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
- Beautiful texture: The cake is soft and tender.
- Great for beginner bakers: It’s quick and easy to make.
- Everyday ingredients: You only need a handful of ingredients
- Tasty: It tastes like a hot cinnamon donut
I made this for a dinner party I attended last weekend, and it was a hit! There wasn’t a crumb left!
– Marissa
Recipe testing
Lately I’m becoming more and more obsessed with easy bakes, like Buttermilk Scones and one layer cakes like my Raspberry Almond Cake. 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 dinner after a busy day at work or chasing the kids.
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So what makes this Cinnamon Tea 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
Jess’s tips for perfect Cinnamon 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.
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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.
Nutrition Information
Serving Size: 1 slice Calories: 266 Sugar: 17.3 g Sodium: 84.7 mg Fat: 12.7 g Carbohydrates: 34.8 g Protein: 4.1 g Cholesterol: 68.1 mg
Hi, I’m Jess, the creator of Sweetest Menu and the author of Something Sweet. A self-taught baker and published recipe writer who can’t stop making easy and delicious baking recipes.
Terry says
Made it this afternoon, very easy to make and it was deeeeeelish. Very small piece left after my grandchildren came in from school and got their hands on it on this cold Scottish evening.Smothered it with custard yum yum and lovely on it’s own with a cup of tea.
Jessica Holmes says
Love hearing that Terry! I’m going to try it with custard next time – yum!
Amanda says
Made this cake for thanksgiving and everyone loved it!! Very easy and delicious. Thankyou so much:)
Jessica Holmes says
I’m honoured it made it to your thanksgiving table Amanda! So glad everyone enjoyed it!
Himadri says
Hi my family love to eat cakes n this one is the most favourite. I have made it many times . My 4yr old daughter love it n wana have it every another day. Even i make it on every picnic n party on my friends demand. Just super easy n i love to make it. Thanks for ur recipe.
Jessica Holmes says
How good is that! So pleased you and your family love this cake as much as I do!
Mike says
Excellent, very moist recipe. You can add some lemon and orange zest and some sultanas just before pouring the batter. Also, when you glaze the top with butter and cinnamon (plus a tiny squeeze of lemon juice and sprinkled demara sugar), return to the oven for 5 minutes to get the glaze nice and crispy
Jessica Holmes says
That sounds epic Mike! I’ll have to try that next time.
Ann Peacock says
Would it be ok to put apricot jam in the centre
Jessica Holmes says
Hi Ann, do you mean once it’s baked? Sure!
Huda says
The best cinnamon cake I have ever made. Its so light and fluffy, and has become a staple dessert for me and my family.
Jessica Holmes says
I love hearing that Huda! Thank you for your kind feeback.
Adam W says
Hi Jessica ,
If house run out of butter, may I use oil instead of butter because I saw one of the key steps to make the cake light and fluffy is start by beating together the butter and sugar, this process is known as creaming. If this recipe work best with butter then I will stick to the recipe.
Regards,
Adam
Jessica Holmes says
Hey Adam, yes you are right. Because this cake uses the creaming method, butter is definitely the way to go. If you want a similar recipe that uses oil, try my Cinnamon Apple Cake.
Jan says
This was awesome and easy to make with my 3 year old, who asked to make cinnamon cake from scratch. We had so much fun, and it came out very, very fluffy, light, and moist. Thanks for the great recipe!
Jessica Holmes says
I love hearing that Jan!
Laura says
Love this my 7 years old made it yesterday we all loved it , making it again today to give to a friend.
Jessica Holmes says
Oh love that Laura!
Carol says
This cake is a winner. Have made it several times now and is always commented on. Yes it does taste like a donut!
Jessica Holmes says
Yes! Love hearing that Carol!
Reena says
It was so soft and delicious and very easy to make!!
Jessica Holmes says
So happy to hear that Reena!
Valentina Christophi says
I love cinnamon and this recipe looks irresistible and so easy …and I will be baking thank you 🤗
Jessica Holmes says
I hope you enjoy it!
Avneet says
Super delicious cake!!!!
Jessica Holmes says
So glad you like it!
Rubina says
My niece shared this recipe. I enjoy making it. Very easy and delicious. ❤️❤️
Jessica Holmes says
I’m so glad you like it!
Paula says
Wonderful recipe.
How would you store this ie in an airtight container at room temp or in a fridge and how long should it keep for 2/3 days or longer?
Many thanks for your help x
Jessica Holmes says
Hi Paula, I prefer to keep my cake in an airtight container at room temperature. If you want to keep it for longer than a few days, you might want to freeze it.
Patrick G. says
Can you use a 9inch cake pan instead of 8? It looks good once I baked but just wondering
Jessica Holmes says
Yes you can! It’ll just be a bit thinner and might cook a little faster.