Gluten-Free Coffee Cake

Gluten-Free Coffee Cake | Easy Recipe | Sour Cream Cake with Cinnamon Streusel Topping | Perfect Christmas Dessert

This recipe is an updated take on the sour cream coffee cake from my first cookbook, Easy Gluten-Free Baking.

Since there are now great gluten-free flour blends available at the market, there’s no need to mix individual flours for this recipe. (That said, if you LOVE that recipe and I know lots of you do, go ahead and make it as written!)

Gluten-Free Coffee Cake: The Ingredients

Gluten-Free Baking Flour: For this recipe, I use my go-to flour blend: Bob’s Red Mill 1:1 Gluten-Free Baking Flour. If you use a different flour blend in this recipe, the results might be different. (For the best results, be sure to use a blend that includes xanthan or guar gum.)

The Butter: Reach for softened butter when making this cake. When it’s beaten together with the sugar, it traps air. Trapped air= a light cake with a delicate crumb.

The Sour Cream: Sour cream makes this cake light and moist. For the best flavor and texture, use full-fat sour cream. (If you’re dairy-free, try a plant-based sour cream.)

The Eggs: Two eggs are needed to make this cake. I haven’t tested this recipe with an egg replacer. So I can’t say if it will work without eggs.

The Cinnamon: This is the star of the show, isn’t it? Not only does the filling and streusel include cinnamon, I add a tiny amount to the butter. This adds a whisper of cinnamon to the cake batter. You can’t really taste it but you can tell it’s there.

The Sugar: You’ll need two types of sugar to make this coffee cake. Granulated sugar for the cake batter and brown sugar for the filling/streusel. The brown sugar adds a lovely flavor that, if used in the cake batter, would impart a flavor that’s not traditionally found in coffee cake. This recipe makes a traditional coffee cake. That means it’s a vanilla-scented cake topped with a brown sugar streusel topping.

How to Make Gluten-Free Coffee Cake

• Mix the Filling. This coffee cake includes a yummy ribbon of cinnamon-sugar filling. That same filling turns into the topping. It’s baking magic. (It’s butter, which, I think is baking magic.)
• Make the Batter. This is a simple batter to make. You beat together some butter and sugar. Add a few eggs. Then add (separately) the dry ingredients and sour cream. Mix until the batter looks smooth and thick.
• Spread Half the Batter into the Pan. The original recipe called for a bundt pan. While this is lovely, a lot of people don’t oven bundt pans. So this version of the cake is made in a 9×9-inch square baking pan.
• Sprinkle the Filling Over the Batter. Sprinkle half (this is important) the filling evenly over the cake batter.
• Spread Remaining Batter Over the Filling. Plop the remaining batter all over the pan. Then spread it over the cinnamon-sugar filling. Sometimes the filling makes it tough to spread the batter. This is normal–and a bit annoying!–to make this easy, spread the batter with the back of a spoon. And don’t worry too much if the filling pokes through the cake batter. The streusel topping covers it up.
• Make the Streusel. Here’s where the magic happens: stir a little melted butter into the remaining filling. It’ll clump and look a bit like wet sand. Gently squeeze and crumble topping evenly over the top of the cake.
• Bake. Bake until the cake is golden brown. It smells amazing while baking. Test for doneness by inserting a cake tester into the center of the cake.

Gluten-Free Coffee Cake FAQs

Is there coffee in coffee cake?

No. Coffee cake, at least in the United States, is usually a vanilla cake topped with a streusel topping. It’s served in the morning, usually alongside a cup of….coffee.

Can I make this recipe dairy-free?

Yes. Replace the butter and sour cream with dairy-free alternatives.

Can I use almond flour?

Not in this recipe. 

Can I make this cake without eggs?

I haven’t tested the recipe with an egg-replacer. So I can’t say for sure.

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Gluten-Free Sour Cream Coffee Cake

Gluten-Free Coffee Cake | Easy Recipe | Sour Cream Cake with Cinnamon Streusel Topping | Perfect Christmas Dessert

Course Breakfast, Dessert

Prep Time 20 minutes

Cook Time 40 minutes

Servings 12 slices

Ingredients

For the Streusel

• 3/4 cup packed brown sugar (5 1/2 ounces; 155 grams)
• 1/4 cup gluten-free baking flour (1 1/4 ounces; 35 grams)
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 2 tablespoons butter, melted (1 ounce; 28 grams)

For the Cake

• 2 cups gluten-free baking flour (Bob's Red Mill 1:1 Gluten-Free Baking Flour suggested) (10 ounces; 283 grams)
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar (10 1/2 ounces; 297 grams)
• 1 1/2 sticks butter, softened (6 ounces; 170 grams)
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 2 large eggs (about 3 1/2 ounces out of shell; 100 grams)
• 1 cup sour cream (8 ounces; 226 grams)

Instructions

1. Prepare Pan and Heat Oven. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Spray an 9x9-inch square baking pan with nonstick cooking spray. (For a thicker coffee cake, use an 8x8-inch pan.)

2. Make the Streusel. Stir together the brown sugar, baking flour, and cinnamon in a small bowl. (You’ll use the butter later.)

3. Prepare the Cake Batter. Whisk together the baking flour and baking powder in a small bowl.

4. Beat together the butter and cinnamon until light, about one minute on medium-high speed on a stand or handheld mixer.
5. Add the granulated sugar. Beat until a thick paste forms, about 45 seconds. Stop the mixer. Scrape down the bottom and sides of the bowl. Mix again for 15 seconds. (This mixes in the thick butter that was stuck to the bottom of the bowl.)
6. Stop the mixer. Add the eggs. Mix until combined. Stop the mixer. Scrap the bowl. Mix again for 15 seconds.
7. Add HALF the flour mixture. Mix until combined. Add HALF the sour cream. Mix until smooth. Repeat with the remaining flour and sour cream. Mix until batter is smooth.

8. Spread Batter into Pan and Add Filling. Spread half the batter into the prepared pan. Sprinkle half the streusel mixture over the batter.

9. Add Remaining Batter and Top with Streusel. Spread remaining batter over the filling. Stir the melted butter into the remaining streusel topping. Sprinkle the streusel topping evenly over the cake.

10. Bake and Cool. Bake until a cake tester inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean, about 45 minutes.

11. Cool for 20 minutes before serving. Store, wrapped, on the counter for up to three days.