This vegan cherry crumble cake has a crumbly, soft texture and is topped with a toasty almond streusel. It makes a perfect late spring/early summer snack, while also possessing some fall vibes too.
The cherries inside the loaf cakes are also burst and softened, which adds so much flavor to them. This recipe takes less than 30 minutes to make and in that short amount of time, you can have yourself a cake which is utterly delectable.
It has a golden appearance due to the use of brown sugar inside the cake batter which adds that extra bit of warmth. That along with the addition of the crunchy nuts, juicy cherries and the spices makes this cake a serious option to consider all year-round.
Some other tasty fruit-flavored cakes that you should definitely try are my vegan lemon raspberry cake, vegan orange poppy seed cake and vegan strawberry chocolate chip cake recipes which are all very different from each other and very delicious!
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Why You Will Love This Cake
- The Streusel Topping - This is my favorite part of the cakes. This particular streusel crumble is extra crumbly, as well as being toasty and and easy to make. The addition of the flaked almonds also takes it up another level for sure. If you love cakes like this, my vegan cranberry orange cake and my vegan apple walnut crumble cake will also be high on your list.
- So Many Flavors - There's so much going on in this cake. From the sweetness of the cake itself, to the nutty flavors of the crumble, to the autumny kick of the spices this recipe has it all. When you take a mouthful, so many sensations will be dancing around your taste buds.
- Great Cake Texture - It's so light and fluffy, not only due to the ingredients which I decided to use but also, due to the ratios of the ingredients. The fresh cherries only enhance this beautiful texture with their juiciness.
- Allergy Friendly & Plant Based - This vegan cherry crumble cake recipe is completely vegan and dairy free.
Ingredient Notes
- All-purpose flour - This will be used for both the cherry cake batter and the streusel crumble topping. It's the ingredient that gives the streusel it's crumbly texture.
- Brown sugar - Although I would normally use granulated sugar for a recipe like this, I chose brown sugar to give the recipe a twist. This created a moist texture which is golden and delicious. It also gives the cake a strong taste of molasses.
- Vegan butter - This is another important ingredient for the streusel. I use Vitalite spread (dairy-free margarine) and therefore, it's already softened. You can also use vegan block butter but you must allow it to soften fully at room temperature before using it.
- Flaked almonds - These are for the topping. Originally, I didn't have these as part of the recipe but once I tested it, there was no going back! They're so complimentary to the cake. I also used them for my vegan almond raspberry cake and vegan nanaimo bar custard slices with success.
- Apple cider vinegar - Stir the vinegar into the soy milk to make vegan 'buttermilk'. This is a game changer as without this mixture, the texture of the cake would be very different.
- Canola oil - I love using this. It makes the cake nice and moist and it also has a nice neutral flavor in comparison to other kinds of oil. Canola oil is the same thing as rapeseed oil for those of you who are wondering.
- Fresh cherries - For me, fresh cherries always work best for me in this recipe. Whether you decide to use fresh or frozen cherries, make sure that the seeds have been removed before you add them to the batter. You can often buy them pitted when in frozen form.
See recipe card for full information on individual ingredients and quantities.
Substitutions & Variations
- If you can't buy fresh cherries where you live, you can use frozen cherries in their place. When using them, make sure that you allow them to thaw at room temperature before adding them to the cake batter. Even though it is a no-bake recipe, I also applied this rule to my vegan black forest cheesecake to great avail.
- You can make this cherry crumble cake gluten free by swapping out the regular all-purpose flour for a gluten free all-purpose flour which is 1:1 and suitable for baking with. After swapping out the flour, the cakes may be a little more dense but the crumble topping shouldn't taste too different and will be largely unaffected.
How To Make A Vegan Cherry Crumble Cake
For the full method, please refer to the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
1: Grease two loaf cake tins with vegan butter.
2: Make the vegan buttermilk. Let it curdle.
3: Fold the dry and wet ingredients together to make a smooth cake batter.
4: Next, fold in the fresh cherries.
5: Pour the cake batter into the prepared loaf cake tins.
6: Make the streusel topping.
7: Sprinkle your streusel topping onto the cake batter and bake.
8: Let the cake cool and serve.
Expert Tips
Don't over-mix the cake batter - Making the mistake of over-mixing the batter will often result in your loaf cakes being unnecessarily dense and unappetizing. It is always best for vegan cakes to be light and fluffy, so gently fold the cherry cake batter until all of the flour is just combined.
Refrigerate the streusel - Let the topping firm up a little in the fridge before sprinkling it on top of the cake batter. This will improve the overall out come in terms of the crumbliness of the streusel.
Recipe FAQs
Crumble cake is made from an all-purpose flour batter which helps to give the cakes a strong structure. They're often topped with a crumbly streusel which also gives the cakes a crunch.
In general, a dry cake is often due to factors such as, oven temperatures being too high, cakes being baked for too long, wrong ingredients being added to the batter or the ingredient ratios being incorrect.
Store this cherry crumble cake at room temperature for up to 3 days inside an airtight container.
More Vegan Cake Recipes
If you tried this Vegan Cherry Crumble Cake Recipe or any other recipe on my website, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how you go in the 📝 comments below. I love hearing from you!
Vegan Cherry Crumble Cake
Ingredients
For the crumble topping:
- 30 g all-purpose flour
- 25 g brown sugar demerara
- 1.5 Tablespoons vegan butter softened
- 1.5 Tablespoons flaked almonds
For the cake batter:
- 200 ml soy milk
- 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
- 195 g all-purpose flour sifted
- 150 g brown sugar
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 0.5 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 0.5 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 50 ml canola oil rapeseed
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon maple syrup
- 100 g fresh cherries stalks removed and pitted
Instructions
Preparation:
- Preheat your oven to 177 Celsius (350F).
- Grease two 20cm x 10cm rectangular loaf cake tins with vegan butter, then set aside.
Make the almond streusel:
- Add all the streusel ingredients to a small bowl. Use your hands to combine the softened vegan butter with the other ingredients until the mixture becomes crumbly.
- Place the streusel into the fridge so that it can firm up while you make the cake batter.
Make the cake batter:
- Begin by making the vegan buttermilk. Mix the soy milk with the apple cider vinegar. Set aside to curdle for 8 minutes. Measure out the other cake ingredients in the meantime.
- In a mixing bowl, add the flour, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg.
- Pour in the vegan buttermilk, canola oil, vanilla extract and maple syrup. Fold the cake batter until almost all the flour has been combined.
- Once most of the flour is folded, add the pitted cherries.
- Fold the cherries into the batter then pour it equally into the two tins. Bake in the center of the preheated oven for 20 minutes. A skewer will come out of them clean when they’re ready.
- Let the two cakes cool down for 15 minutes, then transfer them over onto a cooling rack.
Video
Notes
- Making the mistake of over-mixing the batter will often result in your loaf cakes being unnecessarily dense and unappetizing. We always want our vegan cakes to be light and fluffy, so gently fold the cherry cake batter until all of the flour is just combined.
- Let the topping firm up a little in the fridge before sprinkling it on top of the cake batter. This will improve the overall out come in terms of the crumbliness of the streusel.
CC says
i will make this recipe again