This tender keto coffee cake has all the amazing flavor of a gooey home-baked cinnamon roll, but with far less effort. Grab a fork and dive in!
Sometimes I take a bite of one of my own creations and I think to myself “I am really good at this!”. That isn’t quite as self-aggrandizing as it may seem, since it genuinely takes me by surprise.
And this Keto Cinnamon Roll Coffee Cake is a prime example. I created it many years ago and I remember that exact reaction. It is the perfect combination of tender keto coffee cake and sweet keto cinnamon rolls.
And it’s a recipe I return to again and again. It meet with approval from everyone I serve it to!
You will love this easy cake recipe
Who doesn’t love an ooey gooey cinnamon roll? But the conventional kind are insanely carb-heavy. And the homemade keto variety, which is usually made with mozzarella dough, take quite a bit of effort to make.
This Keto Cinnamon Roll Coffee Cake offers those same wonderful flavors in an easy-to-make package. Simply prepare the almond flour cake batter, and layer it with a cinnamon “sugar” filling.
Bake to golden brown perfection, brush it with melted butter, and sprinkle with a little more cinnamon “sugar”. Then drizzle on a little cream cheese icing and you are transported to sweet cinnamon roll heaven.
I really did bite into this keto cake recipe and think “yeah, I am really good at this!”. Call it egotistical if you will. I just call it delicious.
Reader Reviews
“Hands down this is best coffee cake recipe ever! It even tops my favorite recipe from my pre keto days! I used a glass pan so I had to bake a bit longer, but turned out fine. And I added chopped walnuts to filling and topping, fantastic! Definite 5 star rating!” — Jes
“This is a Winner! Thank you Carolyn for such great recipes! You are my “go to” site (and I also have one of your cookbooks) for delicious Keto! I made the salmon and vegetables for dinner tonight!! Cinnamon Roll coffee cake for breakfast tomorrow.” — Janet
“Made this one today… holy cow it’s moist. Melts in your mouth! No chewing required lol Ended up taking some to neighbors and will be taking some to a girlfriend in the morning wrapped up with your dessert cookbook. Now I have none left. Guess we’re making another tomorrow!” — Elizabeth
Ingredient Notes
- Almond flour: As with any almond flour recipe, the finer your flour, the better the consistency of the cake. I always have good results with Bob’s Red Mill.
- Sweetener: I recommend using an erythritol based sweetener for the cake, as allulose can cause it to darken very quickly. But you have options for the filling and frosting!
- Cinnamon: Do yourself a solid and use a good ground cinnamon. If your’s isn’t fresh, consider adding a little more to punch up the flavor.
- Protein powder: Using unflavored protein powder helps the cake rise better and have a fluffy consistency. You can also use egg white protein powder.
- Almond milk: I use a little almond milk to thin out the muffin batter but you can also use water.
- Cream cheese: A little cream cheese drizzle makes this all the more cinnamon roll-esque. Let it soften first for smoother mixing.
- Heavy whipping cream: A little cream is used for the cream cheese icing.
- Kitchen staples: Eggs, butter, vanilla extract, baking powder and salt.
Step by step directions
1. Prepare the filling: In a small bowl combine the sweetener and cinnamon and mix well. Set aside.
2. Prepare the cake batter: Whisk together the almond flour, sweetener, protein powder, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl. Stir in the eggs, melted butter and vanilla extract. Add the almond milk and continue to stir until well combined.
3. Assemble the cake: Spread half of the batter a greased 9×9 inch baking pan, then sprinkle with about two thirds of the cinnamon filling mixture. Spread the remaining batter over top and smooth with a knife or an offset spatula.
4. Bake the cake: Bake at 325ºF for 25 to 30 minutes, or until top is golden brown the top is just firm to the touch.
5. Add the topping: Brush the cake with melted butter and sprinkle with remaining cinnamon filling mixture. Let cool in pan.
6. Drizzle with frosting: In a small bowl, beat the cream cheese until smooth. Add the powdered sweetener, cream, and vanilla extract and beat until well combined. Pipe or drizzle over cooled cake.
Tips for Success
I use a metal pan for my coffee cake recipe. You can use glass or ceramic pans, but they don’t conduct heat efficiently the way metal does. But once they heat up, they hold onto the heat so you risk burning the edges while the center isn’t cooked.
If you are NOT using a metal pan, you will need to lower the oven temperature by about 25 to 50 degrees, and bake 15 to 30 minutes longer. That way, the edges don’t get browned before the center is cooked.
Yes, the protein powder is important to this recipe. Gluten is a protein and in its absence, another dry protein powder helps the cake rise properly. That’s why my cakes are light and fluffy compared to may keto cake recipes. You can sub egg white protein powder if you prefer.
Frequently Asked Questions
Many readers outside of North America question why “coffee cake” don’t actually contain coffee. It’s easy to understand the confusion. American-style coffee cake is so named because it’s meant to be served with coffee. It’s often consumed at breakfast or brunch, or sometimes as part of a coffee break in the afternoon.
Because this coffee cake has a cream cheese frosting, leftovers should be covered and refrigerated. It will last like this for up to a week.
This keto cinnamon roll coffee cake recipe has 5.4g of carbs and 2.4g of fiber per serving. That comes to 3.0g net carbs per slice.
More delicious keto coffee cake recipes!
Keto Cinnamon Roll Coffee Cake
Ingredients
Cinnamon Filling:
- 3 tbsp (21.3 g) granulated sweetener, (erythritol or allulose)
- 2 tsp ground cinnamon
Cake:
- 3 cups (336 g) almond flour
- 1/2 cup (100 g) erythritol sweetener
- 1/4 cup (27 g) unflavoured whey protein powder
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 3 large eggs
- 1/2 cup (113.5 g) butter, melted
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup (118.29 ml) almond milk or water
- 1 tbsp melted butter
Cream Cheese Frosting:
- 1 1/2 ounces (44.13 g) cream cheese, softened
- 2 tbsp powdered sweetener, (erythritol or allulose)
- 1 tbsp heavy whipping cream
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
Instructions
Cake
- Combine the Swerve and cinnamon in a small bowl and mix well. Set aside.
