Sour cream makes this gluten-free coffee cake rich and tender in crumb, and an irresistible cinnamon pecan streusel in both the filling and the topping adds twice as much joy. It's the perfect treat for a special weekend breakfast or brunch, a mid-afternoon snack with a cup of coffee or tea, or even dessert.
THIS POST IS SPONSORED BY
BOB'S RED MILL
Cake for breakfast? I'm here for it. Plus it has the word coffee in it, making it completely legit to eat right when you roll out of bed.
And if you wanna swing it for afternoon tea time or after-dinner dessert that would obviously be acceptable as well.
How much lovelier will your day become enjoying your morning coffee (or tea) accompanied with cake in hand? You might just burst into a frolic. What a great way to start the day.
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🌟 About this recipe
This streusel-topped cinnamon coffee cake is coming affectionately to you as part of my year-long partnership with Bob's Red Mill. Throughout this last year my goal has been to show that by using reliable gluten-free products, the common stereotypes associated with gluten-free baked goods (ie. dry, tastes like cardboard, weird texture...you get the picture) are no longer valid. And this recipe takes the cake. (<--it's hard to pass by a good pun)
By combining Bob's Red Mill wholesome Gluten-Free Oat Flour and their signature Gluten-Free 1-to-1 Baking Flour this classic coffee cake is all the things we dream of. It's:
- Perfectly sweet in taste and tender in crumb
- Loaded with warm, toasty flavors
- Laced with a pecan cinnamon-sugar streusel through the center and crumbled on top
- Completely satisfying for a laidback weekend morning with your favorite cuppa
- A great choice when you need something sweet to take to a friend or neighbor
Pair it with my personal hot beverage of choice, a Creamy Vegan Chai-Spiced Steamer, and swoon.
🛒 Ingredients & suggestions
- Bob's Red Mill Gluten-Free 1-To-1 Flour: DO NOT substitute a different all-purpose gluten-free flour blend. This coffee cake recipe was developed using this specific gluten-free flour. No two gluten-free flours blends are the same so if you do go rogue and use something different the odds that your coffee cake will turn out as tasty as intended are a risky gamble.
- Bob's Red Mill Gluten-Free Oat Flour: Finely ground from the highest quality gluten-free oats and processed, packaged, and tested in a Bob’s Red Mill dedicated gluten-free facility. It lends wholesome warmth to the flavor of the coffee cake.
- Bob's Red Mill Baking Powder: My go-to baking powder. It's aluminum-free and has no bitter aftertaste. A leavener that helps the cake rise.
- Bob's Red Mill Baking Soda: An additional leavening agent that reacts with the wet ingredients to help the cake rise.
- Sour cream: The secret ingredient that makes this coffee cake moist and completely irresistible.
- Sugars: Brown sugar adds depth of flavor and moisture while granulated sugar contributes to the cake's sweetness.
- Eggs: Binds the ingredients and contributes to a cake with a tender crumb.
- Unsalted butter: Cold butter is needed to make that lovely streusel crumb topping but room temperature butter is needed for the cake in order to cream the butter and sugars together for the cake batter.
- Pecans: Totally optional but totally tasty. Pecans and cinnamon are a match made in heaven giving the crumb topping extra flavor and texture. Walnuts would be a great choice too.
For a full list of ingredients and quantities see the recipe card at the end of this post.
🔪 Step-by-step instructions
Step 1: Let's first make the cinnamon crumb topping for our coffee cake. Add Bob's Red Mill Gluten-Free 1-to-1 Baking Flour to a mixing bowl along with chopped pecans, brown sugar, granulated sugar, cinnamon, and kosher salt. Whisk to combine.
Step 2: Cut the butter into small pieces and add to the bowl. Using a pastry cutter or your fingers (my kids' preferred method), cut or rub in the butter until coarse crumbs form.
Step 3: You know you're done smooshing the butter into the cinnamon flour mixture when you have pea-sized clumps of streusel that either you or others in your home keep trying to sneak out of the bowl into their mouths. Place the cinnamon crumb mixture in the fridge to chill (and to prevent theft) while you make the coffee cake batter.
