This Mexican cinnamon cake, pan de canela, is loaded with warm and earthy flavors. It is rich and soft, and perfect to serve with a glass of milk or a cup of coffee in the morning, or as a snack in the afternoon.
Grease a 9-inch (22cm) round baking pan with butter and set aside.
In a medium mixing bowl whisk the egg, add milk, oil, and orange zest. Mix to combine and set aside.
In a large mixing bowl sift the flour along with baking powder. Add the sugar, ground cinnamon, and salt. Mix to combine.
Pour the milk misture into the large bowl with flour and use a spatula to mix the ingredients. Do not overmix, is ok if some lumps remains.
Transfer the batter into the prepared mold.
Bake for 40-50 minutes or until a thootpick inserted in the middle of the cake comes out clean.
Remove the pan from the oven and allow to rest for 10 minutes.
Remove the cake from the pan and place in a cooling rack. Leave it reach room temperature.
Add the topping:
Mix the sugar and cinnamon powder in a small bowl.
Brush the top of the cake with melted butter and then sprinkle with the cinnamon and sugar mixture.
Slice and enjoy.
Notes
If you see lumps in the batter, don’t stress! Overmixing can lead to a dense cake, so stop mixing when the ingredients are just combined.
Fat is necessary for producing fluffy, moist cake, so use whole milk as your first choice, but feel free to replace with your favorite plant-based milk if you want to.
To know if the cake is done, insert a skewer in the middle, if it comes out with some batter means the cake needs more time so cover with foil and continue baking checking every 5 minutes until done.