Gluten-Free Blueberry Coffee Cake

Name: Gluten-Free Blueberry Coffee Cake
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 75 min
Total time: 1 h 35 min
Yield: 1 slice
Ingredients: 4 ounces cream cheese, softened, for the filling; 2 tablespoons powdered sugar, for the filling; 1 teaspoon finely chopped lemon zest, for the filling; 2/3 cup butter, at room temperature; 1 cup granulated sugar; 2 large eggs; 1 teaspoon vanilla extract; 2 1/2 cups (350 g) Pamela's Gluten-Free Pancake & Baking Mix; 1 cup sour cream or whole-milk yogurt; 2 cups fresh blueberries; 1/2 cup Pamela's Gluten-Free Pancake & Baking Mix, for the optional streusel; 1/4 cup packed brown sugar, for the optional streusel; 1/4 cup cold butter, cubed, for the optional streusel; 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon, for the optional streusel

on May 02 2026

Table of Contents

This is the coffee cake that disappears first. Two cups of fresh blueberries, a cream cheese filling spooned through the middle, and an optional streusel across the top.

It bakes low and slow, 65 to 75 minutes at 325 degrees F, which is what gives the cream cheese time to set without the blueberries collapsing into the batter.

Built on Pamela's Pancake & Baking Mix, so there is no baking powder to measure and no xanthan gum to add.

So good, no one will guess it is gluten-free, the way Pamela's has done it since 1988.

Why This One Bakes at 325

Most coffee cakes bake at 350. This one is lower and longer, and the reason is the cream cheese.

Cream cheese sets slowly and splits if it gets too hot too fast. At 325 degrees F the filling firms into distinct pockets rather than melting into the batter, and the cake has time to cook through underneath the blueberries.

It also protects the fruit. Two cups of blueberries release a lot of liquid, and a gentler oven lets the crumb set around them instead of going wet in the middle.

The mix this is built on Pamela's Gluten-Free Pancake & Baking Mix A complete baking mix with the leavening and salt included. GFCO-certified.

Do not shorten the bake to compensate. Check at 65 minutes and give it the full 75 if a toothpick in the center is not clean.

Fresh or Frozen Blueberries

Fresh is better here, and it is not close.

Frozen blueberries release considerably more liquid as they thaw in the batter, which makes the crumb wet and turns the whole cake purple-grey.

If frozen is what you have, do not thaw them. Add them straight from the freezer and add 5 to 10 minutes to the bake. Expect more color bleed.

Scattering the berries across the bottom of the pan before the batter goes in, rather than folding them through, is what keeps them from sinking into one layer.

Cool It Completely Before Releasing

This is the step people skip and regret.

It is a moist, tender cake and it firms up as it cools. Releasing the springform ring while it is warm can tear the sides or collapse the middle.

Let it cool fully on a rack. Then run a knife around the sides, and around the center tube if you used an angel food pan, before releasing the ring.

Prep Time 20 minutes

Cook Time 75 minutes

Total Time 1 hour 35 minutes

Yield 12

Serving Size 1 slice

Ingredients

4 ounces cream cheese, softened, for the filling
2 tablespoons powdered sugar, for the filling
1 teaspoon finely chopped lemon zest, for the filling
2/3 cup butter, at room temperature
1 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 1/2 cups (350 g) Pamela's Gluten-Free Pancake & Baking Mix
1 cup sour cream or whole-milk yogurt
2 cups fresh blueberries
1/2 cup Pamela's Gluten-Free Pancake & Baking Mix, for the optional streusel
1/4 cup packed brown sugar, for the optional streusel
1/4 cup cold butter, cubed, for the optional streusel
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon, for the optional streusel

Shop Gluten-Free Pancake & Baking Mix, 24 oz.

Directions

Heat the oven to 325 degrees F with a rack in the center. Spray a 9-inch springform pan, or an angel food cake pan with a removable bottom, with nonstick spray.
Make the filling. Mix the cream cheese, powdered sugar, and lemon zest until evenly combined. Set aside.
Make the streusel, if using. With a fork or your fingers, cut the mix, brown sugar, cold butter, and cinnamon together until crumbly. Chill until needed.
Make the cake. In a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and granulated sugar on medium until light, about 4 minutes. Add one egg and mix until incorporated, then the second egg and the vanilla.
On low speed, add the Pancake & Baking Mix and the sour cream alternately, beginning and ending with the mix, until just combined.
Scatter the blueberries across the bottom of the pan. Spoon the batter over them and spread gently to the edges.
Drop small spoonfuls of the cream cheese filling evenly over the batter. Scatter the chilled streusel over the top if using.
Bake 65 to 75 minutes, until the cake is golden, pulling away from the sides, and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
Cool completely on a rack. Run a knife around the sides and the center tube, then release the ring.

