I can’t get enough of this cinnamon coffee cake. It’s easily one of the best cakes I’ve ever made – and I know I say that a lot, but I mean it every. single. time. The cake is so buttery and soft. The topping is so crunchy and sweet. It’s mouthwatering. It’s irresistible. It’s perfection.
It’s the perfect cake for company. Why? Because it’s impressive… and also because if you don’t have company, you will absolutely eat this entire thing by yourself.
Here’s how it’ll go:
After you eat one tiny slice, you’ll think, “oh my gosh this is so rich, I couldn’t possibly eat another slice.” But then you will… trust me, I know.
This cake is dangerously good. So good you won’t believe it’s grain-free, gluten-free, paleo-friendly. This is the cake that will prove to your family and friends that clean desserts CAN be extremely delicious.
Let’s back up for a second so that I can tell you all about this sweet crumbly topping. It’s what dreams are made of. And by that I mean it’s made with pecans (my current favorite buttery nut), butter/ghee, coconut sugar, and cinnamon. You just can’t have a coffee cake without cinnamon.
You can add a glaze on top of the cake if you want. It makes it look a little fancier. I melted coconut butter and added a little coconut oil to make it more drizzle-able.
Also, I think I went a little overboard in taking pictures of this cake… it’s all in an effort to tempt you into making this. Why? Because once you make this, I’m sure you’ll keep coming back to my blog for more delicious recipes 😉
Ingredients
Cake:
- ½ cup coconut flour
- ½ cup almond flour
- ¼ cup arrowroot flour
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- ½ cup canned coconut milk full-fat
- 1 stick butter or ½ cup ghee, softened
- 5 tablespoons honey
- 4 eggs room temperature
Topping:
- 1 cup pecans
- ½ stick butter or ¼ cup ghee, softened
- 1 cup coconut sugar
- 3 teaspoons cinnamon
Glaze
- Coconut Butter adjust to preference
- Coconut Oil
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F.
- Add the dry ingredients (coconut flour, almond flour, arrowroot flour, baking soda, cinnamon) to a bowl and mix well.
- Next, add the wet ingredients (coconut milk, butter, honey and eggs) to the bowl and mix well.
- Pour the batter into a greased 9-inch cake pan.
- Chop the pecans in a food processor until finely chopped.
- Add the finely chopped pecans to a bowl along with the remaining topping ingredients and using your hands, mix well. Sprinkle this on the top of the cake.
- Bake at 350F for 30 minutes.
To Make Glaze (optional)
- Melt coconut butter.
- Add coconut oil to the melted coconut butter until it reaches the desired consistency.
- Drizzle over cake.
Cyndi says
Another great recipe, we loved this. I didn’t bother with the glaze and it didn’t need it. It’s a perfect combination of rich, dense, not too sweet cake with plenty of delicious topping. My only question is about cooking time. I didn’t take it out at 30 because it was very loose in the middle, but now I wonder if I should have and it would have set as it cooled? I suspect I left it in the oven a little longer than needed. It was still delicious.
My Heart Beets says
Cyndi, I’m so glad you loved it! I think you did the right thing by cooking longer – ovens can vary and for this type of cake, you want the middle to be cooked. Thanks for letting me know how it turned out for you.
Karen says
This cake was a real hit with my husband and I. I will certainly make it again. Karen
My Heart Beets says
Karen, I’m so happy to hear that!! Thank you for letting me know how the cake turned out for you both 🙂
Lily says
Wow this looks so good! Is it possible to replace the coconut flour with more almond flour, because that’s all I have on hand?
Thanks,
Lily 🙂
My Heart Beets says
Hi Lily! I haven’t tried this so I can’t say for sure but from my experience, those two flours are typically not interchangeable – you’d likely need to adjust the liquids in the recipe as well since coconut flour absorbs a lot of liquid. Let me know what you decide and how it goes!
Nicki says
This coffee cake is so fluffy and delicious. I loved that it wasn’t dense and was the perfect amount of sweet. I used half and half and had to bake it longer but it turned out perfect. Also, I added powdered sugar glaze to the top and proceeded to stuff my face with three big pieces. Thank you for this amazing recipe this will be my go to coffee cake forever!
