Quiet Moments & Cinnamon Swirl Coffee Cake Loaf

I’ve been neglecting this online space of mine. I know that. Part of me feels regret about it, and apologetic for it…

But there is also a bigger part of me that feels joy about it.

Joy – not because I don’t love absolutely love sharing here – but joy because the neglect has come from a place of true happiness. This past year has been a lesson in distraction, and enjoying the quiet moments that only I can see.

And none of the neglect here means that I’m not still baking. I still bake all the time. It’s just that right now, it’s a different kind of baking.

It’s a quieter kind of baking; A familiar kind of baking – the kind that I grew up with.

Lately it’s been the kind of baking that’s done on lazy Sunday mornings. The patient kind, where I allow myself to move slowly; freely through my kitchen. The kind of baking where I am happy to let my mind wander away from my mixing bowl for a few moments and I allow myself the grace to be distracted.

For a long time, I avoided distraction; Avoided it because it means breaking focus. It slows down productivity and therefore accomplishments. It means deviating from the plan, and therefore threatening the safety and the security of what you imagined for yourself…

And while I guess you could argue that all those things are true… you could also argue that there is beauty and peace and bliss to be found distraction. There are moments euphoria, and memories of lives well lived born from distraction.

Somewhere along the way, I had forgotten that.

So lately I’ve been welcoming distraction in the areas of my life where I hadn’t before – like baking. For me that means not only taking the time to experience the joy in little things that surround me while I’m baking… but also enjoying the quiet moments that come after the baking is done.

Like taking a minute to appreciate the beauty in the beam of sunlight that streams through my kitchen window in the morning…

Or pausing to sink into the pair of arms that wrap around me from behind while I’m busy at my counter… allowing myself to be warmed by them; to fall into them; to be loved by them…

This year distraction has taught me a little something about balance; about living in the moment; about falling in love…

And I feel nothing but joy about that.

This Cinnamon Swirl Coffee Cake Loaf is the result of such a distracted baking moment. It is nothing fancy, but it is warm, and comforting.

All I hope is you allow yourself a moment to be distracted by a slice of this loaf. And that maybe in that moment you serve it warm with a cup of coffee and think about… oh how about nothing at all?

Cinnamon Swirl Coffee Cake Loaf

Things you need…
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1/4 cup brown sugar
3/4 cup granulated sugar
pinch of nutmeg
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp of salt
1/2 cup butter, melted (I always use salted butter)
2 eggs
3/4 cups buttermilk
1 tsp vanilla

Cinnamon Swirl
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 tsp cinnamon

Crumb Topping
2 tbsp, butter room temperature
1/4 cup all purpose flour
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 tsp cinnamon

Vanilla Glaze
1/2 cup powdered sugar + more if needed
3-4 tbsp milk
a couple drops of vanilla extract

How to make…
Preheat your oven to 350F degrees. Butter and flour an 8 x 4 inch loaf pan.

For the crumble; In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cinnamon and sugar until combined. Add in the room temperature butter and work the butter into the dry ingredients until a crumble forms. Set aside.

For the Cinnamon Swirl; Whisk together granulated sugar and cinnamon. Set aside.

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugars, spices, salt, baking powder and baking soda; Make a well in the centre of the dry ingredients and set aside.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the buttermilk, eggs, and vanilla until combined. Next lowly pour in the melted butter and whisk to combine.

Pour the wet ingredients in to the well of the dry ingredients and use a spatula to gently fold the wet ingredients into the dry until it has just come together. If you still have streaks of floury bits in your batter – this is the perfect consistency.

Scoop 1/3 of the batter into prepared loaf pan and use your spatula to spread to the corners of the pan. Sprinkle 1/2 of the cinnamon swirl mixture on top. Scoop and spread another 1/3 of the batter on top, and then sprinkle with remaining cinnamon swirl mixture. Top with the remaining 1/3 of batter and spread to the outer edges of the pan.

Sprinkle crumble mixture on top of the batter, and place in the oven to bake for 40-50 minutes.

Remove from the oven and allow to cool for at least 20 minutes in the pan before serving or allow to cool completely to room temperature.

For the glaze: Whisk together powdered sugar, milk and vanilla until smooth. If your glaze is too thick, add a bit more milk. Alternatively, if your glaze is too thin, add in more powdered sugar 1 tbsp at a time until desired consistency is achieved.

Drizzle glaze on top and enjoy!