Berry Crumb Cake Muffins
Spiced coconut flour muffins with juicy strawberries and a cinnamon-almond streusel.
Makes 10 muffins · Active: 25 min · Total: 1 hour · May through August, when strawberries and other berries are at their peak · Best eaten: breakfast or midday
Ingredients
Muffins
½ cup coconut flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tbsp ground Ceylon cinnamon
¼ tsp ground ginger
¼ tsp ground nutmeg
¼ tsp Baja Gold sea salt
4 pasture-raised eggs
½ cup grass-fed butter, melted (or coconut oil)
½ cup honey
1 tsp raw apple cider vinegar
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 cup diced strawberries or mixed berries (blueberries, raspberries, or blackberries)
Crumb topping
½ cup blanched almond flour
1 tbsp coconut flour
1 tsp ground Ceylon cinnamon
Pinch of Baja Gold sea salt
2 tbsp honey
1 tbsp grass-fed butter, melted (or coconut oil)
Optional: 2 tbsp chopped pecans
Method
Prep. Heat the oven to 350°F, and line a muffin tin with 10 parchment liners (coconut flour muffins stick to paper).
Mix the dry ingredients. Whisk the coconut flour, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and salt in a large bowl.
Mix the wet ingredients. In a second bowl, whisk the eggs, melted butter, honey, vinegar, and vanilla until smooth.
Combine. Stir the wet ingredients into the dry, just until combined. Let the batter rest 5 minutes, so the coconut flour can absorb the liquid.
Fold in the berries gently.
Fill. Divide the batter among the liners, filling each about ¾ full.
Make the crumb topping. Mix the almond flour, coconut flour, cinnamon, and salt. Add the honey and butter (and pecans, if using), and rub it together with your fingers until clumpy.
Top. Sprinkle the crumb topping generously over each muffin.
Bake 22–28 minutes, until golden and a toothpick comes out clean.
Cool completely in the tin before removing them; they firm up as they cool.
Storage
Room temperature: airtight, up to 2 days.
Refrigerator: up to 1 week.
Freezer: up to 2 months. Thaw at room temperature, or warm them gently in a 300°F oven.
A note on honey: Honey is no longer raw once it’s baked. Honey shouldn’t be given to babies under 12 months.
Nourishment Notes
The crumb cake tradition comes from German Kaffee und Kuchen (coffee and cake) culture, and German immigrants brought it to America, especially Pennsylvania. Streusel comes from the German word for “to sprinkle.”
Coconut flour — high in fiber and naturally grain-free. It’s very absorbent, which is why this recipe uses so many eggs and lets the batter rest.
Pasture-raised eggs — protein, choline, and vitamins A, D, and B12. They give these muffins their structure, in place of gluten.
Strawberries and berries — vitamin C, fiber, and anthocyanins, the pigments behind their deep colors.
Almond flour — vitamin E, magnesium, and healthy fats.
Grass-fed butter — butyrate and vitamins A, D, E, and K2.
Ceylon cinnamon — the star spice here. True cinnamon (Ceylon, Cinnamomum verum) is gentler and more aromatic than the cassia cinnamon common in American grocery stores. Cassia contains much more coumarin, a compound that can harm the liver in large amounts, so with a full tablespoon of cinnamon in the batter, Ceylon is the better choice. Cinnamon is also well studied for supporting healthy blood sugar.
Apple cider vinegar — it’s what makes these muffins rise. Baking soda needs an acid to react with and release carbon dioxide; that’s why old recipes pair baking soda with buttermilk, sour milk, or molasses. The vinegar’s flavor disappears as the muffins bake, leaving only the rise behind.
As a circadian food, these muffins are best at breakfast or midday. The eggs, butter, and almond flour balance the honey’s natural sugars, for steadier energy than a typical muffin.
For your cycle: With protein from the eggs and gentle, steady carbs, these are a nice breakfast in the luteal phase, when your body wants a little more fuel.
Sourcing
Coconut flour — organic
Almond flour — organic and finely ground (keep it in the fridge)
Berries — organic, from a farmers’ market (strawberries are among the most heavily sprayed crops, so organic matters here)
Eggs — organic and pasture-raised, from a local farm
Grass-fed butter — organic, from 100% grass-fed cows
Coconut oil (optional) — organic and unrefined
Honey — organic, local, and unfiltered
Pecans (optional) — organic
Ceylon cinnamon and spices — organic and non-irradiated
Raw apple cider vinegar — organic, with the mother (Bragg)
Vanilla — organic pure vanilla extract
Baking soda — aluminum-free
Salt — Baja Gold sea salt
Recipe credit: Adapted from GrainFreeee.
— Anna aka Food Marshall