Strawberry Pistachio Crumble Cake (Vegan Gluten-Free)
This Strawberry Pistachio Crumble Cake is moist, tender and so fluffy, made with vegan and gluten-free ingredients, it’s the perfect summer cake. The cake is topped with a crunchy golden crumble and simple icing glaze.
I love celebrating strawberries in the summer and this fruity, nutty and delicious cake is my new favourite bake for the season. It has a moist, tender and wholesome cake sponge topped with lots of juicy fresh strawberries all topped with a pistachio and oat golden crumble that’s “buttery” without the butter. This cake is a comforting nostalgic bake, a cross between a cake and dessert, it’s the best of both worlds.
Why will I love this cake?
This cake is amazing:
- Fruity and nutty
- Summery, fresh and delicious
- Made with real and fresh strawberries
- Packed with pistachios
- Topped with a golden layer of “buttery” crumble.
- The cake is moist, tender and spongey
- Perfect for summer
- The whole family will love it
- Easy to make in three main stages
- Comes together with minimal effort
- Great for dessert or snacks
- Drizzled with an icing sugar glaze
- Fully plant-based, egg-free and dairy-free
- Easily gluten-free and nut-free
- Ideal for celebrating the summertime
If you already love the sound of this cake then skip ahead to the recipe card below. Or, first let’s discuss the recipe in more detail.
What ingredients do I need?
You can see the full ingredients with weights in the recipe card and see my recommended and favourite products in the “shop the recipe” section.
For the crumble top:
- Plain of GF plain flour: to allow the mix to clump nicely.
- Oats: these make the topping more wholesome and add texture.
- Golden granulated sugar: this is great for adding a richness and sweetens to the topping. You can also use coconut or demerara sugar.
- Pistachios: for the crunch. Chop these small to add to the crumble mix.
- Cinnamon: for the cosy flavour.
- Coconut oil: this adds the “buttery” texture and taste without the butter and also it doesn’t add a strong coconut flavour, either.
As for the strawberry layer:
- Fresh strawberries: fresh is best as frozen ones will release too much moisture. Trim the tops and then chop into smaller chunks.
- Flour: as above, this absorbs excess moisture and means the strawberries won’t sink through the batter as it bakes.
For the cake:
- Plant-based milk and apple cider vinegar: when mixed together, the vinegar curdles the milk to form a buttermilk which is great for binding egg-free batters. You can use any dairy-free milk like oat, almond, soya or coconut (from the carton).
- Golden granulated sugar: this adds a lovely golden colour to the cake while keeping it light and moist. You can also use coconut sugar, for a slightly darker and denser cake.
- Thick coconut yoghurt: this is thick, creamy and Greek-style in texture and is perfect for adding moisture and fat to cakes. I use the Cocos Organic yoghurts.
- Light olive oil: this also adds moisture, fat and richness to the cake.
- Vanilla extract: for flavour.
- Plain or GF plain flour: as above, use your preferred GF alternative where needed.
- Baking powder and salt: for the rise and flavour.
- Pistachios: add some into the cake batter for crunch inside. If making this nut-free, leave them out.
And to drizzle:
- Icing sugar: also known as powdered sugar, this is mixed with water to make the glaze.
Is this gluten-free and nut-free?
This cake is easily gluten-free, as long as your use your favourite gluten-free flour blend (ideally with xanthan gum, or add ½ tsp of your own) and make sure that your oats are certified gluten-free. To make this cake nut-free, leave out the pistachios from the cake and use more oats for the crumble (or sunflower seeds). Also check that your yoghurt and dairy-free milk do not contain nuts.
How do I make this?
This cake comes together in a few steps:
- Rub together the crumble ingredients: until small clumps form.
- Chop the strawberries: and toss with flour.
- Whisk together the wet ingredients for the cake: until smooth.
- Sift in the flour: and whisk again until smooth.
- Fold in the pistachios: to combine.
- Pour the batter into the cake tin: and top with the strawberries and crumble.
- Bake for 1 hour or until golden: well-risen and an inserted skewer comes out clean.
- Allow to cool in the tin and then on a wire rack: until fully cool.
- Mix together the icing sugar and water: to make the glaze.
- Drizzle the glaze over the cake: and slice into squares.
How long will it last?
Once made and cool, keep this cake in a sealed container for 2-3 days in the fridge or in the freezer, wrapped well, for 1 month.
What other cakes can I try?
For more bakes and ideas:
- Pistachio White Chocolate Raspberry Blondies
- Raspberry Lemon and Coconut Loaf Cake
- Lemon Berry Tres Leches Cake
- Chocolate Raspberry Fluffy Rolls
- Lemon Blueberry Chocolate Chunk Muffins
Strawberry Pistachio Crumble Cake (Vegan Gluten-Free)
This Strawberry Pistachio Crumble Cake is moist, tender and so fluffy, made with vegan and gluten-free ingredients, it’s the perfect summer cake. The cake is topped with a crunchy golden crumble and simple icing glaze.
Ingredients
For the Crumble Top:
- 70g plain or GF plain flour
- 25g rolled oats
- 60g golden granulated sugar
- 20g pistachios, chopped small
- ¼ tsp cinnamon
- 30g melted coconut oil
For the Strawberries:
- 200g strawberries, trimmed weight
- 2 tbsp plain or GF plain flour
For the Cake:
- 80ml plant-based milk
- 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 150g golden granulated sugar
- 120g thick coconut yoghurt
- 80ml light olive oil
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 210g plain or GF plain flour
- 2 ¼ tsp baking powder
- A pinch of salt
- 30g pistachios, roughly chopped
To Drizzle:
- 50g icing sugar
- ½ - 1 tbsp water
- Extra pistachios, chopped small
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 160Fan/180ºC and line an 8-inch/20-cm square cake tin with parchment paper.
- For the crumble top, stir together the flour, oats, sugar, pistachios and cinnamon until combined. Pour in the melted coconut oil and stir to a crumbly mix.
- For the strawberries, chop them into smaller chunks and toss in a small bowl with the flour.
- Now prepare the cake batter. Mix together the milk and vinegar in a small jug and leave for 5 minutes to curdle. Into a large mixing bowl, whisk the sugar, yoghurt, olive oil, vanilla and milk mix until combined. sift in the flour and baking powder and add a pinch of salt. Whisk until smooth and then fold in the pistachios.
- Pour the cake batter into the tin and smooth over the top. Lay over all of the strawberries into an even layer and then sprinkle over all of the crumble mix, pressing down gently.
- Bake in the oven for 60 minutes, then cover with foil and bake for 5 more minutes, until an inserted skewer comes out clean.
- Allow to cool in the tin for 10 minutes then carefully lift out to cool fully.
- Stir together the icing sugar and water until pourable and then drizzle over the cooled cake. Slice into squares, top with extra pistachios and enjoy.
- Keep leftovers in a sealed container in the fridge foe 3-5 days or in the freezer for 1 month, wrapped well. Allow the cake to defrost before eating.
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Stay in touch
I look forward to hearing what you think of this Strawberry Pistachio Crumble Cake so please let me know in the comments below and leave a star review above. If you do make this, I’d love to see so please tag me, I’m @nourishing.amy on Instagram and use the hashtag #nourishingamy. I’m also on Twitter, Facebook and Pinterest – please say hello!
With crumble love x
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