Best Vegan Coffee Cake Recipe (2024)

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5 from 9 votes

1 hour hour 25 minutes minutes

by Marly

Updated 7/16/22

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Indulge in the decadent delight of vegan coffee cake, a buttery treat infused with cinnamon and crowned with a delectable streusel topping. Perfect for breakfast, it pairs wonderfully with a steaming cup of coffee or a soothing mug of hot tea

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I absolutely adore treating myself to an indulgent weekend delight, and this vegan coffee cake is a true favorite in my household!

Whether it’s a lazy Sunday morning or a special occasion with guests, this scrumptious treat never fails to impress. It’s a wonderful way to showcase the delicious possibilities of vegan brunch and share a moment of joy with loved ones.

Ingredient Notes

You can find the full printable recipe, including ingredient quantities, below. But first, here are some explanations of ingredients and steps to help you make this recipe perfect every time.

Here are the ingredients you’ll need for this recipe, including substitution ideas:

Sugar — You’ll need both brown sugar and granulated sugar for this recipe. Adding depth and caramel notes to both our crumble topping and filling, brown sugar is a must-have for that irresistible sweetness.
Cinnamon — Infusing our cake with warm, aromatic flavor, cinnamon is the spice that ties everything together.
Cocoa powder — I like adding cocoa powder to the filling to give it a darker color. It’s not enough to add flavor, but the drama it adds between layers of coffee cake is fantastic.
Flour — The backbone of our cake’s structure, all-purpose flour ensures a tender crumb and fluffy texture.
Vegan butter — It’s essential to use vegan butter rather than a tub of margarine, which has more water. The higher fat content of vegan butter is critical to getting the right texture.
Vegan Buttermilk — We’ll make vegan buttermilk by combining plant-based milk (almond milk or soy milk are my go-to favorites, although oat milk is another great option) and apple cider vinegar.
Vegan yogurt— We’ll use vegan yogurt to substitute the volume created from eggs. I like using plain vegan yogurt like Foragers Cashew Yogurt. You can substitute vegan sour cream.
Egg Substitute — To substitute the binding power of eggs, we’ll use a combination of cornstarch and ground flaxseed. Ground flaxseed not only enhances texture but also adds a boost of omega-3s. You can usually find this superfood in the baking aisle or health food section of your local grocery store.

If you live in Australia or the UK, all-purpose flour may not mean much to you. Learn more about how all-purpose flour and plain flour are the same things.

How to Make Vegan Coffee Cake

The full recipe with step-by-step instructions and process shots is in the recipe card below. But here’s a quick synopsis of how to make this tasty treat:

Prepare Toppings: Stir together the crumble topping and set it aside. Next, make the filling and set it aside.
Prepare Batter: Start by creaming vegan butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Then, add plant-based buttermilk, ground flax meal, and cornstarch, and beat until well combined. In a separate bowl, stir together the dry ingredients, then incorporate them into the wet mixture to create the batter.
Assembly: Begin by pouring half of the batter into the prepared pan and spreading it evenly. Next, add the filling over the batter, then pour the remaining batter over the filling. Finally, sprinkle the crumble topping evenly over the batter and gently press it down.
Bake: Bake the assembled cake for 50-55 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Storage Tips

Cover coffee cake or transfer slices to an airtight container. It will keep at room temperature for up to 3 days or in the fridge for up to 7 days. It can also be frozen for up to 2 months.

Marly’s Tips

Make sure the butter is softened by leaving it out on the counter for about 30 minutes
You can double the crumble topping if you like more streusel
Add 1 cup of peeled, sliced apples to the batter to make vegan apple coffee cake
To make vegan coffee cake muffins, pour the batter into greased or papered muffin tins and then distribute the crumble topping evenly over each muffin before baking.
Make vegan blueberry coffee cake by adding 1/4 to 1/2 cup fresh or frozen blueberries on top of the filling.
Make this into a sugar-free coffee cake by using Swerve sweetener. It bakes 1:1 like sugar.

New to Vegan Baking?

The idea of making cookies, cakes, or muffins without eggs or dairy can seem like a hill too tall to climb. But with the simple tips in my Guide to Vegan Baking, you’ll be baking like a vegan pro in no time!

