Bake

Almond Snickerdoodle Bread

by:
February 12, 2017
4.7
6 Ratings
Almond Snickerdoodle Bread
Photo by Posie Harwood
  • Makes one 9-inch loaf
Author Notes

Inspired by a recipe in the Simply Organic spice archives, this loaf is reminiscent of a snickerdoodle cookie in the best ways: soft and moist and tender on the inside, crackly and chewy on the outside. It's worth springing for Vietnamese (also called Saigon) cinnamon instead of the regular stuff—Vietnamese cinnamon has more heat and a spicier, bolder kick which really comes through in the bread. —Posie (Harwood) Brien

What You'll Need
Ingredients
  • For the batter
  • 1 cup (2 sticks, 226 grams) butter, at room temperature
  • 1 1/4 cups (247 grams) sugar
  • 3 eggs, at room temperature
  • 1 cup (227 grams) whole milk yogurt
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 2 teaspoons cinnamon (preferably Vietnamese)
  • 2 1/2 cups Flour
  • 2 teaspoons Baking powder
  • For the layers and topping
  • 3 tablespoons sugar
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1/4 cup (21 grams) sliced almonds
Directions
  1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease a 9x5-inch loaf pan.
  2. In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well between each addition.
  3. Add the yogurt and vanilla and beat until well-combined.
  4. Add the flour, baking powder, and cinnamon and mix until the batter just comes together.
  5. Pour half of the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top.
  6. In a small bowl, whisk together the cinnamon and sugar for the layers. Sprinkle half of the cinnamon-sugar mixture evenly over the batter in the pan.
  7. Pour the rest of the batter over the cinnamon-sugar and smooth the top. Sprinkle the remaining cinnamon-sugar evenly over the top of the batter, and sprinkle on the sliced almonds.
  8. Bake for a minimum of 50 minutes, or until a tester inserted in the middle of the loaf comes out clean (or with just a few moist crumbs clinging to it). Depending on which oven I used, my loaf took up to as long as 75 minutes to bake so don't fret if it takes longer! Just start checking at 50 minutes, and keep adding 10 minutes if it's not ready.
  9. Remove from the oven, run a knife around the edges of the pan to loosen the loaf, and then let cool for 10 minutes before turning out of the pan onto a wire rack to cool slightly. It's delicious warm or cold or even frozen!
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See what other Food52ers are saying.

  • Fran McGinty
    Fran McGinty
  • Yuka O'Connor
    Yuka O'Connor
  • Posie (Harwood) Brien
    Posie (Harwood) Brien
  • Aditi
    Aditi

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15 Reviews

Aditi
Aditi July 29, 2019
I made this with a few substitutions: almond extract for the vanilla, and 1/2 cup ground almonds for 1/2 cup flour. I found it delicious and very moist, though a bit dense. I also found the batter a bit much for my loaf pan, which could have affected the cake rising (though it could also have been the almond flour). For me too, the batter was thick, scoopable rather than pourable (I used normal yogurt). Would make again for the flavor and texture, though I might use a 9 in. round pan next time.
 
Asaracoglu
Asaracoglu April 3, 2017
I found this recipe to be fine, but not very exciting. I don't think I'll make it again.
 
Raine
Raine February 21, 2017
Thanks for creating something a novice like me can make! I made it yesterday and it's almost gone. It's moist inside and has a great outer crunch. Will be saving this one for last minute gifts or surprises. Thank you so much!
 
Tami
Tami February 21, 2017
Amazing! Trying not to go back downstairs and cut another piece. I added some almond extract and think it was a excellent choice. Used Greek yogurt because I had it, but regular would have been better. Will be good with some coffee tomorrow morning.
 
Alison
Alison February 19, 2017
this is a delicious quick cake, and I really liked the cinnamon sugar flavor--I didn't miss the cream of tartar, but could try it that way next time...However, I did have some surprising trouble with it, given the simplicity of the recipe. First, the mixture was very dry, and created a dough that I had to pat into place, rathe than something that could be poured into the baking pan. Because I live in Denver, I made a small adjustment to the recipe, taking out a 1/4 cup of sugar and adding 2 or 3 tablespoons of water, but those adjustments should have loosened the mix, so I wonder whether anyone else observed this dryness? Last, although I needed to keep the cake in the over for a full 65 minutes to get the center cooked through, the sides of the cake were overcooked, almost burned. That was really mysterious--I don't think I have ever had this problem with a loaf cake! and even more mysteriously, the top of the cake was not overcooked or burned. All that said, the cake is still very good, but I would like some help from you all before I make it for anyone I am not related to... :-). should I have lowered the temperature? I don't usually need to do that for baking at this altitude, but maybe?
 
Posie (.
Posie (. February 19, 2017
Oh bummer I'm sorry you had issues! I willl say that because of the cinnamon sugar layer, the exterior of the cake definitely gets very "well done" but it should be more of a crackly crust rather than overdone. The batter is certainly not a loose one -- it's more on the thick side but that being said, it should be very moist and nowhere near dry. Curious as to what kind of yogurt you used? Did you use plain whole milk or did you use Greek or something else?
 
Alison
Alison February 19, 2017
I used Siggi's icelandic style whole milk yogurt, which is like Greek yogurt--that may have been part of the issue, since it is thick. It was really the sides of the cake that were overdone, not the top or the interior (which was nice and moist, good crumb), and I don't think it was due to the sugar layer or the topping. When I said "dry" I meant it was like a dough rather than a batter, but that might be why it took longer to bake through (and why the sides and bottom were well done). I am thinking that if I use this kind of yogurt again (since this is what I tend to have on hand for eating) I should either reduce the flour from 2.5 cups to 2 cups, and/or lower the temperature to 325. Anyway, I really did like it, so the questions are more about how to make it perfect!
 
Posie (.
Posie (. February 19, 2017
GOt it-- so yes definitely that would be the culprit I think. I used a loose, standard-style plain whole milk yogurt and while the batter is still thick and somewhere between dough and cake batter, it will definitely be more moist and take less time to bake I think. Lowering the temp might be wise either way so I'm actually going to try that and see if it helps prevent the crust from browning as much. Will report back!
 
Ted
Ted February 19, 2017
Most of the recipes I've seen for snickerdoodle cookies use cream of tartar and baking soda as the leavener. People often say this gives the cookies a unique taste that you don't get when using baking powder as the cookie leavener. (I've never done a side-by-side taste test to check this.) Do you think it would be possible to make this cake with cream of tartar and soda, and if so, what amounts would be used? Thank you.
 
Posie (.
Posie (. February 19, 2017
Yep, I mentioned in my article that the missing cream of tartar is definitely an element that keeps this from tasting exactly like a snickerdoodle -- more of a snickerdoodle-inspired bread! I haven't tried adding it to the bread, but I'm not sure that you'd taste the flavor enough since it's such a moist, heavier bread compared to a more delicate cookie. However, if you did want to try it, I'd suggest using 1/2 teaspoon of baking soda + 1 teaspoon of cream of tartar in place of the baking powder. Let me know if you try it!
 
Fran M.
Fran M. February 18, 2017
I assume 2 cups flour & 1 teaspoon baking powder? Poise?
 
Posie (.
Posie (. February 18, 2017
I've added it in!
 
swm780
swm780 February 18, 2017
The amounts of flour and baking powder are missing from the ingredient list.
 
Yuka O.
Yuka O. February 17, 2017
Hi Posie, this looks so good! How much flour and baking powder do you use for this? Thanks!
 
Posie (.
Posie (. February 18, 2017
Fixed, sorry!