Vegan Berry Crumb Cake

The best part of any crumb cake is the sweet crumble topping. And this one does not disappoint! This Vegan Berry Crumb Cake is easy to make and very versatile. I use a combination of cherries and blueberries in the cake, but you can substitute with your favorite berry. This vegan cake is perfect for brunch, a snack, or a dessert and no one will know it's vegan. The cake is fluffy and moist and the crumb topping will have everyone wanting seconds...or thirds!

This recipe uses simple ingredients and basic baking equipment. It doesn't need an egg substitute either. No food processor or hand mixer needed. You'll only need mixing bowls, measuring cups, and a baking dish.

Making the Cake

To begin, preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Prepare a 9"x 9" square baking dish by spraying with nonstick oil spray. You can also lightly grease with oil or vegan butter. If you only have an 8"x 8" cake pan, increase the cooking time by 5-10 minutes. To make the crumb topping, whisk together the flour, brown sugar, and cinnamon in a medium bowl. Add in the melted vegan butter. Use a fork to mix the ingredients together until it's crumbly. Do not leave any large chunks. Set aside while you prepare the wet ingredients.

Wet Ingredients

In a large liquid measuring cup or a bowl, mix together the non-dairy milk, oil, apple cider vinegar and vanilla extract. The vinegar mixed with the milk will become a buttermilk substitute. I use unsweetened soy milk as my go to dairy free milk for all of my cooking and baking. However, almond milk or oat milk would work well too. I wouldn't recommend using coconut milk as it will give it a coconut flavor. Wondering about the best uses for the different types of vegan milks? Check out Vegan Milk Options - A Look at Non-Dairy Milks. Set aside the milk mixture while you prep the dry ingredients.

Dry Ingredients

In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the plain flour, white sugar, nutmeg, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Set aside.

Next, prepare the fruit. In a small bowl, add 1 tablespoon of flour to the 1 cup of chopped fruit and combine until the fruit is covered in flour. The flour helps keep the fruit from all sinking to the bottom of the pan.

Next, take the non-dairy milk mixture and pour into the flour mixture. Stir until just combined. Avoid overmixing to keep it fluffy. Use a spatula to fold in the fruit and mix lightly. Pour the cake batter into the prepared pan. Spoon the crumb topping in an even layer on the top of the cake batter.

Bake in the preheated oven for 48 minutes or until done. Take it out of the oven and place the baking dish on a cooling rack. Cool before cutting and serve with a cup of coffee or tea! I personally prefer this cake at room temperature but it will taste delicious warm as well. Just don't serve it right from the oven. Store any leftover cake in an airtight container or wrapped in aluminum foil.

Summary

Keep this easy recipe for Vegan Berry Crumb Cake handy for when you need to bring a dish to a get together! It's one that the whole family (and everyone else) will love. My favorite thing about this cake (aside from the cinnamon crumble topping) is that I can use any berry that's in season. While I haven't made it with frozen berries, they would work as well. If you're using them I would defrost them a bit first unless they're small like blueberries. Try this recipe out and let me know what you think!