Holiday Gluten Free Coffee Cake Using EggNog
Holiday Gluten Free Coffee Cake is the perfect breakfast to serve on Christmas morning. Sweet sugar and cinnamon crumbles with crunchy pecans on top of a soft cake made with leftover eggnog. Enjoy with a hot cup of coffee, or just by itself for a holiday treat!
Hey there, have you thought about what you’re serving for Christmas dinner yet? I’m sure you have. But have you given any thought to what you’re serving for breakfast? It’s the most important meal of the day, but also most often forgotten in the hustle and bustle of the holiday planning.
So, I thought I’d share what will be on my table Christmas morning. Holiday Gluten Free Coffee Cake is pretty much your traditional coffee cake, gluten free of course, but with a festive flare to the ingredients. I’ve added pecans and eggnog here, in an attempt to use up both leftover items from other Christmas eve recipes.
This one is pretty sweet, so you could probably get away with serving the leftovers with dessert that night, too!
So, there’s coffee cake. Then there’s gluten free coffee cake. And THEN there’s Holiday Gluten Free Coffee Cake.
There are some pretty big differences between the three. Regular old coffee cake is exactly what it sounds like: Boring, same old dish you can pick up at any grocery store. Gluten free coffee cake is slightly better, because I can actually eat it.
Now, here’s where it gets interesting. Holiday gluten free coffee cake takes your typical gluten free coffee cake, but hits it with some fresh new flavors to make it out-of-this-world AH-mazing. That’s right, this coffee cake takes the flavors of your favorite eggnog, and incorporates it into one delicious breakfast/dessert/delicious dish.
If you’re really motived, check out my step-by-step instructions on how to make your own eggnog.
Don’t believe me? Make it for yourself, then report back on just how blown your mind now is.
Or, if you do believe me, make it anyway. You won’t regret it.
Personally, I love the photos that catch a bite of this gluten free coffee cake being taken, in motion.
It reminds me of the time I ate that coffee cake. So many fond memories…
I spent the last week in upstate New York, soaking in the beautiful falling snow. It really was picturesque. I had to wear three layers of thermals and a big poofy coat (apparently, I adapted to Florida weather a lot faster than I thought), but I really enjoyed it nonetheless.
Now that I’m back where the palm trees grow, soaking in the sun and the warm waters here in the Gulf of Mexico, it’s hard to get back into the Christmas spirit. It feels a lot like Christmas in July. What’s really helping, though, is all of the decorating Andrew has been doing. He’s turned our little apartment into a Christmas wonderland, and last night we wrapped up all the presents and put them under the tree.
We’re having family fly in this week, too, so I’m working hard to get the place cleaned up and plan out what everyone’s going to be eating! I’ve also picked the perfect time to start a new exercise routine. Because life isn’t busy enough, right?
And most of all, the holiday baking is getting me into the spirit. I made a big batch of these gluten free chocolate chip cookies for our Christmas brunch at work, and I’ve been told that they taste like the real deal (score!).
So, weather permitting or not, there will be Christmas spirit in my household this year!
This is a pretty sweet version of coffee cake, so I’d classify it in the donut-type breakfast category. Is it healthy? No, not really. But is it great for the occasional treat or holiday breakfast/brunch? Absolutely!
I actually thought of putting an eggnog glaze on here, but decided that it would be overly sweet with the extra sugar on top. But if to you, this absolutely positively cannot be a true coffee cake without the sweet glaze adorning its crumbly topping, then I have something for you.
Let’s call it the Christmas spirit, because I’m making a big effort to really get into it. I’ve included a little eggnog glaze recipe in the directions for you. But just so you know, this gluten free coffee cake is pretty sweet already. So I’d totally taste it first, and then decide if you want the extra sweetness on top.
I actually adapted this glaze recipe from my gluten free pumpkin bread recipe (another holiday favorite of mine). As far as glaze goes, it’s pretty forgiving as long as you stick to the main parts (sugar, butter, milk or milk-type substance). Keep the ratios of liquid pretty consistent, and feel free to get creative on this one.
Eggnog Coffee Cake - Gluten Free!
Ingredients
For the Cake
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
- 1 cup sugar
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 large eggs
- 1 cup gluten free eggnog
- 1 cup sour cream
- 2 1/2 cups gluten free all-purpose flour
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 cup pecans, chopped
Streusel
- 2/3 cup sugar
- 2 tbsp unsalted butter, softened
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1/2 cup pecans, chopped
- 2 tbsp gluten free all-purpose flour
Glaze (Optional)
- 1 cup confectioners sugar
- 2 tbsp unsalted butter
- 2 tbsp gluten free eggnog
- 1/4 tsp vanilla extract
Equipment
- 9 x 13" baking dish
- mixer
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease a 9x13-inch baking dish and set aside.
- In a large bowl, cream together butter, sugar, and vanilla extract. Beat each egg in slowly until just mixed in. Slowly add eggnog and sour cream.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together dry ingredients (flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt). Slowly add dry ingredients to wet ingredients until mixed well. Fold in pecans. Add mixture to baking dish.
- For streusel, mix together sugar, butter, cinnamon, pecans, and flour until well combined. Sprinkle evenly over coffee cake batter.
- Bake 30-35 minutes, or until cake is golden brown and a toothpick comes out clean.
Glaze (optional)
- Melt butter in saucepan. Add other ingredients. Whisk constantly until sugar is completely melted. Drizzle over coffee cake while still warm.
Notes
Nutrition
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There’s no sugar in the cake ingredients list.
You’re right! I apologize, I added it in and double checked the ingredients. We should be all set now 🙂