Whole Wheat Cinnamon Snack Cake
This whole wheat cinnamon snack cake is a simple and delicious treat to make for any occasion. Made with whole wheat and not too sweet, this cake is a wholesome bake that is sure to become another favorite in your house.
Why you’ll love this cinnamon snack cake
When I was baking up this cake, I knew I was on to something great. The amazing aroma of cinnamon filled my kitchen and got me excited to taste this delicious snack cake.
Here’s why you’ll love this wholesome bake:
Chockfull of cinnamon: this cake is laced with this classic spice that is everybody’s perennial favorite.
Not too sweet: Unlike regular cinnamon crumble topped cakes, this cake isn’t overloaded with over processed sugar. Instead, it’s lightly sweetened with coconut sugar.
Whole grain: This cake is made with whole wheat flour, which contains fiber. Fiber is an important part of a healthy diet.
Ingredients
From the delicious crumble topping to the buttery cinnamon cake, this cake is a tasty snack!
Believe it or not, it all starts with whole wheat, because incorporating whole foods into your day can be easy and tasty.
- Whole wheat flour makes up the basis of the cinnamon cake and the crumble topping.
- Coconut sugar sweetens the snack cake, but granulated sugar can be substituted (the cake will be lighter in color, but still delicious).
- Baking powder helps makes the cake rise.
- Baking soda help neutralize the acids in the homemade buttermilk.
- Butter gives the cake moisture and flavor.
- Milk + apple cider vinegar mixed together and left to sit make a homemade buttermilk, so you don’t need to run to the store for any.
- An egg binds the cake together and adds a little richness.
- Vanilla amps up the flavor and complements the cinnamon.
- Cinnamon is the star flavor of this show, which is cool because cinnamon is delicious.
- Salt is oh so important for flavor.
How to make a whole wheat cinnamon snack cake
This whole wheat cinnamon snack cake is so easy to make and will make you kitchen smell so yummy and full of cinnamon. The snack cake is made up of two components: cake batter and a cinnamon crumb topping.
Here’s the basic steps of how to make the cake and topping:
- Prep: Grease an 8 x 8 baking dish. Put the oven rack in the middle position and heat to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Mix the topping: Melt butter, then mix with the other topping ingredients until everything is moist and crumbly.
- Make the batter: Whisk together the dry ingredients. Make homemade buttermilk and melt more butter, then mix with other wet ingredients. Combine the wet and dry ingredients together and gently mix.
- Fill the baking dish: Spread the cake batter in an even layer on the bottom of the prepared baking dish. Next, evenly layer the cinnamon topping on top of the cake batter.
- Bake: Bake for 25 minutes. Take out of the oven and let cool for at least 10 minutes then enjoy.
Tips for the best whole wheat cinnamon snack cake
Like I said, you’ll make both a cake batter and a cinnamon crumb topping for this snack cake. But don’t be intimidated, both elements are easy to make.
The hardest part of the process is waiting for the cake to be ready!
Here are some tips to make sure your whole wheat cinnamon snack cake turns out perfect:
- Melting butter: when melting butter in the microwave, first, use a microwave safe bowl. Second, you should cut the butter into small-ish cubes to help speed up the melting process. And third, melt the butter in 10 second bursts. Put the butter in the microwave and run it for 10 seconds at a time, checking the butter after each 10 second burst to make sure it doesn’t pop and splatter all over the place.
- Room temperature ingredients: When using a fat like butter or coconut oil (fats that are solid when cold), it’s very important to use room temperature ingredients. Make sure your milk and eggs (things typically stored in the fridge) are warmed up a bit before mixing with the melted butter. I typically microwave milk for about 15 seconds (or more if it’s a larger quantity) to raise it’s temperature. I submerge uncracked eggs in lukewarm water for about 5 minutes to get them to room temperature.
- Moist crumb topping: When making the crumb topping, really make sure all of the flour is incorporated in with the melted butter. You don’t want any dry flour after mixing!
- Coconut sugar substitutes: If you don’t have coconut sugar, you can use granulated sugar instead.
- Fancy it up with some glaze: Mix up a simple glaze and drizzle it on top after baking and cooling to add a touch more sweetness to this whole wheat cinnamon snack cake. It’s not necessary though, this cake is delicious on it’s own.
How to store
While it may be tempting to eat this whole thing in one sitting, it’s probably a good idea to leave at least some for tomorrow. Here’s how to store this snack cake so it’s at it’s best later.
Leave the cake in the baking dish and tightly wrap the top with plastic wrap so it doesn’t dry out. Or, place leftover cake in an airtight container (make sure it’s completely cool before though!).
The snack cake will keep well in an airtight container or wrapped with plastic wrap for 2-3 on the kitchen counter.
Whole Wheat Cinnamon Snack Cake
Equipment
- 8×8 pan
Ingredients
Cinnamon crumb topping
- 1 ¼ cup whole wheat flour (150 g)
- ⅓ + ¼ cup coconut sugar (100 g)
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- ¼ tsp kosher salt
- 8 TBS melted butter (113 g)
Cake
Dry ingredients
- 1 ¼ cup whole wheat flour (150 g)
- ¼ cup coconut sugar (50 g)
- 1 tsp baking powder
- ¼ tsp baking soda
- ½ tsp cinnamon
- ¼ tsp kosher salt
Wet ingredients
- ½ cup milk (145 g) room temp
- 1 TBS vinegar I used apple cider vinegar
- 4 TBS melted butter (57 g)
- 1 whole egg room temp
- 1 TBS vanilla extract
Instructions
- Put oven rack in the middle position. Heat your oven to 350℉. Grease an 8 x 8 baking dish and set aside.
Make the topping
- In a microwave safe bowl, melt the butter for the crumb topping in 10 second bursts until fully melted. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, cinnamon, and salt for the crumb topping. Make a well in the flour mixture, and pour in the melted butter. Using a fork, mix together until there is no more dry flour. The mixture should be coarse and crumbly. Set aside.⅓ + ¼ cup coconut sugar, 8 TBS melted butter, 1 tsp cinnamon, ¼ tsp kosher salt, 1 ¼ cup whole wheat flour
Make cake batter
- In a medium bowl, whisk the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt together. Set aside.¼ cup coconut sugar, 1 ¼ cup whole wheat flour, 1 tsp baking powder, ¼ tsp baking soda, ½ tsp cinnamon, ¼ tsp kosher salt
- In a large bowl, mix together the milk and vinegar. Let sit for 5 minutes. Meanwhile, melt the butter for the cake the same way you melted the butter for the topping. Let butter cool.½ cup milk, 1 TBS vinegar, 4 TBS melted butter
- After milk has thickened, add in the cooled melted butter, crack in the egg, and pour in the vanilla. Whisk together until homogenous.1 whole egg, 1 TBS vanilla extract
- Add the dry ingredients in the wet ingredients. Fold together until no more dry flour remains.
- Pour the batter into the prepared baking dish. Spread the batter into an even layer. Evenly sprinkle the topping onto the batter.
- Bake on the center rack for 25 minutes.
- Let cool for 10 minutes before cutting and enjoying.
Notes
- Make sure milk and egg are at room temp or else the cold temperature might make the butter solidify.
- To quickly get eggs to room temp: Submerge un-cracked egg(s) into a bowl of room temp water. After about 5 minutes, the egg(s) will be at room temp.
