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    Home » Cakes and Cupcakes

    Vegan Coffee Cake

    Published: Mar 15, 2021 Updated: Mar 15, 2021 by Alison Andrews This post may contain affiliate links

    Jump to Recipe Print Recipe
    Vegan Coffee Cake

    Insanely delicious vegan coffee cake. This isn’t just a cake to eat with your coffee, this is a decadent coffee flavored cake!

    Slice of coffee cake on a cake lifter.

    It was a bit of a surprise to me when I found out that folks in America call something a coffee cake when it’s meant to be eaten alongside your coffee. It doesn’t necessarily have any coffee in it.

    Whereas in the UK (and South Africa, where I’m from), a coffee cake is a cake flavored with coffee.

    So this vegan coffee cake, is a coffee flavored cake. Just in case you were thinking it’s one of those ‘eat with your coffee’ kind of cakes, not flavored with coffee at all.

    This isn’t one of those. But you CAN eat this with your coffee of course and the coffee flavor is just fabulous! If you love cakes then also check out the most amazing vegan chocolate cake and our awesome vegan biscoff cake.

    The Coffee Flavor

    I was vaguely considering going the route of using filter coffee in this, but decided against it because I’ve tried that before in a cake and the flavor doesn’t come through strongly enough.

    So this coffee cake has 3 tablespoons of instant coffee powder, and the flavor is there, it’s sooo there.

    And this way you don’t even have to put on a pot of coffee, you just have to spoon it in, it’s too easy.

    What You Need For The Cake:

    Photo of the ingredients to make vegan coffee cake.

    Ingredient Notes

    • Instant coffee powder – we used instant espresso powder which worked great but any instant coffee will do perfectly.
    • Canola oil – can be replaced with any vegetable oil.
    • Apple cider vinegar – can be replaced with distilled white vinegar. This reacts with the baking soda and causes the cake to rise.
    • Soy milk – can be switched for any non-dairy milk.

    What You Need For The Frosting

    Photo of ingredients for frosting.

    Frosting Ingredient Notes

    • Vegan butter – ideally choose a vegan butter that is as firm as possible. It can either be sticks or tub-style vegan butter, but the firmer the better. Very soft buttery spreads sometimes don’t work as well in frostings as they tend to be too soft.
    • Coffee liqueur – you can use any coffee liqueur. We used kahlua. If you don’t want a boozy frosting then you can replace this with non-dairy milk.
    • Instant coffee powder – this can be any instant coffee, we used instant espresso powder.
    Slice of coffee cake on a cake lifter.

    How To Make Vegan Coffee Cake

    You will find full instructions and measurements in the recipe card at the bottom of the post. This is a summary of the process to go along with the process photos.

    • Sift all purpose flour into your mixing bowl and add light brown sugar, baking soda, cinnamon, salt and instant coffee powder. Mix together.
    Two photo collage showing dry ingredients added to mixing bowl and mixed together.
    • Add soy milk, vanilla extract, oil and vinegar and mix into a batter. Don’t overmix.
    Collage of two photos showing wet ingredients added to mixing bowl and mixed into a batter.
    • Divide the batter evenly between two 8-inch cake pans (sprayed with non-stick spray and lined with circles of parchment paper on the bottom).
    • Bake at 350°F for 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of one of the cakes comes out clean.
    • Let the cakes cool for a few minutes before removing them from the cake pans and placing onto a wire cooling rack to cool completely before frosting.
    Collage of two photos showing coffee cake before and after baking.
    • Add powdered sugar, vegan butter, coffee liqueur, instant coffee powder and vanilla extract to the bowl of your stand mixer and starting at slow speed, gradually increase speed until the frosting is thick and smooth.
    Collage of two photos showing ingredients for frosting added to stand mixer and mixed together.
    • When the cakes have cooled completely, frost them.
    • Place the frosted cake into the fridge for an hour for the frosting to set.
    Two photo collage showing cakes cooling on wire cooling rack and then the frosted cake on a white cake stand.

    Recipe Tips

    Measure the flour correctly. Either weigh your flour on a food scale (for complete accuracy) or use the spoon and level method. Spoon the flour into your measuring cup and then level off the top with a knife. Don’t scoop it and don’t pack it into the cup.

