Elana's Pantry

New York Times Bestselling author Elana Amsterdam founded Elana’s Pantry, the go-to website for easy, healthy, grain-free, Paleo recipes, in 2006

Cinnamon Coffee Cake

Cinnamon Coffee Cake

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Homemade Cinnamon Coffee Cake is one of my favorite comfort foods. Growing up my mother used to buy an incredibly tasty frozen coffee cake at the grocery store. It was a special treat, albeit processed and full of preservatives and chemicals.

My healthy version is made with only six ingredients –almond flour, salt, baking soda, coconut oil, honey, and eggs– this easy coffee cake recipe can be thrown together in no time flat. The topping has three additional ingredients –coconut sugar, cinnamon, and sliced almonds.

Like the cake that my mom used to buy, this cake is moist and has a sweet cinnamon topping. It’s perfect with a cup of my Dandelion Coffee on a lazy weekend morning. I think this would also make a fabulous Paleo brunch dish for Easter Sunday; of course, like all of my recipes (yes all, as none contain chametz) this coffee cake is kosher for Passover.

Print Recipe
Cinnamon Coffee Cake
Serves:8
Ingredients
Instructions
  1. Grease a 9 inch round cake pan with coconut oil and dust with almond flour
  2. In a food processor, combine almond flour, salt, and baking soda
  3. Pulse in coconut oil, honey, and eggs
  4. Spread the batter into prepared baking dish
  5. To make topping, combine coconut oil, coconut sugar, cinnamon, and sliced almonds in a small bowl
  6. Sprinkle topping over cake batter
  7. Bake at 350° for 25-35 minutes
  8. Cool and serve

The boys and their friends have been wolfing down my gluten-free Cinnamon Coffee Cake as an after school snack, as well as in the mornings with scrambled eggs for a healthy breakfast treat.

I have a fabulous Blueberry Coffee Cake recipe in Paleo Cooking from Elana’s Pantry. Like this coffee cake recipe, that one is dairy-free. In fact, although I’ve heard rumors that dairy is now considered paleo, all of the recipes in that cookbook are dairy-free! Will you eat dairy? Do you consider dairy to be part of the Paleo diet? Leave a comment and let me know!

This Cinnamon Coffee Cake recipe is adapted from the one in my first book, The Gluten-Free Almond Flour Cookbook, published in 2009 (page 24).

Comments

  2. This recipe is wonderful! I was out of honey and made it with Carmel Date syrup from The Date Lady. It is amazing this way too! Elana- is Date syrup a healthy option?
    Also to answer your question… we do not use dairy due to alergis and it causing mucous and inflammation, so
    I appreciate that your recipes are dairy free. I don’t understand how they can change “paleo”.

    Reply

    • Michelle, thanks so much for your comment. I try to stay away from all sweeteners other than stevia since any form of sugar, natural or otherwise, is very inflammatory for me. Here’s a link to my Keto Diet Recipes which are typical of what I mostly eat now:

      https://elanaspantry.com/diets/keto/

      Enjoy!
      Elana

      Reply

  3. It looks good Elana but is it Sara Lee Butter Streusel coffee cake with Saturday morning cartoons good?
    :)
    xoxo
    Amy

    Reply

  4. Your recipes sound scrumptious, and I would like to try them. I am on a low carb. diet. I don’t see anywhere where you list the nutritional info. i.e. how many carbs are in a serving etc.
    many thanks

    Reply

  5. I just wanted to let you know this is my go-to recipe; I’ve made it many, many times! Each time, I double the recipe (for my family of boys) and it turns out amazing. I’ve grown up with regular cinnamon coffee cake, but this one, by far, takes the cake! I even love it more the second day. Thank you for sharing.

    Reply

  6. Yum! I’m not on a specific diet, just love using almond flour because of the added protein and fiber. I made this with butter – had run out of coconut oil – and used a half recipe of topping. It was wonderful! Now, I’m looking forward to trying your sponge cake recipe!

    Reply

  7. Thank you so much for this recipe! I was just lamenting the fact that I never make cinnamon coffee cake for my family. I loved the aroma of it as a child and the feeling of being pampered when I woke on a weekend to find a baked goodie. I seldom have carbs in the house. I stumbled across your recipe last week, and was pleased to note that I already had all the ingredients. I made it for my family this weekend. They all LOVED it. It’s not even as if they loved it, “for a low carb recipe,” but they loved how delicious and moist it was. Thank you so much Elana!!! I must get your cookbook!

    Reply

  8. Can oat flour work for this recipe? I can’t use almond flour. If coconut flour is OK, do you know the ratios for the ingredients?

    Reply

  9. I love this recipe as is, but wanted more cinnamon flavor. So I made a second batch of the topping without the slide almonds to put in the cake. I poured half the batter into the pan, spread it out as evenly as I could to the edges of the pan, drizzled the extra topping (no almonds) all over the top – covering it as best I could – and then pouring the remaining batter over the cinnamon mixture layer (spreading it out with my finger to cover the cinnamon layer as good as I could. Then I put the regular topping over that. YUMMMMMY!! The cake is a little more moist and the extra cinnamon sugar in the middle kicks the flavor up a notch.

