Delicious Vegan Chocolate Coffee Cake

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This delicious vegan coffee cake has all the flavors of coffee cake with a chocolate twist.

Before going, vegan coffee cake at Starbucks used to be my favorite.

That thick slab of cinnamon and sugar deliciousness was a great treat.

I worked on a vegan coffee cake recipe more like the Starbucks one a few years back.

But for this recipe, I wanted to take a different chocolate spin on it.

So, I took my original recipe and made it chocolate-style!

And, guys, it's tasty!

I mean, who doesn't want chocolate for breakfast?!

Okay, maybe a lot of you don't want chocolate for breakfast.

But I, for one, am always ready for some chocolate desserts in my life.

Some tips for this vegan chocolate coffee cake:

This batter is VERY sticky, and I like to keep it that way because it leads to a lovely tender crumb.

But with it being sticky, it makes it super hard to spread.

Lucky for us, I found a pretty easy way to make it work, and all you need is some saran wrap and some cooking spray.

Take a sheet of saran wrap a little bigger than your 8×8 pan and spray some cooking spray on one side.

Then place the spray side on the dough and spread it that way.

When you're doing the filling, spread that evenly.

Now take the remaining dough and drop it as evenly as you can so you keep the filling where it needs to be.

It's not too bad, I promise!

Vegan Chocolate Coffee Cake Recipe Q&A

Can I use coconut oil for the oil?

You can just melt it; first, it may have a hint of coconut flavor. 

I wouldn't use olive oil; that is a bit too strong of oil for baking. 

Does a coffee cake have coffee in it?

No, traditionally, the coffee cake does not have coffee beans in it and doesn't have any coffee flavor. 

Coffee cake just pairs nicely with coffee. 

I'm sure some recipes out there have coffee and are made for more of a coffee lover.

Can this be made gluten-free?

Yes, if you want to make this gluten-free, use gluten-free flour in a 1:1 ratio. 

What do you need for this vegan coffee cake?

Check out the recipe card at the bottom of this post for the full recipe. 

• vegan butter 
• white sugar
• brown sugar
• vanilla extract
• vegan milk (oat milk, soy milk, almond milk, coconut milk)
• all purpose flour
• unsweetened cocoa powder
• salt
• vegan buttermilk (2 teaspoons white vinegar or apple cider vinegar added to the milk, let sit for 5 min)
• baking powder
• baking soda
• vegan chocolate chips
• neutral oil (vegetable oil)
• Cinnamon

How do you make this chocolate coffee cake?

Start by preheating your oven to 350 degrees.

Lightly grease an 8×8 pan with cooking spray and set it aside.

Make your vegan buttermilk by putting two teaspoons of white vinegar in a glass liquid measuring cup, then fill the rest of the way to ¾ cup with plant milk.

Stir, set aside, and let sit until you're ready to use it ( this will thicken up a bit).

Take your stand mixer or electric mixer and a large bowl and cream the vegan butter and sugars from the cake recipe area. 

Then add in the 2 TB plant milk and 1.5 teaspoon vanilla mix until incorporated; you may need to scrape down the sides with a rubber spatula.

Add all the dry ingredients but the flour; baking powder, baking soda, cocoa powder, and salt mix.

Then add in your flour and buttermilk mixture until incorporated.

Stir in the chocolate chips, and set aside.

Divide your batter in half and spread it in the 8×8 pan; this batter is sticky and not the easiest to work with.

Grab a sheet of plastic wrap or parchment paper and spray with oil, then place the oil side down on the batter and push it down to spread it.

If you don't have saran wrap, try wetting or greasing your hands or a wet spatula; it will make spreading easier. Set aside.

Mix your filling by combining the topping/filling ingredients (minus the chocolate chips) in a small bowl and mix with a fork until crumbly.

Take a little less than half of this mixture and spread it evenly on the cake batter in the pan.

Then take the rest of the batter and carefully spread it over the top of the filling; you'll want to take your oiled saran wrap to spread it carefully.

Then top with the remaining topping and sprinkle with the top of the cake with 2 TB chocolate chips.

It's time to bake!

