Many of us got acquainted with coffee cake by bringing a box of it along on visits to friends and relatives. It’s a sponge cake that’s flavored with warm spices like cinnamon, nutmeg, and coffee, all topped with streusel. It’s leavened with either baking soda or baking powder, making its texture more like a dessert bread than a cake.

But what’s the story behind coffee cake? It’s a dessert steeped in mystery. We know that sponge cake existed in the 17th century due to a recipe being included in a 1615 book called The English Huswife. However, coffee did not arrive in Europe until after this. It can only be guessed that coffee cake is German in origin.

As little as we know about the history of coffee cake, there are a few things that we do know. One is that it’s a great excuse to eat cake for breakfast. Two, it’s great with a cup of coffee. Three that a traditional coffee cake recipe calls for eggs and butter, but we can easily make it vegan.

April 7th is National Coffee Cake Day, so grab a cup of joe, kick back, and get inspired to start baking with these 11 vegan coffee cake recipes from our Food Monster App.

1. Vanilla Rhubarb Coffee Cake

Source: Vanilla Rhubarb Coffee Cake

A small departure from pie, Laura Ryan‘s Vanilla Rhubarb Coffee Cake is a perfect accompaniment to a brunch. For one, it’s a coffee cake – so it’s cinnamon-y and great with coffee. Plus it’s got a mouth-watering balance of sweet vanilla and tart rhubarb. The rhubarb offers small juicy bursts of tartness in contrast to the soft, moist cake.

2. Hazelnut Coffee Cake

Source: Hazelnut Coffee Cake

If you’re a fan of hazelnut and coffee, then you have to make Clémence Moulaert‘s Hazelnut Coffee Cake. The cake batter is mixed with ground hazelnuts and hazelnut milk, which results in a cake with a delightful and distinctly nutty flavor. Instead of going the traditional route by adding coffee to the cake, it’s topped with a coffee layer made from agar agar, coffee, and sugar for sweetness. Yum!

3. Healthier Coffee Cake

Source: Healthier Coffee Cake

Kelly Morisson‘s Healthier Coffee Cake is the stuff that dreams are made of. It’s vegan, gluten-free, grain-free, low-carb, sugar-free, soy-free, ready in less than 3 minutes, and you can serve it in a cute little mug. Oh, yeah.

4. Coffee Cake Oatmeal Breakfast Cookies

Source: Coffee Cake Oatmeal Breakfast Cookie

Most of us would probably indulge in a slice of coffee cake for breakfast and thanks to Michaell Johnson‘s Coffee Cake Oatmeal Breakfast Cookie, you do it without the guilt! These taste like oatmeal cookies with a coffee cake crumble. If you like warm cookies and want an excuse to make them in the morning, then you’ll love these!

5. Raw Walnut Coffee Cake With a Brownie Base

Source: Raw Walnut Coffee Cake With a Brownie Base

The beauty of vegan baking and raw cake-making is that you can reinvent classic dishes. That way, you get to enjoy two versions: the more traditional, familiar recipe, and the new, tantalizing recipe. Clémence Moulaert‘s Raw Walnut Coffee Cake With a Brownie Base is one of those recipes. Its filling is made from frozen bananas and walnuts that are blended with just a touch of vanilla and two shots of espresso until smooth and creamy. The raw brownie base makes this cake even more indulgent and crumbled raw walnuts add texture and presentation.

6. Blackberry Coconut Coffee Cake

Source: Blackberry Coconut Coffee Cake

Tori Cooper‘s decadent Blackberry Coconut Coffee Cake mixes coconut and blackberry flavors for a refreshing dessert. It’s made from wholesome ingredients like whole wheat flour and berries. So, go for seconds or thirds!

7. Chocolate Coffee Cake

Source: Chocolate Coffee Cake

Looking for a delicious chocolate fix for your coffee cake? Try Holly Jade‘s Chocolate Coffee Cake! This is perfect to pair with your coffee or tea – or pair it with hot cocoa for even more chocolate!

