A plantain has been ripening on my counter for a few days – hmm – wasn’t sure what to do with it. Just then I saw the orange. Aha! A sumptuous plantain orange indulgence with deep, dark cinnamon swirls! Oh yes! And then I remembered my mother’s coffeecake pan. Make it in three parts: 1) Streusel Topping, 2) Cinnamon Swirl, and 3) Cake Batter. Oh my, it turned out amazing. You should try it.
This is gluten-free, grain-free, Paleo, and low-carb. If you use the zero-sugar sweetener, it’s also diabetic and Candida-friendly. It’s SCD-friendly if you use honey. (Food should be good for every-body.) Healthy coffeecake makes a lovely snack, breakfast, or dessert. I hear music in my taste buds when I eat it. Oh, and it tastes even better with Paleo Caffè Latte. Freeze leftovers (Ha! if there are any…) so you can enjoy it again next week. A food processor is helpful but not required. Yield: a 9-inch spring form pan coffee cake or a 9-inch square pan. Serves 9.
Hot out of the oven – it smells like orange and cinnamon!
Tastes better than I imagined – like a rich Caribbean treat with cinnamon and orange.
Ingredients
Streusel Topping:
- 1 tablespoon coconut oil, melted briefly in the oven in a bowl
- 3/4 cup chopped nuts, soaked and toasted, if possible (See All About Nuts)
- 1 tablespoon sweetener, brown if possible
- 1 tablespoon almond meal
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- A pinch of unprocessed salt
- 1/2 cup coconut oil, melted briefly in the oven in a bowl
- 1/2 cup sweetener. You can use 1/2 cup Just Like Sugar Table Top natural chicory root sweetener, or 1 ¼ tablespoons PureLo Lo Han Sweetener by Swanson, or 1/3 cup raw honey, or your favorite sweetener. I also really like brown sweetener in this.
- 2 tablespoons ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon cardamom
- Pinch ground cloves
- Zest of 1 orange
- 1 orange, peeled, sliced, and seeded
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- Pinch unprocessed salt
- 1 teaspoon cacao or carob powder, for dark color (optional)
- 1 1/2 cups almond meal
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 heaping teaspoon unprocessed salt
- 11/2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
- 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- Coconut butter, 1/2 cup if soft (113 grams if hard) (If mixing by hand, soften it. Place the container in a bowl of warm water or in the oven briefly)
- 4 large eggs, at room temperature
- 1 1/2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon vanilla
- 1 large plantain (about 240 grams), in chunks (if mixing by hand, mashed)
- Sweetener, such as 1/2 cup Just Like Sugar Table Top natural chicory root sweetener, or 1 1/4 tablespoons PureLo Lo Han Sweetener by Swanson, or 1/3 cup raw honey, or your favorite sweetener.
- 2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar
Instructions
- Streusel topping: Preheat oven to 350°F. Cut a round circle of parchment paper to line the bottom of your pan, or if you’re using a 9x 9 pan, line it so there are handles hanging over each side for easy removal.
- Mix the streusel topping in a small bowl. Combine all the ingredients, stir until crumbly, and set aside.
- Cinnamon Swirl: In a small blender or food processor, add all ingredients, and mix until smooth.
- Coffeecake batter: In a food processor or mixing bowl add almond meal, baking soda, salt, nutritional yeast, and nutmeg. Mix well. Add the coconut butter and mix to a thick paste.
- Add to the mixture eggs, lemon juice, vanilla, plantain, sweetener, and vinegar. Process well until plantain is liquefied.
- Pour batter into baking pan. Dribble the cinnamon swirl on top. Then with a small size spatula, make circular motions into the batter around the pan, to mix it in a bit, so each piece will have some swirly flavor. Sprinkle Streusel Topping and press it in very slightly.
- Bake 25 to 35 minutes. Cool in the pan about 15 minutes. Remove from pan to a cutting board. Cut into pieces and serve.
