This delicious Amish coffee cake is a healthy sourdough recipe made with simple ingredients like natural sweeteners and whole grains. A rich, moist texture and delightful cinnamon sugar crumble topping makes this cake a perfect treat for breakfast, dessert, or an afternoon snack!
Amish Inspiration for This Recipe
Coffee served with sweet dessert breads and cakes has long been a tradition in parts of Northern and Central Europe, and the Amish have preserved this charming custom throughout the generations. This ritual reflects the European roots of the Amish people, particularly their German and Swiss influences, where coffee and baked goods have been an important part of gatherings and daily life for many years. By continuing this tradition of enjoying the simple pleasures of coffee and homemade treats, Amish homes preserve these aspects of their European heritage. (Source) (Source)
Why You Will Love This Recipe
Easy
As an easy sourdough cake recipe, all you need to do is combine the ingredients, pour the cake batter into a prepared pans in layers, and bake. That’s it! Now you’re ready to enjoy a piece of cake with a hot cup of coffee or tea!
Healthy
While many Amish cake recipes on the internet call for white flour, white sugar, and other less-healthy ingredients, this Amish recipe is a healthier version made with whole grains and natural sweeteners. Instead of highly processed oils, this recipe is made with good old fashioned butter!
This is a sourdough cake recipe, which means the grains are easier to digest, and the crumble topping is made with healthy sprouted oats!
Delicious
This delicious cake combines the flavors of deep molasses brown sugar with warm cinnamon and rich butter for a moist, sweet treat! The cake is baked until the crumble topping is golden brown and caramelized, creating a decadent dessert, breakfast, or snack!
What Kind of Flour to Use?
This is a whole grain recipe that is originally made with freshly milled ancient grain einkorn flour. Feel free to substitute einkorn flour with spelt flour or regular wheat flour if you prefer.
What Kind of Sugar to Use?
I like to make this coffee cake using Sucanat – also known as panela sugar – which is cane sugar that is very minimally processed. Instead of removing the nutrient-rich molasses from the sugarcane juice, it is left in the final product!
Feel free to substitute with coconut sugar or maple sugar for a different flavor variation.
Optional Add Ins
This Amish coffee cake is so versatile, being delicious with a wide variety of add- ins!
Blueberries: this is a family favorite, as the blueberry flavor pairs perfectly with the cinnamon and brown sugar flavors. The blueberries also add a lovely moist texture to this cake. I like making the blueberry variety into blueberry muffins! Simply add 1 cup of fresh blueberries to the batter. If using frozen blueberries, be sure to fully thaw and strain them so that the batter is not overly wet.
Apples: apples make a wonderful addition to this coffee cake recipe, adding texture and extra sweetness. I prefer to add a more sour variety such as granny smith for some tart notes, but a sweet apple works as well. Add 1 cup of peeled and chopped apple pieces to the batter for this variation.
Chocolate chips: for a moist chocolate cake variation, add 3/4 cup of chocolate chips to the batter!
Cranberry orange: adding 1/2 cup of fresh cranberries and 1 teaspoon of orange zest creates a great recipe with a sweet and tart cranberry orange flavor!
How to Serve Amish Coffee Cake
This coffee cake is best enjoyed at room temperature. The flavors and textures are at best when fully cooled.
The traditional way to serve this cake would of course be with a nice, hot cup of coffee! This can be at breakfast time, along with lunch, or as an afternoon snack. Not much of a coffee drinker? Feel free to enjoy this cake with some black or herbal tea.
For an evening dessert, this coffee cake is delicious with a scoop of ice cream or a dollop of fresh whipped cream!
How to Store Amish Coffee Cake
After fully cooled, store this Amish coffee cake in an airtight container on the counter for up to 48 hours, or in the freezer for up to 4 months.
How to Make Easy Amish Inspired Sourdough Coffee Cake
Make the Crumble Filling and Topping
Combine sprouted oat flour, sugar, cold butter cubes, and salt with your hand until large chunks form. Store in the refrigerator until cake is ready to bake.
Make the Coffee Cake Batter
Mix flour, salt, and baking soda in a large bowl.
Combine sourdough starter, eggs, sugar, sour cream, Greek yogurt, or skyr, milk, melted butter, and vanilla, in a small bowl until smooth.
Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients until smooth. The batter should have a typical thick cake batter consistency, pourable but somewhat holding its shape.
Cover bowl and let batter ferment at room temperature or in a fairly warm place for 4-5 hours.
After fermenting for 4 or 5 hours, fold optional add-ins into batter, if using.
Prepare cake pan by greasing the bottom and sides with butter.
Pour half of the batter into the prepared pan and carefully spread into an even layer.
Evenly distribute half of the crumble filling/topping over the layer of batter.
Pour the rest of the batter, scraping the batter from the bowl with a rubber spatula as needed, and spread evenly.
Distribute the rest of the crumble filling/topping over top layer of batter.
Preheat oven to 350 degreed Fahrenheit.
Place unbaked cake in the center rack of the oven and bake for 40 to 45 minutes, or until the top is slightly golden brown and a toothpick comes out clean when inserted into the center.
Remove cake from oven and let rest for 15 minutes before cutting into.
Enjoy!
Easy Amish Inspired Sourdough Coffee Cake Recipe
Equipment
- 1 Large Bowl
- 2 small bowls
- 1 9 × 12 inch cake pan
- 1 wooden spoon or other stirring utensil
- 1 rubber spatula
Ingredients
- 2 1/4 cups whole grain einkorn, spelt or other wheat flour
- 1/2 cup sourdough starter
- 1 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1 cup sour cream, Greek yogurt or skyr
- 2 eggs
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 1/2 cup melted butter
- 3/4 cup sucanat or panela (unrefined brown cane sugar)
Crumble Filling and Topping
- 1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 pinch salt
- 1 cup sprouted out flour (you can make this by blending sprouted oats)
- 3/4 cup sucanat or panela (unrefined brown cane sugar)
- 1/2 cup cold butter, cut into small cubes
Instructions
Make the Crumble Filling and Topping
- Combine sprouted oat flour, sugar, cold butter cubes, and salt with your hand until large chunks form. Store in the refrigerator until cake is ready to bake.
Make the Coffee Cake Batter
- Mix flour, salt, and baking soda in a large bowl.
- Combine sourdough starter, eggs, sugar, sour cream, Greek yogurt, or skyr, milk, melted butter, and vanilla, in a small bowl until smooth.
- Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients until smooth. The batter should have a typical thick cake batter consistency, pourable but somewhat holding its shape.
- Cover bowl and let batter ferment at room temperature or in a fairly warm place for 4-5 hours.
- After fermenting for 4 or 5 hours, fold optional add-ins into batter, if using.
- Prepare cake pan by greasing the bottom and sides with butter.
- Pour half of the batter into the prepared pan and carefully spread into an even layer.
- Evenly distribute half of the crumble filling/topping over the layer of batter.
- Pour the rest of the batter, scraping the batter from the bowl with a rubber spatula as needed, and spread evenly.
- Distribute the rest of the crumble filling/topping over top layer of batter.
- Preheat oven to 350 degreed Fahrenheit.
- Place unbaked cake in the center rack of the oven and bake for 40 to 45 minutes, or until the top is slightly golden browm and a toothpick comes out clean when inserted into the center.
- Remove cake from oven and let rest for 15 minutes before cutting into.
- Enjoy!
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Panela (minimally processed cane sugar)
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