This deliciously “buttery” almond coffee cake is inspired by the classic almond croissant- with rich frangipane and “cream cheese” filling rippled throughout and a crunchy nutty almond vanilla streusel on top! Oh, and you’ll never believe it’s vegan and dairy free!

slice of vegan almond coffee cake on a plate

Almond croissant meets coffee cake: almond coffee cake!

Almond croissants are one of my absolute favorite breakfast pastries to ever exist. They’re buttery, soft, and deliciously nutty.

And if you’re a seasoned Banana reader, then you also know we have a whole series on dairy free cream cheese swirled coffee cakes (check out the original banana swirled one here, and my favorites, the lemon blueberry coffee cake and chocolate chip cookie coffee cake!). 

So naturally, I had to come out with an almond-croissant inspired almond coffee cake that has that iconic cream cheese swirl.

And let me tell you, this one takes the cake (not to be cliche 😉 ). 

sliced vegan almond coffee cake on parchment paper

My buttery soft, one bowl vanilla coffee cake batter is layered with a silky dairy free cream cheese filling, homemade frangipane, and a sweet vanilla almond crunchy crumble topping with sliced almonds to finish.

Truly, this crumb cake could belong in a bakery.

And in natural Banana Diaries fashion, it’s entirely vegan!! Meaning no eggs and no dairy. Yet I promise, you’d never know.

Serve this as an extra special holiday breakfast or even a dessert with a dusting of powdered sugar, and it’s like almond croissants with a fraction of the work 🙂

What’s in this recipe:

  • Soft vanilla cake: Based on my classic coffee cake, the vanilla cake batter bakes into the most tender, moist, and deliciously buttery vanilla cake. 
  • Rich, “nutty” frangipane: Because I’m almond croissant-obsessed, I had to include some actual frangipane in the almond coffee cake. The almond extract is completely optional here- I actually find that the almond flavor shines through enough with the almond flour! The frangipane is so simple to make too- and no dairy is needed!
  • Silky “cream cheese” filling: Like my blueberry lemon coffee cake and banana cream cheese coffee cake, there’s a ripple of a dairy free cream cheese filling that’s so simple- just dairy free cream cheese, a little sugar, and cornstarch to help it set!
  • Almond Vanilla Crunchy Crumble: To top our almond coffee cake, we sprinkle on a hefty topping of the remaining frangipane and a vanilla crumb topping that’s layered with sliced almonds. It bakes into a slightly crunchy yet “buttery” sweet streusel topping on to finish!
slice of coffee cake on a plate

Overview: How to make vegan almond coffee cake:

For the full written instructions and ingredient measurements, see the bottom of this post in the recipe card. You can also hit the “jump to recipe” button at the top of this post! Here, we’ll go over a brief overview of the steps, along with providing visuals for a better understanding of the recipe.

frangipane in a bowl
We’ll first start by making all of the components. First start with the frangipane, which is mixed in just one bowl.
cream cheese filling in a bowl
Then you can make either the cream chesee filling of the vanilla crumbling next.
vanilla crumb topping mixed in a bowl
Either, way, they’re both very simple, and require just one bowl!
vanilla cake batter in a bowl
Finally, make the vanilla cake batter, and then we can assemble our almond coffee cake.
assembling the vegan almond coffee cake
Start by pouring half of the vanilla batter on the bottom. Then spread the cream cheese layer evenly on top, followed by the frangipane.
Layering on the vegan almond coffee cake
Top with the remaining vanilla crumble and any frangipane you have leftover if you didn’t mix it into the vanilla crumble.
almond coffee cake before baking
Top with the remaining crumb topping and sliced almonds. Then bake!
almond coffee cake after baking
Once baked, let the coffee cake cool for 30 minutes. Then serve with a dusting of powdered sugar!

Can I omit the cream cheese filling?

Definitely! If you want to go the more traditional coffee cake route, and include a cinnamon sugar layer instead of cream cheese, along with the frangipane, you definitely can. The bake time will be even quicker too, around 55-60 minutes, but keep an eye on it.

You can use the cinnamon sugar layer found in my traditional vegan coffee cake here in lieu of the vegan cream cheese filling. 

sliced vegan almond coffee cake on a marble table

Can I make this almond coffee cake gluten free?

Absolutely! I like to use King Arthur measure for measure gluten-free flour. It’s absolutely wonderful, as it’s 1:1 in both US cup measurements and metric measurements. 

