It all starts with a freshly-made batch of masala coffee — let’s be honest, every great moment starts (and ends) with a hot drink, right? The warmth of the cup around clasped hands, inhaling steamy aromas and waiting for it to cool just enough so we can take a sip gives us time to chat with a friend or quietly contemplate alone. It soothes the soul and allows us to stop and do nothing for a moment during our busy days. Having a hot drink is like having a spa treatment for the soul.

Whenever I feel burned out, I rely on a cup of masala coffee with my mum to lift my mood. She makes it milky and sweet, with just the right amount of spice to compliment the aroma of good coffee. It’s made in a pan on the stove, like all good masala coffee and chai should be made. We boil it low and slow for at least 15 minutes for a truly authentic Indian taste. We’ll sit, chat, snack and laugh, melting away my stresses and brightening up my day.

This cake is inspired by those moments.

Be still my beating heart

My version of New Jersey crumb cake has extra-thick cinnamon sugar crumb topping, so the ratio of crumb to cake is almost 1:1. It gives you the best of both worlds when you can’t decide whether to have cake or biscuits with your cup of coffee. The sponge cake is rises perfectly and is full of rich coffee and spices. You won’t miss the dairy or eggs in this recipe, I promise you.

The spice blend: Vegan Masala Coffee Crumb Cake

My spice blend is very typical of what is traditionally added to boiling milk to make masala chai or coffee. Cinnamon, ginger, cardamom, black peppercorns, cloves and nutmeg all combine with espresso powder. This makes each slice truly taste like a cup of masala coffee. It’s not too sweet and the flurry of icing sugar on top is absolutely necessary. This balances out the flavours and create the perfect look of a milky cup of coffee. As a result the cake is as delicious as it is messy to eat.

Make this if you’re in need of a grown-up tasting cake to share with friends. Or enjoy in the comfort of your own company, you know, whatever. It freezes beautifully so you can also stow away portions to eat later.

Customise this Vegan Masala Coffee Crumb Cake

• Transform this cake into a chocolate dream! Simply replace 50g of the flour in the sponge recipe with 50g good-quality cocoa powder.
• Add 50g mini vegan chocolate chips to the crumb topping for a cookie dough-inspired finish. Or turn this into a masala chai cake. Swap the espresso powder for 25g black tea leaves — be sure to strain the soy milk before using.
• If you have pre-made chai masala, swap the individual spices in the sponge recipe for 1 tablespoon of pre-made masala.
• Alternatively, you could also use 1 tablespoon of your favourite gingerbread or pumpkin spice mix.

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Vegan Masala Coffee Crumb Cake

Piled high with cinnamon crumble, this masala coffee-spiced cake truly tastes like a cup of Indian masala coffee.

Course Dessert

Cuisine American, Indian

Keyword cake, coffee, vegan

Prep Time 35 minutes minutes

Cook Time 1 hour hour 30 minutes minutes

Total Time 2 hours hours 5 minutes minutes

Servings 16

Author Sanjana

Ingredients

For the crumb topping:

• 225 g plain flour
• 125 g soft light brown sugar
• 85 g caster sugar
• 100 g vegan butter melted and warm
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp fine salt

For the sponge:

• 225 g sponge flour/cake flour
• 160 g caster sugar
• 1 tbsp cornflour
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp baking soda
• 3 tbsp instant espresso powder (if using granules, crush to a powder before using)
• 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp ground cardamom
• 1/4 tsp ground ginger
• 1/8 tsp ground cloves
• 1/8 tsp ground black pepper
• 1/8 tsp ground nutmeg
• 1/8 tsp fine salt
• 100 g vegan butter melted and warm
• 300 ml soy milk
• 1 tsp apple cider vinegar

You will also need:

• 60 g icing sugar for dusting

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 160°C/320°F. Grease and line a 20-cm/8-inch round, 7-cm/3-inch deep springform or loose-bottomed tin with baking parchment.

For the crumb topping:

• Place both sugars and the melted vegan butter in a bowl. Stir well until smooth, about a minute. Add the flour and ground cinnamon. Use your fingers to rub the vegan butter and flour together until you have a coarse and pebbly mixture like if you were making a fruit crumble topping. Set aside at room temperature.

