This Gluten-Free Coffee Cake Recipe is the perfect blend of cake and crumbly streusel. And it wouldn't be complete without a cinnamon ribbon running through the middle. Make it an iconic breakfast or early afternoon treat while enjoying it with your favorite cup of coffee.
Starbucks' coffee cake was always our "go-to" travel treat. After my husband and I went gluten-free, we really missed it. Finally, after some trial and error, I created this Gluten-Free Starbucks Coffee Cake Recipe. We like it even more!
Brunch might be my family's favorite meal. As much as we love eggs Benedicts (with its 3-minute hollandaise sauce), everyone agreed we needed a sweet treat. A huge thank you goes out to Sam over at Sugar Spun Run. Her recipe was a big help in creating this gluten-free coffee cake version.
If you're looking for another item to satisfy your sweet tooth on the breakfast table, do what the Sicilians do. One of their traditional breakfasts consists of an espresso, brioche, and a scoop of granita (a sweet icy indulgence).
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Ingredients
Coffee cake isn't just a cinnamon or vanilla cake with a streusel topping. The cake portion has to have that tangy taste. That flavor usually comes from buttermilk or regular milk mixed with vinegar. It can also come from sour cream, cream cheese, or a mix.
Gluten-free Coffee Cake Sponge
- Butter, unsalted and room temperature
- Cream cheese (or sour cream)
- Dark brown sugar
- Sugar
- Eggs
- Vanilla
- Gluten-free Cup4Cup flour
- Baking soda
- Cornstarch
- Salt
- Milk, plus vinegar (or buttermilk)
Streusel Crumb Topping
- Gluten-free Cup4Cup flour
- Dark brown sugar
- Sugar
- Cinnamon
- Salt
- Butter, unsalted and melted
Cinnamon Sugar Middle Ribbon
A gluten-free copycat Starbucks cinnamon coffee cake must have a cinnamon ribbon in the middle.
- Cinnamon
- Sugar
Note: For an optional optional glaze use powdered sugar and milk.
See the recipe card at the bottom of this post for quantities.
Gluten-free Starbucks Coffee Cake Instructions
Step 1: With an electric stand mixer or hand mixer, beat the butter, cream cheese, dark brown sugar, and white sugar until smooth and fluffy.
Step 2: Mix in the eggs, one at a time. Scrape the bowl after each egg. Add the vanilla and mix again until well combined.
Step 3: In a separate bowl, sift together the Cup4Cup gluten-free all-purpose flour, baking soda, cornstarch, and salt. Add half of the gluten-free flour blend to the batter and mix well.
Step 4: Stir the vinegar into the milk and let rest for 5 minutes. Add half of the milk mixture to the batter and beat on low until fully incorporated. Scrape the sides. Add the rest of the gluten-free flour mixture. Beat on low until combined. Scrape the sides and add the rest of the milk mixture. Beat on low until fully combined.
Step 5: Spray a 9x13 baking dish with non-stick spray. Spread half of the batter evenly into the dish.
Step 6: Mix the cinnamon and sugar together. Sprinkle it over the base layer of the cake.
Step 7: Drop the rest of the batter over the cinnamon sugar layer like small islands.
Step 7.5: Gently spread the "islands" in every direction to connect them to form a unified layer. The dough will be very sticky and this method will help spread the batter.
Step 8: In a large bowl, use a fork or fingers to combine the streusel topping ingredients. Crumble the topping over the coffee cake in an even layer.
Step 9: Bake the cake in a preheated oven for 45-50 minutes at 350F degrees.
Hint: If you want to add the glaze, mix the powdered sugar and milk in a bowl with a fork or rechargeable handheld frother. Do this immediately before serving the coffee cake so the glaze doesn't harden or crystalize. It's fun to serve the glaze in a cute little pitcher. That way everyone can add as much or as little as they would like.
Tangy Substitutions
The best coffee cakes have a tangy flavor that is incredibly satisfying. If you don't have the tang-inducing ingredients listed above, you can still create a coffee cake that is crave-worthy. Here are some ideas.
- Sour Cream - instead of cream cheese, use an equal amount of sour cream.
- Buttermilk - milk and vinegar do a great job replicating buttermilk, but if you have buttermilk on hand, use it!
- Baking Powder - I chose baking soda for this recipe because of its leavening properties AND tangy taste. Baking powder is an excellent leavening agent as well and will work in place of baking soda.
