I’ve always appreciated Morning Glory Muffins. They are a great morning treat, packed full of delicious ingredients that at least make you feel like you are starting the day right. I’ve made many versions over the years – it used to be a standard treat I took to new moms. It’s such a cheerful and hopeful name. My recipe kind of fell by the wayside though; I guess I just replaced it with other muffin and quick bread ideas. It came back to mind when I found myself with a can of crushed pineapple I accidently purchased and the other ingredients were on hand as well. I decided to turn my recipe into a Bundt cake simply because I have a pretty specialty Bundt pan I don’t use nearly enough.
I replace the usual oil in this recipe with unsweetened applesauce. Sure, that makes this slightly healthier, but I really like the extra hit of apple flavor. Make sure you buy unsweetened applesauce, not one packed with added sugar and flavors. I get those little snack cup sizes that I can keep in the pantry for all sorts of baking projects. You can vary the spice in this cake to your own tastes, adding a little allspice or clove, or going all cinnamon. As a morning treat, I think a light sprinkle of powdered sugar is just enough sweet, but you could make a simple glaze – even one using the juice drained from the can of crushed pineapple.
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I haven’t heard of this before, but it sure does seemed to be packed with delicious goodness!
My 3 grandchildren always expect Morning Glory Muffins when they come to visit! I look forward to substituting this coffee cake when they come to Memphis next time. However, at ages 8,9,&10 they are sometimes resistant to certain new additions! My recipe doesn’t include pineapple which may be a deal breaker here.
How can I omit this & still make the coffee cake?
I’ve never made this without the pineapple, but you could try replacing it with more applesauce. The crushed pineapple really disappears into the batter and adds a lot of moistness and some sweetness. I’m not sure anyone would be suspicious, as there are not large chunks of pineapple in the finished cake. Let me know hoe it works out!
When I grate the carrots and apple in the food processor, there’s a lot of moisture/liquid. Do you try to squeeze out as much of this as possible from the carrots, pineapple and apple or do you add them wet?
If there is quite a bit of liquid, drain it off. You do not need to squeeze out all the moisture. Enjoy!