Absolutely and without a doubt, I can say that coffee cakes or crumb cakes are my favourites when it comes to sweet little treats. They are so effortless to make, which we all appreciate from time to time, they are always sublime with coffee, and you can add anything you like, ranging from miniature chocolate chips, to dried fruit, to fresh fruit, to straight up chocolate, to jam. They are always good.
This little gem is made with peaches cooked to a lush jammy texture, and then additionally flavoured by applesauce and vanilla. This is as perfect as coffee cakes get, there is no doubt about it.
Not too sweet, very soft and moist, and delightfully peachy, it is phenomenal with coffee or tea, or iced tea, or all on its own, honestly. I may sound overly enthusiastic, but this cake has everything I love in a dessert, so my joy is very open.
Serve it as soon as it cools down to your liking and enjoy!
Ingredients
For the peach filling
150 grams peaches
50 grams sugar
1 tablespoon applesauce
1 teaspoon cornflour
1/4 teaspoon vanilla bean paste
For the coffee cake batter
100 millilitres soy milk
1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
120 grams plain flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/8 teaspoon baking soda
1/8 teaspoon salt
70 grams granulated sugar
20 millilitres neutral oil
50 grams applesauce
1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste
For the crumb topping
25 grams vegan block butter
25 grams granulated sugar
50 grams plain flour
Preparation
Start by making the peach filling. Dice the peaches finely, add them to a heavy saucepan, add in the sugar, and let them macerate for at least an hour. If in a rush, 30 minutes will also be fine.
Place the macerated fruit over medium heat and let it cook until fragrant, soft, and syrupy, about 8 minutes from the moment it starts to bubble. As soon as it is done, remove it from the heat and let it cool down completely.
For the coffee cake, let the oven preheat to 180°C and line a small round cake pan (13 cm) with baking parchment, on the bottom and the sides. Make sure it's a deeper pan, to hold everything nicely.
Whisk together the soy milk and vinegar in a small bowl, and set it aside for about 10 minutes. Sift together the plain flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt and whisk in the sugar. Make a little well in the centre of the dry ingredients, pour in all of the wet ingredients, and gently whisk until combined.
Take the prepared peach filling and add in the applesauce, cornflour, and vanilla. Mix very well, to distribute the starch.
Melt the vegan block butter for the crumb topping, add in the sugar and flour, and mix until big, beautiful pieces of crumble form. Set aside.
Pour half of the cake batter into the prepared pan, add half of the peaches, pour the remaining cake batter on top, and place it immediately in the preheated oven, and bake for just 5 minutes, so the surface firms up slightly.
After about 5 minutes, take the cake out of the oven, add the rest of the peach filling, followed by the crumb topping, and continue to bake for another 30-35 minutes, checking early on, so the cake stays soft.
Once baked, remove from the oven, and let it cool down completely in the pan. Serve with a cup of coffee or a glass of peach iced tea. Yields 8 moderate servings of 6 rich ones.
