It’s always fun pulling a recipe you’re testing off the stove or out of the oven, taking a bite and getting to say, “oooh buddy, I think we have a winner!” Gluten Free Zucchini Coffee Cake is definitely falling into that recipe category!
I almost had a Miranda Hobbs moment during recipe testing where I considered dumping the the remaining zucchini coffee cake I’d been uncontrollably gnawing on into the garbage then drizzling it with soap whilst calling a friend for moral support. Thankfully this yummy recipe is freezer-friendly so I threw it in there for future gnawing instead.
August means many things around here – state fair time, back to school time, and zucchini coming out of your EARS time. That is to say, zucchini’s growing in abundance right now and this Gluten Free Zucchini Coffee Cake is going to be your favorite way to use up a portion of that zucchini that’s as big as your femur, and currently sitting on your countertop.
We’ve all got that family member, friend, or co-worker who hands you one of those monsters, which you gladly accept, but have no idea what you’re going to do with it, right?
Listen to me and use it in this dense, just sweet enough, incredibly moist (sorry, moist-haters!), PERECT zucchini coffee cake that’s a cinch to make. No crazy gluten-free flour blending – just two bowls, a whisk, and some pantry and garden staples. Oh, and a cup of coffee or tea to pair it with!
Now, why is this recipe considered zucchini coffee cake vs plain old zucchini bread? First of all there’s warming spices including cinnamon and nutmeg in the batter, which are commonly found in coffee cakes, and while zucchini bread is typically light as air, this coffee cake is dense and chewy, aka highly addictive. (See Miranda Hobbs moment above!)
Couple more fun facts – you can use coconut oil OR canola/vegetable/any light colored oil in the batter, this coffee cake is also dairy-free and, as I mentioned, freezer-friendly, too. Let’s get to it!
Start by combining the dry ingredients in a large bowl. That’s 1-1/2 cups gluten-free all purpose baking mix (my brand recommendation is below) whisked together with 1 teaspoon cinnamon, 1/2 teaspoon each gluten-free baking soda and baking powder (I use Bob’s Red Mill,) scant 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg. Make a well with your whisk in the center of the bowl to pour the wet ingredients into.
We’ve been using King Arthur’s Gluten-Free All-Purpose Baking Mix for our GF baking projects lately and are so impressed, plus it makes the FLUFFIEST most NORMAL tasting gluten-free pancakes ever! Truly a cup for cup exchange for all-purpose flour without costing a ridiculous amount of money. I highly recommend.
Next mix the wet ingredients together which includes 1/4 cup melted coconut oil OR light oil like canola, vegetable, avocado, etc, 1 egg, 1 cup sugar, and 1 cup shredded zucchini. The mixture will be very thick, FYI.
Pour the wet ingredients into the well in the dry ingredients then mix until just combined. Spray or line a 9×5″ loaf pan with nonstick spray or parchment paper, respectively, then bake for 50-60 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the center of the loaf comes out clean and the coffee cake has pulled away from the sides of the pan.
NOTE: check the zucchini coffee cake around the 18-20 minute mark. If it’s already golden brown on top, gently place a piece of foil on top and keep baking to prevent it from getting too brown.
Remove the Gluten-Free Zucchini Coffee Cake from the pan after 15 minutes, then cool completely on a cooling rack before slicing and serving (hahahahahaha, yeah right!) Seriously though, as delicious as this coffee cake is freshly baked and warm, it’s even better after it’s cooled then sat overnight wrapped in plastic wrap. Gooey, dense, and PERFECT. Enjoy!
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Gluten-Free Zucchini Coffee Cake
Description
Gluten-Free Zucchini Coffee Cake is dense, just sweet enough, and full of garden-fresh zucchini. Pour yourself a coffee of cup or tea and enjoy!
Ingredients
- 1-1/2 cups gluten-free all-purpose baking mix (I recommend King Arthur’s)
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon gluten-free baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon gluten-free baking powder
- scant 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 cup shredded zucchini
- 1 large egg
- 1/4 cup coconut oil, melted OR light colored oil (canola, vegetable, avocado, etc)
Directions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees then spray or line a 9x5” loaf pan with nonstick spray or parchment paper, respectively, and set aside.
- Add flour, cinnamon, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and nutmeg to a large bowl then whisk to combine. Create a well in the center for the wet ingredients then set aside.
- To another bowl, add sugar, zucchini, egg, and oil then whisk to combine. Pour into the dry ingredients then mix until just combined - batter will be thick. Scoop into prepared loaf pan then bake for 50-60 minutes or until a wooden skewer inserted into the center of the zucchini coffee cake comes out clean and sides have pulled away from the edges of the pan. Note: check zucchini coffee cake around the 18-20 minute mark. If it’s already golden brown on top, place a piece of foil gently on top to prevent further browning.
- Let pan sit on the counter for 15 minutes then transfer zucchini coffee cake to a cooling rack and let cool completely before slicing. Store zucchini coffee cake in plastic wrap for 3-4 days on the counter (it's even better the day after it's baked, in my opinion!)
Notes
- I recommend King Arthur Gluten-Free All-Purpose Baking Mix for this recipe.
This recipe is courtesy of Iowa Girl Eats, http://iowagirleats.com.