For the sponge:

• To make the cake, whisk together the flour, sugar, cornflour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, espresso powder and ground spices in a large bowl. Add the melted vegan butter and again, rub the dry ingredients with the butter to form a coarse, breadcrumb-like texture.
• Add in the soy milk and whisk well until smooth. Finally, add the apple cider vinegar and whisk well one last time.
• Pour the cake mix into the tin and top with the prepared crumb topping, starting at the edges and working your way to the centre to prevent it sinking in too much.
• Bake in the middle shelf of a preheated oven for 75 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the centre of the cake comes out clean.
• Allow to cool in the tin. Run a knife around the outside of the tin before releasing. Sift lots of icing sugar over the top and serve with your favourite hot drink.

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Psst… if you like this Vegan Masala Coffee Crumb Cake, you’ll LOVE these Baked Vegan Vanilla Doughnuts.

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When it comes to baking, the more lemon that’s involved, the better as far as I’m concerned. I’ve never met anyone who didn’t go weak at the knees for a slice of lemon drizzle cake or three. Have you?

Why is Lemon & Saffron such a great flavour combo?

One of my favourite flavour combinations has to be lemon and saffron. The humble, sharp lemon against the heady fragrance of saffron is such a winner. Whether you’re cooking something sweet or savoury, the two ingredients together are the perfect marriage of colour, taste and aroma.

Sweet is most certainly my preference because once baked, they mingle with the smell of toasty flour and fill the house with the most gorgeous baking scent. It’s pure and strong, unlike if you were making a savoury dish with 10 other spices.

In the past, I’ve successfully combined the two to make cheesecakes and seeroh (sweet semolina) which were both delicious. This time, I wanted to give a simple cupcake recipe a special makeover. They’re light, fluffy and so moreish.

How to make vegan lemon curd

Each fluffy sponge is filled with a golden-hued saffron lemon curd which I veganised with cornflour, coconut oil and coconut milk in place of eggs and butter. Use unrefined coconut oil to ensure the flavour of coconut doesn’t overpower the rest of the ingredients. It’s the saffron that gives it a pretty daffodil colour. If you have any leftover lemon curd, pop it in a jar and spread it on toast or scones for a special tea-time treat. It really is spectacular.

The best Vegan Lemon Meringue Cupcakes

These Vegan Lemon Meringue Cupcakes are a little riff on the Vanilla Birthday Cupcakes I posted a while back. It’s a straightforward one using almond buttermilk to give the cupcakes lift. If you have any questions about the cupcake baking process, check here for lots of detail (can you tell I could talk about baking forever?).

The meringue might seem daunting at first. However, once you have all your ingredients laid out in front of you, it’s very simple. You’ll need a stand mixer with a whisk attachment or robust electric hand beaters to get that meringue whipped up perfectly. Reducing the aquafaba and adding agar-agar will give it more stability and the cream of tartar and sugar will help it whip into a sweet cloud of fluffiness. I used a kitchen blowtorch to toast the tops but if you don’t have one, you can pop them under the grill for a 15-20 seconds — just be sure to remove the cupcakes from their paper cases first!

These are perfect for parties, bake sales and for when you just want to eat a cupcake or three, alone, on your kitchen floor.

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Vegan Saffron & Lemon Meringue Cupcakes

The lightest vegan cupcakes filled with tangy saffron and lemon curd, all crowned with a cloud of toasted vegan meringue.

Course Dessert

Cuisine American, Indian

Keyword cupcakes, dessert, lemon, meringue, saffron, vegan

Prep Time 35 minutes minutes

Cook Time 25 minutes minutes

Total Time 1 hour hour

Servings 12

Author Sanjana

Ingredients

For the cupcakes:

• 225 g extra-fine self-raising cake flour
• 160 g caster sugar
• 1 tbsp + 1 tsp cornflour
• 1/4 tsp baking powder
• 1/8 tsp fine salt
• 250 ml almond milk room temperature
• Zest of 1 lemon
• 30 ml lemon juice
• 110 ml rapeseed oil or any flavourless oil of your choice

For the saffron lemon curd:

• 50 ml lemon juice
• Zest of 3 lemons
• 75 g icing sugar
• 20 g cornflour
• 30 g refined coconut oil
• 50 ml coconut milk
• Pinch of saffron

For the meringue:

• 100 ml aquafaba reduced from 200ml chilled
• 1/4 tsp cream of tartar
• 100 g caster sugar
• 25 ml water
• 25 ml agave
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/4 tsp agar-agar

Instructions

• Pre-heat the oven to 175°C/350°F/gas mark 4.
• Line a 12-hole cupcake tin with paper cupcake cases.

