Coffee and Pecan Cake {gluten-free}
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Coffee and Pecan Cake has a rich gluten-free sponge flavourful with ground pecans, oat flour and muscovado sugar. The buttercream is whipped to light perfection with a touch of mascarpone and all imbued with a rich coffee aroma.
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This Coffee and Pecan Cake is a modernised take on the classic Coffee and Walnut Cake. It featured every week on my cake stall back in the day and was such a huge hit with my customers. It has also been one of my most popular wedding cake orders. And with good reason - this cake is special!
I will take you through all the simple steps to ensure this very moist cake doesn’t sink and comes out of the oven beautifully even and delicious.
You will fill the middle of the cake with an incredible Coffee and Mascarpone Buttercream. This icing is a real treat. It's a simple enough affair as butter and icing sugar as beaten together until very light and fluffy. Then creamy mascarpone, more coffee powder, a touch of vanilla and salt are added for the most glorious buttercream. It makes the whole cake taste like an amazing gluten-free latte cake.
Why does this coffee and pecan cake work?
- Pecan Flavour. Huge amounts of pecan flavour which are finely ground and used as a flour which also helps give good structure.
- Background Toffee Notes. Gorgeous toffee taste by using muscovado sugar and oat flour.
- Maple Pecan Coffee Cake. A touch of maple syrup is used in the batter - such a compliment to the toffee coffeeness.
- Best Coffee Cake. Use a coffee or espresso powder directly into the batter so the coffee flavour is strong and clear.
- Easy Buttercream. It's made even richer and creamier by the mascarpone so you feel you are drinking a light frothy coffee. A latte if I may be so bold.
Ingredients needed
For the Cake
Light muscovado sugar. This brown sugar gives a rich butterscotch flavour with plenty of moisture.
Butter. Unsalted butter is the best choice here. Make sure it is at room temperature.
Eggs. This recipe uses medium size, about 60g each with shell (50g each without shell).
Maple syrup. Used here to infuse its rich and unique flavour. Choose pure 100% maple syrup without added sugars or artificial ingredients for the best quality and flavour.
Vanilla extract. Use a good quality extract, I like Nielsen Massey.
Rice flour. Use white rice flour here, you want a light delicate flavour.
Oat flour. Make sure it is certified gluten-free. The flavour of this flour is incredibly. It gives fluffiness here. However, too much and it can be a little claggy so it works really well as a partner to the rice flour.
Pecans. Grinding up the nuts into a rubbly flour is a great way of getting as much pecan flavour into this gluten-free pecan cake as possible. They also give a lovely texture as pecans are packed with protein which really helps hold the cake together. You can use raw pecan halves and grind them in your food processor.
Coffee powder. If you use espresso powder then you can use it straight into your cake without having to dissolve in liquid first.
Salt. I like to use kosher salt in my baking as it has a round gentle flavour. Using salt in your baked goods lifts and sharpens all the other flavours.
Baking powder. A leaving agent which causes the cake to rise and become light and fluffy. Do check your baking powder is gluten-free before use.
For the Easy Coffee and Mascarpone Buttercream
Butter. Again, unsalted is the best choice here. Make sure it is at room temperature.
Icing sugar. (powdered sugar/confectioners' sugar). Icing sugar is preferred over white sugar in buttercream because it dissolves more easily, resulting in a smoother and less grainy texture, while also contributing to the desired consistency and sweetness of the buttercream.
Mascarpone. This gives a delicious flavour to the buttercream. Mascarpone is an Italian cream cheese, known for its rich and creamy texture. It's made from cow's milk and is used in both sweet and savoury dishes, such as desserts like Tiramisu or in pasta dishes.
Coffee powder. I recommend using espresso powder then it dissolves directly in your buttercream.
Salt. I like to use kosher salt in my baking as it has a round gentle flavour. Essential here to lift the flavours of the buttercream.
Pecan halves. These are used to decorate the cake.
Flavour variations and substitutions
Pecan flour. If you can get hold of defatted pecan flour rather than grind the pecans yourself then use that. It removes the oiliness from the pecans so the cake turns out light and fluffy. It can be expensive and difficult to get hold of though. You can also swap the pecans for ground almonds or defatted almond flour.
Flour. You can be very versatile with your flour choices. You can swap both the rice flour and the oat flour for either an all purpose flour or the same amount of a gluten-free plain flour or even my Homemade Gluten-Free Flour Mix.
Light muscovado sugar can be swapped for a regular soft brown sugar.
How to make a Gluten-Free Coffee and Pecan Cake
For full recipe instructions go to the recipe card at the end of this post.
