Half the Sugar Baker
There’s nothing quite like a good slice of coffee cake along with hot coffee on a winter morning. It can warm you up on even the coldest and snowiest days, especially this blueberry coffee cake. The blueberries and hint of citrus brighten up the cake and balances so nicely with coffee, seriously, give it a try. It also includes a nut streusel topping for a crunch and another hit of flavor. Oh, and don’t forget that this coffee cake is made with almond flour, whole wheat flour, and reduced butter for a secretly healthier snack.
Alright, let’s talk about ingredients. This blueberry coffee cake is made with blueberries, obviously, but it also includes citrus zest, almond flour, whole wheat flour, applesauce, vinegar, and nuts. The blueberries can be either fresh or frozen, whatever you have on hand, just make sure you don’t thaw the blueberries if you are using frozen ones. For the zest, I used orange but you could also use lemon. The brightness pairs so well with the blueberries and makes this cake taste like spring. I also wanted to make this coffee cake slightly healthier so I decided on using part almond flour and whole wheat flour. The almond flour makes this cake so soft and tender and you won’t even notice the whole wheat. This recipe also calls for applesauce which is one of my favorite baking ingredients. It keeps baked goods so moist and tender. In this recipe, it is mixed with some vinegar in order to react to the baking soda which will help the cake to rise. Don’t worry, you won’t taste the vinegar at all. Lastly, the topping is made with a traditional streusel along with some chopped nuts. I used walnuts and pecans but you could also try almonds.
Method: This coffee cake starts with the streusel which you can make in a food processor but I prefer to just use a fork in a bowl, I’ll be honest, the processor just a pain to clean. Just combine the sugar, almond flour, cinnamon, and salt in the bowl and cut in the butter using a fork. Then mix in the chopped nuts and refrigerate the whole thing so that the butter can stay cold. You’ll also want to combine the zest and sugar in a large bowl and rub them together between your fingers before you start beating in the butter. This releases all of that amazing flavor from the zest and turns the sugar a bright orange or yellow. When you are ready to combine the dry ingredients with the wet ingredients, you will alternate between adding the flour mixture and the applesauce which can help avoid over mixing and result in a smoother batter. Lastly, when the batter is evenly in your baking pan, you will grab the streusel out of the fridge and simply use your fingers to break it up into pieces and scatter them evenly on top of the cake.
Tip: If you are using frozen blueberries like me, try to avoid stirring them too much in the batter because they will start to color the batter. It will still taste just as amazing but it might cause the cake to have a grey/bluish tint.
Better for you Blueberry Coffee Cake
Prep time: 20 minutes Cook time: 55 minutes Servings: 1 8×8 pan
Ingredients
For the nut streusel topping:
- 1/3 cup brown sugar
- 1/3 cup almond flour
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 3 tablespoons butter, room temperature
- 3/4 cup chopped nuts
For the coffee cake:
- 3/4 cup almond flour
- 1/2 cup whole wheat flour
- 3/4 cup all purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
- pinch of nutmeg
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- zest from half an orange or one lemon
- 4 tablespoons butter, room temperature
- 2 eggs, room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 3/4 cup applesauce
- 1 1/2 teaspoons vinegar
- 2 cups blueberries, fresh or frozen
Preparation
- Prepare the streusel topping: in a small bowl or food processor, add the brown sugar, almond flour, salt, and cinnamon. Mix together and then cut in the butter until the mixture forms coarse clumps that will stick together. Add the chopped nuts and mix into the streusel. Cover the bowl and refrigerate.
- Butter a 8×8 square pan or 9 inch cake pan. Preheat oven to 350ºF.
- Prepare the batter: in a medium bowl, add the almond flour, whole wheat flour, all purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Whisk to combine.
- In a large bowl, add the granulated sugar and zest and use your fingers to rub them together. Then add the butter and beat using a hand mixer or stand mixer on medium speed for 2-3 minutes or until the mixture is light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time beating well after each addition until well incorporated. Then add the vanilla extract and beat in.
- In a small bowl, add the applesauce and combine with the vinegar.
- With the mixer on low speed, add 1/3 of the flour mixture and beat in followed by 1/2 of the applesauce. Then add another 1/3 of the flour mixture and beat in followed by the rest of the applesauce. Beat until incorporated and then add the last 1/3 of the flour mixture. The batter should be smooth and thick. Add the blueberries and stir in gently.
- Pour the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top out with a spatula. Remove the streusel topping from the fridge and break it up into small pieces and scatter evenly on top of the batter. Gently press the streusel into the batter.
- Bake for 55-60 minutes or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean. Let the coffee cake cool to room temperature before cutting and serving.