    Reply

  10. Hi – could you tell me how long this will store for? Sounds like it never gets that far, from the recipe, but I was hoping to make ahead for a retreat I am running.

    warm regards
    Karen

    Reply

  11. Absolutely amazing! Made for the first time this morning. Added just a bit of cinnamon, nutmeg and vanilla to the batter. Then ran out of cinnamon (lol), so only got to use 1T for the topping. As a cinnamon lover, I probably would have appreciated the full amount, but certainly didn’t miss it. It was heavenly ~ fragrant, moist, rich, decadent (but CLEAN). Cutting through the crisp top layer giving way to the fluffy yellow cake was just to die for. The best coffee cake I have ever had, paleo or otherwise, and a huge hit with my family. Thank you, Elana! :)

    Reply

  12. I know this recipe has been up for a while, but I just made it for the first time and was so impressed! We don’t follow a specific diet, but I was cooking for a friend who does and made this in lieu of my grandma’s cinnamon-sugar coffee cake (white flour/sugar, sour cream, etc.) This tastes just like it, but has the added bonus of being way quicker to put together. Thanks so much for a wholesome and tasty treat!

    Reply

  13. Thank you so much for this recipe! My grandmother made the best coffee cake and I love it but wanted to find a paleo alternative and this tastes just like it! Wondering though, could I make this chocolate somehow? Coffee cake and chocolate are my husbands 2 favorite things and his birthday is coming up so I wanted to combine the two. Any ideas? Thank you!

    Reply

    • Hi Erin, I haven’t experimented with making this chocolate, if you do please let us know how it goes. So glad to hear that this tastes like the real thing!

      Reply

      • Just tried this and added 3 Tablespoons coco powder, it came out wonderful! All 7 in our family loved it! Teenager approved.

        Reply

  14. Darnit…the almond flour overcooked, the top was almost burnt but the cake was still sloshing around in the middle of the pan.. I have an oven thermometer to make sure the temp is correct and I used s/s 9″ pan. Maybe it should be cooked at a lower temp for longer? I find almond flour to be difficult not to over brown.

    Reply

    • Thanks for your comment Anne. This type of issue usually happens when almond meal is used instead of almond flour :-)

      Reply

  17. So yummy. Thank you so much for this recipe. I mixed all ingredients with a whisk and I doubled it and baked it in a 9×13 pan. It turned out perfect. It is moist and cake-y. You can’t tell it’s a grain free recipe. I will be making this again and again!

    Reply

  18. Just tried this recipe for coffee cake over the weekend and it is super delicious! I am pre-diabetic and looking for alternate low carb, low sugar recipes. FYI, I substituted date paste for honey and the cake turned out light and fluffy

    Thanks Elana for your efforts here!

    Reply

  19. I just made this recipe, and it came out perfectly! One of my siblings, who is usually really picky when it comes to things baked with almond flour, asked for seconds, and my other siblings are crying for more :) Thanks so much for this delicious treat!!

    Reply

  20. Could you please let me know what size baking dish you used? Is it stainless steel? Can glass baking dish be used? Thank you! I LOVE your website!!!

    Reply

    • Tatsiana, if you click on the green words “cake pan” in the instructions portion of the recipe you will be given that info :-)

      Reply

  21. Hi Elana,

    I just made this and it is delicious! My question/concern is that this did not rise very much. I live at a high altitude and was wondering if I need to adjust something to help it rise more. Do you have any suggestions? Thanks in advance for any help!

    Lisa

    Reply

    • Lisa, most likely due to the pan sized used. When your pan is larger than the one I use, this will spread out and lose its height :-)

      Reply

  22. Cinnabon has nothing on this! Made a little butter icing to top it off and YEAH!! being grain free and allergic to eggs Almond Flour recipes are for us and AquaFaba for eggs it was just delicious. Granddaughter who is 11 and a future chef came in this morning wants the recipe. Thank you for sharing.

    Reply

  23. Made the cake this morning before having my morning cup of coffee and accidentally put in 1/2 cup of browned butter ( subbed in for coconut oil) instead of 1/4 so I only used a 1/4 cup of honey to account for the extra liquid! I ran out of almond flour and used teff flour for the remainder 1/2 cup I needed, I was determined to have coffee cake this morning! It’s still came out great. , I don’t think you can mess this one up! Was a delicious start to our weekend. Thanks!

    Reply

  24. Do you think this could be made vegan by using flaxseed and water instead of eggs?? Not sure how much it would take away from the flavor, texture, and moisture of the cake?? Thank you!

    Reply

    • Hi Alisha, I haven’t had success in finding a replacement for eggs in my recipes. If you do experiment please let us know how it goes!

      Reply

  25. When I was little we used to get a Sara Lee pecan coffee cake as a special treat. LOL. They taste terrible to me now, but I am going to make your delicious recipe with pecans added in homage to that memory. Thanks!

    Reply

  26. I am a diabetic and cannot use the honey, therefore, what would you recommend for replacement?

    Reply

  27. Do to some major Heath issues I have been introduced to ur site. Only problem I am having is I don’t own a food processor and no money to buy one at the moment.. Any way to get over that bump? The cost alone to change my diet isomer thing but can’t afford a food processor as well.

    Reply

    • Lori, so nice to meet you! I recommend getting a used food processor at a thrift store or online.

