Cinnamon teacake

One of my favourite cakes in my repetoire is a cinnamon teacake which takes a total of about 45 minutes from start to finish, and is the perfect accompaniment to a good cup of coffee or tea. The cake itself is very simply flavoured, but the cinnamon sugar on top provides crunch as well as a little spicy sweetness that seems to enhance the soft vanilla flavour of the cake itself.

This is one of those strange dense-but-light cakes in that it feels quite heavy, but upon biting into it you’ll experience a light, buttery, moist crumb which seems to instantly dissolve and leave you hankering for more.

Though I like this cake just the way it is, feel free to add a variety of fruits for different flavours – I’ve made it with strawberries and apples before and they were both wonderful (as well as being so loved by the family that they didn’t last 24 hours!)

Isn’t it beautiful? Browned and crisp outside, the inside is an entirely different experience…

Ingredients

Cake
120g butter at room temperature
2/3 cup caster sugar
2 eggs, lightly beaten
2 tsp vanilla extract*
1 1/2 cup self-raising flour
1/2 cup plain flour
1 cup milk

*Vanilla extract is not vanilla essence. Vanilla extract is made using real vanilla beans, whilst essence is made by oxidizing lignin, a waste product of the wood pulp industry, to make vanillin. Extract is, in my own opinion, a lot stronger in flavour and has less of an alcoholic smell.

Topping
30g butter, melted
1 tbsp caster sugar
1 tsp ground cinnamon

1. Preheat oven to 180 degrees C. Line an 18cm cake tin and set aside for now.

2. Using electric beaters, beat the butter and sugar in a bowl until light and creamy. Add egg gradually, beating well after each addition to prevent curdling (though it doesn’t really affect the cake at all). Add the vanilla extract and beat till combined.

3. Transfer mixture to a large mixing bowl. Using a metal spoon, fold in sifted flours alternately with milk and stir till smooth.

4. Spoon into the prepared tin and smooth over the surface. Bake for about 30 minutes or till a skewer comes out clean when inserted into the middle of the cake.

5. Stand cake in tin for 5 minutes before turning out onto a wire rack to cool.

6. Whilst the cake is still warm, brush the top with melted butter and sprinkle with combined sugar and cinnamon. If the sugar melts, then sprinkle some more on, you want the cake to look like it has a light sugar dusting on top.