This cake will NOT work with only almond flour. You need a gluten-free blend that contains xanthan gum in order for the almond coffee cake to turn out like its all-purpose-flour counterpart.

bitten slice of coffee cake

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MOIST Vegan Almond Coffee Cake with “Cream Cheese” Filling

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star 5 from 28 reviews
  • Author: Britt Berlin
  • Prep Time: 20
  • Cook Time: 70
  • Total Time: 1 hour 30 minutes
  • Yield: 16 1x
  • Category: Cake
  • Method: Baking
  • Cuisine: American
  • Diet: Vegan
Print Recipe

Description

Description: “This deliciously “buttery” almond coffee cake is inspired by the classic almond croissant- with rich frangipane and “cream cheese” filling rippled throughout and a crunchy nutty almond vanilla streusel on top! Oh, and you’ll never believe it’s vegan and dairy free!

Ingredients

Scale

Frangipane filling:

  • 1/2 cup (112 g) unsalted vegan butter, melted
  • 3/4 cup (150 g) granulated sugar
  • 1 1/2 cups (150 g) almond flour
  • 1/2 tsp sea salt
  • 1/4 cup + 2 tbsp all purpose flour*
  • 3 tbsp almond milk
  • 2 tsp vanilla extract OR 2 tsp almond extract

Almond crumble:

  • 1 cup (125 g) all purpose flour*
  • 1/2 cup (100 g) granulated sugar
  • 5 tbsp (70 g) unsalted vegan butter, melted and cooled to room temperature
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1/8 tsp sea salt
  • 1/3 of the frangipane
  • 1/2 cup sliced almonds

Cream cheese filling:

  • 8 ounces vegan cream cheese, room temperature
  • 1 tbsp brown sugar
  • 1 tbsp cornstarch
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract

Cake batter:

  • 2/3 cup (180 g) vegan buttermilk, room temperature
  • 1/2 cup (113 g) vegan unsalted butter
  • 1 1/4 cup (250 g) granulated sugar
  • 3/4 cup (170 g) dairy free sour cream or dairy free yogurt, room temperature
  • 1 tbsp vanilla extract or vanilla paste
  • 1/4 tsp sea salt
  • 2 tsp baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp baking soda
  • 3 cups (375 g) all-purpose flour

Instructions

  1. Prep: Preheat the oven to 350F, and line a 9-inch springform pan with parchment paper. Grease the rims of the springform pan.
  2. Make the frangipane first: In a small bowl, use a fork to mix together all the frangipane ingredients until you create a paste-like texture. Then set aside.
  3. Make the crumble next: In a medium bowl, use a fork to mix together the crumble ingredients (excluding the sliced almonds- that will come at the very end in Step 6) until you get a sand-like texture. Add in 1/3 of the frangipane to the crumble, and rub the frangipane into the crumble with clean hands until evenly distributed throughout the crumble. Set aside.
  4. Next, make the cream cheese filling: In another medium bowl, use a hand mixer to cream together the cream cheese filling ingredients until the cream cheese is fluffy and the ingredients are integrated (about 1-2 minutes). Set aside.
  5. Now make the vanilla coffee cake batter: Make sure the vegan buttermilk is prepared. In a large bowl, whisk together the vegan butter, sugar, dairy free yogurt, and vanilla extract. Whisk to combine. Then add in the remaining flour, baking powder, baking soda, and sea salt. As you’re whisking the dry ingredients, pour in the vegan buttermilk. Whisk just until the dry ingredients are incorporated with the wet.
  6. Assemble the coffee cake: Spoon half of the vanilla coffee cake batter into the pan, and spread it to the edges of the pan. Then spoon the cream cheese layer on top, and use an offset spatula to spread the cream cheese to the edges. Next, spread the frangipane over the cream cheese filling. Finally, spoon the remaining vanilla coffee cake batter on top to the edges of the pan. Sprinkle the crumble on top of the batter, along with sliced almonds.
  7. Bake: Place the springform pan into the oven to bake for 75-77 minutes (it’s a long bake time, but don’t worry- it doesn’t dry out!). Remove the pan from the oven when a toothpick comes out clean and the crumble is lightly golden on top.
  8. Cool: Allow the coffee cake to cool in its pan for 1 hour.
  9. Serve: When ready to serve, carefully remove the walls of the springform pan, and dust with powdered sugar on top. Slice, serve, and enjoy!

Notes

Flour: To make this almond coffee cake gluten free, swap in a 1:1 gluten free flour blend. that contains xanthan gum. I like to use King Arthur Measure for Measure gluten-free flour.