Incredible Vegan Coffee Cake

This Vegan Coffee Cake is a fluffy and sweet treat with an irresistible cinnamon sugar crumble topping and filling. The perfect dessert or sweet breakfast to pair with a cup of coffee or tea! Vegan, Nut-Free.

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Diet Gluten Free, Vegan, Vegetarian

Method Oven

Prep Time 20

Cook Time 30

Total Time 50

Servings servings

Calories 402kcal

Author Caitlin Shoemaker

Ingredients

For the Cake:

1/2 cup soy milk*
1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
1 1/2 cup 2 tbsp all purpose flour, 197g total
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 cup salted vegan butter*, melted
2/3 cup cane sugar
1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

For the Cinnamon Crumble

6 tablespoons salted vegan butter, melted
1 cup flour
3/4 packed cup dark brown sugar
1 tablespoon cinnamon

For the Icing Drizzle (Optional):

1/2 cup confectioners’ sugar, sifted
1/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 tablespoon soy milk

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Prep: Preheat the oven to 350 F. Lightly grease and then line a 8” square pan or a 9” round cake tin with parchment paper, leaving a little paper hanging over two opposite sides to create flaps. Mix the soy milk and apple cider vinegar together in a small glass to create a buttermilk; set aside to let sit for at least 5 minutes.
Make the Crumble: Use a fork to mix the melted butter, flour, sugar, and cinnamon together in a small bowl until a crumbly mixture forms. Place the crumble in the fridge while you prepare the remaining ingredients.
Dry Ingredients: Whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together in a large bowl. Create a well in the center of the bowl.
Wet Ingredients: Add the melted oil or butter, prepared buttermilk, sugar, applesauce, and vanilla to the center of the bowl and slowly incorporate it into the dry ingredients until a mostly uniform dough forms (a few lumps are ok).
Assemble: Note: I like to divide my batter into two separate bowls for better results, but you can also just eyeball it. Transfer half of the batter to the prepared baking pan and use an offset spatula to spread it evenly across the base. Measure out 1 cup of crumble (it should be slightly less than half of the mixture) and use your hands to evenly sprinkle it over the batter. Use a spoon to dollop the remaining batter over the top of the crumble, then spread it out into an even layer with a spatula. Top the second layer of batter evenly with the remaining crumble.
Bake: Bake in the middle rack of the oven for 30 to 35 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out of the center of the cake cleanly. Set aside and let cool for at least 10 minutes before slicing.
Icing Drizzle (Optional): While the cake is cooling, whisk the powdered sugar, vanilla, and milk together in a small bowl until evenly combined. Drizzle over the coffee cake before slicing.
Serve & Store: Slice the coffee cake into 9 even squares in the pan, then carefully lift out of the pan using the parchment paper slaps. Serve warm, or let cool completely before serving. Store leftovers at room temperature for up to 3 days, in the fridge for up to a week, or in the freezer for up to 2 months.

Video

Notes

Soy Milk: I recommend using soy milk because it has a higher protein content than other dairy-free milks and will create a better “buttermilk”. You can substitute the soy milk with another dairy-free milk of your preference, but the cake may not rise as much.
Salted Butter Substitutions: You can also make this recipe with unsalted butter or refined coconut oil (slightly drier cake). If you are either, increase the salt to 1/2 teaspoon for the cake batter and add a generous pinch of salt to the crumble topping.
Icing Drizzle: The icing drizzle adds a fun decorative element to the cake, but the cake itself is already sweet enough as it is! If you do not enjoy overly sweet baked goods I would skip the drizzle.
Doubling or tripling the recipe: If you double this recipe you can also make it in a 9x13” baking pan, but you will need to increase the cook time by 5 to 10 minutes to make sure the center of the cake is fully cooked. If you are tripling the recipe I would recommend making it in 3 separate 8” pans or 1 9x13 pan and one 8” pan.

Nutrition