A good coffee cake recipe is one of life’s necessities, in my humble opinion. My family loves my gluten free coffee cake, but we actually know it as “Breakfast Cake.” Don’t ask me why I ever felt I had to encourage the eating of cake for breakfast, but at some point the name stuck with my kids.
I think I may have been the reason there was ever a hashtag for #cakeforbreakfast, but I’m not certain.
This was the first cake-for-breakfast recipe that my picky son absolutely LOVED, and it’s still his favorite (amazing, since teenagers hardly ever say they like anything!), so he gets it every year for his birthday breakfast and of course, on other special occasions throughout the year.
It’s really a treat for all of us, so I don’t mind making it (but don’t tell him that, of course!).
It’s a wonderful dish to serve for out-of-town guests, too – it’s not too sweet, and pairs equally well with traditional coffee or with fresh fruit and yogurt. I hope your family enjoys it as much as ours does!
Note, however, that the recipe only makes enough for 4 people on a diet. Please double the recipe if you’d like to feed more, or know you’ll want a second slice!
Preheat oven to 350° F (static) or 325° F (convection). Oil a loaf pan and set aside. In a medium-size bowl, combine all dry ingredients for cake. Slowly stir in the liquid ingredients until the batter is smooth, but fairly thick. Pour into the prepared baking dish. In a small bowl, stir together the topping ingredients with a fork until integrated. Distribute over the top of the batter and cut through slightly, with a knife pointed down, making criss-cross patterns into the top of the cake to marbleize. If using, lay apple slices across the top. Bake in preheated oven for 30-40 minutes, or until a knife or toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.
Gluten Free Coffee Cake (Gluten Free Breakfast Cake)
Yield:
1 loaf pan coffee cake
Prep Time:
20 minutes
Cook Time:
30 minutes
Total Time:
50 minutes
Ingredients
toppings:
Instructions
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Jules, I wanted to make the coffee cake pound cake but can’t have caffeine or coffee so I’m planning to make this recipe in a bundt pan. I read one review about using a bundt pan (doubling/tripling the recipe) but do I need to double OR triple this? Hoping to just double this.
I want to layer this (batter, topping, batter) like in the coffee cake pound cake recipe.
Thoughts?
Hi Carol, did you end up making it? This particular cake is pretty heavy, so I’m not sure I’d recommend doubling it and layering it. The bundt pan will help it bake more evenly, though.
~jules
I used a 10×6 for x2 and It turned out so good also I sliced 4 apples and put them at the bottom before I filled it up then a layer on top yum!!
Oh wow! Sounds delish!!!
~jules
I love to bake I have celiac i love this recipe
whyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy is this so good!!!
LOL I’m SO glad you loved it, Juliana!
~jules
Jules, love your recipes but live in Australia, so can’t buy your products. Can I have your recipes with the different flour mix please.
Hi Gail, no problem. Check out this article on making a good gluten free flour blend with ingredients you should be able to find in Australia, so you can still use my recipes! Also, check out GlutenFreeSG.com, as they sell my gfJules Flour and mixes in Singapore and ship to Australia for much less than shipping from the US.
Happy baking!
~jules
I am a new comer to your gluten free flour. I LOVE IT!! Thanks for sharing your recipes. So glad someone finally got it right !!! I am ready to order larger quantities.
Hi Sandra, I’m so glad you’re enjoying my gfJules Flour! I hope you are excited to get back into the kitchen and see what other kinds of delicious things you can whip up!
~jules
I need to substitute the apple for another fruit that is allowed on the Low FODMAP diet. Could I use kiwi, papaya or blueberries? What do you suggest?
Blueberries would be delicious here!
~jules
I would love to wake up to the smell of this coffee cake followed by a relaxing morning of enjoying a slice.
It’s a beautiful way to start the day!
~jules
would you weigh the flour or just measure it?
Hi Rita, I always weigh my gfJules Flour for best results. One cup of my flour weighs 135grams.
