Low-Carb Pecan Cinnamon Streusel Coffee Cake

This low-carb Pecan Cinnamon Streusel Coffee Cake is a great option for any occasion. You can serve it for breakfast, or with coffee as an after-dinner dessert. It’s the kind of low-carb coffee cake that works all year round, especially in cold winter months.

We've got soft, moist and buttery vanilla almond sponge cake topped with crunchy streusel layer made with chopped pecans, cinnamon and dark chocolate. This cake is simply irresistible!

Recipe Tips

With this low-carb cake you can adjust they sweetness to your liking by changing the amount of sweetener and/or using optional glaze on top.

When I first made this recipe a couple of years ago, I used less sweetener in the sponge and unsweetened 100% dark chocolate in the streusel topping. While I liked it this way, I thought it may not be sweet enough for most people so I ended up adding a little more sweetener to the cake base and using a 90% chocolate bar in the streusel topping instead.

Another way to add sweetness would be to make a glaze and drizzle it on top after baking. To do that, you can use classic sugar-free royal icing from [this Decorated Gingerbread Cookies]/Blog/lchf/decorated-low-carb-gingerbread-cookies) or cream cheese frosting from this Keto Cinnamon Rolls.

If you like this coffee cake recipe, you might also like:

Preparation time

    Hands-on:    30 minutes
    Overall:     2 hours 30 minutes

Nutritional values (per serving, 1 slice)

Total Carbs	9.1	grams
Fiber	4.1	grams
Net Carbs	5.1	grams

Protein	10.2	grams
Fat	36.5	grams
of which Saturated	12.2	grams

Energy	390	kcal

Magnesium	77	mg (19% RDA)
Potassium	288	mg (14% EMR)

Macronutrient ratio: Calories from carbs (5%), protein (10%), fat (85%)

Ingredients (makes 12 servings)

Streusel topping:

1 ¹/₂ cups pecans (150 g/ 5.3 oz)
¹/₂ bar 90% dark chocolate, chopped (50 g/ 1.8 oz)
1 tbsp cinnamon
2 tbsp brown sugar substitute such as Sukrin Gold (20 g/ 0.7 oz)
¹/₄ tsp sea salt
2 tbsp melted butter or coconut oil (30 ml)

Cake base:

4 large eggs
1 stick unsalted butter, melted (115 g/ 4 oz)
300 g sour cream (10.6 oz)
1 tsp sugar-free vanilla extract or ¹/₄ tsp vanilla bean powder
2 cups almond flour (200 g/ 7.1 oz)
¹/₃ cup coconut flour (40 g/ 1.4 oz)
¹/₄ cup whey protein powder or egg white protein powder (25 g/ 0.9 oz)
¹/₂ cup granulated Erythritol, Swerve or Allulose (100 g/ 3.5 oz)
2 tsp gluten-free baking powder
¹/₄ tsp sea salt

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 150 °C/ 300 °F (fan assisted), or 170 °C/ 340 °F (conventional). Line the bottom of a 9-inch spring pan with parchment paper. (You can also use a deep 8-inch spring pan.)
Start by preparing the streusel topping. Chop the pecans and dark chocolate.
Add all of the topping ingredients into a bowl: chopped pecans, dark chocolate, cinnamon, brown sugar substitute, salt and 2 tablespoons of melted butter.
Stir to combine and set aside while you prepare the cake.
Start with the wet ingredients. Crack the eggs into a bowl and and add the remaining melted butted, sour cream and vanilla extract. Beat with a whisk until well combined.
In another bowl combine the dry ingredients: almond flour, coconut flour, whey protein powder, granulated sweetener, baking powder and salt. If you're using vanilla bean powder instead of liquid extract, you can add it too.
Process until well combined using an electric mixer or a stand mixer.
Add the liquid ingredients while beating, until smooth batter forms.
Pour in the lined cake tin and spread evenly using a spatula.
Sprinkle with the prepared streusel topping. Place in the oven and bake for about 45 minutes or until cooked through. If the top browns too quickly, loosely cover with a piece of parchment paper or baking foil. (A wooden stick inserted into the cake should come out clean.)
Remove from the oven and let it cool down to room temperature before removing from the cake tin and slicing. You may need to run a sharp knife around the edges to help release the cake. For optional glaze options, see recipe tips above.
Store at room temperature for up to 2 days, in the fridge for up to 5 days, or freeze for up to 3 months.