Gluten Free Blueberry Cake

If you love a simple no fuss cake one can make in no time, you will love this recipe for gluten-free blueberry cake. It's moist and tender and topped with juicy blueberries. The added cornmeal gives this blueberry cake a wonderful tender texture. Serve this gluten free blueberry cornmeal cake for breakfast or serve it still warm with a generous scoop of vanilla ice cream (which is totally okay for breakfast too).

If you love blueberries, make sure to check out my Blueberry Buckle Recipe and my Blueberry Muffin Recipe. And for another super easy recipe, make sure to take a peak at my Gluten Free Lemon Bundt Cake.

Recipe Ingredient Notes

Gluten Free Flour: I have tested this recipe for gluten-free blueberry cake with my own gluten-free flour blend and King Arthur Measure for Measure. Both flour blends produced a moist, tender crumb and exceptional flavor. I am not saying other brands like Bob's Red Mill will not work in this recipe. I just have not tested them in this application. Flours blends used to develop this delicious cake contain xanthan gum.

Fine Yellow Corn Meal: I use fine ground cornmeal in this application. Corn Meal is a fine ground meal (coarse flour) ground from dried corn. It gives the bread rolls a wonderful texture and flavor. This is not the same as cornstarch or cornflour. If you use coarse ground cornmeal, please be aware that your cornbread will have a bit of a crunch to it. If you can't locate fine cornmeal, you can always pulse it a few times in a blender or food processor.

Fresh Blueberries: You can't make a gluten free blueberry cornmeal cake without blueberries. I recommend using fresh blueberries. But frozen berries will work just as well.

Sourcream: Sour Cream not only provides flavor to this gluten-free blueberry cake but also fat. I have tested this recipe with greek yogurt and sour cream and both products work interchangeably.

Neutral Oil: I recommend using a neutral oil such as grapeseed oil or mild olive oil in this easy recipe. Coconut Oil has a strong flavor and overpowers the lemon flavor.

Stop fruit from sinking to the bottom of the cake

There is nothing worse than baking a beautiful coffee cake and all the fruit ends up on the bottom of the cake. Here is a quick and easy way to deal with this issue. Once you have your gluten-free coffee cake batter made and your fruit ready to go, toss the blueberries with some lemon juice and flour. This will help the fruit to stick to the cake batter and keep it on top of the cake.

Corn Flour vs Cornmeal

Ever wondered what's the difference between cornmeal and cornflour? In a nutshell, cornmeal is coarse (like sand) and cornflour is a fine powder. Cornmeal feels gritty while corn flour feels smooth.

For the best result, I recommend using fine ground cornmeal in this recipe. IF you use coarse ground cornmeal the texture may be grainy and there will be crunchy bits in your gluten free blueberry cake.

Regardless, both products are not the same as cornstarch which is a white, chalky powder. Cornstarch is made from the endosperm of the corn kernel. The starches inside the endosperm are removed, rinsed, dried, and then milled into a fine powder.

How to make Gluten Free Blueberry Cake

There is no need to pull out your stand mixer or electric mixer. You will need a large mixing bowl and a small bowl for the dry ingredients. A zester and a juicer (I especially like this one: Lemon Squeezer) for the lemon. You will also need a whisk, a flexible spatula, and a 9" spring form. A standard 8-inch or 9" cake pan will work as well.

Make sure your ingredients are at room temperature. I recommend placing the eggs in a bowl with some warm water while you measure out all the other ingredients.

Step 1: Preheat the oven to 350F. Lightly spray the spring form with nonstick cooking spray and line the bottom with parchment paper. No need to line the sides. Set aside.

Step 2: In a small bowl whisk together the gluten-free flour, fine yellow cornmeal, baking powder, baking soda, and kosher salt. Set aside.

Step 3: In a large bowl combine the granulated white sugar and lemon zest. Using your fingers, rub the zest into the sugar. This will bring out the oils and lemon flavor of the zest and give the blueberry cornmeal cake a subtitle lemon flavor.

Step 4: Add the room temperature eggs, freshly squeezed lemon juice, neutral oil, vanilla extract, and sour cream to the sugar mixture and whisk to combine. Whisk until no lumps of sour cream remain.

Step 5: Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and whisk until smooth and fully combines.

Step 6: Pour the gluten-free blueberry cake batter into the prepared cake pan and smooth out evenly with the back of a spoon or a flexible spatula. Toss the blueberries with some lemon juice and gluten-free flour until evenly coated. Generously sprinkle them on top of the cake in an even layer.

Step 7: Place the cake in the preheated oven and bake at 350F for 45-50 minutes. The cake is ready when it is golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake loaf comes out clean. The bake time does depend on your oven. The blueberries may still have some white specks from the flour. These will disappear while the cake is cooling.

Step 8: Allow the cake to cool in the pan for 10 minutes before removing the ring from the spring pan. To do so, run a knife around the edges (right between the cake and the ring). Then open the latch of the spring form and remove it. You can either let the cake cool completely or be like me and cut it while still warm. Dust it with some powdered sugar before serving if you like. There is nothing like a still warm slice of gluten-free blueberry cornmeal cake.

Store any leftovers of the blueberry cake you may have in an airtight container at room temperature for 3-4 days. If it’s hot and humid in your kitchen I recommend storing it in an airtight container in the fridge. Hot/humid weather and fresh fruit cakes don't mix well.

Serving Ideas for Blueberry Cake

Wonder how to serve this simple blueberry cake? Here are a few ideas. Clearly, this moist cake is delicious on its own but it is amazing when served warm with some vanilla ice cream. Warm, juicy blueberries and a scoop of ice cream. Do I have to say more? You can also serve it with some whipped cream or a dollop of greek yogurt.

No matter how you choose to serve this cake, I hope you enjoy it as much as I do.

FAQ about Gluten Free Blueberry Cake

Can I bake this recipe with different fruit?
Absolutely. This cake would be delicious with rhubarb or even some pears. Another fun twist would be using oranges instead of lemons and adding dried cranberries.

Can I make this recipe without eggs?
While I have tested this recipe with dairy-free sour cream, I have not made it with an egg substitute.