Moist cinnamon apple coffee cake drizzled with homemade low carb caramel sauce. Everything you love about fall in one recipe!
Okay, so today is supposed to be a Makeover Monday post but already I am getting off track and straying from the schedule. And here we are, only the second week in! Welcome to the world of Carolyn, disorganized blogger and hater of all things routine. That girl, she can’t stick to a schedule if her life depended on it! Although, truth be told, this one is due to circumstances beyond my control. I have a great makeover recipe for you, but because it is part of larger campaign, it’s being pushed to tomorrow or Wednesday. And so, Makeover Monday becomes Makeover Tuesday or Wednesday. Doesn’t quite have the same ring to it, does it?
However, to appease you, I offer up this delectable low carb Caramel Apple Coffee Cake. Apple season is in full swing here in New England, and apple-picking is one of my favourite things about fall. I have always loved apples and back in the day when I had a fully working pancreas, I ate at least one a day. Apples are surprisingly high carb, so I now limit myself to half an apple here aor there. Or I eat one before I go for a run or work out, since I will burn the sugars up quickly anyway. But they still rank among my favourite fruits and there are usually plenty of apples in our fruit drawer. They’re infinitely portable and great for kids’ lunches, since they won’t smoosh like softer fruit.
Even if I couldn’t eat apples at all, I’d probably still go apple-picking every fall. It’s a tradition in these parts and it was when I was growing up in Toronto too. Getting out of the city and into the apple orchards on a warm, sunny fall day makes the world seem like a friendlier place. And those sun-warmed apples picked right off the tree…truth be told, I’d run a whole marathon, just to be able to eat one. That crisp flesh, crunching under your teeth, releasing the tangy juice and sweetness onto your tongue. Yep, that’s worth some serious mileage in my books!
This recipe idea has been floating around in my brain ever since the kids went back to school, and I could hardly wait until we went apple-picking to make it. I knew I’d have to go light on the actual apple in the cake, to keep the carb count down. But I helped the flavour along a bit with some apple flavouring in the cake batter. Then I swirled in some homemade low carb caramel sauce into the batter, and sprinkled the top with a cinnamon crumb mixture halfway through baking. And then a drizzle of some more low carb caramel sauce to finish it off.
Now that’s what I love about fall!
Keto Caramel Apple Coffee Cake
Ingredients
Cinnamon Crumb:
- ¼ cup almond flour
- 1 tablespoon Swerve Sweetener
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 tablespoon butter
Cake:
- 3 cups almond flour
- 6 tablespoon unflavored whey protein powder
- 2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup butter softened
- ½ cup Swerve Sweetener
- 3 large eggs
- ½ teaspoon apple flavoring
- ¼ teaspoon stevia extract
- ⅔ cup almond milk
- 1 medium apple peeled and cored, chopped fine
- 1 recipe Sugar-Free Caramel Sauce
Instructions
Cinnamon Crumb
- Whisk together almond flour, Swerve and cinnamon. Cut in butter and use your fingers to rub together until small crumbs form. Set aside.
Cake
- Preheat oven to 325F and grease a 9-inch springform pan.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together almond flour, whey protein, baking powder, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt.
- In a large bowl, beat butter with Swerve until smooth. Beat in eggs, apple flavoring and stevia extract.
- Beat in almond flour mixture in two additions, alternating with almond milk. Stir in chopped apples.
- Spread batter in prepared pan. Drizzle half of the caramel sauce over top and swirl into the batter with a knife.
- Bake 25 minutes, then remove from oven and sprinkle with cinnamon crumb mixture. Bake another 25 minutes, or until golden brown and center is set (if your cake is browning too quickly, cover with foil for the last 15 minutes of baking).
- Remove from oven and let cool. Then run a sharp knife around the inside of the pan to loosen sides. Remove sides and drizzle with remaining caramel sauce.
Shaina says
That is one gorgeous coffee cake.
chanin says
Maybe you answered this and I missed it. Can you just use swerve in the caramel sauce? I don’t have xylitol? This looks delicious!
Carolyn says
You can, but just be aware that it will harden a lot as it cools. It’s just a thing with erythritol, it won’t stay in solution.
Moe says
My daughter was in from college this weekend and I made this as a treat – she deemed the caramel sauce “better than caramel!” It was a big hit, just as your recipes I have tried are. Thanks! You inspire me to keep on baking AND keep my carb count down.
Elaine says
I made this over the weekend and it is absolutely amazing! I first thot one apple would not be enough but it was. Since my hubby is diabetic he didn’t need more than that. What a blessing you are. I had given up cooking fun stuff but not anymore. Thank you so much. Mine even looked just like your picture!
Carolyn says
Wonderful, Elaine, so glad to hear it.
Melanie says
Well Carolyn, I think you outdid yourself with this one. I made it for a fall themed baby shower I was hosting and it was incredible! This is going to be a staple for holiday breakfasts at our house. Thank you so much for yet another wonderful recipe!
