Throughout my childhood, my family went camping at least twice each summer. We’d stuff our minivan full of duffels, sleeping bags, inflatable mattress pads, maps, coolers, a portable stove, and as much bug spray as we could find in the drugstore before driving for 3 hours on spacious city freeways that turned into narrow winding roads, which led us up into the mountains.
Upon arriving, we scoped out the area for the best (aka flattest) campsite, and after pulling to a stop, we immediately jumped out of the car to stretch our legs. My younger brother and I offered to help Dad string together the poles for our tent while Mom hid our big containers of food in the bear lockers. (We knew Smokey was nice, but as for the rest of his friends…)
We spent the rest of the week soaking in the great outdoors. My parents planned a different hike for every morning before the temperature and sun rose too high (and no, my brother and I weren’t above M&M bribes to make it through the whole trail without complaining!), and we walked down to the lake every afternoon to relax and wash off the dust.
Although we ate lots of peanut butter, crackers, and dried fruit for lunches and dinners, every morning started with the same ritual. Mom boiled a large pot of water on our little gas-powered portable stove and set out two mugs for each of us: one for instant oatmeal (I always chose the cinnamon apple pouches!) and another for a morning drink. My mom, brother, and I sipped on hot chocolate, complete with mini marshmallows, while Dad opted for coffee to get his morning caffeine fix.
Those were some of my favorite summer moments: the sun barely beginning to peek through the pine needles, the birds chirping a cheerful hello, and the cozy smells of coffee and chocolate wafting around the quiet campsite.
Back then, the only kind of coffee I would tolerate was “cake” (aka something without any coffee flavor at all!), so I combined that with one of my favorite summer fruits to create a new happy summer memory: this Peach Streusel Coffee Cake!
Cake that’s acceptable for breakfast… Who wouldn’t be happy about that?
The base for this clean-eating cake starts with white whole wheat flour. White whole wheat flour is lighter in texture than regular whole wheat, closer to that of all-purpose, which creates a very moist and tender cake. Whole wheat pastry flour does the same thing, if you store than in your pantry instead.
Next comes the cinnamon. It’s my favorite part of any coffee cake! I usually take a “some is good, more is better” approach with this cozy spice in my baking, so it’s in both the cake batter and streusel topping. But if you’re a huge cinnamon fanatic like me, feel free to add a little extra!
The cake batter contains just 1 tablespoon of butter—yes, that’s it! The rest of the tender texture comes from Greek yogurt. It’s my secret weapon in almost all of my healthy baking recipes because it provides the same moisture as extra butter or oil for a fraction of the calories. Plus Greek yogurt adds a little protein boost too!
And now for the most important part… Peaches! (Although I generally argue it should be the streusel…) We’ll fold 1½ cups of diced peaches into the batter. The smaller the peach pieces, the easier it is to slice and serve the coffee cake. Fresh, canned in 100% juice, or frozen and thawed will all work, so you can make this breakfast treat all year round.
Like I mentioned, the streusel is always my favorite part, whether it’s on coffee cakes, muffins, fruit crumbles—you name it! This streusel is somewhat different than traditional recipes because it uses melted butter and maple syrup, instead of cold butter and brown sugar. These ingredients mean the topping comes together much quicker, but it’s slightly stickier and may adhere to your fingers while sprinkling it over the batter.
Then bake, cool, slice, and take a big bite…
Does life get much better than dessert for breakfast?
| Peach Streusel Coffee Cake | | Print |
- for the topping
- ½ cup (60g) white whole wheat flour (measured correctly)
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 tbsp (14g) unsalted butter, melted
- 2 tbsp (30mL) pure maple syrup
- for the cake
- 1 ¾ cups (210g) white whole wheat flour (measured correctly)
- 2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 ½ tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp baking soda
- ¼ tsp salt
- 1 tbsp (14g) unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly
- 1 large egg, room temperature
- 1 tbsp (15mL) vanilla extract
- ½ cup (120g) plain nonfat Greek yogurt
- ⅓ cup (80mL) pure maple syrup
- 6 tbsp (90mL) nonfat milk
- 1 ½ cups (310g) diced peaches (about 3 small)
- Preheat the oven to 350°F, and lightly coat an 8”-square pan with nonstick cooking spray.
- To prepare the topping, stir together the flour and cinnamon. Thoroughly mix in the butter and maple syrup. Set aside.
- To prepare the cake, whisk together the flour, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl. In a separate bowl, whisk together the butter, egg, and vanilla. Mix in the yogurt, stirring until no large lumps remain. Stir in the maple syrup. Alternate between adding the flour mixture and the milk to the egg mixture, beginning and ending with the flour mixture, and stirring just until incorporated. (For best results, add the flour mixture in 3 equal parts.) Fold in the peaches.
- Spread the batter into the prepared pan, and sprinkle the crumb topping over the batter. (The crumb topping tends to clump, so try to break it up into pieces the size of mini chocolate chips.) Bake at 350°F for 35-45 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Cool in the pan for at least 10 minutes before slicing and serving.
For a gluten-free version, I recommend the following blend: 1 cup (120g) millet flour, ½ cup (60g) tapioca flour, ¼ cup (30g) brown rice flour, and 1½ teaspoons xanthan gum.
Coconut oil may be substituted for the butter. Honey or agave may be substituted for the maple syrup. Any milk may be substituted for the nonfat milk.
Peaches that are fresh, frozen and thawed, or canned in 100% juice and drained will all work.
{gluten-free, clean eating, low fat, low calorie}
Can you recommend an egg substitute?
Thank you!!
Theresa
Absolutely! My brother is actually allergic to eggs, and Ener-G is my favorite substitute. Ener-G is a flavorless, shelf-stable powder that keeps for ages. It works perfectly as an egg replacer in nearly all of my recipes, including this one! For my recipes, use 1 ½ teaspoons Ener-G + 2 tablespoons warm water for each egg white, and you’ll need an additional ½ tablespoon of butter or coconut oil {or Earth Balance, if you’re vegan!} for each egg yolk.
I’d love to hear what you think of this cake if you try making it, Theresa!