Protein Pancake Coffee Cake with Crumb Topping
Serves 6
10 mins prep
50 mins cook
60 mins total
I don't mean to be dramatic, but when I say this protein pancake coffee cake rivals any bakery coffee cake, I mean it. It's got a super tender texture, sweet filling, and an out-of-this-world crumb topping. But here's the kicker: There's no protein powder and it's got 18 grams of protein, half the sugar (and it's all natural!), half the carbs, and less fat than the same serving of a traditional coffee cake. So, go ahead and enjoy this one for breakfast!
Crumb Mixture/Filling
Get FREE mobile app to save your favorite recipes
Scan QR code to download mobile
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9x9 pan with non-stick cooking spray.
Make the batter in a large bowl by whisking together 1.5 cup all-purpose flour, 1 tsp baking powder, 1 tsp baking soda, and ½ tsp salt.
Then add in the 1.25 cup plain greek yogurt, 2 eggs, ¼ cup milk, 3/4 tsp vanilla bean paste, 2 tbsp pure maple syrup, and ¼ cup avocado oil. Stir until just combined.
Make the crumb mixture/filling in a separate medium bowl. Use your hands to mix together the 1/3 cup coconut sugar, 1/3 cup all purpose flour, 1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon, 1/4 tsp salt, and 2.5 tbsp avocado oil. I first mix with a fork then use my hands to really hydrate all the dry ingredients until it's a wet sand consistency.
In the pan, evenly spread out about half of the batter (a little less than half is probably best). Sprinkle over half of the crumb mixture. Use sparingly and use your hands to spread it out evenly to make sure to reserve enough crumb topping for the top.
Then, carefully spoon the rest of the batter over the top of the crumb mixture. If you pour it, it pushes the cinnamon sugar crumb to the sides and up, therefore missing the whole point of the center layer of a coffee cake. Use the back of the spoon or an offset spatula to spread it evenly across the top. Finish with the rest of your crumb topping.
Bake for 45-55 minutes or until golden brown and a toothpick inserted comes out clean. You can also tap on the top; if it sounds hollow, it should be good to go!
Serve with Greek yogurt and enjoy!
For the topping, you can either just top each slice with 1/4 cup of greek yogurt or mix the greek yogurt with 1/4 cup of milk to make it more of a pourable consistency, or mix it with 2 tbsp of maple syrup for a sweeter topping.
