Blueberry Crumb Cake (Vegan)

Blueberry crumb cake - soft, moist, fluffy vegan blueberry cake with a hint of lemon and a crunchy almond crumble topping.

This cake is not too sweet and is perfect served with a cup of tea or coffee.

I wasn't sure exactly what to call this cake, crumb cake? Coffee cake? Streusel cake? Muffin cake? Plain old blueberry cake? Really any of those names would fit. It consists of a moist, fluffy vanilla cake with a hint of lemon, plenty of juicy blueberries and a crisp almond streusel topping.

It is similar to an American style coffee cake (cake that you EAT with coffee, not cake that is flavoured with coffee!), and indeed it goes very well with a cup of coffee or tea. It is not an overly sweet cake so makes a lovely mid morning or afternoon snack.

I based the recipe off of my muffin base recipe, with a few tweaks to make it work in a larger tin size.

Ingredient Details:

Blueberries: Fresh is best but frozen will work if that is all you have.

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.

Baking powder and bicarbonate of soda (baking soda): You really do need both for the best texture and rise.

Yogurt: Vegan yogurt helps to make the cake moist and flavourful. Use a plain one, unsweetened if possible. I use soya yogurt but coconut yogurt will also work.

Milk: Any kind of unsweetened non-dairy milk (except tinned coconut) should be fine, but I always prefer to use soya milk for baking.

Olive oil: I like to use olive oil but you can swap it for another neutral oil if you prefer.

Sugar: I prefer to use light brown soft but caster or granulated sugar is fine too. I use demarera (turbinado) sugar in the crumble topping for extra crunch, but you can use regular brown or white sugar instead.

Lemon juice and zest: The juice reacts with the raising agents to help the cake rise. You can use vinegar instead. The zest adds a subtle zingy flavour that really enhances the blueberries.

Vanilla: Extract is better than essence and you can also use vanilla bean paste.

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

Flaked almonds: Optional but I like to add some flaked almonds to the streusel for texture and flavour. you can use another kind of chopped nut, or just omit them.

How To make Blueberry 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, rub the butter into the flour then mix in the demarera sugar and flaked almonds.

Step 2: Place the flour, sugar, baking powder, bicarb, cornstarch and salt in a large bowl and whisk to combine.

Step 3: Add the milk, yogurt, oil, lemon juice and zest and vanilla extract and stir with a balloon whisk until no dry lumps remain. Fold in ⅔ of the blueberries.

Step 4: Transfer the batter to a lined 20cm cake tin and spread level. Scatter over the rest of the blueberries and press them gently into the batter.

Step 5: Scatter over the streusel topping and press it down very gently.

Step 6: Bake for about 75 minutes until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean.

Top Tips:

USE SCALES. As with all of my baking recipes I really do recommend using the metric measurements with a digital scales rather than the cup conversions. 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!

Be careful not to over-beat the cake batter as that can make the cake tough. Just stir it with a balloon whisk until no dry lumps remain.

Don't mix all of the blueberries into the batter, save about a third of them to scatter over the top, this will ensure a good distribution of berries.

You can omit the crumb topping if you like. The cake may bake a touch quicker in this case.

For a more lemony flavour, you can add extra lemon zest - from 3-4 lemons; but do not add any extra lemon juice as that will throw off the balance of the ingredients. You can also drizzle the cake with a lemon glaze made with icing (powdered) sugar and lemon juice once it is baked and cooled.

FAQ's:

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