For an easy weekend morning treat, grab a slice of this soft vegan blueberry breakfast cake. It’s packed with fresh blueberries and covered with a simple crumb topping. This cake is an absolute must for any brunch gathering.
Usually, for morning get-togethers I’m quick to reach for my vegan banana bread or vegan lemon loaf. But lately, this blueberry breakfast cake has become everyone's favorite.
It's great for breakfast, brunch, family gatherings, holidays, potlucks, or as a sweet dessert with your evening cup of coffee.
Everyone will be raving about this breakfast cake!
So move over ordinary coffee cake, this crumb-topped vegan blueberry coffee cake is taking over brunch!
Ingredients
This coffee cake is made with the 9 simple vegan ingredients below.
Ingredients notes and substitutes
- Flour – Use all-purpose flour for the best results. For a gluten-free breakfast cake, substitute with a 1:1 ratio gluten-free flour.
- Cane Sugar – This can be replaced with any granulated sugar if needed.
- Coconut sugar – If you don't have coconut sugar, use brown sugar instead.
- Coconut oil – The cake batter requires melted coconut oil and the crumb topping requires the oil to be solid. If you need to substitute them, use neutral vegetable oil for the batter and vegan butter for the topping.
- Yogurt – Any brand of plant-based yogurt will do. Use plain or vanilla-flavored vegan yogurt. See below to replace the yogurt.
- Blueberries – Fresh berries are best but frozen can be used as a substitute. For a variation of this breakfast cake, use one of the suggestions I've listed below to replace the blueberries.
Can I make this cake without yogurt?
Sure!
Simply replace the yogurt with ¼ cup non-dairy milk mixed with 1 Tablespoon lemon juice. Set aside for 3-5 minutes to create "buttermilk". Use in place of the yogurt.
However, I recommend using yogurt if you can. It helps to keep the cake soft and moist.
Instructions
This vegan blueberry breakfast cake comes together in a few easy steps.
Step 1: Mix together the wet ingredients.
Step 2: Add in the sifted dry ingredients.
Step 3: Gently mix until the batter is fully combined with no dry flour in the batter.
Step 4: Add the blueberries to the bowl.
Step 5: Carefully fold them in.
Step 6: Evenly spread the batter into a baking dish.
Step 7: Top the batter with the crumb topping, and bake at 375ºF for 30-40 minutes.
Allow the coffee cake to cool for at least 30 minutes before slicing it.
The result is a deliciously moist vegan blueberry coffee cake.
Enjoy it for breakfast, brunch, or dessert!
Blueberries
This recipe uses fresh blueberries, but you can always replace them with frozen blueberries.
Blueberry Substitutes
For a variation of this blueberry breakfast cake, try one of these fruit replacements.
- frozen cherries
- raspberries
- blackberries
- cranberries
- dried pineapple bits
How to correctly measure the flour
Correctly measuring the flour is important for the texture of the coffee cake. If you add too much flour the cake will be dry and dense. Not enough flour will yield a sticky cake.
So to accurately measure the flour, use the "scoop and level” method.
- First, fluff the flour in the canister with a spoon.
- Then, spoon the flour into the measuring cup.
- Finally, use the flat back of a knife to level off the flour.
Using this technique will yield the best batter and cake consistency. The batter should be slightly thick, yet “airy” when mixing.
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Recipe
Blueberry Breakfast Cake (vegan)
Vegan blueberry breakfast cake is packed with fresh blueberries and covered with a sweet crumb topping. It's an absolute must for brunch gatherings or a simple morning cup of coffee.
Ingredients
Crumb Topping
- ⅓ cup coconut sugar or brown sugar
- ½ cup all-purpose flour
- 3 Tablespoons refined coconut oil, solid
Dry
- 2 and ½ cups all-purpose flour, sifted
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon Himalayan pink salt
- 1 and ½ cups fresh blueberries
Wet
- 1 cup non-dairy milk
- ⅔ cup cane sugar, powdered (see note)
- ⅓ cup plain non-dairy yogurt, vanilla flavor is okay too
- ⅓ cup refined coconut oil, melted
- 1 Tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Instructions
Crumb Topping
- In a medium bowl, mix together the flour and sugar.
- Using a pastry cutter, or fork, cut in the solid oil until there are no large oil chunks. It should be similar to a 'sand' consistency.
Breakfast Cake
- Preheat your oven to 375ºF and oil a 9x9-inch baking dish.
- In a medium bowl, sift the dry ingredients together (except the blueberries) and set aside.
- In a larger bowl whisk together the oil and powdered cane sugar. Then whisk in the remaining wet ingredients.