8. Blueberry Coffee Cake

Source: Blueberry Coffee Cake

Katarina Hawk‘s yummy Blueberry Coffee Cake is crumbly and moist with cinnamon and juicy blueberries. Coconut sugar adds a delicious sweetness to this recipe!

9. Coffee Cake Donuts

Source: Coffee Cake Donuts

Want something a little different? Nicole Dunai‘s Coffee Cake Donuts are a great take on a coffee cake that you can make in a donut pan! The perfect portable breakfast!

10. Blueberry Coffee Cake Loaf

Source: Blueberry Coffee Cake Loaf

Nicole Dunai‘s easy vegan Blueberry Coffee Cake Loaf is moist, fruity, and extremely delicious – it’s the perfect breakfast or snack loaf!

11. Blueberry Banana Coffee Cake

Source: Blueberry Banana Coffee Cake

So many delicious flavors in one cake – blueberry, banana, coffee, and lemon. Wendy Irene‘s Blueberry Banana Coffee Cake is moist but crumbly, sweet but not too sweet, and all-around incredible. It will become your go-to!

Coffee cakes are a symbol of hospitality — they’re often brought along as a token of thanks for being invited into somebody’s home. Next time you visit friends or family, skip the boxed coffee cake and try one of these vegan coffee cake recipes instead. If you just really love coffee, you should check out 10 Tasty Coffee Drinks to Curb Your Caffeine Craving and if you just really love cake, you’ll like 15 Decadent Vegan Birthday Cake Recipes.

Learn How to Cook Plant-Based Meals at Home

Reducing your meat intake and eating more plant-based foods is known to help with chronic inflammation, heart health, mental wellbeing, fitness goals, nutritional needs, allergies, gut health, and more! Unfortunately, dairy consumption also has been linked to many health problems, including acne, hormonal imbalance, cancer, prostate cancer, and has many side effects.

For those interested in eating more plant-based, we highly recommend purchasing one of our many plant-based cookbooks or downloading the Food Monster App which has thousands of delicious recipes making it the largest vegan recipe resource to help reduce your environmental footprint, save animals and get healthy! And, while you are at it, we encourage you to also learn about the environmental and health benefits of a plant-based diet.

Here are some resources to get you started:

• Weekly Vegan Meal Plans
• Plant-Based Health Resources
• Plant-Based Food & Recipes
• The Ultimate Guide to Plant-Based Nutrition
• Plant-Based Nutrition Resources
• Budget-Friendly Plant-Based Recipes
• High Protein Plant-Based Recipes
• Plant-Based Meal Prep

Easy Ways to Help the Planet:

• Eat Less Meat: Download Food Monster, the largest plant-based Recipe app on the App Store, to help reduce your environmental footprint, save animals and get healthy. You can also buy a hard or soft copy of our favorite vegan cookbooks.
• Reduce Your Fast Fashion Footprint: Take initiative by standing up against fast Fashion Pollution and supporting sustainable and circular brands like Tiny Rescue that raise awareness around important issues through recycled zero-waste clothing designed to be returned and remade over and over again.
• Support Independent Media: Being publicly funded gives us a greater chance to continue providing you with high-quality content. Please consider supporting us by donating!
• Sign a Petition: Your voice matters! Help turn petitions into victories by signing the latest list of must-sign petitions to help people, animals, and the planet.
• Stay Informed: Keep up with the latest news and important stories involving animals, the environment, sustainable living, food, health, and human interest topics by subscribing to our newsletter!
• Do What You Can: Reduce waste, plant trees, eat local, travel responsibly, reuse stuff, say no to single-use plastics, recycle, vote smart, switch to cold water laundry, divest from fossil fuels, save water, shop wisely, Donate if you can, grow your food, volunteer, conserve energy, compost, and don’t forget about the microplastics and microbeads lurking in common household and personal care products!