Gluten Free Coffee Cake | The Best Easy Coffee Cake Recipe

This gluten free coffee cake is soft and buttery, and topped with the most wonderful brown sugar crumble. Each bite just melts in your mouth, and once you get a taste of this stuff, it is sure to become a gluten free breakfast favorite of yours!

THE BEST GLUTEN FREE COFFEE CAKE RECIPE

Picture this: you are ready to start your morning, but need a quick bite to eat. 

You just poured a hot cup of coffee, and now you're are looking for something to pair it with that will keep you satisfied until lunch. 

Enter the tastiest gluten free coffee cake you've ever had!

Now, my take on this timeless treat is a gluten free cake made with a mix of oat flour, rice flour, and almond flour to create a light and fluffy texture. It also has a buttery and subtle vanilla flavor to it, and it's filled with brown sugar and chopped pecans. 

Gah, it's so good!

Now, although I love eating this coffee cake for breakfast, you can also enjoy it as a delicious gluten free dessert, or for a snack as well.

There are no rules when it comes to an appropriate time to eat coffee cake.

At least, I don't think there are.

That said, if you're looking for more gluten free treats, check out these vanilla cupcake, and this peanut brittle!

INGREDIENTS FOR GLUTEN FREE COFFEE CAKE

So, there are three components to this gluten free coffee cake recipe - the cake, the filling, and the crumble.

Now, the ingredient list looks long, but no need to worry. We will be using the same ingredients in all three components. So, you actually don't need as many ingredients as you might think.

The only ingredient used in one layer, and not another, is the pecans. And those are optional!

That said, to make the cake you will need: 

• ¾ cup oat flour
• Just under 1 cup rice flour
• Just under ½ cup almond flour
• 1 tbsp baking powder
• ½ cup of butter (room temperature, cut into cubes)
• ¾ cup granulated sugar
• 2 eggs
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• ½ cup sour cream
• pinch of salt

For the brown sugar crumble: 

• ¾ cup rice flour
• 3 tbsp. almond flour
• Just under 3 tbsp. brown sugar
• ⅓ cup butter (room temperature, cut into cubes)

And to make the filling, you only need: 

• ¼ cup brown sugar
• ⅔ cup of chopped pecans
• Dash of cinnamon

So, as you might have noticed, we will only be using about ten ingredients to create this one-of-a-kind coffee cake.

And to top the cake off, you can add some extra pecans and a dash of honey too. But, that's totally up to you, and your tastebuds.

Anyway, now let's dive a little into the ingredients and some substitutions you can make with them.

GLUTEN FREE FLOURS TO USE

Baking with gluten-free flours can be confusing at first, but if you know the characteristics of each, it will make gluten-free baking a breeze.  

And it's common to use a mixture of two or more gluten free flours to achieve the recipe's desired flavor and texture, hence our use of three different flours - oat, almond, and rice - in this particular recipe.

That said, Oat flour is a fluffy and sweet flour that will give whatever you are baking a chewier and crumblier texture. And it substitutes with all-purpose flour on a 1:1 ratio. 

Almond flour provides baked goods with a moist and tender texture, making it an excellent option for cakes like this one. It is also very high in nutrients and substitutes with all-purpose flour on a 1:1 ratio. 

Lastly, rice flour has a fine texture and neutral flavor. It yields the best results when combined with other gluten-free flours. Rice flour alone is not the best gluten-free flour option - so you'll want to use it in combination with other ones - and it also cannot be used in place of all-purpose flour on a 1:1 ratio. 

All that said, I highly recommend either using this combination of flours for your gluten free coffee cake, or at the very least using a premixed blend like this one.

Gluten Free Flours To Avoid

Now, there are some gluten free flours that I don't recommend using in this recipe. Mostly since they can affect either the texture or flavor of this coffee cake.

So, the first flour I wouldn't try using is coconut flour.

Coconut flour is highly absorbent, has a coconut flavor, and is naturally sweet.

It is also a very dense flour, and it can be used as a thickener in soups and stews. But, if you are using it as a flour substitute in baked goods, there's a good chance whatever you're making will turn out incredibly dry and crumbly...if it even turns out at all. 

