Gluten-free Blueberry Coffee Cake (AKA Boy Bait)
Every girl needs an arsenal of recipes to catch the boys. I mean, good looks alone might not be enough to keep them around, right? It’s a well-known fact that the way to a man’s heart is through his stomach–and if you master this recipe, I guarantee you that the boys will come running, and stick around until you shoo them away. From my personal experience, this gluten-free Blueberry Coffee Cake (AKA Blueberry Boy Bait) does indeed make the boys come running. Especially the hungry teenage variety. Especially if you don’t get around to serving them breakfast until 11 o’clock in the morning.
Jump to RecipeBut hey, it’s the first day of summer vacation and we all slept in.
I love a good recipe with a good story, and Blueberry Boy Bait is definitely one of those. Created by a teenager for the Pillsbury Bake Off contest in 1954, this single layer coffee cake, studded throughout with plump, juicy blueberries and topped with a cinnamon-sugar crumb, is sure to please everyone who comes around…not just the boys.
HOW TO MAKE GLUTEN-FREE COFFEE CAKE (BOY BAIT)
I’ve made it several times over the years, in summer with freshly-picked blueberries…in winter with frozen ones, and it always turns out amazingly well–even after I transitioned to a gluten-free diet. Use a light and fluffy flour blend like Cup4Cup,Trader Joe’s Gluten-free Flour Blend, or Bob’s Red Mill 1 to 1 to ensure a tender crumb. (It also works with my own flour blend, but I was out and had to use a backup.)
Coffee Cake Ingredients:
- 2 cups plus 1 teaspoon gluten-free all purpose flour blend, divided
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- 1/2 teaspoon xanthan gum (omit if your flour blend already contains it)
- 2 sticks of butter, softened (8 ounces)
- 3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 3 extra large eggs
- 1 cup whole milk
- 1/2 cup of blueberries
Topping Ingredients:
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup blueberries
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9×13 inch baking dish with butter or gluten-free cooking spray.
- Mix 2 cups of flour, baking powder, sea salt and xanthan gum in a medium bowl with a whisk and set aside.
- Beat the butter with the brown sugar and granulated sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs and beat until smooth.
- Beat in half of the flour mixture until smooth, add the milk and the rest of the flour and beat until evenly incorporated.
- Toss 1/2 cup of the blueberries with the remaining teaspoon of flour and gently fold into the batter. Spread into the prepared baking dish. Tossing the berries with flour ensures they don’t sink to the bottom of the cake, so don’t skip this step!
- Mix the topping ingredients together and distribute evenly over the top of the batter.
- Bake for 45-50 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the middle of the cake comes out clean.
It’s blueberry season in California…and the East Coast is probably not far behind. So what are you waiting for?
LOVE BERRIES? CHECK OUT THESE OTHER RECIPES:
If you make this recipe, or any of my others be sure to tag me on Instagram, and use the hashtags #agirldefloured #deflouredrecipes!
Gluten-free Blueberry Coffee Cake (AKA Blueberry Boy Bait)
Equipment
- 9×13 pan
Ingredients
- 2 cups plus 1 teaspoon all-purpose gluten-free flour blend
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- ½ teaspoon xanthan gum omit if your flour blend already contains it
- 2 sticks of butter softened (8 ounces)
- ¾ cup packed light brown sugar
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 3 extra large eggs
- 1 cup whole milk
- ½ cup of blueberries
FOR THE TOPPING:
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup blueberries
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9×13 inch baking dish with butter or gluten-free cooking spray.
- Mix 2 cups of flour, baking powder, sea salt and xanthan gum in a medium bowl with a whisk and set aside.
- Beat the butter with the brown sugar and granulated sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs and beat until smooth.
- Beat in half of the flour mixture until smooth, add the milk and the rest of the flour and beat until evenly incorporated.
- Toss ½ cup of the blueberries with the remaining teaspoon of flour and gently fold into the batter. Spread into the prepared baking dish.
- Mix the topping ingredients together and distribute evenly over the top of the batter.
- Bake for 45-50 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the middle of the cake comes out clean.
How funny – just made your blueberry muffins Monday – these look great too and my Costco container of blueberries was huge, so I still have a bunch left to try w/ this great looking recipe!! Keep up the good work!!
Thanks, Kelly! My kids like this one too…it just takes longer to bake. 😉
That looks delicious! My boy loves blueberries, so I’ll definitely be able to catch his attention with this one. Thanks for the recipe!
