Gluten-Free Blueberry Coffee Cake

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Gluten-Free Blueberry Coffee Cake – Tender, light gluten-free coffee cake bursting with blueberries and topped with plenty of buttery cinnamon streusel!

Front view of a slice of gluten-free blueberry coffee cake with cinnamon streusel & glaze

Contrary to the name, coffee cake doesn’t have any actual coffee in it. But what it lacks in actual coffee, it makes up for in flavor & texture!

With fluffy cake, fresh blueberries, and a buttery cinnamon streusel topping, gluten-free blueberry coffee cake feels like a celebration. It’s perfect for brunch, afternoon tea, or cozy get-togethers like book clubs or baby showers.

And although there are several components and steps, there really isn’t anything overly fussy or tricky about this recipe. It’s easy as pie! (Well, cake.) Let’s make a batch, shall we?

Here’s what you need to make our gluten-free blueberry coffee cake recipe…

Overhead view of ingredients for gluten-free blueberry coffee cake

Here’s What You Need To Make Gluten-Free Blueberry Coffee Cake

  • Softened Butter. Make sure your butter is properly softened so it creams properly with the sugar!
  • Sugar. To keep the color of our cake light, I’m using all white sugar in this recipe. Then we’ll use brown sugar in the streusel for a pretty contrast!
  • Room Temperature Eggs. Since we’re creaming the butter and sugar, it’s important to use room temperature eggs for the best texture. Using cold eggs can cause the butter to seize up when it gets cold, which can ruin your texture. (Get your eggs to room temperature quickly with this trick).
  • Vanilla. Always vanilla! I love the flavor it adds to this light cake.
  • Gluten-Free Flour. Our favorite gluten-free flour for making coffee cake is King Arthur measure-for-measure gluten-free flour. It’s easy (no mixing and matching flours yourself!), quick, and has a nice balance of starch and protein. If you use another gluten-free flour blend, make sure it contains xanthan gum.
  • Baking Powder & Baking Soda. This combination neutralizes the acidity in the batter and creates enough lift to make a light, fluffy gluten-free coffee cake. Yum! (Make sure your baking powder & baking soda are fresh with this quick test)
  • Salt. Then, you’ll need some salt to balance the flavors. I’m using kosher salt, but if you use table salt, you may want to go a touch lighter.
  • Sour Cream. In the Pancake Princess’s coffee cake taste test, most tasters preferred the recipes with sour cream. It adds a bright tang that offsets the deep sweetness of the berries, and gives the cake a velvety smooth, tender texture.
  • Fresh Blueberries. You’ll need a full cup of blueberries, which is about one 6 (oz.) container. Blueberries are in season from spring to summer in the united states, so these are the best times of year to make this gluten-free blueberry coffee cake!
  • Our Easy Streusel. A coffee cake is only as good as its streusel! Ours uses TWO layers of streusel (one in the middle and one on top). Our quick gluten-free streusel is made from melted butter, gluten-free flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt. Easy-peasy!

How To Make Gluten-Free Coffee Cake, Step By Step:

