Gluten Free Dairy Free Coffee Cake
Perfect Moist Gluten Free and Dairy Free Coffee Cake is going to be your favorite brunch treat. This gluten free coffee cake literally has the perfect texture. The crumb on top is made with nuts, vegan butter, and brown sugar, so it provides the exact amount of sweet crunch. This is truly the best gluten free coffee cake.
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Gluten Free Dairy Free Coffee Cake

The Best Gluten Free Coffee Cake

It’s the perfect afternoon pick-me-up with a cup of delicious hot tea on a brisk fall day. I need those pick me ups a lot these days. The kids, blog, cookbook and PTO keep me very busy. There’s never a minute to slow down, so these treats in the afternoon help to keep me going.
Gluten Free Coffee Cake

If you serve this for guests they will be ever-so-grateful and keep coming back for more. They likely will have no clue that it is also gluten free and dairy free.
What ingredients are need for this gluten free coffee cake?
- gluten free flour (either my premade blend, or a gf all purpose blend, see below for recommendations)
- baking powder
- baking soda
- salt
- xanthan gum (omit if your flour blend contains it alread)
- eggs
- sugar
- vanilla
- non dairy free (any will work, I usually use coconut or flax)
- applesauce
- cinnamon
- nutmeg
Gluten Free Flour Tips
It is easier than it looks! A few things to keep in mind is that not all gluten free flours are created equal. I only bake with my Gluten Free All Purpose Flour blend (Grab the recipe HERE) or Better Batter flour. Better Batter is my prefered flour to use and if you want to try it use the code: LIVINGFREELYGF to get 30% off of your purchase.
Over the years the common denominator of readers not getting preferred results is often the flour. Each flour blend uses different types of flour and some are more dense than others. This will absolutely change the texture of your baked goods.
When you scoop your flour make sure to use the spoon method. If you are unfamiliar with this then you can watch a video HERE. To use this method you need to spoon the flour into your measuring cup and level it off. This helps to make sure you are not packing your flour.
Always remember that if you decided to use a premade gluten free flour blend then OMIT the xanthan gum.
What is xanthan gum and why do I need to use it?
Wheat flour contains gluten and gluten is the binder, it holds the mixture together creating that soft fluffy texture we all love. When you are not baking with gluten that binder needs to be replaced. Typically xanthan gum is used as the binder. It works very well and has become the staple for gluten free baking.
Other binders that work well are guar gum and psyllium husk. Psyllium husk is a grain free alternative and it works, but not as well as xanthan gum.
In this recipe you can use your favorite nuts, but I have found that pecans or walnuts are my favorite for this. Feel free to use either, or blend both, but make sure to chop them up fine.
How do I make this gluten free and dairy free Coffee Cake?
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- Start by preheating your oven to 350 degrees F.
- Then cream the eggs, milk, vanilla, and sugar. You can use a stand mixer, or a hand mixer for this.
- Add the applesauce, coconut oil, cinnamon and nutmeg and continue to mix for 2 minutes.
- Add the Gluten Free All Purpose Flour, Baking Powder, and Xanthan Gum. Mix until it is all blended well.
- You will then need to pour this into a greased cake pan. I always grease with coconut oil and it gets amazing results. The pan you use does make a difference. For a long time I used a round cake pan, but readers were not always getting the same results as me. I would recommend using a 9X13 baking dish for this recipe for universal results.
- After pouring the batter into your pan you will then make the crumb topping. To do this add all of the ingredients to a bowl and smash with a fork to create a crumb. Spread across the top and then bake for about 45 minutes, or until a butter knife comes out of the center clean.
- Allow to cool for about 30 minutes before cutting open.
It is so incredibly moist and spongy when you pierce your fork into it and watch the crisp crumble fall to the sides of the plate you will not be able to help yourself to keep coming back for each bite and then scraping the crumble off of the plate, onto the fork and into your mouth.

Best Gluten Free Coffee Cake

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Ingredients
- 2 Eggs
- 1 Cup Sugar
- 2 tsp. Vanilla
- 1/2 Cup Non Dairy Milk Cashew and Coconut are my favorite
- 3/4 Cup Coconut Oil Melted
- 1 1/2 Cups Applesauce
- 1 tsp. Cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp. Nutmeg
- 2 Cups GF AP Flour
- 1 tsp. Baking Powder
- 1 tsp. Baking Soda
- 1/4 tsp. Salt
- 1 1/2 tsp. Xanthan Gum
Crumb Topping
- 1/4 Cup Dairy Free Butter
- 1/3 Cup White Rice Flour
- 1/2 Cup Brown Sugar
- 1 tsp. Cinnamon
- 1/4 Cup Walnuts or Pecans (Chopped)
Instructions
Cake
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- In a stand mixer on a medium low speed cream the eggs, sugar, vanilla, and non dairy milk.
- Add the applesauce, coconut oil, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Beat for 2 minutes. Turn the mixer off and add the GF All Purpose Flour.
- Turn the mixer back on to slow and add the baking powder, baking soda, salt, and xanthan gum.
- Turn speed to medium and beat for 5 minutes, scrapping down the sides of the bowl half way through.
- Grease your 9X13 baking pan and pour the batter in and spread it evenly.
- Spread your crumb topping over the top.
- Bake for about 45 minutes. Check with a toothpick and when it comes out clean it is done.
Crumb Topping
- In a bowl, combine all ingredients and mix with a fork until it is well combined into little crumbs. Pour on top of the cake batter before putting in the oven.
Nutrition


Need more easy gluten free breakfast recipes? I’ve got you covered…
- Gluten Free Lemon Loaf- Starbucks Copycat
- Banana Bread (Gluten Free, Dairy Free)
- Dairy Free Eggs Benedict
- Vegan Gluten Free Blueberry Scones
- Healthy Breakfast Tacos
- Easy Paleo Quiche