This vegan coffee cake is soft, spongy, moist, and packed with coffee flavor. And if you like, you can even fill it with a layer of coffee custard or with homemade hazelnut cream.

It is also a very easy recipe to make with simple ingredients you already have in your pantry.

vegan coffee cake
vegan coffee cake

Check out our best plant-based dessert recipes!

What to expect

vegan coffee cake

Depending on where you live you might think of a coffee cake as a cake that is eaten alongside your coffee or of a cake that is coffee flavored. While our vegan coffee cake is delicious with coffee, it’s also a cake with coffee flavor.

To give the cake the coffee flavor we use strong Italian coffee, but you can also use instant coffee. Also, we tried this cake with three different fillings and they are all delicious.

Pick the one you like the most: one is a delicious hazelnut cream that goes perfectly well with the coffee flavor. The other is our vegan coffee custard, a recipe that is extremely easy to make and also delicious.

Thirdly, you can soften the coffee flavor by making a vegan custard filling. In some cases, this might be a more kid-friendly version.

This vegan coffee cake can be eaten with your coffee, but it’s also delicious on its own, as a breakfast treat, as a plantbased dessert, or as an afternoon snack. You can also serve it without filling.

Ingredients and substitutions

For the cake

  • Flour: you can use all-purpose flour, bread flour, whole-wheat flour, or spelt flour. For a gluten-free version, use a store-bought gluten-free flour mix for cakes.
  • Sugar: we use plain white sugar or unrefined brown sugar. You can replace it with coconut sugar, or any other granulated sugar.
  • Coffee: we use real coffee, made with Espresso beans in an Italian Moka. You can use any strong black coffee. Alternatively, you can replace it with 3 tablespoons of instant coffee dissolved in 1 cup (250 grams) of hot water.
  • Plant milk: we use soy milk, any other plant milk will work.
  • Vegetable oil: we used sunflower oil. You can replace it with any vegetable oil that has a mild flavor. You can even use melted vegan butter if you like.
  • Baking powder: you can replace it with a cream of tartar.

For the hazelnut cream filling

  • Hazelnuts: whole and peeled. Not salted.
  • Plant milk: we use soy milk, any plant milk will work.
  • Sugar: we used brown sugar, but any sugar will work.
  • Cornstarch: This is used to thicken the cream. We do not recommend replacing this ingredient, but if you are allergic you could use potato starch instead.

For the coffee custard

  • Coffee: strong black coffee.
  • Plant milk: we use soy but other types work well too.
  • Sugar: white or brown.
  • Cornstarch: to thicken the custard.
vegan coffee cake round

Instructions

For the coffee cake

Preheat the oven to 340F or 170C. Prepare your springform pan by oiling it and dusting it with flour.

Make the coffee. Either strong espresso or you can dissolve 3 tablespoons of instant coffee into 1 cup of hot water.

strong espresso coffee

Then in a bowl, add coffeesugarsoy milk, and oil and mix well with a spatula.

Sift in flour and baking powder and mix with a hand mixer or with a whisk for a few seconds. Don’t over-mix the batter. Over-mixing will result in a dense, heavier cake.

sifting flour and baking powder into the wet ingredients

Transfer the cake batter to the springform pan and bake in the oven at 340F or 170C for 40 to 50 minutes.

transferring cake batter into springform pan

To check doneness Insert a toothpick in the cake at the 40 min mark, if it comes out dry, then the cake is ready.

checkin doneness with skewer

Take the cake out of the oven and let it cool down for at least 30 minutes on a cooling rack.

You can either serve the cake as is or fill it with our vegan coffee custard (see recipe link in the notes) or with a hazelnut cream filling.

vegan coffee cake filled with custard

For the coffee custard filling

In a pot off the heat, add plant milksugarcornstarch, and coffee. Stir well with a whisk until all the lumps of the cornstarch are gone.

making the vegan coffee custard

Bring the pot on the heat, set it on low, and stir continuously until the liquid thickens into a creamy custard. It can take between 2 to 5 minutes, depending on the quantities.

vegan coffee custard

For the hazelnut cream filling

Toast the hazelnuts in the oven at 360F or 180C for 8 minutes. Then blend them at high speed together with the soy milk. Blend for at least 3 minutes. The liquid should be as smooth as possible.

blending the ingredients for the hazelnut cream

In a saucepan, off the heat, add the blended hazelnut milksugar, and cornstarch, and whisk until there are no lumps.

On medium heat, cook the liquid while stirring until it thickens into a smooth hazelnut cream. It should take about 1 minute. Let it cool down before adding it to the cake.

hazelnut cream
hazelnut cream

How to fill the vegan coffee cake

Make the coffee syrup to moisten the cake

This step is optional but I really recommended it for two reasons:

  1. The coffee syrup will keep the vegan coffee cake soft and moist.
  2. The coffee syrup will add even more coffee flavor to the cake.

