Maple pecan streusel cake
Super moist cake with a vanilla maple glaze
If you’re looking for the ultimate cozy bake, this plant-based pecan maple vanilla loaf cake is about to become your new favorite. With warm maple flavor, warm vanilla, crunchy toasted pecans, a buttery streusel topping, and a sweet vanilla maple glaze, this loaf is everything you want in a caket. It’s incredibly moist, easy to make, and perfect for breakfast, brunch, afternoon coffee, or dessert. And it’s plant based 🌱you would never know!
This cake comes together really quickly and you’ll find the basic ingredients in your kitchen.
Why you’ll love this maple pecan streusel cake recipe:
1. 100% plant-based without sacrificing flavor or texture.
2. Perfectly moist and tender with avanilla maple glaze for some extra sweetness
3. Crunchy streusel adds perfect texture.
4. Finished with a sweet vanilla maple glaze for the perfect bakery-style touch.
5. Made with simple pantry staples and easy-to-find ingredients.
6. Stays delicious for several days and freezes beautifully
Ingredients you’ll need to make this cake:
For the streusel topping:
Margarine: any plant based margarine should work here (at room temperature )
Sugar: I use white cane sugar for this recipe
Flour: use all purpose flour ( type 550)
For the maple pecan cake:
Flour: I use an all purpose flour (type 550)
Water: I use tap water. You can use bottled water depending on your region
Plant based milk: I used oat milk in this recipe. I recommend either oat or soy milk
Sunflower oil: this helps keep the cake nice and moist and a neutral flavor
Apple cider vinegar: this helps leaven the cake as it reacts with the baking soda
Soft brown sugar: alternatively you can use muscovado sugar
Maple sirup: use a good quality maple sirup
Baking powder: I like to have a mix of baking powder and soda for the best leavening powder and structure of the crumb
Baking soda: this will react with the acid from the apple cider vinegar creating a fluffy crumb
Vanilla powder: you can use either vanilla powder or vanilla paste, just make sure it’s really good quality.
Cinnamon powder: use good quality cinnamon powder
Salt: use regular table salt
Pecan nuts: roughly chopped pecan nuts
For the vanilla maple glaze:
Powdered sugar: sieve the powdered sugar to avoid large clumps
Soy milk: I used soy milk but you can use any plant based milk
Vanilla: make sure to use a good quality vanilla
Maple sirup: use a good quality maple sirup for the best flavor
How to make maple pecan streusel cake (step-by-step):
1. Make the streusel:
1. Combine all the ingredients together in a bowl and mix by hand until you get a crumbly texture with big and small chunks.
2. Place the streusel into the fridge until ready to use
2. Make the maple pecan cake:
1. Preheat your oven to 170°C (fan mode) and grease your loaf cake tin or line it with a strip of baking paper (optional)
2. Mix all the dry ingredients together in a bowl and whisk until evenly combined. Set aside.
3. In another bowl or jug mix together the wet ingredients using a hand held blender until evenly combined and smooth (you can also whisk it by hand until evenly combined) (your cake will have a finer crumb if you hand blend it)
4. Add the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and whisk just until combined and you have a smooth even batter without any clumps. Lastly add in the chopped pecans and mix them in.
5. Pour the batter into your prepared loaf tin. Spread the streusel on top and bake at 170-175°C for about 45 minutes. Until golden brown and a knife inserted comes out clean
6. Allow to cool down slightly (about 20-30 minutes) before glazing with the maple vanilla glaze
3. Vanilla maple glaze:
1. Mix all the ingredients together until smooth and evenly combined and no clumps remain.
2. Drizzle over the cake
Tips for making a maple pecan streusel cake:
Make the streusel first: so it has enough time to chill and firm up a bit
Use we good quality vanilla: you can use either vanilla paste or vanilla powder but make sure it’s of really good quality for the best flavor
Chop the pecan roughly: you still want some crunchy texture inside the cake so just chop the pecan nuts roughly so you get a nice distribution
Use pure maple sirup: this gives you the best flavor. Don’t use pancake like sirups as they don’t have the same flavor
Don’t over mix the batter: you want to mix it until all the ingredients have combined well and there are no pockets or streaks of flour left. Don’t keep mixing as this will make the cake batter “tough” and it builds more gluten and it will result in a more chewy texture.
Keep the streusel chunky: for more crunch and texture. don’t leave the texture too “sandy” and “crumbly” mix until you get larger chunks.
Let the cake cool before slicing: I know it’s really tempting, but wait a bit until the cake has cooled to at least look warm so the cake doesn’t fall apart and the crumb has some time to firm up.
Serving ideas:
Allow the cake to cool down slightly before cutting and serving. It’s delicious warm but also at room temperature. Serving it with some cream or ice-cream would also be a delicious pairing.
FAQ’S:
Can I make this recipe non-vegan?:
Yes, you can. Just substitute the ingredients in the recipe. For example substitute the plant based milk with regular cows milk and for the soy or oat Jogurt just use regular plain dairy jogurt of your choice (like Greek jogurt )
Can I change the type of nuts in this recipe?
Absolutely! Just change the pecan nuts for any other type of nut that you prefer. Others will have more flavor than others. I recommend switching to a nut such as hazelnut or walnut.
How do I know when my maple pecan cake is done baking?
The cake will have risen to a nice dome shape and the crumble will be a golden brown color. You can do a test by inserting a knife or a long skewer into the middle of the cake. If it comes out clean or with a few dry crumbs it’s done. If the skewer comes out with soft dough stuck to it, bake it for another 10-15 minutes depending on how long it’s already been baking.
Can I make the cake ahead of time?
Yes, absolutely! You can make the cake in advance and store it in the fridge for 2-3 days or freeze it for up to 3 months. If you store it in the fridge make sure to cover it well with plastic wrap so it keeps its moisture. The crumble will loose a little of its crunchiness when kept in the fridge a few days.
