Fluffy & Moist Cinnamon Bundt Cake

Cinnamon Bundt Cake is so moist, fluffy, flavorful and perfect for any time of the day! This recipe is like a bundt coffee cake with brown sugar cinnamon swirls. Like most crumb cakes, this recipe goes super well with a cup of coffee or tea!

A slice of bundt cake with a cinnamon swirl in the middle.

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If you're a fan of sour cream coffee cake, you're going to love this cinnamon cake recipe! It's a delicious dessert or snack to be enjoyed any day of the year! I also like eating it for breakfast or brunch (usually without the cream cheese frosting). It's so easy to make and bundt cakes are fun because the pans come in all kinds of shapes! The cinnamon sugar layers in the middle are also a nice touch!

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Ingredients
Substitutions & Variations
Equipment
Step by Step Instructions
Tips For Success
Storage
Recipe FAQs
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Ingredients

All purpose flour
Baking soda
Baking powder
Salt
Eggs
Sour cream: Use full fat for the best results.
Unsalted butter
Granulated sugar
Vanilla extract
Buttermilk: If you don't have this on hand, you can use plain whole milk kefir or make your own buttermilk. A couple minutes before adding to the batter, mix together ¼ cup whole milk with ¾ teaspoon vinegar or lemon juice.
Light brown sugar: You can use dark brown sugar for a deeper flavor.
Ground cinnamon

See recipe card below for quantities.

Substitutions & Variations

Substitutions: This recipe has not been tested with substitutions. If you do replace any ingredients, please let us know how it turned out in the comments below!

Variations: This cake can be made into muffins by following my sour cream coffee cake muffins.

Equipment

Bake this cake in a standard 9-inch bundt pan (10-12 cups).
I highly recommend coating the pan in baking spray that contains flour.
A hand mixer or stand mixer with a paddle attachment works well to mix the batter, but isn't necessary.

Step by Step Instructions

Collage showing how to make sour cream coffee cake batter and cinnamon streusel.

Step One (Picture 1 above) - Make the cinnamon streusel. In a medium bowl, mix together the flour, brown sugar and cinnamon. Melt the butter and then stir it into the cinnamon mixture so that it combines really well. Let it sit and dry out a bit while you make the cake batter.

Step Two (Picture 2 above) - In a large bowl, cream together the softened butter and granulated sugar until it's light and fluffy (2-3 minutes). I recommend using a hand mixer or stand mixer with paddle attachment. This will help give your cake its fluffy texture!

Step Three (Picture 3 above) - Mix the eggs and vanilla extract into the large bowl until everything is combined well. Scrape the sides as needed.

Step Four (Picture 4 above) - Add the sour cream and give it another good mix. If you need to make your own buttermilk, do it at this point.

Collage showing how to layer and bake a cinnamon streusel bundt cake.

Step Five (Picture 5 above) - Whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Alternately mix the dry ingredients and buttermilk into the batter just until combined.

Step Six (Picture 6 above) - Sprinkle about ¼ of the cinnamon streusel crumbs into a well-greased bundt pan. Place large scoops of batter (about ¼ cup) into the pan, evenly spaced out. Add cinnamon crumbs on top of the batter and then add 4 more scoops of batter between the others and sprinkle more streusel on top. Spread any remaining cake batter on top and smooth out the top with a spatula, then finish it off with any leftover streusel.

Step Seven (Picture 7 above) - Bake the cinnamon bundt cake at 315°F/157°C until a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean (about 45-55 minutes).

Step Eight (Picture 8 above) - Let the cake cool in the pan until it's just warm to the touch. Place a large plate or cooling rack on top of the cake and then carefully flip it over. The cake should come out clean.

Optional Icing - Cream cheese icing pairs super well with cinnamon coffee cake, and I highly recommend topping off this cinnamon swirl cake with it! Just mix together the softened cream cheese, powdered sugar and milk until it's smooth. Add more or less milk to fit your preferred consistency, then frost or drizzle the cream cheese glaze on top of the cake!

Tips For Success

Properly grease your bundt pan. To make sure your cinnamon swirl bundt cake comes out of the pan flawless, use a nonstick pan and grease it really well. Spraying the entire inner surface of the pan with baking spray containing flour always works for me! Make sure you don't miss any spots, especially the cracks.
If you don't have this spray, there's another way that always works for me and compliments this cake very well. Wipe soft butter around the entire inside of the pan and then sprinkle a cinnamon sugar mixture around to coat it completely.
Use room temperature ingredients. Take the eggs, butter, sour cream and buttermilk out of the refrigerator 30-60 minutes before getting started. This will help your ingredients combine better when you mix them together.
Use a scale to weigh your dry ingredients. This is the most accurate way to measure your flour and sugars - switch to 'metric' in the recipe card for the amounts in grams. If you don't have a scale, make sure you're using the scoop and level method to measure the flour. The only ingredient you should pack tightly into cups is brown sugar!
Don't over-bake the cake. Once a toothpick comes out of the center clean, take it out of the oven. If you press a finger lightly on the top, it should spring back slightly. Keep in mind that the cake will continue to bake a little bit in the hot pan after it comes out of the oven.
Use an oven thermometer. Ovens don't always heat to the temperature that you set them to, so a thermometer helps ensure that it's at the correct temperature. The cake may not rise properly or have a moist, fluffy texture if it's baked at the incorrect temperature.

Storage

Room Temperature: Wrap the cooled cake tightly in plastic wrap or an airtight container and store for up to 1 week.

Refrigerator: Storing this cake in the refrigerator will dry it out, but if it's frosted you'll want to store it here for up to 1 week.

Freezing Instructions: The cooled bundt cake can be stored in the freezer for 1 month as a whole, but I recommend slicing it before freezing it. You can wrap the slices individually or pressed together. This way you can serve individual cake slices instead of having to thaw the entire cake and then cut it up. I like to wrap mine in plastic wrap and then place it in a freezer-safe bag labeled with "Cinnamon Bundt Cake" and the date. Heat the slices in the microwave for 20-40 seconds when you're ready to enjoy them!

Recipe FAQs

How do I know when the bundt cake is ready to be flipped out of the pan?

The cake will compress and pull away from the sides as it cools, so you don't want to flip it out too soon. The best time to flip the cake onto a plate or wire rack is when the pan is just warm to the touch.

Why is my cake dry and dense?

Incorrectly measuring the flour, not creaming the butter and sugar enough, using a convection oven or over-baking can yield a dry or dense bundt cake.

Why did my bundt cake stick to the pan?

This could be from not using a nonstick pan, not greasing it well enough, or not letting the cake cool enough before inverting it.

Can I make this recipe in a cupcake pan?

Yes! Follow my recipe for cinnamon swirl muffins to make this cake in a cupcake/muffin pan.

Is there a cookie version of this cake?

With the cinnamon streusel and buttermilk's tang, this recipe is like a Snickerdoodle Bundt Cake! You'll love this Snickerdoodle Cookies recipe if you like this cake.