This healthy coffee cake recipe is so soft and tender, it practically melts in your mouth. Made from scratch and dairy free, it’s one everyone will love!
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For the longest time I always remember my grandma bringing coffee cake to big family gatherings, or Easter brunch.
It was something I always looked forward to, not only because it was crazy good, but because it was made by her.
She would probably say, “oh, it’s nothing special, nothing to write home about,” but I would totally disagree.
Yes, the recipe itself is fairly simple. A butter box cake mix, oil and sour cream, eggs and butter extract. But the fact that it was something that was synonymous with her makes it truly special to me.
A few weeks ago my mom had tasked my grandma with helping organize the recipe box. In it, the coffee cake recipe.
I had my mom take a picture and send it to be so that I’d always have it on hand. Knowing me though, you know that I had to take this classic and turn it into a healthier version.
It took a couple tests, but I believe I got it just right. So right in-fact, that I could not stop eating it the other weekend. For breakfast, for dessert, for something sweet.
I do believe this is the healthy coffee cake recipe to end all coffee cake recipes.
Healthy Coffee Cake Recipe Remake: that tender crumb
Everyone knows that coffee cake must be soft and tender. That it should practically melt in your mouth upon first bite.
This recipe does just that.
Since I’m still doing the dairy free thing, I wanted to use a substitute that would still provide all that moisture the sour cream does. But, it needed to be dairy free, and sort of thick like sour cream.
Enter coconut milk.
It has all the good fat needed to mimic sour cream and make the cake extra tender, but was a great dairy free alternative.
Also, since we’re not using a cake mix for this healthy coffee cake recipe, it was necessary to find just the right flour.
Too much whole wheat flour rendered this cake too dry. Instead, I balanced it out with almond flour. I love using Bob’s Red Mill almond flour for that perfect crumb that’s not grainy at all.
That sweet swirl
While coffee cake sounds like it should be healthy as is since it’s typically served for breakfast, it’s simply not true. At least the recipe my grandma has.
So I needed to find some alternatives to the sweetness. My go-to is always pure maple syrup, but that alone wasn’t giving the cake the right amount of sweetness it needed.
In Burken’s words, “this is healthy, isn’t it?”
I just simply can’t have that with these desserts. I pride myself on sharing healthy sweet recipes with you that no one can tell are actually healthy.
So back to the drawing board.
I bumped up the amount of pure maple syrup a bit on the second round, but also added coconut sugar.
That dark, caramel-y, rich sweetness that coconut sugar provides was the perfect accompaniment to the pure maple syrup.
Plus, it then became the star player in that quintessential cinnamon sugar swirl we all know and love with coffee cake.
A Coffee Cake Recipe to Make My Grandma Proud
Even though I didn’t see my grandma the weekend I was back home and brought the coffee cake with, I know she would totally approve.
That definitely won’t be the last healthy coffee cake I make, that’s for damn sure.
It’s just so sweet, so melt-in-your-mouth incredible, that I’m honestly salivating just writing about it right now.
If you’re a coffee cake fanatic just like me, then this recipe is a MUST for you too!
Tell me, how do you like your coffee cake? Warm with melted butter on top, room temperature while you sneak a slice, or with a side of eggs? Tell me in the comments below.
Looking for more healthy twists on classic recipes? Check these out:
- 2 cups white whole wheat flour
- 2 ½ cups almond flour
- 2 tsp. baking powder
- ½ tsp. baking soda
- ½ tsp. salt
- ¾ cup olive oil
- ¾ cup coconut milk*
- ¾ cup Silk unsweetened vanilla cashew milk
- ¾ cup pure maple syrup
- ⅔ cup coconut sugar
- 4 eggs
- 2 tsp. butter extract
- 2 tsp. vanilla extract
- 6 Tbsp. coconut sugar
- 2 tsp. cinnamon
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Preheat oven to 375°F and grease a bundt pan with baking spray.**
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In a large bowl, whisk together the flours, baking powder and soda and salt. Set aside.
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In a separate large bowl, stir together the oil, coconut milk, water and maple syrup. Add the eggs, one at a time, until incorporated.
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Stir in the butter and vanilla extracts.
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Stir dry ingredients into the wet. Pour half of the batter into the bottom of the prepared bundt pan.
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In a small bowl, stir together the coconut sugar and cinnamon. Sprinkle half the mixture over the top of the batter in the bundt pan.
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Pour the remaining batter over the top, and sprinkle the remaining cinnamon sugar mixture over the top.
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Bake for 45-50 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Remove and let cool.
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When the pan is cool enough to touch, place a large plate over the top of the pan and flip over to get the cake to release from the pan.
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Slice and enjoy warm with a cup of coffee.
*Note: make sure to shake your can of coconut milk before measuring out ⅔ cup. **Note: spray generously to ensure the cake will not stick to the pan. Baking spray already has some flour in it. If you’re using cooking spray, lightly flour the pan before pouring your batter in.