Step 4: Time to make the cake batter! In a bowl, whisk Bob's Red Mill ingredients (Gluten-Free 1-to-1 Baking Flour, Gluten-Free Oat Flour, Baking Soda, Baking Powder) with cinnamon and salt until combined.
Step 5: In another bowl, using a stand mixer with the paddle attachment (or a handheld electric mixer) on medium speed, cream together the butter and sugars.
Step 6: Add the vanilla and eggs, one at a time, beating thoroughly after each addition.
Step 7: With the mixer on low speed, add the dry ingredients in 2 or 3 increments, alternating with the sour cream. Beat until smooth and combined.
Step 8: Spoon half of the cake batter (it doesn't need to be exact, just eyeball it) into a 9-inch square parchment-lined baking pan. The batter will be thick and slightly sticky so just do your best to evenly spread the batter in the cake pan. I found it to spread most easily by using an offset spatula.
Step 9: Sprinkle roughly half of the cinnamon crumb topping evenly on top of the cake batter.
Step 10: Spoon the remaining cake batter over the crumb topping and carefully spread into an even layer. Don't fret if some of the crumb topping gets a little mixed into this layer, just do your best.
Step 11: Sprinkle the remaining streusel crumb mixture on top. Then pop the coffee cake into the oven to bake!
Step 12: Once baked, place the baking pan on a wire rack to cool for about 15 minutes. Then slice into squares, brew your favorite hot morning beverage, serve, and enjoy a perfectly tasty start to your day.
👩🍳 Important recipe tips!
- I exclusively tested and developed this recipe using Bob's Red Mill gluten-free products because they are high quality and consistent in composition. If you use a different brand to make this coffee cake, your final result will most likely vary and may not turn out as intended.
- Use a scale to weigh your ingredients. When baking, the most accurate method for measuring ingredients is to weigh the ingredients on a food scale. A food scale is a minimal investment for the guarantee that whatever you're baking will turn out tasty each and every time. I have also included measuring cup measurements in the recipe card but be aware that the use of measuring cups is often the source of inaccuracies and significant errors when baking.
- If using measuring cups (versus a scale), spoon the ingredient into the measuring cup one spoonful at a time and level the top of the measuring cup with the flat side of a butter knife. When measuring flour, do not pack the flour down and do not tap the measuring cup as it causes the flour to settle in the measuring cup and you'll end up with too much flour.
- If an ingredient calls for it to be room temperature (or chilled), don't ignore it. This could make or break how well your coffee cake turns out.
💭 Frequently asked questions
Most coffee cakes do not have coffee added as an ingredient but occasionally you may discover a coffee cake recipe that does include coffee. The name simply implies that it's a cake to be served with your morning coffee (and let's not forget snack time when that second cup of coffee is calling in the afternoon). If you love tea more than you love coffee (team chai anyone?), this coffee cake is still a tasty accompaniment.
I wouldn't suggest it. There is about a 25% difference in volume between 8- and 9-inch pans. If you use an 8-inch pan the coffee cake batter will be too deep causing the cake to rise and dome and then collapse before the structure sets in the center. It may also spill over the sides of the pan while baking which will create an unfortunate mess in your oven.
They say you can't have your cake and eat it, too. That is unless you have this recipe and make it on repeat, every weekend.
See how I take care of you. ♡
🎥 Watch how to make this coffee cake!
✨ More tasty recipes to enjoy with your morning coffee!
DID YOU MAKE THIS RECIPE? If so, I’d love to hear about it! Leave a comment and a star rating below! I greatly appreciate your feedback and it is also so helpful for other PMST readers who are thinking about making the recipe. Remember to snap a photo and tag @passmesometasty on Instagram so I can see!
Print📖 Recipe
Gluten-Free Coffee Cake
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 45 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour 5 minutes
- Yield: 12-16 servings 1x
Description
Sour cream makes this gluten-free coffee cake rich and tender in crumb, and an irresistible cinnamon pecan streusel in both the filling and the topping adds twice as much joy. It's the perfect treat for a special weekend breakfast or brunch, a mid-afternoon snack with a cup of coffee or tea, or even dessert.
