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Raspberry Walnut Coffee Cake (vegan, gluten-free)

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Oh myyyy.

Raspberry Walnut Coffee Cake

This cake is bad news. Bad bad news.

Raspberry Walnut Coffee Cake (vegan, GF)

It’s not your average coffee cake. It doesn’t use flour. It has no gluten. It calls for very little oil and no butter. Also, no refined sugar. But strangely, it’s still like, really sugary.

Raspberry Walnut Coffee Cake

Basically, it’s pretty darn healthy which means you (if you’re like me) will find yourself racking your brain as to why, why you can’t just eat the entire pan. Healthy fats, fiber and protein in a sweet little dense, crunch-topped square of coffee cake.

Raspberry Walnut Coffee Cake

I don’t really have much to tell you about my life, because my life has been making this coffee cake twice in two days.

Raspberry Walnut Coffee Cake

(And eating it—I think I’m going to go (1) hide my scale and (2) delete all the posts I wrote about detox-ing. They just seem irrelevant right now.)

CAKE! It’s what’s for dinner. Magically, this cake neutralizes some types of bad breath.

Raspberry Walnut Coffee Cake

The first time I made this, I didn’t add any of the oats (listed optional below), and the cake was magically sugary and syrupy and dense. I wanted more lift, so I added instant oats the second time around and it came out a little springier, with a chewer bite, but not in a bad way. My roommate actually preferred it. Rolled oats would make this even chewier and heartier. I’m undecided. At the moment, I would add rolled oats in the topping, but not in the cake base. But ask me again in five minutes.

Raspberry Walnut Coffee Cake

Love and Lemons did this cake first, masterfully.

{Update!} A quote straight from the bf’s mouth: “At first I thought, ‘wow, she actually made a regular dessert!’ I didn’t know it was healthy until you told me it had walnuts in it. Also, I didn’t bring it into work because I wanted one more night to go to town on it *sheepish smile*”

Um, we are totally together for a reason. Make that ten million reasons.

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Raspberry Walnut Coffee Cake

This rich, dense coffee cake uses buttery ground walnuts in place of most of the fat and a swirled jam filling that adds sweetness without loads of refined sugar. Trust me, it still tastes totally decadent.
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 25 minutes
Total Time 1 hour
Servings 16 squares
Calories 130kcal

Ingredients

  • 1 ¼ cups almond milk*
  • ½ tablespoon flaxseed
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • ¼ cup maple syrup*
  • 1.5 tablespoons oil

  • 1 cup oat flour measured after grinding, about 1 1/3 cups rolled oats
  • 1 cup walnuts * ground into flour in a food processor
  • 1 tablespoon baking soda
  • 2 teaspoons cinnamon
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • ½ cup instant oats optional
  • ¼ to 1/3 cup raspberry jam for swirling

  • Crumble topping:
  • ¼ cup walnuts crushed
  • ¼ cup oat flour
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1.5 tablespoons turbinado sugar
  • ¼ cup rolled oats optional
  • 1 tablespoon oil

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 375 and grease an 8x8 pan.
  • Combine all wet ingredients—milk, flax, vanilla, syrup, oil. Let stand while grinding the oats and walnuts into flour. It’s okay if the walnuts are still a little chunky—texture is good. Whisk together with the baking soda, cinnamon, salt and additional oats, if using.
  • Pour half the batter into prepared pan. Using a spoon, dollop lines of jam across the batter as evenly (or not) as you can. Swirl into swirly patterns. Pour the rest of the batter on top.
  • Mix up the crumble topping: add the walnuts to a bag and smash with something heavy (I used my measuring cup) until broken down into pea-sized crumbs. Toss with the oat flour, cinnamon, sugar and rolled oats if using. Stir in the tablespoon of oil until the everything starts to come together--mixture should be crumbly. Sprinkle the topping evenly across the top of the batter and bake for 25 minutes, or until browned on top and it springs back slightly when touched. Let it cool before you eat it, you heathen!

