The gift of… Simple Mills Coffee Cake!
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You’ve heard me talk about sales and gift guides a lot over the past few weeks… but of course, how much money you spend should have very little to do with the holiday season. I’ll admit, I usually shy away from DIY projects, but homemade gifts can be a great way to keep your budget down AND show someone that you were thinking about them! From a host/hostess gift to an extra something for a family member, this coffee cake jar is my new favorite DIY gift EVER 🙂
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As you guys know, I’m not a huge dessert person, which is why you rarely see me bake on this little blog – woops! But one of my favorite food brands, Simple Mills, makes these amazing cake/bread mixes with almond flour. GAME CHANGER. Yes, that means that their mixes, like this Vanilla Cake Mix, is gluten free, paleo friendly AND has less than half the sugar of other cake mixes. Clean ingredients, great taste, way less guilt. I’ll take it!
Which is why I looove this gift idea! It’s really fun to give people homemade cookies, but part of me always hates receiving them. You want me to eat ALL of these things that are terrible for me all by myself?! What are you thinking?! But with this, I used coconut palm sugar instead of brown sugar, so the worst ingredient is butter! And most health fanatics don’t even consider that all bad, especially if you use grass fed butter, so… have I justified this enough yet?
To start, you’ll need a 32 oz mason jar, some ribbon and a plastic bag. Open up your box of Simple Mills Vanilla Cake Mix and set 2 tbsp aside. Add the rest of your mason jar.
Stuff a bag into the mason jar with the ziplock at the top. Add the 2 tbsp of mix, 1/2 cup chopped pecans, 1/4 cup coconut palm sugar, 3 heaping tsp of cinnamon (can never have enough!), and 2 tbsp raisins. Seal the bag and screw the cap back on your jar. Tie a bow around it and voila! The cutest little gift ever.
You’ll also need a card or cute tag for the instructions! Once they’ve got the jar, scroll down to get the recipe, or print it right here.
YUM!
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If you are making this as a gift, you can print the instructions right HERE.
If you’re just makin the cake, you can print the recipe right HERE.
And if you’re curious about what this actually tastes like – the answer is DELICIOUS 🙂 Seriously, I tested the recipe for my family on Thanksgiving morning and my mom asked me if we could make it an annual tradition! I served it here with some Pistachio Halo Top for a little extra sweetness and color, but it really doesn’t even need it. It’s so freaking good, you guys. I know you’re gonna love it!!
Ingredients
- 1 box Simple Mills Vanilla Cake Mix
- 1/2 cup chopped pecans
- 1/4 cup coconut palm sugar
- 3 tsp cinnamon
- 2 tbsp raisins
- 3 eggs
- 1 tbsp vanilla
- 6 tbsp + 4 tbsp butter
- 1/3 cup milk (or almond milk)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Remove 2 tbsp of cake mix and set aside.
- Add the rest of the cake mix to a mixer with 3 eggs, 1/3 cup milk, 1 tbsp vanilla, and 6 tbsp butter. Mix until smooth.
- Pour into a greased 9x13" pan.
- In another bowl, combine the 2 tbsp of cake mix with 1/2 cup chopped pecans, 1/4 cup coconut palm sugar, 3 (heaping!) tsp of cinnamon, and 2 tbsp raisins.
- Cut 4 tbsp of butter into small cubes and add that to the bowl. Crumble it all together - don't by shy, use your hands!
- Add the crumble to the top of the cake as evenly as possible.
- Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until a toothpick comes up clean.
PS. Not sure where to find Simple Mills products? Don’t worry! They’re available at Whole Foods, Target, Sprouts, Amazon and SimpleMills.com. For other locations check out their store locator, too!
*This post was sponsored by Simple Mills, but (as always) all opinions are my own.Â
Thank you for supporting the brands that make Lake Shore Lady possible!
December 5, 2016 @ 1:45 am
Love this idea! Going to give it to multiple people. Thanks Lauren 🙂