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    Home » Recipes » Dish Type » Baked Goods » Breads

    Brown Sugar Cinnamon Swirl Bread (with Lemon Glaze)

    Published: May 13, 2020 by Terri Gilson · Modified: Aug 17, 2022 · As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. This post may contain affiliate links · 10 Comments

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    Jump to Recipe
    cinnamon bread sliced on a cutting board

    This recipe came about because I really wanted cinnamon buns and I wanted them STAT. But I wanted them without all the work and time it takes to actually make them. I also didn't have any yeast; yeast is a little hard to come by these days...So I made this Brown Sugar Cinnamon Swirl Bread instead.

    cinnamon loaf on marble cutting board with blue and white checkered tea towel in background

    With a simple and delicious 2 ingredient lemon glaze, this Cinnamon Sugar Bread is super easy and satisfying and it's just like eating a cinnamon roll, but in the form of a loaf! This easy quick bread recipe is popular anytime of the year and so simple to make.

    Jump to:
    • 🥘 Ingredients
    • 💭Health Benefits of Cinnamon
    • 📖 Variations & Substitutions
    • 🔪Instructions
    • ⏲️ Baking time
    • 👪 Serving Size
    • 🍽Equipment
    •  🌡️Storing
    • 💭Top Tip
    • ⭐ Reviews
    • 📋 Brown Sugar Cinnamon Swirl Bread Recipe (with Lemon Glaze)
    • 🍞More Quick Bread Recipes

    My Overnight Cinnamon Sticky Buns are also quicker and easier than most cinnamon bun recipes out there, but I really didn't like the idea of having to wait overnight, nor did I have any frozen dinner rolls. Plus these days, there's not a lot of running out to the grocery store to get a couple of things. This cinnamon roll quick bread as the ideal solution! 

    🥘 Ingredients

    It's surprising what a fabulous pairing cinnamon is with lemon. Many years ago I learned that adding some lemon zest to your cinnamon bun dough is the secret to extraordinarily delicious Cinnamon Buns! And although I make mine in the bread machine, they still take considerably more time than this bread. And I really didn't have the time or energy required to mess around with making actual cinnamon rolls. So not only did I add a lemon glaze to the top of this cinnamon bread, I added some lemon zest to the batter. And WOW does it ever work!

    Fortunately, you're likely going to have most of the ingredients on hand! For this cinnamon bread recipe, you'll need:

    • vegetable shortening
    • white granulated sugar
    • eggs
    • all-purpose flour
    • baking powder
    • salt
    • lemon
    • sour cream
    • brown sugar
    • cinnamon
    • powdered sugar/icing sugar

    *see recipe card for quantities

    cinnamon loaf with sliced removed beside a cup of coffee

    💭Health Benefits of Cinnamon

    And the great news - cinnamon is really good for you! Cinnamon also contains large amounts of polyphenol antioxidants. Antioxidants can help protect the body from disease and are found in fruits, vegetables, herbs and spices. Some other health benefits of cinnamon noted are aiding in digestive discomfort and short-term reduction in blood pressure. You can read more about cinnamon's health benefits You can read more about the health benefits of cinnamon HERE. 

    📖 Variations & Substitutions

    • Sour Cream- You can substitute Greek yogurt if you don't have sour cream
    Sliced cinnamon swirl bread on a marble board

    🔪Instructions

    • Preheat oven to 350 degrees F/ 175 degrees C and grease a 9X5 loaf pan.
    • Beat shortening and white sugar together with electric mixer, then beat in eggs.
    • Mix flour, baking powder salt and lemon zest together in a separate bowl.
    • Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients.
    • Mix sour cream and baking soda together and add to mixture.
    • In another small bowl mix brown sugar and cinnamon together.
    half the batter added to the loaf pan

    Add ½ the batter to the greased loaf pan.

    cinnamon brown sugar mixture added to batter

    Then add ½ the cinnamon/brown sugar mixture to the top of the batter.

    cinnamon brown sugar being mixed in with batter with a knife

    Mix in with a butter knife by cutting in and twisting knife in swirl motions in about 4 different spots.

    brown sugar cinnamon being swirled in more

    Then swirl it a little more. *You don't want to swirl too much (you'll want to have some white showing/color contrast) or it won't look as nice when you slice it.

    more batter added to loaf pan (and swirled in)

    Repeat with remaining batter, then the rest of the cinnamon sugar and same cutting and swirling technique as above.

