Got sourdough discard sitting in the fridge? Soft vanilla-almondy sourdough coffeecake layered with soft strawberry swirls and finished with a buttery vanilla crumb topping feels a little old-fashioned in the best possible way. And yes…It’s completely vegan! (Hint hint: Using sourdough discard is the secret to making a tender “lifted” vegan coffee cake.)
This strawberry swirl coffeecake is an easy way to use extra sourdough discard while turning fresh strawberries into something that feels a little special without being complicated. In fact, it’s almost worth it to keep sourdough discard in your fridge just for recipes like this!
The strawberries cook down into a quick thick strawberry swirl that stays throughout the cake instead of disappearing into the batter, while the vanilla crumb topping bakes up golden and lightly crisp. A small amount of almond extract gives the cake a bakery-style flavor and makes the strawberries taste even more yummy!
The reasons I’m bringing this recipe to you
- I was frustrated with the lack of vegan sourdough discard recipes available
- Strawberries can be tricky to bake with. The strawberry swirl in this coffee cake recipe stays jammy instead of watery – (the trick is to cook it down first into a thick gooey highly concentrated strawberry mixture)
- And because the strawberries are sugared before baking, the flavor tastes deeper and more concentrated instead of disappearing into the cake
- The sourdough discard makes the crumb soft and tender and perfectly compliments the crisp buttery topping
- Simple ingredients and no stand mixer needed
- Perfect for breakfast, brunch, dessert, or afternoon coffee
- Vegan without feeling “vegan”
This is the kind of cake that somehow tastes even better a few hours later once the strawberry swirl settles into the crumb.
Cindy's Kitchen Notes For Success!
Hints about some of the ingredients
You know I’m about easy vegan comfort food and try to use shortcuts when I can. Some of these ingredients have easy substitutions or shortcuts, and some really don’t. This strawberry coffeecake is one of those recipes where a few specific ingredients help create the soft texture, buttery crumb topping, and rich flavor that make it worth baking in the first place.
For the Strawberry Swirl
- Fresh strawberries – Fresh strawberries cook down into a thick, jammy swirl that holds its shape in the cake. Can you use frozen strawberries in a pinch? Meh…read the FAQ for this below. I wouldn’t – but do let me know if you do.
- You’ll also be using granulated sugar, cornstarch, and lemon juice. You can use bottled lemon juice or fresh lemon juice. It won’t make a difference for this recipe.
For the Crumb Topping
- You’ll be using all-purpose flour (even if your sourdough discard uses bread flour – same for the cake ingredients.
- Cold vegan butter – Cold butter creates the best crumb texture and helps prevent the topping from melting into the cake.
For the Cake Batter
- Avocado oil – or you could use another neutral oil. I tried this one once with coconut oil and the texture was a little heavier I liked.
- Brown sugar – Adds moisture and a subtle caramel depth that works beautifully with strawberries. Make sure to pack the brown sure and use light brown sugar rather than dark brown sugar.
- Sourdough discard – You can use your sourdough discard cold out of the fridge. BUT if I have not fed/used my discard for a few weeks, I like to do a quick feed the day before just to make sure I get a little lift from it.
- Soy milk – You can use any plant milk of your choice, but I think soy milk’s protein content helps create a better vegan cake crumb.
- You’ll be using a little lemon juice, vanilla extract, AND almond extract. Almond extract really makes the strawberry flavor pop without overpowering the cake. Have I make it before with just the vanilla extract? Yes, and it is still good, but adding the almond extract makes it even better.
- All-purpose flour – not bread flour or cake flour. It’s okay if your discard used bread flour.
- You’ll need baking powder AND baking soda. And I’ll just say…don’t get in a hurry and mix them up or you’ll end up using significantly more baking soda than you should…and it’s NOT a good thing!
Let’s get started with vegan sourdough strawberry coffee cake!
The best pan for this coffee cake
You’ll want to use an 8×8 square baking pan for this recipe. A 9×9 pan would work in a pinch. I’ve made this strawberry sourdough coffee cake in both sizes though and the 8×8 definitely works best!
Don’t be tempted to double this recipe and bake it in a 9×13 pan. It just does not work out texture-wise and gets overdone on the edges and gummy in the middle.
Why Sugar the Strawberries First?
Sugaring the strawberries before cooking them helps draw out their juices and concentrate the flavor. Instead of watery fruit disappearing into the batter, the strawberries turn into a thick, jammy swirl that stays visible throughout the cake.
The longer the strawberries sit in the sugar, the deeper the strawberry flavor becomes. One hour works well enough, but overnight is even better.
How to Cook the Strawberry Swirl Mixture
Add the strawberries and their juices to a small saucepan along with the lemon juice and cornstarch. Bring it all to a simmer over medium heat and cook for 3–5 minutes, stirring often and lightly mashing the berries, until thickened and jam-like.