Notes

*You could use any milk, liquid sweetener and nut in place of the almond milk, maple syrup and walnuts, respectively.
Use gluten-free oats if you are strictly GF.
I used instant oats in the cake because they melted nearly imperceptibly into the batter, but you could use rolled oats if you don’t mind the oats loud and proud in your coffee cake.
I wouldn’t recommend subbing for the turbinado sugar as it gives the topping a fantastic crunch.
The jam tends to sink to the bottom of the cake after the first day, so it's best the day it's made. It will last, covered and refrigerated, for a few days.

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    • erika

      Hi Frankie! This is not supposed to be a coffee-flavored cake–rather, a cake that you can eat alongside coffee. Hope that helps clear up your confusion 🙂

      Reply

  2. Yii-Huei

    Yum! I’m loving all of your new healthy recipes, I for one definitely need to get back on the healthy track. I am an avid baker, but I tend to go crazy once I bake a batch of brownies 😛 Hope I can go on a successful detox like you.

    Reply

    • erika

      Aww thanks so much 🙂 I feel you on going crazy on the brownies–I have to avoid them, otherwise it’s just trouble! I do think the detox was really helpful in breaking a pattern in my sugar consumption, but, you know, not for everyone. Totally up to you! 🙂

      Reply

  3. Lianna

    hahaha okay you are actually hilarious. this cake does look dangerously good, although if its healthy it’s not dangerous right?! totally acceptable to have cake for dinner, and breakfast and lunch too, especially when it sounds as good as this!

    Reply

    • erika

      Why thank you Lilly Sue! I happen to think you’re quite lovely as well 🙂 You know, I am also a fan of the rolled oat texture generally, but it was just a little too much chew for me in this. You’ll have to make it and let me know if you like it with the oats!

      Reply

  5. Kym

    GASP! I have all these ingredients at home except for flaxseed and raspberry. Do you think it’ll taste ok without the flaxseed???

    Reply

    • erika

      Ha yay that is exciting! I think so. The flax is mainly in there to act as an egg replacer and binder, but its such a small amount that I THINK you could go without it. The texture might be a little different. (if you have chia seeds, those are an easy 1:1 substitute).

      If you end up skipping the jam, I might add a little more liquid sweetener or some kind of fruit because the jam really adds a nice sweetness! Let me know how it goes if you end up making it!

      Reply

  7. Nancy @ gottagetbaked

    Erika, you’re amazing. I can’t believe how you can make these delicious desserts healthy! I need to take a page from your book and try decreasing my butter and sugar intake but I can’t! I’m hooked! I’m a butter/sugar junkie! although I doubt I would miss that stuff in this cake – it seriously looks phenomenal. And I love that you and Erik’s minds work the same way when it comes to food.

    Reply

    • erika

      Aww thanks Nancy 🙂 And nothing wrong with being a butter/sugar junkie once in awhile…I’m addicted to reading about your fancydelicious treats. Your blog is one of the best places I get my virtual sugar fix!

      Reply

  8. Katie @ Oh Shine On

    I’m so excited to make this. Like… Serious excitement over here. I have a bunch of blackberries in the fridge, but will have to find another nut (cashews, perhaps?) to replace the walnuts because I’m allergic!

    Reply

  12. Leah

    OMG, this sounds AMAZING. You’ve totally convinced me that I need to make this ASAP. I can visualize and taste how decadent the walnuts are in this. Consider it pinned. 😉 Do you think I could sub almond flour for the oat flour?

    Reply

      • erika

        Lol right?? He is a nut 🙂 I love him for eating all the weird things I make him. Anyway, YAY! And you have me befuddled on the almond flour swap question. I’ve never made anything with ONLY nut flours…I’m going to guess that it would be really dense (physically and calorically) and flat? So you’d probably get the best results maybe using coconut flour instead (although I’ve never used that either, only guessing.) If the problem is that you don’t want to buy oat flour and you don’t have a food processor, you could maybe try subbing whole oats instead (instant is probably best because they’re smaller, but you could try rolled!)

