Put on your coziest sweater, pour a hot cup of coffee, and indulge in a slice of gluten free coffee cake! The perfect fall treat, this sweetly spiced and tender cake is rich with pumpkin and topped with a delicious brown sugar streusel.
Fall favorite pumpkin is so good in all sorts of morning bakes, from gluten free pumpkin muffins to a tender gluten free pumpkin bread loaf to gluten free walnut pumpkin scones. For your consideration, a brown sugar streusel-topped pumpkin coffee cake that's easily gluten-free with gluten free flour and perfect with a cup of freshly brewed coffee!
I love a traditional gluten free coffee cake, but come the cooler months, I am ALL about pumpkin and tucking it into as many recipes as I can dream up. This sweet little cake is a wonderful treat to nibble on as the sunlight slides into autumnal warmth, or serve it on Thanksgiving morning (or the morning after!) before you start cooking the holiday meal.
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Why Pumpkin Coffee Cake is so Good
If you love pumpkin as much as I do, adding it to a coffee cake is a no-brainer. You'll find all the good things we all crave about coffee cake - the cinnamon-y, buttery topping, the softly sliceable crumb - but augmented with a nice, mellow pumpkin flavor. Using oil in the cake itself keeps it from drying out, and I doubt anyone could tell it's gluten-free. So, why make this? It's:
- Almost a one-bowl recipe. Actually, the cake batter is made in just one bowl! This means the whole recipe comes together in 10 minutes or much less, and you'll have less to clean up.
- So seasonal. I mean, c'mon now! October is one of the best months of the year, and I love to celebrate it with cozy pumpkin bakes.
- Undetectably gluten-free. My aim is always to create gluten-free recipes that turn out perfectly every time AND are not obviously gluten-free. This little number nicely adheres to that philosophy.
Ingredients Needed
I've included some ingredient notes with the list below to guide you through making this coffee cake. Make sure to scroll down to my recipe card at the bottom of this post for the full ingredient amounts and instructions!
- Topping: Light or dark brown sugar, ground cinnamon, and unsalted butter.
- Gluten free flour - I used my homemade gluten free flour blend in this cake, for both the topping and the cake batter.
- Leavening - Baking soda and baking powder.
- Salt - Fine sea salt or table salt is fine.
- Spices - Ground cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and ginger.
- Pumpkin - Use pure pumpkin puree rather than pumpkin pie filling which has added sugar and flavoring.
- Eggs - I always use large eggs.
- Granulated sugar - Or swap light brown sugar for a richer undertone.
- Oil - Your choice of oil here, such as canola, vegetable, or coconut oil.
- Milk - Use whole or 2% milk, or non-dairy milk.
How to Make Gluten Free Pumpkin Coffee Cake
Here's an overview in photos of how to make this recipe:
1. Make crumb topping: In a large bowl, combine the topping ingredients, then place them in the fridge.
2. Make dry mix: Whisk together the dry ingredients in a large bowl.
3. Add remaining ingredients: Whisk in the rest of the ingredients.
4. Stir until smooth: Mix the batter together until very smooth.
5. Assemble: Pour the batter into a lined 8x8-inch baking pan and scatter the topping evenly across its surface.
6. Bake: Place in a 350°F oven and bake for about 45 minutes.
Baking Tip: Make It An Apple Cake
Instead of pumpkin puree, swap in unsweetened applesauce to make this an applesauce coffee cake. Use exactly the same amount of applesauce as pumpkin puree (1 cup) and keep the spices the same unless you wish to try a different combination (half cinnamon and half ginger, for example).
Tips & Substitution Suggestions
- Chill the topping - This step is not strictly necessary, but I like to assemble the topping first, then place the bowl in the fridge while I make the cake batter. This helps the topping to firm up and hold its shape better during baking.
- Rest the batter - Especially when using a gluten-free flour blend, it's important to rest the batter for at least 10 minutes to allow the flours to hydrate. This will create a smoother, more tender crumb after baking.
