Gluten-Free Crumb Cake

This tender gluten-free crumb cake, boasting a moist, cakey interior crowned with a generous, buttery streusel topping. The warm spices and delicate texture make it a perfect treat for any occasion.

Prep: 15 min Cook: 45 min Total: 130 min Serves: 9

At a glance: This medium baking recipe yields 9 servings in about 2h 10m (15 min prep, 45 min cook). It uses 12 ingredients — including gluten-free all-purpose flour blend, xanthan gum, gluten-free baking powder — and walks through 6 steps. Updated October 25, 2026. Browse more baking recipes or return to all gluten-free recipes.

As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases. Shop links in the ingredient list are affiliate links and do not change the recipe.

Cross-Contamination Warning for Gluten-Free Crumb Cake: When preparing this baking recipe, the crumb topping uses the same flour blend as the cake, so measure both from a bag labeled gluten-free. Wash the pastry blender if it last cut butter into wheat flour, and check the baking powder and cinnamon labels too.

Gluten-Free Notes for Gluten-Free Crumb Cake: This recipe is carefully crafted using a gluten-free flour blend and other gluten-free ingredients, ensuring it's safe for those avoiding gluten-containing grains.

Scale Recipe:

servings

Ingredient amounts update automatically

Instructions

1 In a large bowl, whisk together the 2 cups of gluten-free flour blend, xanthan gum (if using), gluten-free baking powder, and salt for about 30 seconds until thoroughly combined and aerated. This ensures an even distribution of ingredients for a better cake texture.
2 In a separate medium bowl, whisk together the warm milk, 2 large eggs, melted butter or oil, and 0.5 cup of granulated sugar until smooth and well incorporated. The mixture should be homogenous and slightly frothy.
3 Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix with a spatula or whisk until just combined, about 1-2 minutes. The batter will be thicker and stickier than conventional batter made with gluten-containing grains; this is normal for gluten-free cakes. Avoid overmixing.
4 Prepare the crumb topping by combining 0.5 cup of gluten-free flour blend, 0.25 cup of packed light brown sugar, and 1 tsp of ground cinnamon in a medium bowl. Add the cold, cubed butter and use your fingertips or a pastry blender to cut the butter into the dry ingredients until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. This should take about 3-5 minutes.
5 Spread the cake batter evenly into a greased and floured (with GF flour) 8x8 inch baking pan. Sprinkle the prepared crumb topping generously and evenly over the batter, ensuring full coverage. Allow the cake to rest at room temperature for about 10 minutes while you preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C).
6 Bake in a preheated oven at 350°F (175°C) for 35-45 minutes, checking at 35 minutes, until a wooden skewer inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean and the topping is golden brown and fragrant. The total baking time will depend on your oven. Let the cake cool completely in the pan on a wire rack for at least 1 hour before slicing and serving.

Tips & Notes

Squeeze handfuls of the crumb topping so some of it forms pea- to marble-size clumps before you scatter it. Clumps bake into the chunky, crisp crumbs this cake is named for, while a loose, sandy topping melts flat.
When you check with the skewer, push it through a gap in the topping into the center of the cake. Streusel crumbs on the skewer can look like underbaked cake; only raw, sticky batter means it needs more time.
If you use a non-dairy milk, choose one labeled gluten-free, especially oat milk. Warm it just enough to take off the chill so the melted butter stays liquid, but not so hot that it starts to cook the eggs.

Common questions

What cross-contamination risk is specific to Gluten-Free Crumb Cake?

Check gluten-free all-purpose flour blend, xanthan gum, gluten-free baking powder before they go into Gluten-Free Crumb Cake. The crumb topping uses the same flour blend as the cake, so measure both from a bag labeled gluten-free. Wash the pastry blender if it last cut butter into wheat flour, and check the baking powder and cinnamon labels too.

Which gluten-free swaps does Gluten-Free Crumb Cake use?

Gluten-Free Crumb Cake relies on 2 cups gluten-free all-purpose flour blend, 1 tsp xanthan gum and 0.5 cup gluten-free all-purpose flour blend. Keep those gluten-free-labeled products in place of a gluten-containing flour or sauce.

Learn More

The Science of Gluten-Free Baking

Understand why gluten-free baked goods behave differently and how to fix common issues.

Gluten-Free Cake Baking Tips

Achieve moist, fluffy gluten-free cakes with these proven techniques.

Hidden Sources of Gluten You Never Knew Existed

Discover surprising foods and products that contain hidden gluten.

Share on X Save to Pinterest

Gluten Free Recipes team

Editorial team for Gluten Free Recipes

Pages on Gluten Free Recipes are published under the byline "Gluten Free Recipes team". That is the name of the site's editorial team. Recipes are written with AI tools and automation, and the team reviews flagged items. We check each page before it is published. How we make our recipes.

Recipes and images on this site are AI-assisted. They pass automated checks, and the team reviews flagged items.