Vegan Cappuccino-Crumble-Cake with Blueberries
Those of you who love to enjoy a cozy coffee with a fabulous piece of cake are lucky because today, we have the best of both worlds: a coffee-cake fusion!
Many of us can't start the day without a good cup of hot coffee, and from now on this cake is a must on the Sunday table. We have used coffee three times in this recipe, e.g. as chopped beans in the base, as ground coffee in the ganache or freshly brewed in the cream. Why? Because we simply couldn't get enough of the taste.
The bases are wonderfully nutty and moist and the chopped beans give the whole thing a crunchy surprise. The cream may sound challenging for some of you, as we use agar agar here, but it's not that difficult. Just make sure that your coffee-sugar-agarine mixture doesn't get too cold, otherwise it will be too firm to mix with the cream and vegan skyr. In an emergency, if it gets lumpy, a good old hand mixer will also do the trick and you'll get this lovely creamy mixture. The ganache is quick to make, just make sure you don't leave it in the fridge for too long so that it doesn't get too hard; if this happens, simply leave it at room temperature for a moment.
What's particularly nice about this cake is that you can enjoy it at any time of year. We think it's perfect for the warmer months with blueberries, but you can also use other berries and fruits such as cherries, strawberries or even mandarins.
To make sure nothing goes wrong, you need a delicious coffee that tastes good in the cake as whole bean and ground in the cup. We have used 100 % organic Ethiopian coffee from Lebensbaum in this recipe because it protects biodiversity thanks to the way it is grown, tastes excellent and is also organic.
In order for a coffee bean to mature and end up in our cup or on our plate, five factors are particularly important: origin, altitude, cultivation method, harvesting method and, of course, roasting. Ethiopian coffee comes from a traditional coffee region and grows in particularly favorable climatic conditions. Sustainability, fair working conditions and the finest coffee quality are always a top priority for Lebensbaum, so they work closely with small local farmers and can grow their coffee beans with a lot of time and care. Lebensbaum was even awarded the German Sustainability Award 2024 for its commitment to sustainability in the coffee, tea and spices sector.
So today's recipe is all about coffee, tranquillity and enjoyment – just what you need on a warm summer afternoon.
Fire up the coffee machine and get your favorite berries because today we're making your new favorite cake!
Vegan Cappuccino-Crumble-Cake with Blueberries
Ingredients
For the batter:
- 250 g (2 cups) wheat flour (type 405)
- 270 g (9.5 oz) hazelnut semolina
- 170 g (0.75 cup) sugar
- 8 g (1.5 tsp) vanilla sugar
- 500 g (17.5 oz) plant milk
- 12 g (1 tbsp) baking powder
- 15 g (0.5 oz) finely ground coffee (e. g. von Lebensbaum)
- 15 g (0.5 oz) chopped coffee beans (e. g. von Lebensbaum)
For the ganache:
- 100 g (3.5 oz) couverture (70%)
- 200 g (7 oz) plant milk
- 1 tbsp finely ground coffee (e. g. von Lebensbaum)
For the cream:
- 150 ml (0.66 cup) vegan cream for whipping
- 16 g (2 tbsp) vegan cream stiffener
- 16 g (3 tsp) vanilla sugar
- 100 ml (0.5 cup) freshly brewed coffee (e. g. von Lebensbaum)
- 15 g (0.5 oz) agartine (with 30 % agar agar)
- 50 g (0.25 cup) sugar
- 400 g (1.5 cups) vegan skyr (curd)
In addition:
- 250 g (9 oz) blueberries
Instructions
Mix all the dry ingredients, boil the plant milk with the coffee powder, and leave it to cool.
Add the coffee milk to the dry ingredients and stir as briefly as possible until smooth.
Divide the mixture into two 20-centimeter / 8 inches springform tins (line the bottom with baking paper; do not grease the sides of the tin) and bake at 175 °C / 345 °F (convection heat) for approximately 20–30 minutes and leave to cool.
Use a sharp, serrated knife to flatten both bases. Then, crumble the remaining dough roughly between your fingers, mix with chopped coffee beans, and set aside.
Chop the couverture into small pieces, bring the plant milk and coffee to a boil and pour over the chopped couverture. Leave to stand briefly for approximately 30 seconds, then stir until smooth and homogenize again with a hand blender. Leave to stand in the fridge until it is spreadable.
For the cream, whip the vegan cream with vegan cream stiffener and vanilla sugar and chill immediately. Mix the freshly brewed coffee, sugar and agartine in a large pan using a whisk and bring to a boil. The mixture should boil for at least 2 minutes. Stir continuously with the whisk. Add a sip of water to compensate for the water that evaporates during cooking.
Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the vegan skyr with a tablespoon using a whisk. Do this as quickly as possible, as the mixture can set soon! Once the mixture has cooled slightly, carefully fold in the whipped vegan cream.
Place the first base on a plate, a cake ring around it and spread half of the ganache on the base and half of the blueberries on top. Spread half of the cream over the blueberries and smooth to the edges.
Place the second base on top and spread the second half of the ganache and
the remaining cream on top. Now spread the remaining blueberries over the cream and chill the cake for at least 1 hour.Then, hold a knife under hot water and use it to loosen the cake from the ring – run it once around the inside of the cake close to the ring. Finally, decorate with cake crumbs or berries.
