Coffee Cake Cake Cake

Let's face it: mornings are hard. I naturally tend to wake up pretty early (we're talking 6am on a Saturday), but leaving my warm little blanket burrow is never not a struggle. Luckily, my love of food generally wins out of my love of lazing around, so I'm infinitely more likely to make it to a vertical position if I know there's a delicious breakfast, like Cinnamon Streusel Coffee Cake, waiting for me.

I don't really have to sell you guys on this too hard, right? Cake is cake, and this one in particular is light, fluffy, and moist. And "streusel" is just a fancy word for "sugar-butter-flour crumbles", which sounds like everything good and holy in this world so of course I'm going to put it on my breakfast. The crunchy topping is a perfect complement to the soft coffee cake, and the combination of subtle coconut flavor and spices smells and tastes incredible.

If cake for breakfast is not your jam (who are you?), rest assured that this sweet treat remains highly edible during Sunday brunches, afternoon coffee breaks, and anytime you need a little pick-me-up!

Cinnamon Streusel Coffee Cake
Makes 16 servings

1 cup coconut milk (or soy milk, or almond milk, etc)
¼ cup coconut oil 
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
1 cup flour
½ cup brown sugar, packed
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon cinnamon 
1 teaspoon nutmeg
 ¼ teaspoon salt 

½ cup vegan butter, melted
½ teaspoon cinnamon
1 cup brown sugar, packed
1 cup flour 

Preheat your oven to 375 F, and line an 8x8 pan with aluminum foil. In a small bowl, combine the coconut milk, melted coconut oil, and apple cider vinegar and whisk it up really well. Set it aside for a couple of minutes - it's going to curdle and look kinda gross, but it'll make your cake moist and delicious!

In a medium bowl, whisk up the flour, brown sugar, baking soda, baking powder, vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt. Slowly pour in the liquid mixture and stir just until combined - don't worry if there are a couple of clumps in there. Pour the batter into the pan while you make your streusel.

For the sweet, crunchy crumble topping, just combine the leftover butter, cinnamon, brown sugar, and flour in a small bowl. This is the fun part - you get to get down and dirty with your hands! Work the mixture between your fingers to make little streusel clumps, then sprinkle that all over your cake batter. Make sure to get the edges!

Stick your cake in the oven and bake for 35-40 minutes, or until a toothpick stuck in the middle comes out clean. Enjoy that delightful cinnamony smell, along with some piping hot coffee and tea to start your day off right!