Raspberry Coconut Coffee Cake

Coconut is one of my favourite ingredients. I will find an excuse to add it to just about anything I can - from sweet to savoury dishes, from drinks to dinner to dessert (like my mango coconut soft serve!) My sister, on the other hand, is the total opposite and would say that any dish would be better without coconut in it. But I am always on the lookout for recipes that include coconut in any form - dried coconut, fresh coconut, coconut milk, coconut water, and even coconut flour...and if a recipe has more than one of these ingredients, that's a bonus!

So naturally, this recipe for a healthy raspberry coconut coffee cake caught my eye - especially because I hadn't really thought of mixing coconut with raspberries before. But I can now say from experience that it is a very tasty combination!

The cake itself is fairly dense and not very sweet, so it's more of a breakfast cake than a dessert. I loved the crunchy coconut streusel on top, but my favourite part was the juicy fresh raspberries that sort of exploded throughout the cake - like this piece that looked like it was oozing out raspberry guts!

The original recipe called for frozen raspberries, but I used some nice fresh ones which added so much flavour and sweetness. The only other changes I made were slight variations in the types of flour and milk based on what I had on hand, and I also cut the recipe in half - I found that the cake was best when eaten on the same day, so I didn't want a lot of leftovers. I still baked it in an 8x8 pan and just lined the edge of the batter with a folded piece of greased aluminum foil to hold it in place - but if you have a loaf pan, that might be a better option.

Here is the recipe as I made it, but if you want to make the full 8x8 pan, just double all the quantities.

Raspberry Coconut Coffee Cake
Adapted from Diet, Dessert and Dogs

For the topping:
1 tbsp whole wheat flour
1 tbsp sucanat
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/4 cup unsweetened coconut
1/2 tbsp coconut oil, softened

Mix the first four ingredients. Add the coconut oil and work it into the dry ingredients with a fork, until everything is moistened. Set aside.

For the cake:
1/2 cup light spelt flour
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/8 tsp salt
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/4 cup coconut milk
1/4 cup almond milk
1/2 tsp lemon juice
1 tbsp coconut oil, melted
3/4 tsp ground flax
2 tbsp + 2 tsp (40 mL) agave nectar
Generous 1/2 cup raspberries

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and prepare your cake pan by spraying with low-fat cooking spray or lining with parchment paper.

Mix the dry ingredients (the first five ingredients) in a large bowl. Mix the remaining ingredients (except raspberries) in a separate bowl until smooth.

Add the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix just until all the dry ingredients are incorporated. Then gently fold in the raspberries.

Pour the cake batter into your pan, filling it about halfway if using an 8x8 pan. Sprinkle the topping evenly over the surface and press it in gently to help it stick.

Bake for 35-40 minutes, until a tester comes out clean. Let cool on a wire rack completely before cutting into squares.

Makes about 6 large or 8 small squares.

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Submitted to Tropical Traditions Giveaway on Cara's Cravings

Fat-Free Pineapple Coffee Cake

For my first post, I wanted to share this tropical coffee cake that I just made. I was searching for a healthy baked good recipe to use up some pineapple I had, and came across this one for pineapple coffee cake on FatFree Vegan Kitchen. I was intrigued by the idea of a fat-free cake, but I had had mixed success with fat-free baked goods in the past. However, the reviews for this recipe were all great, so I had to try it out for myself!

I made a few modifications to the original recipe (subbing banana for the applesauce and using fresh instead of canned pineapple), and I was so happy with the results! The texture turned out a bit dense and chewy, which I like, and its still a light and healthy coffee cake that leaves you feeling guilt-free!

(Note: I didn't have egg replacer, so I went with the suggestion of using cornstarch + baking powder instead...it seemed to work fine, but I'm not sure how it would compare to the original)

Pineapple Coffee Cake
Adapted from FatFree Vegan Kitchen
1 cup quick or rolled oats

1 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup sugar (I used regular granulated sugar)
2 ¼ teaspoons baking powder
2 tsp cornstarch

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt

3 tablespoons water
1 tablespoon white or cider vinegar
1 cup fresh pineapple diced very small (try to keep as much juice as you can, but if it doesn’t look very juicy, add about 1 tbsp additional juice - any kind of tropical juice you have)
1/3 cup mashed banana (about 1 medium sized banana)

Topping:
2 tablespoons coarse sugar (I used brown sugar)
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

Preheat the oven to 350 F. Prepare an 8x8 baking dish by spraying with cooking spray.

First, grind the oats in a blender until fine (to turn into oat flour). Mix oats with the rest of the dry ingredients in a bowl. Mix the wet ingredients and then add to dry. Stir until completely moistened (Note: the batter will be very thick...I thought I was going to have to add more liquid, as it took a while to incorporate all of the dry parts, but eventually it came together...just be careful not to overmix!)

Pour batter into the prepared pan. Sprinkle with topping. Bake for 30-40 minutes (mine was done when I checked at 35 minutes). Cool in pan on a wire rack for at least 10 minutes, then remove from pan and cool some more before cutting.