This gluten-free chocolate chip coffee cake is soft, tender, and loaded with mini chocolate chips. The batter is made with sour cream for extra moisture, and half the chocolate chips get folded right into it while the other half go on top so they melt into a thin chocolate layer as it bakes. A buttery cinnamon streusel and a drizzle of vanilla glaze finish the whole thing off.
I make this for holiday mornings and weekend brunch, but it doesn’t need a reason. It holds up well at room temperature, so you can make it a day ahead and it’ll actually taste better once the flavors have settled. A warm slice with a cup of coffee is one of my favorite ways to start a slow morning.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
Ingredient Notes
- Gluten-Free Flour – I’ve tested this recipe with Bob’s Red Mill 1-to-1 Gluten-Free Baking Flour (blue bag), which contains xanthan gum. I haven’t tested other blends, so I can’t guarantee results with them since gluten-free flours vary a lot.
- Sour Cream – Full-fat sour cream works best and gives the cake its tender, moist crumb. You can substitute full-fat Greek yogurt in a pinch, but sour cream is worth using if you have it.
- Unsalted Butter – You’ll need butter at two different temperatures for this recipe. Room temperature for creaming into the cake batter, and melted and slightly cooled for the streusel. If the melted butter is too hot when you mix it into the streusel, it’ll melt the sugars instead of forming clumps.
- Mini Chocolate Chips – Mini chips distribute more evenly through the batter and don’t sink the way standard-size chips do. You’ll use half in the batter and half sprinkled on top before the streusel. The top layer melts together as it bakes and firms up into a thin chocolate layer as it cools.
- Cinnamon – Two teaspoons go into the cake batter and another half teaspoon goes into the streusel. It’s a noticeable amount, which works well against all the chocolate and brown sugar.
Don’t Skip the Streusel Chill
Refrigerating the streusel while you make the batter lets the butter firm back up. That’s what gives you those big, crumbly pieces on top instead of a flat, sandy layer. Even 10 minutes in the fridge makes a difference.
Step-by-Step Instructions
While it may seem like making gluten-free coffee cake has a lot of steps, they’re each really simple. There are three components to the chocolate chip coffee cake you need to make: the gluten-free streusel, the coffee cake, and the glaze. The below steps with matching photos are not meant to be the full recipe, but are there to help you see the recipe made at various stages so you can make it perfectly every time.
For the ingredient list with measurements, full instructions, printable recipe, and additional notes, please scroll down to the recipe card.
Recipe FAQs
Bob’s Red Mill 1-to-1 Gluten-Free Baking Flour (blue bag). That’s the only blend I’ve tested this recipe with, and it’s what I’d recommend. If you use something else, I can’t guarantee you’ll get the same results.
You can, but the cake won’t turn out the same. Regular chips are heavier and tend to sink in a batter this tender. The top layer also won’t melt into that thin chocolate sheet the way mini chips do.
A 9×9 pan will work, but the cake will be thinner and will bake faster. Start checking around 25 minutes instead of 30.
Expert Tips
Storage Instructions
Room Temperature: Store covered or in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days. It actually tastes better the second day once the crumb has settled and the chocolate layer on top has firmed up.
Refrigerator: For longer storage, keep it in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week. Let it come to room temperature before serving, or warm a slice in the microwave for 10 to 15 seconds.
Freezer: Cool completely, then wrap individual slices tightly in plastic wrap and place in a freezer bag for up to 3 months. Defrost at room temperature or warm in a 300°F oven for 5 to 8 minutes.
Serving Suggestions
A cup of coffee is pretty much mandatory with this, but it’s also great alongside tea or a mimosa if you’re doing brunch. For a fuller spread, set it out with something savory like my gluten-free quiche or crustless mini quiches to balance out the sweetness. If you want to keep the whole table sweet, my gluten-free blueberry muffins and gluten-free cinnamon rolls are both easy to make alongside this. And if you want to set out a coffee cake spread so people can try a slice of each, my gluten-free cinnamon coffee cake and gluten-free blueberry coffee cake are the obvious pairing.