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Gluten-Free Pancake & Baking Mix, 24 oz.

One mix, a whole recipe box

Pancakes are just the beginning. This is the mix behind our most-loved waffles, banana bread, blueberry muffins, drop biscuits, crepes, and coffee cake. If you keep one gluten-free mix in the pantry, this is the one that earns its shelf space.

Also your waffle mix

The waffle recipe is printed right on the bag: separate the eggs, whip the whites, and fold them into the batter for waffles that bake up crisp outside and tender inside. Want extra crunch? Leave them in the iron a little longer.

Why it works

Cultured buttermilk gives a tender crumb, almond meal adds richness, and whole grains bring flavor most gluten-free mixes leave behind. It all started in Pamela's own Northern California kitchen in 1988, and it's still the #1 gluten-free pancake mix.

Brown Rice Flour, White Rice Flour, Cultured Buttermilk, Almond Meal, Tapioca Starch, Sweet Rice Flour, Potato Starch, Baking Powder (Sodium Acid Pyrophosphate, Potato Starch, Sodium Bicarbonate), Baking Soda, Sea Salt, Xanthan Gum.

Contains Milk and Almonds.

Pamela's Products are manufactured in a Gluten-Free Certified Facility and peanut-free facility. Our products are produced on equipment that processes Tree Nuts, Coconut, Eggs, and Soy.

Recipe Tips & Notes

Measuring the Mix

Pamela's Pancake & Baking Mix is a complete mix, which is why there is no baking powder, baking soda, or salt in this ingredient list. They are already in the bag.

It also contains almond meal and cultured buttermilk. The almond meal adds fat that keeps the crumb tender, and the buttermilk gives a slight tang that keeps a sweet cake from tasting flat.

Measure by weight if you can. Our recipes use 140 g per cup. Scooping the cup through the bag compacts the mix and can add 20 g or more per cup, which in a coffee cake shows up as dense and dry.

If your cake dips in the center, add a quarter to a half cup more mix next time. That is almost always a measuring difference rather than a recipe problem.

Storing and Freezing

Because of the cream cheese, this one belongs in the refrigerator rather than on the counter.

Refrigerator: up to 4 days, covered. Let slices come to room temperature for 20 minutes before serving, since the cake firms up cold.

Freezer: up to 2 months. Wrap tightly and thaw overnight in the refrigerator. The streusel softens on thawing but the cake holds well.

It is best on the first and second day. After that the blueberries continue to release liquid and the crumb around them goes softer.

Ways to Change It Up

Skip the cream cheese for a plainer blueberry coffee cake. The bake time drops to about 55 to 60 minutes without it.

Swap the fruit. Blackberries, raspberries, or chopped peaches all work at the same two cups.

Orange zest instead of lemon in the filling, which is warmer against the blueberries.

Almond extract, a quarter teaspoon alongside the vanilla, which is very good with blueberry.

Add the streusel. It is listed as optional and it is the better version.

A 9x13 pan works for a crowd. Start checking at 45 minutes.

What This Contains

This recipe contains milk and tree nuts.

Pamela's Pancake & Baking Mix contains almond meal and cultured buttermilk, so it cannot be made nut-free or dairy-free. The butter, eggs, and sour cream in this recipe add more dairy and egg.

The mix is also made on equipment that processes soy.

Everything from Pamela's is certified by the Gluten-Free Certification Organization and made in a certified gluten-free, peanut-free facility.

Recipe FAQs

You can, but fresh is noticeably better. Frozen berries release much more liquid, which makes the crumb wet and turns the cake purple-grey. If you use frozen, add them straight from the freezer without thawing and add 5 to 10 minutes to the bake.

The cream cheese. It sets slowly and splits if it heats too fast, so a lower oven lets it firm into distinct pockets rather than melting into the batter. The lower temperature also gives the crumb time to set around two cups of blueberries.

Scatter them across the bottom of the pan before the batter goes in, rather than folding them through. The batter sets around them as it bakes, so they stay distributed instead of settling into one layer at the bottom.

Yes. Leave the filling out and bake 55 to 60 minutes instead of 65 to 75, since the cream cheese is what needs the longer time. You will get a simpler blueberry coffee cake with the same crumb.

It was still warm. This is a moist, tender cake that firms up as it cools, and releasing the springform ring early tears the sides. Cool it completely on a rack, then run a knife around the edges before releasing.