Cooking and Serving: 55 minutes | 9 servings
Ingredients
How to make gluten free coffee cake | Ingredient substitution suggestions
Description
Prep Time: 15 minutes | Cook Time: 40 minutes | Total Time: 55 minutes | Servings: 9 servings
Ingredients
How to make gluten free coffee cake
Ingredient substitution suggestions
Instructions
WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS
The crumb of this delicious cake is dense, but incredibly tender and moist. It’s.
really a golden cake, instead of a gluten free vanilla cake.
Traditional cakes with a more open crumb, like vanilla cake, are typically made.
with a liquid in the batter like milk. This coffee cake has just 2 tablespoons.
of milk—and the rest of the moisture comes from sour cream.
The dense texture of this golden yellow cake combined with the huge cinnamon and.
sugar crumbles on top make it perfect for enjoying along with a hot cup of.
coffee or tea—or with a tall glass of milk. The cake is perfectly sweet, but not.
so sweet that the brown sugar crumble topping feels like it doesn’t belong or.
like it’s “too much.”.
slice of gluten free coffee cake on spatula on top of cake in pan.
of gluten free coffee cake on spatula on top of cake in pan.
RECIPE INGREDIENTS
Here are the ingredients you’ll need to make both the crumble topping and the.
yellow cake beneath it.
CRUMBLE TOPPING
Here’s what you need to make a simple crumble topping, which you’ll make first.
so you can refrigerate it while you make the cake:.
ingredients for gluten free coffee cake crumble topping including melted butter,.
brown sugar, white sugar, gf flour, salt ingredients in small bowls.
for gluten free coffee cake crumble topping including melted butter, brown.
sugar, white sugar, gf flour, salt ingredients in small bowls.
Unsalted butter: Adds flavor and richness, and the moisture that brings the.
topping together. It starts out melted, and becomes firm in the refrigerator.
before using it to top the cake.
Brown sugar: Adds sweetness and depth of flavor, and what you smell baking in.
Granulated sugar: Provides sweetness, and also helps the topping crisp in the.
All purpose gluten free flour blend: Responsible for the structure of your.
crumble that keeps it from melting into the rest of the cake; your blend must.
have some xanthan gum or the crumble won’t keep its shape. I recommend a.
high-quality blend with a finely ground rice flour, like Better Batter’s.
classic blend, Nicole’s Best multipurpose, or Bob’s Red Mill 1-to-1 (blue.
CAKE
ingredients for gluten free coffee cake including sour cream, milk, butter, gf.
flour, cornstarch, baking powder, salt, baking soda, and sugar in small bowls.
for gluten free coffee cake including sour cream, milk, butter, gf flour,.
cornstarch, baking powder, salt, baking soda, and sugar in small bowls with.
To make a rich yellow cake with a pleasantly dense crumb that’s perfect for.
All purpose gluten free flour blend, including xanthan gum: This provides.
structure and texture for the cake; you must use one of my recommended blends.
or the cake ingredients won’t combine properly or bake with the right texture.
Cornstarch: Helps add some tenderness * Baking powder: Provides most of the rise.
Baking soda: Neutralizes the acid in the sour cream and helps the cake brown.
Salt: Brings out all the other flavors and offsets the sweetness a bit.
Ground cinnamon: Adds warmth and depth of flavor, but you can leave it out if.
you’d prefer more plain butter flavor.
Butter: Adds richness, tenderness, and buttery flavor.
Sour cream: Adds moisture, tang, and makes even a dense crumb super tender.
Granulated sugar: Adds sweetness, bulk, and helps keep the cake soft and.
Milk: Lightens the crumb a bit and helps bring the batter together.
Vanilla: Adds depth of flavor.
Eggs: Add rise, bind the other ingredients together, and help maintain the.
cake’s structure after the rise.
MAKE THE CRUMBLE TOPPING
Whisk together the gluten free flours, brown sugar, granulated sugar, and.
Mix in melted butter for easy blending.
Chill the topping to create big crumble pieces.
Mixing bowl with white and light brown ingredients, ingredients whisked, with.
yellow liquid added, and mixed into light brown clumps with fork.
bowl with white and light brown ingredients, ingredients whisked, with yellow.
liquid added, and mixed into light brown clumps with fork.
