Vegan Blueberry Coffee Cake – Rainbow Nourishments

Published: Jul 20, 2024 by Anthea

Vegan blueberry coffee cake with a soft and fluffy lemon-infused sponge, layer of jammy blueberries and buttery crumb topping. This cake is perfect for breakfast or afternoon tea with a cup of coffee!

Simple ingredients you’ll need

The full list of ingredient quantities and instructions are in the gray recipe card at the bottom of this post.

Notes about the ingredients

Blueberries. I’ve tested this recipe with fresh and frozen blueberries and they both work well. If using frozen, you don’t need to defrost them beforehand.

Dairy-free yogurt or apple sauce adds moisture to the cake. It also thickens the cake batter which helps prevent the blueberries and crumble from sinking, or the cake from collapsing.

Melted vegan butter for the crumble topping and oil for the cake. If you’d like a more flavorful cake, you can use half oil and half melted butter (the cake will just be a little denser).

Fresh lemon zest (optional) adds a hint of freshness to the cake, and perfectly complements the juicy blueberries.

Prepare the crumb topping and blueberries

To make the buttery crumble, mix all ingredients in a bowl until combined, the set it aside in the fridge. Chilling the crumble helps firm up the mixture, and gives it a crispier texture when baked.

Then, toss the blueberries in a little flour and sugar until combined. The flour and sugar will absorb any excess blueberry juice in the oven and make a delicious jammy mixture.

Make the simple cake

The cake batter is easy to make as you mix the dry ingredients, and then the wet ingredients in one large bowl. For extra flavor, you can rub the sugar and lemon zest together before mixing all the dry ingredients. This releases more of the flavor and aroma of the lemon into the cake.

Make sure your yogurt and milk are at room temperature. Cold ingredients don’t emulsify well with other ingredients and this will make your batter too thick and curdled.

This recipe makes a thick batter, which is perfect for supporting the weight of the strawberries and crumble!

Assembling the blueberry coffee cake

Pour or scoop the cake batter in your cake pan and smooth the surface with a spatula or spoon.

Then, sprinkle the blueberries on top of the cake. Don’t worry, you don’t have to be precise; just like a blueberry buckle cake, this is meant to be a rustic dessert!

You might have some excess flour from the blueberries. Sprinkle this on top of the blueberries, as it’ll soak up any excess moisture during baking!

Finally, sprinkle the crumble on top of the blueberry layer.

It will take around 65-70 minutes to bake your vegan blueberry coffee cake. If you use frozen berries, it’ll take around 70-75 minutes to bake. This cake takes some time to bake due to the moisture of the blueberries and the dense crumble.

If your cake is browning quickly on top, carefully cover the top with aluminum foil. The cake is ready when you can insert a toothpick in the middle and it comes out clean. Or, if you gently press the middle, it should bounce back slightly (the middle should have the same amount of pressure as the sides of the cake).

Customizing this recipe

More vegan blueberry desserts

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Print Recipe

Vegan Blueberry Coffee Cake

Vegan blueberry coffee cake with a soft and fluffy lemon-infused sponge, layer of jammy blueberries and buttery crumb topping. This cake is perfect for afternoon tea with a cup of coffee!

Prep Time30 minutes mins

Cook Time1 hour hr 10 minutes mins

Total Time1 hour hr 40 minutes mins

Servings: 16 slices

Cook ModePrevent your screen from going dark

Instructions

Prepare the blueberries:

• Add the blueberries, flour and sugar to a medium bowl and toss until combined. Set aside at room temperature. If using frozen blueberries, store the mixture in the freezer.

Make the lemon vanilla cake:

• Optional: Add the sugar and lemon zest to a large mixing bowl and rub with your fingertips until fragrant.

• Add the rest of the dry ingredients (flour, baking powder and salt) to the bowl and whisk until well combined. Add all the wet ingredients (yogurt, milk, oil, lemon juice and vanilla) and mix until just combined. Initially, the batter will be very thick, but it will loosen up after a few minutes.

Assemble and bake the cake:

• Pour the cake batter into your prepared baking pan and smooth the top. Scatter the blueberries on top of the batter (don’t press them down). If there’s any excess flour from the blueberry mixture, sprinkle it on top. Then, sprinkle the crumble on top.

• Bake the cake for 65-70 (if you used fresh blueberries), or 70-75 minutes (if you used frozen blueberries). The cake is ready when the top is golden brown and the blueberries are bubbling. If you insert a toothpick in the center of the cake, it should have no wet batter on it. Or if you gently press the middle of the cake, it should bounce back and feel slightly firm.

• Allow the cake to cool in the pan for 30 minutes then carefully transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

• Use a serrated knife to cut the cake into slices. Serve the cake as is or with some yogurt or ice cream. Store the cake in an airtight container at room temperature for 1-2 days, in the fridge for up to 3 days or in the freezer for up to 1 month.

Notes

1. For more depth of flavor in the cake, you can replace half of the oil with butter. Use 3 tablespoons (45g) oil and 3 tablespoons (45g) melted vegan butter.
2. Make sure your yogurt and milk are room temperature otherwise your batter won’t emulsify as well, and your batter may be too thick.
3. If your butter is still hot, your crumble may resemble a thick paste rather than a crumbly mixture. Don’t worry, because when you chill the mixture will firm it up and become more flakey.

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