This Small Batch Coffee Cake is similar to your favorite, buttery coffee cake, only this one is created to serve 4 people. A fluffy, tender cake, with a cinnamon swirl, and generous crunchy topping is made in a loaf pan and bakes in under an hour. It's gluten free, can be dairy free, and is perfect to serve at your next brunch party!
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This Mini Coffee Cake is light and fluffy with a bountiful of crunchy crumb topping! It takes about 30 minutes to bake and will easily serve 4 generous slices.
Simply mix up the cake batter, add it to your loaf pan with a cinnamon swirl, finish with the topping and bake until golden brown. That's it! It's quite a simple, yet stunning, little cake.
Perfect for your next brunch, pair with scrambled eggs and bacon for some protein, fruit on the side, and can't forget the coffee and tea! This small batch cake is perfect for you and your friends to enjoy on a Sunday afternoon.
Need to feed more people, try this full size gluten free coffee cake! Or for a chocolate fix, bake these small batch brownies!
Why You'll Love This Recipe
- This small batch cake recipe makes the perfect amount for 4 people
- The cake is gluten free and I've also included a dairy free option
- It's simple to make and bakes in 30 minutes
- The crumb topping is thick, towering, and absolutely perfect
- Coffee cake is a great brunch or breakfast treat
Key Ingredients Needed
*the full ingredients list and measurements can be found in the recipe card below*
- Gluten free flour: This coffee cake is not only small batch, but it's also gluten free! Just make sure your gluten free flour blend contains xanthan gum, that's a key component of getting a fluffy, well textured cake.
- Sugar: For this recipe I actually use dark brown sugar! Not only does it add a delicious depth of flavor, but it also makes the cake darker and prettier to look at.
- Butter: I always use salted butter when I bake because I've found that it helps to balance out the sweetness and keep the cake from being overly sweet.
- Eggs: You'll need one large egg for this cake because it acts as a binder and helps lift the cake to keep it from being too dense.
- Milk: I tested this recipe with almond milk and whole milk and, while almon works, I prefer it with whole milk.
- Cinnamon: You absolutely can not make this recipe without cinnamon! It's warm, nutty, and 100% essential for a good coffee cake.
Substitutions
Flour: If you don't have gluten free flour, an equal amount of regular all purpose flour will work.
Sugar: Don't have dark brown sugar? No worries, because light brown is a great substitute. For the cake, granulated sugar could even be used, but you DO need brown sugar for the crumb topping.
Butter: Vegan butter or even coconut oil can be substituted if you need a dairy free option.
Milk: Whole milk is preferred, BUT your favorite non-dairy milk will work in it's place.
How To Make A Small Batch Coffee Cake
STEP ONE: Preheat oven to 350°F and line an 8x4 inch loaf pan with parchment paper
STEP TWO: In a medium sized mixing bowl whisk together the dry ingredients
STEP THREE: To the dry ingredients, add the melted butter, eggs, vanilla extract, milk, and vinegar. Stir until smooth.
STEP FOUR: In a separate small bowl, combine the ingredients for the cinnamon swirl mixture.
STEP FIVE: Pour half of the coffee cake batter into the bottom of your prepared pan, top with the cinnamon swirl mixture, and pour the rest of the batter on top.
STEP SIX: In another clean bowl, combine the ingredients for the crumb topping until you have a texture resembling wet sand. Evenly distribute the crumb topping over top of the cake batter
STEP SEVEN: Bake in preheated oven for 30-35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Carefully take the small batch coffee cake out of the oven and let cool completely before slicing.
Expert Baking Tips
- Flour contains xanthan gum: When using a gluten free all purpose flour, you want it to contain xanthan gum so you get the perfect cake texture. I like to use Bob's Red Mill!
- Let butter cool slightly: Melt the butter before you mix the rest of the ingredients so it has a little bit of time to cool!
- Hydrate the flour: Since the cake is gluten free, if you have 10 minutes, let the batter rest to help hydrate the flour!
- Bake in metal: It's always best to bake with metal pans because the heat circulates better. Glass and ceramic can result in uneven bakes and will take longer than the time listed.
- Cool before cutting: For the cleanest cuts, let the coffee cake cool completely before slicing it.
- 4-8 servings: It all depends on how you cut it! If you want generous portions, you can cut the cake into 4 rectangles, or if you want smaller squares, cut the rectangles in half so you have 8 squares.
Coffee Cake Q&A
I use a metal 8x4 inch loaf pan. You can use a 9x5, but the cake will be thinner and bake quicker.
