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Showstopper Gluten-Free Apple Coffee Cake

Side view of a slice of gluten-free apple coffee cake to show the three layers: cake, sliced apples, and crisp streusel.
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5 from 3 reviews

A three-layered Gluten-Free Apple Coffee Cake with excellent texture and crisp topping! This recipe is gluten-free, paleo, and dairy-free.

Ingredients

Units Scale

WET INGREDIENTS

  • 1/2 cup (115 ml) coconut oil, melted but not hot
  • 3/4 cup (115 grams) coconut sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 cup (235 ml) full fat coconut milk

DRY INGREDIENTS

  • 1 cup (100 grams) almond flour
  • 1 cup (125 grams) cassava flour (or gluten-free 1-to-1 flour)
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt

Fruit and Streusel

  • 1 1/2 pounds (700 grams) whole apples, peeled and sliced in 1/8 inch (1/4 cm) wedges
  • 1 cup (125 grams) cassava flour (or gluten-free 1-to-1 flour)
  • 1 cup (150 grams) coconut sugar
  • 1/3 cup (75 ml) melted coconut oil
  • 3/4 teaspoon cinnamon
  • Optional glaze: 3/4 cup (75 grams) confectioners sugar and 1 tablespoon dairy-free milk (adjust for desired consistency)

Instructions

  1. Prep and Wet Ingredients: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and grease a 9 x 13 inch baking dish. Add wet ingredients to a large mixing bowl. Mix thoroughly with a whisk.
    Overhead view of a glass mixing bowl with fully mixed wet ingredients and a whisk.
  2. Dry Ingredients: In a separate bowl, add dry ingredients and mix well.
    Overhead view of a bowl of dry ingredients fully mixed with a wooden spoon.
  3. Make the batter: Add the dry ingredient mixture to the bowl of wet ingredients in ½ cup increments, mixing as you go.
    Overhead view of a bowl of cake batter with 1/2 cup of dry ingredient mixture ready to mix in with a wooden spoon.
  4. Cake Layer: Pour the batter into the baking dish and smooth to evenly cover the dish.

  5. Apple Layer: Evenly distribute the apple slices across the top of the batter.
    Overhead view of hands laying apple slices on top of the batter in a glass baking dish.
  6. Make the streusel topping: In a clean mixing bowl, add all ingredients for streusel topping and mix well with a fork.
    Overhead view of hands mixing sugar, coconut oil, and gluten-free flour in a bowl with a fork.
  7. Streusel Layer: Sprinkle the crumb topping evenly over the apples, breaking up large clumps with your fingers.
    Overhead view of a hand sprinkling streusel over the sliced apples.

  8. Bake: Bake for 35-40 minutes or until the topping is lightly crisp and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Allow to cool for 10 minutes before cutting in. Drizzle with the optional glaze for an extra special treat!

Notes

Storage: Store this Gluten-Free Apple Coffee Cake in an airtight container or covered at room temperature for up to 1 day. Or store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. To freeze, cut into individual servings and freeze in an airtight refrigerator-friendly container for up to 6 months.

Note: I used some white sugar for the streusel when I ran out of coconut sugar for the photo, but recommend using all coconut sugar or brown sugar.

Substitutions

  • Gluten-Free 1-to-1 Flour - instead of cassava flour, you can use gluten-free 1-to-1 flour. I tested this recipe with both and there was no difference in texture or flavor. I used Bob’s Red Mill 1-to-1 Gluten-Free Flour and Otto’s Cassava Flour.
  • Brown Sugar - if you don’t have coconut sugar, brown sugar works well too.
  • Paleo - this recipe is paleo as written. You must use coconut sugar and cassava flour for it to qualify as a Paleo coffee cake.

Variations

  • Peach Coffee Cake - replace the sliced apples with sliced peaches
  • Plum Coffee Cake - replace the sliced apples with sliced plums
  • Strawberry Rhubarb Coffee Cake - see the exact measurements of strawberry to rhubarb needed for this recipe in my Gluten-Free Rhubarb Cake recipe on this website

Find it online: https://vibrantlygfree.com/gluten-free-apple-coffee-cake/