Easy & Healthy Coffee Cake with Cinnamon Streusel
This healthy coffee cake with cinnamon streusel is so delicious, no one will even suspect it’s vegan. Let’s face it, most traditional coffee cake recipes are laden with butter, adding fat and calories. Not with our healthier version!
This delightfully healthy cinnamon coffee cake is soft, tender and filled with warm cinnamon flavor. It’s the perfect choice for breakfast with your morning cup of coffee or hot tea.
With the addition of juicy pears and a sweet streusel topping, this is not just a breakfast cake. It’s the type of treat that’s decadent enough to serve as a simple dessert or afternoon snack.
And here’s the best part; this cake is super moist, yet it skips all that melted butter you find in most coffee cake recipes. It’s a guilt-free treat that keeps things light and delicious.
If you’re a fan of morning sweets, you might also try these Cranberry Orange Scones or these Sweet Potato Muffins. They make fantastic choices for a holiday breakfast or brunch, especially when paired with a rich and creamy Bailey’s Latte.
Table of Contents
Why We Love This Coffee Cake Recipe
- Simple ingredients: You won’t need anything fancy – just basic pantry staples you probably already have.
- Perfect texture: Even without eggs and butter, you’ll be surprised how moist and tender the texture is.
- Delicious flavors: Made with warm cinnamon spice, juicy pears, and a sweet streusel topping, this cake has the most amazing flavors.
What You Need to Make It
Main Ingredients
Flour– we used a combination of all-purpose and whole wheat flour.
Oat milk– makes this coffee cake vegan and healthier.
Spices– ground cinnamon, sugar, and salt.
Pears- bartlett or d’anjou are tastiest in baking.
Scroll to the bottom to the recipe card for the full list of ingredients and a printable shopping list.
Variations and Substitutions
For additional flavor feel free to add a few drops of almond or vanilla extract. You can give it a hint of citrus flavor with lemon or orange extract.
The recipe calls for neutral oil. You can use avocado oil, a light olive oil, canola oil or for a slight coconut flavor you can use coconut oil.
We used oat milk to make this vegan coffee cake. You can swap it for almond milk, soy milk, or any of your favorite nondairy types of milk. You can also use regular milk.
For the crumble topping, we used regular granulated cane sugar, but you can use coconut sugar, brown sugar, or a combination of any of them. You can also use a little pure maple syrup to sweeten the topping.
Turn this recipe into coffee cake muffins by following the same steps but baking them in a large muffin tin. You’ll also need to reduce the baking time.
How to Make This Healthy Coffee Cake Recipe
Step 1. Preheat oven to 350° degrees F and grease 10-inch round cake pan. Line the bottom with parchment paper.
Step 2. Wash, dry, and slice pears into thin, ½ inch square pieces.
Step 3. In a small mixing bowl, combine all streusel ingredients except water. Stir evenly until the oil is well distributed.
Step 4. Add water and crumble with your fingertips into small clumps. Set the crumb topping aside while you make the cake batter.
Step 5. In a separate bowl, combine flours, baking powder, cinnamon, sugar, and salt. Stir to evenly distribute.
Step 6. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and add oat milk and oil.
Whisk until the wet ingredients are combined and the batter is smooth with no lumps.
Step 7. Fold in the pear pieces until evenly coated.
Step 8. This will be a thick batter, so scrape it into prepared baking dish and level out into an even layer.
Step 9. Crumble the streusel on top of the batter.
Step 10. Bake for 45-55 minutes, until the top of the cake and edges are golden brown. Just make sure the center of the cake is set when a skewer inserted comes out clean.
Step 11. Allow your cinnamon coffee cake to cool in the pan for at least 30 minutes before transferring it to a cooling rack.
Serve with a cup of tea or coffee, or a big glass of cold milk.
Recipe FAQs
To store this cinnamon coffee cake, let it cool completely before transferring it to air-tight container. You can also wrap it tightly in plastic wrap or aluminum foil. You can store it at room temperature for up to a couple of days or in the fridge for up to a week.
To start, this coffee cake uses a blend of whole wheat and all-purpose flour for added fiber. It also is made using neutral oil instead of melted butter to reduce saturated fat content. And of course, oat milk is a great vegan alternative to dairy.
Sure! After allowing the cake to cool completely, wrap it tightly in plastic wrap or aluminum foil, making sure it’s well-sealed to prevent freezer burn. Store it in the freezer for up to a couple of months.
Of course. Though we use a 10-inch round pan, a 9-inch square pan will be close to the same volume.
Despite its name, most “coffee cake” recipes contain no coffee. It’s called that because it’s a sweet treat that is usually served with a hot cup of coffee.
Top Tips
This is a very straightforward recipe but here are a few tips I use when baking this cake:
- Avoid overmixing the batter. Mix just until combined, which prevents the texture of the cake from being dense.
- Bake the cake on the center rack of the oven for even heat distribution.
- If the top begins to brown too quickly, loosely tint it with foil until the center of the cake is done.
- This cake is very tender when warm. To keep the cake from breaking, you’ll want to cool it for at least 30 minutes in the pan before you transfer it to a wire rack.
Other Healthy Recipes for Breakfast
Healthy Coffee Cake Recipe
Ingredients
To make the coffee cake
- 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour 180g
- ½ cup whole wheat flour* 64g
- ¾ cup granulated sugar 150 g
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon 2 g
- ½ tsp salt 3 g
- 1 tbsp baking powder 13 g
- ¼ cup neutral oil 60 ml
- 1 cup oat milk 235ml
- 1 lb pears 450 g/ about 3 medium (bartlett or d’anjou)
To make the streusel:
- ¼ cup granulated sugar 50 g
- 6 tbsp all-purpose flour 45 g
- ½ tsp ground cinnamon 1 g
- 6 tbsp chopped pecans 34 g
- 2 tbsp tbsp/30ml neutral oil 30 ml
- 2 tsp water 10 ml
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350° F/175 C. Grease a 10”/25cm round cake pan and line the bottom with parchment.
- Wash, dry, and slice pears into thin, ½”/ 12mm square pieces.
Make streusel:
- In a small bowl, combine all streusel ingredients except water. Stir to evenly distribute oil.
- Add water and stir or crumble with your fingertips into small clumps. Set aside.
Make cake:
- In a medium bowl, combine flours, baking powder, cinnamon, sugar, and salt. Stir to evenly distribute.
- Make a well in the center and add oat milk and oil. Whisk until smooth and no lumps remain.
- Fold in the pear pieces until evenly coated.
- Scrape into prepared pan and level out.
- Crumble the streusel on top so that it is in contact with the batter.
- Bake for 45-55 minutes, until golden brown on the edges, set in the center and skewer inserted comes out clean.
- Allow to cool in the pan for at least 30 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack.
