Saturday, December 6, 2014

Healthy spiced butternut squash coffee cake

Healthy spiced butternut squash coffee cake

It’s not too early to make resolutions. New Years can go screw itself—Thanksgiving was more a time of food-related reflection than any year-end midnight celebration could be. I did a lot of thinking over those five days off school, and I think it’s high time I introduced to you the (leetle tiny) changes I have instituted in regards to this blog’s future.

First of all, I’m going to attempt to post less often to avoid overloading you with sometimes shitty, sometimes okay posts and instead provide you all with amazing fabulous things every single time. And I know that won’t happen. But rest assured, I’m going to make a valiant effort to avoid posting photos like the ones you see here every single time. Because while this coffee cake may be delicious (as I will explain), these photos are not the most sightly and as someone who appreciates quality posts this rustles my jimmies.

TL;DR—no more shitposting. 

Not bad. source

Secondly, I will try to cut out the fake substitutes from my baking, like vegan margarine and vegan cream cheese—both of which are great inventions showing just how innovative people can be when faced with dietary restrictions, but which are not really true to nature and quite frankly make me feel guilty whenever I use them. In their stead, I plan on using loads of coconut oil and cashews and tofu and what have you.

This is distinct from using only “natural ingredients”, which would exclude baking staples like all-purpose flour, granulated sugar (along with sugar replacers like erythritol), and even stuff like baking powder if you’re really extreme. The rule only applies to items specifically created as vegan substitutes. I do, however, have one exception: Ener-g egg replacer, which, as you saw with these mint chocolate chip macarons, make an amazing substitute for whipped egg whites. All other “fake” products like that will be eliminated.

TL;DR—let’s see how long this lasts, eh?

Now, let me present to you this coffee cake.

healthy spiced butternut squash coffee cake
Be not afraid.

What you see here is an insanely low-calorie, insanely healthy coffee cake that will quite literally blow your mind.

Okay, it may not literally blow your mind, but it will definitely blow your taste buds. Who knew that low-fat, low-sugar coffee cake could actually taste decent, let along awesome? Not me, that’s for sure.

Right after spotting Foodie Fiasco’s low calorie coffee cake, I knew that I had to add butternut squash. I can’t help it; I love the stuff.  It makes such a nice moist cake and gives you the impression that you are eating pumpkin pie when in reality it is a highly nutritious vegetable. This cake is basically salad. 

bacon salad
And not this kind of salad. source

On top of that? It’s gluten-free.

Here’s the recipe.

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Healthy spiced butternut squash coffee cake

Adapted from Foodie Fiasco

Ingredients

Cake

84 grams • almond flour • ¾ cup

84 grams • coconut flour • ¾ cup

133 grams • erythritol • 2/3 cup

4 grams • baking soda • 1 teaspoon

3 grams • salt • ½ teaspoon

3 grams • cinnamon • 1 teaspoon

0.5 gram • nutmeg • ¼ teaspoon

0.5 gram • cloves • ¼ teaspoon

0.5 gram • ginger • ¼ teaspoon

4 grams • molasses • ½ teaspoon

244 grams • nondairy milk • 1 cup

12 grams • vanilla extract • 1 tablespoon

83 grams • butternut squash puree • 1/3 cup

4 grams • apple cider vinegar • 1 teaspoon

Streusel topping

20 grams • rolled oats • ¼ cup

14 grams • almond meal • 2 tablespoons

24 grams • erythritol • 2 tablespoons

3 grams • cinnamon • 1 teaspoon

2 grams • molasses • ¼ teaspoon

24 grams • applesauce • 2 tablespoons

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease an 8 inch square baking dish; set aside.

Start by making the streusel. In a small bowl, whisk together rolled oats, almond flour, erythritol, and cinnamon. Add molasses and applesauce; stir until combined.

To make cake, start by sifting together almond flour, coconut flour, erythritol, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and ginger in a large bowl. Add remaining ingredients to a blender and blend until smooth. Pour wet ingredients into dry; stir just until combined.

Pour batter into prepared pan. Sprinkle streusel on top. Bake for about 25 to 30 minutes. Let cool for ten minutes before cutting and munching.

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vegan butternut squash coffee cake
Jimmies are soothed.

In other news: nRelate decided to shut down their service for whatever reason, so now you see there are no longer any tabs at the bottom of each post recommending other posts for your reading (and eating) pleasure. Instead, I’ll have a couple links at the end of each post (not tons of pictures) for other recipes you may be interested in. Today’s topic: cake for breakfast.

Lightened-up vegan chocolate layer cake for one—totally breakfast food here.

Pumpkin coffee cake with cornmeal, rosemary, and cinnamon crumble—sort of a higher-fat version of this cake, plus rosemary.

6 comments:

  1. June, this looks deeelicious! :D
    Coffee cakes in general is just the bomb, really, and I love the lovely colour of this as well. Sounds like you've given yourself even more of a challenge with the sorting out posts and using less types of ingredients, but as long as the result is as delicious as always, bring it on :D I can't believe there is no egg in this, genius! x

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    1. Thanks! Honestly the "no substitutes" rule is for the best, because it will make me use better quality ingredients and even open up a lot of possibilities, if you look at it that way. All good stuff! :D

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    2. Yeh! Sounds like a more down to earth challenge for yourself :) I just made the third type of christmas biscuit tonight, hardcore Norwegian tradition is to make seven kinds for christmas :) Did it the year before last :P Love it! I hope you're well :) x

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    3. You too! Seven kinds of cookies, that sounds like my kind of tradition! One of these fine days I'll have to try some Scandinavian treats for Christmas, especially since I hope to live over there someday :)

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  2. Hey if it's any consolation, I think that vegan margarine is awesome and it's the one processed thing I don't feel bad about eating. they make non-hydrogenated versions. Not that I am trying to a) justify myself or b) change you mind. I guess I'm just stream-of-consciousness-ing. Also, I never thought your posts were shitty! I love reading your writing and seeing what you come up with recipe-wise, and I am constantly dumbfounded by your ability to put out so much work while balancing what I'm sure is a really busy academic and extracurricular schedule. So slowing down is totally understandable :)

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    1. Aw, thank you so much<3 But I'd say blogging is less of a balancing act and more of a look! internet! thing in the face of homework. :)

      And you're right about the margarine, I don't think any of those things are *bad* per se. This is just a way of getting more creative in the kitchen, so my very amazing such profesh recipe adapting skills are not wasted on things like: "oh, this recipe uses cream cheese? time to break out the tofutti!" I'd like to start thinking out of the box more often, if you know what I mean :D

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