      Reply

    • Hi, I just made this using a whisk. Came out fine. You’re probably fine without a food processor unless you need to combine something that isn’t already ground up, like dates for lara bars. I’ve used my electric blender for some recipes, but often look for easier recipes. :-) HC

      Reply

  28. Hi! Made this today and it was absolutely delicious! Do you happen to know the nutritional breakdown ? Thanks!

    Reply

  29. This is a great recipe! I made it last year when it was featured in the newsletter and it was really good. My mother is coming for dinner tomorrow, I’m making parsnip chowder with bacon. I was thinking I needed some more protein, then also thinking dessert would be nice. This fantastic cake is the right answer, complete with delicious percolator coffee.

    Reply

  30. My son choose to make this cake for his 7th grade FACS (Family and Consumer Sciences) class. He had to do it all by himself, including pricing out each ingredient and getting a cost per serving, which by the way is $1.54 per serving. Even though he’s really not into baking, he enjoyed it and loved the end product! Thanks for an EASY and tasty dessert!

    Reply

    • Hi Elizabeth, thanks for your fantastic comment! My boys and I spent the afternoon in the kitchen yesterday baking apple crisp and apple pie, and I told them about your son and his project. We were all so impressed :-)

      Reply

  32. Hi there Elana, indeed dairy is part of Paleo , we have been following the Paleo lifestyle for three years now and Paleo Primal does include dairy in the diet. One can also use coconut milk in stead of dairy for those purest out there or a cashew nut milk, it is both seasy to make :) . Thanks for your great recipes, love them all . Kind regards, Nicky Roberts Cape Town , South Africa .

    Reply

  33. Ok so I made this because I just LOVE EVERYTHING Elana posts. You are the Queen of Almond Flour baking. Thank you yet again for sharing, my brother is wheat intolerant and loves to snack on home made goodies. Thank you also for highlighting the ingredients so it’s easy to find them on the web. I have followed you and your family posts for years, you’re a wonderful wife and mother…God Bless you Elana and I pray for your good health and continued success.

    Reply

  34. Elana, you are an absolute baking genius! Thank you so much for all of the amazing recipes you create. This one was one of my favorites but every recipe I’ve used from your site has been awesome. Can’t thank you enough. I tell everyone about your site. Keep it up!

    Reply

  35. I made this and shared it with my co-workers. Nobody could believe it was gluten-free. My husband LOVED it. And, it stayed tasting fresh for the 3 days I had it wrapped in individual pieces. Thanks so much for this and all the recipes I have tried successfully on this wonderful website.

    Reply

  36. Fantastic coffee cake! Moist with a wonderful crumb topping. I had to replace the honey and coconut sugar, so I used Erythritol in equal quantities listed for the cake and the topping, worked fine. Thank you for sharing this recipe! Can’t wait to try your bread recipes. Really miss these types of treats and now I do not have to miss them at all.

    Reply

  37. Wow… it looks so yummy. I wish I could have it right now. Well good luck for your future, you are a living legend. I am gonna try it myself this weekend, hopefully. Yayyyyy

    Reply

      • Hi Kelly, if you have a serious aversion to the flavor of coconut oil you might not like this cake. Thanks for stopping by!

        Reply

      • Coconut sugar does not taste like coconut at all. It tastes a little like brown sugar. Coconut oil has a faint coconut taste if you buy the unrefined kind (it’s on the label if it is), but I fry eggs in it, so it’s faint. You can buy refined coconut oil that is flavorless.

        Reply

  38. Hi Elana,
    I am interested in two recipes. Can the cinnamon coffee cake be made ahead? Can it be frozen?
    Can the cherry apricot cake be made ahead? Can that be frozen?
    Thanks

    Reply

  40. I want to start making something like this, sounds very yummy. I found the Elana’s Pantry Web site when I first started researching Paleo in 2012, because I learned through an elimination diet that wheat and dairy trigger reactions in the autoimmune disorder, HS, that I have. No, I can’t drink dairy even if it is considered Paleo now. I was using the Paleo diet for the fact that it already eliminated the foods I can’t eat.

    Reply

  41. Just to let you know I’ve made this many times using Bobs Red mill brand blanched almond flour and it has come out perfect. Love this coffee cake. Thanks.

    Jenny

    Reply

  42. Made this today and had XL eggs, and added some vanilla, so added a tablespoon of coconut flour to soak up the extra liquid, and also used maple syrup since I don’t tolerate honey. Sprinkled some fresh blueberries on top before the struesel and this came out fabulous! Thanks for a simple recipe Elena.

    Reply

  43. I made this today using the blanched almond flour from Nuts.com. The flour was cool as I keep it in the refrigerator. The eggs were cool, too. The cake was not done even at 35 minutes. I baked it 7 minutes longer, and it was just barely done – but burned on the bottom. I baked it in a springform pan lined with parchment paper. I substituted avocado oil for the coconut oil, and organic evaporated cane juice for the coconut sugar. The topping sank to the bottom. The cake had a light texture and tasted great, except for the burnt part. Do you have any suggestions for me, Elana? I would like to make this again, but would like for it to turn out the way it should.

    Reply

    • Hi Nan, thanks for your comment. I’m really glad to hear that your experiment turned out as well as it did. I think you’re going to have great results using the recommended ingredients for this recipe. When you make it again please stop back by to say hello :-)

      Reply

  44. Hi Elana,
    I am following WW and have always loved Paleo recipes. I was wondering why you don’t post the calories, fat, sugar per recipe. This would help me in being accountable in my regimen.