To a bowl, add 1/3 cup of coffee and about 2 tablespoons of sugar. Stir to dissolve the sugar. Set aside.

making the coffee syrup

Cut the coffee cake open and apply syrup

With a serrated knife, cut the cake in half. With a spoon apply the coffee syrup, evenly, to the base layer of the cake.

applying coffee syrup on the vegan coffee cake

Then add the hazelnut cream filling or the vegan coffee custard onto the base layer, spread with a spoon, and cover with the top layer.

adding vegan custard in the vegan coffee cake

If you like you can sprinkle the cake with powdered sugar, then slice and serve. My advice is to wait a couple of hours before eating it. The day after will taste even better.

the vegan coffee cake is ready

Serving suggestions

  • Change the filling: to a chocolate custard, pistachio custard, or for an even more full coffee flavor, a coffee custard. If you wanna neutralize the coffee flavor, or you’re serving the cake to children that are not used to coffee, try this vanilla custard instead.
  • Serve with fresh fruit: strawberries, blueberries, and raspberries are perfect and colorful pairings for this cake.

PSST! If you’re also a big fan of vegan Italian recipes, we hear you! If we missed one of your favorite Italian recipes on our site, let us know in the comments below. Comments and ratings help us improve our content, so leave us a note below if you like what we do ❤️

How to scale this recipe?

Easy! We calculated the scaling number for you. Pick the springform pan that you want to use for your cake, then multiply all the ingredients in our recipe box by the scaling number in this table.

Springform pan sizeScaling Number
4 inch (10 cm)0.22
5 inch (13 cm)0.31
6 inch (15 cm)0.44
7 inch (18 cm)0.60
8 inch (20 cm)0.79
9 inch (23 cm)1
10 inch (25 cm)1.23
11 inch (28 cm)1.5

How do I know if my cake is fully baked?

Checking with a toothpick if the cake is cooked

Depending on the type of oven, type of milk, and type of flour, your cake will take more or less time to cook than our cake.

For this reason, when baking ANY cake, you should always check the core of the cake with a clean toothpick or skewer before you take your cake out of the oven.

To do that, just insert the toothpick or the skewer in the center of the cake. If the toothpick comes out clean and dry it means that your cake is ready. If the toothpick comes out wet, then bake for a few minutes longer, then check again.

Tips

  • Don’t over-mix the batter: at least with vegan cakes, you should try not to over-mix the batter because mixing too much will activate the gluten in the flour, which in turn will make the cake heavier. It’s a fine balance between breaking the lumps without over-mixing the batter.
  • Wait sometime before eating it: this vegan coffee cake tastes better a few hours after it’s made, and even better the day after. This is because the coffee aroma, the sugar, and the hazelnut have time to come together and intensify.

Questions

Can I prepare this vegan coffee cake in advance?

Yes. This cake is best served 3 to 4 hours after it’s made, and it tastes even better the day after.

Is the recipe scalable? Can I make a taller cake?

Yes. You can scale the recipe and you can make a taller cake. However, I would advise you to cook the different layers in different cake pans. Adding more batter to the same cake pan will be difficult to cook properly.

Storage

To keep the cake soft and moist keep it in a food-grade plastic bag. You can keep it for up to 4 days in the refrigerator or in a corner of your kitchen out of the sunlight.

You can also freeze the cake for up to 3 months. Thaw in the refrigerator till soft. You can warm it up for a few seconds in the microwave if you like.

For many more easy dessert ideas, check out our desserts category page.

coffee cake on a white plate

Vegan Coffee Cake

By: Nico Pallotta
4.84 from 12 votes
This vegan coffee cake is soft, spongy, moist, and packed with coffee flavor. And if you like, you can even fill it with a layer of coffee custard or with hazelnut custard.
It is also a very easy recipe to make with simple ingredients you already have in your pantry.
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 45 minutes
Hazelnut filling: 15 minutes
Servings: 12 slices
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: Italian

Equipment

  • Blender for the hazelnut filling
  • Springform pan (the one that opens on the side): we used a 9 inch pan (23 – 24 cm).

