Gingerbread Coffee Cake

This vegan and gluten free spiced gingerbread coffee cake is topped with a buttery pecan streusel and a vanilla bean glaze. It's tender, moist, perfectly spiced and absolutely delicious!

If had to choose one breakfast pastry to make all winter, it would 100% be this gingerbread coffee cake. (Yes, even over cinnamon rolls or donuts!)

It's so, SO good. It's really hard not to eat the whole pan in one day.

The cake is packed with warming gingerbread spices. It's perfectly tender and not too sweet, so it's perfectly acceptable as breakfast. The streusel topping adds a crunchy, nutty, buttery component, and the sweet vanilla glaze ties everything together.

I'm already so excited to wake up on Christmas morning and enjoy a slice of this gingerbread coffee cake (or maybe half of the pan 😉) and a few cups of coffee or hot cocoa!

Gingerbread spices

There are a few essential spices you'll need to make this gingerbread coffee cake:

• Cinnamon
• Nutmeg: I love using freshly grated nutmeg – it has so much more flavor –but pre-ground is perfectly fine, too.
• Ground ginger
• Ground cloves
• Optional: a pinch of allspice or cardamom
• Molasses: not a spice, but molasses is an essential ingredient for that spiced gingerbread flavor!

Instructions

Prep: Preheat the oven to 350˚F and line a 9x9 pan with parchment paper. You can spray/lightly coat the bottom and sides of the pan with oil or butter to help keep the parchment paper in place.

Make the flax "eggs" by stirring together 2 tbsp flax meal and 5 tbsp water. Let sit for 15 minutes to thicken. 

Make the streusel: add flour, pecans, cinnamon, ginger and salt to a mixing bowl. Stir well, then add maple syrup and coconut oil and stir well to form streusel.

Make cake batter: Sift gluten free flour, baking powder, baking soda, ground ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves and salt into a large mixing bowl. Stir in the almond flour and sugar. 

Whisk together applesauce, molasses, coconut oil, vanilla and flax eggs. Add in dry mixture and stir well with a spatula until combined (or use an electric hand mixer to combine). Add in nondairy milk and apple cider vinegar and whisk/beat just until the batter comes together. 

Pour batter into parchment paper-lined pan. Spread evenly, then top with streusel in an even layer. 

Bake for 30-32 minutes. Insert a toothpick to test doneness – it should come out clean. Remove from oven and let cool in the pan. 

Make glaze: While cooling, whisk together glaze ingredients until smooth. Once cooled, drizzle with glaze, slice and enjoy! 

Recipe notes

• Apple cider vinegar is an essential ingredient, as it reacts with baking soda to create a rise in gluten free and vegan baked goods. NOTE: wait to add the apple cider vinegar until right before you bake this cake, otherwise the reaction will occur too early in the baking process.
• Wondering what on earth a flax "egg" is? The short explanation: it's a simple mixture of ground flax meal and water, which forms a gelatinous substance that acts as a binder in vegan baking recipes (just like real egg). Read more about flax eggs here!
• Feel free to substitute pecans in the streusel with finely chopped almonds, walnuts, or even sunflower seeds for a nut free option.
• Gluten free flour recommendation: we used our favorite Bob's Red Mill Gluten Free 1:1 Baking Flour.
• Nondairy milk recommendations: we prefer using nondairy creamer, which is thicker and creamier than most nondairy milks. A few brands we use: Nutpods, Oatly, Forager Project, Califia Farms.
• Vanilla bean paste adds so much flavor to the glaze, but you can also use regular vanilla extract or the seeds from one vanilla bean pod.

Storage

Store leftovers in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days.

Freezer storage: store sliced cake in the freezer for up to 3 months. To reheat, microwave individual slices for about 30 seconds on high, until fully warmed.

More vegan holiday recipes:

• Double Chocolate Chip Peppermint Cookies
• Pecan Snowball Cookies
• Spiced Citrus Mulled Wine
• Vegan Peppermint Mocha
• Gluten Free Bread Pudding with Cardamom and Cranberries
• Vegan Linzer Cookies

If you make this vegan and gluten free gingerbread coffee cake, we’d love for you to leave a comment and rating below! We also love to see your creations on Instagram – tag us at @crowded_kitchen so we can see what you’ve been cooking.

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