Whole Grain Coffee Cake

"Sweet, moist cake, topped with a crunchy nut crust..."

... melts in your mouth. The kitchen is dark, house quiet, and outside the light of dawn is cresting the horizon. The reassuring sound of freshly percolating coffee is met by its delicious aroma. Its time to wake up! Be grateful for a new day, the beauty of it, the preciousness of each life in your family. Pour yourself a cup of hot coffee, give the Lord your thanks, and take a deep breath to settle your heart before the hustle-bustle begins.

Draw your hibernating bears out of their dens with the aroma of freshly made coffee cake wafting through the house. If you're going to treat your family and your self to a sweet breakfast, you might as well be getting some wholesome nutrition. They don't have to be empty calories- make them count! So often I have been lured into having a piece of that coffee cake that looks so beautiful and light, and then immediately disappointed when it winds up tasting like an overly dry, puffed up, pasty, pointless thing. Not so with this! Meet the day with a smile (and moist crumbs) on your face.

Coffee Cake

1 cup white whole wheat flour

1 tbsp baking powder

1 tsp salt

1 cup splenda (1/2 cup brown sugar)

1/4 cup egg, or 1 egg

1/2 cup skim milk

1 large apple, cored, sliced

Pecan Crust

2 tsp cinnamon

1/4 cup cane sugar, or brown sugar

1 Tbsp flour

2 Tbsp oats

2 Tbsp heart healthy butter spread

1/2 cup pecans

preheat oven to 350, lightly coat baking pan of choice

*this makes two beautiful mini cakes, or one nice bundt

1. Start with pecan crust: Combine cinnamon, sugar, 1 tbsp flour, 2 tbsp oats, butter spread and nuts in blender or food processor and pulse until chunky. Pour into bottom of pan.

2. Rinse blender. Set aside to dry slightly.

3. In a small bowl, combine flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.

4. In blender/food processor, add egg white, milk, and apple, and sugar. Puree until apple chunks are gone or close to it. (nobody will mind an apple chunk here and there)

5. Combine wet apple mixture to dry flour. Stir to incorporate. Pour cake batter over top of nut mixture.

6. Bake for 30-35 minutes or until cake springs back to touch.

7. Let cool, and invert over platter. Nuts will be on top...

Makes 16 small servings, or 8 wedges. Enjoy!

*For the above recipe, 1/16 of cake: 77 calories, 1/8 of cake: 152 calories

** For a more decadent cake, double the pecan topping.

For that cake: 1/16 cake is 110 calories, 1/8 cake is 220 calories