Cinnamon Loaf with Espresso Butter ~ #TheCakeSliceBakers

This Cinnamon Loaf with Espresso Butter is the perfect treat for this time of year. The cinnamon will make you feel all warm and fuzzy, and the espresso will keep you going through the holiday home stretch.

 

This is the Cake Slice Bakers final bake from The New Way To Cake by Benjamina Ebuehi. This book has been a joy to bake from and I have enjoyed every selection I have made each month.  The cakes are easy to make and there is enough variation with spices, fruits, and various other ingredients to keep it interesting. This is definitely I cookbook that I will continue to reach for when I want a tried and true treat to make. We will be baking our way through a new book in  2021 - stayed tuned for the big announcement on January 20, 2021!

It is our tradition to have freechoice of any cake in the book for our final bake in December. I actually let my family look through the book, and whilst there was some debate over which cake to bake, this Cinnamon Loaf with Espresso Butter was the ultimate winner and it seemed fitting for this time of the year.

A recipe for a cake like this is a great thing to have in your recipe box.  Not only is it easy to put together, but you would most like have most of the ingredients in the house already. It is quick to put together and can be served with or without the Espresso Butter. I did not make any changes to the cake recipe, but I did make adjustments to the Espresso Butter after tasting it.  Coffee is one of my favorites things, but to me the butter was a little butter.  After adding a bit more honey it still seemed too bitter, so I added a little powdered sugar and this made it just perfect for me.  We have already devoured ¾ of the loaf, and we may just toast the rest for breakfast - yep, it is that good.

Cinnamon Loaf with Espresso Butter

Printer Friendly Recipe

Ingredients

Cake ~

• 160ml (⅔ cup) milk
• 10ml (2 teaspoons) vanilla extract
• 4 cinnamon sticks
• 300g (2⅓ cups) all-purpose flour
• 8g (1½ teaspoons) baking powder
• 4g (1½ teaspoons) ground cinnamon
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 225g (1 cup) butter
• 250g (1¼ cups) sugar
• 4 eggs

Espresso Butter ~

• 10g (2 teaspoons) espresso powder
• 30ml (2 tablespoons) hot water
• 150 (⅔ cup) butter, softened
• 15ml (1 tablespoon) honey

Preparation

Cake ~

1. Preheat the oven to 160℃ (325℉).
2. Spray a loaf pan with baking spray and line the bottom with parchment paper.
3. Add the milk, vanilla, and cinnamon sticks to a small saucepan and simmer gently until the milk is hot to touch.
4. Remove from heat, cover, and let steep for 15 minutes. Drain into a cup and discard sinnamon sticks.
5. Sift together the flour, baking powder, ground cinnamon, and salt into a bowl; set aside.
6. Using a stand mixer fitted with a beater blade, beat the butter and sugar for 3 to 5 minutes, or until pale and creamy.
7. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.
8. Turn the mixer speed down to low and add the flour and the milk mixture, in alternate batches, starting and ending with the flour.
9. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 45 to 50 minutes, or until the cake is well risen and a cake tester inserted into the cake comes out clean.
10. Let the cake cool completely in the pan before turning it out onto a wire rack.
11. Dust with powdered sugar if desired and serve slices with espresso butter.

Espresso Butter ~

1. Add the espresso powder to a small bowl, add the bowling water, and stir to dissolve the powder; set aside and cool to room temperature.
2. Add the butter, honey, and espresso mixture to a medium bowl, and using an electric beater, whisk for 2 to 3 minutes, or until it's pale and fluffy.

Each month The Cake Slice Bakers are offered a selection of cakes from the current book we are baking through. This year it is The New Way To Cake by Benjamina Ebuehi. We each choose one cake to bake, and then on the 20th - never before - we all post about our cake on our blogs. There are a few rules that we follow, but the most important ones are to have fun and enjoy baking & eating cakes!

Follow our Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest pages where you can find all of our cakes, as well as inspiration for many other cakes. You can also click on the thumbnail pictures below to take you to each of our cakes. If you have a blog and are interested in joining The Cake Slice Bakers and baking along with us, please send an email to thecakeslicebakers at gmail dot com for more details.

The Cake Slice Bakers also have a new Facebook group called The Cake Slice Bakers and Friends. This group is perfect for those who do not have a blog but want to join in the fun and bake through this book.

It is a new year and a new book - The New Way To Cake - traditionally our last bake for the year is free choice, so our choices for December 2020 were ~ 

• Cinnamon Loaf with Espresso Butter by All That's Left Are The Crumbs
• Maple-Walnut Layer Cake by Camille Cooks
• Malted Chocolate Cake with Baileys Irish Cream Ganache by Sweet Sensations
• Chocolate and Salted Praline Log by Amandie Bakes
• Nutmeg Custard Cake Doughnuts by Karen's Kitchen Stories
• Pink Peppercorn Madeleines by Culinary Adventures with Camilla
• Bitter Chocolate and Rosemary Tortes by A Little Bit of All Right
• Earl Grey & Blueberry Tea Cakes by My Recipe Reviews