Vegan Coffee Cake with Apple Cinnamon Streusel
Ginny McMeans
Published:
September 12, 2023
Last Modified:
June 18, 2024
Vegan Coffee Cake with Apple Cinnamon Streusel has a nice thick layer of fruity streusel topping. Perfect in the morning or as a sweet afternoon snack. Moist coffee cake that’s easy to make.
Coffee cake all started so that you could have a sweet that went perfectly with coffee. It could also be flavored with a bit of coffee. Either way, it has always been a little bit of a heavier cake in texture.
Word has it that coffee cake comes from Germany and has been around since the late 1800s. That’s over a hundred years, so you know it’s got to be a keeper.
Coffee had been popular another hundred years before that. In fact, after the Boston Tea Party of 1773, it was sort of a patriotic duty to drink coffee instead of tea. So, thank you, Germany for a delicious addition.
It’s a perfect treat to pair with coffee and to take your time and relax. That seems to be a morning activity but usually, one that only happens on the weekends.
Hopefully, it happens on the weekends!
Over the years, the concept has remained the same. The recipes have evolved, and this vegan coffee cake fits right in with the most classic.
It even has a little something extra. It’s a thin layer of tiny bits of apple sprinkled in between the batter and streusel and is baked right in.
You are right! It goes great with coffee, too.
Now, you could always have hot tea, iced tea, or even some dairy-free milk alongside. It all works.
Why Use Organic Sugar?
Organic Sugar Ensures that the sugar you are using is vegan.
Regular cane sugar is filtered through bone char, so that process is out.
You can absolutely use coconut sugar. The same measurements as in the recipe, and it is delicious. The color of the cake and streusel will just be a little darker.
Truly, quite often, I use coconut sugar in my recipes. I like the flavor a lot. It’s sort of a cross between maple and brown sugar.
But once in a while, I want something different for the blog. A coffee cake like this one is a whiter, more traditional cake when using organic cane sugar. Whichever one you use, the little bit of time that it took to make is going to pay off in a big way. Delicious.
What Fruit Can I Use in a Coffee Cake!
- For this recipe, you can substitute many different fruits and use them in the same way as the apple pieces.
- Raspberries are a classic.
- No one could complain about blueberries sprinkled in as the fruit layer.
- Sometimes, the fruit sinks down a bit into the batter while it cooks. That only makes the coffee cake more beautiful.
What Are Some Other Breakfast Treats That Go Well With Coffee?
- Muffins! Almost any kind. Muffins tend to be heavier, and you can even use your fingers.
- Quick breads are also perfect. Ones like banana bread or this Black Walnut Pear Bread.
I will admit that these treats aren’t something that you should go for on a daily basis, but they sure are something to look forward to.
Another wonderful thing is that cakes and breads freeze really well. Not one more than the other but all of them. Even moist coffee cake.
A moist coffee cake isn’t something a person thinks of when they think of coffee cake. A person tends to think on the heavier, dryer side of a cake. But as you can see from the photos this isn’t mandatory.
It is absolutely achievable and has proven to be sought after since the internet has come into our lives. Moist coffee cake is a highly searched phrase; now we can have it vegan.
Can You Freeze Vegan Coffee Cake with Apple Cinnamon Streusel?
Perfectly!
TO FREEZE:
After the coffee cake has cooked, you can freeze it as one piece, in half, or as individual pieces.
Use freezer baggies or glass-sided freezer-proof containers. They defrost quickly, so it really doesn’t take any planning.
You can keep the coffee cake frozen for up to 6 months.
Vegan Coffee Cake with Apple Cinnamon Streusel
Ingredients
For the Topping:
- 1/2 cup organic granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1/4 cup dairy free butter, softened
For the Cake:
- 1 tablespoon chia seed meal or flax seed meal mixed with 3 tablespoons water
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup organic granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 3/4 cup dairy free milk
- 1/4 cup dairy free butter, melted
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Apple Layer:
- 1 1/2 cups apple, diced very small, you could also grate it
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375°F, Lightly oil or butter a 9" square baking pan.
- Place the four streusel ingredients into a bowl and mash together with the back of as fork. You should leave it a little lumpy.
- Mix the chia seed or flax seed meal together with the water and set aside to gel.
- To a large bowl add the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, dairy free butter and milk, vanilla, and chia seed mixture. Mix until well combined.
- Pour into the prepared pan and spread evenly.
- Prepare the apple, peeled and grated or diced. This is done at the last minute to keep the apple from turning brown.
- Sprinkle the apple evenly over the batter mixture.
- Evenly spread the streusel mixture over the top of the apple.
- Bake at 375° for 40 to 45 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean after inserting in the center of the cake. Remove from oven and let cool for 10 minutes.
