Cinnamon Swirl Loaf

We had breakfast for dinner tonight. Chalk it up to a great day trip that probably should have been an overnighter. We had promised the boys a trip to Cape Foulweather, so named for its high winds and the ferocity of its storms, and the cape did not disappoint. We stayed longer than we should and a late and heavy lunch left no one with any real appetite for dinner. Once home, I pulled this cinnamon swirl from the freezer and Bob made pancakes and bacon for those not wanting eggs. I suspect all of you have had this loaf in one form or another. I guarantee your grandmother made it and your mother probably used Bisquick to make a coffee cake that was similar to it. It fell into disfavor for years, but reappeared in a 2002 Cooking Light forum and hit the other food boards shortly thereafter. I have not been able to find the original source of the recipe. This is a delightful cake that is quick to assemble and is wonderful for morning meetings or a family brunch. The recipe, as it appeared on the food boards, would cause most folks to combine ingredients at the wrong time, so I've rearranged the ingredient list to prevent that from happening. Mine is a simple fix. Here's how it's made.

Cinnamon Swirl Loaf

Ingredients:

Cinnamon Swirl

1/3 cup sugar

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

Batter

1-3/4 cup all-purpose flour

1-1/4 teaspoons baking powder

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened

3/4 cup granulated sugar

2 large eggs

2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

1 cup sour cream

Assembly

2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

Directions:

1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Butter a 9 x 5 x 3-inch loaf pan. Set aside.

2) To make cinnamon swirl: Combine sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl. Set aside.

3) To make batter: Sift flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt into a small bowl. Set aside. Cream butter until light in bowl of an electric mixer on high speed. Gradually add sugar and continue beating until mixture is very light and fluffy. With mixer set to medium speed, add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in vanilla. With mixer set on low speed, alternately beat in dry ingredients and sour cream, beginning and ending with dry ingredients. Beat only until combined.

4) To assemble: Spoon half of batter into prepared pan. Sprinkle with half of cinnamon sugar mixture. Repeat with remaining batter and cinnamon sugar. Drizzle butter over top. To form swirl, cut through batter with a knife several times.

5) To bake: Bake until a skewer inserted in center comes out clean, about 1 hour. Let pan cool on a wire rack for 15 minutes. Loosen sides from pan and carefully invert onto a rack and gently flip to turn right-side up again. Cool completely before serving. Yield: 1 loaf.

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