This incredible Gluten-free Apple coffee cake is sweet and crumbly with layers of gluten-free cake, fresh sliced apples, and streusel. The first bite is a totally magical show-stopping experience that whisks the world away and plunges you into a sea of cinnamon apple bliss.
With an extra drizzle of glaze, this dessert goes from amazing to wow, making it the perfect holiday breakfast or afternoon coffee treat. Serve it with coffee, eat it for dessert, or bring it to a potluck -- no one will know it’s gluten-free, dairy-free, and paleo!
This gluten-free apple coffee cake is perfect for fall when the Honeycrisp apples are big and in season! It's also a great coffee cake recipe year-round since apples are always available. Try it with peaches, plums, or other seasonal fruits.
This was inspired by my Strawberry Rhubarb Coffee Cake, and pairs well with Dairy-Free Whipped Cream or Pumpkin Spice Coconut Whipped Cream in the Fall.
If you love apple treats like I do, be sure to check out our Gluten Free Apple Fritters, which are equally amazing and fun to share with friends!
If you have celiac disease or are new to gluten-free be sure to check out our post on how to start eating gluten-free.
Why you’ll love this Gluten-Free Apple Crumb Cake:
- equal layers of cake, sliced apples, and streusel
- only 11 ingredients
- reminiscent of an apple cinnamon roll
- amazing mouthfeel -- soft cake, juicy apples, crisp streusel, melt-in-your-mouth glaze… YUM.
Jump to:
Ingredients
This recipe needs only 11 ingredients. Note that some of the cake ingredients are repeated in the streusel topping, so the list may appear longer than it really is.
Wet Ingredients
- coconut oil
- coconut sugar
- eggs
- vanilla extract
- full fat coconut milk
Dry Ingredients
- almond flour
- cassava flour (or gluten-free 1-to-1 flour)
- baking soda
- salt
Fruit and Streusel
- sliced apples
- cassava flour (or gluten-free 1-to-1 flour)
- coconut sugar
- coconut oil
- cinnamon
Optional glaze: confectioners sugar and dairy-free milk
See the recipe card for quantities.
A note on apples: I love using large Honeycrisp apples when they are in season in the Fall in North America. Otherwise, I often make this recipe with whatever variety I have on hand. If you need apple recommendations, I recommend checking out this fun post from Bon Appetit magazine on 6 Best Apples for Baking.
Instructions
Prep: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and grease a 9 x 13 inch baking dish.
Wet Ingredients: Add wet ingredients to a large mixing bowl. Mix thoroughly with a whisk.
Dry Ingredients: In a separate bowl, add dry ingredients and mix well.
Make the batter: Add the dry ingredient mixture to the bowl of wet ingredients in ½ cup increments, mixing as you go.
Cake Layer: Pour the batter into the baking dish and smooth to evenly cover the dish.
Apple Layer: Evenly distribute the apple slices across the top of the batter.
Make the streusel topping: In a clean mixing bowl, add all ingredients for streusel topping and mix well with a fork.
Streusel Layer: Sprinkle the crumb topping evenly over the apples, breaking up large clumps with your fingers. Note that I used white sugar when I ran out of coconut sugar but recommend using all coconut sugar or brown sugar.
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 glaze for an extra special treat!
Hint: For optimum streusel crumb, use melted (but not hot) coconut oil. Mix the ingredients together with a fork then crumble it over the cake with your fingers. Break up any large chunks but still keep it chunky for crispy texture and variety!
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 pitted sliced plums
- Strawberry Rhubarb Coffee Cake - see the exact measurements of strawberry and rhubarb needed for this recipe in my Gluten Free Rhubarb Cake recipe on this website
Equipment
- 9 x 13 inch baking dish
- spatula or wooden spoon
- large and small mixing bowls
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 a refrigerator-friendly airtight container for up to 6 months.
Top tip
Cut the apple into slices about ⅛ inch thick so they still have some bite after baking. This texture is much better than diced apples or apples cut too thinly. I see many recipes recommending super thin slices or dicing -- the apples cook down too much and you may as well use applesauce!
I don’t recommend substituting white sugar for coconut sugar, but brown sugar works well in its place. It’s important that the sugar adds a rich caramel-y flavor after baking for the best taste, and the darker sugars do this wonderfully!
Recipe FAQ's
Coffee cake and crumb cake are the same thing. Both names refer to a cake with a streusel topping, sometimes called a crumb topping.
Coffee cakes do not have any coffee in the ingredients. They are called coffee cakes because they are often enjoyed with a cup of coffee.
Coffee cake is the American/English version of the German KaffeeKuchen. They are called coffee cakes because they are often enjoyed with an afternoon coffee. There is no coffee in the cake ingredients u002du002d it is named for how it is enjoyed rather than what is in it.
