Gluten Free Coffee Cake

 

This Sunday we are highlighting recipes that use coconut flour!  This high fiber and protein flour acts like a sponge and is really unique as a baking ingredient.  Coconut flour was one of those gluten free flours that I felt like was originally super popular, but then people found it so fiddly to work with that it perhaps fell out of favor.  I used it quite a bit when we were first dealing with food allergies and I found that it definitely worked better as a supporting player in the recipe than the main character as far as I was concerned.  I particularly liked it combined with almond flour for a good crumb in baked goods.  I even had a copy of the Spunky Coconut's cookbook.  This coffeecake is based on one of her recipes.  My youngest emphatically loved it and we all enjoyed it.  You would never guess there are beans and coconut flour in it.  I will note that you probably should bake it in the 9x13-inch pan even though it will fit in an 8-inch square pan.  It will bake, but the proportions of cake to filling will be quite different and it will take almost twice as long to bake if you try that.  Fair warning.  That said, the full batch in the 8-inch square also results in more of a crumb cake finish with a ton of topping, if you like that!  I did like it both ways!

Full batch in smaller pan = much deeper topping layer, longer bake.

 
This cake has a beautifully tender crumb that stays wonderfully moist.  Fantastic with vanilla ice cream.  Freezes well and reheats beautifully.  Recipe may be halved and baked in an 8-inch pan.

Gluten Free Coffee Cake

2 cups cooked white beans, rinsed and drained, room temperature (I cooked mine in the instant pot)
6 eggs
⅔ cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
¼ cup honey
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¼ cup avocado oil
⅓ cup coconut flour
½ tsp sea salt
¾ tsp baking soda
1½ tsp baking powder

Crumble Topping:

2 cups pecans
2 tbsp butter
½ cup brown sugar 
1 tbsp cinnamon

Add the beans, eggs, sugar, vanilla, and honey to a food processor and puree well.  Add the oil, coconut flour, salt, soda, and baking powder, and puree again until the batter is totally smooth and well mixed.

Scrape the batter into a 9x13-inch greased pan.

In the same food processor, combine the pecans, butter, brown sugar, and cinnamon, and blend until fine crumbs form.  They should clump together just slightly.

Sprinkle the crumble evenly over the top of the batter.

Using a butter knife, swirl the topping across the batter, then gently pat down the crumbs.

Bake at 325ºF for about 30-35 minutes.

Enjoy warmed or cold from the refrigerator.

Store covered in the refrigerator or freeze for up to two months.

Full batch in small pan, topping will pile up almost 2 inches thick.

 

Regular pan proportions yield a nicely balanced topping layer with
cake peeking through a few places.  Really moist crumb either way.

Be sure to check out more ways to use coconut flour:

• Chocolate Coconut Flour Cookies: Food Lust People Love
• Coconut Crusted Mahi Mahi: A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Coconut Shortbread Cookies: Karen's Kitchen Stories
• Gluten Free Coffee Cake: A Messy Kitchen
• Keto Flaxseed & Coconut Flour Flatbread: Sneha's Recipe
• Sugar-Free Coconut Flour Cake: Cook with Renu