Ingredients

For the vegan coffee cake

  • cups all-purpose flour or whole-wheat
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1 cup strong espresso coffee or 3 tbsp of instant coffee dissolved in 1 cup (240 grams) of hot water.
  • cup soy milk or any other plant-milk
  • cup vegetable oil canola, sunflower, or other
  • 1 tablespoons baking powder or cream of tartar

For the coffee syrup

  • cup coffee
  • 2 tablespoons sugar

For the hazelnut cream filling

  • ¾ cup hazelnuts
  • 1 cup soy milk or any other plant milk
  • ¼ cup sugar
  • 3 tablespoons cornstarch double it to get a thicker cream

For the coffee custard filling

  • 1 cup coffee strong
  • 2 cups plant milk soy, almond, oats or other
  • ½ cup sugar
  • ¾ cup cornstarch

Instructions 

For the coffee cake

  • Preheat the oven to 340F or 170C. Prepare your springform pan by oiling it and dusting it with flour.
    oiled springform pan
  • Make the coffee. Either strong espresso or you can dissolve 3 tablespoons of instant coffee into 1 cup of hot water.
    Then in a bowl, add coffee, sugar, soy milk, oil and mix well with a spatula.
    Sift in flour and baking powder and mix with a hand mixer or with a whisk for a few seconds.
    Don't over-mix the batter. Over-mixing will result in a dense, heavier cake.
    mixing all the ingredients in a bowl
  • Transfer the cake batter into the springform pan and bake in the oven at 340F or 170C for 40 to 50 minutes.
    To check doneness Insert a toothpick in the cake at the 40 min mark, if it comes out dry, then the cake is ready.
    transferring the cake batter into the cake pan
  • Take the cake out of the oven and let it cool down for at least 30 minutes on a cooling rack.
    You can either serve the cake like as is, or fill it with our vegan coffee custard (see recipe link in the notes) or with a hazelnut cream filling.
    taking the cake out of the cake pan

For the hazelnut cream filling

  • Toast the hazelnuts in the oven at 360F or 180C for 8 minutes.
    Then blend them at high speed together with the soy milk. Blend for at least 3 minutes. The liquid should be as smooth as possible.
    blending the ingredients for the hazelnut cream
  • In a sauce pan, off the heat, add the blended hazelnut-milk, sugar, and cornstarch and whisk until there are no lumps.
    stirring with a whisk
  • On medium heat, cook the liquid while stirring until it thickens into a smooth hazelnut cream. It should take about 1 minute. Let it cool down before adding to the cake.
    hazelnut cream

For the vegan custard filling

    How to fill the cake

    • Make the coffee syrup: to a bowl add coffee and sugar. Stir to dissolve the sugar. Set aside.
      making the coffee syrup
    • With a serrated knife, cut the cake in half. With a spoon apply the coffee syrup, evenly, on the base layer of the cake.
      applying coffee syrup on the vegan coffee cake
    • Then add the hazelnut cream filling or the vegan coffee custard onto the base layer, spread with a spoon, and cover with the top layer.
      adding a layer of hazelnut cream into the cake
    • If you like you can sprinkle the cake with powdered sugar, then slice and serve. 
      My advice is to wait a couple of hours before eating it. The day after will taste even better.
      slice of vegan coffee cake

    Notes

    Recipe for coffee custard here.
    To keep the cake soft and moist keep it in a food grade plastic bag. You can keep it for up to 4 days in the refrigerator or in a corner of your kitchen out of the sunlight.
    You can also freeze the cake for up to 3 months. Thaw in the refrigerator till soft. You can warm it up for a few seconds in the microwave if you like.
    For the hazelnut cream, if you prefer a thicker cream you can double the amount of cornstarch in our recipe.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 310kcal, Carbohydrates: 47g, Protein: 5g, Fat: 12g, Saturated Fat: 1g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 5g, Monounsaturated Fat: 5g, Trans Fat: 1g, Potassium: 236mg, Dietary Fiber: 2g, Sugar: 24g, Vitamin A: 105IU, Vitamin B6: 1mg, Vitamin C: 2mg, Vitamin E: 2mg, Vitamin K: 12µg, Calcium: 94mg, Folate: 66µg, Iron: 2mg, Manganese: 1mg, Magnesium: 20mg, Zinc: 1mg
    Tried this recipe? Leave a comment below or mention @theplantbasedschool on Instagram. We are also on Facebook, Pinterest, YouTube, and TikTok.

    Nico and Louise in the kitchen

    Hi! We are Nico & Louise

    Welcome to The Plant-Based School, a food blog with easy, tasty, and wholesome recipes.

    Our aim is to help you and your family eat more veggies through delicious recipes with simple ingredients.

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    Recipe Rating




    2 Comments

    1. 5 stars
      Love this recipe, fluffy cake packed with coffee flavour. I used Coffee custard for filling which was yum.
      My cake had a faint soda bitterness , perhaps because of the brand I get here in India.

      1. Hi Vanya, thanks for your message, so happy you liked the cake. Yes, I think it could be the baking powder. The one we use leaves no soda flavour, but there could be some that have some soda aftertaste 🙂