Coffee cakes can be eaten with your afternoon coffee, for brunch, as an after-school/work treat, or as a dessert. They are also commonly brought to afternoon potlucks. As their name suggests, the most traditional time to eat a coffee cake is with a cup of coffee.
Other Gluten-Free Baking Recipes you'll love:
- Gluten Free Rhubarb Cake with strawberries and streusel
- Best Bakery-Style Gluten Free Chocolate Muffins
- Healthy Gluten-Free Pumpkin Muffins with almond flour
- Vegan Blueberry Lemon Muffins
- The BEST Soft Almond Flour Chocolate Chip Cookies
Love this recipe? Please leave a 5-star 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 rating in the recipe card or comment field below. Thank you!
Showstopper Gluten-Free Apple Coffee Cake
Ingredients
WET INGREDIENTS
- ½ cup coconut oil , melted but not hot, (115 ml)
- ¾ cup coconut sugar (115 grams)
- 2 eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup full fat coconut milk (235 ml)
DRY INGREDIENTS
- 1 cup almond flour (100 grams)
- 1 cup cassava flour (or gluten-free 1-to-1 flour) (125 grams)
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
Fruit and Streusel
- 1 ½ pounds whole apples , peeled and sliced in ⅛ inch (¼ cm) wedges (700 grams)
- 1 cup cassava flour (or gluten-free 1-to-1 flour) (125 grams)
- 1 cup coconut sugar (150 grams)
- ⅓ cup melted coconut oil (75 ml)
- ¾ teaspoon cinnamon
Instructions
- 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.
- Dry Ingredients: In a separate bowl, add dry ingredients and mix well.
- Make the batter: Add the dry ingredient mixture to the bowl of wet ingredients in ½ cup increments, mixing as you go.
- Cake Layer: Pour the batter into the baking dish and smooth to evenly cover the dish.
- Apple Layer: Evenly distribute the apple slices across the top of the batter.
- Make the streusel topping: In a clean mixing bowl, add all ingredients for streusel topping and mix well with a fork.
- Streusel Layer: Sprinkle the crumb topping evenly over the apples, breaking up large clumps with your fingers.
- 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
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
Jenn
OMG THIS IS AMAZING!!
Jamie
I'm so glad you enjoyed it Jenn! This comment made my morning 🙂
Rutheda Lehman
Have you ever tried all cassava flour? My husband is sensitive to the almond flour.
Jamie
Hi Rutheda! I have not tried all cassava flour so I can't say for sure, but I think it would work. The cake recipe is pretty forgiving because the apples add extra moisture.
Here's how I would go about trying this variation:
If measuring by weight, I would use just a little less (90 grams) of cassava flour in place of the 100 grams of almond flour. If measuring in cups, this would be about 2/3 cup of cassava flour. Try the substitution, then check the consistency of the batter with the pictures. It should be similar in consistency to a muffin batter. From there I would add a little extra cassava flour or a tablespoon or two of water to match the consistency.
The baking time should be about the same, but I would check it on the earlier side with a toothpick inserted into the center to make sure it isn't still gooey.
Christina
I’m allergic to almonds - any suggestions for a substitute flour?
Jamie
In most cases, you can substitute almond flour for gluten-free all purpose flour as long as it is done by weight (grams or ounces). But I haven't tried it myself yet.
Nicole
So I tried this and I'm not sure what I did wrong but none of my steps looked the way the pictures do. In the picture it says "coconut oil" but the recipes says "coconut butter" which is what I used. My batter was extremely crumbly and sticky - not like typical cake batter. My streusel was very dry and seemed like it needed another wet ingredient. Am I missing something?
Jamie
Hi Nicole -- my apologies for the confusion. It seems that the listed ingredients were combined when I had an assistant update this post. It should have said coconut oil or vegan butter. The image is correct, and the recipe does use coconut oil. Coconut oil is softer than coconut butter, and would add a significant amount of moisture to the recipe. I'm reaching out via email to see if I can make this up to you. If you don't see it, please reach out to me at [email protected]
Michaela R.
Showstopper is right! This is so delicious! I'm glad I tried it before Thanksgiving. It's THAT good. I'm going to make it for my holiday dessert. Hopefully they'll be leftovers! Thanks, Jamie!
Jamie
Wow thank you so much for the kind review Michaela! I am so glad you are enjoying this recipe!
Katelan
Have you tried to prepare this the night before and bake in the morning? I am wondering if it will be okay to refrigerate uncooked overnight!
Jamie
Hi Katelan! I have not tried preparing this the night before. I think it would work great though! The only potential issue I can see is if the crumb topping absorbs some of the liquid from the apples, making it a little less crisp. You could add just the crumb layer in the morning to avoid this. Let me know how it goes!
Shelley
I have trouble describing how tasty this recipe is!!! I made a batch and couldn't stop eating it--good thing it has apples so it passes as healthy, right?