Tender almond flour coffee cake with a sugar-free blueberry cheesecake filling. The perfect low carb keto brunch recipe!
If I told you this was a Father’s Day post, you might think I was extremely well organized and ahead of the game. I mean, a week and a half ahead, and Carolyn’s already posting Father’s Day ideas? That girl is on the ball! I wish I was as organized as Carolyn, she really leads the pack. I should probably shut up now and leave you with that as the lasting impression. But the truth is, I am not quite so ahead of the game as I’d like to pretend. The real reason that I am posting a Father’s Day recipe so early in advance is that I thought Father’s Day was this coming weekend, not the following one. Yup, there you have it. I was a teensy bit ahead on things and was quite proud of myself for being so. I’d typed up the recipe and was collecting other recipes as suggestions for a Father’s Day brunch. And then I stopped and wondered if I was right about the date. So I googled “Father’s Day 2012” and saw that I was off by a week. But I decided to go ahead with the post anyway, because I was that far in already.
Oh well. So much for looking like a well organized blogger.
Father’s Day really isn’t that big a deal in our house. Nor is Mother’s Day. We do usually have a nice brunch on these days and we try to make sure the person of honour is buffered from the majority of the childcare. There may be a small present or two. A few years ago, I went to town on Father’s Day and bought my husband a new Weber gas grill. But I have to confess, that had a bit of a selfish intent to it, as we love to grill out and had a small charcoal version that didn’t allow us to grill on a moment’s notice. That gas grill sees a lot of use.
But my husband just so happens to be a rockin’ good dad. He’s very involved without being TOO involved. He sets structure and boundaries, but knows when those can and should be bent. He’s loving without being smothering. And they all worship him. Which, as wonderful as it is to be worshipped, can also be incredibly exhausting. So I know I will be taking some time when Father’s Day comes (not this coming weekend, but the following one!) to make him a nice brunch and perhaps even pack him off for some alone time. I made this coffee cake a few weeks ago and he loved it, so I might just make that again. If you are looking for a truly delicious, low carb, gluten free coffee cake, this is your recipe.
Looking for other healthy blueberry recipes? Try these Wild Blueberry Cottage Cheese Pancakes from Oh Sweet Basil (gluten-free but not low carb). Or this delicious looking Swedish Blueberry Soup from Texanerin Baking. And this Healthy Lemon Blueberry Mousse from Country Cleaver could easily be made with your favourite low carb sweetener!
- 1 cup frozen blueberries
- 1/4 cup water
- 1/4 tsp xanthan gum
- 8 oz cream cheese
- 1 large egg
- 2 tbsp Swerve Sweetener or other granulated erythritol
- 1/8 tsp liquid stevia extract
- 2 cups almond flour
- 1/4 cup Swerve Sweetener or other granulated erythritol
- 1/4 cup vanilla whey protein powder
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp xanthan gum
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 6 oz greek yogurt
- 1/4 cup butter softened
- 3 large eggs
- 1/8 tsp liquid stevia extract
- 1/4 cup unsweetened almond milk
- In a small saucepan over medium heat, combine blueberries and water. Bring to a boil and then simmer 5 to 7 minutes. Remove from heat and sprinkle with xanthan gum, whisking vigorously to combine. Let cool.
- In a medium bowl, beat cream cheese until smooth. Beat in egg until well combined, then beat in Swerve and stevia.
- Preheat oven to 350F and grease a 9-inch springform pan.
-
In a medium bowl, whisk together almond flour, sweetener, vanilla protein powder, baking powder, xanthan gum, baking soda and salt.
- In a large bowl, beat yogurt and butter together until smooth. Add eggs one at a time, beating lightly after each addition, then beat in stevia extract.
- Beat in almond flour mixture in two additions, alternating with almond milk and scraping down beaters and sides of bowl as needed.
- Spread batter in well-greased 9-inch springform pan with removable bottom, pushing batter up sides of pan to create center well for filling. Sides should be about 1 inch wide.
- Spread cream cheese mixture evenly into center well, and then spread blueberry mixture over top of cream cheese.
- Bake in 350F oven 30 to 35 minutes, or until sides are set. Center will still jiggle somewhat.
- Let cool in pan. Run a sharp knife around cake in pan to loosen, and remove sides. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least one hour. Keep refrigerated.
Serves 10. Each serving has 6.61 g NET CARBS.
Food energy: 312kcal
Total fat: 25.28g
Calories from fat: 227
Cholesterol: 99mg
Carbohydrate: 9.39g
Total dietary fiber: 2.78g
Protein: 11.48g
USED TO MAKE THIS RECIPE:
Kate from Scratch says
Awesome! This is just the thing to recover from all the exhaustion of being worshipped. haha.. I love the photos! yum!
Sommer@ASpicyPerspective says
That looks heavenly! What a wonderful treat to wake up to!!
