Vegan Strawberry Crumb Cake
Bakery-style vegan strawberry crumb cake with layers of vanilla cake, jammy strawberries and a golden crumb topping. This is the perfect dessert to make the most of strawberries during strawberry season.
Simple ingredients you’ll need
The full list of ingredient quantities and instructions are in the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
Notes about the ingredients
Fresh strawberries. It’s best to use sweet strawberries that are ripe or overripe. If you’re in a pinch, you can use frozen strawberries. This cake also works similarly with other fruits such as blueberries which you can see in my blueberry coffee cake.
Dairy-free yogurt or applesauce adds moisture to the cake and thickens the batter, without adding too much flour to the recipe. The yogurt/applesauce adds more structure to the cake so it’s less likely to collapse or sink under the weight of the strawberries and crumble.
Oil adds more moisture to the cake, and vegan butter for the crumble.
Lemon juice in the strawberry layer. This doesn’t only brighten the strawberry flavor, but it helps the strawberries retain some of their color while baking!
Ground cinnamon for the crumble topping. It’s an easy way to add a nostalgic bakery-style flavor!
This recipe is just the perfect Spring or Summer coffee cake, and is wonderful for afternoon tea!
Prepare the strawberry mixture
First, I recommend preparing the strawberry layer so it has time to cool down before assembling the cake.
Cooking the strawberries beforehand removes a lot of their excess moisture and this means we can add even more berries to this cake! I’ve tested this recipe with fresh and macerated strawberries, and while they work, they’re more likely to give the cake a dense stodgy layer and the cake won’t bake as evenly. Plus, when you par-cook the strawberries, you get a stronger strawberry flavor!
When you start cooking the strawberries, they’ll release a lot of excess juice. Once most of this juice has evaporated or thickened, the strawberries are ready. The mixture will thicken as it cools down. And don’t worry if your strawberries break down – they’ll still be delicious in your cake!
Preparing the crumb topping
The crumb topping is easy to make as you mix all ingredients in a bowl, then chill it in the fridge until needed. The mixture should be flaky, without any sticky bits.
If your melted butter is still hot, your crumble will be more pasty than crumbly. Don’t worry because the crumble will firm up in the fridge.
Make the cake layer
The cake batter comes together in one large bowl. We just have to mix the dry ingredients, add the wet ingredients and mix until combined.
For the best vegan strawberry crumb cake:
- Make sure you measure your flour accurately, otherwise your cake might be dry
- Use room temperature ingredients, especially the milk and yogurt. Cold ingredients don’t mix with other ingredients well and can make the final cake denser.
- Avoid overmixing the batter as this can make the cake chewy and tough.
The final cake batter should be thick as it needs to support the weight of the juicy strawberries and crumble.
Assembling the strawberry crumb cake
Pour the cake batter into your square cake pan, and smooth the surface.
Then scatter the strawberries in an even layer on top of the batter. It doesn’t need to be perfect!
Finally, sprinkle the crumb topping on top.
The cake will take about 60-65 minutes to bake. Don’t worry, your cake won’t dry out because it contains yogurt and enough oil!
Customizing this recipe
Yes, with slightly different baking times as strawberries have a higher water content than most. Check out my vegan blueberry coffee cake and apple coffee cake. Alternatively, you may like my coconut raspberry cake.
My team and I have tested this recipe with King Arthur’s measure for measure gluten-free flour and it works well! Other gluten-free blends may produce different results. I don’t recommend using almond flour as a 1:1 replacement.
This cake bakes well in a 9-inch square pan and will take around 60-70 minutes to bake.
I don’t recommend baking it in a smaller cake tin or an 8-inch round tin (which has less surface area than an 8-inch square tin) as the cake will take too long to bake.
If you want to bake strawberry crumble muffins, I recommend using my raspberry muffin recipe and replacing the raspberries with strawberries.
