Vegan Coffee Cake

This vegan coffee cake recipe features a fluffy vanilla cake with a warm cinnamon filling and a sweet cinnamon streusel topping. It’s moist, flavorful, and perfect with your next cup of coffee!

Ready for more vegan cake recipes? Try my vegan chocolate cake, vegan carrot cake, vegan lemon cake, and vegan strawberry cake next.

Cake and coffee go hand in hand, so why not pair the two to make the perfect dessert? 

Granted, there’s no actual coffee in my vegan coffee cake recipe, but I can’t think of a better pairing with coffee than a delicate, cinnamon-infused cake with a tender crumb and sweet glaze on top. 

Table of Contents

1. Why I love this recipe
2. Ingredients needed
3. How to make vegan coffee cake
4. Arman’s recipe tips
5. Storage instructions
6. More vegan desserts to try
7. Vegan Coffee Cake (Recipe Card)

Why I love this recipe

• Simple ingredients. Like my vegan birthday cake, there are no niche ingredients or vegan substitutions needed.  
• Perfect for cinnamon lovers. Cinnamon is baked into the batter AND the crumble topping. 
• Surprisingly easy to make. Granted, there a few steps are involved, but I promise everything is simple.

Ingredients needed

• All-purpose flour. Sifted to remove any clumps. Use gluten-free flour if needed. 
• Sugar. I used white sugar, but you can use brown sugar or coconut sugar. Just note the cake will be darker in color. 
• Baking soda. Gives the cake some rise and fluffiness. 
• Salt. Amplifies the other ingredients. 
• White vinegar. Interacts with the baking soda to replace eggs and help the cake rise. I tried apple cider vinegar and wasn’t thrilled about the flavor, so I used white vinegar. 
• Vanilla extract. A must for any good cake recipe! 
• Oil. Use a neutral flavored oil, like vegetable oil, canola oil, or refined coconut oil. 
• Non-dairy milk. I used unsweetened almond milk, but coconut milk, soy milk, or oat milk all work. 
• Cinnamon. For the cinnamon sugar filling! Use a strong flavored cinnamon, like Saigon cinnamon. 

For the crumble topping:

• Butter. I recommend using vegan butter from a block, not a spread. The latter often has water added to it, which can affect the texture of the crumb topping. 
• All-purpose flour. Use gluten-free flour if needed. 
• Coconut sugar. You want the sugar for the crumble topping to be darker so it has a more robust flavor. I used coconut sugar, but you can use brown sugar. 
• Cinnamon. Always room for more cinnamon! 
• Glaze. I used a mixture of powdered sugar and water. 

How to make vegan coffee cake

I’ve included step-by-step photos below to make this recipe easy to follow at home. For the full printable recipe instructions and ingredient quantities, scroll to the recipe card at the bottom of this post.

Step 1- Prep. Preheat the oven to 180C/350F and line a 9×13-inch baking dish with parchment paper. 

Step 2- Make the filling and crumb topping. In a small bowl, combine the cinnamon filling ingredients. In a separate bowl, combine the crumble topping ingredients and mix until a coarse texture remains. 

Step 3- Make the cake batter. In a large mixing bowl, add the dry ingredients. Stir in the wet ingredients until combined.

Step 4- Layer. Spread half of the coffee cake batter into the prepared pan. Sprinkle the cinnamon filling over it. Pour the remaining cake batter on top and top the batter with the crumble topping. 

Step 5- Bake. Bake the cake for 30-35 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. 

Step 6- Add glaze. Let the cake cool completely. Once cool, whisk the glaze ingredients together and drizzle over the top.

Arman’s recipe tips

• Feel free to use only brown sugar. Just note the cake will be darker in color. 
• Keep an eye on the cake. Since oven makes and models differ, yours might take more or less time than mine. If you’re uncertain, check the cake with a toothpick every 5 minutes after the 25-minute mark. 
• But try to avoid overbaking it. The cake should be pulled from the oven when a toothpick comes out ‘just’ clean. 
• Enhance the flavor. Add a little nutmeg and cloves to the cinnamon mixture. It won’t detract from the cinnamon, rather, it’ll intensify it. 
• Add coffee! While traditional coffee cake doesn’t have coffee in it, that doesn’t mean we can’t get creative! Replace ¼ cup of milk with cooled coffee, or add one teaspoon of espresso powder.

Storage instructions

To store: Leftover coffee crumb cake should be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to three days or in the fridge for up to two weeks. 

To freeze: Transfer cake slices to a freezer-ready container and freeze for up to six months.

More vegan desserts to try

• Vegan brownies
• Vegan chocolate chip cookies
• Vegan blondies
• Vegan cookie dough

Originally published September 2020, updated and republished June 2024