The Mom Chef ~ Taking on Magazines One Recipe at a Time says
It’s so much better to be a week early with Father’s Day than a week late! At least this gives us plenty of time to get our menu together. Except I’ll be out of town with Dudette. Hubby’s present will be our return in the evening (and a full week of peace and quiet while we’re gone). Does that count?
This does look fantastic, though. I love the cream cheese filling in the middle especially.
Karen LowCarbOneDay says
I’ve missed coffee cake! What a fabulous recipe!
Alison @ Ingredients, Inc. says
oh hello! This looks so good and gluten free!
RavieNomNoms says
Wow, this is amazing looking. I wouldn’t be able to resist this coffeecake if it were near me, thank goodness it isn’t! haha.
Kim Bee says
Lol Carolyn, I’ve done that myself on occasion. Once we showed up to a horse show early cuz we forgot about the time change too. Yup, gotta love busy ladies.
This looks really incredible. So rich and pretty. I am always so amazed by how you make these desserts low carb and gf. You are a rock star!
Stephanie @ Eat. Drink. Love. says
This coffeecake is perfection, Carolyn! Perfect for Father’s Day or any brunch!
laura west kong says
Looks delish! My father’s day recipe is ready to post, except for the photography.
Breezy says
Do you know of anything that could be subbed for the protein powder?
Carolyn says
Gluten-free baked goods need structure, and the protein powder helps give them that. YOu can skip it if you want, but your cake may not rise as much. Or if it’s simply the whey protein you don’t like, you could use another kind of protein powder like soy or hemp.
heather says
I substituted an equal amount Bob’s Red Mill all purpose gluten free flour for the protein powder. I know it increases the carb count but it rose beautifully.
Patty says
Could a person use unflavored whey protein powder? I don’t have any vanilla whey protein. Would anything else have to be added to it for the vanilla flavor?
Carolyn says
Sure, just add 1/2 tsp vanilla extract.
Peggy says
I always love hearing stories about great dads and moms! Your husband is quite lucky to be partaking in this coffeecake with you =)
Sandra says
I’ve never tried a gluten-free recipe before and this looks like a good one to start with. Love your pictures!
Meghan says
What a great brunch treat! Looks beautiful with all those blueberries!
Nami | Just One Cookbook says
Oh Carolyn, don’t feel bad. I did exactly same thing just yesterday (Googling Father’s Day 2012) because I really thought Father’s Day was this coming Sunday and I forgot about it. I’m glad it wasn’t so that I can still ship something via airmail… At least you made something already for Father’s Day treat (along with the brunch idea!) while I on the other hand have no plan! LOL. Beautiful blueberry cream cheese coffee cake! It look irresistible!
Angie@Angie's Recipes says
That’s my dream cheesecake with seasonal blueberries!
chris says
I used butter instead of the water in the blueberries and just a pinch of sweetener (unless the berries are fresh and sweet) – it is called blueberry caviar. Yumm! Thanks for the recipes.
Jeanette says
What a treat this would be for Father’s Day. You are way ahead of me planning Father’s Day! Thanks for including my recipes in your roundup – I’m going to take a look at all of these recipes and try to figure out what we’re going to do.
Russell at Chasing Delicious.com says
Ooh. This is my kind of cheesecake! Scrumptious!
Pam says
We have a plethora of fresh blueberries from our blueberry bushes, and this looks like a recipe to try! Do I need to make any adjustments for fresh blueberries? And, can a gum thickener (e.g., Thick ‘n Thin not starch, etc.) be used in place of the arrowroot? I’m pretty sure I can use that instead of xanthan gum in the cake batter ingredients, but I wasn’t sure if it would serve the same function as the arrowroot in the blueberry filling. Thanks for your wonderful blog and all your wonderful recipes!
Carolyn says
Fresh blueberries are going to be drier and release less liquid. Just be ready to add a bit of liquid if you think you need it. I’ve never used thick’n’thin but I am sure you can sub it. I don’t really know how it works…does it thicken just by being added or does it need heat like starch does?
Pam says
I wouldn’t have factored dryness in with fresh blueberries, so thank you for that advice! The ThickenThin not/Starch Thickener, which I mislabeled (manufacturer out of business) is a combination of gums including xanthan and supposedly works in hot or cold liquid. I still have some so I wondered if it would work as well as the arrowroot. I guess I’ll find out!
Pam says
Carolyn, I went ahead and used frozen blueberries. Just wanted to say that the ThickenThin not/Starch worked fine. Knowing how little it takes to thicken, I used 1/4 tsp and it thickened the juices nicely, with no added carbs. For some reason, my batter was too runny to make a well (perhaps it was the size of my eggs), so I just put the cream cheese mixture in the center and tried to spread out as much as possible, then added the blueberries on top of that. Both those layers fell, but the cake ended up baking fine and there was a nice layer of cream cheese through the middle of the cake, almost to the edge. It is delicious…thank you so much for the recipe and for sharing all that you do!
Krista says
This recipe was delicious! Thanks for sharing!