You bet! Hope he loves it. 🙂
Great recipe converted to gluten-free, Ali! I remember when Smitten Kitchen posted her recipe a few years ago. Such a tasty summer berry recipe and wonderful to wake up to for breakfast. Good to know it comes out just as beautiful when baked with gluten-free flour blends. Gorgeous photography as always, m’lady! Pinning! xo
Thanks girl! It’s a nice change from blueberry muffins…light and fluffy middle, crispy edges. Yum.
I have a question.. What is the xanthan gum purpose? Could I omit it? I’ve seen it in many recipes and just wondering what it did. Thanks in advance!
Hi Rebecca, xanthan gum is a binder that is used as a gluten replacement in many gluten-free baked goods. Some gluten-free bakers prefer not to use it, or use guar gum (made from legumes) as an alternative to xanthan gum. There is also a way to bind gluten-free baked goods using ground chia & flax seeds. I prefer xanthan because it gives consistent results (and I don’t react to it). Many gluten-free flour blends already contain xanthan gum, so always check the ingredient list before baking…you won’t need any additional xanthan gum if it’s already in the mix). If you don’t use xanthan gum (or some other gluten replacement) in gluten-free baked goods, the will crumble and fall apart. 🙂
Have you ever tried this recipe with rhubarb? It looks like it would work…
Kelly, no I haven’t, but I’m sure the addition of any fruit would be awesome, as long as it wasn’t too wet. Let me know if you give it a go! 🙂
Can you substitute the whole milk for oat or almond milk?
You sure can!
Is it possible to substitute the milk with almond or rice milk? My son would love this but he can’t have milk. Also, what about substituting the white sugar with stevia? Do you know if that is possible? Looks delicious!!
Hi LouAnn! Yes, you can substitute the dairy for non-dairy alternatives (I’d recommend almond milk). If you have a cup for cup sugar substitute that uses stevia, that would probably work, however sugar adds structure to baked goods, so I don’t think it would turn out particularly well if you just added stevia drops etc. to replace the sugar. There are also other cup for cup sugar substitutes that use erythritol or xylitol, that would work as well. Hope that helps!
Made the Blueberry Boy Bait this morning. One word. DELICIOUS!!! I shared it with all of my friends. Thanks for this recipe 🙂
Thanks so much for letting me know how much you enjoyed it. We love it too…going to have to revisit it again this weekend, I think. <3
Just put these in the oven. Used coconut crystals for all of the sugar. Batter tastes great…..final results TBD 🙂
I can’t wait to hear how it turns out! 🙂
These were the best GF baked ingredient I’ve ever made! Thank you for sharing this!
You bet! I’m so glad you liked it!
Do you think fresh cherries would work? Also would halving the recipe be do able?
Fresh cherries would be awesome. And halving would be okay if you put it in an 8×8 inch pan.
I made it with the cherries quartered and it came out wonderfully, but the cherries all sunk, not a big deal at all still very yummy!
Did you toss them with the four?
I mixed accordingly exactly according to recipe. I mixed the 1/4 cup (because I halved the recipe) into the mix, then the topping as wrote to.
Hello Alison,
Saw your blueberry recipe on fb & was wondering if they freeze well if put in a muffin pan
for individual servings. Then could pop in micro. for reheating each day. Instant breakfast !
Hi Nora,
I haven’t tried it in a muffin pan, however I do have a great gluten-free muffin recipe on the website that is just as delicious (and easy). https://www.agirldefloured.com/2012/05/16/best-gluten-free-blueberry-muffins/ 🙂
Thanks girl, great recipe.
I have to tell you… this recipe is fabulous. Most people don’t even realize it’s gluten free! I’ve used raspberries, cherries, peaches and even apples in place of the blueberries and they were all good. I use my own blend of flours/starches to make this.
SO glad you like it. I think it’s worth another revisit in this house too. 🙂
Just wondering if you ever tried this in a bundt pan?
I have not! But if you do, be sure to let me know how it goes. My daughter asked me to bake it this weekend…perhaps I’ll give it a try myself. 🙂
If my GF flour has guar gum in it, do I omit the xanthan gum?
Yes. 🙂
Loving your website and recipes – thank you! Am Australian – could you explain what ‘2 sticks of butter’ is equivalent in grams or ounces please? 🙂
Hi there! Yes, 2 sticks of butter is 8 ounces or 227 grams. 🙂
Brilliant! Thank you 🙂
I baked this recently and took it in to work, it was proclaimed as delicious by all. Thanks for such a great recipe.
IO was hoping you could post your recipes in grams in addition to cups!! that would motivate me to try your awesome looking recipes.! thanks Just found your site
liz
I made this last Sunday. Fabulous recipe! It stayed moist for several days. This will be my “go to” recipe in the future. Krusteaz GF Flour worked perfectly. Thank you!