Ingredients
Cinnamon Crumb Topping
- 148 grams (1 cup) Bob's Red Mill Gluten-Free 1-to-1 Baking Flour
- 60 grams (½ cup) pecans, coarsely chopped
- 113 grams (½ cup) brown sugar
- 48 grams (¼ cup) granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- 113 grams (½ cup) cold unsalted butter
Coffee Cake
- 185 grams (1 ¼ cups) Bob's Red Mill Gluten-Free 1-to-1 Baking Flour
- 90 grams (¾ cups) Bob's Red Mill Gluten-Free Oat Flour
- 1 teaspoon Bob's Red Mill Baking Soda
- ½ teaspoon Bob's Red Mill Baking Powder
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- ¾ teaspoon kosher salt
- 113 grams (½ cup) unsalted butter, room temperature
- 170 grams (¾ cup) brown sugar
- 96 grams (½ cup) granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons vanilla
- 2 eggs, room temperature
- 180 grams (¾ cup) sour cream
Instructions
- Prep: Preheat the oven to 350°F (177°C). Line a 9-inch square baking pan with parchment paper.
- Cinnamon crumb topping: Combine gluten-free baking flour, pecans, brown sugar, granulated sugar, cinnamon, and salt in a medium bowl. Cut the cold butter into small pieces and add to the flour mixture. Using a pastry cutter or your fingers, cut or rub in the butter until course streusel-like crumbs form. Place in the refrigerator to chill while making the cake batter.
- Coffee cake: In a medium bowl, whisk gluten-free baking flour, oat flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt until combined. In another bowl, using a stand mixer with the paddle attachment (or a handheld electric mixer on medium speed), cream together the butter and sugars. Add the vanilla and eggs, one at a time, beating thoroughly after each addition. With the mixer on low speed, add the dry ingredients in 2 or 3 increments, alternating with the sour cream. Mix until just combined.
- Assemble: Spoon half of the cake batter (it doesn't need to be exact, just eyeball it) into a 9-inch square parchment-lined baking pan. The batter will be thick and slightly sticky so just do your best to evenly spread the batter in the cake pan (I found it to spread most easily by using an offset spatula). Sprinkle roughly half of the cinnamon crumb topping evenly on top of the batter. Spoon the remaining cake batter over the crumb topping and carefully spread into an even layer (don't worry if some of the crumb topping gets a little mixed into this layer, just do your best). Sprinkle the remaining cinnamon crumb mixture on top.
- Bake: Bake for 45-50 minutes until the top is golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Allow the cake to cool in the pan on a wire rack for at least 15 minutes.
- Serve: Slice the coffee cake into squares, brew your favorite hot morning beverage, serve, and enjoy a perfectly tasty start to your day.
Notes
Storage: Once the coffee cake has baked and cooled, cover tightly or store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days or in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.
Gluten-Free Baking Flour: I exclusively tested and developed this recipe using Bob's Red Mill Gluten-Free 1-to-1 Baking Flour because it is high quality and consistent in composition. If you use a different brand of gluten-free baking flour to make this coffee cake, your final result will most likely vary and may not turn out as intended as not all gluten-free baking flours are equal in their ingredient makeups.
- Category: Breakfast
- Method: Bake
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Gluten Free
Keywords: gluten-free coffee cake, streusel coffee cake, cinnamon coffee cake, breakfast
Thank you to Bob's Red Mill for sponsoring this post and for making awesome gluten-free products that everyone will love! And thank you to those of you who support the brands that allow Pass Me Some Tasty to keep cooking up the tastiness!
You can follow along with Bob's Red Mill on Instagram, Pinterest, and Twitter at @bobsredmill or on Facebook at @BobsRedMillNaturalFoods.
Disclaimer: All brand recommendations are purely my own opinion and are brands/products that I personally use and enjoy. This post may also contain affiliate links from which I may receive a small commission (without any additional costs to you). The money earned from these commissions helps me to maintain this website. Thank you for supporting Pass Me Some Tasty!
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