Almond flour coffee cake

Name: Almond Flour Coffee Cake
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 35 min
Total time: 40 min
Ingredients: 2 cups almond flour; 1/4 cup tapioca flour; 1/3 cup light brown sugar (* See notes); 1 tablespoon baking powder; 1 teaspoon cinnamon; 3 large eggs; 1/4 cup butter (melted); 3 tablespoons milk; 1 teaspoon vanilla extract; 1 cup oat flour; 2 tablespoons butter (softened); 3 tablespoons light brown sugar (* See notes); 1 teaspoon cinnamon; 1/4 cup confectioners' sugar; 1-2 tablespoons water

by Arman Liew

published on Nov 22, 2021

1 comments

5 from 127 votes

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This almond flour coffee cake is perfectly moist and tender and covered with a crumb topping! Made with simple ingredients, it’s perfect to serve for afternoon tea or a cheeky dessert!

As someone who has quite a collection of almond flour recipes, I’m surprised it has taken me this long to use it to make a coffee cake.

Growing up, my mom would always make a coffee cake at least once a week, because she always had her girlfriends over for coffee during the working week. Her excuse in making it so often was that it came together quickly and didn’t require any frosting, so someone could serve directly it from the oven.

When I first moved out of home, it was one of the first recipes of hers I made in my kitchen. Recently, she gifted me a big bag of almond flour and I tweaked her classic recipe to see if it could produce a delicious coffee cake…and it did!

Now, this almond flour coffee cake recipe is one you’ll make on repeat. It comprises a moist and tender cake with a crumb topping, drizzled with a simple glaze. The cake is simple to make and requires very little prep. Not only is it buttery, sweet, and has a delicious cinnamon flavor, but it’s completely gluten free.

Ironically, I do actually enjoy this cake as intended, with a coffee in hand. My favorite pairings include peanut butter coffee, whipped coffee, or an iced coffee but enjoy it with some tea or on its own- it’s THAT good!

What you’ll need to make this recipe

For the coffee cake.

Almond flour– blanched almond flour, not almond meal. The latter makes baked goods heavy and dense, and not what we want for this cake!
Tapioca flour– helps thicken the batter and gives the cake a tender crumb.
Light brown sugar– to sweeten the cake. Coconut sugar or a brown sugar substitute can also be used.
Baking powder– leavening agent used to give the cake some rise and fluffiness.
Cinnamon– a must for any excellent coffee cake!
Eggs– room temperature eggs.
Butter– melted and unsalted.
Milk– I used unsweetened vanilla almond milk, but any milk can be used.
Vanilla extract– gives a subtle vanilla flavor throughout.

For the crumb topping.

Oat flour– rolled oats ground into a flour.
Butter– softened to room temperature.
Light brown sugar– like the cake itself, coconut sugar can also be used.
Cinnamon– adds extra cinnamon flavor.

For the glaze.

Powdered sugar– also known as confectioners’ sugar.
Water or milk– either works and you only need enough to make a glaze that is easy to drizzle over the top.

How do you make an almond flour coffee cake?

Start by preparing the cake batter. In a mixing bowl, add the dry ingredients and mix well. Next, add the wet ingredients and whisk together until combined. In a separate bowl, mix the crumb topping ingredients.

Now, transfer the cake batter into a square pan and sprinkle the crumb topping all over. Bake the cake for 30-35 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.

Finally, remove the cake from the oven and let it cool completely, before drizzling the glaze over the top.

Dietary swaps and flavor variations

Make it vegan. Replace the eggs with flax eggs and use dairy free butter and plant based milk.
Make this sugar free. Use a brown sugar substitute for the cake and crumb topping, and a powdered sugar substitute for the glaze.
Cut the grains out. Replace the oat flour for almond flour or coconut flour.
Blueberry coffee cake. Fold through 1/2 cup of fresh or frozen blueberries to the batter.
Apple coffee cake. Replace half the butter with unsweetened applesauce and fold through one finely diced apple.
Pumpkin coffee cake. Replace half the butter with pumpkin puree and switch out the cinnamon with pumpkin pie spice.

Storing and freezing instructions

To store: leftover coffee cake will keep at room temperature, covered, for up to 3 days. If you’d like the cake to keep longer, store in the refrigerator for up to one week.
To freeze: place the cake in an airtight container and store it in the freezer for up to 6 months.

More almond flour baking recipes to try

Frequently Asked Questions

Why is it called coffee cake?

Coffee cake gets its name as it is the kind of cake that you serve with coffee.

What is the difference between cake and coffee cake?

Traditional cakes typically have frosting or an icing on top. We can eat coffee cakes fresh from the oven and often have a streusel or crumble topping instead.

Does coffee cake actually have coffee in it?

Some coffee cakes do sometimes contain coffee in it (in the form of espresso powder or instant coffee) but most don’t.

Arman Liew

I’m a two time cookbook author, photographer, and writer, and passionate about creating easy and healthier recipes. I believe you don’t need to be experienced in the kitchen to make good food using simple ingredients that most importantly, taste delicious.