apple cinnamon coffee cake with walnut crumb topping. {vegetarian & grainfree}

8 December 2014

This spiced morning cake permeates the kitchen with seasonal fragrance while creating an anticipation for a classic breakfast treat to go along with a hot, dark cup of coffee. Apples are flecked into the cake batter, adding an unexpected sweetness that complements the crumbly walnut topping that we expect with a coffee cake. This simple recipe, from the Zenbelly blog, is a wonderful breakfast cake for a Saturday morning or an easy dish to put together when unexpected guests arrive as it is essentially all done in the food processor. Hardly any clean up-- we love that!

apple cinnamon coffee cake with walnut crumb topping. 

1-  8" cake

by Zenbelly

For the cake:

1/2 cup almond flour
1/4 cup arrowroot starch
2 TBL coconut flour
1/3 cup coconut palm sugar
1 TBL cinnamon
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp sea salt
1 TBL butter, plus more for greasing the pan
2 eggs
1/2 cup sour cream or full fat Greek yogurt (or cream from a can of refrigerated coconut milk)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup grated apple (about 1 large apple)

For the topping:

1 1/2 cups walnuts (or pecans, if you prefer)
1/2 cup almond flour
4 tablespoons melted butter
2 tablespoons coconut palm sugar
1 tablespoon cinnamon
pinch salt

1. Preheat your oven to 350° and grease a 8 x 8 baking dish (I used a round baking dish).
2. Make the topping: pulse the walnuts in a food processor 10-12 times or until they are course crumbs. Add the remaining ingredients and pulse 2-3 more times until combined. Set aside.
3. Wipe out and dry the bowl of your food processor and add your dry cakeingredients. (almond flour through salt) Pulse a few times to mix.
4. Cut the tablespoon of butter into smaller chunks and add it to the dry ingredients. Pulse 8-10 times or until it’s cut in to the dry ingredients, similar to if you were making a pie crust.
5. In a small bowl, mix your wet cake ingredients (eggs through vanilla) and whisk until well combined. Stir in grated apple.
6. Add to the food processor and mix until combined. Scrape down the sides once or twice to make sure it’s well mixed.
7. Pour into the prepared baking dish and sprinkle the topping over, as evenly as you can.
8. Bake for 30-35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
9. Allow to cool, and enjoy!

happy eatings & cheers!