Louisiana Crunch Cake

Packed with a combination of coconut, lemon and almond, this Louisiana Crunch Cake is sure to be a favorite sweet treat in your house!

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Packed with a combination of coconut, lemon and almond, this Louisiana Crunch Cake is sure to be a favorite sweet treat in your house!I’ve always found recipe naming to be rather funny.  Sure, there are some classics like casseroles, lasagna and spaghetti.  Everyone knows what you’re talking about when you mention cheesy lasagna.  But other recipes are a bit off.  (*I’m looking at you, Aunt Sue’s Favorite Cake.*)  I touched on this topic a while back when we made these Tiger Shark Muffins.  Uh, I mean when we made those Spinach Cornbread Muffins.

Packed with a combination of coconut, lemon and almond, this Louisiana Crunch Cake is sure to be a favorite sweet treat in your house!But just recently, I stumbled across Entenmann’s Louisiana Crunch Cake in the grocery store.  Correction.  I re-stumbled across Entenmann’s Louisiana Crunch Cake.  Every so often, my mom would pick up this treat or something similar when we were kids.  It was delicious…and I’m sure it still is.  But my adult self had to stop and wonder about the origins of this Louisiana Crunch Cake.

Packed with a combination of coconut, lemon and almond, this Louisiana Crunch Cake is sure to be a favorite sweet treat in your house!After all, these is nothing Louisiana about this cake.  If it had been a king cake, then I’d have understood.  (King cakes are a traditional Mardi Gras treat in Louisiana.)  Heck, if it had included peaches, strawberries or pecans, then I’d have understood.  (Louisiana is known for all 3 of these crops.)  But nope, this cake has none of those.  So what the heck?  We might as well have called this a Crystal Ball Cake.  Because that makes about as much sense as a Louisiana Crunch Cake.

Packed with a combination of coconut, lemon and almond, this Louisiana Crunch Cake is sure to be a favorite sweet treat in your house!But setting aside the naming of this cake, it’s still got a mighty tasty combination of flavors.  It’s essentially a buttermilk pound cake covered with coconut glaze.  I decided to use this as a starting point, but I added a bit of lemon juice into the cake as well as sliced almonds on top of the cake.  Oh, and I added a tiny splash of almond extract to the glaze.  (Almond extract is potent stuff!  I only added 1/4 teaspoon.  I was tempted to add more, but I’m glad I didn’t as that 1/4 teaspoon was just right.)  The almond extract is my secret ingredient here!  In fact, Laura took one bite of this cake and said, “Hey, get back here with that cake…it tastes like wedding cake!”  Yup, that’s the almond extract doing its job.

Packed with a combination of coconut, lemon and almond, this Louisiana Crunch Cake is sure to be a favorite sweet treat in your house!So in all fairness, I can’t speak to whether this Louisiana Crunch Cake tastes like the Entenmann’s version.  That’s because I chose to come home and bake this version instead.  What can I say?  I find baking therapeutic!  (I don’t believe Enternmann’s includes lemon or almond flavors in their version.)  But I can say that this cake is mighty tasty, and you won’t be disappointed!  I find coconut, lemon and almond flavors perfect for these early days of summer.  Enjoy this Crystal Ball Cake…or Wizard’s Staff Cake…or Dragon’s Bane Cake…or whatever other name you choose to call it.  Cheers!

Packed with a combination of coconut, lemon and almond, this Louisiana Crunch Cake is sure to be a favorite sweet treat in your house!

Louisiana Crunch Cake

Packed with a combination of coconut, lemon and almond, this Louisiana Crunch Cake is sure to be a favorite sweet treat in your house!
Print Pin Rate
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour 5 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour 20 minutes
Servings: 16 servings
Calories: 456kcal

Ingredients

For the Glaze

For Topping

  • ½ cup coconut flakes lightly toasted
  • ½ cup sliced almonds lightly toasted

Instructions

For the Pound Cake

  • Preheat oven to 350°F. Lightly grease or spray a standard tube or bundt pan; set aside.
  • Using a countertop mixer, cream together the butter sugar until light and fluffy (~2-3 minutes on medium-high speed).
  • Add the eggs one at a time, mixing after each addition.
  • Add flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt; mix until well combined.
  • Add sour cream, vanilla, lemon juice, buttermilk and coconut flakes; mix until well combined.
  • Transfer batter into prepared pan. Bake at 350°F for 60-65 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into center of cake comes out mostly clean.
  • Let cake cool in pan for 15 minutes before turning cake out onto baking rack. Let cake cool completely before adding Glaze.