    ⏲️ Baking time

    • Bake for 45 minutes at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) , then turn down to 300 degrees F and bake for 10- 15 additional minutes or until cake tester or toothpick come out clean.
    • Remove and cool for 5 minutes before removing from pan. Cool on wire rack for another 5 minutes.

    👪 Serving Size

    This cinnamon quick bread recipe serves 10. However, you can double or triple this recipe by adjusting the serving size on the recipe card. Just click on the serving size (it's highlighted in blue) and select the number of servings you’d like. You'll need extra loaf pans. *You can freeze the extra loaves (see storage, above). 

    🍽Equipment

    You'll need a whisk, an electric mixer and a 9X5 loaf pan for this homemade cinnamon bread with icing (affiliate links)

     🌡️Storing

    This cinnamon swirl quick bread can be kept in the fridge in an airtight container or ziplock bag for up to 4 days. Freeze in a sealed container/ziplock bag for up to 3 months.

    💭Top Tip

    Don't slice this loaf until you are ready the eat the pieces. Cut this brown sugar cinnamon bread as you need it, as slicing it dries it out more quickly. If you do slice it before storing it, make sure to cover the exposed pieces with plastic wrap.

    slice of cinnamon bread on a glass plate next to a cup of coffee and loaf pan in background

    This brown sugar cinnamon swirl bread is a quick bread so you don't need yeast. Quick breads rise because they use chemical leaveners like baking soda, baking powder or cream of tartar instead of yeast. And quick cinnamon bread is exactly what I wanted when I set out to satisfy my cinnamon bun fix! It only takes a few minutes to prep and an hour to bake. And not only is it superb with a cup of coffee, it makes a great breakfast, a mid-morning snack or even dessert!

    So if you're also looking for the flavors of a cinnamon roll in a quick and easy way, then give this delicious cinnamon bread a try. With the tangy sweet glaze, this is the perfect way to get your cinnamon bun fix. You won't be disappointed!

    And if you love quick breads, then check out my other quick bread recipes: Old Fashioned Date Nut Loaf, Healthy Carrot Loaf, Easy Tropical Banana Bread and my Classic Lemon Loaf (shown below).

    sliced lemon loaf on black tray

    ⭐ Reviews

    Did you love this Brown Sugar Cinnamon Swirl Bread? If so, please leave a 5 star rating and comment below.

    cinnamon loaf on marble cutting board with blue and white checkered tea towel in background
    Food Meandering Logo

    📋 Brown Sugar Cinnamon Swirl Bread Recipe (with Lemon Glaze)

    This Brown Sugar Cinnamon Swirl Bread tastes like cinnamon buns but without all the work! It's a quick bread so it has no yeast and uses shortening instead of butter. With a simple lemon glaze that adds a welcome zip, it strikes the perfect balance of sweet and tart.
    5 from 6 votes
    Print Pin Rate
    Course: Breakfast, Dessert, Snack
    Cuisine: American, Canadian, North American
    Keyword: bread, brown sugar, cinnamon, swirl
    Special Diet: Vegetarian
    Servings: 8 slices
    Calories: 342kcal
    Author: Terri Gilson
    Prep Time: 15 minutes minutes
    1 hour hour
    Total Time: 1 hour hour 15 minutes minutes
    Prevent your screen from going dark

    Ingredients

    Loaf

    • ¼ cup vegetable shortening
    • 1 cup white granulated sugar
    • 2 eggs
    • 1 ½ cups all purpose flour
    • 1 ½ teaspoon baking powder
    • ¼ teaspoon salt
    • 1 teaspoon lemon zest
    • 1 cup sour cream
    • 1 teaspoon baking soda

    Swirl

    • ⅓ cup brown sugar
    • 2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

    Lemon Glaze

    • 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
    • ½ cup powdered (icing) sugar
    US Customary - Metric

    Instructions

    Bread

    • Preheat oven to 350 degrees F/ 175 degrees C and grease a 9X5 loaf pan.
    • In a large mixing bowl, beat shortening and white sugar together with electric mixer on medium speed, then beat in eggs.
    • Mix flour, baking powder salt and lemon zest together in a separate bowl.
    • Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients.
    • Mix sour cream and baking soda together and add to mixture.