  1. Preheat The Oven & Prep Your Pan. Start by preheating the oven to 350 degrees F. Line an 8×8 square pan with parchment paper. (I recommend leaving parchment hanging over 2 of the sides of the pan so it’s easy to lift the cake out later.)
  2. Make The Streusel. Start the streusel by combining melted butter, flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt. Mix lightly with a fork just until clusters form and there aren’t any super floury bits. (It’s ok for it to look a bit powdery, just no big clumps of flour!). Try not to over-mix the streusel into a paste–stop when the clusters form. Set the streusel aside.
  3. Cream The Butter & Sugar. In a large mixing bowl or stand mixer, cream the softened butter and sugar for 2 minutes, until light, fluffy and smooth.
  4. Add Eggs One At A Time, mixing to incorporate each egg before adding the next one. Then, add the eggs one at a time, mixing each egg all the way in before adding the next egg.
  5. Mix In The Vanilla. Stir in the vanilla and mix to combine.
  6. Add The Dry Ingredients. Scrape down the sides of your bowl and add the gluten-free flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Mix until just blended.
  7. Mix In The Sour Cream. Now, add the sour cream and mix for 30-60 seconds, until the mixture is lighter in color, smooth, and velvety.
  8. Fold In The Blueberries. Add your blueberries and use a spatula to gently fold them into the batter until they’re well distributed.
  9. Layer The Cake & Streusel. Add half the coffee cake batter to your prepared pan and spread into an even layer with a spatula or offset spatula. Sprinkle with half of the streusel mixture. Add the remaining cake batter in dollops to cover the streusel (it’s easier to spread over the streusel when you dollop it around the cake rather than dumping it all in the center!). Gently spread the cake batter into and even layer to cover the streusel. Top with the remaining streusel. Your pan will be pretty full!
  10. Bake The Coffee Cake. Place the baking dish in the oven and bake at 350 degrees F. for 50-60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. The center shouldn’t be overly wobbly and should spring back fairly quickly when you gently press it with your fingers (careful! It’s hot!)
  11. Cool + Glaze (If You Want) + Slice. Place the blueberry coffee cake on a wire cooling rack to cool for 10 minutes. Lift the cake out of the pan to cool the rest of the way if desired (faster) or let the cake cool in the pan until totally cool. Drizzle with glaze if desired & cut into slices!

FAQ + Tips And Tricks For The BEst Gluten-Free Blueberry Coffee Cake

Is There Coffee In Coffee Cake? Why Do They Call Coffee Cake Coffee Cake? There is NO actual coffee in coffee cake. It’s called coffee cake because it’s a lightly sweet cake meant to be served *with* coffee, often in a brunch, or tea-type setting.

Can I Make This Without The Blueberries? You bet! If you’re not a blueberry fan, feel free to leave them out. It’s still a delicious gluten-free coffee cake without them!

Would This Work Dairy-Free? I haven’t made it dairy-free, but you could try! You’d swap the butter with vegan butter/dairy-free butter, and the sour cream with dairy-free yogurt alternative or dairy-free sour cream.

What Can I Use Instead Of Sour Cream In Coffee Cake? The best replacement is buttermilk (not homemade buttermilk substitutes!). If that’s not an option for you, I recommend using 3/4 cup milk and 1/4 cup plain yogurt, or 1 cup full-fat plain yogurt.

Can I Make This In A 9×9 Pan or Springform Pan? Yes! You can. Just keep an eye on the bake time, as it will vary slightly. (A 9-inch baking dish bakes thinner cakes than 8×8 pans, so they’ll cook faster)

Front view of a slice of gluten-free blueberry coffee cake with cinnamon streusel & glaze

More Gluten-Free Brunch Recipes To Try:

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Front view of a slice of gluten-free blueberry coffee cake with cinnamon streusel & glaze

Gluten-Free Blueberry Coffee Cake


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5 from 1 review

  • Author: Emily Dixon, Sweets & Thank You
  • Total Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
  • Yield: 1216 servings 1x
  • Diet: Gluten Free

Description

Tender, light gluten-free coffee cake bursting with blueberries and topped with plenty of buttery cinnamon streusel!


Ingredients

Scale

For The Streusel:

  • 12 Tablespoons butter (1 1/2 sticks, 6 oz.), melted
  • 1 3/4 cup (210 grams) gluten-free measure-for-measure flour, weighed or scooped and leveled
  • 3/4 cup lightly packed brown sugar
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
  • 1 teaspoon salt (use 3/4 teaspoon if using salted butter)

For The Blueberry Coffee Cake:

  • 8 Tablespoons (1 stick, 4 oz.) butter, softened
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 3 eggs, room temperature*
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 1 cup sour cream
  • 2 cups (240 grams) gluten-free measure for measure flour, weighed or scooped and leveled
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 11 1/2 cups fresh blueberries, washed and mostly dry (use 1 1/2 cups if you like lots of blueberries!)