    Reply

    • Hi Marina, thanks for your question. With more than 800 recipes on this site, 25,000 visitors here every day I just don’t have the time to provide additional information. Often though, readers jump in to leave this info in the comments section which is great!

      Reply

  45. Elana –
    How do you think grassfed butter would do in place of coconut oil? And if you think it might go over well, how much grassfed butter might you use?

    I have recently cooked several batches of your chocolate chip cookies that call for grassfed butter and they are just to die for. I cannot keep them around longer than an afternoon!

    Thanks!
    Jamie

    Reply

      • HI Elana!
        I did a test run of this today with grassfed butter. I want to serve this Christmas morning so figured I would test run it today. I subbed grassfed butter for both the cake and the topping (melted both times). I did a 1:1 conversion, so I used 1/4 cup melted butter in the cake and in the topping. It turned out FABULOUS. Moist, buttery, not too greasy. The only other changes I made were that I used pecans instead of almonds and I sprinkled some Enjoy Life chocolate chips on top. Amazing.

        This recipe and your grassfed butter chocolate chip recipe are the only desserts I have ever made since going Paleo four years ago that make me feel like what I am eating is NOT paleo. I have never been satisfied with most almond flour or coconut flour “treats”! I am beyond impressed and so happy to use your recipes! Thank you!

        Jamie

        Reply

  46. I made this recipe and it was absolutely delicious! I would like to make it in a 9 x 13 pan to make Cinnamon Coffee Cake bars should I double the recipe Elana? Thanks for all of your amazing recipes we love them!

    Reply

    • Hi Lori, I haven’t tried that so not sure if it will work. I’m concerned that if you double the recipe it may not cook through all the way. If you try it please stop back by and let us know if it works!

      Reply

  47. Just made it followings the recipe but adding teaspoon vanilla. At 25 mins the middle was not cooked. I left it in another 5 but the bottom and sides are now overdone borderline burnt. I did bake it in a metal round dish so might have to try with glass and adjust timing. Overall very good (eaten warm). Husband also liked it. Dense texture and a touch dry, yet oddly a hint greasy. I’d make it again though!

    Reply

    • Hi Melissia! Thanks for your comment. I too made this coffee cake in a metal pan, so that is probably not the issue. More critical to the success of the recipe would be the type/brand of almond flour you used. Let me know and I’ll help you troubleshoot this so it turns out perfectly next time :-)

      Reply

      • I had at home and used Bobs but it was almond meal and not blanched so That definitely could have been the problem. I have Wegmans brand blanched almond meal flour, very fine so I’m going to make it again with that. It was really good the next day and so good with tea and coffee. I put the ingredients into MyFitness Pal for 9 servings and it came to 366 calories per serving, 25.9 g fat, 30 g carbs and 10 g protein. I’ll definitely make it again! Asking for your cookbook for Christmas. I’m a Spin instructor and my riders liked it too! Thanks!

        Reply

    • You don’t actually use coffee in ANY Cinnamon Coffee Cake recipe…it’s something to have WITH coffee. :)

      Reply

  49. Oh no! I’ve made this delicious cake before, and maybe it’s because I’m tired but I spaced!!! I used COCONUT flour instead of almond! TOTALLY different flours! Whoops. Well I added more water, oil and some coconut milk, we’ll see if it at least make something edible!

    Reply

    • Hi Elana,
      I would like to make this and other desserts for a friend who is grain free however, she is allergic to almonds! Do you know if a substitute?
      Thanks!

      Reply

  51. Thanks for the great recipe – it was delicious!! All my workmates and the family gobbled it up. I don’t tolerate dairy very well so this is a welcome addition to my baking collection! Thanks again

    Reply

  52. I like it…speak for yourself. Not all of us can tolerate regular flour. If you don’t like it and don’t want to eat the healthier alternative, don’t!

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  53. Hello Elana –
    I have included raw dairy in my otherwise Paleo diet, with good results. However, I consider dairy to be part of agriculture and Paleo is supposed to be all about the PRE-AGRICULTURE diet. Because of my experience teaching gardening and helping farmers, I know that the food we get today is not possible without agriculture. Neither is it as nutritious as what our Paleo era ancestors were consuming. So, using Paleo as a model, we must create our best diet – definitely a work in progress!
    Thanks for the great website,
    Leslie

    Reply

  54. I love your cinnamon coffee cake recipe. Your version is course made with more wholesome ingredients and it healthier too!

    Reply

  55. I made this tonight but changed up the topping. I used pecans instead of almonds and pulsed the whole thing together into a “crumble” texture. I spread it thickly over the top and it gave a great cinnamon sugar crunch to the cake. The cake itself is perfect in texture – moist with a good crumb. The household agreed that it would be the perfect accompaniment for a strong cup of coffee.

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  57. I made this coffee cake tonight and it was absolutely delicious! I will be making it again, soon. Thank you, Elana!

    Reply

  58. I had no clue this repice will be one of my my favourites! I had only three eggs and a broken car on yard so I chose this cake for our children to enjoy with their friend for a snack. This was amazing! Way too good and healthy! And no going nuts after too much sugar, yeah! And our car might be fixed today :)

    Reply

  59. omg, can’t believe all the comments about whether there’s actual coffee in it. Its a COFFEE CAKE. To be eaten with coffee in the morning. lol
    I have gone GF and am always looking for recipes, and all I ever see is “this looks great, can’t wait to try it’ — I want to know how it WAS, by people who actually made the recipe! I saw one comment where the person talked about actually making it and all they mentioned was the substitutions they made. She did NOT say “oh wow, this was delicious” so I kind of have to assume it wasn’t…. ?