For the vegan saffron lemon curd:

• To make the saffron lemon curd, combine all the ingredients in a saucepan and give everything a good whisk. Cook over a medium heat, whisking all the time until the mixture has thickened to the consistency of custard. The saffron will start to turn the lemon curd a beautiful shade of daffodil yellow. Remove from the heat and allow to cool slightly.
• Once the lemon curd has cooled for 10 minutes, directly cover the surface with cling film to stop a hard skin forming. Refrigerate until needed.

For the vegan cupcakes:

• Mix together the almond milk and lemon juice in a jug. Allow to stand for ten minutes, until slightly thickened. Stir in the oil.
• In a large bowl, whisk together the cake flour, caster sugar, cornflour, baking powder, salt and lemon zest.
• Pour the milk mixture into the dry ingredients and beat with a whisk for 1-2 minutes, until you have a smooth batter.
• Pour or scoop the batter into the paper cupcake cases, filling to about ¾ of the way up. Give the base of the tin a quick succession of taps on the work surface to remove any large air bubbles.
• Place the tin into the pre-heated oven and bake for 18 minutes, or until golden on top and springy to the touch. Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely.

For the vegan meringue:

• To make the meringue, place the reduced and chilled aquafaba in a clean stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment. Add the cream of tartar and whisk on high speed for 3-4 minutes until frothy.
• Combine the water, sugar, agave, vanilla and agar-agar in a saucepan and mix until dissolved. Cook over a medium heat, stirring often to stop the syrup catching and burning at the base of the pan. Use a sugar thermometer to check the temperature of the syrup. Once the syrup reaches 120°C/250°F, remove it from the heat and quickly pour it into the still running bowl of the stand mixer. Whisk the mixture for 15 minutes until white and meringue-like in texture.
• Use a spoon to remove the centres from the cooled cupcakes and pipe or spoon 2 teaspoons of the chilled lemon curd into the centre. Fill top of the plug with a few cake crumbs.
• Fill a piping bag fitted with a large, round tip with the meringue mixture. Pipe the meringue on to the cupcakes. I chose to do a simple pillowy blob but you can also use a star piping tip if you like. If you don’t have a piping bag, you can also spoon the meringue on top.
• For a toasted finish, use a kitchen blowtorch to toast the tops of the meringues before serving. I do not recommend placing the cupcakes under a grill when using paper cases. If you don’t have a kitchen blowtorch and would like to toast the meringue, consider using grill-safe silicone cupcake cases.
• Storage: Keep these cupcakes covered and at room temperature for up to 24 hours. Storing them in the refrigerator may cause the meringue to weep liquid and deflate.

Vegan Cake FAQ

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I was seven years old and obsessed with baking with my mum in the little kitchen above our corner shop. It was our home for the first ten years of my life and the place where I first fell in love with food and the idea of cooking.

Cakes eluded me as I never indulged in them at friends’ birthday parties. Like many Gujarati Hindus, we are a family of lacto-vegetarians so don’t eat eggs.

My mum never wanted us to miss out so she would test recipes for the perfect fluffy eggless sponge cakes for us at home.

A hundred iterations of cakes made with everything from condensed milk and sour cream, to custard powder and buttermilk. I’d watch intently the whole time, soaking up the baking smells and tips.

We baked them in the oven and cooked them in the microwave, in silicone liners and traditional tins. No stone was left unturned in the eggless cake department.

Of course, each experiment came with its own set of unique results; Sometimes they were good, sometimes they were a total flop. The fun part was always in the time we spent with one another rather than in getting the recipe totally right.

For a kid my age, any cake was good cake. Weighing out the ingredients, mixing the batter and sitting in front of the oven waiting for it to “ping” was just one part of the mother-daughter bonding experience.

We’d talk about all things food and she’d tell me about her childhood, learnings and lessons for life. We still do this now, almost 25 years and hundreds of cakes later.

You’ll be pleased to know that after years of testing and more cake fails than I can count, we did finally nail the perfect eggless vanilla cake recipe. Here it is, in cupcake form, ready to see in my 30th birthday this month. Yep, I’m T-H-I-R-T-Y now. And a mum to the most lovely little boy. How times have changed since starting this blog as a carefree, party-loving twenty year-old student.

