This gluten free apple coffee cake is tender, moist, and packed with juicy apples and warm cinnamon. Made without a stand mixer, the cake batter rests for 15 minutes before being baked to avoid a gritty texture. Finished with a buttery cinnamon pecan crumb topping, it’s a cozy fall bake for breakfast, brunch, or an afternoon treat!
A Gluten Free Apple Coffee Cake That’s Not Crumbly or Gritty and is Packed with Cozy Fall Flavors!
I’ve had to eat gluten free on and off over the past 15 years (currently on!) and one of my BIGGEST pet peeves is a really terrible gluten free baked good that’s gritty, dry, and crumbly. I put this gluten free apple coffee cake through rigorous testing to pass my high standards so that it tastes great and has a lovely moist texture without the grittiness!
This gluten free coffee cake is NOT something that can be made super quickly so I recommend it as a fall weekend baking project. Luckily you don’t need a stand mixer to make it but you will dirty three different mixing bowls so keep that in mind. In my opnion, it’s totally worth it once you taste it! If you want a quicker gluten free apple dessert, I highly recommend my maple cinnamon apple crumble!
While the cake bakes, the apples become super tender and the cinnamon pecan crumb topping gets crisp and buttery. Though the cake is on the dense side like a standard coffee cake, it remains moist and tender. This cozy fall dessert is the perfect pairing for a weekend of apple picking but it’s also great for adding to a fall brunch lineup!
JUMP STRAIGHT TO:
- Gluten Free Apple Coffee Cake Ingredients
- The Best Gluten Free Flour to Use
- Tips for Avoiding a Gritty Texture
- How to Make this Gluten Free Apple Coffee Cake and Cinnamon Pecan Crumb Topping
- Storage and Freezing Notes
- Can I Make this With Regular All-Purpose Flour?
Key Ingredients for Gluten Free Apple Coffee Cake and Cinnamon Pecan Crumb Topping
A gluten free measure for measure flour blend (more on that below) is the ideal flour to use here. A little cornstarch helps to lighten up the crumb just a tad without sacrificing that charcateristic dense coffee cake crumb. Though there’s butter in the cinnamon pecan crumb topping, the cake itself relies on a combination of vegetable oil and sour cream to ensure it stays moist and tender.
I personally prefer using a tart, firm apple like Granny Smith here because it doesn’t make the cake feel overly sweet. You can use any firm apple variety that holds its shape during baking like Pink Lady, Honeycrisp, Cosmic Crisp, or Fuji. Have leftover apples? Try them in these apple pie overnight oats or these easy baked apples with walnuts and sage.
Which Gluten Free Flour is Best Here?
For this particular gluten free coffee cake, I developed the recipe with a measure for measure flour that is meant to replace wheat flour in conventional recipes. These blends include xanthan gum along with several different gluten free flours and starches to mimic the way wheat flour behaves in a recipe. I did this primarily because these flours are the ones I work with 99% of the time, and I find them consistently reliable and easy to find at many stores.
In my non-sponsored opinion, the best options are either the Gluten Free Measure for Measure Flour by King Arthur or Bob’s Red Mill’s Gluten Free 1:1 Baking Flour. I use both regularly and for this particular recipe, I used the King Arthur one. The Bob’s Red Mill option is definitely more widely available (I’ve seen it at Whole Foods, Target, Wegman’s, Kroger, Publix, etc.) and I think it’s also more budget-friendly.
My Tips for Avoiding The Dreaded Gritty Texture in this Apple Cake
Since most gluten free flour blends include some sort of rice flour, they can have a gritty mouthfeel. Luckily, there’s a really easy way to avoid this in your gluten free apple cake! Gluten free flours, including rice flour, need more time to absorb liquids than wheat.
In the recipe, I’ve included an extra step to allow the cake batter to rest for 15 minutes. This allows time for the gluten free flours to properly hyrdate which completely eliminates that weird grittiness in the baked cake! Since the cinnamon crumb topping also contains flour, it gets made first and chills in the fridge so that it can properly hydrate as well.
How to Make this Gluten Free Apple Coffee Cake with a Cinnamon Pecan Crumb Topping
You’ll need three mixing bowls. Mix the cinnamon pecan crumb topping first because it needs to chill and hyrdate in the fridge while you complete the next few steps. This chilling time is important because the butter needs to be cold when it hits the oven. In your remaining two bowls, you’ll whisk the dry and wet ingredients separately.
Mix the dry ingredients into the wet then allow the cake batter to rest for 15 minutes. While the batter rests, you can peel and chop your apple. Normally I don’t fuss with peeling apples for baked goods but during recipe testing I much preferred the cake with the apples peeled. Once the batter has rested, you can fold in the apples then transfer the mixture to your springform pan.
