Cinnamon Sugar Pound Cake (from scratch)

If you’re in the mood for a buttery cake with luscious swirls of cinnamon and brown sugar, you’ve come to the right place! This moist, delicious pound cake is easy to whip up and the addition of the cinnamon and sugar sends it over the moon!

How Can I Make a Pound Cake More Delicious?

Ever since I made that delicious Old-Fashioned Pound Cake I’ve been trying to think of ways to jazz it up. I had an idea: make it into a coffee cake, something that could be served at breakfast time. So, I set off on a course to figure out how to do that.

I knew I wanted to add cinnamon and sugar to the cake, so I did a quick perusal of the web to see if others had walked this road before me. I found several recipes.

The Best Pound Cake in Town

Of course, I already had the best pound cake recipe in town (thanks to my sister-in-law’s grandmother, Moggie). But knowing that others had swirled in cinnamon and brown sugar gave me the courage to make the addition, myself. I hoped to end up with a cake that could be served for breakfast, a traditional (but rich) coffee cake.

And boy, did it ever work! This is a great recipe that you’re going to love, I promise! I sure do. In fact, it’s just been promoted to one of my all time favorite pound cakes. . .ever!

This version is loaded with simple ingredients you probably have on hand. It’s like a classic pound cake, but with the addition of cinnamon and sugar. And yes, you can call it a coffee cake, if you like.

What is a Coffee Cake?

If you want my opinion, calling any cake a coffee cake (or breakfast cake) is just a way to make yourself feel better about eating sugar for breakfast. Ha. But, seriously. . .the idea behind this breakfast dish is to present a morning cake that will pair well with coffee. And as we know, cinnamon and sugar are a lovely combination at any breakfast table.

Coffee cakes are traditionally sponge cakes. Some are actually flavored with coffee. (Oooh! Great idea for next time!)

Unlike the decorated cakes you’ll see at a birthday party, coffee cakes are usually one layer, (often baked in a bundt cake pan or loaf pan).

I have a theory about why so many coffee cakes are baked in these particular pans. You feel less guilty eating a slice of bread, right? So, when you slice a piece of coffee cake, you’re probably thinking, “See? It’s not really cake!”

Only, of course, it is. And, like other pound cakes, it’s a solid piece of cake that can be held in the hands. You can skip the fork with most coffee cakes, for sure!

This particular cake, like so many breakfast cakes, has a bit of a crunch on top. I added some brown sugar and cinnamon to the top of the batter before popping it into the oven. But, more about that later. Let’s talk about what you’ll need to make this delicious cake!

Cinnamon Sugar Pound Cake Ingredients

The ingredients listed below will make 2 loaf pans or one large bundt pan. For a full list of the ingredients, see the printable recipe at the bottom of this post. For now, here’s a quick peek at what you’ll need:

INGREDIENTS FOR THE CAKE

• salted butter, softened
• granulated white sugar
• large eggs, room temperature
• Cake Flour, (sift before measuring)
• vanilla extract
• heavy whipping cream

INGREDIENTS FOR THE FILLING:

• brown sugar
• cinnamon
• milk or heavy cream

INGREDIENTS FOR THE TOPPING:

• brown sugar
• cinnamon

I know what you’re probably asking yourself at this point: Where’s the baking powder?

It’s in the cake flour! But if you don’t happen to have cake flour on hand, don’t fret! I have a post to help you make DIY cake flour out of all purpose flour.

How to Make this Luscious Cinnamon Swirl Cake:

This delicious cake came together very quickly. It’s so easy and delicious! Even if you’re making it for the first time you won’t be intimidated, I promise. Here’s how you do it.

Let’s start with the filling.

If you have it made in advance you won’t have to stop what you’re doing to make it when it’s needed. Combine the brown sugar, cinnamon and milk in a small bowl and stir well. I put mine into a piping bag and set it aside until I needed it.

Now, for that cake:

Start by creaming your room temperature butter at medium speed.

(To answer that question I know you’re going to ask: yes, you can use unsalted butter. Just add a pinch of salt to the recipe.)

