughout the cake, but we are also adding cinnamon to the cake base.

Brown sugar is used in the cinnamon swirl mixture. It adds a rich flavor and even more moisture! Another ingredient that compliments both cinnamon and vanilla very well.

Measuring

I recommend measuring out all of the ingredients before you begin so that you do not miss any. This also makes the process more enjoyable and easier!

When measuring the flour, scoop it into a measuring cup and then level with the back of a knife or a leveler if you have one. This ensures that the measuring is more accurate. If you were to scoop and shake to let the flour settle, you may end up with more than the recipe actually calls for!

¾ of a cup of butter is needed for this recipe. That is also 12 tablespoons of butter or 1 ½ sticks.

Tips

You can adjust the cinnamon swirl mixture according to how much cinnamon swirl you desire. The cake batter also has a slight cinnamon flavor.

It is easiest to use a stand mixer, but you can use an electric hand mixer as well. I would not recommend using a hand whisk since you have to cream the butter and sugar together pretty well. This is possible with a hand whisk but will be very physically demanding!

The most amount of mixing should be with the butter and sugar, and then when you add the eggs and vanilla. Once the flour is incorporated, you want to only mix until everything is combined. Over mixing cake can result in a dense, chewy texture.

Cinnamon Swirl Cake Step by Step

First thing is first, preheat your oven! We are baking this cake at 350 degrees fahrenheit.
Take all of the dry ingredients and whisk them together in a bowl. This includes the flour, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon. Set this mixture aside for now.
Now, you will be creaming the butter and sugar. This is usually accomplished in 2-3 minutes, while pausing occasionally to scrape the sides of the bowl. You have to make sure the ingredients are combined evenly. This creaming process is finished when the butter and sugar are noticeably more fluffy and lighter in color.
The vanilla and eggs are next. You can mix this for a couple more minutes. We are trying to incorporate a good amount of air for the purpose of making a nice and light texture.
The sour cream and milk are next. You can just mix this until everything is evenly combined.
Now, you can slowly add the dry ingredients. Mix this until evenly combined and then you are ready to add in the beautiful cinnamon swirl!
Pour the batter in one 8 inch round cake pan.
In a small bowl, combine the cinnamon, butter, and brown sugar. Take a spoon and scoop little bits of this mixture over the batter. Take a toothpick or butterknife and drag it through the batter, creating a swirl pattern. This should not be fully mixed into the batter. You want to see the swirls clearly.
Bake this for 35-38 minutes. Make sure to check on the cake once the timer has reached 30 minutes.