Every Easter our church puts on a really nice brunch for the congregation. The couple that organizes it understands what it means to be gluten-free, and takes extra consideration when it comes to me and my gluten-free, dairy-free girls. Which is so amazing!! It is such a treat to have safe food at our brunch (omelets, bacon and fruit) that we can eat. It’s very special!
It’s been a tradition that I bake a gluten-free coffee cake to take to brunch, to supplement what we can eat. Last year I made my Gluten-Free Blueberry Coffee Cake, but this year I wanted to bring something new, so I developed this Gluten-Free Cinnamon Streusel Coffee Cake. (Think delectable cinnamon roll… just without all of the extra work!)
This luscious coffee cake literally melts in your mouth. It’s so decadent and delicious with a double layer of cinnamon streusel and a sweet, sugary glaze. In this recipe, I chose to use Bob’s Red Mill Organic Almond Meal/Flour, and their Gluten Free 1-to-1 Baking Flour.
Bob’s Red Mill Almond Meal/Flour is ground from whole, blanched sweet almonds. Almonds are notoriously healthy nuts providing a good amount of manganese and vitamin E , as well as a healthy serving of monounsaturated fats in each 1/4 cup serving.
Bob’s Red Mill Gluten Free 1-to-1 Baking Flour combines finely ground brown rice flour, sweet white rice flour, whole grain sorghum flour, potato starch, and tapioca flour with a touch of xanthan gum—just enough xanthan gum to create chewy cookies and springy muffins (and coffee cake!).
You’ll notice this coffee cake has a gorgeous golden brown tone to it, instead of being vanilla white. That’s because of the combination of the sorghum flour, which aids in browning, and also the almond flour/meal. Almond meal/flour browns up beautifully in the oven, because it is high in healthy fats. The almond flour/meal also keeps this delicious cake rich and moist. No one will believe it is gluten-free, let alone dairy-free!
Wishing you and your family a very Happy Easter!
xoxo,
Megan
Bob’s Red Mill has graciously extended a coupon to my readers!
Gluten Free Coffee Cake
Ingredients
For the Cinnamon Streusel:
- 3/4 cup Bob’s Red Mill 1 to 1 Gluten-Free Baking Flour
- 1/3 cup organic cane sugar
- 1/3 cup organic brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
- 1/8 teaspoon sea salt
- 5 tablespoons coconut oil, melted
For the Coffee Cake:
- 1 cup Bob’s Red Mill 1 to 1 Gluten-Free Baking Flour
- 1 cup Bob’s Red Mill Finely Ground Almond Meal/Flour
- 1/3 cup organic cane sugar
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
- 3/4 cup unsweetened applesauce, at room temperature
- 1/2 cup olive oil (or melted coconut oil)
- 2 large eggs, at room temperature
- 2 tablespoons honey (or maple syrup)
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
For the Glaze:
- 1/2 cup organic powdered sugar
- 1 tablespoon almond milk (or your favorite dairy-free milk)
Instructions
To make the Cinnamon Streusel:
- In a medium sized mixing bowl, whisk together the 1 to 1 Gluten-Free Baking Flour, organic cane sugar, organic brown sugar, ground cinnamon, and sea salt. Add the melted coconut oil, and use a fork to completely work it into the mixture until it resembles wet sand. Set aside.
To make the Coffee Cake:
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees (F) and generously grease a 9-inch baking dish or cake pan with coconut oil or vegan butter.
- In a medium sized mixing bowl, whisk together the 1 to 1 Gluten-Free Baking Flour, Finely Ground Almond Meal/Flour, organic cane sugar, baking soda, ground nutmeg, and sea salt. Set aside.
- To the bowl of an electric mixer, add the unsweetened applesauce, olive oil, eggs, honey, and vanilla extract. Mix until well blended.
- Carefully add the dry ingredients to the wet mixture and stir until just combined.
- Pour half of the cake batter into the prepared baking dish and spread it out evenly over the bottom of the pan.
- Use your hands to sprinkle half of the cinnamon streusel evenly over the top of the batter.
- Now top the cinnamon streusel with the remaining cake batter and use an offset spatula to carefully spread the batter out in an even layer. I find starting from the middle of the cake and working the batter out towards the outer edges works best.
- Sprinkle the remaining cinnamon streusel out in an even layer over the cake batter.
- Bake 38-45 minutes, or until a toothpick, when poked in the middle of the cake, comes out clean.
- Cool completely before topping with the glaze.
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Jeanine
Oh, Megan! this coffee cake is just gorgeous! And you’re right, perfect for Easter morning brunch. Or Saturday afternoon coffee. Or Breakfast any day of the week, really. 😀
Megan
Ha ha ha! Thank you, Jeanine! I totally agree!
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet
This looks so good and the crumb looks so moist and tender! Love the addition of the applesauce, such a great texture!
