Growing up I always envisioned a coffee cake to be a dry, crumbly cake, full of nuts and in desperate need of a beverage to wash it down. Thankfully, I have had some very good coffee cakes since, and I set out to turn a pretty standard recipe into a gluten free version.

I am happy to report that the results were fabulous. It is very moist and has a nice cinnamon swirl running through the center. This actually looks quite pretty when sliced and no need to stress out about if this step is done perfectly, I had my three year old, who is always eager to “help” me in the kitchen, make the cinnamon/sugar mixture and sprinkle it entirely by herself. I find allowing children to do these small steps gets them involved in baking process without too much risk for failure.

And although it would be wonderful along side a cup of coffee, a glass of milk would be equally as good. I chose not to glaze it because I felt it was plenty sweet already.

I think you could feel proud serving this to company or to any of your gluten eating friends and family.

The only hard to find ingredient may be the sweet rice flour. I know this isn’t readily available in all areas, but I really think it works wonders in gluten free cakes. I use Bob’s Red Mill brand and I know you can order it through them directly if needed. If you are going to be doing a lot of gluten free baking it is definitely worth purchasing. It truly has alleviated the dry, crumbly texture in my gluten free cakes.

This might be a humble looking cake, but it tastes great!

Gluten Free Cinnamon Swirl Coffee Cake

We are nut free, but 1/2 cup of chopped nuts would be a great addition to the cake batter.

• 3/4 cup butter, softened
• 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
• 3 eggs
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 cup plain yogurt or sour cream
• 1 3/4 cups white rice flour
• 1/2 cup cornstarch
• 1/4 cup sweet rice flour
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp xanthan gum
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/2 cup chopped walnuts, optional
• 2 TB cinnamon
• 1/2 cup brown sugar

1. Preheat oven to 350. Grease a 10 inch bundt pan.
2. In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream the 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar with the butter. Add eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Add vanilla and sour cream and mix until blended. Add flours, baking soda, baking powder, xanthan gum, and salt and mix well. Stir in nuts if using.
3. In a small bowl, mix  the brown sugar with the cinnamon.
4. Pour approximately half of the batter into the prepared pan. Sprinkle half of the cinnamon/sugar mixture over cake batter. Cover with remaining cake batter and then sprinkle with remaining cinnamon/sugar. (You could use the entire cinnamon/sugar mixture for the swirl, but I like the sweet, crunchy exterior it creates when added on top as well)
5. Bake in preheated oven for 45-55 minutes or until tester inserted into center comes out clean.
6. Allow to cool 5 minutes before turning out onto wire rack to cool.

Breakfast, Cooking With Kids, Desserts gluten free bundt cake, gluten free coffee cake

Why am I posting about pumpkin cake in May you ask yourself?

Well, here’s the story. I have been making a pumpkin bundt cake for years and it is my teenage daughter’s absolute favorite cake. We typically make it in the fall, but we had just started eating gluten free so I had no idea how to attempt to convert this recipe so we skipped it last year.

It’s been almost 9 months and I have built  up some confidence in my gluten free baking abilities, so I decided to pull out the recipe and attempt adapting it to be gluten free.

The original recipe came from and old Taste of Home magazine and required a cake mix and a package of pudding. It crossed my mind to try and use a gluten free cake mix, but honestly, why spend $6 on a cake mix that you have to add a bunch of ingredients to? It seems much more cost effective to figure out how to recreate this cake from scratch.

I did keep the instant pudding in the dessert, because I think it really adds to the flavor and the butterscotch compliments the pumpkin without being obvious. Personally, I dislike butterscotch, but in this cake you don’t taste it, you just end up with the most delicous, moist, dense, mildly pumpkin cake.

And just to let you know, Kraft, the makers of Jello Pudding are really good about labeling allergen information; so unless it says, wheat, rye, barley, it doesn’t have it. You can read their official statement here.

After making my changes, the final result is a wonderful pumpkin cake that is just as moist and flavorful as the original; the texture is a bit more dense, but not crumbly or dry like many gluten free cakes. Overall, it is a fairly simple and inexpensive gluten free dessert. Who says you can only eat pumpkin in the fall anyway?

Although I have always made this cake in a bundt pan, which I think is a busy mom’s dream cake, with no frosting, filling or decorating required, you could bake it in a 9×13 or two 8-inch pans. You could even make cupcakes. Just make sure to reduce the cooking time accordingly.

