Vegan Coffee Cake
Incredibly moist and with a thick layer of cinnamon crumble, this is the best vegan coffee cake! Easy to make and perfect for holiday celebrations, gifting, dessert, and brunch.
This vegan coffee cake was made for company, serving it alongside coffee for a casual visit with friends or as part of a larger brunch spread. It’s the perfect treat to enjoy with coffee, yes, but also to bring as a hostess gift or for a more relaxed weekend breakfast.
Read on for everything you need to make this vegan coffee cake, or scroll to the bottom for the full recipe.
Why we love this recipe
‘Tis the season for entertaining, which means I’m constantly serving up my honey pear muffins, chocolate olive oil cake or overnight french toast casserole for when friends and family roll into town.
When setting out to make this coffee cake, I knew I wanted to make a vegan version. While I don’t consider myself vegan, I do try to eat as plant-based as possible, and though there are plenty of good coffee cake recipes out there, I couldn’t find a knock-your-socks-off vegan coffee cake.
Thankfully, I have pastry chef extraordinaire Melanie Barsuk on my team, and when she presented me with this recipe–I knew we had a winner.
The secret is the vegan yogurt or sour cream. I tested it using both Forager plant-based yogurt, and Kite Hill sour cream, and both versions came out incredibly moist and slightly tangy. That’s really the secret to good coffee cake: it should have a hint of tang, and the yogurt or sour cream provides that. Well, that, along with the DIY buttermilk. Both of those ingredients create an incredibly tender crumb and texture.
Vegan Coffee Cake Ingredients
You are making three different things for this coffee cake–first, the cinnamon crumble layer. Next, the batter, and then finally, the glaze. The glaze is totally optional and makes for a sweeter and prettier cake. I recommend it, but if you want a less sweet coffee cake, then omit it.
For the cinnamon crumble, you’ll need brown sugar, cinnamon, flour, and vegan butter. Earth Balance is my go-to vegan butter, but any will work. The brown sugar also adds more flavor than cane sugar, along with color and moisture, which is why I use it here.
For the batter, you’ll need unsweetened non-dairy milk, like oat milk or soy milk, apple cider vinegar, vegan butter, sugar, vegan yogurt or sour cream, vanilla extract, flour, baking powder, soda, and salt. The vegan yogurt and sour cream act with the apple cider vinegar, making the gluten more tender and the overall vegan coffee cake more moisture.
If you plan on making the glaze, you’ll also need powdered sugar, unsweetened non-dairy milk, vanilla extract, and maple syrup.
Substitution Notes
This recipe is written as vegan, but you can also use regular buttermilk, butter, and yogurt or sour cream if desired. That said, if you aren’t vegan, know that this recipe will work with regular yogurt, sour cream, milk, and butter, too.
I prefer to use oat milk in making the vegan buttermilk when I bake as its high carbohydrate content makes it easier to brown. Almond milk and soy milk usually also work well when baking. I don’t recommend coconut milk as it usually makes for a very pale cake and has a strong coconut flavor.
Gluten-free will likely also work, but I haven’t tried it to confirm. Whenever I bake gluten-free, I prefer to use a 1:1 flour mix for best results.
I tested this recipe using cane sugar and brown sugar, and don’t recommend using alternatives as they haven’t been tested. However, coconut sugar or maple sugar typically works in a coffee cake recipe like this.
I know some people like to use coconut oil instead of vegan butter when baking, but I don’t think it works the same way and don’t recommend it.
How to Make this Vegan Coffee Cake
Make the buttermilk
Start by making the buttermilk, as it will take about 10 minutes to curdle. Mix together the unsweetened dairy-free milk of choice along with the vinegar. This is key in making for a more tender coffee cake, so make sure to let the milk curdle before adding to the rest of the ingredients.
Make the cinnamon crumble
In a mini food processor or regular food processor, combine the brown sugar, cinnamon, flour, and butter. A food processor makes this easy, but you can also do this by hand by grating the butter into the ingredients and mixing until just combined.
Make the batter
Cream together the butter and sugar until pale yellow, then add in the yogurt or sour cream. Add in the dry ingredients and mix by hand. I use a stand mixer for ease, but a whisk or an electric mixer can also work.