Vegan Breakfast Cake

Indulge in the ultimate breakfast treat with this delightful vegan coffee cake recipe! I’m someone who is sensitive to caffeine, so I’ve oftentimes wondered, does coffee cake have caffeine?

Guess what? There’s no need to worry about caffeine, as this cake is all about the irresistible flavors of cinnamon, brown sugar, and crumbly goodness.

Serving Suggestions

Serve slices of this butter coffee cake with any of the following:

A hot beverage of your choice, such as coffee or tea
Vegan Hot Chocolate
Hot Chocolate Tea
Iced Golden Milk
Vegan Chocolate Milk
A tall glass of Pecan Milk with a touch of cinnamon is nice, too.

More Vegan Pastries

If you love this vegan coffee cake, you’ll want to try even more vegan breakfast pastries. Here are some favorites:

Vegan Coffee Cookies

22 mins total

Vegan Chocolate Coffee Cake

75 mins total

Vegan Custard Toast

17 mins total

Chocolate Vegan Biscotti

65 mins total

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Vegan Coffee Cake

This is the best vegan coffee cake ever starting with a soft cake, a cinnamon-infused filling and a buttery crumbly topping to finish it off. It may be the best way to start out the day!

5 from 9 votes

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Course: Breakfast

Cuisine: American

Prep Time: 25 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 50 minutes minutes

Resting time: 10 minutes minutes

Total Time: 1 hour hour 25 minutes minutes

Servings: 12

Calories: 382kcal

Author: Marly McMillen

Ingredients

Crumble Topping/Filling

▢ ⅔ cup brown sugar, packed
▢ 3 teaspoons ground cinnamon
▢ 1 teaspoon cocoa powder (for color)
▢ 1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
▢ ⅔ cup vegan butter , softened

Coffee Cake

▢ 1 cup plant-based milk
▢ 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
▢ ¾ cup vegan butter
▢ ¾ cup granulated sugar
▢ ½ cup vegan yogurt (see notes)
▢ 1 tablespoon cornstarch
▢ 1 tablespoon ground flaxseed
▢ 1 ¾ cups all-purpose flour
▢ 2 ½ teaspoons baking powder
▢ ½ teaspoon salt

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350°F/175°C. Spray a 9×9 pan with vegetable spray.

For the Crumble Topping/Filling:

In a bowl, combine the brown sugar, cinnamon, cocoa powder, flour, and softened vegan butter. Mix until crumbly. This mixture will serve as both the crumble topping and filling.

For the Coffee Cake:

Combine the milk and vinegar to make buttermilk. Set aside.
In a large mixing bowl use an electric mixer to cream together the vegan butter and sugar. You can use a spoon but stir vigorously until light and fluffy. Beat in the buttermilk, ground flax meal, cornstarch, and vegan yogurt.
In a medium-size bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, and salt. Stir to combine.
Add the flour mixture to the milk mixture. Stir until just combined.

Coffee Cake Assembly:

Pour half of the coffee cake batter into the prepared baking dish.
Sprinkle a generous layer of the crumble topping/filling mixture over the batter.
Pour the remaining coffee cake batter over the crumble mixture.
Sprinkle the rest of the crumble topping/filling mixture evenly over the top of the cake batter and gently press it down.
Bake for 50 to 55 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the middle of the cake, comes out clean. The crumble topping should be golden brown.
When done, remove from the oven and allow to cool slightly before serving.

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Notes

Icing

Make it dramatic by adding a drizzle of icing on top. Combine 1/2 cup powdered sugar with 1 tablespoon of vanilla-flavored plant-based milk. Stir to combine and drizzle over the top.

Cocoa Powder

We’ll add cocoa powder to the filling to give it a dramatic contrast between the filling and the cake. You can leave it out or substitute a tablespoon of molasses.

Make-Ahead

You can make the batter the night before and assemble the cake in the pan, then cover and bake it in the morning. You’ll need to add about 5 minutes of bake time to make up for the chilliness of the dough.

Vegan Yogurt

You can substitute vegan sour cream or whipped silken tofu.

The nutrition information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator and should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

Did you make this recipe?

Leave a rating below then tag @namelymarly on Instagram and hashtag it #namelymarly. I love seeing your creations!

This post was originally published in 2015 and was updated to include new photos, new text, and an updated recipe in 2022.