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A slice of coffee cake sits on a plate.
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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!
Course Breakfast
Cuisine American
Diet Vegan
Prep Time 25 minutes
Cook Time 50 minutes
Resting time 10 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 25 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
Cups - Metric

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 350°F/175°C. Spray a 9x9 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.
    Streusel ingredients, such as cocoa powder, brown sugar, flour, and butter, are in a bowl.

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.
    Vegan butter is being creamed with an electric mixer.
  • In a medium-size bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, and salt. Stir to combine.
    A hand holds a whisk, stirring a flour mixture.
  • Add the flour mixture to the milk mixture. Stir until just combined.
    A hand holds a flour mixture, pouring it into a bowl with wet ingredients.

Coffee Cake Assembly:

  • Pour half of the coffee cake batter into the prepared baking dish.
    A hand holds a bowl, pouring cake batter into a baking pan.
  • Sprinkle a generous layer of the crumble topping/filling mixture over the batter.
    A hand distributes cinnamon filling mixture over cake batter in a baking pan.
  • Pour the remaining coffee cake batter over the crumble mixture.
    batter is being poured from a bowl over filling in a cake pan.
  • Sprinkle the rest of the crumble topping/filling mixture evenly over the top of the cake batter and gently press it down.
    A hand is distributing crumble topping across cake batter in a baking pan.
  • 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.

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.

Nutrition

Calories: 382kcal | Carbohydrates: 55g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 17g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 5g | Monounsaturated Fat: 6g | Trans Fat: 0.1g | Sodium: 266mg | Potassium: 180mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 28g | Vitamin A: 958IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 103mg | Iron: 2mg