    Reply

  60. As many others have written, the term Coffee Cake in the US refers to a cake that is a great accompaniment to a cup of coffee. It rarely has coffee as an ingredient!
    But the Brits shouldn’t be SO flummoxed by this! They have a Madeira Cake, without any Madeira in it. It is a cake that was eaten to accompany a glass of Madeira. Tea Cakes don’t have tea as an ingredient, they may be cake or cookies (biscuits for Brits) and also have no tea in them. They are eaten with a cup of tea.

    Reply

      • Yeah, in the UK a coffee cake always has coffee in. It seems a bit odd to name it coffee cake just because you eat it with coffee – as far as I’m concerned ALL cakes go with coffee! But it has been explained now, so it’s all good!

        Funnily enough I always assumed a teacake was called a teacake because you eat it for afternoon tea rather than because you eat it with tea, but I could wrong about that! You’re definitely correct about the madeira cake though.

        I’d be interested to know what exactly makes a cake a “coffee cake” in American terms? Is it just a plain cake with cinnamon on?

        Reply

    • Well in Australia “Coffee” in the title would make us all believe there was coffee in the recipe, just goes to show the difference across the world!!!

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  61. Have you tried using some coconut flour in your recipes in place of almond flour? I noticed your chocolate ( beet) torte and read why you use beets instead of almond flour…to save on cost. What about coconut flour? I have found some good prices on that, and as far as I know it’s paleo. ( I have SIBO – Small Intestine Bacterial Overgrowth) and I am following the SCD diet blended with the FODMAP diet. It so far has helped me to eliminate the very painful symptoms of eating most everything else. ( I may have Crohn’s but I haven’t had that confirmed as I’d rather deal with it through diet and natural ways anyways…I am all about the non-invasive). So…for my very limited Paleo, and vegetarian diet, I have found adding in coconut flour has been fine for my digestive system. Perhaps you cannot digest this?

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  63. Oh my god, this looks delicious. Going home is one of my favorite things to do, because my little sister and I like to experiment with different recipes. I can’t wait to send this coffee cake recipe so that we can surprise our mother, together!

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  64. Hi there! Just made this. So good! Subbed walnuts for the almonds in the topping, it was delicious! Thanks for posting!

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  65. Elana, I have tried to make this cake a few times. I love it. The only problem I found is it is a bit dry. Could this be due to leaving the cake in the oven longer than it should? Your comment would be most appreciated.

    Reply

  66. My Naturopath recommended your website to me and I am so glad she did. I tried this recipe first and added 1 cup of small pieces of baked apples to the batter and 1/4 cup of unsweetened shredded coconut to the topping. Yum! I was delighted to bake a GF Paleo recipe that calls for eggs and therefore rises more.
    Whether dairy is Paleo or not, I cannot have it in my diet so it’s an easy call for me.
    Thanks Elana. I will be ordering your cookbook. My iPad mini is getting too sticky :)

    Reply

  67. I layered very thinly sliced green apples on the bottom and used this recipe. It was AMAZING! Thanks so much for all your delicious recipes.

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  68. Lovely nutty texture, good taste, not too sweet and not too much cinnamon. I used ingredients as directed except the topping – no oil in topping, and used maple syrup instead of honey, swirling it in. I baked 25 minutes at 350 degrees. It came out dry – which is an improvement, as my baked goods usually come out too moist, but it was a bit too dry.. I can taste the eggs too much, and might use two instead of three, and bake lower temperature – a bit brown on the bottom. I did use the parchment paper and it came out of the pan perfectly. I m bringing it to share at work tomorrow (minus the one slice!). I have been gluten free for 15 or more years, and avoided dairy for several years. I recently began following paleo rules, then came upon Special Carbohydrate Diet, and began adding dairy back 4 to 5 weeks ago. I feel great after eating aged goat cheese and goat milk for several weeks now, along with omega 3 eggs. The new-ness of the eggs may be the reason why I can taste them so much.

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  69. Thanks for your easy and delicious recipes! I am new to paleo – is this cake considered low-glycemic? It looks like it is – except perhaps the topping?

    Reply

  70. Although some Paleolithic person, or a few, might have come up with the idea of milking some creature, I can’t see that generally milk would be Paleo at all, really. For me, I skip right over recipes that call for dairy. If I can’t switch out the milk, yogurt, cream or butter with coconut milk or oil, without any additional effort, I can’t use the recipe. The milk we get today certainly doesn’t have the makeup Paleo milk would have had, plus, I have (and cook for people with) glucose intolerance and an outright histamine-mediated classic allergy to milk products. I might dare a little once in a blue moon if eating out, if I have milk-pills and it isn’t also my pollen-allergy season, but I wouldn’t have a milk-requiring recipe in my collection. I hope you don’t start adding milk to your recipes. One thing I love about your recipes is that I can follow links to them freely in the assumption there will be no milk trap there. Thanks for the space to add my opinion here.

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  72. Sometimes Coconut oil is just too overpowering in recipes for me. I wonder if I can substitute butter in place? Looks delicious!