- Pumpkin pie spice - Instead of the combination of ground spices, use 2 ½ teaspoons of pumpkin pie spice to streamline prep a bit.
- Keep it dairy-free - Use non-dairy butter in the topping and non-dairy milk in the cake to make this cake easily dairy-free.
- Add vanilla - Stir in 2 teaspoons of pure vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste to the batter.
- Nuts - Sprinkle about ½ cup of sliced almonds into the topping mixture for a bit of crunch.
Proper Storage
- Counter - Cover the cake with foil or place it in an airtight container and keep it on the counter for up to 3 days.
- Fridge - Place the cake in its container in the fridge and store it for up to 5 days.
- Freezer - Cool the cake completely, then wrap it in plastic and foil (or do this with any leftovers after 3 days), and store it in the freezer for up to 3 months. Thaw the cake thoroughly in the fridge before eating.
More Gluten Free Pumpkin Recipes
Happy baking! If you make this recipe, I'd love to know. Please leave a comment below, reach out with any questions, and tag me on Instagram @Cucina Nicolina ❤️
Recipe
Gluten Free Pumpkin Coffee Cake
Ingredients
Crumb Topping
- ½ cup gluten free flour
- ½ cup brown sugar (light or dark)
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ cup unsalted butter
Cake
- 2 ¼ cups gluten free flour (270 grams)
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1 ½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
- ¼ teaspoon ground ginger
- 1 cup pure pumpkin puree
- 2 large eggs
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup oil such as canola, vegetable, or melted coconut oil
- ¼ cup whole milk or non-dairy milk
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease an 8 or 9-inch square baking pan and line it with parchment.
- Make the crumb topping: In a medium bowl, whisk the ½ cup gluten free flour, ½ cup brown sugar, and 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon together. Cut in the cold ¼ cup unsalted butter using a pastry blender or a fork. Mix to create clumps and crumbs. Place the bowl in the fridge to chill while you make the cake batter.
- Make the cake: In a large bowl, whisk together 2 ¼ cups gluten free flour, 1 teaspoon baking soda, ½ teaspoon baking powder, ½ teaspoon fine sea salt, 1 ½ teaspoons ground cinnamon, ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg, ¼ teaspoon ground cloves, and ¼ teaspoon ground ginger until combined.
- Now whisk and stir in the 1 cup pure pumpkin puree, 2 large eggs, ¾ cup granulated sugar, ½ cup oil, and ¼ cup whole milkuntil smooth and combined. Transfer the batter to the prepared baking pan and scatter the topping evenly across the surface. Let batter rest for 10-15 minutes.
- Place in the oven and bake the cake for 35-45 minutes. Check at 35 minutes; if a toothpick comes out clean (a few moist crumbs are OK), take it out of the oven; otherwise, keep baking and checking every few minutes or so.
- Cool the cake in the pan set on a wire rack for at least 20 minutes before serving.
Notes
CN's Tips
- Chill the topping - This step is not strictly necessary, but I like to assemble the topping first, then place the bowl in the fridge while I make the cake batter. This helps the topping to firm up and hold its shape better during baking.
- Rest the batter - Especially when using a gluten-free flour blend, it's important to rest the batter for at least 10 minutes to allow the flours to hydrate. This will create a smoother, more tender crumb after baking.
- Pumpkin pie spice - Instead of the combination of ground spices, use 2 ½ teaspoons of pumpkin pie spice to streamline prep a bit.
- Keep it dairy-free - Use non-dairy butter in the topping and non-dairy milk in the cake to make this cake easily dairy-free.
- Add vanilla - Stir in 2 teaspoons of pure vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste to the batter.
- Nuts - Sprinkle about ½ cup of sliced almonds into the topping mixture for a bit of crunch.
Jenn says
The picture has eggs, but not the recipe? No eggs in the recipe?
Nicole Spiridakis says
Eeeeks! Good catch - yes there are 2 eggs. I have updated.