Love baking with almond flour? Try my almond flour cake, almond flour muffins, almond flour brownies, or almond flour sugar cookies next. I’m a firm believer that cake should be enjoyed for every meal of the day. In the morning, when the coffee is flowing, I’m all about coffee cake! Inspired by my vegan coffee cake, I figured, what would happen if I combined the spiced flavors of coffee cake with the natural sweetness and tender crumb you get with almond flour? Well, friends, let’s just say it’s been a resounding success!
Why I love this recipe
The perfect texture. Coffee cake is supposed to be soft but a bit crumbly, which honestly, is what almond flour is best at. Dessert for breakfast. They don’t call it ‘coffee cake’ for nothing! Naturally gluten-free. Since we’re using almond flour, I can make this recipe for my gluten-intolerant friends, and my other friends won’t be any the wiser. Layers of the flavor. There’s the coffee cake, a brown sugar-oat crumb topping, and a shiny vanilla glaze as a bonus.
Ingredients needed
Almond flour. My #1 tip when baking with almond flour is to use blanched almond flour, NOT almond meal. Almond meal is made with the skins on, resulting in a dense and overly crumbly dessert. Tapioca flour. A little helps thicken the batter and yield a tender crumb. Light brown sugar. To sweeten the cake and add moisture. Coconut sugar can also be used. Baking powder. Helps the cake rise. Ground cinnamon. A must for coffee cake! Eggs. Preferably room temperature eggs. Butter. Opt for melted and unsalted butter so it’s not overly salty. Milk. I used unsweetened almond milk, but any milk works. Vanilla extract. For subtle vanilla flavor.
For the streusel topping:
Oat flour. AKA rolled oats ground into a flour consistency. Save money and make my homemade oat flour. Butter. Softened to room temperature. Light brown sugar. For extra brown sugar flavor. Cinnamon. For a warming spiced flavor.
For the glaze:
Powdered sugar. Also known as confectioners’ sugar. Water or milk. I tested both, and my family couldn’t tell the difference, so use whichever you prefer.
How to make almond flour coffee cake
I’ve included step-by-step photos below to make this recipe easy to follow at home. For the full printable recipe instructions and ingredient quantities, scroll to the recipe card at the bottom of this post. Step 1- Prep. Preheat the oven and line an 8-inch baking dish with parchment paper. Step 2- Make the coffee cake batter. In a medium mixing bowl, mix the dry ingredients, then whisk in the wet ingredients. In a small bowl, combine the crumb topping. Step 3- Bake. Pour the batter into the pan, sprinkle the topping, and bake until golden. Step 4- Glaze. Let the cake cool completely, then drizzle the glaze on top.
Arman’s recipe tips
Don’t substitute other flours. Almond flour is very particular and should not be swapped with regular flour or alternative flour. If you’d prefer to use a mix of almond flour and coconut flour, try my keto coffee cake. Add some crunch to the crumb topping. Reserve some of the oats to mix in whole, or fold in a handful of crushed pecans or walnuts. The cake is done when a toothpick inserted comes out with just a few moist crumbs.
Storage instructions
To store: The leftovers will stay fresh in an airtight container at room temperature for 3-4 days. Alternatively, store it in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.
Vegan. Replace the eggs with flax eggs (3 tablespoons of water with 1 tablespoon of flax seed per egg) and use dairy-free milk and butter–or coconut oil. Sugar-free. Use my brown sugar substitute and sugar-free confectioners’ sugar for the glaze. Grain-free. Swap the oat flour for coconut flour or almond flour (almond meal works). Blueberry coffee cake. Fold 1/2 cup of fresh or frozen blueberries into the batter. Apple coffee cake. Replace half the butter with unsweetened applesauce and fold in one finely diced apple. Pumpkin coffee cake. Replace half the butter with pumpkin puree and switch the cinnamon with pumpkin pie spice.
To freeze: Place the cake in a freezer-safe container and freeze for up to 6 months.
Frequently asked questions
More breakfast-worthy cake recipes
Breakfast cake Blueberry breakfast cake Breakfast cheesecake Healthy carrot cake
