Vegan Coffee Cake Bread

Just imagine, moist, soft, and fluffy Vegan Coffee Cake Bread with a crumbly streusel topping … so delicious! Made in one bowl, this healthy coffee cake has a simple vegan + gluten free cinnamon cake base with an easy crumble sprinkled on top. Add a drizzle of vanilla bean glaze or serve alongside your morning coffee and thank me later!

Coffee cake has always been one of my favorite breakfast/dessert sweets. The flavors are all warm and cozy + it’s usually easy to make. And since I’ve already mastered gluten free coffee cake (so good!), I wanted to take things to the next level. That’s how this vegan coffee cake bread came into existence and man is it good.

As I mentioned before, if you’re not particular about it being vegan I’d 100% recommend my Gluten Free Coffee Cake. It’s filled with a cinnamon streusel pecan filling and topped with a super easy vanilla bean glaze. Absolutely delicious!

Ingredients

Coconut Sugar – A refined sugar free sweetener that creates a slight caramel-esc flavor in this coffee cake.

Applesauce – A vegan egg replacement that also adds natural sweetness. Make sure to use pureed apple sauce that’s smooth and not a chunky variety.

Coconut Oil – Replaces the traditional butter to keep this an entirely dairy free and vegan coffee cake.

Almond Milk – Any plant based milk alternative would work for this recipe, I simply prefer the neutral flavor + creamy texture of almond milk.

Lemon Juice – The added acidity helps balance the ingredients to create soft and fluffy coffee cake with a good rise to it.

Vanilla Extract – Adds the dreamy vanilla flavor to the coffee cake base and balances with the sweeteners.

Gluten Free Flour – The number brand I use for gluten free flour blends is Bob’s Red Mill. Their Gluten Free 1-1 Baking Flour always creates the best texture in baked goods. You’ll hardly miss the gluten!

Almond Flour – My other go-to gluten free flour option, also a fan of Bob’s Red Mill for this. Be sure to use super fine almond flour though and not almond meal, otherwise the texture may be off.

Cinnamon – It wouldn’t be coffee cake without the cinnamon! I love using ceylon cinnamon for this but feel free to use whatever variety you have.

Baking Powder & Soda – Helps this vegan coffee cake bread rise without the need for eggs.

Cashew Butter – One of my favorite neutral flavored nut butters to use. It doesn’t change the flavor at all just adds structure to the crumble.

How to Make Vegan Coffee Cake

Recipe Note: Prepare all of your wet ingredients ahead of time so it is room temperature otherwise you risk coconut oil clumping if any of the other ingredients (like almond milk and applesauce) are cold.

1. Preheat the oven to 350F and line a 9×5 baking pan with parchment paper
2. To a large mixing bowl combine all wet ingredients – coconut sugar, applesauce, coconut oil, almond milk, vanilla extract, and lemon juice – and whisk together until well combined.
3. Add in your dry ingredients – GF flour, almond flour, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda, and salt – and stir until just combined. Let the batter sit for at least 3-5 minutes so it has time to thicken.
4. While the batter rests – prepare your crumble topping. Add all ingredients to a small bowl and mix with your hands together until evenly combined.
5. Add batter to the 9×5 baking pan and top with crumble.
6. Move to the oven and bake at 350F for 30 – 35 minutes, or until a knife inserted comes out clean. Drizzle with glaze and enjoy!

How to Make Crumble Topping

The key to a good coffee cake is 100% in the streusel / crumble topping. Traditionally a crumble is made with flour, sugar, butter, and such but not this one; we’re making a healthy coffee cake after all!

All you’ll need is gluten free flour, coconut sugar, coconut oil, cashew butter, and ground cinnamon. Then you simply mix everything in a bowl (I usually use my hands!) until it’s well combined and crumbly. Sprinkle it overtop the coffee cake (or any baked good) then let it bake. An easy, healthy, and delicious addition to any sweet!

