This recipe for Vegan Cinnamon Streusel Coffee Cake is adapted from Betty Crocker's old-fashioned 1970s recipe. Our American-style coffee cake is egg-free and dairy-free, yet features the best crunchy streusel topping and a soft, fluffy sponge. This cake is perfect if you love the flavours of cinnamon buns or anything with a sweet cinnamon theme. As this is an American coffee cake, it's not actually flavoured with coffee; rather, it's a type of cake that's traditionally served alongside a nice cup of coffee or tea.
A streusel coffee cake is a fluffy and light sponge cake that has a crisp cinnamon streusel topping baked directly on top of the cake - the result is just delicious and very moreish and has the potential to easily become your new favourite bake.
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Origin of cinnamon streusel coffee cake
In Britain, a coffee cake is actually flavored with coffee, but in the US, an American coffee cake is less likely to contain actual coffee or coffee essence.
Instead, an American-style coffee cake is actually a cake that is intended to be eaten along with a cup of coffee. Cinnamon is a popular flavor for coffee cake and is frequently used to flavor the streusel or crumb topping that is scattered over the unbaked cake. It's easy to understand, as the flavors of sweet cinnamon pair so nicely with freshly brewed coffee.
American coffee cakes are said to have German origins, as German immigrants to the American colonies brought over their family recipes for streusel and crumb cakes. As a result of the American revolt over the British tea taxes, which led to the Boston Tea Party protest of 1773, coffee began to be a popular drink within the colonies as tea was rejected. A slice of coffee streusel cake was the perfect accompaniment to the new hot drink of choice.
American coffee cake is commonly enjoyed for brunch or even breakfast so it's ideal for a special brunch for those extra special days - such as Mother's Day, Father's Day, Easter, Thanksgiving, or just as an everyday treat along with a nice cup of coffee or tea. It can be enjoyed warm from the oven and even served with custard or cream for dessert.
What is a streusel topping?
The term "streusel" is a German word that means to scatter, strewn, sprinkle, or throw in granules. The streusel topping is commonly made with a mixture of flour, sugar, margarine or vegan butter, and cinnamon powder, and is sprinkled over the cake batter before baking.
Who is Betty Crocker?
Betty Crocker is a name that many of us are familiar with, especially when we find ourselves flipping through the pages of a cookbook, browsing recipes online, or even seeing those instant cake mixes on the supermarket or store shelfs. However, you might be surprised to learn that Betty Crocker isn't a real person as instead, she is a fictional character created as a marketing tool.
The story begins in the early 1920s with the Washburn-Crosby Company, which would later become part of General Mills. They wanted a way to connect with customers and answer their cooking and baking questions in a more personal manner. Thus, Betty Crocker was born, her last name taken from a retired company director, William Crocker, and her first name chosen for its warm, friendly sound.
Betty Crocker became the face of the company, representing the stereo-typical homemaker - knowledgeable in the kitchen, gracious, and always ready with a helpful tip or a delicious recipe. Over the years, she has been portrayed in various images, updated to reflect the changing times and to continue appealing to new generations.
Through radio shows, cookbooks, and grocery products Betty Crocker has shared countless recipes and cooking advice, becoming a trusted name in American homes.
In essence, Betty Crocker symbolises the essence of American cooking - blending traditional baking with modern baking.
Our vegan cinnamon streusel cake does not require many ingredients as the main cake is prepared with just 6 pantry ingredients while the streusel topping only needs 4 pantry ingredients. It is also very easy and quick to prepare as the main cake ingredients are simply added to a bowl and mixed. Likewise the topping is mixed in one bowl.
Vegan streusel coffee cake
This vegan recipe for coffee cake has been adapted from the Betty Crocker recipe for Favorite Coffee Cake from the Betty Crocker Cookbook (1972).
Betty Crocker's recipe includes egg and shortening, while our vegan recipe omits the egg and uses vegetable oil instead of shortening. The result is an amazingly light, fluffy, and perfectly moist sponge.
The flavours are similar to cinnamon rolls or buns, and the streusel topping is nicely crunchy, crisp, and chewy in places.
The original recipe instructs that the cake be baked at a higher temperature of 375°F or 190°C and for a shorter time of 25-30 minutes.
However, for this vegan recipe, we reduced the temperature to 350°F/180°C, which increased the cooking time to 40-45 minutes for an electric oven, and this worked beautifully.