Allison says
I made this yesterday, and I had a problem with a weird taste to it. Realized it was stemming from some great value brand frozen blueberries. I had to scoop it all out of the center:( I ended up cooking some fresh blueberries and blackberries in the same manner, and putting them in where I took it out. It was perfect!! I recommend using the fresh fruit on that instead.
Vicki says
Sorry to say that this coffee cake looks so pretty but tastes very bland and boring. I followed the recipe exactly and it didn’t taste sweet, like cake should, at all. If I ever go to the trouble of making it again, which I doubt, I will use twice the sweetener.
Carolyn says
To each his own. This was a hit with my family but I guess we don’t like things very sweet anymore. Others have made it and loved it. Thanks for your feedback!
Bevbstylin says
Carolyn, could I sub in sour cream for the yogurt? thanks
Carolyn says
Sure, that would work just fine!
Melanie says
I really love this recipe and I keep coming back to it. I’ve used cranberries at times in place of blueberries (I’ve got bags of them in my freezer!) and those were fantastic too! Thank you so much Carolyn, for sharing so many incredible recipes!
Carolyn says
Cranberries are a great idea!
Jan Stamm says
I think this would be amazing using your new mincemeat or “spicy cranberry walnut” filling…I’m going to try it!
Carolyn says
Ooooh, great idea!
Kathy says
That’s it! I’m in…perfect topping for the coffee cake on Christmas morning. That “spicy cranberry walnut” filling is the quintessential Christmas flavour!
Rebecca says
Hi Carolyn, first time commenter, long time reader…I have tried a lot of your recipes for myself but this is one of the first I have made for my family and they (3 out of 4) really enjoyed it, including my diabetic husband and my picky picky toddler. I had no starch at all in the house, so I added a teeny bit of coconut flour (weird I know) to the blueberries but that was all I could think of to help thicken it. If anything I will double the cream cheese and blueberry mix and spread out the cake more with a different type of pan; maybe even figure out how to do it with coconut flour. I am a complete novice in the kitchen so I learn as I go…anyway thank you very much for all you do throughout the year and I hope you and your family has a lovely holiday!
Carolyn says
So glad that 3 out of 4 liked it! That’s a win in my house 🙂
Lisa says
This recipe is absolutely delicious!! I didn’t have blueberries so I used a combination of frozen raspberries and fresh strawberries!! The cake part is just perfect, I’m going to make that for shortcake or frost it!! It’s so easy too! I now have a “Carolyn” folder with all of your recipes! Thanks!!!
Carolyn says
Ohhh, I get a whole folder to myself? Love it! Thanks.
Lisa says
This is remarkably good. I made it the other day, and served it right next to a full sugar pie. The coffee cake went first. Kudos to you Carolyn.
Carolyn says
Thanks, Lisa, for all of your comments!
karen says
Can I sub xantham gum or glucomannan for the arrowroot?
Carolyn says
Probably, but I don’t think you need as much as I used arrowroot. About 1/2 tsp of xanthan would work and make sure you whisk it in VERY quickly or it will clump up.
Sarah B says
Thank you SO much for this amazing recipe, Carolyn! I’m repeatedly impressed with your recipes. I did this just as it’s written but used cornstarch instead of arrowroot as a thickener because that’s what I had. It turned out amazing – delicious with coffee! I just made another to share with my mom when she visits tomorrow. I appreciate all your hard work and for sharing your treasures!
Carolyn says
Thanks for the kind words, Sarah!
Jean says
Thanks. Love this coffee cake, especially the cake part. It is delicious. Have you done anything else using the cake recipe? Could you use it for chocolate cake?
Jean says
Thanks so much. I left off the blue berries and made my own cherry pie filling to serve on the side. I love this dough. I have made regular coffee cake and cupcakes with cinnamon covered chopped apple in it and plan to make pineappleside down cake. Thanks again
Lauree G says
I doubled this recipe & took one to work & the other to a pot luck. It got rave reviews. Thank you!! I can’t wait to try more of your recipes.
Carolyn says
That’s lovely to hear!
Janean says
I’m about to make this and I thought I had a springform pan but do not. 🙁 Do you think there’s any way I can use a Bundt pan and, perhaps, reverse the order of the layers? Thanks!
Carolyn says
As long as you grease things really well, you could make it in a regular cake pan and lift it out. Or make it in an 8×8 square pan and cut into squares before taking it out.
Janean Hartmann says
I made it with a Bundt pan (with a little more than 1/4 cup protein powder) and it turned out beautifully! It was difficult to make a well in the batter but I, sort of, pushed the cream cheese and blueberry layers into it. I turned it out on a cake plate after cooling and it held perfectly. Not to mention how absolutely DELICIOUS it was….
carrian cheney says
Is it just me or are blueberries just about the prettiest thing ever?
joanna schupp says
This turned out pretty good!! I probably should have taken it out at 30 minutes instead of 35 because the edges got golden and crispy. It was a nice change from my usual mug cakes.