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Cinnamon Swirl Coffee Cake is the ideal treat to serve for breakfast. It’s fluffy, sticky, and bursting with cinnamon flavor.

Honey Swirl Coffee Cake served on a plate

Imagination time: Envision your favorite coffee cake. You know, the one that’s outrageously fluffy and makes your house smell bonkers amazing while it bakes (my vote is for this Cranberry Sour Cream Coffee Cake).

Now, swap the traditional cinnamon-sugar filling with a honey-licious walnut, raisin, and cinnamon-studded filling (if this sounds up your alley, try these Coffee Cake Muffins next).

Throw in a subtle touch of orange, then finish by slathering on the icing. Ta-dah! A fresh new twist on cinnamon swirl coffee cake everyone is sure to love.

Coffee cake with icing on a white plate

How to Make Cinnamon Swirled Coffee Cake

This coffee cake recipe is essentially a cinnamon roll filled with a golden cinnamon-honey mixture. Instead of laying the unbaked rolls flat in a baking dish, however, they’re layered in a bundt pan (this Buttermilk Cake is another bundt pan favorite of mine).


The Ingredients

  • Bread Flour. With a higher protein content than all-purpose flour, bread flour give this recipe strength, stability and a better rise.
  • Yeast. I recommend using your favorite instant yeast for this recipe but active dry yeast can also be used.
  • Sugar. Sweetens and enhances the flavor of the dough.
  • Buttermilk. Tenderizes the dough and gives the final recipe a pleasant, subtle tang.
  • Eggs and Shortening. Softens and enriches the dough with fat.
  • Honey. My surprise ingredient that transforms this recipe from typical to tah-dah!
  • Raisins and Walnuts. Adds some bulk and texture to the coffee cake.
  • Orange Juice Concentrate. Adds a deep, yet subtle orange flair to the filling that compliments the honey.
  • Cinnamon. The heart and soul of every cinnamon swirl coffee cake.
  • Powdered Sugar. Stirred together with just a bit of butter and softened butter to create a simple, delicious glaze.
Easy iced honey swirl coffee cake on a floral plate

The Directions

  1. Combine 1 and 1/2 cups of flour, yeast, sugar, and salt in a stand mixer.
  2. Warm the the buttermilk, water, and shortening to 120 to 130 degrees F. Then, pour into the flour mixture and add the eggs. Blend on low, gradually adding the remaining flour. Mix until a firm, tacky dough takes shape.
  3. Increase to your mixer’s second speed and knead until smooth and elastic.
  4. Transfer dough to a lightly oiled bowl, cover, and let rise in a warm, draft-free place until the dough nearly doubles in size.
  5. Prepare the filling by combining the honey, nuts, raisins, orange juice concentrate, and cinnamon in a small bowl. Set aside.
  6. Punch the dough down, then divided into 2 equal parts. Roll the first half out into a 12-inch square, spread with half of the softened butter, and half of the filling.
  7. Roll the dough up tightly, and cut into 12 slices. The repeat with the second half of doguh and remaining filling.
  8. Layer the slices in a greased bundt pan, cover loosly with plastic wrap, and let rise for 45 – 60 minutes.
  9. Bake until the rolls are light golden brown in a preheated 350 degree F oven. Remove promptly and turn out immediately onto a wire rack to cool.
  10. Make the glaze by stirring together the ingredients until smooth. Drizzle over cake and serve warm. ENJOY!
An iced coffee cake with a piece cut out

Storage Tips

  • Make-Ahead. After Step 6, place the pan in the refrigerator overnight, then bring to room temperature prior to baking.
  • To Store. The coffee cake will keep at room temperature, covered tightly with plastic for up to 4 days
  • To Freeze. Wrap tightly in plastic and freeze for up to 1 month. Defrost overnight in the refrigerator before serving.

With its lovely bundt-shaped outside and honey-swirled inside, Honey Swirled Coffee Cake boasts both inner and outer beauty. We could almost envy it for that kind of flawlessness, except we’re the ones holding the forks. Dig in friends!

Cinnamon Swirl Yeasted Coffee Cake

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Prep: 2 hours 30 minutes
Cook: 35 minutes
Total: 3 hours 5 minutes

Servings: 8 slices
Fluffy Cinnamon Swirl Coffee Cake filled with cinnamon, honey, walnuts and raisins is layered into a bundt pan for a beautiful presentation.

