This post may contain affiliate links. Read our disclosure policy.
Butterscotch Cinnamon Swirl Quick Bread is an impressively delightful recipe that makes a perfect homemade gift or treat. No one has to know how easy it is!
Sometimes you just want your entire house to smell like sweet, warm, comforting cinnamon. And sometimes a candle is just not good enough because you want to eat that aroma and you can’t eat candles (unless you’re Brick Tamland from Anchorman). There is seriously nothing more wonderful than having a sweet cinnamony treat baking away in the oven, perfuming your entire house with intoxicating aromas, when it’s cold outside and the Christmas tree lights are twinkling.
Don’t get me wrong, this Butterscotch Cinnamon Swirl Quick Bread would be lovely all year round but it just seems SO right to make in December. Plus it makes a fabulous gift to give to your neighbors if you manage not to dive right into it the second it comes out of the oven!
I’ve made a quick video for you to see exactly how to make this scrumptious bread, it looks a lot more complicated than it actually is!
If you make this Butterscotch Cinnamon Swirl Quick Bread, be sure to take a picture and tag it #handletheheat on Instagram. I love seeing your photos!
Recipe Rundown
Taste: Sweet, warm, comforting cinnamon and butterscotch flavors.
Texture: The bread is moist and rich yet fluffy with bits of butterscotch chips throughout and that luscious butterscotch glaze on top.
Ease: Super duper easy AND I’ve included a video to show you exactly how. You can’t mess this one up!
Appearance: So elegant and festive, especially for how simple it is.
Cons: None that I can think of.
Would I make this again? Yes.
Love Handle the Heat? Don’t miss a recipe! Sign up to have new posts delivered straight to your inbox and receive a FREE cookbook!
Butterscotch Cinnamon Swirl Quick Bread
Ingredients
- 2 cups (9 ounces) all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup dark brown sugar
- 1 cup granulated sugar, divided
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon fine salt
- 1 cup buttermilk
- 1 large egg
- 4 tablespoons (2 ounces) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
- 1 1/2 cups butterscotch chips, divided
- 3 teaspoons ground cinnamon
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°. Spray a 9 by 5-inch loaf pan with nonstick cooking spray.
- In a large bowl combine the flour, brown sugar, 1/2 cup granulated sugar, baking soda and salt. In a glass measuring cup beat the buttermilk, egg and butter until combined then pour over the dry ingredients. Stir in 1/2 cup butterscotch chips until everything is just combined. Do not overmix.
- In a small bowl, combine the cinnamon and remaining 1/2 cup granulated sugar.
- Pour half of the batter into pan then sprinkle with half the cinnamon-sugar. Carefully spread with remaining batter and sprinkle with remaining cinnamon-sugar. Cut through batter with a knife or skewer to swirl.
- Bake for 45 to 50 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Let cool 10 minutes before removing from the pan to a wire rack to cool completely.
- In a heatproof bowl microwave the remaining 1 cup butterscotch chips in 30 second bursts, stirring between bursts, until smooth. Drizzle over the bread. Let set before slicing and serving. Bread is best served the day it’s made but can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days.
My butterscotch chips are not getting runny… more like melted and thick and then burning and hardening to bottom of bowl when cooking longer 🙁 any additive to get it flowing so that it can blend into the chips? Butter? Vanilla maybe? I feel like milk hardens it further
Everything else is superb. Seriously combined all the best flavors !!!! Thank u! Newbies I would recommend when splitting the batter in half to sprinkle the cinnamon sugar for the swirl it might be better to do less than more if you’re not sure if you’ve emptied half of your bowl because my top layer was spread really thin and kept lifting when I was trying to spread it because of the dryness of the cinnamon sugar. I must fight on!! Lol
Tessa, help! My bread is repeatedly under baked in some spots.
I have an oven thermometer and know to wait an additional 15 minutes until the oven truly reaches its required temperature. I have tested that.
Cookies turn out just fine, so I don’t think the oven is the problem. My cinnamon rolls are under baked in the middle too. I try to bake with only fresh eggs, but that does not seem to make a difference. The last loaf was baked on the top rack, in the middle.
Thanks in advance for advice.
It turned out beautiful except that the butterscotch drizzle cracks off when you slice it
House smelled fantastic and the bread was great. Moist and had a nice crunchy top. Used an 8×4 pan. Nice for a cool fall evening.
OK so I’ve tried a few of your recipes and have been very pleased, and when I stumbled across this one I was extremely excited, my family loves cinnamon and butterscotch, and the combination sounded great. I had originally made this to take to the in-laws, but after it was done, the look, the smell, my wife and son insisted we try a little, just to make sure it was worthy. Well it was all downhill from there, not that it didn’t taste amazing, quite the opposite. It went something like this: “Stop eating it, you stop eating it, I can’t, just one more piece, half the cake is gone!, we still have to eat dinner at your parents, you’re cutting another slice? You get the picture. We’ve now dubbed it crack cake. Thanks Tessa
Can I substitute buttermilk with anything?
This looks so delicious, especially with the butterscotch!
I just made this but couldnt find butterscotch chips so I used milk chocolate for the ones in the bread and left out the topping.
It tastes pretty good but I left it in a couple minutes too long since it seemed to go from a wet toothpick to a dry one in 2 seconds.
Not as good as my favourite banana bread but Ill try it again.
I love quick breads as gifts, this looks yummy!!!
Oh my gosh. This looks DELICIOUS. Anything with cinnamon in, I know I’ll love. Might just have to make this soon!
I love butterscotch! Yes, I definitely want my house to smell like cinnamon, love it!
Would be great as muffins too!
Ah that sounds awesome! I love butterscotch, this loaf looks like a great use for it 🙂