Cinnamon Crunch Cake
Cinnamon Crunch Cake is a soft, buttery vanilla cake topped with cinnamon sugar, crunchy walnuts or pecans, and little dots of butter that melt into the top while baking. The result is somewhere between a simple snack cake and a coffee cake — easy enough for a weekday dessert, but good enough to make people “just checkin’” around dessert time.
The heavy cream keeps the cake extra tender, while the cinnamon topping creates a lightly crisp, buttery finish that tastes like you spent far more effort on it than you actually did. Always a solid life choice.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Soft, buttery cake with a crunchy cinnamon topping
- Uses simple pantry ingredients
- Easy one-pan dessert recipe
- Perfect for breakfast, brunch, or dessert
- No frosting required because the topping does all the work
- Smells so good while baking that neighbors may suddenly become “friendly”
Making a Cinnamon Crunch Cake
- Preheat oven to 350°F and grease a 9×13-inch baking dish.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, beat the sugar and 5 tablespoons butter on medium speed until light and fluffy.
- Reduce mixer speed to low. Add the egg, heavy cream, milk, and vanilla extract. Mix until combined, scraping down the sides as needed.
- Add the flour mixture and mix just until combined. Don’t overmix unless dense cake is part of your personal journey.
- Spread batter evenly into the prepared baking dish.
- Sprinkle the top evenly with the sugar, cinnamon, and chopped walnuts or pecans.
- Dot the top with remaining 2 tablespoons butter.
- Bake for 25–30 minutes, or until the edges are lightly golden and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
- Cool slightly before serving. Or don’t. Warm cinnamon cake has ruined many people’s self-control.
How to Customize
- Swap walnuts for pecans depending on what’s hiding in your pantry.
- Add a light powdered sugar glaze for extra sweetness.
- Toss a handful of mini chocolate chips into the batter if you enjoy chaos.
- Serve warm with vanilla ice cream for a ridiculously good dessert.
Storage Tips
Cover leftovers tightly and store at room temperature for up to 3 days. You can also refrigerate it for a slightly denser texture that pairs dangerously well with coffee.
Looking for More Recipes?
Search the site for more easy recipes, cinnamon desserts, and old fashioned baked treats that don’t require seventeen steps and a therapy session. Or skip that and go straight for desserts to feast your eyes on all the yummy goodness that awaits.
If you tried and love this recipe, please leave a 5-star rating on the recipe card and consider leaving a comment below. Thank you so much.
Cinnamon Crunch Cake
Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 tsp. baking powder
- 1/2 tsp. salt
- 1 cup plus 1 Tbsp. granulated sugar, divided
- 7 Tbsp. unsalted butter, softened and divided
- 1 large egg
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 1/2 cup whole milk
- 1 tsp. vanilla extract
- 2 tsp. ground cinnamon
- 1/2 cup walnuts or pecans, chopped
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F and grease a 9×13-inch baking dish.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, beat the sugar and 5 Tbsp. butter on medium speed until light and fluffy. Reduce mixer speed to low. Add the egg, heavy cream, milk, and vanilla extract. Mix until combined, scraping down the sides as needed.
- Add the flour mixture and mix just until combined. Don’t overmix. Spread batter evenly into the prepared baking dish.
- Sprinkle the top evenly with the sugar, cinnamon, and chopped walnuts or pecans. Dot the top with remaining 2 Tbsp. butter.
- Bake for 25–30 minutes, or until the edges are lightly golden and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
- Cool slightly before serving. Can be served warm, (with or without ice cream), room temperature, or cold, for a slightly more dense texture (great with coffee). Enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
Cinnamon Crunch Cake
Follow me on Pinterest and sign up for emails to receive the latest recipe leaving my kitchen.
I can also be found on Facebook.
Pin it, print it, or guard the last piece with your life.
In the meantime, I hope you have yourself a blessed day.
How is butter divided?
Thank you for catching that, Bev! Apparently I was so excited to get the recipe posted that I forgot to tell the butter where it was supposed to go. I’ve updated the recipe card to clarify how it’s divided. I appreciate you taking the time to point it out—it helps make the recipe better for everyone!