    Reply

    • Butter works great kelly, I used browned butter but someone else on here used grass fed. The water content is a bit different, butter adds about a tablespoon of extra water in the milk solids but it doesn’t seem to affect the recipe.

      Also for everyone on here having undercooking/over cooking issues here are a few tips. Every oven is different depending on make/model/environmental factors. Get an oven thermometer, figure out whether you oven is accurate or whether it runs hot or cold. I had an oven that was consistently 50 degrees cooler than what my dial said, it explained why my cookies always came out looking anemic! This way you can compensate. Also begin checking for done-Ness a couple minutes before the minimum recommended time and check every 5 minutes until done. This can be done with a toothpick for cakes and breads. With cookies it’s a personal preference. I always write down the amount of time it actually took for the recipe if i want to make it again so I know how long it will take next time. It’s kind of like calibrating the recipe to your oven. Also very important, do not open the oven door before the minimum amount of time has passed because the temperature becomes uneven and you risk undercooking or deflation. Hope this helps and happy baking!

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  73. Can you please tell me what the breakdown of this cake is in terms of fat, carbohydrate,protein, etc?

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  74. Since baking should be done by weight, can you provide the almond flour measurement by weight so that those of us who need to use other flours can make an accurate substitution?

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  75. I was wondering if Elena has given up on emails. I was getting the recipes that way quite regularly and all of a sudden they stopped. I’m not totally at peace relying on Facebook. Thoughts? Thanks a lot!

    Reply

  77. I just made this last night to have for breakfast this morning, and it was amazing!
    I reduced the honey to about 1/4C, but it still tasted great!
    Instead of food processor, I just mixed wet -> dry in a big bowl with a whisk.
    Thanks for this wonderful recipe!

    Reply

  78. Made these as muffins for a friend who needed travel cheats. AMAZING!

    I didn’t measure carefully enough in the muffin pan so ended up making only 11, but could have had an even dozen if I had tried harder! Cooked for 25 minutes and it was hard to eat just one.

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  79. Most delish coffee cake ever!! Love this recipe. I did use coconut nectar instead of honey and it was perfect.

    Reply

  80. I have made this twice already and it is delicious. I love the cinnamon flavor and while it is best fresh, I love it the next day as well. Super delicious and tastes like the coffee cake I remember. I followed the recipe exactly but I’m sure some subs would work fine. I just happen to love coconut oil and I buy raw honey by the bucket so this recipe works perfect. I do use a parchment circle in the bottom to make it easier to take the cake out of the pan.

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  82. oh wow! normally i only make coffeecake for my kids and mom friends and use sourdough brown rice, which i don’t eat. today i whipped this up for the kids and myself and it was PERFECT! rich, sweet, (i used butter) buttery, and a perfect Sunday breakfast.

    i just am so grateful for your simple and delicious recipes! i don’t think i’d ever have treats if i hadn’t found your site! and with six small kids, treats bring me such joy.

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  83. WOW…this is great in every way. Made for the first time yesterday. Ran out of coconut oil so topping was a mix of 2 Tbs of coconut and rest grapeseed oil. Also added coconut flakes to the toping. Had for breakfast this morning and WOW!! Thanks, Elana, for ALL your great recipes and information. My husband and I are mid 70’s with no digestive or diabetic problems, but eat healthy 95% of the time. I’ve been using Trader Joe’s Almond Meal for your recipes and it has worked out well. God Bless you.

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  89. I just came across your site today and joined email list. So glad I did. I have been eliminating breads, junk food, and sugar from my daily intake. I’m surprised how far I have come. I still use coconut sugar in my morning coffee. I just feel the need for something in my coffee. When I first saw the title of the recipe, coffee cake, I felt doomed, oh well, sounds good and then I saw the ingredients!!! Wow! I am soooooooo excited to try this! I can eat this without feeling I blew off my determination to stay off processed or empty calorie sweets. I can’t wait to try this. Thank you, thank you, thank you!

    Reply

    • We use pure organic maple syrup in our coffee. At first, we thought it sounded really weird, but tried it and are hooked.

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  90. My doc just pulled me off dairy this week. I have Celiac and raging IBS. So far, things are starting to improve already. I’m excited to try this coffee cake…..it’s baking in the oven as I type. I used chopped pecans for the nuts….don’t have sliced almonds right now. Thanks so much Elana!

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  91. THis was my Sunday morning treat, and it lived up to the billing! Thanks for all the work you do to craft recipes that work and have great flavor. That streusel? Yum!

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  94. If you miss the traditional Sour Cream Coffee Cake, this is the one for you. It matches its crumb and flavor more than any other alternative have tried. I made this Sunday morning for my family with scrambled eggs and it turned out beautifully! My husband and 4-year old loved it.
    A few notes:
    – I used a regular food processor and used the Nutiva coconut oil/shortening blend instead of the coconut oil for both cake and topping.
    -I did not have enough honey so used 1/4 cup honey and just under 1/4 cup of maple syrup.
    -For the topping, it does not cover completely, so I lightly spread it on top and then cut it in/swirled it it in with a knife.
    As always, Thank You Elana!

