Is there anything better than a chocolate twist on a classic? This gluten free coffee cake has chunks of melty chocolate in every bite with a crumbly chocolate streusel overtop. The combination of sweet and moist cake with rich chocolate makes this absolutely irresistible.
Made gluten free and with the option to be entirely dairy free, there’s no excuse to not give this coffee cake a try. It’s fluffy, moist, and just sweet enough to be a tasty breakfast or decadent dessert!
And if chocolate just isn’t for you, my original Gluten Free Coffee Cake is just as delicious. Filled with a cinnamon streusel pecan filling, and topped with a super easy vanilla bean glaze, this gluten free coffee cake is both moist and delicious.
Ingredients in Gluten Free Coffee Cake
Almond Flour – My favorite gluten free flour to bake with! Make sure to use super fine almond flour for optimal texture.
Gluten Free Flour – I always opt for the Bob’s Red Mill Gluten Free 1:1 Baking Flour mix. It’s a blend of gluten free flours, starches, and xanthan gum to create optimal texture in baked goods. Feel free to use another gluten free blend, just be aware that textures may vary. Whatever option you choose, you do want me to make sure it’s a GF flour blend that is a 1:1 replacement for wheat flour.
Eggs – Add structure and helps the cake to rise while baking. I have not tested a vegan substitute but please comment below if you do!
Coconut Sugar – A refined sugar-free sweetener that has a similar caramel-esc flavor such as brown sugar.
Sour Cream – The secret ingredient for super moist coffee cake while remaining 100% gluten free. If you need a dairy free swap, I suggest brands such as KiteHill or Forager.
Almond Milk – Adds moisture, can easily be subbed with oat, cashew, or regular cow milk.
Maple Syrup – Another refined sugar free sweetener that pairs well with the coconut sugar while adding moisture to the cake.
Chocolate – For this chocolate chunk coffee cake, I chopped up my favorite Theo 85% Dark Chocolate Bar for ultra rich flavor. You could also use a lighter milk chocolate bar or even chocolate chips if that’s what you have on hand!
How to Make Gluten Free Chocolate Coffee Cake
- Preheat the oven to 350F and line a 9×9 pan with parchment paper or spray with coconut oil or butter.
- In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together almond flour, gf flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
- In a separate large mixing bowl, whisk together eggs, coconut sugar, sour cream, almond milk, maple syrup, and vanilla extract until evenly combined.
- Sift in your dry ingredients to the bowl of wet ingredients, and stir together until just combined. Fold in chopped chocolate.
- Prepare your streusel topping – in a small bowl, combine the gf flour, unsweetened cocoa powder, coconut sugar, and melted butter. Stir together with a fork until evenly combined and you have a crumbly mixture.
- To the parchment-lined 9×9 pan, use a spatula to spread batter into a single layer and top with streusel. Use your fingers to lightly press streusel topping into batter. Sprinkle with the remaining 2oz of chopped chocolate.
- Move the pan to the oven and bake at 350F for ~34 – 37 minutes (mine took 35 minutes). Edges of the cake should be browned, and a knife/toothpick inserted in the middle should come out mostly crumb-free. Remove from the oven and let cool before cutting into 16 pieces and serving. Enjoy!
Chocolate Streusel
I can’t believe I’ve never made a chocolate streusel before but regardless, I’m in love. This sweet and decadent crumble topping is the perfect compliment to the chocolate chunk coffee cake.
The ingredients are super simple, just gluten free flour, unsweetened cocoa powder, coconut sugar, and melted butter. You can use dairy-free butter if needed – I love Earth Balance vegan butter sticks.
What Is Coffee Cake?
Ultimately, coffee cake is simply a sweet to be enjoyed with coffee or tea (or truly whatever). Traditionally, it’s a vanilla sweet cake with notes of cinnamon or spice and a crumbly streusel or creamy glaze topping. For this twist on the classic, I opted out of the additional spices and instead went for all things chocolate.
I just love the rich bites of chocolate in every bite and the sweet crumble on top. Turns this gluten free coffee cake into something new and scrumptious!
Gluten Free Coffee Cake Recipe
It’s obvious that nobody wants dry baked goods but especially with coffee cake, the texture needs to be over the top tender and moist to taste like a traditional cake.
To reach that level of moist I opted for a sour cream addition to the batter. The sour cream adds healthy fats and is so thick in consistency that it really holds the moisture in even while baking.
And to maintain the tender texture similar to traditional coffee cake, I opted for a gluten free flour blend. While I experiment with gluten free flours like almond, cassava, oat, etc in other baked goods, I really wanted the guarantee of texture that a blend can give. My go-to is Bob’s Red Mill 1:1 mix but there are other brands I’d suggest too such as King Arthur or Cup4Cup.
More Gluten Free Coffee Cake Creations
My love for coffee cake runs deep considering I have four different recipes for it! I shared my original gluten free coffee cake recipe above if you want to stay more classic. Then for some fun twists, check out the two below (plus this chocolate rendition of course.)
Pumpkin Coffee Cake – Soft and fluffy pumpkin coffee cake infused with cinnamon and pumpkin pie spice for the ultimate cozy feels. A walnut oat crumble adds a crisp bite while the pumpkin vanilla bean glaze is sweet and creamy.
Vegan Coffee Cake Bread – A simple vanilla cinnamon loaf with a crumbly streusel on top baked to golden perfection. Drizzle a sweet vanilla bean glaze overtop or enjoy as is. If you’re vegan or prefer to bake that way, use this recipe as the base then add in the chocolate to replicate this chocolate coffee cake recipe!
If you try any of these recipes, please let me know by leaving a comment and rating in the boxes below! I always love to hear from you, and it also helps other people find this recipe when they search online for the BEST Chocolate Coffee Cake 🙂
Ingredients
Gluten Free Chocolate Chunk Coffee Cake
- 2 cups super fine almond four
- 1 cup Gluten Free flour must be 1:1 replacement, I used Bob’s Red Mill 1:1 GF flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp baking soda
- ½ tsp salt
- 3 large eggs
- ⅔ cup coconut sugar packed
- ½ cup sour cream dairy free option if needed
- ½ cup almond milk
- ⅓ cup maple syrup
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 oz dark chocolate bar chopped finely
Chocolate Streusel Topping
- ½ cup Gluten Free flour
- 1 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
- 3 tbsp coconut sugar
- 5 tbsp butter melted (dairy free if needed)
- 2 oz dark chocolate bar chopped finely
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350F and line a 9×9 pan with parchment paper or spray with coconut oil or butter.
- In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together almond flour, gf flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
- In a separate large mixing bowl, whisk together eggs, coconut sugar, sour cream, almond milk, maple syrup, and vanilla extract until evenly combined.
- Sift in your dry ingredients to the bowl of wet ingredients, and stir together until just combined. Fold in chopped chocolate.
- Prepare your streusel topping – in a small bowl, combine the gf flour, unsweetened cocoa powder, coconut sugar, and melted butter. Stir together with a fork until evenly combined and you have a crumbly mixture.
- To the parchment-lined 9×9 pan, use a spatula to spread batter into a single layer and top with streusel. Use your fingers to lightly press streusel topping into batter. Sprinkle with the remaining 2oz of chopped chocolate.
- Move the pan to the oven and bake at 350F for ~34 – 37minutes (mine took 35minutes). Edges of the cake should be browned, and a knife/toothpick inserted in the middle should come out mostly crumb-free. Remove from the oven and let cool before cutting into 16 pieces and serving. Enjoy!
Notes
Freeze individual pieces for longer term storage
Best enjoyed at room temperature, or slightly warmed in the microwave so the chocolate re-melts
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