MAKE THE CAKE BATTER
Whisking together the dry ingredients (gluten free flours, baking powder &.
baking soda, & salt).
Beat the butter, sour cream, milk and granulated sugar in a large mixing.
Mix in the dry ingredients.
Metal mixing bowl with dry ingredients and mixed with whisk.
mixing bowl with dry ingredients and mixed with whisk.
metal mixing bowl with butter and cream cheese, mixture beaten with handheld.
mixer, with two eggs added, and then beaten, with dry ingredients on top and.
mixing bowl with butter and cream cheese, mixture beaten with handheld mixer,.
with two eggs added, and then beaten, with dry ingredients on top and then.
ASSEMBLE THE BATTER, TOP WITH CRUMBLE, & BAKE.
Transfer the cake batter to a prepared cake pan and spread it into an even.
Break up the chilled crumble and scatter on top.
Bake the cake at 350°F until it no longer jiggles in the center.
Allow the cake to cool, then slice and serve!
raw light yellow batter in square baking pan, with light brown crumble topping,.
light yellow batter in square baking pan, with light brown crumble topping, and.
INGREDIENT SUBSTITUTION SUGGESTIONS
This cake is versatile enough that you can make some tweaks to it when you’re.
catering to dietary requirements other than gluten free.
DAIRY FREE
There is a lot of butter in this recipe, both in the crumble topping and in the.
cake itself. The best replacement for the butter in both places is probably Melt.
or Miyoko’s Kitchen brand vegan butter.
For the crumble topping, if you can’t use vegan butter, try using Spectrum.
nonhydrogenated vegetable shortening.
In place of sour cream, try using a good quality nondairy sour cream. You can.
also use plain Greek-style yogurt in place of sour cream.
And remember, go with Better Batter not Cup4Cup, as Better Batter is dairy free.
while Cup4Cup is not.
whole gluten free coffee cake in white paper in square metal baking tin.
gluten free coffee cake in white paper in square metal baking tin.
There are two eggs in this coffee cake recipe, and you might be able to replace.
each of them with one “chia egg” each. For each, place 1 tablespoon ground white.
chia seeds + 1 tablespoon lukewarm water into a small bowl, mix, and allow to.
If you can’t have corn, try using arrowroot powder or even potato starch in.
place of cornstarch. If you can’t have cornstarch, you’ll have to avoid using.
Cup4Cup at all, since it is made with a lot of cornstarch.
If you can have corn and you’re already using a higher starch all purpose gluten.
free flour blend, like Cup4Cup, replace the 18 grams of cornstarch in this.
recipe with an equal amount of that high starch flour blend.
slice of gluten free coffee cake with powdered sugar on white plate with fork.
of gluten free coffee cake with powdered sugar on white plate with fork.
GLUTEN FREE COFFEE CAKE RECIPE
Prep Time: 15 minutes mins.
Cook Time: 40 minutes mins.
Chilling time for crumble: 30 minutes mins.
gold fork piercing light brown crumble topping of gluten free coffee cake slice.
fork piercing light brown crumble topping of gluten free coffee cake slice on.
Tender and moist golden sour cream gluten free coffee cake topped with that.
classic nubby, sweet streusel crumb topping.
EQUIPMENT
Hand mixer or stand mixer.
FOR THE TOPPING
8 tablespoons (112 g) unsalted butter, melted.
⅓ cup (73 g) packed light brown sugar.
¼ cup (50 g) granulated sugar.
1 cup (140 g) all purpose gluten free flour blend.
FOR THE TOPPING
8 tablespoons (112 g) unsalted butter, melted.
⅓ cup (73 g) packed light brown sugar.
¼ cup (50 g) granulated sugar.
1 cup (140 g) all purpose gluten free flour blend.
