This keto walnut coffee cake is a bakery style cake with a walnut cinnamon swirl and crunchy topping. An amazing low carb, sugar free brunch treat!
In case I haven’t made it abundantly clear yet, I love coffee cake. I have so many delicious keto coffee cake recipes and I am now adding another. And I can assure you that I won’t stop here.
The enduring charm of coffee cake is that it’s meant to be served with coffee. Which, by extension, means you can eat it for breakfast. And I like cake for breakfast.
You can also eat it with your afternoon coffee as a little snack. Or you can serve it with your after-dinner coffee as dessert. A versatile sweet treat indeed!
And this bakery-style keto walnut coffee cake plays all of these roles remarkably well. It’s delicious and tender, and not overly sweet.
Walnut Coffee Cake Inspiration
Inspiration for a recipe can come from a variety of sources. I am always open to it, always receptive, and I find I have more ideas for keto recipes than I could possibly make in a life time.
The inspiration for this cake comes from my husband’s aunt, who regularly sends us food as gifts. She’s generous beyond compare, but sadly, they are often things I can’t eat, such as the huge and gorgeous coffee cake she sent last Christmas.
My husband was loath to part with the cake, so he doled it out to himself and the kids, a little at a time. The kids adored the crunchy cinnamon walnut topping and my son asked if I thought I could make something similar with keto ingredients.
Challenge accepted!
Bakery-style keto coffee cake
This is a large and impressive looking cake that serves a lot of people. It has a tender crumb and a rich swirl of walnuts and cinnamon. It’s meant to mimic the coffee cake you might find in a bakery, the sort that you would bring into the office to share at a meeting.
Of course, many of us are working virtually these days, so you may be wondering what to do with it all. The good news is that it freezes really well, so you can divvy it up, wrap it tightly, and sock it away.
To make it more like an actual bakery cake, I used a tube pan. It’s the same kind of pan I used for my Keto Angel Food Cake, a tall circular pan with a center tube.
However, this walnut coffee cake is not dependent on the pan shape. You could also use a bundt pan, a springform pan, or even a 9×13 rectangular pan. The pan shape will change how long the cake takes too bake.
How to make keto cinnamon walnut coffee cake
- Grease the pan well and line the bottom with parchment paper (see recipe notes).
- Make the cinnamon walnut swirl by combining the walnuts, brown sugar substitute, and the cinnamon. Break up the clumps in the brown sugar substitute as much as possible.
- Whisk together all the dry ingredients first, before creaming the butter, sweetener, and eggs.
- The protein powder is an important component here, as it replaces gluten and gives the cake it’s lighter, fluffier consistency. The best substitute is egg white protein. If you must skip it, please know that your cake may not rise as well.
- Spread half the batter in the pan, then sprinkle with half of the cinnamon walnut mixture. Spread the remaining batter in the pan and then top with the remaining walnut mixture.
- The cinnamon walnuts will create a delightfully crunchy topping as they bake!
How to serve and store Keto Walnut Coffee Cake
As I mentioned before, this keto coffee cake is great as breakfast or brunch, but it’s also lovely as dessert. For dessert, try warming it up a touch and serving with keto ice cream or lightly sweetened whipped cream.
It’s large and makes 20 servings, so it’s great for parties and get togethers. But it also freezes really well. If it’s just you and yours, portion it up after it’s cool and wrap it up tightly for the freezer.
It will be good for several months, as long as it’s tightly wrapped to keep out the freezer burn.
More delicious keto walnut recipes
- Keto Chocolate Walnut Torte
- Keto Maple Walnut Biscotti
- Keto Maple Walnut Ice Cream
- Keto Walnut Bread
- Keto Cinnamon Walnut Muffins
- Keto Maple Walnut Blondies
Keto Walnut Coffee Cake
Ingredients
- ¾ cup chopped walnuts
- ⅓ cup Swerve Brown
- 1 tablespoon cinnamon
- 2 ¾ cup almond flour
- 6 tablespoon coconut flour
- 6 tablespoon whey protein powder (or egg white protein powder)
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¾ cup butter softened
- ¾ cup Swerve Sweetener
- 6 large eggs room temperature
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- ¾ to 1 cup water
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350F and grease a 9-inch tube pan (aka angel food cake pan) well. Line the bottom with parchment (see recipe notes).
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the walnuts, Swerve Brown, and cinnamon. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the almond flour, coconut flour, protein powder, baking powder, and salt.
- In a large bowl, beat the butter with the Swerve until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Beat in the eggs one at a time, then beat in the vanilla extract, scraping down the beaters and the sides of the bowl as needed.
