Pumpkin Coffee Cake (Vegan)

An autumnal twist on a classic coffee cake, this vegan pumpkin coffee cake is the perfect fall treat. Spiced with cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves, this moist and fluffy cake is topped with a sweet, crumbly streusel.

Whether enjoyed with a hot cup of coffee for a seasonal breakfast treat or a steaming cup of tea in the evening, this pumpkin coffee cake will have you wishing it was fall year-round.

Ingredients for Vegan Pumpkin Coffee Cake

• All-purpose flour: An all-purpose gluten-free flour blend can be substituted. (The result will be slightly more dense.)
• Granulated sugar
• Baking powder
• Salt
• Cinnamon, nutmeg, ground cloves: Classic pumpkin spice flavors. Feel free to add more/less to your preference, or simply use a pre-mixed pumpkin pie spice.
• Vegan butter: My favorites are the kind from Trader Joe’s, Miyoko’s, or Country Crock.
• Pumpkin purée: Libby’s makes my favorite. Make sure you don’t accidentally pick up pumpkin pie filling.
• Plant milk: Any kind works.
• Vanilla extract

Ingredients for the Streusel Topping

• Flour
• Dark brown sugar: The dark brown variety contributes an extra depth of flavor.
• Cinnamon & nutmeg: Again, feel free to adjust to your preference, or use pre-mixed pumpkin pie spice.
• Salt: Key to balancing out the sweetness in the crumble topping.
• Softened butter: Many streusel recipes call for cold, cubed butter cut into the dry ingredients. Personally however, I’ve tried it with melted, softened, and cold butter, and I prefer the texture when using softened butter.

Ingredients for the Glaze

• Powdered sugar
• Plant milk
• Vanilla extract

How to Make Pumpkin Coffee Cake

Step 1 — Prep the streusel topping by combining all ingredients to form a crumbly mixture. Pop it in the fridge while you make the coffee cake.

Step 2 — Mix dry ingredients together (flour, spices, leavening, and salt).

Step 3 — Cream together butter and sugar until very light and fluffy. This is important so don’t skimp on the mixing. (An electric mixer makes this step much easier.)

Step 4 — Beat the pumpkin purée into the creamed butter and sugar mixture.

Step 5 — Add dry mixture, along with plant milk and vanilla extract. You can use your electric mixer to get started mixing everything together.

Step 6 — Swap to a rubber spatula near the end to avoid over-mixing the batter. Gently fold in the remainder of the visible flour.

Step 7 — Spread about half the batter in the bottom of a parchment-lined 8×8″ baking pan. Sprinkle half of the streusel topping over.

Step 8 — Repeat with the remaining batter and streusel topping.

Step 9 — Bake in preheated 350°F oven for 45-50 minutes, until center is set and a toothpick/knife inserted into the center comes out clean (or with only a few moist crumbs).

Step 10 — Allow to cool most of the way before drizzling with icing.

Sarah’s Recipe Tips

• Make sure to cream your butter and sugar long enough. The mixture will start off a little crumbly. Keep beating until it looks noticeably fluffy and lighter in color. It should expand in size quite a bit. This usually takes 2-3 minutes. Whipping air into the mixture will provide extra structure and lift to the coffee cake.
• Customize the spice blend to your preference. Add more or less of the cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg depending on your preference. You can try adding ginger, allspice, and cardamom for a spicier flavor. Add only cinnamon and nutmeg if you want a more classic coffee cake flavor profile.
• Let your coffee cake cool all the way. I know it’s very tempting to cut into your pumpkin coffee cake right after it comes out of the oven, but the texture won’t be perfect if you don’t allow it to cool completely. Resist the temptation!

Vegan Pumpkin Coffee Cake

With a fluffy, moist cake and a sweet, crumbly streusel topping, this vegan Pumpkin Coffee Cake is the perfect sweet treat for autumn. Pour yourself a steaming cup of coffee or tea and enjoy!

5 from 5 votes

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Author: Sarah Sullivan

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Equipment

• electric mixer
• 8×8" baking pan
• parchment optional

Ingredients

• ▢ 2 cups all-purpose flour
• ▢ 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• ▢ 2 teaspoons baking powder
• ▢ 3/4 teaspoon salt
• ▢ 2 teaspoons cinnamon
• ▢ 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
• ▢ 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
• ▢ 1/2 cup vegan butter softened at room temperature
• ▢ 1 cup pumpkin purée
• ▢ 1/2 cup plant milk
• ▢ 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Streusel Topping

• ▢ 1 cup flour
• ▢ 1 cup dark brown sugar packed
• ▢ 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• ▢ 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
• ▢ 1/4 teaspoon salt
• ▢ 6 tablespoons softened butter

Glaze

• ▢ 1/3 cup powdered sugar sifted
• ▢ 1-2 teaspoons plant milk
• ▢ 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 350°F and lightly grease an 8×8" baking pan, or line with parchment so the cake can be easily lifted out of the pan.

Prepare the Streusel

• Prep the streusel ahead of time so it's ready to go. Mix together flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt.
• Add in the softened butter and mix until the ingredients come together in a crumbly mixture. I like to use a fork or my hands for this. The mixture should be fairly crumbly but it should be fairly evenly-hydrated — meaning there shouldn't be a lot of dry flour in the mix. If there is, keep mixing to combine everything a bit more. Pop the mixture in the fridge until ready to use.

Make the Coffee Cake

• In a large mixing bowl, cream together softened butter and granulated sugar for 3-5 minutes. The mixture should go past the stage where it is crumbly, and become very fluffy, smooth, and light in color.
• Add the pumpkin purée into the mixture and beat until incorporated.
• To the same bowl, add flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, milk, and vanilla extract.
• Beat together until it is almost fully mixed, but there's still a bit of the dry mixture visible. At this point I like to swap to a rubber spatula to help ensure that I don't over-mix. Fold the batter until everything is just combined, and there is no more dry flour. The batter will be quite thick and fluffy.
• Transfer the batter to your prepared 8×8" pan and spread about half of it out in an even layer. (I like to use an offset spatula for this but a rubber spatula works fine too.)
• Take the streusel topping from the fridge and use your hands to crumble about half of it over the top of the batter in an even layer.
• Top the streusel with the remainder of the batter and spread it in another even layer. It can be a little tricky to spread the batter over the first layer of streusel. It can be helpful to dollop the batter around the pan first so you're not spreading it all out from one spot. Then gently spread.
• Add the remainder of the streusel topping to the top of the coffee cake.
• Bake in a preheated oven for 40-50 minutes — this can vary quite a bit oven-to-oven. If you gently shake the pan, the center should be completely set (not jiggly at all). A knife/toothpick inserted into the center should come out clean or with only a few moist crumbs. Lastly, the streusel topping should be crisp and not soggy — if it still looks wet, cook for an extra 5 minutes and check again.
• The cake will be a bit gummy if you cut into it right away. I recommend allowing it to cool in the pan for about 30 minutes before enjoying.

Make the Glaze (optional)

• If preferred, you can skip the glaze and simply dust the cake with powdered sugar once it has had a chance to fully cool. (The sugar will melt if the cake is too warm.)
• If making the glaze, whisk together all ingredients and drizzle over the cooled coffee cake.

Storing

• The streusel topping will lose some of its crisp if leftovers are stored in an airtight container. I recommend leaving it in the pan on the counter, and loosely tenting it with foil to help it stay crispy.

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