    Don’t over-mix your batter. Mix the batter until just mixed. Over-mixing the batter can affect the texture and the rise of the cake.

    Bake immediately. When the batter is mixed, transfer to your cake pans and bake right away. Don’t let the batter sit for any length of time or it can affect the texture and rise.

    Adapt for different cake pans. You can also make this cake in two 9-inch round cake pans. Bake for 25 minutes.

    Slice of coffee cake on a white plate with a cake fork.

    Recipe FAQ

    Can you make it gluten-free?

    You can switch the regular flour for a gluten-free all purpose baking blend in the same quantity.

    Can you make cupcakes?

    This recipe makes 18-24 cupcakes. Or you can check out our vegan coffee cupcakes recipe.

    How to store it?

    Keep it covered at room temperature where it will stay fresh for 2-3 days or covered in the fridge where it will last for up to a week.

    Can you freeze this cake?

    You can freeze the frosted or unfrosted cake for up to 3 months.

    Slice of coffee cake on a white plate with a bite removed.

    More Vegan Cakes

    1. Easy vegan chocolate cake 
    2. Vegan Vanilla Cake
    3. Vegan White Cake
    4. Vegan Lemon Cake
    5. Vegan Banana Cake
    6. Vegan Carrot Cake 

    Did you make this recipe? Be sure to leave a comment and rating below!

    Slice of coffee cake on a white plate with a cake fork.

    Vegan Coffee Cake

    Insanely delicious vegan coffee cake. This isn’t just a cake to eat with your coffee, this is a decadent coffee flavored cake!
    4.96 from 73 votes
    Print Pin Rate
    Course: Baking, Cakes, Dessert
    Cuisine: Vegan
    Diet: Vegan
    Prep Time: 15 minutes
    Cook Time: 30 minutes
    Total Time: 45 minutes
    Servings: 12
    Calories: 591kcal
    Author: Alison Andrews

    Ingredients

    • 3 cups All Purpose Flour (375g)
    • 1 ½ cups Light Brown Sugar (300g)
    • 1 ½ tsp Baking Soda
    • 1 tsp Cinnamon
    • ¾ tsp Salt
    • 3 Tbsp Instant Coffee Powder or Instant Espresso Powder
    • 1 ½ cups Soy Milk (360ml) or other non-dairy milk
    • 3 tsp Vanilla Extract
    • ¾ cup Canola Oil (180ml) or Vegetable Oil
    • 1 ½ Tbsp Apple Cider Vinegar

    Frosting:

    • 4 cups Powdered Sugar (480g)
    • ½ cup Vegan Butter (112g)
    • ¼ cup Coffee Liqueur (60ml)
    • 1 Tbsp Instant Coffee Powder or Instant Espresso Powder
    • 1 tsp Vanilla Extract
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    Instructions

    • Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C). Spray two 8-inch* cake pans with non-stick spray and line the bottoms with circles of parchment paper. 
    • Sift all purpose flour into your mixing bowl and add light brown sugar, baking soda, cinnamon, salt and instant coffee powder. Mix together. 
    • Add soy milk, vanilla extract, oil and vinegar and mix into a batter. Don’t overmix. 
    • Divide the batter evenly between the two prepared 8-inch cake pans and smooth down. 
    • Bake for 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of one of the cakes comes out clean. 
    • Let the cakes cool for a few minutes before removing them from the cake pans and placing onto a wire cooling rack to cool completely before frosting. 
    • Add powdered sugar, vegan butter, coffee liqueur, instant coffee powder and vanilla extract to the bowl of your stand mixer and starting at slow speed, gradually increase speed until the frosting is thick and smooth. 
    • When the cakes have cooled completely, frost them and then place the frosted cake into the fridge for an hour for the frosting to set. 

