Vegan Coffee and Walnut Cake

Here it is… the Vegan Coffee and Walnut Cake of your dreams!

Need a vegan coffee cake recipe? Don’t miss out on the classic just because you’re plant-based! This simple yet moreish vegan coffee and walnut cake is a breeze to bake and utterly divine! Grab a spoon, don your apron and channel some Mary Berry vibes… it’s time to get baking!

Why you’ll love this Vegan Coffee and Walnut Cake

Coffee and walnut. It’s an all-time favourite you know you’ll love. Give this vegan coffee and walnut cake recipe a whirl and look forward to light, airy vegan sponge cake speckled with morsels of crunchy walnut. The coffee flavour is deep and homely – a heavenly match for the pillowy vegan frosting that sits like a crown on the surface. And the walnut halves on the top? Just think of them as the jewels in the delicious cakey crown.

Everyone will love this awesome vegan coffee cake – not just your plant-based pals! It has all the flavour and texture of a regular coffee ‘n’ walnut, just without the dairy and eggs! Perfecto.

How long will the cake last?

You know what it’s like with home baking. You make a cake and then – poof – it’s gone!

Because everyone loves homemade cake!

Not got a greedy crowd ready to pounce on your cake? Don’t worry! Your lovely vegan coffee cake will sit happily in an airtight tin for two-to-three days. It’s best eaten fresh, though.

Can I freeze vegan cake?

Sure you can! Vegan cakes freeze well, just like their egg-and-dairy companions.

Just leave the baked coffee and walnut sponges to cool completely before wrapping individually in double layers of clingfilm or foil. Scribble the name and date on a label (saves The Case of the Mystery Frozen Cake in a few weeks’ time) and then pop them in the freezer. Your sponges will freeze well for up to three months.

To thaw the cakes, remove them from the freezer and unwrap. Then leave them on a wire rack to thaw at room temperature. Cover with a tea towel or mesh food cover.

You’re making a Vegan Buttermilk Substitute!

What makes your vegan coffee cake so scrummy and moist? It’s the vegan buttermilk substitute!

Shop-bought buttermilk is a cultured dairy product with a yoghurty texture. It’s acidic, so reacts with raising agents like baking powder to make sponges feather-light and a little more indulgent.

But buttermilk ain’t vegan.

The solution? Make vegan buttermilk!

Simply add a dash of apple cider vinegar or lemon juice to soya milk. The vinegar/juice reacts with the milk, making it curdle. Curdling looks a bit urghhh (expect white, watery lumps), but fret not – this is what it’s supposed to look like!

Vegan Coffee and Walnut Cake Ingredients

Coffee

Freshly roasted coffee… it’s the star of the show! Use freshly roasted coffee in your plant-based coffee cake for next-level coffee flavour!

Soya milk

Soya is the best non-dairy milk for baking because it has a neutral taste and high protein content. If soya isn’t your thing, you could also try oat milk or unsweetened almond milk.

Walnuts

Walnuts… they are kinda essential in a vegan coffee and walnut cake. Leave them out and you’ll just have, well, coffee cake. Albeit an awesome one.

Walnuts have a mild flavour and creamy texture – we love the crunch they bring to the good ol’ C&W combo!

Soft brown sugar

Brown sugar is less refined than white sugar and brings a delicious caramelised flavour to baked goodies. The caramel sweetness of soft brown sugar is perfect in a coffee and walnut cake as it complements the sweet notes in the coffee.

Oil

Any neutral-tasting oil is top for baking. We’ve specified rapeseed or sunflower oil here, but feel free to try vegetable or canola. Try to avoid oils with strong flavours (coconut oil, we’re looking at you).

Looking for more vegan coffee recipes? Try these!

☕ Vegan Iced Coffee 

🟣 Purple Beetroot Latte 

🍌 Banana and Coffee Smoothie 

Vegan Coffee and Walnut Cake Recipe

Ingredients

For the cake:

• 100 ml rapeseed oil/sunflower oil, plus extra for greasing
• 85 g walnuts, plus extra for decoration
• 280 ml soya milk
• 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar/lemon juice
• 70 ml very strongly brewed black coffee
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 220 g soft light brown sugar
• 2½ tsp baking powder
• ¼ tsp salt
• 250 g plain flour

For the icing:

• 280g icing sugar
• 100g dairy-free margarine
• 1½ tbsp very strongly brewed black coffee, cooled

Method

1. Preheat your oven to 175°C (350°F).
2. Grease 2 x 20cm round cake tins and line with baking parchment.
3. Finely chop the walnuts.
4. Mix the soya milk and apple cider vinegar in a jug and allow to sit for 5 minutes.
5. Pour the brewed coffee, oil and vanilla into a bowl and add the soya milk mixture. Mix to combine.
6. Add the sugar, baking powder and salt to the bowl and sift in the flour. Fold gently using a metal spoon or spatula. Be careful not to overmix!
7. Stir in the walnuts.
8. Divide the mixture between the tins and bake for 20-25 minutes, until golden and risen. A skewer inserted in the centre should come out clean.
9. Leave to cool in the tin for ten minutes before turning out onto a wire rack to cool completely.
10. Beat the dairy-free spread for a few minutes using an electric whisk. Gradually sift in the icing sugar, beating well after each addition.
11. Add the coffee and beat to combine. Check the consistency of your buttercream – add a dribble more coffee or a splash of milk if it is too thick.
12. Spread half the icing on the bottom of one sponge and place the second sponge on top. Add the remaining frosting to the top of the cake and decorate with walnut halves.

Well, aren’t you awesome? A vegan coffee and walnut cake that’s plant based and utterly delicious!

More recipes? Find them here!