Layers of coffee-soaked gluten-free honey grahams and whipped cream dusted with cocoa

Gluten-Free No Bake Coffee Cake

Name: Gluten-Free No Bake Coffee Cake
Prep time: 20 min
Total time: 4 h 20 min
Yield: 1 cup
Ingredients: 2 cups heavy whipping cream; Powdered sugar, to taste; 4 tablespoons instant coffee, divided; 1 1/2 cups cold water; 1 teaspoon vanilla extract; Cocoa powder, for dusting; 2 boxes Pamela's Gluten-Free Honey Grahams

on Jun 11 2023

Table of Contents

This is a coffee cake with no cake in it and no oven involved. Honey grahams dipped in strong coffee, layered with sweetened whipped cream, and chilled until the grahams soften into something like sponge.

It is a close relative of tiramisu and it is far easier. Four hours in the refrigerator does all the work.

Made with Pamela's Honey Grahams. Recipe courtesy of Fatimah Algharabally.

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

Why It Has to Chill Four Hours

The grahams go in crisp and come out soft, and that transformation is the entire recipe.

Four hours in the refrigerator lets moisture from the whipped cream migrate into the grahams. They go from snapping to yielding, closer to a sponge layer than a cracker, and the layers stop being distinct.

Less than four hours and you get crisp grahams in cream, which is a perfectly nice thing and is not this dessert. Overnight is better still.

The grahams this is built on Pamela's Gluten-Free Honey Grahams Honey-sweetened graham crackers. GFCO-certified gluten-free.

Dip, Do Not Soak

This is the one thing that goes wrong.

Dip each graham into the coffee quickly, a second or less per side, and move it straight into the dish. The graham will not feel wet and that is correct.

A soaked graham falls apart in your hand and turns the layer to mush. The four hours of chilling is what softens them, not the dip.

Use cold coffee, not warm. Warm liquid softens the graham faster than you can move it and it thins the whipped cream when the layers meet.

Getting the Cream Right

Whip to soft peaks, not stiff.

Soft peaks hold their shape when you spoon them but still settle into an even layer. Stiff cream sits in lumps and leaves gaps, and it is one step from splitting into butter.

Start with cold cream and a cold bowl. Warm cream will not hold air.

Sweeten to taste with powdered sugar rather than granulated. It dissolves instantly and will not leave grit in the cream.

Prep Time 20 minutes

Cook Time 0 minutes

Total Time 4 hours 20 minutes

Yield 8

Serving Size 1 cup

Ingredients

2 cups heavy whipping cream
Powdered sugar, to taste
4 tablespoons instant coffee, divided
1 1/2 cups cold water
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Cocoa powder, for dusting
2 boxes Pamela's Gluten-Free Honey Grahams

Shop Gluten-Free Honey Grahams

Directions

Add the cream, vanilla, 1 tablespoon of the instant coffee, and powdered sugar to a bowl. Using a hand mixer or stand mixer, whisk until soft peaks form.
Mix the remaining 3 tablespoons of instant coffee with the cold water.
Dip the honey grahams quickly into the coffee, about a second per side, and layer them into your dish or individual cups. Do not soak them.
Top with a layer of the whipped cream and repeat, alternating grahams and cream, finishing with cream.
Refrigerate at least 4 hours, or overnight.
Dust with cocoa powder just before serving.

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Gluten-Free Honey Grahams

What sets them apart

It's what goes into them: real honey for sweetness, brown rice flour for structure, and no artificial flavors, for a graham cracker with the golden color and satisfying snap you remember from childhood.

From s'mores to pie crust

They crush beautifully for gluten-free pie crusts and cheesecake bases (about 1.5 cups of crumbs plus 5 to 6 tablespoons of melted butter for a standard 9-inch crust), hold up at the campfire for s'mores, and layer perfectly in icebox cakes and no-bake desserts.

Butter (Cream,Salt), Brown Sugar, Brown Rice Flour, Sorghum Flour, White Rice Flour, Tapioca Starch, Gluten-Free Oat Bran, Molasses, Honey, Gluten-Free Natural Flavors, Baking Soda, Sea Salt, Grainless & Aluminum-Free Baking Powder (Sodium Acid Pyrophosphate, Potato Starch, Sodium Bicarbonate), Xanthan Gum, Cinnamon.

Contains Milk.

Manufactured in a facility on equipment that processes Peanuts, Tree Nuts, Wheat, Coconut, Eggs, Soy and Milk.

Recipe Tips & Notes

Serving and Storing

Refrigerator: up to 3 days, covered. It gets softer each day, which some people prefer.

Dust with the cocoa powder just before serving rather than ahead. Cocoa absorbs moisture from the cream and goes patchy if it sits.

This does not freeze. Whipped cream separates on thawing and the grahams go to paste.

Individual cups are easier to serve than one large dish, and they hold their layers better. Small glasses or ramekins both work.

Ways to Change It Up

Make it in individual glasses rather than one dish, which is easier to serve and shows the layers.

Use brewed espresso, cooled, instead of instant coffee and water. Stronger and less sweet.

Add a splash of vanilla or almond extract to the coffee rather than only the cream.

Grate dark chocolate over the top alongside the cocoa powder.

Cinnamon grahams instead of honey, for a spicier version.

Let it sit overnight rather than four hours. The grahams soften further and the layers merge.

What This Contains

This recipe contains milk.

The heavy whipping cream is dairy, and there is no straightforward dairy-free version, since the whipped cream is structural.

Check the Honey Grahams panel for the current allergen statement before serving anyone with a tree nut or soy allergy, since formulations can change.

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

Recipe FAQs

At least 4 hours, and overnight is better. The chilling is what softens the grahams from crisp to sponge-like. Less than 4 hours gives you crisp grahams in cream, which is a different dessert.

They were soaked rather than dipped. Dip each one for about a second per side and move it straight into the dish. It should not feel wet. The refrigerator does the softening, not the coffee.

Yes. Use strong brewed coffee or espresso, cooled completely, in place of the instant coffee and water. It is stronger and less sweet. Make sure it is cold, since warm liquid softens the grahams too fast and thins the cream.

Soft peaks. They hold their shape when spooned but still settle into an even layer. Stiff cream sits in lumps and leaves gaps between the layers, and it is one step away from splitting into butter.

It has to be made ahead, since it needs at least 4 hours in the refrigerator. It keeps up to 3 days covered and gets softer each day. Dust with the cocoa powder just before serving rather than in advance.