This coffee cake is perfect for baking for loved ones on Mother's Day or Father's Day, and is especially suitable for kids to try their hand at baking with adult supervision.
So why not surprise your mom, mum, grandmother, or special someone with a delicious Mother's Day breakfast, brunch, or afternoon tea?
How To Prepare
We like to keep our vegan baking frugal and budget-friendly and so aim to only use easily accessible every-day store cupboard ingredients for our recipes. We try not to use any specific vegan ingredients such as egg-replacers as with the right recipe they are generally not required.
For this vegan cinnamon streusel coffee cake the ingredients you will require for the cake part are - plain or all-purpose flour, salt, baking powder, granulated sugar, vegetable oil and dairy-free milk. However, if preferred you can use any type of milk.
For the cinnamon streusel topping ingredients you will need - plain or all-purpose flour, vegan margarine or butter, powdered cinnamon, and dark brown sugar.
First prepare the cinnamon streusel topping:
Step 1: Add the flour, margarine, brown sugar and cinnamon into a small bowl.
Step 2: Using your fingertips rub the margarine into the rest of the ingredients until it resembles clumpy crumbs.
Step 3: Set the crumble aside until the cake is ready to be baked.
Next prepare the coffee cake:
Step 1: Add the flour, baking powder, plant-based milk, vegetable oil, salt, and sugar into a mixing bowl.
Step 2: Using an electric hand whisk or stand whisk blend until everything is combined - this won't take long so don't over mix. Alternatively mix with a mixing spoon.
Step 3: Scoop the cake batter into a cake pan.
Step 4: Sprinkle the cinnamon streusel mixture over the cake.
Step 5: Bake for 40-45 minutes.
Step 6: Cool in the cake pan for at least 15 minutes before carefully removing from the pan.
Step 7: Serve warm or cool on a cooling rack to room temperature.
Recipe Notes
Storing
Store the cake for 4-5 days, possibly a day or so longer.
Store the coffee cake within a cake tin or similar. If storing the cake within a plastic container then the cake can be wrapped with kitchen foil as this will help keep the topping crisp. Although even if the topping does go a little soft it can be revived by warming the cake in a hot oven for a few minutes.
Likewise older slices of cake can be refreshed by placing in a hot oven for a few minutes.
To freeze wrap the room temperature cake in food and freezer safe wrap and freeze for 2-3 months. To defrost, remove the wrappings and allow the cake to defrost to room temperature. If necessary pop the cake or slices of cake into a hot oven to re-freshen and re-crisp the streusel topping.
FAQ
Of course, if you are not keen on cinnamon as the main flavour you can always leave it out or replace it with warm spices of your choice - such as apple pie spice mix, pumpkin pie spice mix, mixed spice, all-spice, powdered ginger, etc. Or omit the spices all-together.
We like to use soya milk or oat milk for our bakes as we find these have the best results but you can use any kind of dairy-free milk you prefer.
If you are vegetarian or prefer to use another milk other than plant-based milk, then this will work fine with this cake recipe.
We like to use sunflower oil or rapeseed oil, or just oil that is labelled as - vegetable oil - as we find that those types of oil do not have a strong flavour as they are quite neutral. But if you have a specific oil that you like best for baking then you can use that.
More vegan brunch, breakfast or afternoon tea recipes
The following are our family favourite recipes that we enjoy for breakfast, brunch, morning coffee or tea break, afternoon tea, or as an after dinner supper-time snack. They are all British classics and as they are egg-free and dairy-free recipes and only use every-day pantry ingredients they are very frugal yet delicious!
The Mincemeat Crumble Traybake is easily adapted as the sweet mince-meat filling can be switched out for fruit jam, stewed apples or applesauce. Likewise the Old-Fashioned Cherry Scones can have the candied cherries switched out for a dried or candied fruit of your choice.
The Traditional Scotch Pancakes can be enjoyed warm with maple or golden syrup or your choice of toppings or served cold spread with vegan butter and fruit jam which is a particular favourite with our family.
And finally our Old-Fashioned Seed Cake is a Victorian classic and is perfect for any afternoon tea especially a Hobbit themed tea party, or even for a Downton Abbey afternoon tea. Although, we do especially like seed cake for brunch as well as for part of our Scottish New Years buffet.