For the Glaze

  • Whisk all Glaze ingredients together until smooth. Once cake has cooled, pour Glaze on top. Before the Glaze dries, sprinkle top of cake with toasted coconut flakes and sliced almonds.

Packed with a combination of coconut, lemon and almond, this Louisiana Crunch Cake is sure to be a favorite sweet treat in your house!

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46 Comments

    1. Hey there, Sharmila! Thank you so much for the kind words. Definitely do try baking with these flavors…they are delicious and perfect for the warmer months for sure. 🙂

  1. Oh David! You are right, nothing that one would expect from Louisiana but still sounds like a fluffy moist almond dream cake! thanks for sharing it I have move this to my to-do list! Have a great Monday my friend!

    1. Yeah, I’m pretty sure this cake has nothing to do with Louisiana…but it’s still delicious! The flavors all work so well together, and they are perfect for the warmer months, too. Thank you so much, my friend!

  2. I don’t care what it’s called. I just want a slice RIGHT NOW! All those flavors are so perfect together and definitely perfect for this time of year :). Not to mention that pound cakes make my heart go pitter-patter. This is one dreamy cake, my friend! Have a great day!

    1. Oh man, if only I could beam a slice of this bad boy out to you right now, Kelsie! I’m guessing you are starting the back half of your move (i.e. the unpacking part), and I’m guessing you could really use a slice of cake right about now. Hope all is going well…and not too much got broken in the move! 🙂

  3. Hi David. Yet another wonderful cake. Any cake with coconut is a hit with me. However, if you don’t stop making all these cakes I am going to have to buy new jeans.

    1. Haha! You and me both, Dorothy! At least for us, we always have Laura’s coworkers as an outlet for excess cake. And I’ve got a couple other good ones in the works. 🙂 Coconut really is a good flavor for the summer months, don’t you think? Thank you so much, my baking friend!

    1. Hey that’s a pretty good attempt at a Southern drawl! 🙂 This cake is quite tasty, and the flavors come together so well…perfect for a summer dessert. Thanks, Johlene! I hope your week is going well!

  4. Coconut + Lemon + Almond??? Yes Yes and Yes sounds like the perfect flavor combination. lol the name is kinda of wacky, I wonder who named all these random treats. There really isn’t anything Louisiana about this cake but that wouldn’t stop me from devouring it. Mmmmmm buttermilk pound cake, this sounds like an Alabama crunch cake lol. I love sneaking almond extract into recipes. It always makes everything that much better. Baking is therapeutic, not if I could only find someone to bake for.

    1. Oh man, this flavor combination! It really is quite tasty, Mary. I love lemon + coconut when it comes to summer months, and the almond touch in this one is mighty fun. I just might have had a 2nd slice to confirm that I liked it as much as the 1st. You know…quality control and everything! 🙂 Hey, I’d be down for calling this one an Alabama Crunch Cake, but we all know Louisiana > Alabama! Haha! Oh, and you’re welcome to bake for me anytime you’d like!

    1. Yeah, the origins of this one totally confuse me. Makes no sense at all…but then again, who cares what the name is, right? This cake is so perfect for summer desserts! Thanks, Kathy!

  5. David, can you just pass me one of those forks in your photographs now please! 🙂 I love the fluffy looking texture, and as I’m staring / gawking at these photographs I’m imagining bites of its coconut lemony almondness descending into my tummy. What a beautiful looking cake! Who care what it’s called! 😉

    1. Haha! Why, yes, you may certainly use one of the forks straight out of the photo, Neil. But you have to promise to wash and dry it afterwards, ok? 🙂 This cake certainly is yummy, and it’s quite a fun treat to serve on warmer evenings. Thanks, my friend!