I usually use my stand mixer with the paddle attachment but the mixing bowl was in the dishwasher at the time, so I pulled out an old-school large mixing bowl and electric mixer. (Boy, did that take me back to all of the wedding cakes I’ve baked over the years! You don’t know how many electric mixers I burned up mixing cakes before I finally bought my Kitchen Aid!)

Once the butter is creamed, add your vanilla. I used a really good brand, Watkins All Natural Vanilla. (It makes a difference!)

Now it’s time to add your sugar. Mix until light and creamy.

Crack your eggs into a separate bowl and add them one at a time. The batter will be light and fluffy.

Okay, it’s about to get really exciting! You’re going to alternate your flour (dry ingredients) with your whipping cream. Add half of the flour, then half of the cream, then half of the flour, then half of the cream. Mix at low speed.

At this point you’re probably going to need a minute to swoon. I’m not even kidding. The batter is unlike any cake batter you’ve ever made before. You can thank the whipping cream for that. It’s creamy, yet light, all at the same time.

Check out this large bowl, filled with creamy delights!

Prepare your loaf pans (2) or bundt pan (1) by spraying with non-stick spray.

Fill the pan about halfway up.

Remember that cinnamon and brown sugar filling you made? It’s time to add half of it on top of the batter. Zig-zag it onto the batter then swirl with a knife.

Add the remaining batter and repeat the cinnamon/brown sugar process.

Top the cake(s) with the topping (basically just brown sugar with a bit of cinnamon).

Pop your cake(s) into the preheated oven and bake at 325. Check at the one hour point. Mine was done at five minutes past the hour. I used a cake tester to make sure.

Place your pan on a wire rack to cool. After a few minutes flip the cake and let the cake come loose on its own. Then allow it to continue to cool on the wire cooling rack.

When the cake is cool enough to handle, slice it up! You can store the slices easily in an airtight container or covered with plastic wrap.

How to Serve Coffee Cake

With coffee, of course! But, besides that, here are some ideas for how you might take this cake up a notch:

• Spread each slice with butter and add cinnamon and sugar, then place in the toaster oven (or under the broiler) for a minute until the butter melts. (Yum!)
• Bake in muffin tins (with or without cupcake liners). These would probably make tasty muffins!
• Slice into very thin slices and use this as “bread” for a breakfast sandwich. Pair with sausage.
• French toast, anyone? Coat slices in an egg and milk bath, then grill until golden. Serve with butter and syrup (or powdered sugar)
• Top this breakfast cake with sautéed apples and cinnamon.
• Serve with fresh berries. (Raspberries would be nice!)
• Stir some cinnamon into vanilla ice cream and serve alongside this cake.
• Out of whipping cream? No problem! Use sour cream, instead.
• Serve with a cream cheese icing for some added zing!
• Turn this into a brown sugar pound cake by substituting brown sugar for half of the white sugar.

Other Cinnamon Treats from Out of the Box Baking

If you liked this whipping cream pound cake recipe, (which some folks call a cinnamon roll pound cake) check out some of my other cinnamon-y delights!

• Easy Cinnamon Rolls from Canned Biscuits: These came together in no time at all and they’re so yummy!
• Easy Cinnamon Streusel Muffins with Pecans: These are light and delicious with a streusel topping.
• Heavenly Snickerdoodles: Can anything top these familiar cinnamon treats? People fight over them!
• Flaky Pie Crust Cinnamon Rolls: I have to confess, these are my favorite! They’re crispy and light, more pie crust than traditional cinnamon roll.
• Easy Apple Pie Monkey Bread Muffins: These are super easy and loaded with a rich apple cinnamon flavor!

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That’s it for this easy pound cake recipe, y’all! This is truly the best cake I’ve had in ages. . .and that’s saying a lot.

See this recipe on Full Plate Thursday at Miz Helen’s Country Cottage!

Thanks for stopping by. Let me know your thoughts after you try this easy recipe!

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About the Author

Janice Thompson is an author, baker, and all-around mischief maker! She has overcome a host of baking catastrophes, including a toppled wedding cake, to learn more about the baking process. Janice has published over 150 books for the Christian market but particularly enjoys writing recipes and baking devotions. To learn more about Janice or to drop her a note, visit her About the Author page.