- Preheat the oven to 180°C / 160°C fan assisted / gas mark 4 / 350°F and prepare two 20cm (8 inch) round baking tins.
- Wet ingredients. Cream sugar and butter in a large bowl using an electric hand mixer (or the bowl of a stand mixer) until light and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time, then mix in maple syrup and vanilla extract.
- Dry ingredients. In a separate mixing bowl, whisk together the flours, ground pecans, coffee powder, baking powder, and salt.
- Combine. Add the flour mixture into the batter and mix until smooth.
- Bake. Divide the cake batter between the tins and bake for 40 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.
- Cool. Remove the cakes from their tins and cool on on a wire rack.
- Buttercream. Beat butter and sugar until airy for about 3-4 minutes, then add mascarpone and coffee powder.
- Assemble the cake. Spread the buttercream on one layer, add the second layer, and cover the top of the cake and sides for a "naked cake" effect. Decorate with crunchy pecans.
Expert tips
- Make sure your pecans are fresh - and haven't been sitting opened in your cupboard for a long time.
- Don't overgrind your pecans. Add a bit of the sugar and rice flour into the food processor as you grind them. The sugar and flour will prevent the pecans from releasing their oils as you grind them. If this happens your cake will be too dense and will sink.
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The Gluten-Free Pecan Cake can be made up to 2 days before serving. Store in the fridge and bring out about an hour before serving as long as it stands in a moderate temperature.
You can freeze the individual sponges prior to assembly. Wrap up well in cling film and aluminium foil and you can store in the freezer for up to 2 months. Remove and allow to defrost overnight at room temperature before unwrapping.
You can also freeze the whole cake. Flash freeze it uncovered for 4 hours so the cake is hard then wrap very well with cling film and aluminium foil so it is completely airtight. Freeze for up to 2 months. Defrost in the fridge overnight before unwrapping and bring to room temperature for 1-2 hours before serving.
More gluten-free cakes you'll love
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Coffee and Pecan Cake {gluten-free}
Ingredients
Cake
- 440 g light muscovado sugar
- 350 g unsalted butter - at room temperature
- 5 eggs - medium size*
- 2 tablespoons maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 160 g white rice flour
- 50 g gluten-free oat flour
- 160 g ground pecans*
- 1½ tablespoons coffee powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
Icing
- 300 g unsalted butter - at room temperature
- 300 g icing sugar
- 3 tablespoons mascarpone
- 1 teaspoon coffee powder
- a pinch of salt
- 12 pecan halves to decorate
Instructions
- Pre-heat the oven to 160°C and line and grease 2 x 20cm round baking tins
- Cream the sugar and butter for a few minutes until light and fluffy.
- Add the eggs, one at a time, scraping down after each addition and mix until thoroughly combined.
- Then add the maple syrup and vanilla extract, mixing in well.
- In a separate bowl whisk together the flours, ground pecans, coffee powder, baking powder and salt. Add it to the rest of the batter and beat well until the batter is smooth.
- Divide the mixture between the two cake tins and bake in the oven for 40 minutes or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean.
- Remove the cakes from the oven and carefully turn out onto wire racks to cool completely before icing.
- For the icing beat the butter and sugar together for ten minutes until airy.
- Add the mascarpone, coffee powder and salt and beat again until incorporated.
- To assemble the cake spread the icing on one layer of the cake, enough so that the icing spills out a little over the sides. Place the second layer on top and spread some more icing evenly over the surface.
- Smooth the icing which is peeking out of the middle over the sides of the cake very thinly to achieve the naked cake effect.
- Decorate the top of the cake with the pecan halves.
Notes
- Make sure your pecans are fresh - and haven't been sitting opened in your cupboard for a long time.
- To make the ground pecans - grind raw pecan halves in your food processor. You need 160g pecan halves to make the same amount of flour
- Don't overgrind your pecans. Add a bit of the sugar and rice flour into the food processor as you grind them. The sugar and flour will prevent the pecans from releasing their oils as you grind them. If this happens your cake will be too dense and will sink.
- The eggs used in this recipe are medium size, 60g with shell and 50g without shell. If you can't get hold of medium eggs I suggest you weigh the amount.
Make ahead
The whole cake can be made up to 2 days before serving. Store in the fridge in an airtight container and bring out about an hour before serving as long as it stands in a moderate temperature.How to freeze the whole cake
Flash freeze it uncovered for 4 hours so the cake is hard then wrap very well with cling film and aluminium foil so it is completely airtight. Freeze for up to 2 months. Defrost in the fridge overnight before unwrapping and bring to room temperature for 1-2 hours before serving.Ingredient measurements
- Please note when you see ‘grams’ listed as opposed to ‘millilitres,’ or any other term of measurement, that is not incorrect. I weigh all of my ingredients, including liquids, for accuracy.
