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This gluten free coffee cake has that classic rich, tender golden cake, topped with a that classic nubby, sweet streusel topping.
I always loved coffee cake with big pieces of brown sugar-sweetened crumble on top, and would not stop until I had a coffee cake recipe that won’t disappoint the crumble lovers among us!
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.”
Recipe ingredients
Here are the ingredients you’ll need to make both the crumble topping and the yellow cake beneath it, followed by information about the role of each ingredient in the ideal finished cake:
For the crumble topping
- 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 the oven.
- Granulated sugar: Provides sweetness, and also helps the topping crisp in the oven.
- 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 gluten free baking flour.
For the cake
- All purpose gluten free flour blend: Just like in the topping, this provides structure and texture for the cake. I recommend Better Batter’s original blend without added xanthan gum, Nicole’s Best with 1/2 teaspoon xanthan gum, or Bob’s Red Mill 1-to-1.
- Cornstarch: Helps add some tenderness by improving moisture retention of the flour.
- Baking powder: Provides most of the rise.
- Baking soda: Reacts with the acid in the sour cream to provide some rise, and helps the cake brown in the oven.
- 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 gives the dense crumb a velvety mouthfeel.
- Granulated sugar: Adds sweetness, bulk, and helps keep the cake soft and moist by locking in moisture.
- Milk: Lightens the crumb a bit and adds moisture to help bring the batter together.
- Vanilla extract: Adds depth of flavor.
- Eggs: Add rise, bind the other ingredients together, and help maintain the cake’s structure after the rise.
How to make gluten free coffee cake (step by step photos)
Begin by making the crumble topping first so it can firm up in the refrigerator as you make the cake batter and hold its shape during baking.
Make the crumble topping
Whisk together the gluten free flours, brown sugar, granulated sugar, and salt so they’re fully combined, breaking up any lumps in the brown sugar which would harden in the oven. Mix in melted butter for easy blending into a thick mixture. Chill the topping to help the butter reform into a solid that we can later break into large irregular pieces.
Whisk the cake dry ingredients
Whisking together the dry ingredients (gluten free flours, baking powder & baking soda, & salt) fully to avoid any bitter pockets of leavener and create a smooth cake batter without overbeating.
Beat the cake wet ingredients
Beat the butter, sour cream, milk and granulated sugar in a large mixing bowl into a smooth, thick paste. This adds some air to the batter but not too much, which might cause the batter to curdle and make the cake greasy.
Add the eggs
Add the eggs last to avoid overbeating them, which can cause tunnels in the dense cake during baking.
Combine wet and dry ingredients
Mix in the whisked dry ingredients by hand since the batter will be quite thick, and a thick batter tends to climb up the beaters and become difficult to beat. Mixing by hand also lets you avoid overworking the batter which could collapse the air you did incorporate earlier, since gluten free flours have a greater tendency to collapse.
Assemble the batter
Transfer the cake batter to a prepared cake pan and spread it into an even layer so it bake evenly.
Top with crumble
Break up the chilled crumble into medium-large irregular pieces, and scatter them evenly on top of the cake. Too-small clumps will melt into the cake, and too-large clumps will taste dense, not tender.
Bake
Bake the cake at 350°F until it no longer jiggles in the center and it measures about 205°F on an instant read thermometer. This is such a dense, moist cake that a cake tester may not come out clean even when baking is done.
Cool
As soon as the cake is stable enough to transfer (less than 10 minutes), remove it from the pan and place it on a wire rack to cool completely.
Pro Tip: Do not let the cake sit in the pan for any longer than necessary after baking, and no more than 10 minutes, or the residual heat of such a moist cake will steam the outside and make the crust taste chewy.
Ingredient substitutions
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 (or strain regular nondairy yogurt of excess moisture until it resembles Greek-style). In place of regular milk, any nondairy milk is fine since there’s such a small amount.
Egg-free
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 gel.
