This Vegan Coffee Cake is the best: it has a moist, fluffy sponge with a sticky cinnamon sugar filling and a "buttery" crumble (streusel) topping. It's also gluten-free and refined sugar free, and perfect for dessert or breakfast!
In Britain, coffee cake means a round layer cake that is made with a coffee-infused sponge and coffee-infused buttercream frosting with chopped walnuts mixed in or used to decorate the top of the cake. My Gluten-Free Vegan Coffee Walnut Cake is an example of this.
This Vegan Coffee Cake recipe is an American coffee cake, which does not contain coffee. It is called coffee cake because it is a cake that is often eaten with coffee. American coffee cake consists of a vanilla sponge, which is traditionally made extra moist and fluffy by the addition of sour cream, buttermilk, yogurt or cream cheese and topped with a cinnamon-infused crumble (streusel) topping. A mixture of cinnamon and sugar is also often added to the middle of the sponge to create a swirl effect.
This eggless, dairy-free coffee cake it is made using a dairy-free buttermilk substitute.
Mix any plant-based milk with vinegar in a measuring jug.
Let it sit for 10 minutes.
Tip: This trick works with any kind of non-dairy milk, as the vinegar curdles the milk so that it resembles buttermilk.
This coffee cake can be made in a round springform baking tin, in a bundt tin, in a loaf tin, or can even be made into coffee cake muffins.
For this recipe, I used a square baking tin, measuring 23cm/9inch. I recommend lining the tin with greased baking paper to make it easier to remove the cake after.
Fresh fruit such as raspberries or blueberries.
Coconut whipped cream.
Drizzled with cream cheese frosting.
How to make this recipe
Scroll down to the bottom of the post for the full recipe.
- Mix together all the ingredients for the crumble topping in a glass mixing bowl.
- Place in the fridge to firm up while you prepare the rest of the cake.
- Mix together the cinnamon and coconut sugar in a small bowl.
- Mix together the ingredients for the cake batter in a glass mixing bowl.
- Transfer one half into a square baking tin.
Tip: Line the tin with greased baking paper to make it easier to remove the cake after.
- Use a spoon to sprinkle the cinnamon sugar evenly across the surface of the cake batter.
Tip: Make sure not to go too close to the edges on each side.
- Carefully spread the remaining cake batter over the cinnamon sugar.
- Remove the crumble topping mixture from the fridge, and use your fingers to crumble it over the top so that the cake batter is evenly covered.
- Bake in the oven for around 20 minutes, or until an inserted skewer comes out clean.
- Leave to cool completely before cutting into squares.
Serving suggestions
- Fresh fruit such as raspberries or blueberries.
- Coconut whipped cream.
- Drizzled with cream cheese frosting.
How long does this Coffee Cake keep for?
This coffee cake does taste best when fresh, but keeps for up to a few days.
How do you store it?
This coffee cake keeps for up to one day at room temperature (provided it's not too hot where you live!) or keeps covered in the fridge for up to a few days.
Can you freeze it?
Yes - it keeps in the freezer for up to one month. Leave to thaw at room temperature.
Substitutions you can make
- You can use any type of oil: coconut oil, olive oil or vegetable oil.
- You can use any type of plant-based milk: almond milk, rice milk, soy milk, cashew milk, oat milk etc.
- You can use any type of liquid sweetener: maple syrup, agave syrup, brown rice syrup etc.
- You can replace the ground almonds with ground walnuts.
- For a nut-free version: replace the ground walnuts with ground sunflower seeds and use a nut-free plant-based milk.
- You can use plain flour, wholemeal (whole wheat) flour or spelt flour instead of the gluten-free flour if you’re not gluten-free.
- For an oil-free version, replace the coconut oil with smooth almond butter or pecan butter.
How to change the flavour
- Add fresh or frozen berries to the cake batter: raspberries, blueberries, blackberries etc.
- Add apple chunks or grated apple to the cake batter.
- Add chopped peaches to the batter.
- Add fresh or frozen cherries to the batter.
- Add chopped pecan nuts to the crumble topping.
- Make a pumpkin-flavoured cake batter - use my Gluten-Free Vegan Pumpkin Bread recipe.
- Make a banana-flavoured cake batter - use my Gluten-Free Vegan Banana Cake recipe.
More vegan desserts
- Chocolate Lava Cake
- Apple Crumble Bars
- Coconut Macaroons
- Lemon Bars
- Strawberry Trifle
- Sugar Cookies
- Strawberry Shortcake
- Blueberry Crumble Bars
- Lemon Pudding
- Lemon Poppy Seed Bread
- Pumpkin Loaf Cake
- Pumpkin Bars
If you try out this recipe or anything else from my blog, I’d really love to hear any feedback! Please give it a rating, leave a comment, or tag a photo @rhiansrecipes #rhiansrecipes on Instagram! Thank you.
