This gluten-free Almond Flour Blueberry Buckle Coffee Cake is a delicious, low-sugar, paleo-friendly treat. A lighter take on a classic dessert, it features a fluffy almond flour cake studded with fresh blueberries and a cinnamon sugar crumb topping! Dairy-free options, too.
What’s the Difference Between a Coffee Cake and a Buckle Cake?
A buckle dessert is a fluffy cake with fresh fruit throughout (almost always blueberries) and a streusel topping. The name, blueberry buckle, is appropriate because as it bakes, the cake buckles under the weight of the fruit.
A coffee cake is almost exactly the same as a buckle cake, with one difference. Coffee cakes usually (not always) have a ribbon of cinnamon running through them.
Ingredients You’ll Need
As mentioned, this recipe comes together with just a handful of items, most of which you probably already have on hand! Here are the key ingredients you’ll need:
For the Almond Flour Blueberry Cake
- Grain-Free Flour – We use a blend of almond flour and tapioca flour or coconut flour to create a light, fluffy texture that holds its shape.
- Ground Cinnamon – Sprinkled throughout, this adds subtle warmth and a hint of extra sweetness.
- Unsalted Butter or Oil– If preferred, feel free to use naturally refined coconut oil or avocado oil for a dairy-free option. The texture will be slightly different if you use oil, more fluffy and soft versus cakey and rich when you use butter. Either way, it’s still delicious.
- Sugars – Fine raw sugar or monk fruit sweetener and coconut sugar can is used to sweeten the batter. Regular granulated sugar in combination brown sugar can also be used.
Pro-Tip: Sugar substitutes have a sweeter taste than regular sugar, so adjust sweetness as desired.
- Eggs – Use room-temperature eggs to create a richer batter and help the cake hold its shape.
- Unsweetened Almond Milk – Feel free to use any plain, unsweetened milk you like best such as oat milk or hemp milk.
- Blueberries – The fresher, the better! If you are using frozen blueberries, no need to thaw, just toss the frozen berries with 1–2 teaspoons of flour (any kind) before folding them into the batter. This helps absorb some moisture and keeps them from sinking.
- Gently fold them in at the very end so they don’t bleed too much into the batter.
- Baking Staples – Baking powder and kosher salt are also included to improve the texture and taste.
For the Streusel Topping
- Almond Flour – Used to form the base of the topping.
- Sugar – I like to use a combination of coconut sugar (or brown sugar) and raw sugar or sugar substitute. Using both gives you the best of both worlds—flavor depth from coconut sugar and crunch from raw sugar.
- Cinnamon – Used to add extra depth to the flavor of the streusel.
- Butter – Use unsalted butter or plant-based soy-free butter.
Flavor Boosters
We prefer to keep the flavor fairly simple, letting the blueberry flavor shine in this blueberry almond cake. However, feel free to experiment with different add-ins. Some great options include:
- Lemon juice or lemon zest
- Chopped nuts
- Vanilla extract
How to Make The Buckle Cake
This recipe comes together with a few simple steps, but don’t worry. It’s quick and easy to do!
Tip: If you are using coconut flour versus tapioca flour, I highly recommend you measure the flour with a scale then sift the coconut. Coconut flour clumps easily and is highly absorbent. Sifting helps break up those clumps, so it mixes more evenly with almond flour.
- Combine the Dry Ingredients. Whisk the dry ingredients into a medium-sized bowl.
- Beat the Sugar and Butter or Oil – If using softened butter, cream it with both sugars in a large bowl using a hand mixer or whisk until the mixture looks soft, sandy, and slightly grainy. (Don’t worry—it won’t get fluffy like it would with white sugar, and that’s totally normal when using brown or coconut sugar.)
Note: If you’re using oil instead, whisk the oil and sugars together until smooth.
- Add the remaining Wet Ingredients: Next, add the eggs one at a time, mixing gently after each addition. Stir in the almond milk until everything is fully combined.
- Combine the Wet and Dry Ingredients. Working in batches, gently add the flour mixture to the bowl of wet ingredients. Gently fold in the blueberries. Spread the batter into a prepared pan that has been lined with parchment paper or greased with cooking oil spray. Set aside.
