Louisiana Crunch Cake is a copycat recipe from one of my favorite cakes growing up. You know, the cakes with their own display case at the end of the supermarket aisle?!
It’s a moist, tender cake with a sweet topping made up of three layers. The bottom of the pan gets covered in sugar and coconut flakes then the batter is poured right on top and baked so it becomes a part of the cake. When you turn the cake out of the pan it becomes the topping.
Well. . . one-third of the topping.
A confectioners’ glaze gets spooned on top of that and then there’s even more coconut flakes and sliced almonds. To make it pretty. Three layers of deliciousness that put the crunch in the cake.
This is much like a coffee cake making a great companion to a cup of coffee or tea. I can’t tell you how fast it disappeared in my house.
It was like a pack of hungry wolves came for dessert and didn’t leave a single crumb in their wake.
Louisiana Crunch Cake
Ingredients
- 3 cups cake flour not self-rising
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 cup butter at room temperature
- 2 cups granulated sugar + 1/4 cup for sprinkling in pan
- 4 large eggs at room temperature
- 1/4 cup sour cream
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 cup buttermilk
- 1/4 cup coconut flakes
- Glaze:
- 2 cups confectioners' sugar
- 1/4 cup melted butter
- 2 - 3 tablespoons heavy cream or whole milk as needed
- 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1/4 cup coconut flakes
- 1/4 cup sliced almonds
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter and flour a tube or bundt pan.
- Sift together the flour, salt, baking powder and soda. Set aside.
- In a separate large bowl beat butter on medium speed until fluffy about 2 minutes. Add sugar and beat 3 more minutes until light and fluffy.
- Beat in eggs one at a time. On the lowest speed beat in sour cream and vanilla.
- On the lowest speed mix in 1/3 of the dry ingredients followed by 1/2 the buttermilk then repeat ending with the the last third of the flour. Don't over mix or your cake will be dense!
- Sprinkle the 1/4 cup of sugar over the bottom of the pan and shake so the sugar goes up the sides 2 - 3 inches. Sprinkle with the coconut flakes.
- Scoop the batter into the pan and spread evenly. Bake 55 - 65 minutes or until a wooden skewer in center comes out clean.
- Cool the cake in the pan on a wire rack 10 minutes, then carefully turn out onto a cake dish or platter. Cool completely.
- To make the glaze whisk the confectioners' sugar, butter, milk and vanilla together. The glaze should run off your whisk when lifted. If needed add more milk to thin it out.
- Poke holes all over the top of the cake 1/2-inch apart using a skewer or toothpick. Slowly spoon the glaze over the top. Sprinkle with coconut and almonds.