The delicious coffee cake bars with raisins and cashew nuts make a nice breakfast treat or can also be enjoyed as dessert or with coffee in the afternoon.
Here in Thailand, I hate to say it, but, bakeries aren’t that common. So, my husband and I were quite surprised to walk by a bakery in our town one day! We were even more surprised to see that it was set up like a European style bakery and café. As many of you may have guessed, bakeries and cafes are commonplace throughout Europe, so we’re quite used to frequenting bakeries.
Upon entering the bakery, we were pleased to find that the selection was exquisite! Aside from all kinds of different breads, they had many small whole cakes to take home, sliced cakes to enjoy at the café, and many options for already packaged one-serving treats. They even had what looked like chocolate cake balls. We stumbled upon a hidden bakery gem!
Although it was tempting to try everything at once, unfortunately, there was simply no way we could. Both of us have actually started losing weight here and we wouldn’t want to reverse that all in one day.
So, getting down to business, aside from a sample of sliced bread, we decided on a cashew coffee cake bar for a little sweet treat. It was already conveniently boxed so we waited until we got home to enjoy it.
The Recipe for The Bars
The base of the bar was a raisin coffee cake topped with chopped cashews and brown sugar. We really enjoyed the flavor and texture of the soft base with a crunchy topping. It was the perfect contrast in taste and texture to us.
I especially loved these bars and this recipe overall because it was a bit of sweetness to satisfy my sweet tooth but also had healthy components to balance it out, like the cashews and raisins. It’s the perfect snack for a protein boost, a small pick-me-up—or both!
For our palates, that hadn’t had many baked desserts aside from cookies, for quite a while, it was a real treat. However, I suspect that it wasn’t freshly made that day or the one before. This really made me wish I was able to re-create a home-baked version of it. I felt it was a yummy dessert and a great sweet snack, but I envisioned it being even better freshly baked.
Since our oven-less situation hasn’t resolved yet, all I can do is day-dream and research recipes. I found a recipe for very similar cake bars with great reviews and with just a little tweaking it becomes a fresher version of what we ate that day at the bakery.
To add a little saltiness to the sweetness (for those of you who perhaps love the combination of sweet and salty) try using salted cashews rather than plain.
These bars go great with a cup of coffee at any time a day or when you just need a small, sweet fix. You could even add it in as part of your breakfast!
Since we happen to be oven-less, give this recipe a try and leave feedback with your thoughts! Enjoy!
Cashew Bars Recipe
Ingredients
Cake Layer
- ¾ cup all-purpose flour
- ½ cup sugar
- ½ cup brown sugar packed
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 2 eggs
- ½ cup raisins
Topping:
- ½ cup chopped cashews can be natural or salted
- ¼ cup brown sugar packed
- 2 tablespoons butter melted
- 4-½ teaspoons heavy whipping cream
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350° F. Combine the flour, sugars, baking powder and salt in a large mixing bowl. Add the eggs and beat just until combined. Fold in the raisins.
- Spread batter into a greased 8 inch square baking dish. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until the top springs back when lightly touched.
- In a small bowl, combine the topping ingredients. Spread the topping over the cake.
- Put the pan back into the oven on the broil setting for 1-2 minutes or until bubbly and lightly browned. Cut into bars while still warm. Cool on a wire rack.
Chelsea
Nice Recipe - Cashew Coffee Cake Bars