My Heart Beets says
Nicki, I’m so happy to hear that you like the coffee cake so much! Thanks for letting me know how it turned out for you 🙂
Ashleigh says
I just made this for breakfast this morning and it was delicious! I substituted oat flour for the arrowroot flour, and added a couple things to the batter. The consistency of the cake was perfect and my kids were begging for more!
Do you mind if I share the link for your recipe on my healthy eating blog?
My Heart Beets says
Ashleigh, great to know that oat flour works well with this! Yes, please feel free to link to my blog – thank you 🙂
Fiona says
Delicious! I used coconut oil instead of ghee as I didn’t have any ghee on hand. i used less sugar in the topping and it’s still lovely and sweet. I’m wondering if this can be made in advance, frozen, and then defrosted when needed? Has anyone tried this? Trying to make Christmas morning as easy as possible!
My Heart Beets says
Fiona, I’m so glad you liked it! I haven’t tried freezing this but I think* it would be fine. If you try, please let me know 🙂
Margaret says
Oh my my my my this is absolutely delicious! Just made it today and it is everything you said it was. Definitely a keeper for a day when you just want an extra special treat.
My Heart Beets says
Margaret, I’m so happy to hear that! Thanks for letting me know how it turned out for you 🙂
Shanti says
Ashley , have been trying out a few recipes of yours and it has been really good but this cake was fantastic!!!
I had replaced the honey to 1/2 cup of coconut sugar , arrowroot to tapioca and since I ran out of pecans, replaced them walnuts instead. It was a total hit. The texture is just like sponge. Thank you so much.
My Heart Beets says
Hi Shanti! I’m so happy to hear that!! 🙂 And thanks for sharing your substitutions so that other readers can try them!
Lisa Zanicchi says
This cake is the BOMB. I add A LOT of extra cinnamon as I LOVE it, and I do 3-4 tablespoons of honey, and I omit the Coconut sugar altogether just to keep it a little less guilty for me, LOL. It’s SO good! We go back for seconds, and thirds…..
My Heart Beets says
I’ll have to try it with your sugar substitutions – thanks for sharing! I try not to make this often because I end up eating alllll of it. Happy to hear you like it as much as I do 🙂
Sam says
I know this is an older recipe, but wondering if you might have a sub for the butter in the cake and topping besides ghee.
Thanks so much!
My Heart Beets says
Hi Sam, you can try palm shortening or coconut oil but it’ll change the flavor. Let me what you think of it if you decide to make it!
Jocelyn Bowie says
I made this for a brunch party the other day and it was a huge hit. I tried several different glaze options, however, as the coconut butter I found was essentially flavorless and had too grainy of a texture for my taste. I ended up melting a little maple syrup with butter and using that as a glaze. I actually made two batches of this recipe; in the second one I used some coconut sugar because I was almost out of honey. To make up for the extra dry ingredient, I added a fifth egg. Both batches came out beautifully and half the people at the brunch went home with the recipe.
It occurs to me that cassava flour (not tapioca flour) might be a possible substitute for the arrowroot. – Jocelyn in Indiana
My Heart Beets says
That’s great to hear! 🙂 And thanks for sharing your substitutions too!
Terry says
AMAZING! Just made it.. Easy & simply delicious.
Thank you.. Terry
My Heart Beets says
Awesome!! Happy to hear you liked it, Terry 🙂
Vita says
Made this with butter, and agave nectar (instead of honey), and it was fabulous! Great recipe! Thanks for sharing!!
My Heart Beets says
Awesome!! Glad you liked it, Vita!
Lauren says
My three year old and I just made this as our birthday cake for Jesus. I can’t believe how much this tastes like the traditional coffee cake I used to make! My family has always done a big breakfast on Christmas morning, and I end up crossing my fingers when I try new recipes out for this event – I’m pretty sure this one is going to be a home run. Thanks!
My Heart Beets says
Lauren, that’s awesome!! So happy to hear that 🙂
Rosemary says
Can you use a tube or bundt pan with this recipe?