My eggless vanilla birthday cupcakes are light, white, fluffy and super moist with lots of vanilla flavour. I’ve baked sprinkles into the sponge because there’s nothing more exciting than funfetti. It just screams, “Happy Birthday!” and I’d have freaked for these cakes when I was a kid.

The best thing is that the recipe uses simple, easy-to-obtain ingredients rather than commercial egg-replacers (I have tried every egg replacer under the sun and none of them produce a better cake than this recipe, regardless of how expensive they are).

You don’t need a fancy mixer either. Use a bowl, a regular whisk and a spatula for the recipe for the best results.

The frosting is a simple, American-style crusting buttercream which is easy to pipe/spread and sets up beautifully. I kept it a plain ivory colour but you can colour it to your favourite shade if you like.

I recommend using gel or paste food colours such as Wilton, Sugarflair or Americolor. These will ensure the frosting doesn’t become too slack which can be a problem with liquid food colours.

Watch the recipe video to see exactly how I make these at home. The recipe has been tried and tested dozens of times and I always get perfect results. You’re going to love them!

Here are some of my best learnings from baking a million eggless cakes over the years for both weddings and just for the family at home. I’ve tried to answer as many as I can here but if you can’t see the answer to a question you have, drop a comment below and I’ll get back to you.

Q. Is there a single egg replacer that works for all baking recipes?
A. There’s not a one-size-fits-all answer as the techniques and make-up of different bakes all require different approaches and ingredients. E.g. Mashed banana, flax eggs  and applesauce are fine for eggless bakes like banana cake, dense muffins and crumb cake but they don’t work so well in vanilla cakes. The eggless cake would end up tasting of those ingredients rather than having the light, white, fluffy texture we all want in a good vanilla cake. I also tend to stay away from using these in vanilla cake baking because the results can be a bit too unpredictable.

Q. Can I swap the sugar in the recipe for honey/coconut sugar/agave/sweetener? Can I reduce the amount of sugar in the recipe?
A. No. Sugar helps proteins bind and form a good structure in cakes. In the absence of eggs, sugar plays a vital role in binding proteins, forming a good crumb and holding the cake together. Using liquid-based ingredients like honey will change the texture of final cake. Coconut sugar and sweetener have a different make-up to regular sugar too and swapping them in place of sugar will also change the final result of the eggless cake.

Q. My eggless cake is tough. Where did I go wrong?
A. Overworked batter can produce a dense, tough cake. This is the case with all cakes, not just the eggless kind. If you overbeat a cake, the in the flour gluten develops to unwanted levels and this will result in tough, stodgy eggless cakes.

Q. Can I swap the white cake flour for wholemeal flour?
A. Technically yes, you could. Having said this, your eggless cake will be darker in colour and heavier than if you were to use a refined white flour. I’ve found that extra-fine self-raising sponge flour produces the best results by a country mile if you’re looking for a fluffy, white eggless cake.

Q. Why do you use full-fat milk powder?
A. Sugar bonds with proteins to give the cake batter a strong structure. Milk powder contains protein which will bind with the sugar to give the eggless cake a strong, fine crumb, helping it rise in the oven and most importantly, hold its shape. The cornflour and raising agents also help these along.

Q. Can I veganise your eggless cake recipe?
A. Yes, you can but again, the texture and flavour of the finished cake may vary slightly. Increase the flour by 1 tbsp, switch the milk for unsweetened almond milk (at room temperature), and use 2 tbsp aquafaba (reduced from 4 tbsp and chilled) in place of milk powder. If you’re making this funfetti vanilla cake recipe, please ensure your sprinkles are suitable for vegans. The butter in the frosting can be swapped with your favourite vegan spread (the soft kind in a tub, not a block). Swap the milk in the frosting for unsweetened almond milk at room temperature.

Q. My cakes are dry. Where did I go wrong?
A. They are overbaked. Ensure you’re baking them for the stated time at the correct temperature. Most domestic ovens tend to be a few degrees out but an internal oven thermometer can help ensure your oven is set at the right temperature. If you don’t have an internal oven thermometer you could also increase or reduce the cooking time depending on whether your cakes are overbaking or underbaking.

Q. Can I use condensed milk in place of sugar and milk in this recipe?
A. I wouldn’t. I’ve baked so many cakes with condensed milk before and whilst they smell amazing in the oven, they are caramelising in the oven and produce dark brown crusts and sponges that are pretty unpleasant to eat. They’re often dense and heavy too (fine for some cakes but not if you want fluffy white eggless cakes).