    Reply

  95. I love your recipes and books and i used to pin your recipes on Pinterest too, but for some reason it is not possible anymore. I also follow you on Pinterest but can’t find the cinnamon coffee cake. Is pinning going to be available very soon??
    Gr.Betsy from Belgium

    Reply

    • Hi Betsy,

      There may have been a glitch –thanks for pointing it out. Pinning is now working :-)

      Elana

      Reply

  97. I just made two batches of this fantastic recipe; one with eggs and one with flax “eggs”. Both turned out great. The egg one aesthetically is more pleasing but the flax one is actually even better tasting in my option. Don’t let the eggs stop you from this receipe if you can’t do eggs!

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  98. Hi Elana,

    Very happy to see you created this wonderful Cinnamon Coffee Cake recipe! Should the coconut oil be melted before adding to the dry ingredients for the cake batter? I saw it is melted for the topping so I’m guessing it should be melted for the batter as well but thought it best to ask.

    Your website was truly a godsend when I’d been told to go grain-free and had no clue what I should do. It was difficult to eat only fruit, veggies and legumes – not my favorite food – and I found myself constantly hungry. Now I can satisfy the craving for things that I used to eat and longed for when others would eat them. I applaud your dedication to creating new recipes and sharing them with us.

    As an aside, my husband loves your bran muffins (as do I) but we prefer currants to cut down on the sweetness.

    Thank you,
    Sue

    Reply

    • I did not melt the coconut oil, but I beat it first then added the eggs. Cake turned out great, but I think next time I’ll melt the oil so that it doesn’t clump as much when I’m trying to mix it. I don’t think it matters as far as the outcome of the cake, though.

      Reply

    • I made it today using a stand mixer and it turned out fine.

      Elana uses a food processor for a lot of recipes and some really need it, some are okay without. My food processor is tucked away in the pantry and isn’t easy to access but my stand mixer is always on my kitchen counter so I use it all of the time.

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    • NO, don’t even try. Coconut flour ratios are MUCH different than almond flour ones. For coconut flour recipes, try Spunky Coconut’s blog – you can Google it.

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    • I made this with Bob’s Hazelnut flour and it turned out delicious. I added a bit more cinnamon and a few dashes of nutmegs as I love spice. I had doubled the topping but next time I’ll just add extra nuts in the topping, but not double the oil and sugar- it was a bit too ‘wet’. I used a mix of almonds and walnuts because I can only take almonds in tiny quantities. Thank you Elena!

      Reply

    • Elana loves her cinnamon. I always cut the amount as I am not as big of a fan. That said, I made this recipe today and used about 1 and 1/2 Tablespoons of cinnamon. I might cut it a little next time but it was an appropriate amount. Feel free to cut some out if you don’t like strong cinnamon flavor.

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  104. Alrighty! Just made it and it’s delicious. I used a dark pan and had to cook the full 35 mins on 350. I added extra coconut sugar for the crumb top (because I was just finishing up a bag of sugar) and it’s super delicious. I don’t think the 1/2 cup of honey is too much…it is a coffee cake after all. Thumbs up on another delicious recipe!

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  106. My son has an egg allergy so I need to substitute. I’ve heard though that 3 eggs plus shouldn’t be substituted. Does anyone have any suggestions? Thanks

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  107. Elana that looks like a great recipe. I had never thought about putting a few nuts(almonds) in a crumb topping. I will try it out when a friend who is a celiac comes over the next time for a cup of tea.

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  109. I have read that coconut sugar does not kill the trees and also that it does. Do you have a source for that? Ayurveda teaches that cooking with honey is dangerous, even adding it to hot beverages with just the liquid hot. The reason seems to be that some of the flowers the bees pollinated may be toxic and the toxicity may come out when heated. At any rate, I have friends from India who are very strict on this, so I am looking for substitutes for honey when baking. I often use coconut sap sugar and have found that in Elana’s recipes I can substitute coconut sugar for the honey and be just fine even though one is wet and one is dry.

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  110. Was under the impression that coconut sugar was not so good for the environment. Unlike coconut oil or coconut flour, coconut sugar requires the killing of the tree? Cake looks good though…

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  111. This looks awesome and I can’t wait to try it! I think the dairy is kind of a personal choice. I like Chris Kresser’s approach to paleo; there doesn’t have to be any kind of paleo law that dictates whether a person is really paleo or not. I do think, though, as far as dairy goes, that one should be cautious and see how they react to it. My understanding is also that choosing raw dairy should lessen the chances of having a reaction. I am hoping to add in sheep and goat cheese one of these days, but I really don’t know if I will react or not. I definitely react to cow’s dairy, which I think is common for people like myself with autoimmune disease.

    Reply

    • Jenny do you know what part of cow’s milk you react to, i.e. is it the sugars or the proteins. In my case it is the casein protein, sheep and goat both have that protein just not as much.

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      • Judy, I was muscle tested actually, and it showed that I reacted to the casein and the lactose. I understand that in sheep and goats dairy not only is it less but also different than cow’s dairy casein. I’ve been gun shy to try it… I am currently doing a heavy metal detox so will definitely wait until I get through that. I sure do miss cheese though!

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        • Jenny I have discovered casein is casein be it cow or goat/sheep for me.

          I throughly understand about missing cheese, whipped cream and butter. I use ghee(clarified butter) because it is pure fat no little bits of casein in it. Elana has a recipe for a whipped Coconut Topping that works quite well. But for cheese, the subs don’t have the right flavors or mouth feel. So if I really need/want some cheese, I just go for it. About an ounce or so grated on whatever I’m eating and then deal with the aftermath (itchy skin and a little stomach distress).