    Notes

    1. Measure the flour correctly. Either weigh your flour on a food scale (for complete accuracy) or use the spoon and level method. Spoon the flour into your measuring cup and then level off the top with a knife. Don’t scoop it and don’t pack it into the cup. 
    2. 9-inch cake pans: You can also make this cake in two 9-inch round cake pans. Bake for 25 minutes. 
    3. Coffee Liqueur: You can use any coffee liqueur. We used kahlua. If you don’t want a boozy frosting though you can replace this with non-dairy milk. 
    4. Gluten-Free: You can switch the regular flour for a gluten-free all purpose baking blend in the same quantity. 
    5. Cupcakes: This recipe makes 18-24 cupcakes.
    6. Storing: Keep it covered at room temperature where it will stay fresh for 2-3 days or covered in the fridge where it will last for up to a week.
    7. Freezing: You can freeze the frosted or unfrosted cake for up to 3 months. 
    8. This recipe was first published in November 2017. It has been updated with new photos and the recipe itself has been increased to fit larger cake pans and adjusted for simplicity. 

    Nutrition

    Serving: 1Slice | Calories: 591kcal | Carbohydrates: 93g | Protein: 4.3g | Fat: 21.7g | Saturated Fat: 3.1g | Sodium: 416mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 65.8g
    DID YOU MAKE THIS RECIPE? Rate it & leave your feedback in the comments section below, or tag @lovingitvegan on Instagram and hashtag #lovingitvegan
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    About the Author

    Hi I'm Alison Andrews, I'm the voice and cook behind Loving It Vegan. I love making delicious vegan food and creating vegan versions of all your old favorites, so that you’ll never feel like you’re missing out. Find out more about me here.

    Loving It Vegan is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com. This site may contain some of these links to Amazon.com. If you make a purchase through one of those links, Loving It Vegan will receive a small commission from the purchase at no additional cost to you.

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Maryam says

      March 27, 2022 at 3:26 pm

      Sooo tasty and easy to make. Moist and flavoursome!5 stars

      Reply
    2. Kaizeen Gandhi says

      March 14, 2022 at 11:49 am

      This cake turned out amazing! My non vegan friends couldn’t believe it was vegan. It was moist, not dry and crumbly like a lot of vegan cakes. Just the perfect coffee flavor. The frosting was a perfect complement, although I left out the liquer.5 stars

      Reply
      • Alison Andrews says

        March 14, 2022 at 12:25 pm

        Thanks so much Kaizeen! So happy you loved it!

        Reply
    3. Annelie says

      February 24, 2022 at 11:28 am

      I made the cake, no problem, but when i took out out the pans and left it on the wire rack to cool, it broke apart. Just cracked into a few big pieces. So frustrating! What went wrong?

      Reply
      • Alison Andrews says

        February 28, 2022 at 9:27 am

        Hi Annelie, I’m not sure what went wrong. Did you make any substitutions of ingredients?

        Reply
    4. Cannelle says

      December 09, 2021 at 9:39 am

      I made this cake for my colleagues and it was simply amazing! Everybody loved it, it is super easy to do and the result is incredible! Thank you for this wonderful recipe!5 stars

      Reply
      • Alison Andrews says

        December 09, 2021 at 12:18 pm

        Thanks so much Cannelle!

        Reply
    5. Susan Aitchison says

      November 14, 2021 at 10:35 pm

      So YUMMY. Thanks Alison.

      Reply
      • Alison Andrews says

        November 15, 2021 at 11:58 am

        Awesome! You’re very welcome Susan!

        Reply
    6. Fiona says

      October 14, 2021 at 1:02 am

      I made this cake for my husband on Fathers Day he, myself and the kids loved it. I think next time I would like to substitute some of the almond/coconut milk with more of the Coffee liqueur inside the cake for a bolder taste.

      As usual, I did cut back significantly on the sugar5 stars

      Reply
      • Alison Andrews says

        October 14, 2021 at 10:18 am

        Awesome Fiona! Thanks for the wonderful review! Just a note though that I have tried putting the liqueur in the cake and it made the cake crumbly, the alcohol can affect the structure of it.

        Reply
    7. Mo says

      September 04, 2021 at 10:50 am

      Thanks for this fantastic recipe! Was a hit. I made a gluten free version and for the flour I used half cassava flour and half oat flour. I make the oat flour myself by blending oats in my nutribullet. Texture of the cake was great. I also subbed the light brown sugar with coconut sugar as that’s what I had available. I think it would be sweeter if I’d used the light brown sugar instead of coconut sugar, but the cake was perfect for our taste, and also the sweet frosting combined with the cake worked great. I also used home made cashew milk as that’s the only vegan milk available where I live! (This is basically a handful of cashews plus water blended up in a nutribullet, no straining involved) I’ll be making this again! Thank you! I want to try your tiramisu and mozzarella recipes next!5 stars

      Reply
      • Alison Andrews says

        September 04, 2021 at 11:36 am

        Awesome! So glad it was a success Mo! Thanks so much for the wonderful review!