Sometimes I use a potato masher to mash the cooked berries – or even an immersion blender. It makes it a lot easier Just make sure to leave enough chunks to give the strawberry swirl texture when it bakes in the cake.
Set the cooked mixture aside to cool completely. This is something you can make the day or night before. Just keep it covered in the fridge overnight. Set it on the counter to come close to room temperature before swirling the cooked strawberry mixture in the cake.
Mix the flaxseed and water together in a small bowl. Let sit for about 5 minutes to thicken.
Making the Crumb Topping
Combine the flour, sugar, and salt in a small bowl before adding the vegan butter. It’s really important to use cold vegan butter. Vegan butter gets softer much faster than if you used dairy butter.
Cut in the cold vegan butter using a fork or your fingertips until small crumbs form. Sprinkle the vanilla extract over the mixture and toss lightly to combine.
Place the prepared crumb topping in the refrigerator while preparing the batter. Keep it chilled until immediately before baking. If the crumb topping is too soft and warm before baking, then it will disappear into the cake. Making the crumb topping is another step that you can do the night before.
Making the Flax Egg
Mix the flaxseed and water together in a small bowl. Let sit for about 5 minutes to thicken. This is not a step you should do the night before, but rather, right before mixing the cake ingredients. Just make sure to give it a little rest and gel time.
Creaming the Oil and Sugars
Use a hand mixer to beat together the avocado oil, brown sugar, and granulated sugar until well combined and slightly thickened. This will take one-two minutes. It’s important to make sure the sugar crystals are encased with the fat (the butter) before adding in the other wet ingredients.
Adding the Wet Ingredients to the sugars and oil
Mix in the flax egg, sourdough discard, soy milk, lemon juice, vanilla extract, and almond extract until smooth. You can totally mix this by hand if you’d like, but your beaters are already dirty so use your mixer instead!
Combining the Dry Ingredients
It’s important to mix the wet ingredients and dry ingredients separately before combining them together. Mixing everything at once can easily lead to overmixed batter, which creates a tougher, denser cake instead of a soft crumb.
In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt before adding them to the wet ingredients.
Make sure everything is well mixed before combining the wet and the dry ingredients. And especially if you have any “chunks” of baking soda, make sure they have completely broken up and been incorporated.
Mix together to Make the Batter
I always give the wet ingredients one final stir before I add the dry ingredients. After stirring the wet ingredients one final time, add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and stir until just combined.
Do not over-mix once you’ve combi the dry and wet ingredients together. You should just fold and stir until they are both combined and no dry ingredients are remaining. The batter should resemble a very thick muffin batter.
Time to Assemble the vegan strawberry Coffeecake
Prepare your 8×8 baking pan with a coat of vegan butter or vegetable shortening ahead of time. You don’t want to take the time to prepare the pan once the batter is mixed. Spread the coffee cake batter evenly into the prepared pan.
Spoon the cooled strawberry mixture over the batter in dollops. Use a knife to gently swirl the strawberries through the batter using just a few light passes. Over-swirling can fully mix the strawberries into the batter instead of leaving visible ribbons throughout the cake.
Sprinkle the chilled crumb topping evenly over the surface. Sometimes the vegan butter can soften too much while mixing, causing the crumb topping to firm up into larger clumps once refrigerated. If that happens, simply use a knife or fork to break the mixture into smaller crumb pieces before sprinkling it over the cake.
Time to bake and Enjoy!
Make sure your oven is preheated at 350°F before putting the cake in the oven. Bake for 40–45 minutes or until:
- the top is golden,
- the center feels set,
- and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out mostly clean. A little strawberry streaking on the toothpick is perfectly fine.
Allow the vegan sourdough discard coffeecake to cool completely before slicing. I know it’s tempting to dig in to warm cake, but this one is best enjoyed cooled because the strawberry swirl continues to set as the cake cools.
Serve with your favorite vegan whipped topping, vegan ice cream, or with extra sugared strawberries spooned on top. Or just enjoy on a plate with a fork. Yum!
Frequently Asked Questions
Possibly, although this recipe was tested with fresh strawberries. Frozen berries will release more liquid, so the strawberry mixture may need a slightly longer simmer time.
No. The sourdough discard adds tenderness and depth but does not make the cake taste sour.
Soy milk or pea protein milk produces the best crumb because the protein structure is closer to dairy milk.
Yes if keeping longer than one day. Store covered in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
Cindy’s Final Thoughts
- Keep the crumb topping cold right until baking. This helps create visible bakery-style crumbs instead of a melted topping.
- Do not swirl the strawberries too aggressively. A few gentle passes with a knife creates prettier ribbons throughout the cake.
- Let the strawberry mixture cool before swirling into the batter. Warm fruit can soften the crumb topping before the cake has time to bake.
- An 8×8 pan creates thicker, softer slices. A 9×9 pan will bake faster and produce a thinner coffeecake.
