Cinnamon Flop is an old-fashioned breakfast cake that deserves a new time in the limelight! A tender, moist cake is baked underneath a mountain of brown sugar streusel! It is sweet and the perfect complement to coffee.
Part of me picked this recipe because the name Cinnamon Flop makes me giggle, another part of me picked it because who can turn down cake for breakfast, and the more mature part of me thought it would be an amazing addition to any Mother’s Day brunch.
But seriously though, who can turn down cake for breakfast? It says it right there in the recipe that, “Served warm, it makes a delicious breakfast bread.” Bread might be stretching the truth a bit too far. It’s cake, let’s be honest.
Reasons for choosing it aside, the Cinnamon Flop was delicious! The crust was sugary and it had the perfect amount of cinnamon. The cake was moist and fluffy. My Mom would love it. Unfortunately, she is half the country away.
As with any old recipe, there is a bit of trial and error involved, but that is why I am here: to make the errors for you so that your Cinnamon Flop is perfection! My oven is evil, and it does what it wants. Kind of like my cat but with worse consequences. As a result, the edges of my Cinnamon Flop (just can’t say it enough!) burned. Even the work of my overzealous oven couldn’t spoil the beautiful texture of the cake.
Cinnamon Flop
Ingredients
Topping:
- 1 cup brown sugar (packed)
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter (softened)
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
Batter:
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 ½ cups sugar
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter (softened)
- 1 egg (well beaten)
- 1 cup milk (whole is better!)
Instructions
- Pre-heat oven to 425F.
- Butter or spray an 8-inch square baking dish.
Make topping first:
- Work brown sugar and butter together with your fingertips until well mixed. Then work in cinnamon. I over worked mine and when it was time to crumble the sugar mixture on top, mine wouldn’t crumble. Stop working the mixture a little before you see the perfect crumbs and add the cinnamon. Work as quickly as possible. This will depend on how softened your butter is.
To make batter:
- Sift flour, baking powder and salt together and set aside. Mix sugar and butter with your fingertips until butter is well dispersed. It will look kind of like snow.
- Stir in beaten egg thoroughly, then add flour and milk alternately, beginning and ending with flour. Pour into greased 8-inch square pan.
Finish the cake:
- Sprinkle the topping over the batter. Yours will be the perfect crumble. Promise.
- Bake in preheated oven for 25-35 minutes. Watch it carefully after 20. The old fail-safe bamboo skewer test doesn’t work perfectly because some of the topping will sink into the batter as it cooks and it will always stick to the skewer and look “un-done”. Just look for the wet white batter or crumbs. Serve warm.
This is the most authentic recipe I've seen for cinnamon flop. And your supposed mistake is a feature of the recipe. My original specified the cinnamon, sugar, and butter had to be mixed with the fingers to a paste like consistency so that it would sink down into the dough as well as produce a glaze on the top. Its not meant to be a crumble. My recipe also had one more teaspoon of leavening which made it rise very high and then collapse- hence the flop.
Hi Loretta! I agree, it's really authentic. Thanks for commenting and happy baking! ????
I just made this for breakfast this morning...several problems. The 425 is WAY too hot. The baking time is questionable, even at the higher temperature. At 25 minutes, my cake was still liquid in the middle! I lowered the temperature, and continued to bake. It wasn't "done" until almost 50 minutes! (Actually, 48 minutes)It is now cemented to the bottom of the baking dish.
I was able to finally get a piece out. It has good flavor, but I will be making several alterations the next time I make it: 375 rather than 425, lining the dish with parchment in addition to greasing, adding about 2 tablespoons of flour to the topping, and allowing 40-50 minutes for baking.
Love this cake. My son in law just made some tonight. Big hit at our house. Thank you so much.
I'm so glad! It's just such a classic!
I grew up eating this cake in my grandmother's kitchen and have her ingredient stained recipe card. But I must say, you are making this recipe much harder than it needs to be. Also your 425 temp oven is way too hot, no wonder it burned.