- Preheat oven to 325ºF and grease an 9×9 inch baking pan.
- Whisk together the almond flour, sweetener, protein powder, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl. Stir in the eggs, melted butter and vanilla extract. Add the almond milk and continue to stir until well combined.
- Spread half of the batter in the prepared pan, then sprinkle with about two thirds of the cinnamon filling mixture. Spread the remaining batter over top and smooth with a knife or an offset spatula.
- Bake 25 to 30 minutes, or until the top is golden brown and just firm to the touch. Remove from the oven.
- Brush with the melted butter and sprinkle with the remaining cinnamon filling mixture. Let cool completely in the pan.
Frosting
- In a small bowl, beat the cream cheese until smooth. Add the powdered sweetener, cream, and vanilla extract and beat until well combined.
- Pipe or drizzle over cooled cake.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional Disclaimer
Please note that I am not a medical or nutritional professional. I am simply recounting and sharing my own experiences on this blog. Nothing I express here should be taken as medical advice and you should consult with your doctor before starting any diet or exercise program. I provide nutritional information for my recipes simply as a courtesy to my readers. It is calculated using MacGourmet software and I remove erythritol from the final carb count and net carb count, as it does not affect my own blood glucose levels. I do my best to be as accurate as possible but you should independently calculate nutritional information on your own before relying on them. I expressly disclaim any and all liability of any kind with respect to any act or omission wholly or in part in reliance on anything contained in this website.
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Question: I don’t use/keep Almond milk and I think water might not be viscous enough, so I’m wondering if I can use some heavy cream watered down a bit? Thanks!
my son is a chef and the first recipe he worked on perfecting was cinnamon scrolls. he would make them once a week and the whole family would eat them gooey with icing and still warm.
I am now an empty nester and I crave his cinnamon scrolls! I buy them in the country town I live near and they are always disappointing.
I am new to keto and baking with Almond flour.
it’s expensive and there is just me to cater for, so I halved the recipe.
I have just eaten this fresh out the oven. oh my goodness gracious it is as good as my son’s.
I could go back for seconds even thirds but I am thrilled that I never need to buy subpar cinnamon scrolls again.
I can make this for him and his girlfriend when they visit and blow him away.
Thankyou
So glad you like it!
Can I use vanilla whey protein powder?
Also can I use Swerve granular for the sweetener for the cake?
Thank you.
Yes, vanilla protein powder works (leave out any additional vanilla). The Swerve does contain some allulose now, so keep your eye on it so it doesn’t over-brown.
Oh my! This was absolutely amazing! My whole family loved it. I can’t wait to try more of your recipes. 🙂
I hate the cooling effect of erythritol. Can allulose or another sweetener be used in the cake part?
It will likely over-brown but you are welcome to try.
Very tender, nice cinnamon flavor.
Nice cake like consistency. I used the egg white protein and water.
Your recipes are how I maintain my 156 lb weight loss! Thanks 😊
Made this for Christmas Morning Breakfast (early for those who have to wait for everyone else to get up to open presents!!) My family LOVED it and said they wanted it every Sunday. No one even noticed it was Keto! Will use this recipe often.
I am so glad!
This looks great! I am going to make this tomorrow and have every expectation that it, as all of your recipes I have tried, will be fantastic! I typically cut down on the sweetener in all recipes, as we’ve been keto for nearly 5 years and have become accustomed to less sweet things. Your comment about bragging about your talents reminded me of my mother; she was a superb cook and baker, and enjoyed her creations as much as we all did. Sometimes she would say with a laugh, “This is really good…if I do say so myself…”.
Can chia seed with a little water to make it “gluteus” be used?
I honestly can’t say.
Which protein powder is recommended when one in intolerant to dairy?
Egg white protein
Yummy! I love your recipes. They never disappoint!
Thanks for explaining about glass vs metal pans. I wish I had read the comments before because I also baked it in a glass pan and found it under-baked at 35 minutes. It turned out great after some extra baking time. I made it to take to the office to celebrate National Coffee Cake Day. It was a hit with everyone.
Protein powder, what brand do you get? I’ve always been leary , because it usually contains ingredients I have intolerance to. I have intolerance to corn and wheat.
This has no weird ingredients. https://amzn.to/3R0Pkk8
Just got home from Italy and France and was missing all the tasty pastries and breads you could have with your latte in the morning so decided to search for a coffee cake recipe and was pleased to have found one where I had all the ingredients. (Except almond milk – I used the A2 milk I had on hand.)
Although I missed the step that said to reserve some of the cinnamon and sugar for after it cooked (I thought it looked like a bit much on the top 🤦🏻♀️) it still came out absolutely perfect!!
I did use a glass 8×8 and I ended up baking for 23 minutes, but should have take. It out at about 20 since the edges dried out a little.
Cannot wait to make it again and this time the right way!
So glad you liked it!
This is seriously delicious! I can’t wait to make it again.
Hi 👋
What is Erithritol and where can I find it?
I live in Ireland, I am new to Keto .
Thank you for all your wonderful work!
❤️
I don’t know what brands they sell in Ireland but erythritol is the main component of many sweeteners. It’s a sugar alcohol (not really the same thing as alcohol). Technically it has carbs but it doesn’t impact blood sugar at all. Go to your local stores and check out their sweeteners (read the labels). Look for ones that are erythritol plus stevia or erythritol plus monk fruit.