Berry Good Breakfast Cake – This Blueberry Breakfast Cake boasts lots of healthy ingredients, but tastes like a delicious sweet treat! It comes from Melanie McDonald’s first cookbook, Vegan Comfort Cooking. Get this recipe plus a full review of the book below!

Is there anything better than starting your day with something sweet? 

Especially if that something sweet has some redeeming health benefits as well.

This Blueberry Breakfast Cake is full of nutritious ingredients like flaxseeds, rolled oats, unsweetened applesauce, cinnamon, and fresh blueberries.

The sweet vanilla glaze takes it over the top, but it’s totally optional – my kids enjoyed it just as much without the glaze. I see slices of this unglazed yummy cake in their lunchbox future.

Perfect for any time of day – devour it for breakfast, snack, or even dessert!

Vegan Comfort Food

Comfort food is defined as, according to Urban Dictionary, “Food that gives emotional comfort to the one eating it. These tend to be favorite foods of childhood, or linked to a person, place, or time with which the food has a positive association.

Most foods fitting into that category are thought to be heavy, fatty foods, usually with a hefty dose of cheese. But, if you think that vegan food can’t be comfort food, you are so wrong! And Melanie McDonald has been proving that on her blog, A Virtual Vegan, for years! Now, she’s bringing you her first cookbook, Vegan Comfort Cooking, to drive home the point even more.

This cookbook is full of “75 plant based recipes to satisfy cravings and warm your soul.” From breakfast and brunch, and main meals and sides, to snacks and desserts, it’s all here for your eating pleasure.

Reprinted with permission from Vegan Comfort Cooking by Melanie McDonald, Page Street Publishing Co. 2019. Photo credit: Melanie McDonald

Let’s Take a Look Inside

Vegan Comfort Cooking is divided into 5 chapters with each recipe accompanied by a large gorgeous photo. It’s not often I flip through a cookbook and genuinely want to make every recipe, but this is one of those books I know I will find myself reaching for time and time again! Here is just a sampling of the drool-worthy recipes you’ll find inside…

First, We Brunch ~ Ooey-Gooey Cinnamon Rolls; The Ultimate French Toast; Loaded Zucchini Breakfast Casserole; and the Berry Good Breakfast Cake recipe which you’ll find at the end of this post

Indulge Yourself ~ Speedy Mushroom Stroganoff; “I Can’t Believe It’s Vegan” Roasted Garlic Alfredo; Heavenly Veggie Hot Pot; Smoky Tomato and White Bean Soup

The Munchies ~ Showstopping Baked Spinach and Artichoke Dip; Pizza Party Pull-Apart Bread; Smash-’em-Up Salt and Vinegar Potatoes; Quick and Crispy Zucchini Fritters with Avocado Crema

Sweet Talk ~ Dreamy Baked Berry Cheesecake; Drool-Worthy Cinnamon Donuts; Peanut Butter Nutter Chocolate Cake; Crispy Crunchy Caramel Popcorn

Bits & Bobs ~ Life-Changing Vegan Butter; Tastiest Onion Gravy; Simple Pastry Pie Crust; Easy Garlic Ranch Dressing

Reprinted with permission from Vegan Comfort Cooking by Melanie McDonald, Page Street Publishing Co. 2019. Photo credit: Melanie McDonald

Easy to Find Ingredients

All of the recipes in Vegan Comfort Cooking are made with easy to find ingredients readily available in most grocery stores.

For the few ingredients that might be a bit unfamiliar to you, Mel gives great notes explaining what they are and where to find them. 

She also gives instructions on how to make many of the recipes oil-free.

Want More Vegan Comfort Food

• Vegan Butternut Squash Mac and Cheese
• Sloppy BBQ Sandwiches
• Creamy Dairy Free Potato Soup
• Chocolate Peanut Butter Cupcakes
• Vegan Carrot Cake with Cashew Cream Cheese Frosting
• Breakfast Hash Browns and Veggie Skillet

Reprinted with permission from Vegan Comfort Cooking by Melanie McDonald, Page Street Publishing Co. 2019. Photo credit: Melanie McDonald

How to Make Breakfast Coffee Cake

Now let’s talk about this sweet fruity oatmeal cake and how super easy it is to make. 

Mix your dry ingredients and your wet ingredients separately and then mix them together until you have a thick batter. Gently fold in the blueberries.

Spread the batter evenly into a prepared cake pan and bake.

The hardest part is waiting for the breakfast cake to cool before drizzling on the sweet icing. 