***please note: for US measurements click the 'US customary button' within the recipe and the measurements will switch to tablespoons, cups, and ounces.***
📖 Recipe
Vegan Cinnamon Streusel Coffee Cake
Equipment
- cake pan/tin 8-9 inch diameter lined with baking paper or cake paper insert
- electric hand whisk optional, can just mix by hand with a mixing spoon
- Mixing bowls
- cooling rack
Ingredients
Cake:
- 235 grams plain flour [all-purpose flour]
- 2 ½ teaspoon baking powder
- 140 grams granulated sugar [or caster sugar]
- ½ teaspoon salt [we use sea salt]
- 150 mililitres plant-based milk [such as soya, oat or almond, or replace with your usual milk]
- 70 grams vegetable oil [such as sunflower or rapeseed]
Streusel topping:
- 70 grams dark brown sugar [or light brown sugar]
- 45 grams plain flour [all-purpose flour]
- 3 tablespoons vegan margarine [or vegan butter]
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon powder [add an extra ¼-½ teaspoon of cinnamon if stronger flavour preferred]
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 160 Fan / 180 C / 350 Fahrenheit / Gas 4.
- Prepare the cake pan by greasing with a little margarine and lining with baking paper. Or pop in a paper cake insert.
Prepare the streusel cake topping:
- Add all the streusel ingredients to a bowl and rub the margarine into the rest of the ingredients until the mixture resembles clumpy crumbs.70 grams dark brown sugar, 45 grams plain flour, 3 tablespoons vegan margarine, ½ teaspoon cinnamon powder
Prepare the cake batter:
- Pop all the cake ingredients into a mixing bowl and use an electric hand whisk or a stand whisk to beat all the ingredients together. This won't take long as it just needs mixing until everything is combined.Alternatively whisk by hand using a mixing spoon.235 grams plain flour, 2 ½ teaspoon baking powder, 140 grams granulated sugar, ½ teaspoon salt, 150 mililitres plant-based milk, 70 grams vegetable oil
- Scoop the cake batter into the cake pan and level out the top so that it is evenly spread out.
- Sprinkle over the streusel crumb topping.
- Bake on the middle oven shelf for 40-45 minutes. Fan ovens will likely be quicker than other oven types so if using a fan oven check your cake at the 40 minute mark.Our electric oven [180C] usually takes 45 minutes to bake the streusel cake and we don't test the cake until the 45 minute mark for done-ness.The cake is ready when the dark golden top is firm and a skewer popped into the middle comes out clean. Although, the streusel topping will firm up more as it cools.
- Allow the cake to cool for 15 minutes within the cake pan before carefully removing to cool on a cooling rack. The coffee cake can be eaten warm from the oven or at room temperature.
Notes
- This coffee cake can be stored in a cake tin or a similar container for 4-5 days, and possibly a bit longer. If you opt to store it in a plastic container, it's advisable to wrap the cake in kitchen foil. This helps maintain the streusel topping's crunchiness.
- For longer storage, the streusel cake can be frozen, wrapped in food wrap and kitchen foil, for up to 2-3 months. Just remember to remove the food wrappings before defrosting it to room temperature.
- If you have leftover slices that you'd like to refresh, simply pop them into a hot oven for a few minutes. This method is perfect for reviving that fresh-baked warmth and crispness, making your cake feel like it's straight from the oven.
- Feel free to adjust the amount of cinnamon in the streusel topping according to your taste preferences. If you're a fan of strong cinnamon flavours, adding an extra ¼-½ teaspoon of cinnamon will enhance the cake's warmth and spice.
- When baking, especially if you're using a fan oven, it's crucial to check your cake at the 40-minute mark to prevent over-baking. Each oven is unique, so adjustments to baking times may be necessary to achieve that perfect bake.
- This coffee cake is perfect for various occasions, from a cozy family brunch to a special afternoon tea. It's an especially great treat for celebrating special days like Mother's Day, Father's Day, Easter, or for a Thanksgiving brunch.
- You can serve this cake warm from the oven with custard, cream, or a scoop of ice-cream. Or at room temperature with a nice cup of tea or coffee.
Nutrition
Comments
Prepared our Vegan Cinnamon Streusel Coffee Cake? We would love to know how you got on with the recipe as it's one of our all-time family favourites. It would be very appreciated if you would drop us a comment below and click the star ratings. Thanks so much! Love, Jacq x
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