  6. Wow this sounds absolutely delicious! I love all the flavors going on here. Almond extract is amazing when used in the right amount, glad you added only 1/4th teaspoon. I have ruined cakes in the past by adding way too much! :/

    1. It’s so amazing how little almond extract it takes to really bring that flavor to a cake! I mean 1/4 tsp was perfect, but 1/2 tsp would have been way overkill. I’ve absolutely ruined my fair share of desserts with too much almond extract, too. Glad to hear it’s not just me! Hah! 🙂

  7. I’ve never heard of Louisiana Crunch Cake – sounds interesting. I think you’re the king of making interesting cakes! Almond extract is good stuff and gives recipes so much flavor with such a little bit of it.

    1. Wow…what an honor! King of interesting cakes. I’ll take it! 🙂 The flavors in this cake are super tasty, and they are perfect for warmer summer nights. Thanks so much, Nicole! I hope you’re well is going well so far.

  8. Love your posts were you’re talking about both food and the origin of names/words (although you didn’t much clear things up regards this delicious cake) But you should consider writing a book which would cover both culinary and etymology. Anyway, this cake looks and sounds super delicious. Also, I think you did the right thing while mixing the coconut and almond flavors!

    1. Yeah, I think this post probably just confused things even further in terms of where the name of this cake came from. But then again, who really cares when the cake is this tasty, right? 🙂 These flavors all play so well together, and they are perfect for the warmer nights that are coming…or at least should be coming…in theory…maybe? Haha. Thanks, Ben!

  9. You took me down memory lane with this post, David, as the last time I recall having a slice of Entenmann’s Louisiana Crunch Cake was way, way back during my college years! I’m so glad you came home and made your own version – not only is your addition of lemon in the cake and almond in the icing make for a scrumptious slice, but I’m willing to bet your homemade version trumps that packaged one anyday.
    I sure do agree, baking is therapeutic for me as well – but so is slicing and dicing and all that stuff that goes with being in the kitchen – at least that’s my two cents! Now, am thinking you have some slices of this stored up in your freezer so guess what? Yup, I will be a good friend and help you make room in that freezer by taking some of those slices out via drone – isn’t this a good idea or what?! 🙂
    Hope you and the Spiced clan had a wonderful weekend!

    1. Well I’m glad I could be here to remind you of your college days, Shashi! 🙂 I truly can’t remember the last time I had a slice of the Entenmann’s version, but I can absolutely say that this homemade cake is totally the bees knees! I mean all of those flavors come together for one heck of a tasty summer treat. I think we might have a couple of slices of this one stashed away, but I’ve heard that the drone is no longer capable of transporting desserts. Something about it being detrimental to it’s longterm use. Guess you’ll just have to come on up yourself for a slice of cake and a cup of joe! Hope your week is going well so far, Shashi!

    1. Hey there, Balvinder! This cake really is a fun one, and you’re right that it’s perfect for warmer spring and summer evenings. Yum! Thank you so much for stopping by and commenting! 🙂

    1. Hey, this cake could totally work as a breakfast cake! Just serve it up with a hot mug of strong coffee….mmm! 🙂 Thanks so much for stopping by and commenting, Ashika!

    1. Why thank you very much, Miriam! This cake really is perfect for the warmer spring and summer days. 🙂 And nothing like baking a cake to relax, right? (Although I think eating it is even more relaxing!) Have a great weekend over there, my friend!

    1. Thanks so much, Bianca! Yup, this cake has nothing to do with Louisiana…but it’s all kinds of delicious. I promise it won’t last long in your kitchen! 🙂

    1. This cake is absolutely delicious, Marissa! The coconut + lemon + almond is such a tasty combo. In fact, I’m thinking about making this again this weekend for a party! 🙂 Thanks so much, and I hope your week is going well so far!

      1. This was an awesome cake. I’ve made it twice and shared it with friends and family who really liked the great flavor. Will make again.

        1. Thank you so much, Susanne! I’m really glad you enjoy this cake (it’s delicious!), and I also really appreciate you stopping by to leave a comment. Thanks again, and hope you have a great day! 🙂

    1. I would recommend using a 10″ Bundt pan for this recipe. (A 10″ Bundt pan holds 10–12 cups.
      That’s approximately the same as a 9″x13″ pan, two 9″ round pans or three 8″ round pans.) I hope this helps! We love this cake, and I hope you do, too!

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