For The Optional Glaze:

  • 1/2 Tablespoon butter, melted
  • 1/2 Tablespoon maple syrup
  • 1/2 Tablespoon milk or dairy-free milk
  • 1/4 teaspoon vanilla
  • 23 drops maple extract (optional)
  • 1/31/2 cup powdered sugar

Instructions

Preheat & Prep:

  1. Start by preheating the oven to 350 degrees F.
  2. Line an 8×8 square pan with parchment paper. (I recommend leaving parchment hanging over 2 of the sides of the pan so it’s easy to lift the cake out later.)

To Make The Streusel:

  1. Start the streusel by combining melted butter, flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt.
  2. Mix lightly with a fork just until clusters form and there aren’t any super floury bits. (It’s ok for it to look a bit powdery, just no big clumps of flour!). Try not to over-mix the streusel into a paste–stop when the clusters form.
  3. Set the streusel aside.

To Make The Blueberry Coffee Cake:

  1. Cream The Butter & Sugar. In a large mixing bowl or stand mixer, cream the softened butter and sugar for 2 minutes, until light, fluffy and smooth.
  2. Add Eggs One At A Time, mixing to incorporate each egg before adding the next one. Then, add the eggs one at a time, mixing each egg all the way in before adding the next egg.
  3. Mix In The Vanilla. Stir in the vanilla and mix to combine.
  4. Add The Dry Ingredients. Scrape down the sides of your bowl and add the gluten-free flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Mix until just blended.
  5. Mix In The Sour Cream. Now, add the sour cream and mix for 30-60 seconds, until the mixture is lighter in color, smooth, and velvety.
  6. Fold In The Blueberries. Add your blueberries and use a spatula to gently fold them into the batter until they’re well distributed.
  7. Layer The Cake & Streusel. Add half the coffee cake batter to your prepared pan and spread into an even layer with a spatula or offset spatula. Sprinkle with half of the streusel mixture. Add the remaining cake batter in dollops to cover the streusel (it’s easier to spread over the streusel when you dollop it around the cake rather than dumping it all in the center!). Gently spread the cake batter into and even layer to cover the streusel. Top with the remaining streusel. Your pan will be pretty full!
  8. Bake The Coffee Cake. Place the baking dish in the oven and bake at 350 degrees F. for 50-60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. The center shouldn’t be overly wobbly and should spring back fairly quickly when you gently press it with your fingers (careful! It’s hot!)
  9. Cool + Glaze (If You Want) + Slice. Place the blueberry coffee cake on a wire cooling rack to cool for 10 minutes. Lift the cake out of the pan to cool the rest of the way if desired (faster) or let the cake cool in the pan until totally cool. Drizzle with glaze if desired & cut into slices!

To Make The Optional Glaze:

  1. In a liquid measuring cup or small bowl, combine melted butter, maple syrup, milk, vanilla, maple extract (if using), and 1/3 cup powdered sugar.
  2. Whisk until totally smooth, adding more powdered sugar as necessary until it’s mostly opaque and drizzles easily off your fork or whisk. (If the glaze gets too thick, you can thin it with a little more milk.)
  3. Drizzle over cooled coffee cake before serving.

Notes

  • Store Leftovers: To store leftover gluten-free blueberry coffee cake, cover the pan well with plastic wrap or a lid (or place the cake in an airtight container) and refrigerate 2-3 days.
  • *If you like your coffee cake more dry, use 2 eggs instead of 3.
  • Prep Time: 20 minutes
  • Cook Time: 55 minutes
  • Category: Cake
  • Method: Oven
  • Cuisine: American
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3 Comments

  1. Quick question. You mention sour cream in the directions, but it is not listed in the ingredients. How much sour cream are we supposed to add?
    Thanks!

    1. Margaret – Oh my goodness! Thanks for that catch! I’ve updated the ingredient list with the correct amount 🙂 Sorry about that!