diff --git a/app/components/Editor/changes.js b/app/components/Editor/changes.js
index 01be8901d..c08e2cbf7 100644
--- a/app/components/Editor/changes.js
+++ b/app/components/Editor/changes.js
@@ -25,7 +25,9 @@ export function splitAndInsertBlock(change: Change, options: Options) {
   }
 
   if (wrapper) change.collapseToStartOfNextBlock();
-  change.insertBlock(type);
+
+  // this is a hack as insertBlock with normalize: false does not appear to work
+  change.insertBlock('paragraph').setBlock(type, { normalize: false });
 
   if (wrapper) change.wrapBlock(wrapper);
   return change;
diff --git a/app/components/Editor/components/Toolbar/BlockToolbar.js b/app/components/Editor/components/Toolbar/BlockToolbar.js
index 4d284cfc9..faecb09d8 100644
--- a/app/components/Editor/components/Toolbar/BlockToolbar.js
+++ b/app/components/Editor/components/Toolbar/BlockToolbar.js
@@ -73,9 +73,9 @@ class BlockToolbar extends Component {
     editor.change(change => {
       change
         .collapseToEndOf(this.props.node)
+        .call(splitAndInsertBlock, options)
         .removeNodeByKey(this.props.node.key)
-        .collapseToEnd()
-        .call(splitAndInsertBlock, options);
+        .collapseToEnd();
 
       if (cursorPosition === 'before') change.collapseToStartOfPreviousBlock();
       if (cursorPosition === 'after') change.collapseToStartOfNextBlock();