Gluten Free Coffee Cake Recipe

gold fork piercing light brown crumble topping of gluten free coffee cake slice on small white plate

4.98 from 72 votes

Tender and moist golden sour cream gluten free coffee cake topped with that classic nubby, sweet streusel crumb topping.

Prep Time15

Cook Time40

Chilling time for crumble30

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Keyword: brown sugar, eggs, gluten free coffee cake, gluten free flour, milk, sour cream, vanilla extract, white sugar

Servings: servings

Author: Nicole Hunn

Equipment

Hand mixer or stand mixer

Ingredients

For the topping

8 tablespoons unsalted butter melted
⅓ cup packed light brown sugar
¼ cup granulated sugar
1 cup all purpose gluten free flour blend (See Recipe Notes)
½ teaspoon xanthan gum omit if your blend already contains it (use a heaping 1/2 teaspoon)
⅛ teaspoon kosher salt

For the cake batter

1 ¾ cups all purpose gluten free flour blend (See Recipe Notes)
½ teaspoon xanthan gum omit if your blend already contains it (use a heaping 1/2 teaspoon)
2 tablespoons cornstarch
¾ teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon kosher salt
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon optional
6 tablespoons unsalted butter at room temperature
1 cup sour cream at room temperature
¾ cup granulated sugar
2 tablespoons milk at room temperature
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 eggs at room temperature

Customary - Metric

Instructions

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 to chill until firm.

For the cake batter

In a medium-size bowl, place the flour, xanthan gum, cornstarch, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and optional cinnamon, and whisk to combine well. Set the bowl aside.
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 by hand until just combined. The batter will be very thick, since our liquid is mainly sour cream.

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 pockets.
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 pieces.
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 by the parchment paper liner, and place it on a 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.

Video

Notes

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, but will be crumbly.

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 page.

Nutrition