We ate this cake room temperature, cold from the fridge after storing leftovers, and also warmed up slightly in the microwave. Warmed up next to mug of coffee was my favorite way to enjoy it, but the kids devoured several slices at room temperature at all times of the day. Whichever way you choose, you really can’t go wrong!

Don’t miss these other sweet vegan breakfast treats:

• Oatmeal Breakfast Cookies
• Chocolate Vegan Donuts with Fresh Strawberry Glaze
• Mint Chocolate Chip Healthy Homemade Granola
• Peaches and Cream Dairy Free Pancakes
• Chocolate Covered Strawberry Smoothie Bowl
• Vegan Cinnamon Coffee Cake
• Chocolate Nice Cream Breakfast Parfait

Blueberry Breakfast Cake

I hope you love this Berry Good Breakfast Cake as much as we do. If you try it, please come back and leave me a comment below with your feedback and star rating.

You can also find me on social media. Be sure to tag @veggie_inspired and #veggieinspired so I’m sure to see it.

And don’t forget to order your copy of Vegan Comfort Cooking!

Enjoy!

Yield: 10-12 slices

Blueberry Breakfast Cake

Print

Melanie says, "Cake for breakfast is always a good thing! This one is stuffed full of healthy ingredients but still tastes like a treat, especially with the generous drizzle of sweet, tangy, yogurty frosting. Enjoy it fresh on the weekend - then eat the leftovers throughout the week.

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 40 minutes

Cooling Time 1 hour

Total Time 1 hour 50 minutes

Ingredients

For the Berry Good Breakfast Cake

• Oil or vegan butter, for pan
• 1½ cups (173 g) spelt flour
• 2 tbsp (14 g) ground flaxseeds
• 1 cup (80 g) rolled oats, plus a few more for sprinkling on the top
• ¾ cup (150 g) coconut sugar
• 1½ tsp (6 g) baking soda
• 1 tbsp (12 g) baking powder
• ½ tsp ground cinnamon
• ½ tsp salt
• 1½ tbsp (23 ml) apple cider vinegar (see note)
• ½ cup (123 g) unsweetened applesauce
• 1/3 cup (80 g) plain, coconut or vanilla flavor vegan yogurt
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 cup (148 g) fresh blueberries, or 1 cup (155 g) frozen, plus a few to decorate the top

For the Frosting

• ½ cup (130 g) powdered sugar
• 2 to 3 tbsp (30 to 45 g) plain, coconut or vanilla flavor vegan yogurt

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F (176°C). Grease the sides of an 8-
   or 9-inch (20.5- or 23-cm) round cake pan with a little oil or vegan butter and
   line the bottom with a circle of parchment paper.
2. In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour, ground flaxseeds,
   rolled oats, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon and salt; then stir
   well.
3. In a separate bowl, combine the vinegar, applesauce, yogurt
   and vanilla and stir together.
4. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and stir gently to
   combine. Don’t overmix. The batter will be very thick. Fold the blueberries
   into the batter.
5. Spoon into the prepared cake pan and sprinkle with a few
   more oats and blueberries. Bake for about 40 minutes, or until a toothpick
   inserted into the middle of the cake comes out clean. Remove from the oven and
   leave in the pan for 10 minutes. Then remove the cake, peel off the baking
   parchment circle and allow to cool completely on a cooling rack.
6. Once the cake is cool, prepare the frosting: Put the
   powdered sugar in a small bowl. Add the yogurt gradually, a tablespoon (15 g)
   at a time, stirring really well between each addition to smooth it out. Stop
   when you have a thick but drizzlable consistency.
7. Drizzle all over the top of the cake, allowing some to spill
   over the sides.
8. Store, covered, in the fridge. It will keep for 4 to 5 days.
   

Notes

"Melanie says "You will find apple cider vinegar in most of my cake and
sponge recipes. It is a must-have ingredient for any vegan baker. It might not
seem like an obvious ingredient to add to a cake batter, but when combined with baking soda, a chemical reaction happens, making bubbles, creating air pockets and providing leavening. This, along with a little extra baking powder, replaces the leavening action that would otherwise be provided by eggs, so you get a light and fluffy sponge. Don’t be tempted to skip it or you will end up with a flat cake!"

~Reprinted with permission from Vegan Comfort Cooking by Melanie McDonald, Page Street Publishing Co. 2019. Photo credit: Melanie McDonald

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

12
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 142 Total Fat: 1g Sodium: 380mg Carbohydrates: 30g Fiber: 3g Sugar: 14g Protein: 3g

~Nutrition facts calculated without the icing.