Vegan Strawberry Crumb Cake

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Vegan strawberry crumb cake - moist vegan vanilla cake topped with juicy fresh strawberries and a crisp crumble topping. It is easy to make with basic ingredients and very moreish!

Close up of a square of vegan strawberry crumb cake.

This vegan strawberry crumb cake uses my vegan American coffee cake recipe as a base, swapping the cinnamon sugar layer for juicy fresh strawberries for a Summery twist.

With a soft, tender vanilla cake base, jammy strawberry layer and buttery cinnamon crumble topping this cake is perfect for strawberry season! You may also love my blueberry crumb cake.

A labelled photo of the ingredients needed to make vegan strawberry crumb cake.

Ingredient Details:

Strawberries: You really want to use fresh strawberries, not frozen ones which would make the cake too wet.

Olive oil: I like to use olive oil but you can swap it for another neutral oil if you prefer, do not use coconut oil however or the cake will be too dense.

Sugar: Caster or granulated sugar is best for the cake, and light brown soft for the crumb topping. Do not use sweeteners or liquid sugars instead.

Non-dairy yogurt: I love using plant yogurt in vegan cakes, it is a great egg replacer and keeps the cake moist as well as adding flavour.

Either soy or coconut yogurt will work, ideally a thick, Greek style one. I haven't tested any substitutes for the yogurt I'm afraid.

Baking powder and bicarbonate of soda (baking soda): You need to use both, they are not interchangeable.

Milk: Any variety of unsweetened non-dairy milk will work (except tinned coconut milk) but I like soy milk the best for baking as it has the highest protein content.

Vinegar: This reacts with the bicarbonate of soda (baking soda) to help the cake rise and give it a fluffy texture.

Plain flour and cornflour: Regular plain (all-purpose) flour with a bit of cornflour (cornstarch) added gives the crumb a nice texture. You can swap the cornflour for an equal weight of plain flour if you don't have any, but I do recommend using it if you can.

Vegan butter: You will need a vegan butter/spread to make the streusel. Either block or spreadable is ok (but not a 'light' variety).

Squares of vegan strawberry crumb cake on a white background with fresh strawberries.

How To Make Vegan Strawberry Crumb Cake:

(Full measurements and instructions can be found in the recipe card at the bottom of the page)

Step 1: To make the streusel topping, mix the flour, sugar and cinnamon together in a bowl. Add the butter and rub it in using your fingertips until no lumps of butter remain.

Step 2, the sliced strawberries in a bowl.

Step 2: Hull and slice the strawberries and toss them with the sugar and cornflour.

Step 3: To make the batter, whisk together the yogurt, milk, oil, vinegar, caster sugar and vanilla extract.

Step 4: Whisk in the cornflour, baking powder and soda, salt and plain flour.

Step 5: Pour the batter into a lined 20cm square tin.

Step 6, the batter with the strawberries on top.

Step 6: Scatter over the strawberries in an even layer.

Step 7, the cake mix with the streusel added.

Step 7: Scatter over the streusel evenly.

Step 8: Bake for 60 minutes.

Stacks of vegan strawberry crumb cake squares with a bowl of strawberries in the background.

Top Tips:

All of my recipes are developed using grams, and as with all of my baking recipes I really do recommend using the metric measurements with a digital scale rather than the cup coversions. Cups are a wildly inaccurate measuring system and you will get far better, more consistent results using a scale, not to mention that it is also easier and less messy than cups!

Tablespoon and teaspoon measurements are for proper measuring spoons, NOT regular kitchen spoons. A Tablespoon is 15ml and a teaspoon is 5ml and they should be level, not heaped.

Be careful not to over-beat the batter as that can make the cake tough, just stir it by hand with a balloon whisk (not an electric mixer) until no dry lumps remain.

The cake is ready when it is firm to the touch and a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs but no wet batter.

Use a sharp serrated knife to slice the cake, sawing through the crumb topping to avoid squashing the cake as you slice it.

FAQ's:

How should I store it?

This cake really is best eaten on the day it is baked as the crumb topping will soften after a day. It will keep in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days however. I recommend warming slices through in the oven for a few minutes before serving.

Can I freeze it?

I do not recommend freezing this cake as the crumb topping tends to become soggy upon defrosting.

Can I use frozen strawberries?

No, it is important that you use fresh strawberries as frozen ones would leak too much moisture, making the cake soggy. They would also cool the batter down too much, making the cake take longer to cook, risking overbaking the edges before the centre is cooked.

How should I serve vegan strawberry crumb cake?

This cake is fantastic just on it's own, either warm or at room temperature; but it would be extra delicious served with some vanilla ice cream, custard or whipped cream and fresh strawberries.

More Vegan Strawberry Recipes

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