- Pour the dry ingredients into the bowl of wet ingredients. Using a spatula, gently fold the ingredients together just until they are combined. Tip: Be sure not to overmix the batter or your cake may come out dense and chewy instead of soft and fluffy.
- Now, gently fold the blueberries into the batter folding only about 3 times so as to not overmix. Then, pour the batter into your prepared baking dish.
- Top the batter with the crumb topping.
- Bake at 375ºF for 30-40 minutes. The top should be browned and a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake should come out clean.
Allow the cake to cool for at least 30 minutes before slicing.
Notes
- For the crumb topping, the coconut oil can be replaced with vegan butter or shortening.
- To substitute the yogurt, use ¼ cup non-dairy milk mixed with 1 Tablespoon lemon juice. Set aside for about 5 minutes to create a “buttermilk”.
- To powder the sugar, measure it first then blend it in a nutri-bullet or high-speed blender until the sugar becomes a powder. Powdering the sugar creates a smoother cake.
- Store the cake in an airtight container on the counter for up to 2 days or in the refrigerator for up to 7 days. To freeze, wrap the cake in plastic wrap and store it in an airtight container or freezer bag for up to 3 months.
- To enhance the flavors add a bit of lemon zest to the wet ingredients.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 9 Serving Size: 1 sliceAmount Per Serving: Calories: 276Total Fat: 2gSodium: 228mgCarbohydrates: 60gFiber: 1gSugar: 42gProtein: 5g
**Nutritional info is provided as an estimate based on the ingredients I used and for convenience and as a courtesy only.**
Vegan Morning Favorites
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Manuel almendarez
I tried it a couple months ago and it came out pretty good.
Marlena Luna
That's great to hear, Manuel!
Allie
Can I use a metal baking dish instead of ceramic? Do you think I would need to adjust the cooking time?
Marlena Luna
Yes, a metal baking dish can be used. I would check the cake about 5-10 minutes earlier, around 20-30 minutes into baking. Enjoy! :)
Debbie
I made this yesterday and we ate it for breakfast today - it is FABULOUS! It was easy to make, and tastes so moist and delicious. A keeper recipe for sure. I followed the recipe exactly and used fresh blueberries.
Marlena Luna
Awesome! So glad the recipe was a hit!
Miri Ovadia
Looks really nice , I will probably make it soon.
As for measuring flour or any other “powdery” things I find I do prefer to get it in grams or oz.
Unfortunately I noticed lately that there are different measurements for a cup of flour in different places in the world … so the best is to get it in the recipe rather then trying to convert it myself.
Thank you for sharing you recipes.
Marlena Luna
You are correct, weighing the flour--and other dry ingredients--in baking recipes is definitely best. When weighing flour I measure 1 cup at 128 grams. Enjoy!!
T
Hmm am currently making this and have followed the recipe exactly, no substitutions, and after gently folding the wet & dry together I have a rather thick dough as opposed to a batter... Any idea why this would be the case?
Where you get your protein
The batter should be slightly thicker, not pourable, but not dough-like either. It's best to use the scoop and level method when measuring the flour to not add too much. It sounds like possibly too much flour or not enough liquid.
Ruth
I made this with Almond flour to have lower carbs then I did not powder the sugar & totally messed it up :(
Where you get your protein
Oh no! :( Almond flour does not bind well since there is no gluten in it. It’s best to replace no more than 25% (or 1/2 cup for this recipe) of the all purpose flour for almond flour. Powdering the sugar keeps the cake texture light and smooth. However, powdering cane sugar and other fine sugars should not ruin the recipe. It just may not have as smooth of a texture.
Emily
Hi! Would I just be able to use regular powdered sugar instead of powdering it myself?
Where you get your protein
Yes, you can use powdered sugar in place. Enjoy, Emily!
Jayne
Any suggestions on what could replace the oil?
Where you get your protein
An equal amount of applesauce or mashed banana can be used as a replacement but it may change the texture a bit. Enjoy, Jayne!
Miriam
Can you make this gluten free?
Where you get your protein
I have not tested this recipe with gluten free flour, but I think it should work. Just be sure to use a 1:1 ratio blend. If you try it let us know how it comes out. Enjoy, Mariam!
Amanda
Hi! Can I premake the batter and bake it within a day or two? Adding the Blueberries before I bake it?
Where you get your protein
Hi Amanda! It’s best to make the batter fresh. You can prep and store the dry ingredients until you’re ready to bake the cake. Then, just add the wet ingredients, fold in the blueberries, and bake. Enjoy!
Esther
Can I use frozen blueberries?
Where you get your protein
Yes! Frozen blueberries will work. Enjoy!