This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our disclosure policy.
Take your morning cup of coffee to the next level and pair it with a thick slice of this Vegan Coffee Cake! It’s fluffy, moist, and sweetened to perfection with the streusel topping and vanilla glaze. Perfect for vegan brunch or hosting for the holidays!
Table of Contents
The Origin of Coffee Cake
While it’s not entirely known, coffee cake is thought to be traced back to European countries like Germany and the Scandinavian region during the 17th century. At this time, it was customary to serve sweet cakes or breads alongside coffee. This practice was brought to the United States a couple of centuries later, and the American coffee cake was born.
Today we know coffee cake to be a sweet, rich, moist cake paired with a buttery streusel topping. Most traditional versions are not vegan, often made with eggs and butter.
But we turned our Vegan Apple Cider Coffee Cake recipe into a classic version and it’s easily the best coffee cake we’ve ever tried! It’s the perfect vegan breakfast treat to share with non-vegan loved ones – no one will ever guess it’s missing the animal products!
Ingredients You’ll Need
For the Streusel Topping
- Flour: All-purpose flour creates the light and crumbly texture of the streusel topping and binds together the brown sugar and dairy-free butter.
- Light brown sugar: Adds a caramel-like flavor and helps make the streusel perfectly sweet. Regular brown sugar or coconut sugar work well as a substitute, but will be slightly different in texture.
- Cinnamon: The source of warmth and additional sweetness in the streusel.
- Dairy-free butter: Adds richness and moisture and keeps the streusel topping as soft and tender as possible.
For the Cake
- Soy milk: While any plain, non-dairy milk can work, soy milk’s high protein content makes the best homemade vegan buttermilk.
- Apple cider vinegar: When combined with the soy milk, the acidic nature helps to curdle the homemade buttermilk.
- Flour: All-purpose flour is the base of the coffee cake that makes it as soft and fluffy as possible.
- Leavening agents: Baking powder and baking soda leaven the cake and help it rise into a tall, fluffy cake!
- Dairy-free butter: Many coffee cake recipes are made with oil, but we prefer to use creamed dairy-free butter as we find it makes a lighter, fluffier texture and a more flavorful cake.
- Sugar: This coffee cake is sweetened with both regular, granulated sugar and light brown sugar for the perfect flavor and moisture. To make sure your sugar is vegan, opt for organic sugar.
- Dairy-free cream cheese: Traditional coffee cake isn’t usually made with cream cheese, but we love the addition for its additional tangy richness. We used a store-bought cream cheese, but feel free to try our Homemade Vegan Cream Cheese recipe here!
- Vanilla extract: A splash of vanilla extract adds sweet, depth of flavor to the coffee cake and enhances the vanilla-flavor in the vanilla glaze.
For the Vanilla Glaze
- Powdered sugar: The base of the glaze! If your powdered sugar is hard or clumpy, sift it before adding the soy and vanilla.
- Soy milk: A few tablespoons thins out the glaze to the perfect pourable consistency.
- Vanilla extract: Adds a boost of vanilla flavor.
Equipment Needed
- 8×8 baking dish
- 2 small, 2 medium-sized and 1 large mixing bowl (2)
- Whisk
- Electric hand mixer or stand mixer with paddle attachment
How to Make Vegan Coffee Cake
- Preheat and prep. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and grease an 8×8 baking dish.
- Make the streusel topping. Add all the streusel topping ingredients except for the vegan butter to a medium-sized bowl and mix well. Add in the butter and with a fork or with clean hands, break up the butter until it’s fully combined with the other ingredients. Set the bowl in the fridge until ready to use.
- Make the vegan buttermilk. Mix the soy milk and apple cider vinegar in a small bowl and set aside for 10-15 minutes and allow it to curdle.
- Combine the dry ingredients. Mix the all-purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a medium-sized bowl. Set aside.
- Cream the butter and sugar. Add the granulated sugar, brown sugar, and softened stick of dairy-free butter to a large mixing bowl. Using an electric hand mixer or stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the sugar and butter together until smooth and creamy, 2-3 minutes. Add the dairy-free cream cheese and vanilla extract and beat again until well combined.
- Add the dry ingredients. To the bowl with the creamed sugar and butter, add the dry ingredients and vegan buttermilk. Use a spatula to mix until fully combined and a smooth vegan cake batter forms.
- Transfer to the baking dish. Pour half of the wet batter into the greased 8×8 baking pan and spread smooth. Remove the streusel topping from the fridge and sprinkle half of the streusel topping into an even layer on top of the batter. Top with the remaining batter and carefully spread it outward from the center of the baking dish, being careful not to mix it with the streusel layer. Finish with the remaining half of the streusel topping on top.
- Bake. Transfer the coffee cake to the oven and bake for 55-60 minutes, or until golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean, or with just a few crumbs.
- Make the vanilla glaze. In a small mixing bowl, whisk together the powdered sugar, soy milk, and vanilla extract until smooth and creamy. Set aside.
- Cool, drizzle, then serve! Allow the vegan coffee cake to cool completely, then drizzle with the homemade vanilla glaze. Slice, serve, and enjoy!
Serving Suggestions
A slice of cozy coffee cake is the perfect treat for a sweet vegan breakfast or brunch, a mid-afternoon pick-me-up, or a delicious dessert with a scoop of vegan vanilla ice cream! As the name suggests, it’s the best pair for your morning cup of coffee, so pour yourself a big mug of your favorite morning joe and dig in!
Recipe FAQs
I am making this recipe for a crowd. Can I double the recipe?
