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Ava, one of our Whole Story readers, sent us this idea for a recipe makeover just in time for a Mother’s Day brunch:
Blueberry Coffee Cake
This recipe is very good, however it’s bad for your figure and unhealthy… Can you give me a healthy look on coffee cake?
2 tbs. butter
1 box white cake mix
3 eggs
1 cup sour cream
Crumb topping
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup finely chopped nuts
1 cup blueberries, fresh or frozen
Coffee cake can be a sweet start to your day or an evening dessert, but the word “healthy” does not necessarily come to mind when this baked good is mentioned. We’ve improved the nutrition profile of this crowd-pleaser by making a few substitutions: whole wheat pastry flour in place of conventional boxed cake mix, nonfat plain yogurt instead of sour cream, and extra blueberries rather than the whole amount of sugar.
Check out the recipe we developed for Blueberry Coffee Cake with Cinnamon Streusel incorporating these changes to make a healthier cake:
- Using 1 cup of whole wheat pastry flour instead of white flour adds about 12 grams of fiber to the cake. Not only do whole grains such as whole wheat flour contain additional fiber that helps promote digestive health, they also contain vitamins, minerals and antioxidants.
- By using 1 cup of nonfat plain yogurt instead of a cup of sour cream, we saved about 300 calories, 45 grams of fat (26 grams of saturated fat) and 115 grams of cholesterol. In addition, 235 mg calcium and 300 mg potassium were gained with this substitution.
- We doubled the amount of blueberries in the recipe to rely more on the natural sweetness of the fruit rather than just added sugar. More is usually better with blueberries, because they are very low in calories and packed with vitamin C, fiber and antioxidants.
- Making the recipe from scratch lets you choose the spices. We used cardamom and cinnamon to complement the berries.
- We chose almonds for the nut topping, as they are the most nutrient-dense nut. A one-ounce serving (about 23 almonds) is an excellent source of vitamin E and magnesium, a good source of fiber and protein, and offers several other minerals.
A 3-ounce serving of our new cake contains 150 calories, 4 grams of fat, 3 grams of fiber, 9 grams of sugar and 5 grams of protein. Happy baking!
Send us Your Recipe Request!
Do you have a recipe you’d like us to make natural? Post it in the comments section below! If we select your recipe for a healthy makeover and publish the improved version on our website, we’ll send you a $25 Whole Foods Market gift card.
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I love Cake. My favorite is chocolate cake but this coffee cake also looks very delicious.
May 6th, 2009 at 6:19 am
How come you don’t give the directions for this bluberry cake?
May 6th, 2009 at 1:39 pm
Do you need baking powder or baking soda to replace what you’re not getting from the packaged cake mix?
May 6th, 2009 at 2:07 pm
If you ever want to make it Vegan, try the Cinnamon Coffee Cake recipe in the “Joy of Vegan Baking” by Colleen Patrick-Goudreau. Before adding your fresh or frozen blueberries(do not thaw them), toss them with a little flour so the berries don’t float to the bottom while baking. This is, truly, an excellent coffee cake. I brought it to a breakfast gathering and all were amazed it was Vegan.
May 6th, 2009 at 2:15 pm
You might also try substituting almond flour for half of the flour to cut down on carbs.
May 6th, 2009 at 2:41 pm
I love most of your recipes. BUT, please do not give us something that says 1 PACKAGE of something. If we are going to bother to make something then we’re making it from scratch. I don’t even know what is in this package. Our family doesn’t use anything from packages due to food allergies. Please, if you are going to put a PACKAGE of something, let us know what is in it so we can substitute the ingredients.
May 6th, 2009 at 3:51 pm
Ok – how long do you cook it and at what temperature?
May 6th, 2009 at 6:59 pm
I would love for you to make a healthy version of puppy chow! It was one of my childhood favorites but the list of ingredients make it unappealing now. Thanks!
May 6th, 2009 at 8:14 pm
I don’t understand this. You didn’t give us directions-just the ingredients. Can you please email me the directions so I can make this recipe?
May 6th, 2009 at 8:23 pm
Oh sorry I just found it. You have to click on Blueberry Coffee Cake with Cinnamon Streusel. Diane
May 6th, 2009 at 8:26 pm
I’d love if you could make this recipe more healthy. The no-bake chocolate peanutbutter bars are, in my opinion, one of the best desserts out there. I just have trouble limiting myself to the size I should be eating.
May 6th, 2009 at 10:30 pm
I clicked the link for the Coffe Cake it takes me to the recipe. I am going to try this very soon.
thanks
May 7th, 2009 at 7:56 am
Please publish the directions for the Blueberry Coffee cake in your 5/7/09 blog. You published the complete recipe for the Blueberry Coffee Cake with Cinnamon Streusel, but not the coffee cake that uses the boxed cake mix. Thank you
May 7th, 2009 at 8:33 am
Some of the comments provided are going by Ava’s recipe rather than WFM’s makeover. Joan, Jane and Mcbobby click on link provided to what looks like a healthy and delicious alternative. Can’t wait to try this.
May 7th, 2009 at 8:50 am
This looks great. I’d love to also see this kind of healthy re-do for a chocolate chip coffee cake– I will look for a recipe! Thanks for printing this, and I’d love to see this in Whole Foods Bakeries as well!
May 7th, 2009 at 10:00 am
“Bad Blueberry Coffee Cake”…please need the original ‘white cake mix’ directions. Thanks.
May 7th, 2009 at 2:51 pm
[...] makeover” in response to a Whole Foods Market customer inquiry and posted on our national blog. Click on the photo for the [...]
May 8th, 2009 at 2:14 pm
This sounds fabulous. How about making a gluten free version?
May 11th, 2009 at 9:33 am
I made this for Mother’s Day and it was a big hit!
May 11th, 2009 at 5:22 pm
This sounds great. I’m going to try it with your recipe first and then try it with coconut flour instead. Should I add additional liquid with the coconut flour?
May 12th, 2009 at 10:44 am
Yummy cake! I was surprised not to see any vanilla in the ingredient list. I always use vanilla in baked goods. Call me silly but I do, ha,ha,ha. I prefer the Totonac brand because they are all natural and no sugar added. This allows me to have healthier baked goods. I wish I could find an all natural sweetener that does not have any after taste. Any suggestions?
May 13th, 2009 at 8:14 pm
Hi Joan,
The directions for this blueberry cake can be found by following the link in the blog.
Best,
Alana
May 15th, 2009 at 4:26 pm
Hi Jane,
The recipe does contain baking powder and baking soda – click on the link in the Blog to the healthier recipe.
Thanks,
Alana
May 15th, 2009 at 4:27 pm
Hi McBobby,
The recipe posted at the beginning of the blog is an example only of an unhealthy recipe. As you read through the blog you will find a link to the healthy version that contains full instructions.
Thanks,
Alana
May 15th, 2009 at 4:29 pm
Hi Anna,
Thanks for your inquiry. If you use coconut flour, you will need to reduce the amount greatly; possibly using only 1/3 cup or so, and you may need to increase liquid as the coconut flour is very high in fiber and absorbs a great deal of liquid. I can’t give you any exact amounts – I would have to experiment with it in my kitchen, but a great guide to go by is the book Cooking with Coconut Flour.
Thanks for writing!
Alana
May 15th, 2009 at 4:34 pm
I’ve saved the recipe to try at home! I’m going to try substituting another flour for the all purpose flour still. Are there any you’d recommend? I’ll try the almond flour that someone mentioned, too.
May 28th, 2009 at 8:35 am