Q. Can I add cocoa powder to make this a chocolate cake?
A. The make-up of eggless vanilla cakes and eggless chocolate cakes are super different and although some ingredients may be the same, the proportions are not. I’d recommend using a chocolate cake recipe, such as this Eggless Malted Chocolate Whipped Ganache Cake if you want to make a chocolate cake. Adding cocoa powder (as it is a dry ingredient) to this recipe will change the texture and you would then have to adjust the liquid ingredients to make up for the increased quantity of dry ingredients.

Q. Why do you add oil instead of butter?
A. In eggless cakes, an oil-based batter will result in a moist, fluffy cake. I’ve found that using butter results in a much firmer cake with a larger crumb.

Q. Why does the milk need to be at room temperature?
A. Room temperature milk will ensure the milk and vinegar mixture curdles quickly and adequately. If you’re short of time, microwave cold milk from the fridge on high power in 15 second intervals for a total of 30 seconds, stirring in between.

Q. Why add the additional baking powder if you’re using self-raising flour?
A. After a lot of testing, I’ve found the extra leavening from the baking powder gives the eggless cakes an extra lift for a super fluffy result.

This recipe makes 12 standard-sized cupcakes or 9 if you’re using muffin cases).

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Fluffy Eggless Vanilla Birthday Cupcakes

My eggless vanilla birthday cupcakes are light, white, fluffy and super moist with lots of vanilla flavour. I’ve baked sprinkles into the sponge because there’s nothing more exciting than funfetti.

Prep Time 40 minutes minutes

Cook Time 18 minutes minutes

Ingredients

For the cupcakes:

• 170 g extra-fine self-raising cake flour
• 150 g caster sugar
• 240 ml full-fat milk at room temperature
• 1 tsp apple cider vinegar
• 1 tbsp pure vanilla extract not vanilla essence
• 2 tbsp full-fat milk powder
• 1/4 tsp baking powder
• 1 tbsp cornflour
• 90 ml sunflower oil
• 1/8 tsp salt
• 2 1/2 tbsp colourful sprinkles not nonpareils

For the buttercream:

• 150 g unsalted butter at room temperature
• 200 g icing sugar
• 1 tbsp whole milk at room temperature
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• Pinch of salt

Instructions

• Pre-heat the oven to 170°C/340°F. Line a 12-hole cupcake tin with 12 paper cupcake cases or 9 muffin cases.
• In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, milk powder, cornflour, sugar and salt.
• In a separate jug or glass, mix together the milk, vanilla extract and apple cider vinegar. Set aside for 5 minutes, undisturbed. After 5 minutes, give it a brief whisk.
• Add the oil and milk mixture to the dry ingredients and gently whisk for 40-60 seconds until smooth. Don’t overbeat the cake batter or you could end up with tough cakes.
• At the last minute, fold in the sprinkles with a spatula. Be gentle and swift. Too much mixing will cause the colour from the sprinkles to bleed into the batter.
• Pour the batter into the paper cases, about 3/4 of the way full. Bake the cupcakes for 18-20 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the middle of a cake comes out clean. They should be springy to the touch and not too brown on top.
• Remove from the oven and allow to cool in the tin.
• To make the frosting, beat together the butter and icing sugar until fluffy and pale, about 8 minutes. Add the vanilla extract, salt and milk. Beat for a further 5 minutes until thick, light and creamy.
• Frost the cooled cupcakes however you like. I love using the Wilton 1M tip fitted in a piping bag for cute, simple ruffles and rosettes. You could also just spread the frosting on using a spatula if you like. Top with extra sprinkles (as many as you like). Candles are optional, but make any cake infinitely more fun.
• If you’re eating the cakes on the same day, know that frosting is the best way to preserve your cakes and keep them from going stale. If you’re keeping them for the another day, store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. Remove from the fridge an hour before serving to soften the cakes and frosting.
• Alternatively, you can bake this cake in a greased and lined 15cm (6-inch) round x 7cm (3-inch) deep at 160°C/320°F for 45-50 minutes, or until a skewer inserted in to the middle of the cake comes out clean. Cool in the tin for 10 minutes and then flip it out onto a wire rack to cool before decorating.

Video

Love Sanjana

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