Pumpkin Bundt Cake dusted with confectioners' sugar

A slice of gluten free cake that tastes as good as it looks!

Gluten Free Pumpkin Bundt Cake

Make sure and use instant butterscotch pudding here, other flavors don’t really work (I have tried) and the slow-cook variety will prevent the cake from getting done.

dry ingredients:

• 1 cup + 2 Tb white rice flour (I used Bob’s Red Mill)
• 1 cup cornstarch
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp xanthan gum
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 cup sugar
• I package (3.4 ounces- the small box) instant butterscotch pudding mix

wet ingredients:

• 4 eggs
• 1/4 cup water
• 1/4 cup canola oil
• 1 cup canned pumpkin
• 2 tsp pumpkin pie spice

for topping:

• whipped cream or confectioners’ sugar, optional

1. Preheat oven to 350 and grease and rice flour a 10-inch fluted tube pan (bundt pan)*
2. In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine all wet and dry ingredients and beat on low for about 30 seconds. Increase speed to medium and continue to mix for 2 minutes.
3. Pour into prepared pan and bake for 45-55 minutes or until a tester inserted in the center tests clean.
4. Cool for 10 minutes before removing from pan. I had to run a plastic spatula around the edges to loosen the cake from the pan before turning onto a wire rack to cool completely.
5. Serve with whipped cream or dust with confectioners’ sugar if desired.
6. Store leftovers in an airtight container or bag; this cake freezes really well.

*I used white rice flour and it left a white coating on my cake; but we sprinkled confectioners’ sugar on it so I didn’t mind; you might want to use brown rice flour, but I was worried that would be gritty. I have only used cornstarch, white rice flour, or baking cocoa to dust my pans. If anyone has a suggestion that might work here let me know.

Desserts, Holidays & Special Occasions gluten free bundt cake, gluten free pumpkin cake

With bananas, crushed pineapple, and pecans Hummingbird cake is both delicious and unique. It is a classic Southern cake and remains one of Southern Living’s most requested recipes.

I have made the magazine’s version many times, so when I saw a gluten free version in Elizabeth Barbone’s cookbook I was eager to give it a try.

Barbone’s version stays very true to the original, she basically replaced the flour with gluten free flours and xanthan gum, but left the rest of the ingredients the same. This is one cake I am sure I would have got around to adapting, but now I don’t have to!

The cake was delicious; moist and flavorful and every bit as good as the hummingbird cakes I have made before.

Traditionally this should be a triple layer cake with cream cheese frosting-quite the showstopper. But I opted to bake mine in a bundt pan and drizzle a simple glaze on it. The cake is very moist and sweet, so a light dusting of confectioners’ sugar would also work.

A glazed bundt version.

A slice topped with confectioners' sugar.

Gluten Free Hummingbird Cake

I leave out the pecans due to an allergy, and it still tastes great! Use the finest rice flour you can find, I use Authentic Food’s but the kind you get at the Asian market will also work.

dry ingredients:

• 2 cups white rice flour
• 1/2 cup sweet rice flour, also called glutinous or sticky rice flour (I use Bob’s)
• 1/4 cup cornstarch
• 1/4 cup tapioca starch
• 1 3/4 cups sugar
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp xanthan gum
• 2 tsp ground cinnamon

wet ingredients:

• 1 cup vegetable oil
• 3 large eggs
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 (8 0unce) can crushed  pineapple with juice
• 2 cups diced or mashed very ripe bananas (about 3 bananas)
• 1 cup chopped pecans

1. Preheat oven to 350. Grease and rice flour a Bundt pan or three 8-inch cake pans.
2. In the bowl of a stand mixer, mix together all dry ingredients.
3. Add oil, eggs and vanilla and mix until smooth; the batter should be very thick, resembling a cookie dough.
4. Add pineapple with juice, bananas, and pecans. Mix until combined.
5. Pour batter into prepared pans.
6. Bake Bundt cake for approximately 60 minutes and layer cakes for 35-40 minutes, or until tester inserted in middle of cakes comes out clean.
7. Place cakes on a wire rack to cool for 15 minutes before removing from pans. Cool cakes completely.
8. For Bundt cake drizzle with a thin glaze of dust with confectioners’ sugar. For layer cake frost with a cream cheese frosting.

Desserts gluten free bundt cake, gluten free hummingbird cake