This cinnamon swirl quick bread is easy to pull together and makes a perfect breakfast or snack!
This past weekend was a 3-day weekend here in Boston due to Patriot’s Day. Though Monday was cold and rainy for the marathon, Saturday and Sunday were both gorgeous and sunny spring days. We took advantage of the nice weather and the long weekend and took a long day trip up to Vermont on Sunday for a little hiking, exploring, and vintage market shopping.
It was a little surprising that there was still snow when we were hiking, but it was nothing too crazy. There are no words to describe how much I love it up there. The air feels cleaner, the towns are adorable, and there’s so much delicious local cheese! If you haven’t been to Vermont I would highly recommend adding it to your list.
We took off bright and early on Sunday, so I was really happy to take out two slices of this cinnamon swirl quick bread from the freezer for a quick and delicious breakfast treat before we hit the road. You will seriously love this bread! It was really easy to pull together, totally delicious, it freezes exceptionally well, and it has a cute little swirl. This is pretty similar to banana bread or any other sweet quick bread, but the cinnamon is really the star here. It’d be perfect for a breakfast or brunch treat, or perhaps even better with afternoon tea. The crumble topping is totally optional, but I’d highly recommend the cream cheese drizzle on top- it makes it a little like a cinnamon bun in quick bread form. YUM!
Cinnamon swirl quick bread
Makes: one 9 x5 inch loa
Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp table salt
- ½ cup milk
- ½ cup plain yogurt
- 2 large eggs
- ½ cup canola oil
- 1 ½ tsp vanilla extract
For the swirl
- 3 tsp ground cinnamon
- ½ cup sugar
For the crumble (optional)
- ½ cup flour
- 4 TBSP butter, room temperature
- 2 tsp cinnamon
- ⅓ cup brown sugar
For the cream cheese drizzle
- 2 oz cream cheese
- 2 TBSP confectioners sugar
- 1-2 TBSP milk
Directions
Preheat the oven to 350 F.
Combine the cinnamon and sugar in a small bowl for the swirl and set aside.
If using the crumble, add the flour, butter, cinnamon and brown sugar to a small bowl and use your fingers to combine until the topping is well integrated and looks like a crumble. Store the crumble in the fridge until ready to use.
Combine the milk, yogurt, eggs, canola oil, and vanilla extract in a medium bowl and whisk until well mixed. In a separate large bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, and salt and whisk until combined. Add the wet ingredients to the flour mixture and stir until just combined, be sure not to over mix.
Grease the bottom of a 9 x 5 inch loaf pan and pour in one-third of the batter. Sprinkle half of the cinnamon sugar mixture over the batter. Carefully pour and spread half of the remaining batter over the cinnamon mixture, and then sprinkle the remaining cinnamon sugar mixture on top. Carefully pour and spread the remaining batter over the top. The filling will naturally swirl as it bakes, so there’s no need to swirl it by hand. If using the crumble, sprinkle the topping over the batter.
Place the pan in the oven and bake for 60-70 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let the loaf cool for 10-15 minutes before removing from the pan.
For the cream cheese drizzle
Place 2 oz of cream cheese in a microwave safe bowl and heat until cream cheese is soft. This was about 30 seconds in my microwave but could be less in yours. Add the confectioner’s sugar and 1 tablespoon of milk and combine using a small whisk or fork until the mixture is smooth without any lumps. Add an additional tablespoon of milk if needed. You want to be able to easily drizzle the mixture, but you don’t want it to be too liquidy. Use a spoon to drizzle the topping over the bread.
Let the cinnamon quick bread cool completely before eating. Enjoy!
Notes
Adapted from Taste of Home
You can freeze individual slices of the bread by wrapping each slice in plastic wrap and storing in a freezer bag.