The soft vanilla-almond cake, jammy strawberry swirls, and buttery crumb topping give this vegan coffeecake the kind of flavor that feels familiar from the very first bite. It’s the sort of cake that gets sliced “just to try a piece” and somehow keeps disappearing from the kitchen counter all day long.
And honestly, that’s usually exactly what happens.
The Printable Recipe Card
Strawberry Swirl Coffeecake with Sourdough Discard (Vegan)
Equipment
- 8×8 baking pan or 9×9 baking pan – see notes
- hand mixer
- potato masher or something similar
Ingredients
Strawberry Swirl (Make at least 1 hours before. I do mine the night before.)
- 1 cup diced strawberries
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 2 teaspoons cornstarch
Crumb Topping
- 5 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- 3 tablespoons vegan butter cold and sliced
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
Flax Egg
- 1 tablespoon ground flaxseed
- 2½ tablespoons water
Wet Ingredients
- ⅓ cup avocado oil
- ½ cup brown sugar
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup sourdough discard see notes
- ½ cup soy milk
- ½ tablespoon lemon juice
- ½ tablespoon vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon almond extract
Dry Ingredients
- 1¼ cups all-purpose flour
- 1½ teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
Instructions
- The Sugared Strawberries: (The Strawberries should be measured after you have chopped them.) Chop the strawberries and place in a small bowl with a lid or cover. Add the granulated sugar and give a stir. Place in the refrigerator for at least one hour up to overnight. I think the longer the strawberries sit in the sugar, the more the flavor of the strawberries will come out,1 cup diced strawberries , ¼ cup granulated sugar
- Cook the Strawberries: Add the sugared strawberries along with their juices to a small saucepan along with the lemon juice and cornstarch. Bring to a simmer over medium heat and cook for 3-5 minutes, stirring often and mashing around with a potato masher, until thickened and jam-like. Remove from heat. Set aside to cool while making the rest of the cake.1 cup diced strawberries , ¼ cup granulated sugar, 1 tablespoon lemon juice , 2 teaspoons cornstarch
- Prepare oven and pan: Preheat the oven to 350°F. Use vegetable shortening to grease the 8×8 pan.
- Make the Crumb Topping: In a small bowl, combine the, flour and sugar. Cut the cold vegan butter into the flour mixture. Use a fork or your fingers to miix until you have a uniform light crumb. Sprinkle the vanilla extract on top and toss into the crumb topping. Set aside in the refrigerator while making the batter.5 tablespoons all-purpose flour , ¼ cup granulated sugar , 3 tablespoons vegan butter, ½ teaspoon vanilla extract, ⅛ teaspoon salt
- Make the flax egg: In a small bowl, mix the ground flaxseed with water. Set aside for 5 minutes to thicken.1 tablespoon ground flaxseed , 2½ tablespoons water
- Cream the oil and sugars: In a medium bowl, use a hand mixer to cream together the avocado oil, brown sugar, and granulated sugar until light and fluffy, about 2minutes.⅓ cup avocado oil, ¼ cup granulated sugar , ½ cup brown sugar
- Add the wet ingredients: Mix in the flax egg, sourdough discard, soy milk, lemon juice, vanilla extract, and almond extract until smooth and creamy. It should be thick like a very thick muffin batter.1 tablespoon ground flaxseed , 2½ tablespoons water, ½ cup sourdough discard, ½ cup soy milk, ½ tablespoon lemon juice, ½ tablespoon vanilla extract, ½ teaspoon almond extract
- Combine the dry ingredients: In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.1¼ cups all-purpose flour , 1½ teaspoons baking powder, ½ teaspoon baking soda , ½ teaspoon salt
- Make the batter: Add the dry ingredients to the wet mixture and stir/mix until just combined. Do not overmix. The batter will be thick.
- Prepare to bake: Spread the batter evenly over the prepared pan. Spoon the strawberry mixture in dollops over the batter. Use a knife to gently swirl the strawberries through the batter. (Do not over-swirl.)
- The crumb topping: Sprinkle the crumb topping evenly over the cake.
- Bake: Bake at 350℉ for 40–45 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out mostly clean (strawberry juice is fine).
- Cool and serve: Allow the cake to cool completely before slicing into squares.
Notes
I used fresh strawberries and have not tested this recipe with frozen. I imagine it would work? Let me know if you try it with frozen and if it works. The strawberries should be sugared at least one hour before cooking. Overnight is fine too. Or, if I plan to make this for dinner, I’ll sugar the strawberries in the morning before work so they’ll be ready to go when I get home. The plant milk: I always use soy or pea protein milk for vegan baking recipes. The protein better matches daily milk and, I think, leads to a better crumb and overall better result. Pan Size:
An 8×8 pan gives thicker, tender slices. A 9×9 pan will bake faster and produce a thinner crumb cake. Storage:
Store covered at room temperature for 1 day or refrigerated up to 4 days.
