Gluten Free Blueberry Cake

This tender, moist, gluten free blueberry cake is perfect for any occasion! It is loaded with blueberries and topped with a light dusting of powdered sugar. Whether served for brunch or a special afternoon treat, this is the light, fruit-filled coffee cake everyone will love!

In addition to being melt-in-your-mouth soft, what I love about this coffee cake is that I can eat it for breakfast without feeling guilty. Plus, it’s both gluten and dairy free! Check out this equally delicious cinnamon coffee cake too!

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Why this recipe is the best!

This gluten free blueberry cake recipe is great because it’s straightforward and it only uses 10 ingredients. Here are a few more things you’ll love about this recipe:

• It’s the perfect breakfast, snack, or dessert
  
• It’s simple to prep with my gluten free flour mix (these no yeast cinnamon rolls use that versatile flour mix too)
  
• It works great with fresh or frozen blueberries (make these lemon blueberry muffins with any leftover blueberries!)
  
• It tastes amazing with or without the powdered sugar topping

Pro tips for making the perfect coffee cake

Although this recipe is pretty easy to whip up, here are a few tips to be sure your gluten free blueberry cake turns out perfectly.

1. Measure by weight

Use a digital scale to measure all of your ingredients. Measuring by weight is more accurate than measuring by cup and can greatly affect the final outcome of your cake. Find out more about why this is so important in my baking masterclass.

2. Use room temperature ingredients (except the blueberries)

Make sure all of your ingredients are at room temperature for this recipe to ensure they become fully incorporated when mixing. The blueberries are an exception here because they are folded into the batter just before baking. Cold or frozen blueberries work great.

3. Let the batter rest for 30 minutes

Letting the batter rest before baking allows time for the starches to fully absorb the liquid ingredients. This keeps your cake super soft and light. These oat flour brownies are the exception to that rule since there's no starch in the recipe.

4. Toss the blueberries in flour and add them to the batter after it has rested

Tossing the blueberries in flour and waiting to add them to the batter until right before it goes into the oven prevents them from sinking to the bottom of the cake while it is baking.

5. Helpful tools

Here are some tools that will make prepping your gluten free blueberry cake super quick and simple: 

• Digital scale
  
• Medium mixing bowl
  
• Stand mixer
  
• Rubber spatula
  
• Parchment paper
  
• Round 9” baking pan
  
• Wire cooling rack

How to make this recipe

Ingredients & substitutions

• Gluten free flour blend - My flour mix is perfect for this recipe! I wouldn’t recommend substituting it here.
  
• Ground flax seeds - A great alternative for flax seeds in this recipe is ground chia seeds.
  
• Baking powder - There are no substitutions for baking powder in this recipe.
  
• Vegan butter - This recipe was tested using Earth Balance vegan butter. Regular butter also works really well in this cake. 
  
• Granulated sugar - Swerve granular sweetener is a great sugar free substitution in this recipe.
  
• Eggs - If you’d like to use a plant-based egg substitution, JUST Egg brand has an egg-free alternative that works well in this recipe.
  
• Pure vanilla extract - Any high-quality, pure vanilla extract will work great in this recipe.
  
• Lemon juice - Fresh lemon juice was used in this recipe but bottled works as well. There are no substitutions for lemon juice in this recipe. (If you have lemon juice left over, it might be time to make this lemon pound cake!)
  
• Almond milk - The almond milk in this recipe can be swapped out for coconut milk or dairy milk.
  
• Blueberries - Fresh or frozen blueberries both work well in this cake. There is no substitution for the blueberries in this recipe.

Mixing

This gluten free blueberry cake batter is super simple to whip up in just about 20 minutes. To get started, stir together the gluten free flour mix, ground flax seeds, and baking powder and set it aside (step 1 above). In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream together the butter and sugar until the texture is smooth and creamy (step 2). Add one egg at a time and beat until well blended. Then, add the vanilla extract and lemon juice and beat again (step 3).

Next, add the dry ingredients to the creamed mixture and mix on low speed for 30 seconds (step 4). Stop the machine and scrape batter down as needed. Add half of the almond milk and mix on medium speed for 15 seconds (step 5). Then, add the remaining milk and mix the batter on medium speed for 3 minutes (step 6). Set the batter aside to rest for 30 minutes.

In the meantime, prepare a round 9” baking pan by spraying it with cooking spray and lining it with parchment paper. Tip: To get the perfect-sized parchment for your pan, trace the pan on the parchment paper and then cut it out.

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Prep your blueberries by tossing them in a pinch of the gluten free flour mix. If you choose to use frozen blueberries, do not let them thaw before tossing them in the flour. Once the resting period has elapsed, gently fold the blueberries into the cake batter with a rubber spatula.

Baking & Serving

Once the blueberries have been folded into the batter, pour it into the prepared baking pan and smooth out the top. Bake the cake at 350°F for 45-47 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. 

Remove the cake from the oven and let it cool in the pan for 15 minutes before turning it out onto a wire cooling rack to finish cooling for 30 more minutes. Gently peel the parchment off and dust with powdered sugar just before serving.

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