Cinnamon Donut Bread Recipe

If you’ve been craving something sweet and buttery, this Cinnamon Donut Bread is exactly what you need. It’s soft with a warm cinnamon-molasses swirl, then coated in buttery cinnamon sugar that makes it taste just like a donut loaf. The swirl looks impressive, but it’s simple to make. And when it bakes, your kitchen fills with the kind of cozy aroma you’ll want to bottle up and keep forever.

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Ingredient Notes + Variations

This recipe comes together with simple pantry staples, but each one plays a role in flavor and texture. Here’s a note about a few of the ingredients.

Cinnamon-sugar coating – The final step that makes this bread taste like a true donut.
Buttermilk (or milk + vinegar) – Keeps the loaf soft and adds a subtle tang.
Ground cinnamon + molasses – Combined, they create the signature swirl of spice and warmth.

How to Make Cinnamon Donut Bread

This cinnamon bread looks like something you’d buy in a bakery case, but it’s simple to whip up at home. For full recipe details, including ingredients and measurements needed, see the printable recipe card down below.

1. Preheat Oven + Prep Loaf Pan

Preheat oven to 350° F. Grease light colored loaf pan with nonstick cooking spray and set aside.

Step 2: Make the Batter

A mixing bowl with creamed butter and sugar, surrounded by flour, eggs, vanilla, and salt.

cream oil, butter + sugar

Bowl with cracked eggs on creamed butter and sugar, surrounded by flour, egg shells, cinnamon, and salt on a marble surface.

mix in eggs + vanilla extract

Bowl with batter and flour being mixed with a spatula, surrounded by ingredients like flour, eggshells, cinnamon, and salt on a marble surface.

stir in dry ingredients with buttermilk until smooth

Step 3: Create the Cinnamon Swirl

Baking ingredients on a marble surface: flour, cinnamon, cracked eggshells, and salt surround a mixing bowl and a green dish with dough.

reserve 1/2 cup prepared batter

Bowl with batter, vanilla extract, and cinnamon on a counter, surrounded by flour, eggshells, and salt.

stir in cinnamon + molasses

A green bowl with a creamy brown mixture and a spoon. Eggshells, a blue bowl, and a black dish with salt are nearby.

combine until smooth

Step 4: Bake

Baking dish with cream-colored batter topped with blobs of a lighter brown mixture. Surrounded by eggshells and bowls of ingredients on a marble surface.

pour half the batter into the pan + spoon half the cinnamon swirl in dollops over the batter

A marble cake batter in a rectangular white baking dish surrounded by bowls of flour, cinnamon, and broken eggshells on a marble surface.

repeat with remaining batters + swirl the two batters together with a butter knife

A rectangular loaf of baked bread in a white dish sits on a towel. Broken eggshells and small bowls of ingredients are nearby on a marble surface.

bake until a toothpick comes out clean with moist crumbs

Step 5: Make the Coating

A plate with brown and white sugar, cinnamon, and ground spices on a marble surface. Eggshells, cinnamon, and milk are nearby.

stir sugar, brown sugar + cinnamon together in a dish

Ingredients laid out for baking: melted butter in a bowl, cinnamon and sugar mixture, brown sugar, milk, cracked eggshells, and a small bowl of cinnamon on a white surface.

pour melted butter into a large shallow dish

6. Cool

Cool on a cooling rack for 10 minutes before loosening edges and removing loaf from pan. The loaf should be very warm, but cool enough to handle with your hands.

7. Coat the Bread

A loaf of golden-brown bread on a rectangular pan, surrounded by milk, cinnamon, brown sugar, eggshells, and a plate with sprinkled sugar on a marble countertop.

while still warm, dip each side of the loaf into melted butter until fully coated

A baking tray with a rectangular dessert covered in a brown crumb mixture, surrounded by eggshells, brown sugar, cinnamon, and a cup of milk on a marble countertop.

transfer loaf to cinnamon sugar + press into the sides and top

A loaf of cinnamon swirl bread on a white surface, with one slice cut and laid in front, showing the cinnamon filling.

slice into pieces + serve

Tips for Success

Use a light-colored loaf pan to avoid over-browning.
Don’t over-swirl the batters, just a few gentle turns with a knife is enough.
Let the loaf cool about 10 minutes before handling so it holds its shape when coating.
Press the cinnamon-sugar mixture firmly into the loaf so it sticks to the buttery coating.

Four slices of marble cake on a wire rack, next to a small jug of milk and a jar of sugar on a light-colored surface.

What to Serve with Cinnamon Bread

Strawberry Jam Recipe – Spread on a warm slice.
Crockpot Hot Chocolate – Perfect cozy pairing.
Italian Sweet Cream Creamer – Your morning coffee deserves it.
Homemade Apple Cider – For crisp fall mornings.
Icing for Cinnamon Rolls – To take the sweetness to a whole new level.

This Cinnamon Donut Bread is the kind of recipe that makes you sneak back into the kitchen for “just one more slice.” Soft, buttery, and sugar-crusted… it’s the best of both worlds. It also makes great French toast the next day! The printable recipe is below. Have a great day friends!