This classic gluten free cinnamon coffee cake is light as a feather, topped with a delicious, sweet, buttery topping and it’s dairy free! It’s a one bowl recipe that starts with convenient GF Bisquick!
Whoever came up with a cake that can be enjoyed for breakfast, brunch, lunch, snack or dessert was a genius. Just by simple giving this cake a fancy name, viola – I can sit here and enjoy a piece for lunch! I am not one to argue when to eat cake (see also this vanilla cake and chocolate cake) so strawberry cake might just become an afternoon snack from now on!
Why is this gluten free coffee cake the best?
I’ve made dozens of coffee cakes over the years – with all types of ingredients, but none compare to a classic cinnamon coffee cake with a buttery cinnamon topping. They just don’t get better than that. Besides that amazing flavor combination, this coffee cake is also:
- Super easy – it uses a baking mix so measuring the ingredients is the most time consuming part of this recipe!
- Tender and soft – you may not think of a cake as being soft, but that’s the best way I know to describe it – it’s got a super soft texture that literally melts in your mouth.
- Perfectly balanced – it’s not overly sweet and it’s not bland either. I would not hesitate to serve this for breakfast or for an afternoon snack.
How to make this gluten free Bisquick coffee cake
Room temperature ingredients
Except for the cold butter for the topping, all ingredients should be at room temperature. Eggs can be quickly warmed by floating them in a cup of warm water for a few minutes.
Use a medium sized bowl
Normally I would always suggest reaching for a large bowl to mix ingredients. But with this recipe, you can use the medium size. The recipe is easy to mix with just a spoon and the ingredients won't fly all over the counter.
Mix the topping
The topping is a really fun part of this recipe. To mix it, just combine the baking mix, brown sugar and cinnamon. Then use a pastry blender and cut the butter into the mix. It may take a few minutes of working it in, but you should be left with a mix that’s crumbly and buttery.
Bake and cool
After the all-important resting period, a 25 minute bake in the oven will have this coffee cake looking amazing. Cool it for a few minutes before cutting into it with a sharp knife and serving!
Pro Tips for the BEST coffee cake
- Tip #1 – Let the batter rest
As funny as it may sound, this batter (as with most gluten free batters) needs a 30 minute rest time before baking. This helps hydrate the flours and creates a beautifully textured cake.
- Tip #2 – Use GF Bisquick
While there are other baking mixes on the market, the recipe has only been tested with the Bisquick brand mix. Other mixes may work, but I can’t say for certain.
- Tip #3 – Substituting the eggs
If you need an egg free version of this recipe, the flax eggs substitute will work well. The cake won’t rise as high as it would with eggs but the taste is exactly the same.
FAQ's about this recipe
It is super easy to make! I mean we’re talking measure the ingredients, portion into the bowl and mix. That’s literally it. The topping ingredients gets little more attention (with cutting in the butter) but other than that, prep work is a breeze.
Yes, the two are similar, but there are definitely some differences… Crumb cake tends to have a lot more ‘crumb’ topping. While coffee cake, on the other hand, has a much thinner topping layer. Other than that, the cake could easily pass as one another.
Yes! And even better I have a wonderful homemade GF Bisquick recipe that works wonderfully in this recipe.
If you have pieces leftover, the best way to store this cake is by placing the pieces in a plastic storage container. They’ll stay for 2 days at room temperature or place them in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
Be sure to check out these delicious recipes too!
Gluten Free Cinnamon Coffee Cake
Ingredients
Coffee cake:
- 270 grams gluten free Bisquick baking mix about 1 ¾ cup
- 50 grams granulated sugar about ¼ cup
- 1 cup almond milk
- 3 eggs
- 3 Tablespoons non dairy butter melted
Topping:
- 55 grams gluten free Bisquick baking mix about ⅓ cup
- ½ cup brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ cup butter cold
Instructions
Prepare coffee cake:
- In a medium bowl, combine gluten free Bisquick baking mix, sugar, milk, eggs and melted butter.
- Mix together with a sturdy spoon until completely smooth. Batter will be thin.
- Set batter aside to rest for 30 minutes.
Meanwhile prepare topping:
- In a small bowl, mix 55 grams of gluten Free Bisquick, brown sugar and cinnamon.
- Cut in cold butter using a pastry blender until butter is completely incorporated. Set mixture aside.
- Prepare a 9” square baking pan by spraying well with cooking spray. Preheat oven at 350 F.
- Pour batter into the pan.
- Sprinkle with topping.
- Bake for 27 minutes or until top is golden brown and toothpick comes out clean.
Video
Notes
- Make sure ingredients are at room temperature.
- Topping should look like coarse crumbs after cutting in the butter.
- Give batter the full 30 minutes of rest time.
- Bake until golden brown, about 27 minutes.
- Coffee cake can be served warm.
Mary
Dear Christine,
I just recently discovered your website and signed up for your emails. I just wanted to let you know how happy I was to see that many of your recipes are dairy free! I am sensitive to both gluten and dairy, and have often had to substitute for dairy ingredients in gluten-free recipes, so thank you for thinking about us folks who are sensitive to both gluten and dairy!
Regards,
Mary
Christine
Hi Mary,
Welcome, glad you're here 🙂
And so glad you're enjoying the recipes! If you find one that hasn't been converted to DF yet, please ask, I had to go DF in early 2020, so I'm gradually changing them all but there's several that still have dairy in them.
Again, welcome!
~Christine
Lori DeKoninck
If you are in the US it's difficult to figure out the "grams" that are needed in the recipe. Can you convert to imperial measurements please?
Christine
Hi Lori,
So I have both cups and grams specified in the recipe - but let me know if I've missed anything!
~Christine
Unalewis
Could I use all brown rice flour in making your gluten free bisquik recipe instead of using the white and brown rice flour
Christine
Hi!
So you can, yes, but this is such a light cake, it may change the texture. It won't change the taste, but the texture may not be as light.
But yes!
Christine
Sue
Where is the coffee in this recipe pls.
I live in Australia, so therefore I improvise on the products used.
Christine
Hi Sue,
So there isn't any coffee in this cake - which I know sounds like thee would be with the name of it, but it's just the name for this brunch type cake.
So no coffee needed!
Hope that helps!
~Christine
Irene Martin
Can I use regular milk. I need to bake nut free.
Christine
Hi Irene,
Absolutely - regular milk can absolutely be used.
Thanks for asking!
~Christine
Patsy
This looks amazing. My son has an egg allergy, do you think replacing with flax eggs or even applesauce would would still produce the same result?
Christine
Hi Patsy,
Thank you! So I just discovered JUST egg and it has been working amazing - I'd recommend that 🙂 Flax eggs would be a good option too though.
Thanks for asking!
Christine