Prepped in 10 minutes, this Gluten and Dairy-Free Coffee Cake has all the cinnamon-swirled goodness of classic coffee cake, but in a healthier way. With a soft texture, cinnamon sugar topping, and real coffee for bold flavor, it’s an easy bake that’s perfect for sharing at bridal and baby showers.
A Quick Look At The Recipe
- ⏲️Ready In: 1 hr 10 mins
- 👪Serves: 8 squares
- 🍽 Calories and Protein: 161 kcals and 6 grams of protein
- 📋Main Ingredients: Gluten-free 1:1 baking flour, dairy-free Greek yogurt, eggs, applesauce, cane sugar, and ground coffee.
- 📖 Dietary Notes: Dairy-free and gluten-free.
- ⭐ Why You'll Love It: It delivers classic cinnamon-coffee cake flavor with a sweet cinnamon sugar topping, making it perfect for brunch or dessert.
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Light and moist, this dairy-free cinnamon coffee cake is soft and has a classic cinnamon streusel flavor, basically everything you want from real coffee cake, just made gluten and dairy-free. Sweetened with applesauce and a light sprinkle of sugar, it uses actual coffee to deepen the flavor and can be dressed up for brunch or kept simple for weekday snacks.
I love pairing a slice with a midafternoon maple latte (or alongside this pumpkin protein bread when I’m meal prepping treats for the week). It’s one of those easy recipes that doesn’t taste “gluten-free,” even regular people (like my husband!) love it.
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💭Why This Recipe Works
Flavor: This recipe has a classically sweet coffee flavor but is healthy enough to enjoy anytime.
Versatile: As-is, the loaf is very simple. However, it can be dressed up in so many ways that it's easy to adapt for any gathering.
Soft texture: Made with a proper gluten-free flour blend and ingredients like applesauce and yogurt to keep it moist, this coffee cake isn't dense like many gluten-free versions.
Ingredients and Substitutions
Below are the ingredients you need to make the healthy coffee cake. Most of them you should have, and there are a few easy swaps if you don't.
- Gluten-Free 1:1 Baking Flour: All gluten-free flours will absorb a little differently and thus, change the texture ever so slightly. I personally use Bob's Gluten-Free Flour.
- Dairy-free yogurt: I use a vegan Greek yogurt for the recipe, and it works well (use the rest for this 3 ingredient yogurt cake). Regular dairy-free yogurt will work as well, but it will make the cake moister. The one I use is vanilla-based, so it already has some sweetness.
- Applesauce: Opt for unsweetened applesauce so that you can control how sweet the coffee cake is. You can also replace applesauce with mashed bananas, as both will keep the cake moist.
- Sugar: Any sugar you have on hand will work. We use cane or coconut palm sugar the most, but it doesn't matter.
- Instant coffee: Use your blend to bring out the best flavor. Using instant coffee helps it mix into the batter better. However, I have totally just used coffee grounds, and it works well and gives the cake a bit of extra crunch. And if you love a coffee flavor, give these bold coffee protein balls a go too. Know that you can use decaf coffee as well to reduce any jitters or if making this with kids in mind.
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
Flavor Variations
Nutty: Add chopped pecans or walnuts to the dairy-free coffee cake for some extra crunch.
Caramel: Nothing goes together better than apple, cinnamon, and caramel in the fall. Drizzle the coffee cake without milk with a coconut milk caramel sauce to amp up the indulgence.
Chocolate chip: This is especially delicious for kids if you use banana in place of applesauce, swirl in some chocolate chips, and get a tasty bite of gooey chocolate each time.
How To Make Gluten and Dairy-Free Coffee Cake
Step 1: Mix together the dry ingredients until combined.
Step 2: Mash the bananas and add the wet ingredients to the dry, stirring until no clumps remain.
Step 3: Pour the batter into a greased loaf pan and mix the topping in a small bowl before sprinkling it over.
Step 4: Bake until golden and let it fully cool before slicing.
Expert Tips To Make It
The brand of yogurt you choose will affect both the texture and the flavor of the dairy-free cake. If you're using an unsweetened yogurt, you'll want to add a bit more sugar to the coffee cake.
Making this into a decaf coffee cake is perfect if you know kids will be enjoying it, or you don't want anyone to have the jitters. All the classic coffee flavor, but without the energy.
Know that you cannot substitute almond flour for the baking flour, as there is no other binder in the gluten-free cinnamon coffee cake recipe.
Use a silicone loaf pan in place of greasing one, as it helps the apple cinnamon cake to slide out more easily.
Once cooled, store the dairy and gluten-free coffee cake in an airtight container on the counter for up to 3 days. You can store it in the fridge as well for up to 7 days, but you'll want to heat it up slightly before you serve it.
Know that this dairy-free coffee cake does not freeze well. Since it has such a base of yogurt and apple sauce, it becomes almost mushy on thawing.
How To Serve It
Honestly, the coffee cake can be served any which way you like it. Personally, I like to curl up with a pumpkin spice latte and these morning coffee quotes while I dive into the cake.
My kids enjoy theirs smeared with homemade peanut butter and chocolate chips.
Gluten and Dairy-Free Coffee Cake FAQs
Gluten-free coffee cake can become dry when too much gluten-free flour is used. Since these flours absorb so much liquid, they need to be paired with a mosituizing ingredient like applesauce, yogurt, or mashed bananas.
Gluten-free 1:1 baking flour works best for coffee cake because it naturally rises and creates a lighter texture than all-purpose flour.
More Healthy Dessert Recipes You'll Love
If you tried this Gluten and Dairy-Free Coffee Cake Recipe or any other recipe on my blog, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it goes!
Gluten and Dairy-Free Coffee Cake
Video
Equipment
- 1 8x4 Silicone loaf pan
Ingredients
- 1.5 cups 1:1 Gluten-free baking flour
- ½ teaspoon Baking soda
- 0.5 teaspoon Baking powder
- 2 tablespoon Ground coffee
- 1 teaspoon Cinnamon
- ⅓ cup Cane sugar
- ¾ cup Dairy-free Greek Yogurt
- ½ cup Applesauce or mashed banana
- 2 Eggs
- ⅛ cup Almond milk
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla extract
Cinnamon Sugar Topping
- 1 teaspoon Cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon Nutmeg
- 1 tablespoon Cane sugar
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
- In a large bowl combine the yogurt, applesauce, and eggs. Mix until mostly smooth.
- Add in the dry ingredients and stir until just combined.
- Pour the batter into a silicone loaf pan and smooth out the top.
- In a small bowl, combine the topping ingredients. Sprinkle the mixture over top of the coffee cake.
- Bake for 30-35 minutes until a toothpick comes out mostly clean.
- Remove from the oven and let cool in pan. Cut the cake into slices or squares and enjoy!
Notes
Disclaimer:
Nutrition values are estimates only, using online calculators. Please verify using your own data"
Shelby S says
The cake comes out so soft and I love the subtle coffee flavor.