
Description
Fun fact: coffee cake doesn't have any coffee. It's named as such because it was served alongside coffee. On the other hand, this coffee loaf is a sweet quick bread with ground decaf coffee. I've taken the original recipe, and swapped out the unhealthy, empty calorie, inflammatory white sugar, butter, and white flour with more wholesome ingredients, like granulated monk fruit, unsweetened applesauce, and whole wheat flour. This reduces the calories, ups the protein and fiber contents, lowers the fat and carb contents, and adds more crucial vitamins and minerals. You can even make it gluten free; just check out the notes about a gluten free variation below. A slice of this makes a great snack for any of you coffee lovers out there!
Time
Prep Time:
10 minutes
Rest Time:
1 hour
Cook Time:
1 hour
Total Time:
2 hours
10 minutes
Cost
Total Cost:
Cost per Serving:
$0.17
Ingredients
Serving(s)
Coffee
- 1/2 cup Water
- 1/2 cup Ground coffee, decaf
Dry Ingredients
- 2 cup Whole wheat flour
- 5 tbsp Cocoa powder
- 2 tsp Baking powder
- 1 tsp Cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp Salt
Wet Ingredients
- 1/2 cup Unsweetened applesauce
- 1/2 cup Granulated monk fruit
- 3 large Egg
Instructions
Cook Mode Off: Prevents screen dimming
- Preheat your oven to 325F, and lightly grease a 9x5" bread pan with oil
- Add water to a medium glass, and microwave for 1 minute, until hot. Mix in the coffee, and set aside
- In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt
- In a separate bowl, add your applesauce, granulated sweetener, and eggs. Beat until smooth with a silicone spatula
- Add the coffee and the liquid ingredients into the dry. Mix until just fully combined. Don't over mix, or you could develop the gluten and get a chewy and tough cake (see notes about a gluten free variation below)
- Transfer the batter to your prepared pan, and smooth out the top
- Bake at 325F for about 60 minutes, or until a toothpick to the center comes out totally clean
- Let the cake chill in the fridge for at least 1 hour before removing from the pan and cutting into 20 slices


Note that 1/2 cup (40 g) of ground coffee is equivalent to 8 cups of coffee, meaning each of the 16 slices contains 1/2 a cup of coffee, plus the additional caffeine from the cocoa powder. I'm using decaf for the cake, but there are trace amounts of caffeine, about 6 mg per slice. If you use regular ground coffee then you should be aware that each slice contains 81 mg of caffeine. For reference a standard cup of coffee contains about 90 mg of caffeine. A standard cup of black or green tea contains about 50 mg of caffeine. Decaf coffee has about 2 mg, and herbal tea is caffeine free.

If you don't need it gluten free, you can simply use 2 cup (240 g) whole wheat flour. If it needs to be gluten free though, you can replace the whole wheat flour with the following blend of flours:
The original recipe used 1 stick (113 g) unsalted butter, 3/4 cup (150 g) granulated sugar, and 2 cup (240 g) white flour instead of applesauce, monk fruit, and whole wheat flour. If you don't care to make it healthy, you can do that instead.

If you don't need it gluten free, you can simply use 2 cup (240 g) whole wheat flour. If it needs to be gluten free though, you can replace the whole wheat flour with the following blend of flours:
- 1 cup (112 g) Almond flour
- 1/2 cup (45 g) Oat flour
- 1/4 cup (26 g) Ground flaxseed
- 2 tbsp (15 g) Coconut flour
The original recipe used 1 stick (113 g) unsalted butter, 3/4 cup (150 g) granulated sugar, and 2 cup (240 g) white flour instead of applesauce, monk fruit, and whole wheat flour. If you don't care to make it healthy, you can do that instead.
Nutrient | With Whole Wheat Flour |
Gluten Free Variation |
Original Recipe |
---|---|---|---|
Calories | 65 | 76 | 134 |
Fat | 1.2 g  | 4.7 g  | 5.6 g  |
Protein | 3.0 g  | 3.3 g  | 2.7 g  |
Net Carbs | 10.1 g | 4.7 g | 18.4 g |
Added Sugar | 0.0 g | 0.0 g | 7.5 g |
Sugar Alcohol | 5.0 g | 5.0 g | 0.0 g |
Fiber | 1.9 g  | 2.0 g  | 0.8 g  |
Nutrition Facts
------------------------------------------
Total Fat: 1.2g (2 %)
Saturated Fat: 0.4g (2 %)
Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.3g
Monounsaturated Fat: 0.4g
Cholesterol: 31mg (10 %)
Sodium: 110mg (5 %)
Total Carbohydrate: 17.0g (6 %)
Fiber: 1.9g (7 %)
Net Carbs: 10.1g
Total Sugar: 0.6g
Added Sugar: 0.0g (0 %)
Sugar Alcohol: 5.0g
Protein: 3.0g (6 %)
Total Fat: 1.2g (2 %)
Saturated Fat: 0.4g (2 %)
Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.3g
Monounsaturated Fat: 0.4g
Cholesterol: 31mg (10 %)
Sodium: 110mg (5 %)
Total Carbohydrate: 17.0g (6 %)
Fiber: 1.9g (7 %)
Net Carbs: 10.1g
Total Sugar: 0.6g
Added Sugar: 0.0g (0 %)
Sugar Alcohol: 5.0g
Protein: 3.0g (6 %)
------------------------------------------
Vitamin B12: 0.08mcg (3 %)
Vitamin D: 0.19mcg (1 %)
------------------------------------------
Calcium: 36mg (3 %)
Iron: 0.87mg (5 %)
Magnesium: 30mg (7 %)
Potassium: 198mg (4 %)
------------------------------------------Vitamin B12: 0.08mcg (3 %)
Vitamin D: 0.19mcg (1 %)
------------------------------------------
Calcium: 36mg (3 %)
Iron: 0.87mg (5 %)
Magnesium: 30mg (7 %)
Potassium: 198mg (4 %)
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