Notes
* ½ teaspoon xanthan gum, omit if your blend already contains it (use a
heaping 1/2 teaspoon)
* ⅛ teaspoon kosher salt
* 1 ¾ cups (245 g) all purpose gluten free flour blend
* ½ teaspoon xanthan gum, omit if your blend already contains it (use a
heaping 1/2 teaspoon)
* 2 tablespoons (18 g) cornstarch
* ¾ teaspoon baking powder
* ½ teaspoon baking soda
* ½ teaspoon kosher salt
* 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon, optional
* 6 tablespoons (84 g) unsalted butter, at room temperature
* 1 cup (256 g) sour cream, at room temperature
* ¾ cup (150 g) granulated sugar
* 2 tablespoons (1 fluid ounce) milk, at room temperature
* 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
* 2 (100 g (weighed out of shell)) eggs, at room temperature
* Preheat your oven to 350°F. Line an 8-inch square baking pan with parchment
paper and set it aside.
FOR THE CRUMBLE TOPPING
* The topping must be prepared first, so it can chill.
* In a medium-size bowl, place all the ingredients in the order listed, mixing
to combine after each addition.
* Cover the bowl that holds the raw topping. Place the bowl in the refrigerator
* In a medium-size bowl, place the flour, xanthan gum, cornstarch, baking
powder, baking soda, salt, and optional cinnamon, and whisk to combine well.
* In a large bowl with a handheld mixer or the bowl of a stand mixer fitted
with the paddle attachment, place the butter, sour cream, granulated sugar,
milk, and vanilla, and beat well on medium speed until very smooth. Add the
eggs, and beat until just combined.
* Add the dry ingredients to the bowl of wet ingredients and mix just combined. The batter will be very thick, since our liquid is mainly sour
ASSEMBLE AND BAKE THE CAKE
* Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and smooth into an even layer with a
wet spatula. Press the spatula down in the corners to eliminate any air
* Remove the chilled crumble topping from the refrigerator. Uncover the
topping, and use the tines of a fork to break up the mixture into irregular
* Scatter the crumble pieces evenly on top of the cake batter. Press down
gently to help the topping adhere to the batter.
* Place the cake pan in the center of the preheated oven. Bake for about 40
minutes, until the center does not jiggle in the center when the pan is
shaken from side to side gently.
* A cake tester inserted into the center should come out mostly clean. Do not
overbake or the bottom will burn.
* Remove the pan from the oven and allow the cake to cool in the pan for 10
minutes or until it’s just table enough to transfer.
* Lift the cake out of the pan wire rack. Pull out the parchment paper from underneath the cake to allow the
cake to be exposed to the air while it cools completely.
* Slice into 9 equal squares and serve.
Flour blend information.
My favorite gluten free flour blends are Better Batter’s original blend
gluten free flour and
Nicole’s Best multipurpose
gluten free blend. Bob’s Red Mill 1-to-1 Baking Flour
should also work, but I recommend adding an additional 1/4 teaspoon xanthan gum
per cup of gluten free flour to your dry ingredients or the cake will look good,
Cup4Cup changed its formula and doesn’t seem to work as well as it has in the
past, so I don’t recommend it. To make your own blend using one of my “mock”
recipes, please see the all purpose gluten free flour blends
Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 99mg | Sodium: 323mg | Potassium: 71mg | Fiber: 2g
| Sugar: 31g | Vitamin A: 763IU | Vitamin C: 0.2mg | Calcium: 72mg | Iron: 0.3mg
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an
This cake keeps well at room temperature in an airtight container for up to 3
For longer storage, wrap individual slices in freezer-safe wrap and freeze for
Defrost frozen slices at 50% power in the microwave or at room temperature then
toast lightly to refresh.
Is there coffee in this coffee cake?
No! There’s no coffee in coffee cake. It’s made to be enjoyed with a hot cup of
Over the years, I’ve come to suspect that, in some cultures, what they call a
coffee cake actually has coffee baked into the batter. I assume that flavors the
How do I make sure the crumble topping doesn’t melt into the cake?
Make sure the topping is super cold when it goes into the oven, and make sure
your oven doesn’t run hot, because a too-hot oven will melt the crumble. Like
baking gluten free puff pastry
must start out cold so it holds its shape during baking.
Why did my cake brown and then turn soft?
You may have let the warm cake sit in the pan and/or the parchment paper liner
too long. If you don’t allow the hot steam from the oven to escape as the cake
cools, it will steam the cake and can make the browned parts a bit rubbery.
Raw coffee cake crumbles in a square metal cake pan
coffee cake crumbles in a square metal cake pan