How to Make Vanilla Bean Glaze

Although this vegan coffee cake bread is already delicious as is … it never hurts to add a glaze 🙂 To make this vanilla bean glaze simply mix ½ cup powdered sugar, 1 tsp vanilla bean paste or sub vanilla extract, and 1-2 tsp water until it reaches desired consistency. Drizzle overtop and enjoy!

What is Coffee Cake

It seems odd to name something “coffee cake” when there’s no coffee in it but who am I to judge? I suppose all that matters is the flavor and coffee cake is full of that!

Traditionally a coffee cake is simply a vanilla and cinnamon based bake with a crumble topping and usually a drizzle of glaze. The “coffee” part comes from the fact that it’s supposed to be enjoyed alongside coffee. Seems simple enough and I’m sure we can all agree, coffee + coffee cake is truly a match made in heaven.

Best Gluten Free Flour for Baking

When it comes to gluten free baking the key factors are texture + flavor. And because of that, a good gluten free flour blend is absolutely needed!

My trusted go-to is Bob’s Red Mill Gluten Free 1-1 Baking Flour. It’s a blend of gluten free flours (like rice) combined with starches and xantham gum. This combination acts in ways similar to gluten while baking. Giving shape, rise, and structure to gluten free baked goods.

For this gluten free coffee cake I also used the fine ground almond flour from Bob’s Red Mill. The quality just can’t be beat!

For more healthy and delicious breakfast options, check out these blog favorites. White Chocolate Raspberry Muffins where the sweetness of white chocolate blends perfectly with slightly tart raspberries! Or for another vegan option, try these Vegan Blueberry Muffins. The muffins are subtly sweet and bursting with fresh blueberry flavor in every bite. Plus they have that delicious crumble on top!

And if you try this recipe, please let me know by leaving a comment and rating in the boxes below! I always love to hear from you, and it also helps other people find this recipe when they search online for the BEST Vegan Coffee Cake Bread 🙂

Vegan Coffee Cake Bread

Author Casey Colodny

Prep: 10 minutes minutes

Cook: 40 minutes minutes

50 minutes minutes

Servings: 8 slices

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A simple vanilla cinnamon loaf with a crumbly streusel on top baked to golden perfection. Drizzle a sweet vanilla bean glaze overtop or enjoy as is. There's nothing quite like a warm slice of coffee cake followed by a sip of cozy coffee!

Ingredients

Wet:

• ⅔ cup coconut sugar
• ⅓ cup applesauce
• ¼ cup coconut oil
• ½ cup almond milk
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

Dry:

• 1 cup 1:1 gluten free flour
• ¾ cup super fine blanched almond flour
• 1 tbsp ground cinnamon
• 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 tsp salt

Crumble Topping:

• ¼ cup gluten free flour
• 3 tbsp coconut sugar
• ¼ cup cashew butter
• 1 tbsp ground cinnamon
• 1 tbsp coconut oil

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 350F and line a 9×5 baking pan with parchment paper
• To a large mixing bowl combine all wet ingredients* – coconut sugar, applesauce, coconut oil, almond milk, vanilla extract, and lemon juice – and whisk together until well combined.
  
• Add in your dry ingredients – GF flour, almond flour, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda, and salt – and stir until just combined. Let the batter sit for at least 3-5 minutes so it has time to thicken.
  
• While the batter rests – prepare your crumble topping. Add all ingredients to a small bowl and mix with your hands together until evenly combined.
  
• Add batter to the 9×5 baking pan and top with crumble.
• Move to the oven and bake at 350F for 30 – 35 minutes, or until a knife inserted comes out clean. Drizzle with glaze** and enjoy!

Notes

*Prepare all of your wet ingredients ahead of time so it is room temperature otherwise you risk coconut oil clumping with the cold ingredients. 

**For the vanilla bean glaze, mix 1/2 cup powdered sugar, 1 tsp vanilla bean paste or sub vanilla extract, and 1-2 tsp water to thin.     

             

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