- US customary measurements for the ingredients provided are based on a conversion calculator. This recipe was tested with metric measurements and I recommend using a digital scale to weigh ingredients for the most accurate results. READ MORE >>> Why you should always weigh vs measuring with cups
I made this cake, for my sister’s birthday last week. I am aiming to try all your recipes, in time because I’m never disappointed. This recipe made a very big cake but that’s no bad thing, as I’m probably a bit over generous with portion sizes.
I don’t buy oat flour, so I just whizzed up gluten free oats in my food processor, until soft and perfectly floury.
I also didn’t have two pans of the size you mention, that were deep enough, so I used two bigger sized but less deep ones and the cake was still a very good size and most importantly…..tasty.
Thank you for another great recipe. I aim to tackle your Strawberry and Honey Cake next.
I'm so happy you enjoyed this recipe - it's a firm favourite of mine too! Thank you for leaving your feedback.
Multiple people said this was the best cake they've ever eaten! Gluten free or otherwise! That said, it did sink in the middle, which hasn't happened with my other bakes. I always pop the temperature up 15 degrees because I'm at altitude- wondering if that's why?
Love your recipes and excited to try this! We have a dairy allergy.. what substitution do you recommend for the butter?
I would just recommend your favourite plant based butter - as that will keep the same texture.
Sounds like a brilliant recipe and can't wait to reply. But is there anything I can replace the rice flour with ?
I haven't tried it with any other flour. However, you could swap in any other wholegrain flour, or a mixture of them. Perhaps oat flour, sorghum flour or teff flour. Any of those might be nice.
Hi Clare!
I absolutely love the idea of your cake!
I’ve a question would the measurements work for a 9” tin as well?
Thanks!
Hi Eilyn, the cake works best in 2 x 8 inch tins. I haven't tried baking it as a 9 inch cake but the baking times would be different as there would be a larger surface area and the cake won't be as high. Do try it but bear these things in mind.
Sounds delish can't wait to make it could you share the caramac ganache and cookie ball recipe please to
Hi Claire, check in with Jo from Everynookandcranny who made an amazing version of my cake with the caramac ganache and cookie balls!
This looks pretty and delicious, that's a winning combination x
Jessica — NinetyCo
Thank you! Yes, I think it must be my favourite cake at the moment.
Oh my gosh this looks so amazing! So exited for Gilmore Girls but I'm going to try my best not to just binge them all in one
- Natalie
http://www.workovereasy.com
Thanks Natalie! I think the way I watched Gilmore Girls probably says a lot about me and my lack of will power. Think next week I might watch it again in a more sedate fashion.
Yes to all of this! I, too, whipped up something special for Gilmore Girls Day (a coffee cocktail, in fact) - it was a must, right? I've held off all afternoon and now I can't wait to get home and start watching!
Ooh, just seen your Coffee Milk Punch - it looks wonderful! I've just finished my binge of Gilmore Girls and now feel entirely exhausted - it did not let us down!!!
i love gilmore girls too, totally waiting for the new season to be released any moment! what a perfect cake, i could SO go for a slice right now. the flavour combination is amazing! X
Thank you Thalia! I've cleared all my schedule for tomorrow for a Gilmore binge - very excited!!
Oh me oh my! When I saw this ping into my inbox I simply had to rush to your site to see the full recipe and it so does not disappoint! It looks absolutely beautiful and I cannot wait to make it (my coeliac cake monster Daddums will be over the moon with it, I can tell already lol).
I've only just heard of the Gilmore Girls so haven't seen any episodes myself but can totally understand your feelings about films and TV shows - today I'm wearing a gym teeshirt which says "I am too emotionally attached to fictional characters" lol. I'm personally still reeling at the losses of Dumbledore and Dobby plus the end of my all time fave tv show - Alias!
I'll be back when I've made this cake 🙂
Ah Alias - another JJ Abrams wonder!! Thank you so much for your comment, do let me know if you give the cake a go!
I can now report we have made and eldevohred this cake and it is simply wonderful. Mine took an hour to cook but it was the most moist gluten Free cake I've ever had. I'm thrilled with it and will most definitely make it again - my family will most likely demand I do actually lol!
Thank you for your commment Jo, I'm so pleased it was a success for you!