Gluten-Free Chocolate Chip Coffee Cake
Ingredients
Streusel Topping Ingredients:
- ½ cup (70 g) gluten-free flour
- ¼ cup (50 g) granulated sugar
- ¼ cup (50 g) light brown sugar
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 4 tablespoons (56 g) unsalted butter - melted and slightly cooled
Coffee Cake Ingredients:
- 1½ cups (210 g) gluten-free flour blend - Bob’s Red Mill 1-to-1 Gluten-Free Baking Flour, which already contains xanthan gum
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup (113 g) unsalted butter - room temperature
- ¾ cup (150 g) granulated sugar
- 1 (50 g) large egg - room temperature
- ¾ cup (180 g) sour cream
- ½ cup (120 g) whole milk
- 1½ teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1½ cups (270 g) mini chocolate chips - divided (260g)
Glaze Ingredients:
- ½ cup (60 g) powdered sugar - 105g
- 1-2 tablespoons milk
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
**Use the toggle button above to turn the instruction photos on and off!
Instructions
For the gluten-free streusel:
- In a small bowl, whisk together ½ cup (70 g) gluten-free flour, ¼ cup (50 g) granulated sugar, ¼ cup (50 g) light brown sugar, ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon, and ¼ teaspoon salt.
- Pour in the melted 4 tablespoons (56 g) unsalted butter and mix with a fork until clumpy crumbs form. You want a mix of large and small pieces. Refrigerate while you make the cake batter.
For the coffee cake:
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease an 8×8-inch baking pan with cooking spray or line with parchment paper.
- In a large bowl, whisk together 1½ cups (210 g) gluten-free flour blend, 2 teaspoons baking powder, 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon, ½ teaspoon baking soda, and ½ teaspoon salt. Set aside.
- In a separate bowl, beat ½ cup (113 g) unsalted butter and ¾ cup (150 g) granulated sugar with an electric mixer until light and fluffy, about 2 to 3 minutes.
- Add 1 (50 g) large egg, ¾ cup (180 g) sour cream, ½ cup (120 g) whole milk, and 1½ teaspoons vanilla extract. Mix until smooth, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix until just combined and no streaks of flour remain.
- Add half of the 1½ cups (270 g) mini chocolate chips to the batter, reserving the rest for later. Mix to combine.
- Transfer the batter to the prepared pan and smooth the top with a spatula.
- Sprinkle the remaining ¾ cup mini chocolate chips evenly over the batter.
- Sprinkle the chilled streusel over the chocolate chips.
- Bake at 350°F for 30 to 40 minutes. The cake is done when the top is golden brown and an instant-read thermometer inserted into the center reads between 200 and 210°F. Let cool completely in the pan on a wire rack.
For the glaze:
- In a small bowl, whisk together ½ cup (60 g) powdered sugar, 1-2 tablespoons milk, and ½ teaspoon vanilla extract until smooth. If the glaze is too thick, add more milk a little at a time until it reaches a drizzling consistency.
- Drizzle the glaze over the cooled coffee cake. Let the glaze set before slicing and serving.
Notes
- Flour: I used Bob’s Red Mill 1-to-1 Gluten-Free Baking Flour (blue bag), which contains xanthan gum. This is the only blend I’ve tested. Results may vary with other blends.
- Chocolate chips: Mini chips work best. They distribute more evenly and the top layer melts together as it bakes. Regular-size chips tend to sink in this batter.
- Doneness: Don’t rely on the toothpick test for this cake. The layer of melted chocolate chips under the streusel will make a toothpick look wet even when the cake is done. Use an instant-read thermometer (200 to 210°F) or look for golden edges pulling away from the pan.
- Storage: Store covered at room temperature for up to 3 days or in the refrigerator for up to 1 week. To freeze, wrap individual slices in plastic wrap and store in a freezer bag for up to 3 months.