    • erika

      Ha, you know, it wasn’t so long ago that I also hated oatmeal! I have no idea what changed. For you, is it the texture? Or do you like other porridge-y things? In any case, yes–perfect excuse for oats! 🙂

      Reply

      • Natasha @ The Cake Merchant

        I think it’s the mushy texture, although sometimes I can get myself to eat it if I load it up with cocoa powder, peanut butter, and chocolate chips. But I guess that defeats the purpose, doesn’t it? 🙂

  15. Alex @ Brain, Body, Because

    OH MY GOD, this is insane. I’m sitting in my office, I saw this cake and, I swear to god, my first thought was to go tell my boss that I’m sick so I can go home and make it. This looks soooo amazing! Pinned for this weekend, ie, immediately after work.

    Reply

  16. Jade

    This looks amazing!!

    And I love that your BF and you share the same passion for food! Doesn’t it make life waaaay more fun?

    Reply

    • erika

      Thanks Jade! Haha omg it does, but it also makes life so much more fat! (life = me) Last night, we polished off the rest of a gallon of ice cream together. I am scared to even think about how much was left in the gallon. We are literally ice cream monsters together, it’s bad. But we buy this type called dessert trio (has chocolate-covered cake chunks, bits of pecan brownie and cookie dough in it, insane) that is perfect for us because I like all the chunks and he likes the vanilla ice cream bits. Ugh. We just need to stop buying it, but he insists! Does your boyfriend love food/cooking?

      Reply

  17. IRENAsdots

    That recipe looks simple enoug althoug has many ingredients, like that! It is on my ‘plan to prepare’ list allready! Plus your photos are getting breathtaking!

    Reply

    • erika

      Aww thank you so much! That is quite the compliment, coming from such an accomplished photographer 🙂 Let me know how it goes if you try it!

      Reply

  20. Eva Kelemen

    OMG this recipe looks amazing! I love that you made it healthy. I really love the combination of flavors. It actually reminds me of a childhood treat my wonderful grandma used to make. When I crave dessert I will have to make this. I would NOT be able to resist polishing it off though lol

    Reply

    • erika

      Thanks Eva! That’s cool that it reminds you of a treat your grandma used to make! I can’t say I’ve ever made anything either of my grandmas made. Was it also a coffeecake?

      Reply

  22. Brandi

    Looks so delicious Erika and I love every single ingredient as far as they are all quality healthy ingredients! Beautifully done!! Would you believe I don’t like walnuts?? I know..I’m a weirdo….I’m sure any nut could be subbed though, like hazelnuts would be awesome I bet! I love baking with oats and oat flour too…love!

    Reply

    • erika

      Ooh yay! If I get the seal of approval from Brandi, that’s all I need 🙂 But seriously, coming from the queen of UBER healthy eating, that means a lot! I do wonder if there’s a way to cut out the oil…the base is seriously so moist, I wonder if it REALLY needs it? Anyway yes, the original version was made with almond flour so I’m sure hazelnuts would be fantastic!

      Reply

      • Brandi

        You’re so sweet! Yes, I absolutely approve, lol! I want to make this. I would think you can totally omit the oil. Since this isn’t a fluffy type of cake, the oil isn’t real necessary…I would simply (if it were me) sub in almond butter or pecan butter or maybe even molasses instead of the oil. I wouldn’t do applesauce though, or it woud make it even wetter and more dense….uness you don’t mind that. 🙂 All three of those will give incredible moisture, just like oil. I made gluten free brownies this past week (still need to post) and they have no oil, but are incredibly moist and dense. 🙂

      • erika

        Mmm yum that sounds amazing to sub in almond butter!! As for pecan butter, as soon as I get my hands on some of that, I am making your chocolate chip cookies! Can’t wait for your brownies 🙂 And thanks for the lovely compliment! I meant to tell you awhile back–I love your new(ish) photo too! Stunning!