Introducing my easy Cinnamon Tea Cake. It comes together in minutes and boasts a buttery crumb and a sweet cinnamon sugar crust. The perfect cake for morning tea!
The humble tea cake ❤️
I’m so excited to share my Cinnamon Tea Cake recipe with you today. It’s incredibly easy to make but it tastes like you’ve slaved away in the kitchen for hours.
It has a super soft and tender crumb that’s buttery and sweet, and a crisp cinnamon sugar topping.
You only need a handful of ingredients and you’ve got the perfect cake to share with family and friends.
Why you will love this recipe
- The cake is soft and tender
- It’s quick and easy to make
- You only need a handful of ingredients
- It tastes like a hot cinnamon donut
Lately I’m becoming more and more obsessed with easy bakes, including one layer cakes like this one. And I have you to thank for it. My most popular recipes are almost ALWAYS ones that are quick and easy to make and can be replicated again and again with success.
I think that’s why my Apple Cake is one of the most popular recipes on my entire site.
And I’m right there with you. Yes, sometimes I love a challenge or to create something more extravagant, but let’s be real. Most of the time, I need foolproof bakes that can whipped up quick when friends are popping over for morning tea or an easy dessert I can take to a dinner party after I finish a day at work.
So what makes this cake so special? Well apart from being easy to throw together, it’s actually one of my all-time favourite cakes. I have a whole stack of it in my freezer because sometimes you just need a quick cake fix.
And even though this cake has no frosting, that buttery cinnamon crust makes me weak at the knees. After this cake is baked, you actually brush the top with melted butter and sprinkle over cinnamon sugar. If you serve this cake warm, you could close your eyes and think you are eating a warm cinnamon donut. #hello
TIPS FOR MAKING CINNAMON TEA CAKE
- You will need an electric mixer for this recipe. Start with room temperature butter, you don’t want it fridge cold but it shouldn’t be melty by any means.
- We start by beating together the butter and sugar, this process is known as creaming. After a few minutes, the two will combine and turn pale and creamy. This process helps create a nice light and fluffy cake. It can be tempting to beat for 30 seconds or so just to combine the butter and sugar but if you keep going for another minute or so, you’ll see it change texture and almost look a little ‘whipped’. Perfect!
- Next comes the eggs. Sometimes when you add the eggs, the cake batter can turn lumpy and look a little curdled. That’s fine.
- Add half of the dry ingredients (flour, baking powder and cinnamon) and ALL the milk. Start to slowly mix together and then add the remaining dry ingredients. Transfer mixture to a cake tin and bake for 30-35 minutes. You’ll know it’s ready when a skewer inserted in the middle comes out clean.
- When you remove the cake from the oven, generously brush melted butter all over the top. Then sprinkle with cinnamon sugar. This Cinnamon Tea Cake is delicious served warm.
MORE ONE LAYER CAKE RECIPES TO TRY
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Let’s Bake
Cinnamon Tea Cake
A delicious light and tender Cinnamon Tea Cake.
Ingredients
Tea cake
- 115 grams (1/2 cup or 1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
- 150 grams (3/4 cup) caster sugar or granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 large eggs
- 210 grams (1 and 1/2 cups) plain flour or all purpose flour
- 2 and 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 180 ml (3/4 cup) full fat or whole milk
Cinnamon sugar topping
- 20 grams (1 tablespoon) butter, melted
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 tablespoon caster sugar or granulated sugar
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 180 C (350 F) standard / 160 C (320 F) fan-forced. Grease and line an 8-inch round cake pan with baking or parchment paper.
- In a large mixing bowl, beat butter, sugar and vanilla with an electric mixer until pale and creamy, approximately 1-2 minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, and beat briefly – don’t worry if the mixture goes lumpy – then scrape down the sides of the bowl.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the plain flour, baking powder, cinnamon and salt. Add half of the flour mixture, along with all the milk and slowly mix together on a low speed. Add the remaining flour mix and continue to mix until cake batter is smooth and creamy.
- Pour cake batter into your prepared tin and bake in the oven for approximately 30-35 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the middle of the cake comes out clean.
- While the cake is still warm, generously brush with melted butter and then sprinkle over cinnamon and sugar. Enjoy a slice while the cake is warm.
Tanvi says
Hey, is there any substitute for eggs in this recipe?
Jessica Holmes says
Hi Tanvi, sorry I haven’t tried thus recipe with any egg substitutes.
jaya ghai says
Can i use normal butter instead of unsalted butter?
Jessica Holmes says
Yes that’ll be ok!
Katie says
Incredibly moist, light, and buttery cake that is not overly sweet (my favorite!). Next time, I may add a 1/4 tsp of salt to the mixture at seems it is just lacking a little something to heighten the other flavors. Otherwise, this recipe is a keeper!
Jessica Holmes says
So glad you enjoyed it Katie! Thanks for the lovely feedback.
Grace Rebello says
I baked this cake tonight and it turned out so beautifully! It’s light, buttery and delicious. The cinnamon and sugar dusting on top is almost magical. Thanks for a wonderful recipe. I’ll be baking this one many more times!
Jessica Holmes says
Aw I love hearing that! Thanks for the kind feedback Grace!
Rachel says
Hi jess, can i use wholemeal flour instead of normal flour?
Jessica Holmes says
Hi Rachel, I haven’t tried myself so I’m not sure what the difference would be – worth a try though!
Suresh Balasubramanian says
Best tea cake I’ve ever made or tasted, came out so soft and yummy! Kids and wife loved it, many thanks for sharing an awesome recipe!
Jessica Holmes says
I love hearing that! Thank you for the lovely feedback!
chris says
Instead of plain flour and baking powder can I just use self raising flour?
thank you
Jessica Holmes says
Hi Chris, I recommend using plain flour and baking powder to ensure success! I haven’t tested with self-raising flour so can’t confirm the exact quantities.
Patti says
Loved how the ingredients became a luxurious batter.
Please note I did use ghee rather than butter. I also added 1/4 tsp pink Himalayan salt to the dry ingredients.
On cool winter day this tea cake is perfect.
Jessica Holmes says
Aw love that! Thanks for the feedback Patti.
Meredith says
Delicious and so simple to make! Will definitely make this one again!
Jessica Holmes says
So glad you enjoyed it Meredith!
Vicky says
This looks great! Would it still come out fine if I put a vanilla glaze on top of it over the melted butter and cinnamon sugar?
Jessica Holmes says
Hi Vicky, yes absolutely! That would be lovely!
Vicky says
So I made this a few days ago… and it came out wonderful! And I put the vanilla glaze on top over the cinnamon sugar – and it had this cinnamon roll taste to it, which I absolutely loved! I will definitely make this again. Thanks for the recipe!
Jessica Holmes says
Oh so glad you enjoyed it Vicky! A vanilla glaze sounds lovely!
Jackie C says
What is caster sugar?
Jessica Holmes says
Hi Jackie, that’s a great question. It’s a fine white sugar that can be replaced 1 for 1 with granulated sugar. I actually wrote a blog post about it you might like – you can read it here.
Niecie says
Can I substitute oat milk for milk?
Jessica Holmes says
Hi, I haven’t tried this recipe with oat milk.
Wilhelmina says
I also luv baking…but this cake is a must try…Thnx Jess…will add this to my other reciped
Jessica Holmes says
Awesome! So glad you enjoyed it Wilhelmina!
Josh says
I love this cake. It really does taste like a donut.
Jessica Holmes says
So glad you liked it Josh!
Marley Kavanagh says
Ginger cake went down a treat with my Active Retired Club Ladies! Thank you. X
Jessica Holmes says
Aww love that! Thanks Marley!