Layer the cinnamon and batter
Spread half of batter in prepared pan. Sprinkle with half of crumble. Dollop remaining batter and using an offset spatula, spread layer of batter over crumble gently. Top with remaining crumble.
Yes, there is a hefty dose of the cinnamon crumble, which makes the recipe! Don’t skip it.
Bake and add glaze
Bake until tender and set, or until a toothpick comes out clean, about 40-45 minutes. Whisk together all the ingredients for the glaze. Let the coffee cake cool completely, then drizzle with the glaze. Serve and enjoy! This one is so good with a cup of coffee.
Tips for Success
A mini food processor (or regular food processor) makes for easy prep, especially in making the streusel topping. If you don’t want to use a food processor, then I recommend grating the cold butter into the cinnamon crumble topping and then mixing until just combined.
The glaze is optional, but I think it makes for a fancy-looking vegan coffee cake and adds additional sweetness.
Make sure to let the coffee cake cool completely before slicing.
What to serve with
This vegan coffee cake is a must with coffee, obviously, but it’s also great as part of any breakfast or dessert spread.
When I make it for breakfast or brunch, I like to serve it with my tofu scramble as a vegan alternative to scrambled eggs and my grapefruit salad.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why does the vegan butter for the crumble need to be cold? What if I use softened butter?
Cold butter is essential for a good crumble! Small, cold pieces of butter will melt in the oven, creating little pockets and resulting in a more tender texture. Softened butter will blend too much with the dry ingredients.
Do I really need to wait 10 minutes for the buttermilk to combine?
This step creates a vegan version of buttermilk, and the acid from the vinegar curdles the non-dairy milk, helping to activate the baking soda and tenderize the gluten.
I don’t have a food processor. Any tips for making the crumble by hand?
If you want to make the crumble by hand, make sure your vegan butter is very cold (you can even freeze it for 15 minutes). Use a box grater and grate the butter into the dry ingredients, then use your fingertips, a pastry blender, or even two knives to cut the butter into the flour mixture. Stop when the mixture looks like coarse crumbs or small pebbles.
More Vegan Cake Recipes
- Vegan Orange Olive Oil Cake
- Chocolate Olive Oil Cake
- The Best Vegan Chocolate Cake
- Chocolate Peppermint Cake
- Easy Vanilla Vegan Cake
- Carrot Cake Banana Bread
If you make this vegan coffee cake recipe, make sure to come back to leave a rating and a comment. Your feedback helps other readers and seeing you make my recipes makes my day!
Vegan Coffee Cake
Ingredients
Cinnamon Crumble Layer:
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon cinnamon
- 2/3 cup flour
- 5 tablespoons cold vegan butter, cut into small pieces
Coffee Cake Batter:
- 1/2 cup unsweetened non-dairy milk
- 2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar
- 8 tablespoons vegan butter
- 1 cup cane sugar
- 2/3 cup vegan yogurt or sour cream
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
Glaze (optional)
- 1/2 cup powdered sugar
- 1 tablespoon unsweetened non-dairy milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare an 8×8 baking dish, then line it with parchment paper for easier removal. Spray with cooking spray or oil and set aside.
- Make buttermilk by combining the 1/2 cup milk with vinegar and set aside for at least 10 minutes.
- Make the cinnamon crumble by combining all ingredients in a food processor. Place in refrigerator until read to use. If you don't have a food processor and want to make this by hand, then grate the butter first before mixing together.
Make the batter
- Cream butter with sugar in an electric mixer or stand mixer until pale yellow. Add yogurt or sour cream and vanilla. Add the dry ingredients (flour, baking powder and soda and salt) along with the buttermilk. Fold batter by hand until combined. Batter will look airy and shaggy.
- Spread half of the batter in the prepared pan. Sprinkle with half of the cinnamon crumble. Dollop the remaining batter on top, and using an offset spatula, spread the layer of batter over the crumble gently. Top with remaining cinnamon crumble.
- Bake for 40-45 minutes or until center springs back to touch. Allow to cool completely before adding the glaze or cutting.
- For the glaze, combine all of the ingredients and drizzle onto the cooled cake.