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37 responses to “Vegan Coffee Cake with Apple Cinnamon Streusel”
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My grandmother would make similar cake almost every Saturday! It’s a delicious cake 🙂 -
That streusel topping looks amazing! I wouldn’t mind having a slice or two of this cake right now. -
What a delicious cake! I had no idea that regular granulated sugar isn’t vegan!! Wow! mind blown!!!! -
Ooh I LOVE streusel topping, (I’ve just posted some vegan blueberry muffins with streusel topping!) – this sounds incredible – have pinned and bookmarked to try! -
Way to combine two very tasty things – high five!!! -
Love that cinnamon topping, looks so delicious! -
I made this on Saturday for a brunch with a group of non vegans. I only used a 1/2 cup of sugar in the batter. Everyone loved it and it went fast! A few people asked me if there was any more! I shredded my apple and it really made the cake for me. Looking forward to making this again (a friend requested I make it for an upcoming camping trip). Thanks for a great recipe! -
Would it be ok to omit the flax/chia mixture if I don’t have it on hand?
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It is the substitute for eggs so any egg substitute would work but it does need to be in there Audrey. They get mixed with the amount of water that is in the recipe and become the ‘egg’.
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Hello, I’m so eager to bake this as it looks so delicious but
I was wondering if you have ever double the recipe?-
I am so glad you like the recipe Serena. I have not doubled the recipe and the baking time would be a bit longer as the coffee cake would be thicker in a 9×13 casserole. It depends on the size pan you use so I really can’t give you an exact baking time without trying it myself. Your safer bet is to use 2 9×9 pans.
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Do you think I could substitute the butter in the batter with coconut oil?
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I don’t think so Ashle. Unless they now have it in a whipped form. Liquid would be too wet and solid would be too hard to combine.
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Hi,
Quick question. You mentioned you can use different fruit. If I were to use raspberries, should I use fresh, frozen or jam?
Dee-
I believe fresh would be best Dee. The defrosted raspberries might be too wet after they defrosted and jam could just turn out to be s sticky topping.
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Would a 9x9x2 pan work for this recipe?
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Yes, that is exactly the right size Caitlin.
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Do I really need the flax/chia flour or can I just use normal flour instead?
Thanks 🙂-
It isn’t really working as flour Lisa it is an egg substitute. Both flaxseed meal and chia gels with the right amount of water to make an egg. So any of your egg substitutes would work including 3 tablespoons applesauce.
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Can I use pineapple ?
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I think you should be able to Kimberlyn. Blot it after cutting it up so that there is less moisture.
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Hi
I can‘t see the coffee listed in the ingredients?
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A coffee cake is a breakfast cake you eat with coffee Layla. They go well together. It might be a cultural name in America only.
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Very diplomatic answer, Ginny!!😂
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Can I use gluten free flour? Almond flour? Chickpea flour? Any non gluten flour?
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I don’t really know what the change would be if you made this with just one flour type so I would say you’d need to get a gluten-free flour mix that is a 1:1 substitute. I know Bob’s Red Mill has one and Arrowhead Mills does too. Charlene.
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Hi, Ginny! We love this recipe. I made one change – I substituted 1/3 cup of applesauce for the flax meal, and it makes it EVEN MORE delicious, if that were possible. I have one baking in the oven now, and I just want to thank you for this wonderful recipe.-
Thank you and I am so glad your family loves it Debra. Applesauce sounds great!
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This was an amazing recipe. Delicious!! Thank you. -
i was wondering can you use coconut oil in the place of dairy free butter?? I’m slowly getting into dairy free an egg free food..
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No, it wouldn’t work Joni. You wouldn’t get the crumble that you need for the topping or the lightness you need for the cake.
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Is it normal for the batter to be super thick? I made it and worried it would be dense. And it is but man is it good!! That topping over the diced apples…brilliant! -
Yummy, I’m going to use mashed banana as an egg replacer — last time I used applesauce and it worked well! -
When I 2 or 3 times the recipe it does not change the size of the pan.
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No, it doesn’t do that Ann. If you double the recipe use two 9″ square pans. It hasn’t been tested in a 9″x13″ pan.
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This is delish! I mostly followed the recipe (well I did cut the white sugar down a bit and used 1/4 cup in the cake). I used part brown sugar part and white sugar in the streusel topping and added some pecans with the apples. It is really good! Can’t wait to have a piece with my coffee in the AM…(If there’s any left) -
Great recipe! I haven’t found a vegan butter yet that I can eat with my specific intolerances, so had to make a couple of subs: coconut oil in the topping, and avocado oil in the cake itself. Subbed half the flour in the streusel with rolled oats to make it a bit more crumble-y vs streusel-y. Added an extra teaspoon of vanilla, baked for forty minutes… perfect! Thanks for a beautiful coffee cake recipe!
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