1 cup flour
1 tsp. baking powder
dash salt
1/2 cup sugar
2 Tbls. soft butter
1 egg
1/2 cup milk
Mix all at once, Can even be stirred in a bowl with wooden spoon.
Put into 8 " square or round ( she always did round)
Topping: First sprinkle about 3/4 cup brown sugar over top. Dot with 2-3 Tbls. butter , NOT melted. Sprinkle a generous tsp. cinnamon over top. Bake 350 degrees about 25 minutes.
This recipe is for one cake.
Hi Beverly! The recipe is from the American Womans Cookbook (I believe my edition is the 1940 edition). I agree that the 425 is way too hot! I'd bake it at 350 but I think the creaming method is fine. I think instead of using your fingers you could use the paddle attachment on a stand mixer or a hand mixer but I stand behind alternately adding the milk with the dry. It is easier not to overmix your batter when you use this method. Thank you for your grandmother's recipe! I will absolutely try it! Happy baking!
I love it when bloggers have gracious responses to others! Thank you for your example.
🙂
Hi there!
Just responding to Beverly- this was my Grandma"s recipe as well. Just delicious!
Linda
Hello, I have tried both versions of this recipe and believe your recipe Beverly, to be the same as my grandmother’s I tried Lindsey’s and also ended up with a cake that was a bit over baked and welded to the baking tin. I will give it another go, but am wondering where I went wrong.
Hi Alba! I love it when Grandmother recipes converge! 🧡 Cooking spray is my best friend on this one to help with stickiness, but I wonder if maybe you might want to play with temperature? Some ovens behave differently than others. Absolutely give it another go, and happy baking!
Love this cake. My son in law just made some tonight. Big hit at our house. Thank you so much.
made this last night for breakfast this morning... your's looks tastier than mine BUT it was very yummy and perfect with a cup of coffee!!!
Hooray! I'm so glad you liked it Emily! I am sure yours was just as pretty as mine. Isn't it delightful with coffee!
I solved the non-crumbly topping problem by using a utensil to mix and break it up while doing some manual mixing. I think it's hand warmth melting the butter that makes it get smeary.
I think you are absolutely right, Mike! Well done! We could also use a pastry blender like pie crust too 🙂
Thanks so much browsing for cinnamon recipe it' looks like a winner will be making it for brunch.
Oh my gosh! Greetings from HongKong! Just made this. Fabulous. Better than moms!!
Hi! I am so glad you loved it! I love when I discover a recipe in a heritage cookbook that isn't as popular today but should be!
ps- I lived in HK before the changeover. Went to HKIS. 🙂 Small world!
So glad to have found this recipe. I remember this with fond memories from the 60's Can't wait to try it!
Hi Chris! I'm so glad you found it too! It's delicious!
Thank you for visiting my blog and for your kind words! The name Cinnamon flop makes me giggle too! This is exactly the kind of "bread" (read cake) that I love to have with my breakfast to accompany eggs and other proteins.
I'm not going to lie: I ate it with every meal for several days. Sigh.
Several days Lindsey? It wouldn't last 24 hours in my house! Maybe not even 12. You clearly have more will power than me!????
Haha! You make a valid point lol!
Easy,quick and oh so delightful. My kids both 27 ask for it often. Now a family favorite. Thank you so much!
Hooray! I am so glad its now a family favorite!
Would you be able to print the references for the "original" recipes?. I am a huge american heritage collector as well. I know that a lot of your wok has to do with fashioning a modern version out of an old style recipe/idea and I don't want to detract from hard work. I was just wondering what decade or culture a lot of your recipes come from. I love the development history of the recipes as much as the recipes themselves. Even if your new recipe is really just "inspired" from another recipe you have seen in the past- it is all part of the creative process.
Hi Vanessa! If I take the recipe from an old cookbook then I site which one. I have since deviated from my initial concept and mostly post my own modern recipes. A lot of my books are from the 30's-60's. Some of the older ones aren't really suited to modern tastes.