Certainly! When baked in an 8×8 baking dish, this vegan coffee cake comfortably serves 9 people. If serving a larger crowd, double the recipe and bake this cake in a 9×13 baking dish. This double serving will comfortably serve 16-20 people.
What dairy-free butter do you recommend?
We typically use Country Crock Plant Butter, but we’ve also used Earth Balance buttery sticks and had great success.
Can I make this vegan coffee cake gluten-free?
We have only tested this vegan coffee cake recipe using all-purpose flour. If you would like to experiment with making it gluten-free, we’d recommend swapping the all-purpose flour with a gluten-free flour blend. If you experience good results, let us know by leaving a comment down below!
What is the best substitute for butter in a vegan cake recipe?
It depends on the recipe, but in this particular cake recipe, we find dairy-free butter to be the best alternative as it is formulated to mimic the texture, consistency, and flavor of dairy butter.
Storage Instructions
Leftover coffee cake will keep best in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days or in the refrigerator for 1 week. Once refrigerated, it will become more dense.
For long-term storage, wrap the cake tightly in plastic wrap and freeze for up to 2 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator.
Quick Tips for Success
- Use our weighted measurements! You’ll notice that we’ve included weighted gram measurements for important ingredients in the recipe card at the bottom of this post. We recommend using a baking scale and measuring by grams for the most accurate results.
- Set the soy milk on the kitchen counter one hour before starting the recipe. In order to make vegan buttermilk, it’s important that the soy milk is at room temperature. This helps the apple cider vinegar react with the proteins in the milk and thicken and curdle properly. Additionally, room-temperature milk will blend into the cake batter more seamlessly.
- Make sure to layer the crumb! The best part of coffee cake is layering part of the streusel topping in the center. In addition to adding visual appeal, it infuses the cake with additional sweet cinnamon flavor!
More Vegan Breakfast Recipes You May Enjoy:
Breakfast
Classic Vegan French Toast
Dessert
Giant Cinnamon Roll Cake
30 Minute Meals
Fluffy Vegan Carrot Cake Pancakes
Make sure you tag us on Instagram @sweetsimplevegan and @consciouschris and hashtag #sweetsimplevegan if you make this recipe. We love to see your photos!
Print
Vegan Coffee Cake Recipe
- Total Time: 1 hour 20 minutes
- Yield: 9 servings
- Diet: Vegan
Description
Take your morning cup of coffee to the next level and pair it with a thick slice of Vegan Coffee Cake! It’s fluffy, moist, and sweetened to perfection with the streusel topping and vanilla glaze. Perfect for vegan brunch or hosting for the holidays!
Ingredients
Streusel Topping
- 1 cup (136g) all-purpose flour
- ½ cup (96g) packed light brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 stick dairy-free butter, cubed and cold
Cake
- ½ cup soy milk (room temperature)
- ½ tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- 1 ½ cups (204g) all-purpose flour
- 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 stick dairy-free butter, softened
- ¾ cup (167g) granulated sugar
- ¼ cup (48g) packed light brown sugar
- 4 oz dairy-free cream cheese (room temperature)
- 2 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
Vanilla Glaze
- 1 cup (120g) powdered sugar
- 2 tablespoons soy milk
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
Equipment
Instructions
- Preheat and prep. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and grease an 8×8 baking dish.
- Make the streusel topping. Add all the streusel topping ingredients except for the vegan butter to a medium-sized bowl and mix well. Add in the butter and with a fork or with clean hands, break up the butter until it’s fully combined with the other ingredients. Set the bowl in the fridge until ready to use.
- Make the vegan buttermilk. Mix the soy milk and apple cider vinegar in a small bowl and set aside for 10-15 minutes and allow it to curdle.
- Combine the dry ingredients. Mix the all-purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a medium-sized bowl. Set aside.
- Cream the butter and sugar. Add the granulated sugar, brown sugar, and softened stick of dairy-free butter to a large mixing bowl. Using an electric hand mixer or stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the sugar and butter together until smooth and creamy, 2-3 minutes. Add the dairy-free cream cheese and vanilla extract and beat again until well combined.
- Add the dry ingredients. To the bowl with the creamed sugar and butter, add the dry ingredients and vegan buttermilk. Use a spatula to mix until fully combined and a smooth vegan cake batter forms.
- Transfer to the baking dish. Pour half of the wet batter into the greased 8×8 baking pan and spread smooth. Remove the streusel topping from the fridge and sprinkle half of the streusel topping into an even layer on top of the batter. Top with the remaining batter and carefully spread it outward from the center of the baking dish, being careful not to mix it with the streusel layer. Finish with the remaining half of the streusel topping on top.
- Bake. Transfer the coffee cake to the oven and bake for 55-60 minutes, or until golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean, or with just a few crumbs.
- Make the vanilla glaze. In a small mixing bowl, whisk together the powdered sugar, soy milk, and vanilla extract until smooth and creamy. Set aside.
- Cool, drizzle, then serve! Allow the vegan coffee cake to cool completely, then drizzle with the homemade vanilla glaze. Slice, serve, and enjoy!
Notes
- Storage: Leftovers will keep best in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days or in the refrigerator for 1 week. Once refrigerated, it will become more dense.
- Freezing: For long-term storage, wrap the cake tightly in plastic wrap and freeze for up to 2 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 60 minutes
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Oven
Just made this-SO AMAZING!! It has a nice crunch on top and super flavorful throughout. Didn’t do the drizzle-didn’t want to add more sugar/sweetness to it and it wasn’t missed.
My husband has fond childhood memories of eating coffee cake. I made this today and he said it’s the best coffee cake he’s ever had in his life! Thank you for making this happy recipe.