Vegan coffee cake for a morning pick-me-up on Meatless Monday

Sometimes you want something a little bit sweet to start off the day -- and because coffee cake goes perfectly with a cup of caffeine, it's an excellent choice for a breakfast treat. This recipe (adapted from The Joy of Vegan Baking) has the added bonus of being super-easy to make, so you won't have to spend too much time or energy whipping it up.

See also: - Vegan pumpkin spice bread with chocolate chips for a sweet treat on Meatless Monday - Vegan zucchini bread for a sweet seasonal treat on Meatless Monday - Vegan banana walnut muffins for breakfast on Meatless Monday

You will need:

1 3/4 cup flour 1/4 cup brown sugar 3 teaspoons cinnamon 1 1/2 teaspoons ginger 1/2 teaspoon salt 1 cup walnuts (or walnut pieces) 1/3 cup nondairy butter (Earth Balance is the best brand for baking) 1 cup nondairy milk (we used soy) 1/3 cup oil 1 tablespoon white vinegar 1/2 cup sugar 1 teaspoon baking powder 1 teaspoon baking soda

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F and grease a square baking pan.

1. Finely chop the walnuts in a food processor or blender. 2. Melt the vegan butter.

Add the chopped walnuts, 3/4 cups flour, the brown sugar, 2 teaspoons cinnamon, 1/2 teaspoon ginger and 1/4 teaspoon salt to the melted butter.

Mix together and set aside for now. 3. In a large bowl, thoroughly mix the remaining cup of flour, 1/2 cup sugar, the baking powder, the baking soda, 2 teaspoons cinnamon, 1 teaspoon ginger and 1/4 teaspoon salt. 4. Mix the milk, oil and vinegar in a small bowl. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix until just combined. 5. Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Use a spoon to sprinkle the crumble evenly on top of the batter. Bake for 35-40 minutes or until thoroughly baked. Let cool before slicing and serving. No need to refrigerate; just cover it up!

• Vegetarian