- Make the Streusel Topping. Add the streusel ingredients to a medium-sized bowl. Use your hands or a pastry cutter to mix the ingredients together until a sand-like texture is formed.
- Spread. Sprinkle the topping evenly over the cake batter, and lightly press it down using your fingertips.
- Bake. Transfer the baking dish to a preheated oven, and let it bake until it’s golden brown around the edges a toothpick comes out clean when inserted into the center.
Pro-Tip: For the best results, cover the pan with foil during the last 5-10 minutes of baking to prevent it from burning. If the middle is not cooked completely, continue to let it bake with the foil on for about 5 minutes or until the batter is set.
- Cool. Remove the cake from the oven, and set it aside to completely cool. Note: I highly recommend chilling the cooked and cooled pan in the fridge for at least 10 minutes before slicing! This helps the texture firm up, making it easier to slice.
- Sprinkle and Serve: Before serving, slightly warm then add sprinkle powdered sugar on top, if desired.
How to Store
Since this coffee cake is made with almond flour, which has more moisture and oil than traditional flours, proper storage is key to maintaining its texture and flavor. Here’s how to store it:
- Room Temp: Store covered at room temperature for up to 2 days. Best in a container with a loose-fitting lid or lightly covered with foil to avoid sogginess.
- Fridge: For longer freshness, store in the fridge for up to 5 days. Bring to room temp before serving for best texture.
- Freezer: Freeze whole or sliced (separated with parchment). Wrap tightly in plastic, then foil, and store up to 3 months. Thaw in the fridge or briefly warm in a low oven or toaster oven.
More of Our Favorite
Blueberry Recipes
Common Questions
Almond flour has a mild nutty, slightly sweet flavor that makes it great for baking.
Almond flour typically creates a richer flavor in cakes and yields a softer, fluffier texture.
We haven’t tested it, but it should work! Feel free to swap out the blueberries with blackberries, raspberries, or chopped strawberries instead.
Yes, no need to thaw. Just toss the frozen berries with 1–2 teaspoons of flour before folding them into the batter. This helps absorb some moisture and keeps them from sinking.
Gently fold them in at the very end so they don’t bleed too much into the batter.
Almond Flour Blueberry Buckle Coffee Cake Recipe
- Total Time: 55-65 minutes
- Yield: 9–11 servings 1x
- Diet: Gluten Free
Description
Make this gluten-free almond flour blueberry cake with simple ingredients and 60 minutes for the perfect low-sugar breakfast or brunch cake!
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cup (160 – 170 grams) fine blanched almond flour
- 4 Tablespoons (30 grams) tapioca flour (see notes)
- 3 teaspoons baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ cup softened unsalted butter or naturally refined coconut oil (melted)
- ¼ cup fine raw sugar or sugar substitute
- ¼ cup coconut sugar or brown sugar
- 2 large eggs, room temperature
- 2 ounces unsweetened almond milk, more as needed (room temperature)
- 1 cup fresh blueberries (see notes)
Topping
- ½ cup blanched almond flour
- ⅓ cup sugar (I like to use a combo of both cane sugar and coconut sugar)
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- pinch of kosher salt
- 2 Tablespoon softened unsalted butter or plant based soy-free butter
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 F. Line an 8×8 baking pan with parchment paper or grease well with non-stick cooking spray. Set aside.
- In a medium-sized bowl, whisk together the almond flour, tapioca flour, baking powder, cinnamon, sugar, and salt until combined.
- Combine wet ingredients: If using softened butter, cream the butter and both sugars in a large bowl using a hand mixer or stand mixer until soft, sandy, slightly grainy. If you are using oil, simply whisk the oil and both sugars together until smooth. Note– Creaming butter with brown or coconut sugar won’t look fluffy like white sugar—it’s normal!
- Add the eggs, one at a time, gently mixing between each, then stir in the almond milk until fully combined.
- Working in batches, gently add the dry flour mixture to the wet ingredients.
- Fold in the blueberries and press the batter into the prepared pan. Set the pan aside while preparing the topping.