More vegan strawberry recipes
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Vegan Strawberry Crumb Cake
Ingredients
Strawberry layer
- 3 ¾ cups (450g) fresh strawberries, chopped (weighed after stems removed, note 1)
- 2 tablespoons (25g) granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon (15g) lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon (8g) all-purpose plain flour
Crumb topping
- ¾ cup (95g) all-purpose plain flour, (note 2 for gluten-free option)
- 6 tablespoons (75g) granulated sugar
- 4 ½ tablespoons (65g) melted vegan butter
- ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
Vanilla Cake
- 1 ½ cups (190g) all-purpose plain flour, spoon and leveled
- ¾ cup (150g) granulated sugar
- 2 ¼ teaspoons baking powder
- Pinch of salt
- ½ cup (115g) dairy-free yogurt, or unsweetened applesauce, room temperature (note 3)
- ⅓ cup (75g) dairy-free milk, room temperature
- ⅓ cup (75g) neutral flavored oil, (note 4)
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar, or lemon juice, optional
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
Prepare the strawberries:
- Add the fresh strawberries, sugar and lemon juice to a large saucepan bowl and toss until combined. Place over medium heat and let the mixture bubble for 2-3 minutes.
- Make a slurry out of the flour and 1 tablespoon of water. Add the slurry to the saucepan and stir quickly. Cook for another 1-2 minutes to let the mixture thicken and evaporate most of the liquid. Remove from the heat and set aside to cool completely. You can transfer the strawberries to a bowl and place them in your fridge or freezer to cool them quickly.
Make the crumb topping:
- Add all the crumb ingredients to a small bowl and mix until combined. Set aside in the fridge until needed. (note 5)
Make the vanilla cake:
- When the strawberries have come to room temperature (or are slightly warm), preheat your oven to 180°C (355°F). Line an 8-inch (20 cm) square tin with parchment paper, with paper overhanging.
- Add all the dry ingredients (flour, sugar, baking powder and salt) to a large mixing bowl. Whisk until the mixture is well combined. Add all the wet ingredients (yogurt, milk, oil, vinegar and vanilla) and whisk until just combined. A few lumps are fine.
Assemble and bake the cake:
- Pour/scoop the cake batter into your prepared pan and smooth the top. Spoon the strawberries on top. Sprinkle the crumble on top.
- Bake the cake in your preheated oven for 1 hour to 1 hour 5 minutes. If the top is browning too quickly, tent the pan with aluminum foil. If you insert a toothpick into the center of the cake, it should come out with no wet cake batter (some strawberry bits are fine). If you press the middle of the cake, it should bounce back and feel slightly firm.
- Allow the cake to cool in the pan for 30 minutes and then carefully transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Use a serrated knife to cut the cake into slices. Serve the cake as is or with some yogurt or ice cream. Store the cake in an airtight container at room temperature for 1-2 days, in the fridge for up to 3 days or in the freezer for up to 1 month. The topping's crunchy texture will soften over time.
Notes
- Fresh strawberries that are ripe or overripe are best for this recipe. If you’re in a pinch, frozen strawberries will work. Thaw the strawberries and add them with their excess juice to the saucepan. They will break down even more when you cook them, and this is absolutely fine. You will need to cook them for longer.
- My team and I have tested this recipe with King Arthur’s measure for measure gluten-free flour and it works well! Other gluten-free blends may produce different results.
- For extra depth of flavor in the cake, you can replace half of the oil with butter. Use 3 tablespoons (45g) oil and 3 tablespoons (45g) melted vegan butter. You can also add 2 teaspoons of lemon zest to the cake batter.
- Make sure your yogurt and milk are room temperature otherwise your batter won’t emulsify as well, and your batter may be too thick.
- If your butter is still hot, your crumble mixture may resemble a thick paste rather than a flaky crumble. Don’t worry, because when you chill the crumble, it will firm up and become more crumbly.
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I love all your recipes but this might just be the best one yet.
I used frozen strawberries and it still worked a treat. Thank you!
Hi Amanda, I’m so glad you loved this recipe and you’ve also enjoyed a few of my other recipes too! Thank you so much for your ongoing support and for letting me know – I appreciate it a lot 🙂
Will it work if I use coconut sugar?
Yes it should! It may be denser and will be darker in color but still great to eat 🤎
Can I use other fruit like peaches?
Hi Jeanne, I haven’t tested peaches, but they should work similarly. I’ve made the cake with blueberries and they work very well!
can you sub 1:1 GLUTEN FREE FLOUR in your fruit crumb cakes and or any of your recipes please?
Hi Lisbeth, this cake and my blueberry crumb cake work well with King Arthur’s measure for measure gluten-free flour. Other gluten-free flours may produce different results.
All of my recipes are different and some have been tested with gluten-free flour, and some have not. Each individual blog post will specify this.
Can I make this with gluten free four?
This cake works well with King Arthur’s measure for measure gluten-free flour! Other gluten-free flours may produce different results.