Family Favorites - May 2018: Gluten-Free Fruited Coffee Cake (Wheat, Nut and Fish-Free, Can Be Soy, Egg and Milk-Free)

This year, I decided to list a family favorite recipe from the blog (with any adaptions that we use regularly, if applicable) on the fourth Friday or Saturday of every month.  This recipe will be one that we make quite often and that we all enjoy greatly.  This post is the fifth Family Favorites recipe of 2018.

If you have a recipe on your blog that you consider a family favorite that you'd like to share, please comment below with a link to the recipe, and I'll make sure to pop on over and visit your site to check it out (and leave a comment), and hopefully some of my other readers will, too.

This month's Family Favorite recipe is Gluten-Free Fruited Coffee Cake.  It is essentially my Gluten-Free Mixed Berry Rhubarb Coffee Cake recipe, but you can decide what fruit you use.  We love this coffee cake and we enjoy making it several times a year.  We try to keep the fruit as seasonal as possible.  That means that we normally make an apple version in the fall and winter, and a berry, cherry, rhubarb or combination version in the spring and summer.  I want to try a pear and a peach version, and those are goals for when those are in season.  I even want to do something with cranberries.  The possibilities are endless!  Did I mention that this recipe is wheat, nut and fish-free, and can be soy, egg and milk-free (if all your ingredients are)?   Delicious and allergy-friendly to boot!  What's not to love?

Note: The gluten-free flour and baking mix I recommend do not technically contain soy, but the one contains xanthan gum and the other contains guar gum (see "Soy-Free" under variations for more details) which can cause issues for people with soy sensitivities or allergies, and that is why I will not claim that this recipe is soy-free.

Gluten-Free Fruited Coffee Cake

Cake:

1 1/4 Cup white sugar
(We always use cane sugar.)
   

1 teaspoon baking soda 

1/2 teaspoon salt
   

2 Cups gluten-free flour blend or baking mix 
(We normally use Pamela's Gluten-Free All Purpose Flour or King Arthur Flour's Gluten-Free Baking Mix.)
   

2 eggs
   

1 Cup sour cream or gluten-free vanilla yogurt 
(We always use Daisy brand sour cream, but have also used a gluten-free vanilla greek yogurt.)
   

3 Cups total of any of the following: 
thinly sliced fresh rhubarb (about 1/4 inch sized pieces), fresh raspberries, fresh chopped strawberries (bite-sized pieces), fresh blueberries, fresh sour cherries (pitted and cut in half), peeled and diced, bite-sized pieces of baking apples of choice (Granny Smith, Ida Red, Ginger Gold, etc.), peeled and diced fresh pears (bite-sized pieces), peeled and diced fresh peaches (bite-sized pieces), or any other fresh, diced fruit that you like
(Do NOT use a mushy fruit that bananas, though, as the texture will not turn out right, and yes, the fruit needs to be fresh, though you could use canned pineapple if you drained it VERY well.  You could technically also use frozen fruit, but you'd have to thaw it and drain it well, and you'd most likely have to cook it longer.)

Topping:

1 Cup brown sugar
(We always use cane sugar.)   

1/4 Cup gluten-free flour blend or baking mix 
(We normally use Pamela's Gluten-Free All Purpose Flour or King Arthur Flour's Gluten-Free Baking Mix)
   

1/4 Cup gluten-free quick or traditional oats
(We always use quick oats.)   

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  

1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon salt (optional)
(We always add the salt, and normally I use the 1/4 teaspoon.)
  

1/2 Cup salted, full-fat butter

1. Preheat oven to 350^oF.
    
2. Grease and flour a 9x13 baking dish; set aside.  (Note: I used butter to grease mine, but feel free to use whatever grease that suits your tastes and allergen needs.)
    
3. In a large bowl, stir together the 1 1/4 Cup white sugar, baking soda, salt and 2 Cups gluten-free flour blend or baking mix.
    
4. Stir the eggs and sour cream or yogurt into the flour mixture until smooth.
    
5. Fold the fruit into the batter just until evenly distributed.
    
6. Scoop the batter into the prepared dish and spread evenly.
    
7. In a smaller bowl, mix the brown sugar, 1/4 Cup gluten-free flour blend or baking mix, oats, cinnamon and salt (if using) until well-blended.
    
8. Using 2 knives, cut the butter into the brown sugar mixture until you have a crumbly topping.  (Note: The butter should be no bigger than pea-sized and evenly distributed.)
    
9. Sprinkle topping on top of batter.
    
10. Bake the cake for about 45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Makes one 9x13 pan or anywhere from 12 to 24 servings, depending how big you want them.  It is delicious warm or cold.  I recommend storing any leftovers in the fridge.

Variations (Please keep your individual dietary needs in mind when using substitutions!):

• Egg-Free: Use any of the egg substitution ideas from the Ingredient Substitution page or an egg replacer for the eggs.  I think the applesauce replacement would be especially good!
   
• Milk-Free: Use a dairy-free yogurt or vegan sour cream for the sour cream or yogurt, and lard, coconut oil, or a dairy-free butter for the butter.
    
• Soy-Free: Neither Pamela's Gluten-Free All Purpose Flour or King Arthur Flour's Gluten-Free Baking Mix claim to contain soy, but Pamela's contains guar gum and King Arthur Flour's contains xanthan gum, which can cause issues with people who have soy sensitivities and allergies, and hence the reason I won't claim this recipe is soy-free already.  You can use regular flour (if you can have it) or a soy-free, gluten-free flour of your choice.  Keep in mind that if your blend doesn't contain guar gum or xanthan gum, you may need to add up to 1/2 teaspoon to 2 teaspoons of ground flax seed, guar gum or xanthan gum to help with textural issues.  Also, you will need to make sure that all of your ingredients are soy-free.
   
• Other Yogurt Options: If you decided to use yogurt, but don't want to use vanilla, you can use plain or a flavored one, like strawberry, blueberry, honey, etc.  
• Less Topping: If you don't want as much topping, you can half the amount of topping.  You could even leave it off, if you want.
  
• 
  
  Sugar Substitutions:  You could use any sugar substitute that is approved for baking for the sugar.  Make sure that you sub it according to the recommendations for that sweetener.  Not all sugar substitutes are subbed with a 1:1 ratio.
     
• Topping Variations:  If you can have tree nuts, you can always add up to 1/4 Cup pecans, almonds, walnuts, etc. to the topping.  You can even sub nuts for the oats, though I would not exceed 1/4 Cup of nuts regardless.

This coffee cake is one that is always a hit wherever I take it.  It is so versatile, good warm or cold, good for breakfast or dessert - I mean, is it any wonder it is a family favorite?  I hope you will give it a try and that it becomes a family favorite for you, too!