Black and Blue Coffee Cake: A Healthy Summer Dessert

5 from 1 vote

I took the kids berry picking recently at a great little farm nearby with acres of strawberry, blueberry, and blackberry plants, all ripe for the picking. And it was totally guilt-free because the farm doesn’t use any pesticides or herbicides – a big deal when shopping for berries in particular.

The only problem we had now on our hands was, what to do with all these fresh berries?!

Aside from eating them straight out of the bucket, of course, I wanted to try a spin on one of my all-time favorite desserts: coffee cake. But in this case, a “Black and Blue” Coffee Cake!

Black and Blue Coffee Cake: A Healthy Summer Dessert

I love a good coffee cake but I haven’t had a piece in years. I find the store-bought ones are loaded with sugar, plus gluten, which is something we try to avoid.

So I made this one gluten-free, with just a bit of coconut sugar, which is a healthier alternative to cane sugar (and is low-glycemic, so it doesn’t spike your blood sugar the way regular sugar does).

The result was this buttery, berry-licious, crunchy in just-the-right-amount spin on coffee cake!

If you like, you could even puree a cup of extra berries with a bit of water, then swirl it into coconut yogurt (or yogurt of your choice) and add a dollop to your cake when serving. It looks beautiful, and tastes delicious!

The best part of this recipe is that it comes together easily, and it’s one of my favorite ways to use up these deliciously ripe and in season summer berries.

I hope you enjoy! If you make it, leave me a comment and tell me what you think.

Black and Blue Coffee Cake: A Healthy Summer Dessert

5 from 1 vote

Recipe by Alessandra Macaluso Course: Dairy-Free, Desserts, Recipes, Season, Snacks, Summer, VegetarianCuisine: dessert, breakfast, snack

Servings

servings

Prep time

minutes

Cooking time

minutes

Cook Mode

Keep the screen of your device on

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups 1 1/2 almond flour
1/2 cup 1/2 coconut flour
2 tsp 2 baking powder
4 tbsp 4 coconut sugar
3/4 tsp. 3/4 Himalayan sea salt
1/3 cup 1/3 palm shortening
1 1 egg, beaten
1/3 cup 1/3 dairy-free milk, such as cashew or almond (I used cashew milk I made in the Almond Cow)
2 cups 2 fresh blueberries and blackberries, washed and dried, divided
For the crumble
3 tbsp. 3 ghee or coconut oil, melted
1/4 cup 1/4 coconut sugar
1/4 cup 1/4 coconut flour
Optional Yogurt and Berry Swirl
1/4 cup 1/4 coconut yogurt
1/2 cup 1/2 fresh mixed berries

Directions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Add the first four ingredients to a food processor. Cut in the shortening (add it to the processor in small, pea-sized bits), until all is blended well.
Add the egg and milk to the food processor and pulse just until combined. (Alternatively, you can remove the blade of the processor and hand mix them in with a spatula.) Spread batter evenly into a 8-inch square cake pan. Top with 1 cup of fresh berries.
Combine ghee, coconut sugar, and coconut flour together in a bowl with a fork until it becomes a crumbly consistency. (You can add a tablespoon or more of the flour if needed.) Sprinkle over the top of the cake, then top with the rest of the berries. Bake for 25 minutes, or until top is golden brown.
Enjoy! Serve with vanilla ice cream or yogurt Berry Swirl (see below).
Optional Berry Swirl:
Add the fresh berries to a blender or bullet with a tablespoon of water. Blend until pureed. Stir the berry puree into the coconut yogurt to create your Berry Swirl, and serve alongside your Black and Blue Coffee Cake.