~jules
What size loaf pan did you use?
Hi Alysia, I just used a standard 8×4, but it would work in a larger one, as well.
~jules
I made this today and it looked absolutely delicious when I took it out of the oven…..then 10 minutes later I came back and it had fallen…..I was so upset!!! What went wrong???? I went over the recipe 3x and had everything done right…..so dissappointed! Do you have any idea as to what happened??
Hi Bobbie – can you tell me what it was like when you cut into it? I’m sorry it fell – that’s always disappointing, but usually indicates that it wasn’t fully cooked or the ingredients weren’t measured exactly right. Were you using my gfJules Flour? Did you weigh or measure with a measuring cup? Did you make any other ingredient substitutions? Here are some other troubleshooting ideas – see if any of these seems relevant for you. You can also email us at [email protected] and we can walk through the recipe with you and perhaps find out what went wrong.
~jules
I made this today and mine fell or shrunk a little too but think that sometimes happens…right?
But…I’m afraid mine wasn’t baked long enough even though the knife came out clean and I added bake time 5-10 minutes. I measured my gfjules flour carefully the bottom of the cake was gummy. Does that sound like it needed more bake time? Hope I didn’t make everyone sick. They all said it tasted fine. I’m s bit nervous.
Hi Carol, it does sound like it maybe could have used some more time. All ovens are different, so just make a note that you need to bake yours longer next time and maybe put the pan closer to the bottom of the oven. Also be sure not to over-mix the batter. I doubt there’s much risk of making anyone sick – the batter was in the hot oven for a while. I hope that helps!! I also have another couple coffee cake and coffee cake muffins recipes if you want to try one of those next time; you may like one of those better!
~jules
Made this today, and it was wonderful! I love your GF flour. I want to make this coffee cake for when it’s my turn to serve the church breakfast, maybe triple the recipe for a 9×12 pan? How long do you suggest cooking it for?
Hi Patsy, I’m so pleased you love my gfJules Flour. I love hearing from folks who rely on it and are enjoying amazing foods as a result. As for tripling the recipe, you can do that but I would suggest using 2 or 3 pans instead of a 9×12. With this particular recipe, baked in a larger pan, the middle sometimes doesn’t bake as well. You could also try a bundt pan – that would be beautiful and yummy! Enjoy!
~jules
Can sour cream be substituted for the yogurt? Thanks, Jules! BTW, made your lemon pound cake. It’s the best ting I’ve eaten since I had to go gluten-free 2+ years ago! Your flour is incredible!
Hi MaryEllen – thanks so much for the feedback! I’m so happy you have yummy tasting recipes back in your life and that you love my flour! If you get a chance to leave a review on my flour product page sometime, I’d be very appreciative! As for the sour cream/yogurt sub, you can do that; you may want to use mostly sour cream and then sub a couple tablespoons of milk in place of some of the total amount of sour cream because it’s thicker than yogurt is, generally. The taste will be great though! I can’t wait to hear what you think!
~jules
Thanks again, Jules! You’re incredible! I’ll be delighted to write a review ASAP, and I’ll let you know about the sour cream sub! (The Best Cookies recipe is next. Now that I have your flour, I can’t stop baking delicious things!)
Aw, that makes me so happy to hear that you’re excited about baking again! That’s the way it oughta be!!!!!
~jules
I am giving my dad a coffee themed birthday this year and coffee cake would be a perfect addition to the coffee ice cream, personalized coffee spoon and other coffee items we are gathering for him! I would love to make it into cupcakes… Do you have any suggestions about how to adjust the cook time?
What a sweet idea, Meg! I think it would be lovely as cupcakes – fill 2/3 full then top with topping and cut into each cupcake with a knife in a similar way as I describe for the coffee cake. Bake for 20 minutes and test with a toothpick; you don’t want to overbake these or they’ll dry out, but I’d expect to bake them for 25-28 minutes total. Let me know how it goes!! (And happy birthday to your dad!)
~jules