Chickpea flour is another flour I don't recommend using. It's also a very dense flour, and while it is a great option for thickening stews and making substitutions in savory dishes, its strong legume flavor makes it less than ideal in desserts.

So, just keep this tip about flour substitutions in mind if you're thinking about making one.

MAKING THIS RECIPE SUGAR-FREE

Now, if you are looking for a healthier, yet just as tasty coffee cake, you can make this recipe sugar free!

One sweetener to use in place of granulated sugar is granulated Swerve.

Granulated Swerve is a 0 calorie sweetener that tastes and bakes like sugar. It also measures out with sugar on a 1:1 ratio - this means it's just as sweet as sugar.

Another sweetener you could use in place of granulated sugar is Lakanto's Monk Fruit sweetener. This also has 0 calories, contains the same amount of sweetness as regular sugar, and can be substituted on a 1:1 ratio.

And, to swap out the brown sugar, you can use brown Swerve or Lakanto's Monk Fruit golden sweetener. Both of these can substitute with brown sugar on a 1:1 ratio as well. 

So, if you want to make a sugar free coffee cake, try using one of these suggested sweeteners!

HOW TO MAKE COFFEE CAKE GLUTEN FREE

Ok, so now that we've talked all about the ingredients, let's talk about how to make this gluten free coffee cake.

And, as I already mentioned, it's incredibly easy to make!

Just follow a few simple steps, and you'll have yourself some gluten free coffee cake deliciousness in no time!

Plus, this coffee cake is just as tasty - maybe even tastier - leftover, giving you a treat for the entire week. 

Now, without further ado, let's make this recipe! 

STEP 1: MAKING THE CAKE BATTER

First, preheat the oven to 350°F (176°C) and grease a 9x9 baking pan. 

Now, whisk the granulated sugar and butter in a large bowl until creamy. 

Then, add in one egg at a time - whisking/combining them after each time you add them.

Now, once you've added the eggs, you can mix in the vanilla extract, and then set the bowl aside.

So, at this point, we'll want to pour the oat flour, rice flour, almond flour, baking powder, and salt in a separate large bowl, and mix those until combined. 

Then, when they are combined, we're going to gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients - mixing until everything is fully incorporated. 

Finally, you can go ahead and add in the sour cream, and mix to combine. 

STEP 2: ASSEMBLING THE CAKE

To assemble the cake, first combine the filling ingredients - the brown sugar, chopped pecans, and cinnamon - and set aside. 

Then, pour half of the cake batter into the bottom of the pan, evenly sprinkle the entire filling mixture over the batter, and then cover the filling with the remaining batter.

STEP 3: MAKING THE CRUMBLE 

Now, to make the crumble, add the rice flour, almond flour brown sugar, and butter to a bowl. 

Knead the ingredients together with your hands until you get pea-sized pieces. 

Then, sprinkle the crumble mixture evenly on top of the cake batter.

STEP 4: BAKING, COOLING, & SERVING 

So, at this point, you're ready to bake the coffee cake.

And you'll want to bake it for 40-50 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the middle of the cake comes out clean.

Then, let the cake cool completely on the counter, drizzle it with some honey, and top with pecans to finish it off.

STORING GLUTEN FREE COFFEE CAKE

Ok, so you made this gluten free coffee cake, you loved it, and now you have some leftovers. So, how should you store it?

Well, if you plan on eating this coffee cake quickly, you can leave it on the counter in an airtight container, where it will last for 1-2 days. 

However, if you would like it to last longer, I recommend keeping it in the refrigerator in an airtight container. It will stay fresh in the fridge for up to a week. 

That said, if you want your coffee cake to last even longer, you have the option of freezing it. 

To freeze, just wrap your coffee cake tightly in plastic freezer wrap or aluminum foil, or place it in a freezer-safe bag. Stored like this, the cake will taste top-notch for up to 3 months.

Then, when you're ready to eat your frozen coffee cake, let it thaw thoroughly in the fridge before enjoying it. After it thaws, consider warming it up in the microwave for a few seconds for the best results. 

Wrapping Things Up

So, whether you eat gluten free or not, this decadent coffee cake will hit the spot. 

Honestly, it's one of those baked goods that can be eaten at any time of the day and goes great with everything!

Anyway, I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as I do.

As always, if you make it, let me know in the comments below how it turned out.

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