These are great! They are a little sweet but I can forgive that! The awesome little crunchy top is awesome and so soft in the inside. I made these as muffins. I put them in for about 25-28 minutes and they came out perfect. Thank you for the recipe! Next I’m going to try this with carrots.
Should the zucchini be squeezed before adding
Delicious. If you want another great recipe Che out this amazing gluten free Peach upside down zucchini cake recipe everyone will love https://olderslightlywiser.com/2020/09/11/gluten-free-peach-zucchini-cake/
This loaf is really good . Great flavour & not dry like most gluten free baking.
Would this work with an egg substitute? Maybe applesauce instead of egg?
Tiffany, I mentioned in the post that this is a cake to eat WITH coffee. In the future I recommend reading post copy and the recipe in their entirety before cooking or baking to ensure it is a good fit for you.
OMG this comment had me ROFL. Bless you for having patience with comments like this!
I made this today with excess zucchini. It is delicious . I will definitely make it
there is no coffee listed in ingredients. do you add as wet or dry? What quantity?
Coffee cake doesn’t contain coffee, it’s just a type of bread that pairs well with coffee or tea.
My zucchini are almost big enough to pick. This recipe is first on my list of things to make with them!
Oh my goodness! I finally got around to trying this recipe and couldn’t even wait for it to cool it smelled so delicious! I’m already in love with this recipe and can’t wait to have more tomorrow! Great job Kristin!
So great to hear, Katelyn! I’ve still got a loaf in the freezer that’s begging to be thawed and devoured!
Hi Kristin! Thislooks delicious! Question, though, if I wanted to make it paleo and not just GF, do you think I could substite the GF flour with almond flour or coconut? Thank you!
Hi Mayela! If you use coconut flour you’d have to add more eggs and/or some kind of liquid because it requires so much moisture. You’d also have to add a leavening agent of some kind otherwise it would come out as a brick! The GF flour blend I use comes pre-mixed with xanthan gum which is why I can use it as a direct 1:1 swap for all purpose flour.
I’m headed to the fair tomorrow, and I too was SO sad to hear there’s no GF corndogs this year. :( Have you tried the Grater Taters? They are one of my faves from before I was diagnosed with Celiac, and I’ve still enjoyed them since. They only fry potatoes in their fryers so it’s a safe place to eat. :) Anyway, can’t wait to try your coffee cake recipe! Looks super yummy! I’ll need to buy some King Arthur. I’ve been going back and forth between Cup 4 Cup, Bob’s Red Mill 1-to-1, and Aldi’s GF flour. I like them all, and don’t bake quite enough to be able to do a proper comparison.
I just heard a rumor that they’ll be back next year so definitely keeping my fingers crossed!!
Just made this (may have thrown in a few chocolate chips also). Absolutely delicious! Can’t wait to serve it to family and friends tomorrow morning. Thanks Kristin!!
Sooo glad to hear it, Holly!! I was *this close* to adding chocolate chips too – will have to do that next time! :)
First up, I’m a HUGE fan who has been following for years and adore your recipes, just never commented before (forgive me!). Thanks for this awesome blog of yours. Just wanted to ask, why do you call it coffee cake? I kept expecting a bit of coffee to be part of the ingredients – do you just mean it’s good with a cup of coffee? I’m confused :D
So good to hear from you, Hala! Thank you for being such a loyal reader! You got it – coffee cake rarely contains coffee, it’s just named as such because it pairs so well with a cup of coffee or tea. :)
Hahahhaha, ok now I feel stupid, but thank you! I made the cake and it’s AMAZING, your recipes are just genius!
No, no don’t feel stupid! I’m so glad you loved it!!
Why does it look pink? Is it the cinnamon? Or the lighting?
Mostly lighting, though it’s a *little* pink in the center because it’s so dense.
You didn’t miss anything w/ regards to the choc. chips cookies in the Varied Industries bldg. They were undercooked this yr – blech! We even took them back & got another cup, & they were still bad. :( Oh, & my corndog was still cold in the middle! Fair fails! The cheese curds were spot-on tho! ;) No salt to be found, though! Who eats cheese curds w/o salt??? Bauder’s didn’t let me down, tho. Their peppermint bars are the whole reason I go to the fair! (& Hairball) :D
I was also bummed about no gluten free corndogs at the fair and probably had the same pity party! haha.. Hopefully they will bring them back someday!
Do you have any idea about changing the gluten free flour out for almond or coconut flour? Ratios the same?
Hi Katie! The reason why I love that baking mix is because the binder xanthan gum is already included. If you were to go straight almond flour you’d need to add some sort of binder and I think cut it with another GF flour or starch or it would be really dense. I don’t have much experience baking with coconut flour but know that it requires a TON of moisture, so you’d likely have to add a couple more eggs in addition to the binder if you went the coconut flour route!
Yum!! I have a GF friend visiting this weekend and I think I’ll give this loaf a try. Looks delicious!
Super nice of you! I hope you guys love it!
Looks delish! Quick question: what is in the gluten-free all-purpose baking mix? If I am not making it gluten-free, could I just substitute flour for it?
The baking mix is a mix of gluten-free flours (brown rice, potato starch, tapioca starch, etc.) You can use all-purpose flour in its place, just knock the baking soda back to 1/4 teaspoon. I hope you love it!