Corn-free
Try using arrowroot powder or even potato starch in place of cornstarch. If you can’t have cornstarch, you’ll have to avoid using Nicole’s Best, which contains cornstarch in the blend.
Storage instructions
This cake keeps well at room temperature in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
For longer storage, wrap individual slices in freezer-safe wrap and freeze for up to 3 months.
Defrost frozen slices at 50% power in the microwave or at room temperature then toast lightly to refresh.
Gluten Free Coffee Cake Recipe
Tell Google you trust GFOAS!
Equipment
- Hand mixer or stand mixer
Ingredients
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, (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 (245 g) 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 (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
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. Do not overbake or the bottom will burn.
- Remove the pan from the oven and allow the cake to cool in the pan for no more than 10 minutes, waiting just until it's just table enough to transfer. Do not leave the cake in the hot pan for too long or the outside will steam and turn chewy.
- 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
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
FAQs
No! There’s no coffee in coffee cake. It’s made to be enjoyed with a hot cup of coffee.
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 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, crumble topping must start out cold so it holds its shape during baking.
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.
Any chance you could suggest how to tweak this for baking at 6000 ft? Can’t wait to try it!
I’m afraid I don’t have any experience with high altitude baking since I can’t recreate that condition, Kathleen, but I can tell you that over the many years I’ve been doing this, many readers at altitude have reported that they used their “normal” adjustments and they worked fine.
Hi! I haven’t made this yet but wondered if it’s ideal to refrigerate to keep it fresh? I’d love to bake and send it to my granddaughter but am concerned if it will survive 2-3 days of shipping.
Thank you for your wonderful recipes and your time!
Carol G
Hi, Carol, please see the section of the post titled “How to store gluten free coffee cake.” I’m honestly not sure if you could ship it but if you do, definitely pack it tight so the crumble topping doesn’t get broken off. The cake itself is pretty solid, though. And you’re so welcome!
This was obscenely good! My husband and neighbors couldn’t believe it was GF. FINALLY!
I’m so glad, Megan! I hope it restores your faith in baking. :)
Can this be made with any non-cane sugars to reduce the carbs?
Anything other than a sugar alternative will have lots of carbs, Bobbi. I’m afraid I don’t love baking with alternative sugars, but you can try using Swerve brand sugar alternatives. They do tend to be drying, so the cake likely won’t be as moist or tender. I think you’re probably better off finding a keto recipe, developed to be made with sugar alternatives.
Would it be possible to make with Yoghurt instead of Sour Cream?
As explained in the ingredients and substitutions section, Natalie, you can use plain Greek-style yogurt in place of sour cream.
Can this be made using a 10in. tube pan?
It can be very challenging to bake in a tube pan, Mary, so I wouldn’t recommend that for this cake. If you’d like a larger cake, you can try following the instructions in my marble bundt cake recipe for scaling this recipe up and baking it in a bundt pan.
In Australia, we definitely have a strongly flavoured coffee cake tradition! I think it’s from the country, I always remember a coffee cake as standard fare at Church morning teas, sheep shearing, fairs & fetes, cake stalls etc.
It’s amazing how different recipe names can have such different meanings, Patty!
Can I make this cake without the topping?
That’s an interesting question, Christina. I actually don’t recommend that, no, as the moisture balance of the bottom takes the topping into account as well. I have a number of other yellow and vanilla cake recipes, though. I’d use one of those (just type cake into the search bar and you’ll find them!).
This recipe says not to add the xanthyn gum if there’s xanthyn gum in the gluten free flour blend you are using. If I want to make this using your Mock Better Batter blend, which does have some xanthyn gum in it, does that mean I should not add the xanthyn gum that’s called for in this recipe? I assume the answer is to not add it, but I wanted to check with you to make sure. Thanks so much.
Yes! Try not to second-guess yourself. You’ve got it! :)
Can you add fresh blueberries to this?
I wouldn’t, Linda. They’ll really affect the moisture balance. I’d try our gluten free blueberry muffin bread instead.