Gluten-Free Coffee Cake Variations
The best thing about coffee cake is that it doesn't taste like coffee. It gets its name because it goes so well with coffee. When coming up with your own variation, think of what would pair well with cinnamon. Here's some inspiration to get you started:
- Fresh Fruit - blueberries, apples (peeled & diced), peaches (peeled & diced), or pears (peeled & diced). Add 1 cup of fruit to the cake batter right before spreading into the baking dish.
- Dried Fruit - raisins, currents, or dates. Add ยฝ cup of these to the cake batter right before spreading it into the baking dish.
- Ground Spices - cardamom, ginger, allspice, nutmeg, or clove. Mix a ยฝ teaspoon of one of these or a combination of them with the cinnamon to get your own unique blend. Add this mix to the ribbon layer and/or the streusel crumble topping.
Storage
This gluten-free coffee cake will last in the refrigerator simply covered with plastic wrap for up to 7 days. It also freezes well too.
For a quick breakfast or snack weeks after you've made it, freeze your coffee cake in single portions in small freezer storage bags. If you take out as much air from the bag as possible, they will last up to 3 months in the freezer.
Frequently Asked Questions
A coffee cake is considered a "coffee cake" becauseย it is traditionally enjoyed with a cup of coffee. Coffee cake doesn't contain any form of coffee itself. Usually, it is topped with a sweet cinnamon crumble streusel that goes beautifully with the bitter taste of coffee.
Yes, you can use vegetable oil in place of butter. Since butter contains 20% milk solids, use ยพ cup of vegetable oil for every 1 cup of melted butter. Ghee (melted butter with the milk fat removed) can also be used in these same ratios.
Other Gluten-Free Sweets
Looking for other recipes like this? Try these:
Pairing
These are my favorite dishes to serve with [this recipe]:
Gluten-Free Copycat Starbucks Coffee Cake
Gluten-free Starbucks coffee cake recipe: easy to make at home! It's the perfect blend of cake, streusel, and cinnamon middle ribbon.
Ingredients
Cake/Sponge
- ยฝ cup butter unsalted
- 8 ounce cream cheese or sour cream
- 1 cup dark brown sugar
- 2 eggs
- 2 teaspoon vanilla
- 2 cups Cup4Cup gluten-free flour
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1 teaspoon cornstarch
- 1 teaspoon kosher coarse salt*
- ยฝ cup milk
- 1 teaspoon vinegar
Cinnamon Ribbon
- ยผ cup sugar
- 2 teaspoon cinnamon
Streusel Topping
- 1 ยฝ cups Cup4Cup gluten-free flour
- 1 ยผ cup dark brown sugar
- 2 tablespoon sugar
- 4 teaspoons cinnamon
- ยฝ teaspoon kosher coarse salt*
- 5 ounces butter unsalted and melted
Optional Glaze
- ยฝ cup powder sugar
- 2 teaspoons milk extra if needed
Instructions
Cake/Sponge
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In an electric stand mixer or hand mixer, cream butter and cream cheese together.
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Add brown sugar and white sugar and beat until fluffy on a medium speed.
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On a lower speed, mix in 1 egg at a time. Mix thoroughly in between eggs.
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Add vanilla and mix well.
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In a large bowl sift together the gluten-free Cup4Cup flour, baking soda, cornstarch, and salt. Set aside.
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In a small bowl, mix together the milk and vinegar and set aside for 5 minutes.
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On a very low speeds, carefully mix in ยฝ of the flour mixture. Stir to completely combine.
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Mix in ยฝ of the milk vinegar mixture. Turn off the mixer and scrape the sides.
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Add the rest of the flour mixture and combine thoroughly.
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Add the rest of the milk mixture and combine thoroughly. Scrape the sides of the bowl and mix for one more minute.
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Spray a 9x13 baking dish with non-stick spray. Evenly spread half of the batter into the dish.
Cinnamon Ribbon Layer
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Mix together the cinnamon and sugar.
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Sprinkle it all over the first layer of batter.
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Dollop the remaining batter in little islands over the cinnamon sugar mixture. Then pull each "island" in every direction to connect them into one solid layer. This dough is very sticky and this method has proved very helpful.
Streusel Topping
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Mix together the gluten-free flour, brown sugar, sugar, cinnamon, salt, and melted butter. Gently combine with your fingers or a fork.
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Spread crumbly streusel topping over the cake.
Baking
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Preheat the oven to 350F.
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Bake the cake for 45 to 50 minutes.
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Allow the cake to cool before slicing.