Carolyn says
So glad to hear it!
caree says
As far as the sweeteners, I just have Splenda and Truvia at home, and I’m not sure if I could find the other ones you have listed without having to order online- I want to make this recipe this weekend; I’m impatient! I know you don’t use Splenda, but do you think I could use what I have? Why the use of 3 different sweeteners anyway? Thanks!
Carolyn says
Truvia is erythritol so you could try to caramelize that, but it will end up hardening once on the cake. It won’t be bad, though, just not a liquidy glaze. Every sweetener has its advantages and disadvantages and I think they work best in combination.
Dina says
I have to try this. I love that you used almond flour. it looks so good.
Chung-Ah | Damn Delicious says
The caramel sauce dripping down the sides definitely makes up for it! 🙂
Kate@Diethood says
That is one beautiful cake!! I looooove the cinnamon crumb!
I’m just as bad… can’t stick to a schedule for the life of me.
Mary Kate says
Great looking recipe! 🙂 I tried to make a caramel sauce today and I was heating splenda over medium heat and suddenly my pot broke from underneath (it split open) and I heard a pop noise. Some sort of reaction to the splenda being heated I guess. This caramel sauce looks good though! Can you think of why this happened? I don’t know much about working with these types of sweeteners in baking!
Robin Morelock says
I’ve recently seen a product from Honeyville called Hi maize resistant starch. Have you had any experience with this product?
Carolyn says
I’ve heard of it but I haven’t ever tried it myself.
Carolyn says
I have no idea, I don’t use Splenda at all. Erythritol is not an artificial sweetener so it works very differently from Splenda.
Buttoni says
My this looks scrumptious, Carolyn. I’ll have to try it when I’m on sweets again. Just lovely, and apple cake is my fav cake after Black Forest.
Pamela says
This cake has definitely put me and my tastebuds in the mood for all things fall even though the weather is quite cooperating yet! This looks scrumptious; especially that lovely molten caramel. I was wondering whether you thought chayote might work in place of or combined with the apples to lower the carb count even further? I’ve made a chayote “apple” crisp before that tasted like the real thing (it’s a sponge to soak up the spices & flavoring) but I don’t know how it would work in a cake. At any rate, I’m definitely making this. Thanks!
Carolyn says
Feel free to use chayote, but honestly, the carb count on this cake is so low, I don’t know that it would help that much!
jillian says
this sounds awesome…i like the almond flour but must use coconut sweeteners….so here is the question..since i am ok with some carbs from fruit would it change the cake to add a bit more apples? thanks
Carolyn says
The apples do make it moister so be careful not to add too much. Almond flour is moist enough as it is, I don’t want you to end up with a soggy cake!
Shyla says
I’m wondering what kind of stevia you used. I have the old formula nunaturals which is very concentrated. I usually have to use much less than the recipe calls for if the original recipe used the kind that has filler.
Carolyn says
This time, I think I was using SweetLeaf. I just ordered some NuNaturals through amazon!
nichole says
I am allergic to dairy products, and I am wondering about a sub for the whey protein. Can I sub coconut flour? It is hard to get powdered egg whites here.
Carolyn says
Coconut flour won’t help you, because it contains no protein (the protein helps things rise properly). How about this? Add another 1/4 cup of almond flour and one extra egg. The consistency will be a bit different but it should still be good.
Robin Morelock says
Nichole, I order powdered egg whites from honeyvillegrain.com . They also have fantastic almond flour at a good price.
Vicki Bensinger says
Your Caramel Apple cake is beautiful. That bit of caramel dripping off the cake had me drooling. Great recipe – SAVED!
Carolyn says
Thank you!
Roni says
Looks wonderful! There are only two of us, so it looks like I’ll be making muffins c this recipe. Wonder if the Carmel sauce would freeze in ice cube trays so I could use when I thaw out a couple of frozen muffins for us? Also, I would like to thank you for setting up your recipe print page to be able to print two sides; this certainly helps to save paper!
Carolyn says
The caramel sauce will harden a lot in the freezer but it’s worth a try!
Sandra says
Thank you for telling us all about your being a diabetic. My son 29, was diagonosed a year ago (type 1). He is struggling with his diet and I am concerned for him. He is not a big sweet eater but loves pasta, bread, and crackers. I love getting your recipes via email. Thank you again for the yummy and eye appealing photos.
Carolyn says
I understand for your son, it’s a tough diagnosis and can really through you. And in his case, with Type 1, it’s so imperative to figure out the food and insulin levels.
Sommer @ ASpicyPerspective says
Gorgeous cake, Carolyn! Love that it’s on the lighter side! 🙂
Deborah says
This looks divine. Is there any way I can make the caramel sauce dairy free? I can use palm shortening in place of butter, but I don’t know what I could use instead of the whipping cream… do you think coconut cream would work, in terms of consistency and flavour? Thanks!
Carolyn says
I think it’s worth a try with coconut milk!
Deborah says
then maybe i will! 🙂 i’ll let you know how it turns out when i make it…