    Swirl

    • In another small bowl mix brown sugar and cinnamon together.
    • Add ½ the batter to the prepared loaf pan.
      half the batter added to the loaf pan
    • Then add ½ the cinnamon/brown sugar mixture.
      cinnamon brown sugar mixture added to batter
    • Mix in with a butter knife by cutting in and twisting knife in swirl motions in about 4 different spots.
      cinnamon brown sugar being mixed in with batter with a knife
    • Then swirl it a little more. *You don't want to swirl too much (you'll want to have some white showing/color contrast) or it won't look as nice when you slice it.
      brown sugar cinnamon being swirled in more
    • Repeat with remaining batter, then the rest of the cinnamon sugar and same cutting and swirling technique as above.
      more batter added to loaf pan (and swirled in)
    • Bake for 45 minutes at 350 degrees F, then turn down to 300 degrees F and bake for 10- 15 additional minutes or until cake tester or toothpick come out clean.
    • Remove and cool for 5 minutes before removing from pan. Cool on rack for another 5 minutes.

    Lemon Glaze

    • Whisk lemon juice and powdered sugar together in a small mixing bowl and pour over loaf.
    • Let set in fridge for 5 minutes to harden glaze. Then sprinkle on a additional cinnamon. Slice and serve.

    Notes

    *Please see post content for important recipe information and tips!
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    Nutrition Facts
    📋 Brown Sugar Cinnamon Swirl Bread Recipe (with Lemon Glaze)
    Amount Per Serving (1 slice)
    Calories 342 Calories from Fat 72
    % Daily Value*
    Fat 8g12%
    Saturated Fat 2g13%
    Cholesterol 44mg15%
    Sodium 291mg13%
    Potassium 184mg5%
    Carbohydrates 65g22%
    Fiber 1g4%
    Sugar 41g46%
    Protein 5g10%
    Vitamin A 133IU3%
    Vitamin C 1mg1%
    Calcium 99mg10%
    Iron 1mg6%
    * Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

    Nutrition

    Serving: 1slice | Calories: 342kcal (17%) | Carbohydrates: 65g (22%) | Protein: 5g (10%) | Fat: 8g (12%) | Saturated Fat: 2g (13%) | Cholesterol: 44mg (15%) | Sodium: 291mg (13%) | Potassium: 184mg (5%) | Fiber: 1g (4%) | Sugar: 41g (46%) | Vitamin A: 133IU (3%) | Vitamin C: 1mg (1%) | Calcium: 99mg (10%) | Iron: 1mg (6%)
    Did you make this recipe? Please leave a star rating and review below!
    Rate this Recipe

    🍞More Quick Bread Recipes

    • Apple Walnut Bread (with brown butter glaze)
    • Blueberry Cornbread Recipe
    • Saskatoon Berry Loaf
    • Blueberry Gingerbread Muffin Loaf with Fresh Lime Glaze

    « Healthy Slow Cooker Chicken Stew
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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Nicoletta De Angelis Nardelli

      May 20, 2020 at 12:25 am

      Such a wonderful looking bread! Love cinnamon but I didn't know that it paired so well with lemon! I'm going to try next time, and I'm going to make your fantastic cinnamon swirl bread because it looks so good!

      Reply
    2. Julia

      May 20, 2020 at 1:42 am

      My grandmother always made cinnamon bread and it looks so much like yours. How delicious! Thanks for sharing, I'm going to have to try it out!

      Reply
    3. Kelly Neil

      May 21, 2020 at 9:15 am

      Oh wow I've never paired cinnamon and lemon before but let's get real that loaf looks amazing and I love anything with glaze!

      Reply
      • Terri Gilson

        May 24, 2020 at 7:06 am

        I agree, Kelly- bring on the glaze!

        Reply
    4. Sean@Diversivore

      May 22, 2020 at 3:56 pm

      Lemon and cinnamon! Great combination, and one I'm delighted to say I'd not really given much thought to. You've executed this recipe quite beautifully. I love that the ingredient list is so simple too! Cheers!

      Reply
      • Terri Gilson

        May 24, 2020 at 7:05 am

        Thanks, Sean! It really is a great combo - hope you get a chance to try it!

        Reply
    5. Nancy @instanomss

      May 23, 2020 at 4:30 pm

      another great classic cake ive pinned for later!

      Reply
      • Terri Gilson

        May 24, 2020 at 7:04 am

        Thanks, Nancy!

        Reply
    6. Cynthia @ Cynful Kitchen

      May 24, 2020 at 11:17 pm

      I love easy loaf recipes! I feel your pain of wanting cinnamon buns but don't want the work.

      Reply
      • Terri Gilson

        May 25, 2020 at 5:13 am

        Thanks, Cythia. Yes, this was the perfect compromise!

        Reply

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    I'm Terri, a passionate home cook and baker, an award-winning recipe developer, and a busy working mom who is trying to eat healthy and fit everything into not enough hours in a day! My mission is to share not only my recipes, cooking hacks, and tips with you, but also my secrets to successful weight maintenance.

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