Make the most of apple season with this delicious vegan apple crumb cake! A moist vegan cinnamon vanilla cake filled with chunks of juicy apples and a crisp crumble topping. It is easy to make with basic ingredients and very moreish!
This vegan apple crumb cake (or crumble cake) is basically an American style coffee cake, and indeed it uses my vegan American coffee cake recipe as a base, swapping the cinnamon sugar layer for a layer of juicy cinnamon apples for an Autumnal twist.
With a soft, tender cinnamon and vanilla cake base, tangy, juicy cinnamon apple layer and a buttery cinnamon streusel topping, this cake is perfect for apple season! You may also love my vegan pumpkin crumb cake, vegan strawberry crumb cake and blueberry crumb cake.
Ingredient Details:
Apples: I prefer to use an eating variety rather than cooking apples so that they hold their shape. Any tart, crisp apples will work, I used Granny Smith.
Cinnamon: The classic pairing with apple. I used ceylon cinnamon which has a more delicate flavour than cassia, but either is great!
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: I like to use light brown soft sugar for both the cake and 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 but I think that smooth, unsweetened applesauce would probably work well.
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).
How To Make Vegan Apple 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: Peel, core and dice the apples then toss them with the cinnamon, sugar and flour to coat. Set aside.
- Step 3: To make the batter, whisk together the yogurt, milk, oil, vinegar, brown sugar and vanilla extract.
- Step 4: Whisk in the cornflour, baking powder and soda, cinnamon, salt and plain flour.
- Step 5: Spread a little more than half of the batter into a lined 20cm square tin. Scatter over the apples in an even layer.
- Step 6: Dollop over the remaining batter and spread it out gently to cover the apples, it doesn't matter if they are poking through a bit.
- Step 7: Scatter over the streusel evenly.
- Step 8: Bake for 60 minutes.
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.
If you want a smaller cake then a half batch of the recipe works well in a 2lb loaf tin, it may bake a little quicker, around 45 minutes.
FAQ's:
The cake will keep in an airtight container at room temperature for around 4 days. It is best eaten on the day it is baked however as the streusel topping will soften over time.
Yes, any leftover cake can be frozen in an airtight container or freezer bag for up to three months. Allow to defrost at room temperature.
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Vegan Apple Crumb Cake
Equipment
- 20 cm/8 in square cake tin
Ingredients
Crumb Topping:
- 100 g (¾ cup + 1 Tablespoon) plain (all-purpose) flour
- 50 g (¼ cup) light brown soft sugar
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 70 g (5 Tablespoons) vegan block butter slightly softened
Apples:
- 3 medium eating apples (about 350g)
- 1 Tablespoon light brown soft sugar
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 Tablespoon plain (all-purpose) flour
Cake:
- 135 g (½ cup + 1 Tablespoon) vegan Greek style yogurt (I use Alpro)
- 120 g (½ cup) unsweetened non-dairy milk (I use soy)
- 82 g (90ml/6 Tablespoons) neutral oil (I use olive)
- 1 teaspoon vinegar
- 150 g (¾ cup) light brown soft sugar
- 1 Tablespoon vanilla extract
- 20 g (2 packed Tablespoons) cornflour (cornstarch)
- 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon bicarbonate of soda (baking soda)
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 225 g (1 ¾ cups + 6 teaspoons) plain (all-purpose) flour
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 180°C/160℃ fan/350°F/gas mark 4. Line a deep 20 cm (8 in) square cake tin with baking paper, making sure that you leave some overhanging on either side so that you can easily lift the cake out later.
- 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 and the mixture is clumping together. Place in the fridge.100 g (¾ cup + 1 Tablespoon) plain (all-purpose) flour, 50 g (¼ cup) light brown soft sugar, ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon, 70 g (5 Tablespoons) vegan block butter
- Peel, core and cut the apples into approx 2 cm dice then toss them with the cinnamon, sugar and flour to coat. Set aside.3 medium eating apples (about 350g), 1 Tablespoon light brown soft sugar, 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, 1 Tablespoon plain (all-purpose) flour
- To make the cake batter, whisk together the yogurt, milk, oil, vinegar, light brown sugar and vanilla extract in a large bowl until very well combined.135 g (½ cup + 1 Tablespoon) vegan Greek style yogurt (I use Alpro), 120 g (½ cup) unsweetened non-dairy milk (I use soy), 82 g (90ml/6 Tablespoons) neutral oil (I use olive), 1 teaspoon vinegar, 150 g (¾ cup) light brown soft sugar, 1 Tablespoon vanilla extract
- Whisk in the cornflour, baking powder and soda, cinnamon and salt then add the plain flour and gently stir with a balloon whisk until no dry lumps remain.20 g (2 packed Tablespoons) cornflour (cornstarch), 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder, ½ teaspoon bicarbonate of soda (baking soda), 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, ¼ teaspoon salt, 225 g (1 ¾ cups + 6 teaspoons) plain (all-purpose) flour
- Spread a little more than half of the batter into the lined tin. Scatter over the apples in an even layer.
- Dollop over the remaining batter and spread it out gently to cover the apples, it doesn't matter if they are poking through a bit. Scatter over the streusel evenly.
- Bake for about 60 minutes until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean or with a few crumbs but no wet batter. Loosely cover the cake with tin foil after 45 minutes or so if the top starts to darken too much.
- Leave the cake to cool in the tin for 20 minutes then use the overhanging baking paper to carefully lift it out of the tin onto a wire cooling rack. Leave to cool completely before slicing.
Notes
- See post above for tips, details, storage instructions and step-by-step photos.
- 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.
- 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!
If you tried this recipe let me know how it went! Rate it, leave a comment or tag @domestic_gothess on Instagram and hashtag it #domesticgothess
Toby
This is great! Thank you. Couldn't get any plain yogurt, but vanilla Alpro works well, just reduced the vanilla extract to 2tsp, and used 120g sugar. And I added a good handful of chopped dried apricots (they were going out of date), made for a nice texture counterpoint.