The decision to make a vegan cranberry crumble cake may have had something to do with the fact that the only fruit in the house besides dried fruit was a bag of frozen cranberries.
From above, this traybake looks like a fruit crumble, but the base is a soft wholemeal sponge with coconut and cinnamon.
One of the best things about cranberries, of course, is their striking colour, which is undiminished by baking – not something you can say of every fruit.
Their tartness is more challenging when it comes to cakes, but topping them with a sweet crumble tames the acidity without robbing them of their unique sharp flavour.
The crumble topping includes maple syrup for a bit of extra sweeteness and to hold the crumble together in a fairly firm layer, so it doesn’t fall to bits when you cut into it.
If you have a sweet tooth, you can sprinkle caster or other sugar over the top of the finished cake.
vegan cranberry crumble cake…
ingredients
- 225 g wholemeal self-raising flour
- 1/4 tsp bicarbonate of soda
- 40 g desiccated coconut
- 2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 110 g light brown sugar
- 180 ml soya (or other non-dairy) milk
- 50 ml light olive (or other mild-tasting) oil
- 1 tbsp ground flaxseed
- 2 tsp apple cider vinegar
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 200 g frozen cranberries
for the crumble topping
- 110 g white/unbleached self-raising flour
- 65 g light brown sugar
- 65 g coconut oil (flavourless, or the ordinary kind if you prefer)
- 50 g maple syrup
- 1.5 tsp ground cinnamon
- pinch of salt
method
- Ideally, you should remove the cranberries from the freezer before you start, to give them a bit of time to thaw. Unlike some other berries, they won’t bleed into the cake mixture if partially defrosted.
- Set the oven to 180°C/360°F, and lightly oil and line the base of a square or rectangular baking tin (the pictured cake was baked in a 9″ square tin).
- Prepare the crumble topping. Place the coconut oil in a medium-sized bowl. Unless it’s already quite soft, soften it a little in the microwave.
- Add the other ingredients to the coconut oil, except for the maple syrup, and rub with your fingers or a pastry blender until you have a crumbly mixture and no lumps of coconut remaining.
- Add the maple syrup and press and mix with a fork until it’s well combined. The mixture should still be crumbly, but hold together quite well if pressed. Set aside while you make the base.
- Place the wholemeal flour, bicarbonate of soda, desiccated coconut, sugar and cinnamon in a large bowl and stir or whisk to mix everything together evenly.
- In a separate jug or bowl, whisk together the milk, oil, flaxseed, vinegar and vanilla for a minute or two.
- Pour the liquid into the dry ingredients, stirring lightly as you go. As soon as it is combined, transfer to the pan and spread it with the back of a spoon or a knife to create a fairly even base (it doesn’t have to be anywhere near perfect).
- Sprinkle the cranberries over the base and press them very lightly into the mixture with the back of a spoon.
- Now sprinkle the crumble mixture across the top. Try to cover it evenly, but it won’t matter if the odd cranberry is peeping through.
- Bake for 35 to 40 minutes until it is risen and browned on top.
- Allow to cool before attempting to cut and remove from the tin.
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