This gluten-free coffee cake is everything you want in a sweet treat—light, super tender, full of warm cinnamon flavor, and topped with a crunchy, buttery crumb topping. The reverse creaming method makes this cake so fluffy and moist, no one would ever guess this coffee cake was gluten-free!
I've been gluten-free for over five years, and I’m on a mission to prove that gluten-free baking can be truly amazing. This coffee cake recipe is my go-to for a reason, promising a cake that’s as tender and delicious as any traditional cake you’d find.
This post was originally published on January 13, 2023. It was updated with new recipe information on September 6, 2025.
Ingredient Notes
This gluten-free sour cream coffee cake requires simple, easy-to-find, and mostly pantry ingredients. Here are a few things to note:
Gluten-free 1-to-1 flour: I prefer using Bob’s Red Mill 1-to-1 Baking Flour, but any cup-for-cup all-purpose GF flour blend that includes xanthan gum should work. Here's a post on gluten-free flours where I give more information.
Cornstarch: Helps to get a light, fluffy, and fine crumb consistency.
Butter: You can use regular butter or vegan butter sticks.
Milk: Whole milk would add the most flavor but unsweetened non-dairy milk will work just as fine.
Sour cream: The acidity helps to activate the leavening and also results in a more tender consistency. Feel free to use an equal amount of plain Greek yogurt or your favorite mayonnaise instead!
The Secret to a Tender Crumb
The key to a soft, melt-in-your-mouth cake is a technique called the reverse creaming method. Instead of creaming together the butter and sugar, you mix the butter directly into the dry ingredients until it looks like moist sand. The flour being coated in fat creates a fine crumb that stays moist after baking, and leaves you with a coffee cake that's rich and buttery with the perfect light and fluffy texture every time.
Expert Tips
Don’t rush the resting step. Gluten-free flour needs time to properly hydrate. If you try popping the batter directly in the oven, it’ll end up having a grainy texture. Nobody wants that!
Let the cake cool completely. Gluten-free cakes will continue to cook through as they cool, so don’t slice the cake open prematurely! If you do, you’ll find that the cake is mushy, and the moisture we worked so hard to create will steam away through the cuts and leave you with a dry cake.
Gluten-Free Coffee Cake Recipe
Ingredients
Cake
- 1⅓ cup gluten-free 1-to-1 flour
- ⅓ cup cornstarch
- ½ teaspoon fine salt
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup butter
- 2 large eggs
- ⅔ cup milk
- ⅓ cup sour cream or plain greek yogurt
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
Filling
- 2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ⅓ cup brown sugar
Crumb topping
- ⅓ cup butter
- ⅔ cup gluten-free 1-to-1 flour
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- ⅓ cup brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon fine salt
Instructions
Filling
- In a small bowl, combine the ground cinnamon and brown sugar to make the filling. Set it aside.
Crumb topping
- In a medium bowl, combine the gluten-free flour, cornstarch, brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt. Add the cold butter and work it into the flour using your hands or a pastry cutter.
Cake
- In a large bowl, whisk together the gluten-free flour, cornstarch, salt, baking soda, baking powder, and granulated sugar. Add the softened vegan butter and work it into the flour until the mixture looks like sand.
- In a separate bowl, mix the eggs, sour cream, and vanilla extract until smooth. Add this to the dry ingredients and mix until combined.
- Stir in the milk until a smooth batter forms. Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl. Once the batter comes together, continue mixing the batter for 2 more minutes. Cover the bowl and let the batter rest for 30 minutes.
- While the batter rests, preheat your oven to 340°F (170°C) and grease and line an 8x8-inch square pan with parchment paper.
- Put ⅔ of the rested batter into the pan and spread it out evenly.
- Sprinkle on the cinnamon sugar filling so it's an even layer, and spread the remaining cake batter on top.
- Smooth the surface and add the crumble topping on top. Bake in the preheated oven for 50-55 minutes. Let it cool completely before serving.
Nutrition
Storage Instructions
Storing: Baked coffee cake will last for up to 3 days in an airtight container on the countertop, but after that, it starts to get dry.
Freezing: It can also be frozen for up to a month if it is well-wrapped in several layers of plastic wrap before being placed in a freezer-safe airtight container or zip-top bag. Defrost overnight in the fridge before serving.
FAQs
Bob’s Red Mill 1-to-1 Baking Flour is my favorite gluten-free flour blend to use in my baking! King Arthur Measure for Measure is another great blend, but I find that the cake is more moist with better texture using Bob’s Red Mill.
Coffee cake is so named because it’s usually served with coffee or tea as a morning or afternoon snack. While I’m sure there are some recipes that do include coffee, my particular recipe doesn’t include any coffee, coffee-flavoring, or coffee grounds.
Improper measurement of the ingredients can lead to a dense or gummy cake. Avoid scooping flour with the measuring cup, and instead use a kitchen scale to measure out the exact weight listed in the recipe—this is the most accurate way to measure flour. If you don’t want to use a kitchen scale, put the measuring cup on the countertop and use a spoon to scoop the flour into the measuring cup without pushing it down, and level the top with the back of a knife.
Substitute equal amounts of vegan butter for regular butter, unsweetened non-dairy milk for milk, and mayonnaise for sour cream/greek yogurt. The mayonnaise sounds weird, I know, but it provides structure, richness, and the acidity of it helps the baking soda activate and create a fluffy cake. I promise you can't taste it!
No. This recipe requires eggs to give the cake structure, and without them you'll end up with a mushy cake.
To make this recipe in a 9x13 pan, double the ingredients, follow the instructions, and bake at 340°F (170°C). Check for doneness after 60 minutes, and keep baking until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean or with a couple of crumbs.
More Gluten-Free Breakfast Favorites
These gluten-free banana pancakes are so moist and delicious! Add chocolate chips to make your morning a little sweeter.
Love muffins? My gluten-free banana muffins and cranberry orange muffins are both some of my favorite muffins to have with my morning cup of tea!
If you're more of a quickbread person, my gluten-free banana bread, gluten-free pumpkin bread, and lemon poppy seed cake are all so delicious and easy to make!
This gluten-free waffle recipe is so easy to make, and they have the most perfect crisp and fluffy texture!
Gluten-free granola is perfect for anyone who loves a fuss-free easy breakfast. Make a big batch on the weekend and have it last throughout the week!
If you need something indulgent and impressive at brunch, make my gluten-free pineapple upside down cake or my gluten-free chocolate cake!
Simone says
This was a bit of a labor of love to make and I had very high expectations. Unfortunately the crumble sank to the bottom of my cake. 🙁
I followed the recipe exactly, but my bottom layer of batter ended up being more than 2/3. The top layer was very thin. This is the only thing I can think of that might have caused the cake to collapse. It’s still tasty and I’ll probably try to make it again sometime, but I’ll definitely put half the batter on the bottom and half on top just to be safe!
Ai Willis says
Hi Simone! Sorry to hear that your cake didn't meet your expectations. When you say the crumble sank to the bottom, is it the cinnamon filling that goes in between the two layers of cake, or the crumb topping that's sprinkled on top before baking? If you do end up trying it again with pouring half the cake batter at the bottom instead of 2/3, please let me know how it goes! Fingers crossed for you!!