Momma's Old Fashioned Gluten-Free/Dairy-Free Coffee Cake

It is tradition to begin Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Day with my mother's home-made coffee cake. While I typically follow a no/low sugar, no gluten regimen, I definitely enjoy an occasional indulgence. I also love to experiment and upgrade old traditional favorites with higher quality, natural ingredients without sacrificing any of the taste. I have succeeded in re-constructing my mother's original recipe with this non-dairy, gluten-free coffee cake version for these special occasions.

MOMMA'S OLD FASHIONED COFFEE CAKE, Gluten Free & Dairy Free

Ingredients:

Base

1/4 cup Organic Earth Balance*

3/4 cup organic brown sugar

1 organic free-range egg

1 tsp organic vanilla

1 & 1/2 cup Pure Pantry Gluten Flour Blend

2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp sea salt or pink himalayan

2/3 cup almond milk

1 cup chopped apples

Topping

4 Tbsp Gluten-Free Flour

1/2 cup brown sugar

4 tsp cinnamon

4 Tbsp Organic Earth Balance*

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees, butter or oil a 8x8 or 9x9 baking dish.

2. Stir butter to soften; add sugar and beat until fluffy.

3. Add egg and vanilla. Beat well.

4. In a separate bowl, combine and mix all the dry ingredients (flour, baking powder, cinnamon & salt) for the base. Add the dry ingredients to the above wet mixture, alternating with almond milk.

5. Chop apples super fine and add to the base mixture.

6. In a separate bowl, combine all the dry topping ingredients. Mix well, and then add the butter.

7. Pour half of the base batter into the pan, and then add half of the topping. Add the remainder of the batter, and then add the remainder of the topping.

8. Bake 25-30 minutes. Watch closely as all ovens are different, and gluten-free baked goods run the risk of coming out too dry. You do not want to over bake this!

*Regarding non-dairy spreads, always buy the organic version in order to avoid GMO's. This is not something I use on a regular basis as it is not a health food. As I am non-dairy, I typically substitute butter with a half and half combination of extra virgin coconut oil + extra virgin olive oil. This holiday I did not have time to recipe test my magic combo. So until then, use these non-dairy spreads on special occasions, and the same goes for refined sugar, opt for special occasions only, my friends!

If you consume dairy, you can certainly use organic butter in place of the non-dairy version.