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    • I’m very confused people are talking about dairy in the recipe – What dairy am I missing something? I don’t see any dairy at all.

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      • People are referencing a comment at the end of the blog post about whether or not dairy is now considered Paleo, not the recipe itself. The recipe is dairy-free. Some people wrongly believe that eggs are dairy, but they are not. They are just kept in the same section as dairy in most grocery stores.

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    • Okay, but Elana is not from Europe. In the USofA a coffee cake usually has a crumb topping and is served WITH coffee. One of those cultural differences, like the English biscuit and the USofA cookie.

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  117. Curious to know how you’ll make this coffee cake without the coffee measurement? How much coffee are you going to put in?

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    • “Coffee cake” is typically a term used to mean a cake to be eaten WITH coffee….not a “coffee” flavored cake. Hope you try this anyway, sounds delicious!

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    • Coffee goes in the cup and you drink it while you savour the cake! No, I’m not joking! :) A coffee cake is a wonderful cinammon flavored thing that goes too well with… Coffee!

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    • It’s not a literal reference to coffee being an ingredient in the recipe. Coffee cake is a type of sweet cake usually vanilla with a crumbly cinnamon/sugar topping. Ironically, it is best enjoyed (in my humble opinion) with a nice hot cup of coffee! I love Tecchino, a dandelion tea sweetened with stevia drops. Yum!

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    • Awww that’s cute, made me laugh in a good way. That was a good question actually if one is not familiar with coffee cake. Still laughing. Not at you, just was not expecting it. Hmmm it might be a good idea to make a coffee flavored coffee cake…I’m in lol.

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  119. I am so excited and am going to make this coffee cake this weekend! I want to make it right now but it wouldn’t make it through the night! I too loved coffee cake when I was younger. We always made ours with Bisquick.

    As far as the Paleo thing, I am not sure about it all. I am not currently Paleo but have been thinking about it because I have health issues that might be helped by being grain free.

    Being a pescetarian for 25 years, I can’t quite get myself to eat meat yet. It would make it easier if I could still eat some dairy. But if I go for it, I might omit dairy at first, detoxify and then try adding it to see if I have any reactions. From my understanding a lot of people react to dairy but don’t know it.

    Reply

    • This is my first website response ever. I’ve wanted to say THANK YOU ELANA for some time. I am a life-long die-hard baker and when my naturopath told me I should really go paleo (as well as dairy/corn/soy-free), I had no idea how I would manage. She also told me about your website and it has been a life-saver.

      I am also looking forward to this cake – I will try it with maple syrup rather than honey (my son cannot have honey and I live in Canada where we have lots of maple). Maple syrup has worked as a substitution in all of the baking recipes I have tried – for honey or agave.

      I am about 80% pale and it has helped my digestion and improved my health through a difficult period.

      Another substitution that works well for the soda bread is golden flax meal for 1/4 of the almond flour.

      THANKS AGAIN

      Reply

    • UPDATE: I made this recipe today with great success. I did not use a food processor but rather a stand mixer. I am too lazy to drag out my food processor whereas my stand mixer is always on my counter. Some recipes require the food processor but this one was fine in the mixer.

      Also, I cut down on the cinnamon a little as I am not a strong cinnamon fan (about 1 and 1/2 tablespoons). I don’t really enjoy coconut sugar either. I find that it tastes burned and bitter. I used it in the recipe because I had some and wanted to follow the recipe as much as I could. But, next time I will use something else.

      HINT: Consider making it in a spring form pan with a piece of parchment on the bottom. It makes it really easy to get out and slice. I use that pan for Elana’s Banana Chocolate Chip Cake too (in her cookbook).

      Reply

  120. I am allergic to cow’s milk and do not consider it to be paleo…..I have to use stevia for sweetener so how much is needed to replace the honey?
    Thanks!!!
    Vickie

    Reply

    • Sorry Vickie-now I get what your were responding to; Elana’s question about whether or not you consider dairy to be paleo. :)

      Reply

    • Vickie,
      I don’t see any cow’s milk in the list of ingredients. I would like to know how much stevia to use also, because I don’t want to use that much honey.

      Reply

  121. I was so excited to see a recipe for coffee cake – it’s my favourite cake flavour … but there’s no coffee in this recipe? How much coffee do you use?

    Reply

    • Dee, Coffee cake doesn’t normally have coffee as part of the ingredients. It’s just called coffee cake because it is commonly served with coffee or tea, etc.
      Charlotte

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      • I was also excited to get a coffee cake recipe only to discover no coffee in ingredients. In the UK coffee cake is cake that is flavoured with coffee, as any flavour cake goes with tea or coffee we just call cake by the flavours that are in it usually. What do you guys call cake flavoured with coffee?

        Reply

          • I would say a cake with coffee might be called an espresso or maybe mocha if they added some chocolate. May have to try that

    • “Does the pan have to be metal…?” No, any pan with a similar volume and shape will work. You may have to bake a little longer or less because you changed the material of the container.

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    • Actually, that is what I tried this weekend. I was making almond milk and had read this recipe. I used 1.5 c of the almond pulp with 1 c of almond meal. The texture is denser than I think it would be with the almond meal, but it is very yummy. I baked it for the full 30 minutes also. Great recipe!

      Reply

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