Please tell me I am not the only one who thinks, “COFFEE” the moment my brain registers it’s a new day??? Well I don’t know about you, but coffee is a pretty fundamental part of my day! How appropriate then, to lay coffee as one of the building blocks to my blogging foundation. Well, not coffee, per say, but what pairs better with coffee than a decadent piece of coffee cake?
I know, I know. Cake is one of those confections reserved for special occasions, a faux pas of breakfast menu delights, right? Or is it? Is a small trace of doubt tickling your health-conscience mind? What if I told you that your caffeinated cup of awesomeness could be accompanied by a guilt-free treasure?
This cake is GOOD for you!
You read that right! No need to die and go to heaven! Let’s experience a bit of heaven right here, RIGHT now! Go on… YOU CAN make this cake AND eat it too!! Let’s get started.
Okay, can we talk sweeteners for a moment? Perhaps you’ve noticed my continual recommendation for Lakanto Golden Monkfruit. It is my go-to sweetener because it has a very low to zero-glycemic impact. Let’s face it, there are a lot of SCARY sweeteners out there that are simply NOT GOOD FOR YOU. I like this one because it’s a combination of two healthy and safe ingredients: Monk fruit and non-GMO Erythritol.
Monk fruit is an Asian fruit that has been cultivated for hundreds of years (going as far back as 800 years) and is 100% natural, GMO-free. Its’ extract is 150-200x sweeter than sugar, but with a zero-glycemic impact and no calories! Coconut sugar is a great choice, too. Although not low-glycemic, it has roughly half the impact of regular table sugar. PLUS, both Coconut and Maple sugars are full of nutritional value.
Enough talk, now how about that cake! The streusel top makes this recipe irresistible. Its where all the personality is. My versatile cake mix provides the foundation, while the streusel brings the party!!!
Streusel Crumb Topping
½ cup almond flour
1/3 cup coconut or maple sugar (I use Lakanto Golden Monk Fruit)
1 Tbsp coconut flour (can substitute arrowroot)
1 tsp cinnamon
¼ tsp salt
¼ cup butter, cold and cut into small pieces
*optional ¼ cup mixed chopped nuts
Cake
1 CorEats Pumpkin or Banana Bread & Muffin Mix
¼ cup butter, melted
¼ cup milk
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
Glaze *optional
1 cup powdered sweetener (see *tips)
4 Tbsp almond or coconut milk, adding 1 Tbsp at a time
½ tsp vanilla
1/8 tsp cinnamon
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°
- Prepare 8x8 baking pan by greasing and lining with *parchment (Optional. See *tips).
- For the streusel, combine all dry ingredients in a small bowl and cut in butter with a fork until you have a crumbly texture (for a quick process you may opt to melt the butter before adding to dry ingredients, but I find cutting it in makes for a ‘prettier’ streusel). Set aside.
- For the cake, empty CorEats Pumpkin or Banana Bread Mix into a separate bowl. Add melted butter, milk, eggs and vanilla. Whisk to combine.
- Pour batter into prepared 8x8 baking dish.
- Scoop out the Streusel onto the cake batter, covering the surface of the cake while leaving larger clumps intact.
- Bake in preheated oven for 30 min, or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean.
- Let cool.
If opting for a glaze:
Whip up the ingredients, adding 1 Tbsp of milk at a time until you have a smooth, pourable consistency. Use just enough to make it “drizzle” nicely. Drizzle glaze over cooled cake or individual pieces before serving! Enjoy!
Tips:
* I find that taking the time to line my baking dishes saves a whole lot of time later. Your baked goods come out of the pan much easier and clean-up takes less effort. Lining 3 sides of the pan after greasing simply means covering one linear line of the pan (side, bottom, side). Simply cut your piece of parchment a little less than the width of your pan, but long enough to lay across the 2 sides and bottom. Gently press paper into the greased dish to hold in place.
*Refer to Image*
Additional Substitutions
*All CorEats mixes can be made without eggs by substituting a flax egg for each egg:
1 Tbsp ground flax
2 Tbsp water
Mix together until it becomes gelatinous. Add to recipe.
*Butter can be substituted with any oil.
*Milk can be substituted with your favorite milk. I always use unsweetened Almond milk.
*If you do not have powdered sugar on hand, just toss some of your granular sweetener (coconut, maple sugar or Lakanto golden), in a high-speed blender for a few seconds. Viola, powdered sugar!
