This Sweet Cinnamon Donut Loaf is super fluffy, cakey, sweetly spiced and has the same consistency as my favorite cinnamon sugar donut! It’s delicious any time of day – for breakfast with a slab of butter, mid afternoon snack, pairing it with a cup of coffee or dessert. 

This recipe is so easy to make and will definitely be a hit in your home. You can whip it up in just minutes, and enjoy the warm and cinnamon-y aroma wafting through your home as it bakes in the oven. 

Baking with my boys on these cold, winter days is one of my favorite things to do. Especially my youngest, he absolutely loves helping with anything and everything around our home and if that’s being in the kitchen, he’s right beside me. If homeschooling has taught me anything, it’s been to encourage my boys to use their creative side in what they enjoy doing. Baking and cooking with my Bear has truly brought so much joy to our kitchen! 🙂

Yield: 8 slices

INGREDIENTS 

• 1/4 cup olive oil (I like Bertolli, Extra Light Taste for baking)
• 1/4 cup unsalted softened butter
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 2 eggs at room temperature
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup buttermilk, see notes
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon molasses

Topping

• 1/2 cup melted butter
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prep the loaf pan by spraying it with a baking spray or line it with parchment paper.
2. In a medium bowl, mix oil, butter, and sugar until combined.
3. Stir in eggs and vanilla until the mixture is smooth.
4. Gently begin adding the dry ingredients and the buttermilk, stirring until the batter has formed.
5. Scrape sides of the bowl and make sure that there are no lumps remaining.
6. Remove 1/2 cup of the batter and add it to a smaller bowl. To that batter, add the cinnamon and molasses, stir to mix well and set aside. 
7. Pour half of the batter into the loaf pan and smooth it out in the bottom of the pan. Spoon half of the cinnamon/molasses batter on top of the batter. Use a toothpick just to make a few swirls through the batter. Then pour the remaining plain batter over top of the cinnamon/molasses batter. Dot the top with remaining cinnamon batter. Using a butter knife or a toothpick, swirl the batters together.
8. Bake for 45-50 minutes or until a toothpick comes out with a few moist crumbs.
9. Remove from the oven and allow to cool for 10 minutes while still in the pan. Gently loosen the edges to remove the loaf from the pan. It’ll still be quite warm but okay to handle with your hands.
10. Pour the melted butter into a large shallow dish and in a separate large dish, add both sugars and cinnamon stirring to mix well.
11. Very carefully, dip each side of the loaf into the melted butter until coated.
12. Carefully take the bread out of the melted butter and place each side into the sugar cinnamon mix making sure that the sides, bottom and top are well coated. 
13. Slice and enjoy warm or at room temperature!

Notes

• No need to run out to get buttermilk if you don’t have it on hand! Just mix 1/2 cup milk and 1/2 teaspoon white vinegar and let it rest for 5 minutes.