Protein Coffee Cake
I’ve posted this Greek Yogurt Coffee Cake recipe once already, but I had a glitch with my recipe software. It liked my Strawberry Protein Smoothie so much that it wanted every blog post to have it! Thank you to those of you who let me know.
Decades ago, I worked as an assistant food editor in San Francisco and wrote freelance articles for Sunset and Cooking Light to help make a living wage. I continued to freelance for magazines after a move to Houston, up until late in my third pregnancy, when I decided to take a break. Having three kids under five is exhausting, and when I look back, I see that some of that time is a total blur. When I stopped working after the birth of my third, I was so nervous that I would never be able to string a sentence together again.
At the time, a woman in book publishing told me to “keep a toe in the water,” and that was the best advice. I started to teach cooking classes again, and the rest, my friends, is history. Anyway, I developed the original version of this recipe for a 2008 issue of Cooking Light. It called for buttermilk instead of Greek yogurt and blueberries instead of mixed berries. I hope you like this higher protein version and try it at home. Oven temperatures can vary (especially if you haven’t calibrated the temp in a while), and if you don’t cook this cake long enough, the coffee cake can be soggy or undercooked around the berries. So be sure it’s golden around the edges and the middle is springy when cooked, and this will be a hit!
Let them eat cake for breakfast!
Greek yogurt coffee cake is perfect when served warm for dessert with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. Leftovers are great for breakfast the next day! Just slice and go. Or warm up your slice for 15-20 seconds in the microwave.
What does Greek yogurt do in baking?
Its creaminess helps keep baked goods moist. Its tart flavor adds a nice tanginess, similar to that of buttermilk or sour cream. The acidity of Greek yogurt helps activate baking soda, making the finished product fluffy and light.
Can you substitute sour cream for the Greek yogurt?
Yes, sour cream’s flavor and texture are similar to Greek yogurt. You can also use the same amount of buttermilk here.
Change up the fruit!
You can use one type of berry or try making this with quartered figs or ripe peach or nectarine slices.
Looking for more breakfast or brunch recipes?
- Blackberry Cornmeal Upside Down Cake
- Banana Snacking Cake
- Almond, Chia and Cherry Muffins
- Almond Blackberry Cake
- Crispy Protein Waffles
- Full Brunch Menu
Greek Yogurt and Berry Coffee Cake
Ingredients
- Cooking spray
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter at room temperature
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 1/2 cup applesauce
- 2 eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 1/4 cup plain Greek yogurt
- 2 cups fresh blueberries, blackberries, raspberries or a combination
- 1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon turbinado or raw sugar for sprinkling
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Coat an 8-inch square baking pan with cooking spray.
- In a medium bowl, add the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt; whisk well to combine. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, use a handheld mixer to beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Mix in applesauce. Add the eggs one at a time and beat to combine. Add the vanilla. Add the flour mixture and yogurt alternately to butter mixture and stir to combine. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed. And be sure not to overmix once the flour is added, stir just until it's combined.
- Lightly spoon half the batter into the baking pan. Spread half the berries over the batter, then spoon the remaining batter into the pan. Top with remaining berries. Sprinkle with the turbinado sugar. Bake for 50 to 60 minutes, until a cake tester inserted in the middle comes out clean. Serve warm or at room temperature.
- Store leftovers in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. They’re delicious slightly warmed in a microwave or toaster oven.
Notes
- To accurately measure flour, lightly spoon it into a dry measuring cup and level with the back of a knife. If you overpack flour, the finished outcome of your baked goods will be dry and dense. Instead of turbinado sugar, you can double the streusel topping from the Cranberry Streusel Muffins (page 202) and use it to top the coffee cake before baking.
- If you don’t have applesauce, you can increase the amount of butter by 1/2 cup (one stick) or substitute 1/2 cup avocado oil. Both of those options will obviously increase the fat content in the finished coffee cake, though!
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