        Reply
    8. Jay says

      August 19, 2021 at 5:31 am

      Made this recipe in a 9×13” pan and halved the icing recipe since we aren’t the biggest icing fans and it worked great! I think some people may want to adjust the amount of instant coffee powder/ espresso powder they add based on its specific strength. We had a fancier coffee powder and the coffee flavor was a little intense but still worked great.

      How would you adjust ingredient quantities for (2) 7” cake pans? I wanted to try making a smaller round cake!5 stars

      Reply
      • Alison Andrews says

        August 19, 2021 at 10:07 am

        Hi Jay! Thanks so much for sharing! You could halve the recipe for a two layer 7-inch cake. Bake for around 25 minutes. All the best! 🙂

        Reply
    9. Mama sia says

      August 11, 2021 at 5:15 am

      Just made this and it’s insanely delicious! I used unsweetened cashew milk and 2 shots of Nespresso coffee. Made them into 11 mini loaves. Didn’t make the frosting just dusted some icing sugar. Divine!5 stars

      Reply
      • Alison Andrews says

        August 11, 2021 at 10:23 am

        Awesome! So glad you enjoyed it! 🙂

        Reply
    10. Kathy says

      July 13, 2021 at 1:51 am

      Can you use a sheet cake pan?5 stars

      Reply
      • Alison Andrews says

        July 13, 2021 at 10:50 am

        Hi Kathy, yes you can. For a 9×13 sheet cake, bake time will be in the region of 35 minutes.

        Reply
    11. Chantelle says

      July 05, 2021 at 8:34 pm

      Can you also add liquor to the cake mixture as well as the icing

      Reply
      • Alison Andrews says

        July 06, 2021 at 10:31 am

        Hi Chantelle, I haven’t had success doing that myself, what usually happens is the alcohol affects the structure of the cake and it’s super crumbly. I haven’t found a way to make that work yet.

        Reply
      • Chantelle says

        July 06, 2021 at 2:40 pm

        Thank you for getting back to me

        Reply
    12. Emma Gibson says

      June 15, 2021 at 2:14 pm

      Can I add walnuts into the batter before baking? And could I bake it in a 2lb loaf tin and for how long? Thanks!

      Reply
      • Alison Andrews says

        June 15, 2021 at 2:42 pm

        Hi Emma, walnuts (up to 1 cup, chopped) should be fine! But I don’t know about the loaf pan, it may take a long time to bake and then you may end up with undercooked middle and overcooked outside. I can’t advise on the exact time since I haven’t made it in a loaf pan, but I would estimate at least 50 minutes but maybe longer. And if it starts to really over-brown on top you may need to tent it with foil.

        Reply
    13. Unnati Gokhale says

      June 08, 2021 at 12:41 pm

      Alison, Thank you for sharing such a nice recipe. My husband is vegan…So I always make vegan cake. In your recipe you have said to add soy milk…Instead of that I used water. It turned out very nice. Texture was also good.5 stars

      Reply
      • Alison Andrews says

        June 09, 2021 at 7:45 am

        So glad it was a success! Thanks for the great review!

        Reply
    14. Lynette Smith says

      May 29, 2021 at 9:20 am

      Without question the best vegan cake I have ever made! Sometimes vegan cakes can have a slightly chewy texture but not this one. Light, fluffy and delicious!5 stars

      Reply
      • Alison Andrews says

        May 30, 2021 at 7:54 am

        Awesome! Thanks a million Lynette!

        Reply
    15. Elison Lau says

      May 20, 2021 at 7:25 am

      Hi there Alison
      Can I use Japanese CAKE FLOUR instead of all purpose flour?
      If so, how do I adjust the amount of baking Soda?

      Thank you !

      Reply
      • Alison Andrews says

        May 20, 2021 at 9:27 am

        Hi Elison, honestly I don’t know! It may be fine, but if it’s crumbly, then it will be the flour that is to blame. I would keep the baking soda and everything else exactly the same.

        Reply
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