Gluten-Free Coffee Cake You Can Feel Good About

Use the last of the season’s cherries to create this delicious coffee cake. And if you are gluten-free and/or vegan, you can have your cake and eat it too!

Gluten-Free Cardamom Cherry Coffee Cake

Makes one 9x 13 inch cake

Ingredients

• ¼ cup coconut oil
• 1 ¼ cups sugar, preferably maple crystals or raw sugar like Rapadura or Florida Crystals
• 2 ½ cups gluten-free flour*
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon ground cardamom
• ½ teaspoon ground ginger
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 2/3 cup vegan buttermilk replacement**
• 2/3 cup water
• 5 cups cherries, pitted and halved

For streusel topping:

• 4 cups dates, pulsed in food processor
• ¾ cup gluten-free flour*
• ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
• ½ cup cold coconut oil, cut into small cubes
• Pinch of sea salt

Preparation

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Lightly oil and flour a 9×13 inch cake pan.
2. Make the streusel topping: Stir together the ground dates, flour, and cinnamon in a medium mixing bowl. Cut the coconut oil into the mixture with a pastry cutter until well combined. Set aside.
3. In a small mixing bowl, beat together the coconut oil and sugar. In a separate larger mixing bowl, sift together the gluten-free flour, baking powder, baking soda, cardamom, ginger, and salt. Gently mix the oil and sugar mixture into the dry mixture. It does not need to be completely incorporated, just partially.
4. In a measuring cup or small bowl, stir together 2/3 cup of vegan buttermilk replacement and water. Pour the liquid into the bowl with the partially mixed ingredients and incorporate into a batter as quickly and gently as possible. Transfer the batter to the cake pan.
5. Evenly distribute the halved cherries over the top of the batter followed by an even layer of streusel topping. Place the cake pan in the oven, and bake for 30 to 40 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out cleanly. Cool completely before cutting.

*Gluten-Free Flour:

Combine 3 cups sorghum flour + 2 cups brown rice flour + 2/3 cup potato starch flour + 1/3 cup tapioca starch flour; YIELDS 6 cups gluten-free flour; RECIPE only calls for 3 ¼ cups gluten-free flour

**Vegan Buttermilk Replacement:

In a glass measuring cup, combine 1 tablespoon white vinegar and enough full-fat soy milk to total 1 cup of liquid. Allow to sit for 10 minutes before using; YIELDS 1 cup; RECIPE only calls for 2/3 cup vegan buttermilk