Megan
Thanks, Kimberly! Yes, I love the applesauce too. Such an awesome substitution for sour cream or yogurt in dairy-free baking!
Charlotte Moore
Sounds delicious! We are not GF but I make recipes for some in the family that eat GF.
Megan
That’s awesome that you bake GF for your family, Charlotte! They are blessed! 😉
JessL
I have an egg allergic daughter- could you recommend an appropriate replacement? Flax eggs? Egg Replacer? Thanks!!
Megan
Hi JessL,
Hmm… that’s a tough question! I haven’t tried to make this recipe egg-free, so you might need to experiment a bit. I’d start with chia eggs (1 tablespoon ground chia meal + 3 tablespoons hot water = 1 chia egg… just let it sit for 10 minutes before using). If you do try it, please come back and let us know your results!
Tammy Jones
I would use Ener-G egg replacer. Always works well in my coffee cakes.
Anna Dugan
I just made this with 2 eggs worth of Ener-G egg replacer and it worked just fine. The cake holds together great and is very moist and sweet.
Megan
Awesome, Anna! Thank you so much for letting me know you tried it with egg replacer and that it worked out great!
Michelle @ The Complete Savorist
Yum, I know I would put this on my plate if I was at your Easter celebration. Great job.
Megan
Thanks, Michelle! 😉
Heather
This looks delicious! However, we can’t use anything by Bob’s due to the use of nuts. I have a substitute for the baking flour, but is there anything I can use for the almond flour?
Megan
You might be able to use more of your baking flour for the almond meal/flour, but you’d definitely have to up the moisture. The beauty of almond flour/meal, is that it’s high in fat, so it keeps baked goods moist and tender. If you do try to replace the almond flour/meal, I’d start by increasing the applesauce to 1 cup, and maybe increase the olive oil to 2/3 cup. Then adjust things from there, depending on your results. 😉 Good luck!
Mollie
I made a no-nut version by doubling the flour and using 1 cup of applesauce. It was perfectly moist and turned out great!
Megan
Wow, Mollie! Awesome! Thank you for leaving your substitutions!
Des @ Life's Ambrosia
This is a gorgeous coffee cake. That streusel topping get me every time!
Megan
Meeee tooo, Des! 😉 Thank you!
Hope Shultis
Hi Megan! That looks AMAZING!! My husband cannot do the Bob’s GF flour. Do you have an alternative?
Hope
Megan
Hi Hope,
Thank you!! You can try subbing 1/3 cup brown rice flour, 1/3 cup tapioca starch, and 1/3 cup sorghum flour. 😉
hOPE
Thank you Megan!! Will try that. HAPPY EASTER!!
Maris Callahan
Love a good coffee cake with brunch!
Megan
Me too, Maris! Thanks!
Alexa [fooduzzi.com]
OMGOMGOMG!! Streusel Coffee Cake is my absolute FAVORITE sweet treat! Thank you for making a GF version that looks just as mouth-watering as the gluten-full version!
Andi @ The Weary Chef
Every time I see gluten free and coffee together in a dessert recipe, my eyes pop in excitement! This coffee cake looks fantastic! Can’t wait to have a bite!
Michelle | A Latte Food
I love Bob’s Red Mill! This coffee cake looks amazing–perfect Easter idea!
Melanie | Melanie Makes
What a delicious way to begin any day, Megan! A great idea for Easter brunch as well!
Adele Long
I am allergic to almonds/almond flour. What can I use instead?
iva
I try to make coffee cake in my home. But I use maple syrup instead of honey. It’s just excellent.
Val B
I made this and like all your recipes it was fabulous. My husband and I each had a piece and then headed out. While we were gone , my daughters very large dog (who I was babysitting) managed to pull it off the counter and devour all of it!! So today I am making it again and I will guard this one carefully!
Narmela
HI
Can I use your recipes with egg replacer? My son can’t have grains, dairy, nuts and eggs :(((((
Megan
Hi Narmela,
It really just depends on the recipe. Was there a specific one you were looking at? I don’t think an egg replacer would work well in this Gluten Free Cinnamon Streusel Coffee Cake recipe.
Farida
looks so delicious, I would love to give it a try
Megan
Thank you, Farida!
Lesley
Thank you for developing this recipe! It was so delicious and easy. I am going to try to make your coconut cake adaptation for my birthday today. It is so nice to be able to enjoy homemade baked goods when I am gluten and dairy free. Thank you for sharing all your work!
Teresa Vermaelen
This is one of our favorite breakfast/desserts. I have taken it various places and people who aren’t GF love it also. My question…. I want to make it into cupcakes/muffins but don’t know how long to cook them. Any idea?
Mēgan
Hi Teresa,
I’m so happy to hear that! I would try 14 minutes at 350° (F) and then add more time if needed!