Ingredients
  

For the Dough:

  • 3 ½ to 4 cups bread flour
  • 2 packets instant yeast 1/2 ounce or 4 and 1/2 teaspoons
  • ¼ cup granulated sugar
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
  • ½ cup buttermilk
  • ½ cup water
  • ¼ cup shortening
  • 2 eggs at room temperature

For the Filling:

  • â…“ cup honey
  • ¼ cup walnuts (toasted and roughly chopped)
  • ¼ cup raisins
  • 1 tablespoon undiluted orange juice concentrate
  • ¾ teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1 tablespoon unsalted butter softened

For the Glaze:

  • 1 cup powdered confectioner’s sugar, sifted
  • 1 teaspoon unsalted butter softened
  • 1 to 2 tablespoons milk

Instructions
 

  • In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or a large mixing bowl, combine 1 and 1/2 cups flour, yeast, sugar, and salt.
  • In a small saucepan over medium, heat the buttermilk, water, and shortening until very warm (120 to 130 degrees F) but not hot (the shortening does not need to melt). Pour all at once into the flour mixture, add eggs, then blend at low speed just until moistened. Increase speed to medium and beat for 3 minutes. On very low speed (or by hand with a wooden spoon) gradually stir 1 and 1/2 cups of the remaining flour. Stir in the remaining 1/2 cup flour a few tablespoons at a time, only adding enough to make a firm dough. It will feel tacky, but should not be excessively sticky.
  • Switch to a dough hook (if using a stand mixer) or turn out on a lightly floured surface. Knead until smooth and elastic (6-8 minutes by hand or 4-6 minutes by machine). Place the dough into a lightly oiled bowl and turn the dough to coat (this prevents a crust from forming). Cover and let rise in a warm, draft-free place until the dough nearly doubles in size. To test the dough, gently press it with two fingers. If your indent remains, the dough is ready.
  • Prepare Filling: In a small bowl, combine the honey, nuts, raisins, orange juice concentrate, and cinnamon. Set aside.
  • Gently punch the dough down, then divided into 2 equal parts. Turn the first half out onto a lightly floured surface and roll it into a 12-inch square. Spread the square with half of the softened butter, then top with half of the filling, leaving 1 inch of space uncovered at the edge that is farthest away from you. (The filling will spread to fill this space as you roll the dough). Starting with the edge nearest to you, roll the dough up tightly, then pinch the edge to seal. Cut roll into 12, 1-inch slices. Generously grease a 10 or 12-cup bundt or tube pan. Lay the slices horizontally in the pan in 2 layers as follows: Place 6 slices per layer and alternate position of slices in each layer. Repeat with second half of dough, continuing to alternate the slices so that you have 4 layers total.
  • Cover pan loosly with plastic wrap and let rise in warm place until indentation remains after lightly touching the rolls, about 45 minutes to 1 hour. (Alternatively, you can place the pan in the refrigerator to rise overnight, then bring to room temperature prior to baking).
  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Bake rolls for 20 minutes, remove from oven and cover with aluminum foil, then return to oven to bake 15-20 additional minutes, until the rolls are light golden brown. Invert immediately onto a cooling rack.
  • Prepare glaze: In a small bowl, combine powdered sugar, butter, and 1 tablespoon milk. Blend until smooth, adding additional milk as needed until your desired consistency is reached. Drizzle over cake and serve warm.

Notes

  • Make-Ahead. After Step 6, place the pan in the refrigerator overnight, then bring to room temperature prior to baking.
  • To Store. The coffee cake will keep at room temperature, covered tightly with plastic for up to 4 days
  • To Freeze. Wrap tightly in plastic and freeze for up to 1 month. Defrost overnight in the refrigerator before serving.

Nutrition

Calories: 464kcalCarbohydrates: 78gProtein: 9gFat: 13gSaturated Fat: 4gPolyunsaturated Fat: 4gMonounsaturated Fat: 4gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 48mgSodium: 328mgPotassium: 170mgFiber: 2gSugar: 34gVitamin A: 157IUVitamin C: 3mgCalcium: 44mgIron: 1mg

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Erin Clarke

Hi, I'm Erin Clarke, and I'm fearlessly dedicated to making healthy food that's affordable, easy-to-make, and best of all DELISH. I'm the author and recipe developer here at wellplated.com and of The Well Plated Cookbook. I adore both sweets and veggies, and I am on a mission to save you time and dishes. WELCOME!

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  1. This sounds like a great concept, but I don’t use shortening for health reasons. Is there a substitute? Also, can I use OJ instead of concentrate? I honestly don’t even know if they sell that anymore…feels like both are products from another generation.

    1. Hi Sharon, I’ve only tested the recipe as written so I am not able to give feedback on any specific substitutions. If you decide to try it out, let me know how it goes.

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