- Add the flour mixture and beat until well combined. Then beat in ¾ cup of the water. If the batter is quite thick, add additional water as necessary. The batter should scoopable and spreadable but not quite pourable.
- Spread about half the batter in the prepared pan, and then sprinkle with half of the walnut mixture. Spread the remaining batter in the pan and sprinkle with the remaining walnut mixutre.
- Bake 45 to 55 minutes, until golden brown and just firm to the touch. A tester inserted in the center should come out clean.
- Remove and let cool in the pan, then run a sharp knife just around the edges to loosen and transfer to a plate.
Myriam says
Oh my! Every time I try one of your recipes for the first time, I think it can’t get any better than this. And then I try another one, and it’s even better than the last! This cake? Amazing. I already know I will have to keep the freezer stocked with one of these at all times. Thank you so much for making our family’s keto life so enjoyable – and absolutely delicious!
Carolyn says
Thanks so much!
Vicki says
I have Isopure protein powder can I use this for the whey powder?
Carolyn says
Yep, should be fine.
Julie D says
I started doing a low carb diet. I am a dessert person so, it was hard giving up desserts. I came upon your site on Facebook and joined it and started saving recipes I would like to try. I am an avid baker of “regular” cakes and desserts. I truly wasn’t expecting much from a recipe that used no wheat flour and no sugar, but yet looked like the cake in your picture. Boy was I surprised! I also got the idea to use Swerve from your page. Usually sugar free sugar is too sweet and has an aftertaste. This product did not. I am looking forward to trying more of your recipes.
Carolyn says
So happy to hear it1
JJ says
This looks really yummy but……I am allergic to almonds (yes it’s a huge bummer & inconvenience. What can I use in it’s place for this & most almond flour recipes?
Carolyn says
I think you need to use the search box on my blog and type in “coconut flour” or look at my Nut Free section in the recipe index. Almond flour recipes can’t simply be turned into coconut flour ones and vice versa.
Christy Thornton says
This looks amazing – I’m eager to try it – I’m wondering if I can sub the Swerve Brown with BochaSweet mixed with a touch of molasses as I really don’t like the taste of Swerve Brown.
Carolyn says
Sure, I think that would work.
lisa says
hi carolyn,
can i use a 9×13 pan?
Carolyn says
Probably but I cannot guide you as to cooking time so you will need to keep your eye on it.
Lynn B. says
Made this this morning. OMG! So good. The smell of cinnamon in t.he morning is wonderful. Had this with scrambled eggs and of course, coffee. Perfect easy Easter breakfast. Thanks Carolyn
Mori says
Can’t wait to make this but I feel like I must be missing something. If i use a tube or Bundt pan and I top it with the remaining walnut mixture, won’t that part end up at the bottom of the finished cake instead of the top once I flip the cake out of the pan?
Carolyn says
The instructions specify a tube pan and most of those have a removable bottom that you push up from the bottom to loosen the cake. If you used a bundt pan, that would obviously not work well.
Leila says
Carolyn,
This cake is amazing, I made it yesterday and had it for breakfast. Delicious!
Thank you for the recipe
Leila
irem says
This is the first cake I have ever baked and its keto… I’m so excited, it’s just out of the oven, looks so good. I love your recipes, keep it up! 🙂
Marie says
‘6Hi could you use a meringue powder instead of the protein? Thanks 🙂
Carolyn says
Probably, as long as it’s not sweetened. I’d check that, if I were you.
Maggie says
This is the best keto cake recipe that I’ve made! It’s so good. I made it yesterday and had a piece after dinner. I put it in the fridge overnight and had a piece with coffee this morning! I think it tasted even better today! Many thanks for this recipe! It’s definitely a keeper!
Carolyn says
So glad to hear it!
Angelique says
I made this today, and oh my gosh!!!! This recipe has just the right amount of sweetness, is tender, moist, and perfect with coffee!!!! Thank you so much for the wonderful recipe. This now my favorite!
Sierra says
Can I use collagen powder in place of the protein powder? All my whey protein is flavored and the collagen is unflavored?
Carolyn says
Nope. Sorry but for almond flour recipes, collagen makes things gummy and hard to cook through.
Joan says
Hi Carolyn, Can this be frozen? There are only two of us and much as I’d like to eat the whole thing I need to save room for your pecan pie…. Thank you so much for making our life “sweet” again!
Carolyn says
Yup! I recommend portioning it out and wrapping each of those separately for when you want them. Maybe quarters of the cake?
Jasmine says
The cake looked stunning and filled my house with such a beautiful scent. It was a tiny bit dry and I think next time I’ll add a bit extra sweetness but ooooooohhh, it is good. The texture is exactly like regular cake.
Another brilliant recipe.