Almond Coffee Cake
A perfect, simple cake. Or more importantly, a cake that society has deemed acceptable to eat for breakfast. This version relies on almonds, which are included in both the cake and crumble, for a nice nutty flavor and a little extra crunch.
The cake swaps some of the all purpose flour for almond flour and the crumble has both almond flour and chopped up almonds. You will note that I use vanilla extract rather than almond extract, but that simply comes down to preference for me. I tend to not really like almond extract, as it is very easy to over do it and it often tastes artificial to me. But, if you have some and you’re a fan, feel free to add some in! I wouldn’t swap out the full 2 teaspoons of vanilla for almond, but maybe just 1 teaspoon of almond or 1/2 teaspoon almond and 1 teaspoon vanilla.
I also love a robust spice mix in my coffee cake. While the recipe as written is delicious, this is also a really fun opportunity to swap the spices out for any cool spice blends you have on hand. Spice companies (like Burlap & Barrel, Diaspora Co., among many others!) make great blends for baking, such as pumpkin spice, chai, etc. that would work really well here! In total, this recipe has about 2 1/2 teaspoons of spices, so just try to keep it around that amount.
Makes: 1 x 8” or 9” cake
Active time: 20 minutes
Total time: 1 hour 10 minutes
Ingredients
Cake
40g (1/2 cup) almond flour
150g (1 cup + 2 tablespoons) all purpose flour
158g (3/4 cup) brown sugar, packed
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
113g (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
2 eggs, large
175g yogurt, plain
2 teaspoons vanilla extract or paste
Almond Crumble
71g (5 tablespoons) unsalted butter, room temperature
68g (1/2 cup) all purpose flour
40g (1/2 cup) almond flour
105g (1/2 cup) brown sugar, packed
40g (1/3 cup) almonds, unsalted, chopped
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
pinch of ground black pepper
Method
Make the crumble. In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine all listed ingredients. Mix on low speed with the paddle attachment until no dry spots remain and the mixture sticks together when squeezed with your hands. Move the crumble into a separate bowl and set aside. No need to clean the mixer bowl before moving onto the cake batter. (Alternatively, the crumble can be mixed with a hand mixer or by hand.)
Make the cake. Preheat the oven to 325F. Lightly spray the sides and bottom of an 8'“ or 9” round cake pan and line the bottom with a circle of parchment. Set aside.
In the stand mixer bowl, add 40g (1/2 cup) almond flour, 150g (1 cup + 2 tablespoons) all purpose flour, 158g (3/4 cup) brown sugar, 1 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon baking powder, and 1/2 teaspoon baking soda. Mix on low with the paddle attachment just until combined.
Add 113g (1 stick) unsalted butter, and continue to mix on medium low until the mixture looks similar to the crumble, kind of like wet sand or a thick paste.
With the mixer still running, add in the eggs (2) 1 at a time, allowing the the first to fully mix in before adding the second.
Add 175g yogurt and 2 teaspoons vanilla extract and mix until just combined. Remove the bowl from the mixer and give the batter a few stirs, scraping along the sides and bottom, just to make sure everything got mixed in.
Pour or scoop about half of the batter into the prepared pan. There is no need to be perfectly exact with our measurements here! Coffee cakes are a wonderfully rustic dessert and they manage just fine with imperfections. Once you have some batter in the pan, using your rubber spatula or a mini offset spatula, spread the batter to the edges so it is evenly dispersed.
Sprinkle about half of the crumble on top of the batter in the pan, trying to get somewhat even distribution. Pour the remainder of the batter over top and again, gently spread it out to the edges and try to get a level top. It’s okay if some of the crumble mixture mixes into the top layer of batter, as it’s bound to happen to some of it. But the best ways to avoid disrupting the layers too much are to 1) distribute the batter around the pan as you pour or scoop it, rather than just plopping it all in the center, 2) use long, gentle strokes to spread it around, and 3) once it is spread and looks mostly even, stop touching it!
Finally, sprinkle the remaining crumble on top of the batter.
Bake for 45-50 minutes, or until the edges of the cake are golden brown, it is firm, but a bit spongey when you touch it, or a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
Allow the cake to fully cool in the pan. Run an offset spatula (or butter knife) gently along the sides of the cake to make sure it’s not stuck. Place a cooling rack or an inverted plate over the top of the cake pan and holding both together, flip and let the cake release from the pan. The cake with be upside down on the cooling rack or plate. Peel off the parchment and place a second inverted plate or serving platter over the top the cake and flip once more. The cake should now be right side up.
The cake can be made a day in advance, just wrap and leave at room temperature. And it will last up to 3-4 days, once cut into, again fully covered and at room temperature.
Notes
The cake batter is mixed using a method called reverse creaming, which I also use for my olive oil cake recipe and describe it in more detail there!