If you want a larger coffee cake, try this recipe! It bakes in an 8x8 pan and feeds about 9 people.
No, if all you have is regular all-purpose flour that works too!
Recipe Variations
Dairy Free: If you want this to be dairy and gluten free, substitute the butter with vegan butter and whole milk with almond milk.
Regular: Don't have gluten free flour? That's ok, this recipe works with an equal amount of regular all purpose flour!
Blueberry: Summer is the perfect time to try and fold some fresh blueberries into the coffee cake batter before baking.
Glazed: Mix ⅓ cup of powdered sugar with a splash of vanilla extract, a pinch of salt, and enough milk (2-3 teaspoons) to reach a thick, but pourable glaze. Drizzle over fully cooled coffee cake and enjoy!
Storing and Freezing Instructions
STORING: Store any leftovers in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4 days. You can also keep it in the fridge for up to 1 week, but I've found it does get a little dry.
FREEZING: If you have leftovers that you can't finish, feel free to freeze it! Wrap each piece tightly in plastic wrap and place into a freezer safe bag. Freeze for 2-3 months.
A quick note about baking in grams...
You'll notice that most of my new recipes have the ingredients listed in grams and that's because, after much testing, I've come to the conclusion that it's the most accurate way to bake.
Giving measurements in cups leaves a lot more room for error, so while I do try to include those measurements as much as possible, I highly suggest investing in a $10 kitchen scale.
More Small Batch Recipes You'll Love!
- Small batch chocolate chip cookies
- Chewy small batch M&M cookies
- Small batch lemon curd
- 6 dairy free blueberry muffins
Small Batch Coffee Cake
This Small Batch Coffee Cake is similar to your favorite, buttery coffee cake, only this one is created to serve 4 people. A fluffy, tender cake, with a cinnamon swirl, and generous crunchy topping is made in a loaf pan and bakes in under an hour. It's gluten free, can be dairy free, and is perfect to serve at your next brunch party!
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Total Time: 40 minutes
- Yield: 4 large slices 1x
- Category: Cake
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Gluten Free
Ingredients
For The Cake:
- 120g gluten free all-purpose flour with xanthan gum (I use Bob's Red Mill)
- 55g dark brown sugar (¼ cup lightly packed)
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 56g melted butter (slightly cooled)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 large egg
- 61g whole milk (¼ cup)
- ½ teaspoon white vinegar
For The Cinnamon Swirl:
- 22g dark brown sugar (2 tablespoons)
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
For The Crumb Topping:
- 60g Gluten free all purpose flour (that contains xanthan gum) (½ cup)
- 55g dark brown sugar (¼ cup)
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- 56g melted butter (4 tablespoons)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F and line an 8x4 inch loaf pan with parchment paper or grease generously with non-stick cooking spray
- In a medium sized mixing bowl. whisk together the flour, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt
- Next, to the dry ingredients, add in the slightly cooled, melted butter, vanilla extract, egg, milk, and vinegar. Use a wooden spoon to mix until smooth, then set the batter aside
- In a small bowl, combine the the dark brown sugar and cinnamon for the cinnamon swirl and set aside
- Now, to your prepared loaf pan, use a rubber spatula to spread half of the cake batter on the bottom of the pan, sprinkle the cinnamon swirl over top, then pour over the rest of the cake batter
- Finally, in another clean, small bowl, combine the gluten free flour, brown sugar, cinnamon nutmeg, salt, and melted butter. Stir until you get a mixture that resembles wet sand.
- Use your fingers to distribute the crumb topping evenly over top of the cake batter.
- Bake for 30-35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Cool completely before slicing, and enjoy!
Notes
- Flour contains xanthan gum: When using a gluten free all purpose flour, you want it to contain xanthan gum so you get the perfect cake texture. I like to use Bob's Red Mill!
- Let butter cool slightly: Melt the butter before you mix the rest of the ingredients so it has a little bit of time to cool!
- Hydrate the flour: Since the cake is gluten free, if you have 10 minutes, let the batter rest to help hydrate the flour!
- Bake in metal: It's always best to bake with metal pans because the heat circulates better. Glass and ceramic can result in uneven bakes and will take longer than the time listed.
- Cool before cutting: For the cleanest cuts, let the coffee cake cool completely before slicing it.
- 4-8 servings: It all depends on how you cut it! If you want generous portions, you can cut the cake into 4 rectangles, or if you want smaller squares, cut the rectangles in half so you have 8 squares.
- Storing: Keep any leftovers in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4 days.
Su says
Glad you have small recipes . Thanks
Nicole Radcliffe says
I hope you enjoy them!