 Baking time for this delicious cake is 35-45 minutes; checking at 35 minutes, a toothpick should come out mostly clean, don't overbake.

Place the pan on a cooling rack or wire rack to cool before serving. 

How do you serve this vegan chocolate coffee cake?

This is best served as slightly warm or at room temperature.

 This tastes good as is or with a side of vegan ice cream or a glass of your favorite vegan milk or of course a cup of coffee!

How do you store leftovers?

You can either place plastic wrap tightly over the cake pan or, for the best results, place cake slices in an airtight container on the counter for up to 5 days. 

Can you freeze the coffee cake?

Yes, let it come to room temperature, then place it in a sealed freezer container for up to 3 months. 

Let defrost on the counter before enjoying. 

If you're looking for some more delicious vegan desserts for breakfast, here are some good ones.

• Vegan Coffee Cake
• Amazing Vegan Blueberry Muffins
• Vegan Poppyseed Bread *This is a killer recipe, always requested.
• Vegan Banana Bread

Vegan Chocolate Coffee Cake

This tasty vegan chocolate coffee cake is perfect for when you're feeling like something a little chocolaty for breakfast or a treat.

5 from 1 vote

Print Pin Rate

Course: All Recipes

Cuisine: American

Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 35 minutes minutes

Total Time: 45 minutes minutes

Servings: 12 slices

Calories: 279kcal

Author: Courtney Hunter

Ingredients

• ▢ 1 stick Earth Balance vegan butter softened
• ▢ ½ cup white sugar
• ▢ ¼ cup brown sugar
• ▢ 1.5 teaspoons vanilla extract
• ▢ 2 tablespoons oat milk or whatever milk alternative
• ▢ 2 cups flour
• ▢ 2 TB cocoa powder
• ▢ ¼ teaspoon salt
• ▢ ¾ cup vegan buttermilk 2 teaspoons white vinegar added to the milk, let sit for 5 min
• ▢ 1 teaspoon baking powder
• ▢ 1 teaspoon baking soda
• ▢ ½ cup vegan chocolate chips

Topping/filling

• ▢ 3 TB oil
• ▢ 1 TB Cinnamon *If you don't love cinnamon use ½ TB
• ▢ ¼ cup flour
• ▢ ⅓ cup sugar
• ▢ ⅓ cup brown sugar
• ▢ ½ TB cocoa powder
• ▢ 2 TB chocolate chips

Instructions

• 1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease an 8x8 pan with cooking spray and set it aside.
• 2. Make your buttermilk by putting two teaspoons of white vinegar in a glass liquid measuring cup, then fill in the rest of the way to ¾ cup. Stir, set aside, and let sit until you're ready to use it ( this will thicken up a bit).
• 3. Take your stand or hand mixer and cream the vegan butter and sugars from the cake recipe area, then add in the 2 TB vegan milk and 1.5 teaspoon vanilla mix until incorporated; you may need to scrape down the sides.  Add the baking powder, baking soda, cocoa powder, and salt mix. Then add in your flour and vegan buttermilk mixture until incorporated. Then stir in the chocolate chips, and set aside.
• 4. Take half of your batter and spread it in the 8x8 pan; this is sticky and not the easiest to work with. Grab a sheet of saran wrap and spray with oil; place oil side down on the batter and push it down to spread it. If you don't have saran wrap, try wetting your hands or a wet spatula; it will make spreading easier.  Set aside.
• 5. Mix your filling by combining the topping/filling ingredients (minus the chocolate chips) in a small bowl and mix with a fork until crumbly. Take a little less than half of this mixture and spread it evenly on the cake batter in the pan. Then take the rest of the batter and carefully spread it over the top of the filling; you'll want to take your oiled saran wrap to spread it carefully. Then top with the remaining topping and sprinkle with the 2 TB chocolate chips.
• 6. Bake in the preheated oven for 35-45 minutes; checking at 35 minutes, a toothpick should come out mostly clean, don't overbake. Let cool before serving.

Notes

Check out the blog post for recipe Q&A

Nutrition

Serving: 1g | Calories: 279kcal | Carbohydrates: 49g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 9g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 5g | Sodium: 238mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 28g

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