Morning Glory Cake is a classic hippie era coffee cake based on the famous Morning Glory Muffins from Gourmet Magazine.
My Morning Glory cake is inspired by the amazing Morning Glory muffins that have been around since the 70’s (created by Pam McKinstry, the chef and owner of the Morning Glory Cafe on Nantucket Island and made famous by Gourmet Magazine.) It’s full of carrots, pineapple, apple, nuts, and raisins ~ and the texture is wonderfully soft. Think of it as a cross between a carrot cake and a hummingbird cake, but made for breakfast!
I really relate to the baking culture of the 1960s and 1970s ~ it was an extension of the hippie back to the earth movement, and recipes that incorporated vegetables like zucchini bread and carrot cake had a rustic, homey personality that was super popular in the restaurants and cookbooks of the time. My Morning Glory cake is a delicious example of that era. If you need to bring a cake anywhere, any time, I highly recommend this one.
ingredients for Morning Glory Cake
Yes, there are lots of ingredients. Most, thankfully, you’ll already have. I had to run out to get carrots, of all things. But when I got back I realized I didn’t have any buttermilk (don’t worry, I’ve got a couple of hacks for that!)
- all purpose flour
- oat flour
- I’ve discovered that when I substitute oat flour for some of the regular flour in sweet breads, cakes, and muffins, they get lighter and fluffier. You can use all regular flour if you want to.
- eggs
- vegetable oil
- buttermilk
- if you’re out of buttermilk see my substitutions below.
- white sugar and brown sugar
- cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg
- baking soda and salt
- vanilla extract
- sweetened shredded coconut
- dried fruit
- I used golden raisins, you can use cranberries
- apple
- crushed pineapple
- grated carrots
- pecans
- I almost always toast my nuts before using in baking recipes. Just spread out on a microwave safe plate and microwave on high for 2 minutes until they become golden and aromatic.
fresh out of buttermilk?
Buttermilk is great for baking because it makes baked goods like my Morning Glory cake tender, helps them rise better, adds a nice tangy flavor, keeps them moist, and creates a better texture. I’ve got three buttermilk subs to try:
- Use probiotic drinkable yogurt, this has the same consistency as buttermilk and has a similar cultured flavor. Use the leftover for smoothies, with granola, or just drink it up!
- Add a tablespoon of lemon juice per cup of plain milk. Stir together and let stand at room temperature for 10-15 minutes.
- Use plain yogurt, thinned down a bit with water if it’s thick.
OK, not gonna lie, this cake does require a bit of prep, and it messes up the kitchen. But once you have everything chopped, drained, and grated it comes together super easily. I blend it all together in my stand mixer because it’s a large amount of batter, but you can totally make this with a whisk and a spoonula (the modern equivalent of a wooden spoon.)
Your time commitment will pay off; a Morning Glory cake will feed you and your friends or family for days, and it actually gets better as it sits. This cake is simply wonderful.
Morning Glory cake faqs
You can leave out the nuts entirely, or maybe substitute sunflower seeds.
Yes, that will work. I’d use salted butter, and let it cool a bit before whisking with the eggs.
Yes, use a good quality gluten free baking mix that works in a 1:1 ratio to all purpose flour.
You’ll need an egg replacer like Bob’s Red Mill Egg Replacer which is formulated for baking projects. For a plant based buttermilk try 1 cup of plant-based milk (such as almond, soy, or oat milk) + 1 tablespoon of lemon juice. Stir together and let sit for 10-15 minutes before using.
Store it under a cake dome or loosely covered with foil on the counter. It will last several days, even up to a week. If you make it ahead for company, be sure to give it a fresh dusting of powdered sugar before serving.
Yes, it’s a great candidate for freezing. Let it cool completely, then wrap in plastic, and again in foil. Plan to use within 3 months.
More tried and true coffee cakes
Morning Glory Cake
Equipment
- nonstick bundt pan
Ingredients
Wet ingredients
- 3 large eggs
- 2/3 cup vegetable oil
- 1/3 cup buttermilk, see post for substitutions.
- 3/4 cup white sugar
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp ground ginger
- 1/4 tsp fresh grated nutmeg
- 1/2 tsp salt
Add-ins
- 2 cups grated carrots
- 1 cup (slightly heaped) canned crushed pineapple, drained. I use a mesh strainer and gently push out excess juice with the back of a spoon. You don't have to get too crazy with this, just remove most of the juice.
- 1 apple, peeled and cut in small dice.
- 1/2 cup sweetened shredded coconut
- 1/2 cup golden raisins, use regular raisins, currants, or dried cranberries if you like.
- 1/2 cup coarsely chopped toasted pecans*
Dry ingredients
- 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 cup oat flour, optional, just substitute regular flour if you prefer.
- 2 tsp baking soda
Instructions
- Set oven to 350°F. Spray or butter a nonstick bundt pan and dust well with flour. Make sure to get into all those nooks and crannies.
- Whisk or beat the wet ingredients together to combine well. I use my stand mixer but you can do this with a whisk and a large mixing bowl.
- Next put all the add-ins into the bowl and stir to combine evenly.
- Whisk your dry ingredients together and, with the mixer on low, add them gradually to the bowl and mix just until combined and no dry flour is left. Use a silicone spatula to finish mixing and be sure to scrape the bottom of the bowl.
- Turn the mixture into your prepared pan and level out the batter.
- Bake for about 45-50 minutes. For me it took exactly 45 minutes, but baking times are variable depending on your particular bundt pan and your oven. The cake should feel firm and not jiggle when you move the pan, and a toothpick inserted in the center should come out without wet batter on it (moist crumbs are fine.)
- Cool for 15 minutes before loosening the edges with an offset spatula and removing the cake from your pan.
- Dust with powdered sugar and serve warm or at room temperature. Store leftovers covered on the counter for up to a week. The cake can be frozen for up to 3 months.
I made this cake for breakfast this morning and it was delicious! A great excuse to have cake for breakfast too 😉
I have to say that you had me at cake for breakfast. This cake was so yummy and moist that I ended up snacking on it throughout the day. So good!
Oh how fun! This cake looks absolutely fantastic. Definitely the perfect start to the day.
I haven’t made this yet butt would appreciate if the contents were printed in black as well as they are hard to read in lighter color. Thanks for all these great recipes.
Not sure what you mean ~ my text is black so should be easy to read. Feel free to email me for more help Dorothy!
My family loves both carrot cake and hummingbird cake and to say they can eat it for breakfast, wow! They are going to go crazy for this!
I’ve always loved Morning Glory Muffins but have never made them in a Bundt pan. Love this!
This is a must try recipe! Looks delicious.
Absolutely delish but a lot of work! This was a perfect fresh cake for my son with CKD?