gluten free

Gorgeous and delicious, this vegan coffee cake is perfectly decadent. With a layer of rich cinnamon brown sugar sandwiched between two layers of fluffy, moist cake, it’s all topped with a crumbled streusel topping and sweet glaze for a perfect dairy-free, egg-free treat.

What Makes This Vegan Coffee Cake So Good

• Move over, Starbucks. The actual cake is SO incredibly moist and fluffy, and the crumbled streusel topping bakes up crisp and gives it just the right amount of texture. You’ll fall in love with the way this cake melts in your mouth.
• It’s decadent enough for a special occasion or holiday, but simple enough to be a casual weekday treat. Enjoy it in the morning with a cup of coffee or after dinner to satisfy your sweet tooth.
• This cake is perfect for a variety of dietary needs! Since it’s a vegan recipe, it’s written to be completely free from dairy and eggs. It’s also easy to make gluten free and added-sugar free, too!

Key Ingredients for Vegan Coffee Cake

All-Purpose Flour – For a vegan coffee cake that’s also gluten free, use gluten-free all-purpose flour. If your GF flour doesn’t contain xanthan gum, you’ll want to add a little so the texture is right. ½-¾ teaspoon added to the 3 cups of flour in the cake should do the trick. If your GF flour contains xanthan gum already, don’t add any extra!

Sugars – This recipe calls for 4 different sugars: granulated white sugar, brown sugar, light brown sugar, and powdered sugar. You can make it your own, though! Use brown sugar instead of granulated in the cake for a richer, warmer flavor. To cut back on the added sugars, use coconut sugar or Swerve (granular, Brown, and/or confectioners’) where appropriate.

Chef’s Tips

• Like with most baked goods, the coffee cake will continue to bake a little as it cools, so it’s important that you don’t leave it in the oven too long. Bake times will vary from one oven to another and one altitude to another, so I recommend you start checking the doneness of the coffee cake around 25 minutes. Insert a toothpick or butter knife into the center of the cake – if it comes out clean or with just a few crumbs, it’s time to take the cake out of the oven!
• This vegan coffee cake will keep best if you refrigerate the leftovers in an airtight container. You’ll get up to 2 weeks out of it that way, assuming it even lasts that long! If you want to store it at room temperature, an airtight container is still the way to go. It should keep 3-5 days at room temp if stored properly.
• As written, this recipe is nut free, depending on the type of non-dairy milk you use. If you’d like, though, you can add finely chopped walnuts to the streusel topping for a little crunch and extra flavor!
• For a vegan blueberry coffee cake, just fold ¾-1 cup fresh blueberries into the coffee cake mixture before you portion it into the baking dish.
• To make vegan coffee cake muffins instead, line a muffin tin with paper liners and portion the recipe out as written – one layer of cake, the brown sugar-cinnamon filling, another layer of cake, then the streusel topping. They’ll need less time to bake, probably 15-20 minutes or so, up to 25 minutes depending on your oven. I’d start checking the doneness around minute 12 using the toothpick method. Take them out of the oven when they’re ready and finish the recipe as written below.

More Vegan Recipes You’ll Love

• Vegan Peach Cobbler
• Vegan Key Lime Pie
• The BEST Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies
• Vegan Banana Pudding
• Vegan Biscuits and Gravy

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Print Recipe

Vegan Coffee Cake with Streusel Topping

Gorgeous and delicious, this vegan coffee cake is perfectly decadent. With a layer of rich cinnamon brown sugar sandwiched between two layers of fluffy, moist cake, it's all topped with a crumbled streusel topping and sweet glaze for a perfect dairy-free, egg-free treat.

Prep Time15 mins

Cook Time1 hr

Total Time1 hr 15 mins

Course: Breakfast, Dessert

Cuisine: American

Keyword: dairy-free, egg free, holiday recipe

Servings: 16 squares

Calories: 398kcal

Author: Cheryl Malik

Equipment

• Oven
• 9×13 baking dish
• Parchment paper
• Small bowls (2)
• Hand mixer
• Large bowls (2)
• Whisk (3)

Ingredients

For the Cinnamon-Sugar Filling

• ¾ packed cup brown sugar see Notes
• ½ cup all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon cinnamon

Fo the Streusel Topping

• 6 tablespoons vegan butter
• 1 packed cup light brown sugar see Notes
• 1 cup all-purpose flour

For the Coffee Cake

• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 ½ cups granulated sugar see Notes
• 3 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• ¼ cup unsweetened applesauce
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• ½ cup coconut oil melted
• 1 ¾ cup unsweetened non-dairy milk
• 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar

For the Glaze (Optional)

• ¼ cup powdered sugar see Notes
• 1 tablespoon unsweetened non-dairy milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 350° Fahrenheit. Line 9×13 baking dish with parchment paper.
• In small bowl, mix together brown sugar, all-purpose flour, and cinnamon to create cinnamon-sugar filling. Set aside.
  
• In separate small bowl, use hand mixer to mix together butter, light brown sugar, and all-purpose flour to create streusel topping. Set aside.
  
• In large bowl, whisk together wet ingredients for coffee cake: applesauce, vanilla extract, coconut oil, non-dairy milk, and apple cider vinegar. Let mixture sit 5 minutes.
  
• In separate large bowl, whisk together dry ingredients for coffee cake: all-purpose flour, granulated sugar, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
  
• When 5 minutes is up, slowly pour wet ingredients for coffee cake into large bowl with dry ingredients for coffee cake. Mix until ingredients are just combined.
  
• Pour half of coffee cake mixture into lined baking dish. Add cinnamon-sugar filling to top of cake mixture, distributing evenly edge to edge.
  
• Pour remaining coffee cake mixture on top of cinnamon-sugar filling layer. Crumble streusel topping over top of cake batter.
  
• Place baking dish in preheated oven and bake 30-35 minutes. Toothpick inserted in center of cake should come out clean or with very few crumbs.
  
• Remove baked coffee cake from oven and let cool completely in baking dish. While cake cools, whisk together all ingredients for glaze, if desired.
  
• When cake is cool, drizzle glaze over top of cake. Cut coffee cake into squares and serve.

Notes

• Sugar: Some sugar is filtered through bone char, which makes it not vegan. Use organic or unfiltered sugar, or a brand that specifically says it’s vegan.
• Make it Added-Sugar Free: Use granular, Brown, and confectioners’ Swerve in place of the respective sugars listed above.
• Make it Gluten Free: Use gluten-free all-purpose flour with xanthan gum.

 

1 square = 1 serving. Recipe yields approximately 16 servings. Actual number of servings will depend on the size of your squares and your preferred portion sizes.

Nutritional values shown are general guidelines and reflect information for 1 serving out of 16 using the ingredients listed. Actual macros may vary slightly depending on specific brands and types of ingredients used.

To determine the weight of one serving, prepare the recipe as instructed. Weigh the finished recipe, then divide the weight of the finished recipe (not including the weight of the container the food is in) by 16. Result will be the weight of one serving.

Nutrition

Serving: 1square | Calories: 398kcal | Carbohydrates: 72g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 11g | Saturated Fat: 7g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Trans Fat: 1g | Sodium: 303mg | Potassium: 78mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 44g | Vitamin A: 203IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 109mg | Iron: 2mg | Net Carbs: 71g