Vegan peach coffee cake

I bake less during the summer, but when I do, I need it to be easy and simple. And this vegan peach coffee cake fits the bill. A plush, soft cake topped with ripe fresh peaches that melt into the cake. It is both eggless and non dairy. And the best part is that it’s made in less than 60 minutes. You are in for such a treat! 

Every food lover will tell you that August is the perfect month. There’s so much produce everywhere, the possibilities of what to make are endless and sometimes coming to a single decision can be hard. The safe answer is always stone fruit! Sweet and ripe, the kind that makes your hands sticky as you eat it, but you don’t care because that’s the whole point. 

Ripe peaches shine in this fresh peach cake. They need no special treatment and they are not buried under a thick crumble or streusel topping. They are perfect as is, sliced and pressed on top of the cake. I like to sprinkle Demerara sugar all over the top, for some light crunch, aroma and color. Demerara is similar to brown sugar. However it’s lighter, with bigger crystals that stay crunchy after baking. And it tastes like toffee, making the peaches stand out even more.

The cake itself is soft and aromatic and not overly sweet. Baking without butter and eggs, the base is pretty neutral. It’s why I use both dark rum and orange blossom water in the batter. They give the cake a very delicate flavor. A perfect canvas for fresh peaches. 

Not that the cake needs it, as it’s plenty moist, but I finish it off with a peach glaze. It’s a trick I’ve picked up over the years. A light glaze of jam over a warm cake locks in the moistness and flavor of the cake and fruit. It makes this a perfect snack cake, as it’ll keep for days. And it makes it taste amazing cold too.

Notes on ingredients 

How to bake dairy free

As mentioned, this is a vegan peach cake. It is made with neutral oil, dairy free yogurt and almond milk. I’m using all three to get that perfect balance of flavor and texture. 

You can use oat milk or soy milk instead of almond milk. Both plain coconut and soy yogurt work; or a mix of both. There are so many options available these days, for which I am so grateful. 

If you’re short on plant yogurt, use more milk or water in its place. But don’t use more yogurt in place of milk. Too much plant yogurt can add too much extra fat and it can make the cake dense and gummy. 

Orange blossom water 

Also called orange flower water, it’s basically scented water. It is produced by water distillation of the blossoms of the bitter orange tree (a few more notes in this Martha Stewart article). It makes the cake smell really nice and pairs wonderfully with peaches. If you’re anything like me, you’ll find yourself adding this to all future batters and cookies and cakes.

If you don’t have orange blossom water, some almond extract and vanilla extract would be wonderful too. Both are great pairings for stone fruit. 

More stone fruit recipes

• Waffles with a fresh peach sauce (Made with maple syrup and cinnamon, it is the best!)
• Whipped mascarpone peach tart (A labor of love, but so pretty.)
• Nectarine peach sorbet with coconut water (Accidentally vegan and perfect for hot days.)
• Peaches in wine with ice cream (A no-bake, effortless dessert.)
• Plum crisp with blueberries (More fruit than crisp and perfect with ice cream.)
• Plum coffee cake with streusel (So easy to make and great for the ripest plums.)
• Small batch plum jam (This is a quick jam, so no need to be a canning expert. It is perfect!)