Vegan East Coast coffee cake

The idea of a piece of cake with a crunchy , crumbly topping , is a thing of joy to me . New york is so well known for its coffee cake , but it is rare to find one that’s vegan , moist and delicious . The thing that impressed me about this recipe is the ease it is put together , the hardest part is the wait while its baking and , yes , cooling , just enough to sink your teeth into !

Isa Chandra Moskowitz

Photograph by Rahul Mahtani

TOPPING

1 cup All purpose flour

1/3 cup brown sugar

1 tsp ground cinnamon

1/4 tsp ground nutmeg

1/4 cup canola oil , plus up to 2 tbs more if needed ( I did need it )

CAKE

3/4 cup soy milk ( or any nondairy milk )

1 tsp apple cider vinegar

1/3 cup sugar

1/2 cup canola oil

1 tsp pure vanilla extract

1  1/4 cup all purpose flour

2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

SERVING

2 tbs powdered sugar (optional )

Preheat the oven to 375*F  .Lightly grease an 8 inch round springform pan or an 8 inch square pan . Measure out milk for the cake and mix in 1 tsp of vinegar. Set aside to curdle . Then begin preparing the topping .

TOPPING

In a small mixing bowl , mix together the flour , cinnamon and nutmeg . drizzle in the canola oil by the tablespoon . use your fingers to swish around the mixture until crumbs form . Alternate swishing and adding canola oil until all the oil is used and large crumbs have formed . Some of the topping is still going to be sandy and that’s fine , just so long as you have mostly nice big crumbs . You can add another tablespoon or two of oil if needed .

CAKE

In a large mixing bowl , mix together the milk mixture , sugar , canola oil and vinegar . Sift in the flour , baking powder and salt and mix until smooth .

Pour the cake batter into the prepared pan . Evenly sprinkle on the topping and pat it down , just a bit . Bake for 35 to 40 minutes , or until a knife inserted through the center comes out clean .

Let cool for at least an hour before slicing and serving . Sift optional sugar over top once cooled .