Gluten Free Blueberry Coffee Cake

Tender and delicious gluten free blueberry coffee cake, that’s lightly sweetened, with just the right crunch on top! 

This gluten-free blueberry coffee cake is one of those special treats I enjoy making on the weekend for my family, during a holiday, or when we have company over. It goes perfectly with coffee or tea, and can be eaten for breakfast, or as an afternoon or after-dinner snack.

The best part of the a coffee cake is always the topping, but sometimes I don’t like it when it is completely sugar-laden. For this gluten-free dairy-free coffee cake recipe, I decided to go with a topping that was mainly chopped walnuts with a hint of sweet, instead of being mainly sugar. 

The walnut pieces toast while the gluten-free coffee cake bakes in the oven, providing a nutty, delicious crunch.

Gluten-Free Blueberry Coffee Cake

Ingredients and Substitutions

Sorghum Flour, Brown Rice Flour and Tapioca Starch– This recipe has only been tested using these gluten-free flours/starches. A gluten-free all purpose blend may work, but I have not tested any in this recipe. If you decided to substitute a gluten-free all purpose blend, you may need to eliminate the psyllium husk powder I call for in my recipe if your blend already contains xanthan gum. 

Unsweetened Apple Sauce– Unsweetened apple sauce keeps this tender cake moist. 

Olive Oil– If needed, you can substitute melted coconut oil, or another light tasting oil (like vegetable oil).

Coconut Sugar– I use coconut sugar to sweeten my coffee cake, which is why this cake is darker in color than many other coffee cakes. Coconut sugar is rich, with flavor notes of caramel and butterscotch. If you don’t have it readily available (or prefer a cake lighter in color), feel free to substitute organic cane sugar in the batter, and organic brown sugar in the topping. 

Eggs– A reader commented below that she tried this recipe with EnerG Egg Replacer, and it worked well, but I haven’t tried this myself. 

Maple Syrup– Substitute honey if needed. 

Psyllium Husk Powder– The psyllium husk powder acts like a binder in this recipe. There are no substitutes. 

Walnuts– For a nut-free topping, mix 1/4 cup of coconut sugar (or organic brown sugar), 2 tablespoons of all-purpose gluten-free flour blend, 2 tablespoons of coconut oil, and 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon.

Blueberries– While juicy blueberries are the star ingredient of this gluten-free coffee cake, you can absolutely substitute it for another berry or fruit. 

Wild Alaskan Blueberries

Tender and delicious gluten-free blueberry coffee cake

Tips For Making Gluten-Free Coffee Cake

• I prefer to grease my cake pans, and line the bottom of the pan with parchment (this extra protection keeps the cake from sticking to the bottom of the pan. 
• Don’t let the cake overbake! The trick is to take it out of the oven as soon as it’s baked through. 
• Make sure all of your ingredients are at room temperature. 
• I recommend using fresh blueberries instead of frozen ones. Frozen blueberries can cause this gluten-free cake to bake unevenly, so always opt for fresh berries, or thaw frozen berries first (just make sure you discard the liquid that results from thawing them). 

I hope you love this gf blueberry coffee cake as much as we do!

All my love,
Mēgan

Gluten-Free Blueberry Coffee Cake Recipe:

Gluten Free Blueberry Coffee Cake

Yield: 9-12 servings

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 55 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour 15 minutes

Tender and delicious gluten free blueberry coffee cake, that's lightly sweetened, with just the right crunch on top! 

Print

Ingredients

For the cake:

• 1 cup sorghum flour
• 1/2 cup brown rice flour
• 1/2 cup tapioca starch
• 1 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
• 1 cup unsweetened applesauce
• 2/3 cup olive oil (melted coconut oil should also work)
• 1/2 cup coconut sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 2 tablespoons pure maple syrup or honey
• 1 tablespoon psyllium husk powder
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 cups blueberries (if using frozen, thaw first & discard the excess juices)

For the topping:

• 1/2 cup chopped walnuts
• 3 tablespoons coconut sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees (F) and lightly grease an 8”x8”x2” baking pan with oil.
2. In a medium sized mixing bowl, combine the unsweetened applesauce, olive oil, coconut sugar, eggs, pure maple syrup, psyllium husk powder, and vanilla extract. Set aside.
3. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the sorghum flour, brown rice flour, tapioca starch, ground cinnamon, baking soda, ground nutmeg and sea salt.
4. Carefully add the wet mixture into the dry, and mix until just blended.
5. Fold in the blueberries.
6. Pour the batter into the baking pan and use a spatula to evenly spread the batter.
7. Now make the topping and evenly sprinkle it over the top of the batter.
8. Bake for 50-60 minutes, or until a toothpick, when inserted into the middle of the coffee cake, comes out clean.

Notes

For a nut-free topping, mix 1/4 cup of coconut sugar (or organic brown sugar), 2 tablespoons of all-purpose gluten-free flour blend, 2 tablespoons of coconut oil, and 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon.

Combining the organic palm sugar with the wet ingredients allows the larger sugar granules to dissolve. If you choose to use organic cane sugar instead of palm sugar, feel free to add it into the dry ingredients instead of the wet.

The psyllium husk powder is what takes the place of xanthan gum in this recipe. The recipe will fail without it - it's what binds everything together.

I have not tried making this recipe egg-free, but a reader commented below saying she had good results using EnerG Egg Replacer.

Recommended Products

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• 
  Pure Vanilla Extract, Certified Organic
• 
  NOW Supplements, Psyllium Husk Powder, 24-Ounce
• 
  Anthony's Organic Tapioca Flour Starch, 2.5lbs, Gluten Free & Non GMO
• 
  Bob's Red Mill Gluten Free Whole Grain Brown Rice Flour, 24 Ounce (Pack of 4)
• 
  Bob's Red Mill Whole Grain Sorghum, 24 Oz (Pack of 4)
• 
  Coombs Family Farms Organic Maple Syrup, Grade A Amber Color, Rich Taste, 16 Fl Oz
• 
  Madhava Naturally Sweet Organic Pure & Unrefined Coconut Sugar, 16 Ounce (Pack of 3)
• 
  Nutiva Organic, Steam Refined Coconut Oil from non-GMO, Sustainably Farmed Coconuts, 15 Fluid Ounces

Don’t forget to snap a pic and tag me on Instagram @allergyfreeak and #allergyfreealaska with your best gluten-free coffee cake pics!