My Heart Beets says
I haven’t tried yet but I think it’ll work! Please let us know if you do 🙂
JoAn says
I made this today to test it on my family (they are always my guinea pigs). Everyone loves it …. absolutely delicious!!!!!! Now I am going to make another one for my Christmas brunch I am hosting for my lady friends this Friday. Thank you for sharing your wonderful recipe. 🙂
My Heart Beets says
That’s awesome!! So happy to hear that you and your fam loved the recipe 🙂 I hope it’s as big of a hit at your Christmas brunch!!
Kam says
Cake was yummy. However, I couldn’t get the glaze right. Can you give a better recipe for it? Thanks!
My Heart Beets says
Kam, just heat up coconut butter and if it’s too thick then thin it out with a little coconut oil. I didn’t give an exact recipe because it can vary depending on how thick your coconut butter is.
Heather says
This cake is absolutely delicious. I just took it from the oven about 20 minutes ago..I was going to wait for my husband to come home to have a piece, but it smelled so good I couldn’t wait. I loved your chocolate cake recipe with the chocolate ganache icing, so I decided to try this one and was not disappointed either time. Thanks for sharing these recipes..I don’t feel tired and bloated after I eat these gluten and grain free cakes..it’s nice to be able to eat sweets again. Both recipes were easy to make.
Do you have a recipe for buttercream frosting?
My Heart Beets says
Heather, thank you!! So glad you liked this and the chocolate cake 🙂 I don’t have a recipe for buttercream on the blog just yet but will add one closer to the holidays!
Amina says
Excellent! Next time I make it, I might add some orange flavouring as well.
My Heart Beets says
Amina, glad you liked it 🙂
Lisa says
Looks lovely!
Sunflower seeds sub perfectly for almonds, and tapioca/cassava flour subs perfectly for arrowroot ?
Roselani says
Thanks!
Sofie says
Hello Ashley, I really love your recipes and this cake looks delicious, but I do have a question though. Since I am on a low carb diet, what could substitute for the arrowroot flower?
thank you!
Kam says
I thought arrowroot was low carb and quite similar to Tapioca as far as baking is concerned.
Roselani says
Hi Ashely! I absolutely LOVE you recipes.Everything I have made has been amazing, so thank you so much. I recently discovered that my younger son has a severe tree nut allergy, and was wondering if it is possible to sub something for the almond flour in this recipe so he could have it too?
Thanks!
My Heart Beets says
Thanks, Roselani! Sorry to hear about your son’s nut allergy! I’m not sure what can be subbed for the almond flour in this cake but I’ll be sure to start working on developing a nut-free cake for him and others out there with nut allergies.
Raina says
Roselani – I’ve milled pumpkin seeds in my blender/food processor and have often used that as a sub for almond flour; not because I’m allergic, but because more often it’s all I have on hand. It’s worked pretty well for me, maybe you could try it?
Roselani says
Thanks so much! I will give it a try!
Sam says
This looks amazing! I wonder, what’s the difference between coconut butter and coconut oil? Is it the solid vs liquid thing? Thanks!
Susan says
I made this today. I actually used coconut sugar instead of honey in the cake batter and it was fine and the texture was delightful. It is really yummy and I know it will taste even better tomorrow. You mentioned that it is easy to make and while that is true, it does have quite a few ingredients and uses lots of bowls, pans, measuring spoons and cups so it requires a good bit of cleanup. Luckily for me, my husband does all the cleanup while I do all the cooking. We each think we have the better deal! He came in from work and ate a piece of this coffee cake while it was hot. He loved it!
My Heart Beets says
Susan, so happy to hear that you and your husband loved the cake!! 🙂
Diana says
Can’t wait to make this, yum! Question: are your stick measurements based on kerry gold butter? Maybe it’s me, but can’t butter sticks be different sizes, yielding different measurements?
My Heart Beets says
Thanks, Diana! Normally sticks of butter are the same size = 4 ounces. I used kerry gold butter and cut it into 2 sticks. Hope that helps – let me know if you have more questions! 🙂