- In a small bowl, mix almond flour, sugar, and cinnamon. Add the chilled butter and use your fingers, fork, or a pastry cutter to cut in until crumbly. Spread the crumble evenly over the batter.
- Place the pan in the preheated oven for 35 to 45 minutes or until golden brown on the edges and a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Check progress at 30 minutes. For best results, cover with foil the last 5 to 10 minutes to prevent burning. If the middle is not cooked all the way, continue to cook covered for an additional 5 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.
- Remove from the oven and cool on a rack until it reaches room temperature (about 45 minutes).
- When ready to serve, place cooled cake pan in the fridge for 10 minutes for easier slicing,
- Store this cake loosely covered in a container on the countertop for up to 2 days or store in the fridge for up to 5 days. Bring to room temp before serving for best texture.
Notes
Sugar Tips –A brown sugar monk fruit sugar substitute may be used in place of coconut sugar but note that sugar substitutes have a sweeter taste than regular sugar.
Flour Notes and Substitutes: If prefered, 4 tablespoon (28g) of sifted coconut flour may be substituted for the tapioca flour. Coconut flour creates a slightly more structured, sliceable cake—great if you prefer a firmer crumb. Tapioca flour creates a softer, slightly chewier texture. Baking times will vary with each flour, so check progress at 30 minutes.
Blueberry + Batter Tips: Toss berries in a little flour before folding them into the batter to help prevent sinking.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 35-45 minutes
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Oven
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 slice using sugar alternatives
- Calories: 196
- Sugar: 6.6 g
- Sodium: 24.4 mg
- Fat: 9.1 g
- Saturated Fat: 3.7 g
- Carbohydrates: 15.5 g
- Fiber: 1.4 g
- Protein: 3.6 g
- Cholesterol: 45.3 mg
Great recipe! It freezes well, too;
that I know! hehe. I still have some frozen. Thanks for your comment and rating Jane. 😉
This was SO GOOD! I decreased the sugar slightly all around (used mix of raw and coconut sugar) and I still found it really quite sweet – so next time I might try to decrease the sugar in the batter of the cake even a bit more. I also used the same amount of coconut cream instead of almond milk because I had some leftover from another recipe and needed to use it up (I actually chose this recipe because it was the first one I came across that called for “milk” – and it worked out perfectly, you couldn’t taste the coconut cream at all). It was a huge hit with kids and adults alike! Oh -and I also used coconut oil in the cake portion and butter in the crumble. Would definitely make this again! I want to try it with other fruit too…
I love that you adapted this recipe to your needs and it worked out great!! This will be helpful for others making the recipe as well. Thank you Vittoria 👏. And thanks for taking the time to comment
looks really good.
Is the carb count 17.3 a slice?
we count carbs.
Hi Rebecca! I just updated the nutrition using sugar substitutes only. That came out to 15.4 carbs, mainly from the blueberry and the coconut flour. This was for 12 slices. Hopefully that helps!
I’m allergic to nuts. Can I use 1:1 flour instead? Same ratio?
HI Shelley! I don’t think that 1:1 would result in the same fluffy soft texture. But I do have a blueberry muffins recipe that uses 1:1. You could make those and add the crumb topping like I do in this recipe! https://www.cottercrunch.com/low-fodmap-gluten-free-blueberry-muffins/
I’m allergic to nuts. Can we use 1:1 flour instead? Same ratio?
Yep, this is a good one. I used frozen blueberries, and the coconut oil and raw sugar version. I also baked it about five minutes longer after covering it with foil as suggested. Reeeeally delicious. Made me feel like I was eating something sinful.
Thanks for the feedback Carma! So glad you loved it!
I made this for my family, and we all loved it
I’m so glad! Thanks Josiah
I love this recipe! I’ve made it several times and it’s always delicious. My family can’t tell that it’s low carb (I use Swerve as the sugar substitute). 🙂 Thank you so much!
That’s what I’ve used too. Love swerve!
Do you think palm shortening would work well in place of butter/coconut oil? I have some that I need to use up :).