Watch how to make this recipe
Vegan Coffee Cake (Gluten-Free)
Ingredients
For the crumble topping:
- 60 g (¼ cup) coconut oil (or sub vegetable or olive oil)
- 3 tablespoons coconut sugar
- 75 g (⅔ cup) ground almonds (almond meal) *
- 75 g (⅔ cup) gluten-free flour blend (or sub rice flour, or plain all-purpose flour if not gluten-free)
- 1 ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 2 tablespoons unsweetened almond milk (or any other plant-based milk)
For the cinnamon sugar filling:
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 4 tablespoons coconut sugar
For the cake:
- 200 ml (⅘ cup) unsweetened almond milk (or any other plant-based milk)
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar ** (ensure gluten-free if necessary)
- 60 g (¼ cup) coconut oil (or sub olive or vegetable oil)
- 8 tablespoons maple syrup (or sub any other sweetener)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 150 g (1 ¼ cup) ground almonds (almond meal) *
- 150 g (1 ¼ cup) gluten-free flour blend (or sub plain flour if not gluten-free)
- 2 heaped teaspoons baking powder (ensure gluten-free if necessary)
- ¼ teaspoon bicarbonate of soda (baking soda)
Instructions
For the crumble topping:
- Place the coconut oil in a large bowl and melt over a saucepan of boiling water or in the microwave (skip this step if using any other oil).
- Add the coconut sugar, ground almonds, gluten-free flour, cinnamon and almond milk and mix well, until you get a crumble-like texture.
- Place this mixture in the fridge to firm up while you prepare the rest of the cake.
For the cinnamon sugar filling:
- Mix together the cinnamon and coconut sugar in a small bowl.
For the cake:
- Preheat oven to 180 degrees Celsius (350 degrees Fahrenheit).
- Measure out the milk and, leaving it in the measuring container, add the tablespoon of vinegar and stir - leave to sit for around 10 minutes, while you make the rest of the cake.
- Place the coconut oil in a large bowl and melt over a saucepan of boiling water or in the microwave (skip this step if using any other oil).
- Once melted, add the milk and vinegar mixture to the same bowl along with the maple syrup, vanilla and ground almonds.
- Sift in the flour, baking powder and bicarbonate of soda.
- Mix well, adding a tiny splash more milk if it’s looking too dry.
- Transfer half of the cake batter into a square baking tin lined with baking paper (I used a 23cm/9inch square baking tin).
- Use a spoon to sprinkle the cinnamon sugar evenly across the surface of the cake batter, avoiding going too close to the edges on each side.
- Carefully spread the remaining cake batter over the cinnamon sugar.
- Remove the crumble topping mixture from the fridge, and use your fingers to crumble it over the top so that the cake batter is evenly covered.
- Bake in the oven for around 20 minutes, or until an inserted skewer comes out clean.
- Leave the cake in the baking tin to cool completely before cutting into squares.
- Tastes best when fresh, but keeps covered in the fridge for up to a few days.
Video
Notes
Disclosure: This posts contains affiliate links to Amazon. If you purchase any of these products, a small percentage will come to me with no extra cost to you! This income will go towards the running of this blog – thank you.
Su
This looks delicious, thanks for sharing!
Rhian Williams
Thank you so much!
JAN Alford
Hi, but I can’t see any coffee in the ingredients!!!!! Jan
Rhian Williams
This recipe is an American coffee cake, which does not contain coffee. It is called coffee cake because it is a cake that is often eaten with coffee. American coffee cake consists of a vanilla sponge, which is traditionally made extra moist and fluffy by the addition of sour cream, buttermilk, yogurt or cream cheese, topped with a cinnamon-infused crumble (streusel) topping. A mixture of cinnamon and sugar is also often added to the middle of the sponge to create a swirl effect.
In Britain, where I'm from, coffee cake means a round layer cake that is made with a coffee-infused sponge and coffee-infused buttercream frosting with chopped walnuts mixed in or used to decorate the top of the cake. My Coffee Walnut Cake recipe (https://www.rhiansrecipes.com/gluten-free-vegan-coffee-walnut-cake/) is this type of coffee cake!
Rebecca
Hi Rhian! Thank you so much for your posts and for making cooking so available for vegan, gf folks!
What types of gf flour mixture should we make if we don't have access to the specific flour that's linked in your recipe?
Rhian Williams
Thank you so much! You can use white rice flour and 2 tablespoons tapioca flour for the cake and white rice flour for the crumble topping!
Pamela Fitzpatrick
Can applesauce substitute for the oil? Thanks!
Rhian Williams
Yes - a few tablespoons!
Desicart
This look so fresh and delicious.Thank you so much for the recipe!
Rhian Williams
Thank you so much!