Remove the crumb topping from the fridge and crumble it over the top of the cake batter, pressing gently so that it adheres. The cake is baked at a lower temperature (325) for a longer time (45-60 minutes) so that the cake can bake fully without burning the crumb topping.
The cake is ready once the center is fully set (not wiggly or wobbly) and a tester comes out clean. Allow it to cool FULLY before slicing and eating because the cake will set as it cools. I know it’s hard, but trust me! If you slice it too early, it will be mushy.
Storage and Freezing Notes
In my very honest and humble opinion, this gluten free apple coffee cake will have the best texture and flavor on the day it is made. In my experience this holds true with pretty much all gluten free baked goods. Keep leftovers covered at room temperature for up to 3 days. I don’t recommend storing this in the fridge because the texture tends to become hard and crumbly.
If you’d like to freeze leftovers, make sure the cake has fully cooled first, then cut into slices. Wrap each slice in parchment then place in a freezer safe container. Freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw frozen slices overnight in the fridge.
Can I Make this Apple Coffee Cake with Regular All-Purpose Flour?
Yes, you can make this coffee cake with regular all-purpose flour! You’ll use 1 cup (120 grams) in the crumb topping. For the cake, you’ll use 2 cups (240 grams). You’ll need to omit the cornstarch and you don’t need to rest the cake batter for 15 minutes.
Gluten Free Apple Coffee Cake
- Total Time: 1 hour 30 minutes
- Yield: 8 1x
- Diet: Gluten-Free, Vegetarian
Description
This gluten free apple coffee cake is tender, moist, and packed with juicy apples and warm cinnamon. Finished with a buttery cinnamon pecan crumb topping, it’s a cozy fall bake for breakfast, brunch, or an afternoon treat.
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup (90 grams) gluten free measure for measure flour blend
- 2/3 cup granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1/2 cup raw pecans, chopped
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly
- 1 3/4 cups (210 grams) gluten free measure for measure flour blend
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom
- 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1 cup sour cream, at room temperature
- 1/2 cup vegetable oil
- 1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs, at room temperature
- 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla bean paste, or vanilla extract
- 1 1/2 cups peeled and diced Granny Smith apples, from 2 medium apples
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Grease a 9-inch springform pan with cooking spray then line the bottom with a round of parchment paper.
Make the crumb topping first. Add the gluten free flour, sugar, cinnamon, and salt to a medium mixing bowl. Whisk to combined, then mix in the chopped pecans and melted butter. Stir in the butter until the mixture looks lumpy and crumbly. Place in the fridge to chill while you prepare the cake batter.
Add the gluten free flour, cornstarch, cinnamon, cardamom, ginger, baking powder, and salt to a medium bowl. Whisk to aerate and combine.
In a separate larger mixing bowl, whisk together the room temperature sour cream, vegetable oil, brown sugar, sugar, eggs, and vanilla until smooth and well combined. Add the dry ingredients to the wet and whisk until you have a smooth and relatively thick cake batter. Let the batter sit for 15 minutes to ensure time for the flour to hydrate properly and prevent a gritty final texture.
After 15 minutes, fold the diced apples into the cake batter and remove the crumb topping from the fridge.
Pour the cake batter into the prepared springform pan and smooth it into an even layer. Scatter the crumb topping evenly over the batter then gently press it into the top of the batter. This helps it adhere.
Bake the cake in the preheated oven on the center rack for 45-60 minutes until the center is fully set and does not jiggle and a toothpick inserted into the middle of the cake comes out clean. If the center looks slightly sunken, it’s not ready yet. Allow the cake to cool for 15 minutes in the pan on a wire rack. After 15 minutes, carefully remove the outer ring then allow the cake to cool completely on the wire rack. Slice and serve once fully cool.
Cover leftovers and store them at room temperature for up to 3 days.
Notes
- Make sure the sour cream and eggs are both at room temperature! This leads to a move even bake and better final texture. I typically take them out about an hour before I’d like to make the cake.
- A gluten free measure for measure flour blend is recommended here. See the body of the post for more information.
- You can make this cake dairy free by swapping in vegan butter and vegan sour cream. I do not recommend making it vegan by using an egg replacer as that would take further testing and tweaking to ensure the best final result.
- You can use an equal amount of walnuts in place of the pecans if you prefer.
- You can skip peeling the apples if you prefer. I personally preferred the texture of the cake with them peeled during testing but it’s entirely up to you!
- For instructions on freezing leftovers, check out the body of the post.
- Keep in mind that you need to factor in about 1-2 hours of cooling time for the cake! I do not recommend slicing and serving it while warm as it needs to finish setting as it cools.
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 45-60 minutes
- Category: Breakfast, Dessert
This apple cake tastes like fall; it was the perfect treat! My gluten-sensitive daughter especially loved having a delicious gluten-free dessert. Thanks for the great recipe!
I made this for my dad and it was a total hit! Thank you!