Worth a shot! If anything, you could make it a crumble if it doesn’t hold. 😉
I haven’t made this but the cranberry buckle on Home and Family just sounded so delicious that I knew I could find a keto version online. So I can’t really rate the recipe.
Let me know if you need any substitutes! Happy to help.
I had some blueberries I needed to use up so I tried this recipe. I don’t follow a Paleo diet, but I do bake a lot with Almond flour. So I made changes – used gluten free flour instead of coconut flour; use granulated sugar instead of sugar substitute, and used brown sugar for the topping instead of sugar substitute. It came out great! Soft and yummy. Next time I think I will add a 1/2 tsp of Almond extract to bring out the almond flavor more. Thanks much!
I’m so glad those subs worked! Way to adjust with watcha got Bonnie!
Looks amazing! One question – if using frozen wild blueberries, should I defrost them first before mixing into the batter? Thanks!
I would keep them frozens so they don’t bleed out. KEep me posted!
Hi there! I haven’t made this recipe yet, but I was wondering what kind of oil would work best for the topping; would coconut oil be ok, rather than butter as I am paleo?
SUre! I would try naturally refined coconut oil so it doesn’t taste like coconut and has higher heat index
Is our new family favorite
The recipe looks great! Have you ever made it the night before? Like, chill it in the fridge and baked it the next morning? I think I’ll try that but wanted to check that out.
I think that would work! I haven’t tried it but keep me posted.
you could bake it ahead, a day or so, and if you like to serve it warm..
just bump it in the microwave for a few seconds.
Thanks for tips Ruth!
I have calculated this at least 6 different ways including counting the carbs in every ingredient and i get far less carbs per serving. I used real eggs, swerve sweetener and everything else was the same. Am i counting it incorrectly? Your calculations are much higher. Help!!
Also, it was sooo good. I even dropped dollops of ”cheesecake” on top before baking. And I added almond extract to the batter.
I used raw sugar, that’s probably why. But glad yours is lower! And that you liked it. hehe. 😉
Hey Lindsay –
I stumbled across your site and this is the first recipe I tried. Wow! It’s so good. 🙂 Love the softness of the cake and the crumble just takes it to another level. I’ll definitely be back and excited to try some more of your recipes!
Nicole
Oh I am so glad! Isn’t it like a cloud of cakey goodness? Haha! Keep me posted on if you try other recipes. <3
Yummy! I can’t wait to try it!
I just now picked a bag of fresh gorgeous blues that are going into this recipe for dessert! I’ll also make coconut cream whipped cream for it,
I’ll let you know how it turns out
Woohoo! That’s what I like to hear. Keep me posted Deb!
I love that this is made with almond flour! Just perfect and it goes so well with the blueberries!
I seriously love the combo! Perfect for summer 😉
Love that this fits into my diet! So tasty too!
Woohoo! ? Enjoy:)
Looks so delicious and perfect with a cup of coffee . Can’t wait to try this cake soon!
Keep me posted Natalie! And yes…SO good with a nice cup o joe 😉
Ahhhh just the recipe I need to use up all the blueberries we picked last week. Thanks for such a great recipe.
Woohoo! Keep me posted on how it goes
This is really the best way to use up fresh berries! So good!
It’s so perfect for this time of year for sure!
Anything with coffee sounds perfect to me!! This is really amazing!!
Amen to that friend;) thank ya!
Hi! I just made this and it’s super tasty!! Thank you so much.
One thing though, I think the salt is missing from the ingredients list. I just eyeballed what I thought was a good amount.
thank you! Just updated it!
This coffee cake was SO good! I loved the blueberries and that topping made it just right!
I’m so glad you liked it Katie! Crumble topping for the win! ??
This looks amazing! I love a good coffee cake! Can’t wait to try it.
Same here! Good for any (and all) meals 😉
I haven’t made a blueberry buckle in over a decade! Your beautiful recipe has motivated me to make one ASAP!
Whattttt! Glad to hear it, keep me posted 😉
Yep, it looks like a scrumptious blueberry coffee cake to me!?
Think I have the blueberry muffin quest bars beat? Haha.