So…I decided on making a vegan vanilla sheet cake because I wanted to make a vegan tiramisu, and after trying various methods for making the sponge layer parts for the tiramisu a sheet cake seemed like the smartest way to go about it.
And then the sheet cake came out so well that I was like: well I have to do the sheet cake recipe for the blog!
And the tiramisu? Well, that also came out great!
The frosting
I made maybe an odd choice for the frosting. I did a little insta-story of frosting one of the test versions of the cake, with a simple white vanilla frosting, and when I viewed the little video, it just looked a bit…. boring.
So on the day of the photo shoot for this, I suddenly decided on a change, not a flavor change, just a color change! But the only colors I had were green and pink. Maybe pink would’ve been better? I dunno. All I know is that green was calling to me on the day so green it was!
The green frosting with some sprinkles is pretty cute I think, and has the kids birthday party vibes. Well, it’s more those vibes than adult office party vibes anyway!
But decorate however you like, and color the frosting (or don’t) however you like. The main attraction is the cake itself!
And one of the great things about a sheet cake is that it feeds a crowd. Cutting quite generous slices, this cake gets at least 15 slices. So that’s definitely more than the average layer cake.
I used a half sheet pan and my half sheet is 10×15, yours might be 11×15, that’s fine! You can even use a 9×13 quarter sheet pan, you will just have to bake it longer.
You will love this gorgeous vegan vanilla sheet cake, it is:
- Moist
- Light
- Fluffy
- Spongey
- Shareable
- Delicious!
Keep it covered at room temperature where it will stay fresh for a couple of days or covered in the fridge where it will stay good for up to a week, but fresh is best!
So what do you think of this vegan vanilla sheet cake? Going to give it a try? Let us know in the comments! And please rate the recipe as this really helps us! Thank you!
For more sheet cake goodness, check out our chocolate sheet cake and our vegan banana sheet cake. The vegan vanilla layer cake that this recipe is based on is definitely also a winner, and if you love all things vanilla, then you’ll love our vegan vanilla cupcakes too.
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Vanilla Sheet Cake
- Prep Time: 15 mins
- Cook Time: 20 mins
- Total Time: 35 minutes
- Yield: 15
Print Recipe
Pin RecipeDescription
Light, fluffy and deliciously spongey vanilla sheet cake with a velvety frosting and lots of sprinkles! This is the perfect cake to feed a crowd with at least 15 serves, it’s fabulously good and it’s vegan too!
Ingredients
For the Vanilla Sheet Cake:
- 2 and 1/2 cups (312g) + 2 Tbsp All Purpose Flour
- 1 and 1/2 cups (300g) White Sugar
- 1 and 1/2 tsp Baking Soda
- 3/4 tsp Salt
- 1 and 1/2 cups (360ml) Soy Milk*
- 3 tsp Vanilla Extract
- 1/2 cup (120ml) Extra Virgin Olive Oil*
- 1 Tbsp White Vinegar
For the Frosting:
- 4 and 1/2 cups (540g) Powdered Sugar
- 1/2 cup (112g) Vegan Butter
- 3 and 1/2 Tbsp Soy Milk*
- 2 tsp Vanilla Extract
- Few drops Green (or other color) Food Coloring (optional)
For Decoration:
- Vegan Sprinkles
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C).
- Spray a 10×15 half sheet baking sheet with non-stick spray. Set aside.
- Sift the flour into a mixing bowl and add the sugar, baking soda and salt.
- Then add the soy milk, vanilla, oil and vinegar.
- Use a hand whisk to mix in. Be careful not to overmix the batter, just mix until all the large lumps are gone, tiny lumps are fine.
- Pour the batter out into your prepared half sheet baking pan.
- Spread the batter with the back of a spoon so that it reaches the corners of the baking sheet and is evenly distributed across it.
- Place into the oven and bake for 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
- Place onto a cooling rack to cool completely before frosting.
- Prepare your frosting by adding the powdered sugar, vegan butter, soy milk (see notes), vanilla, and food coloring (if using) into the bowl of an electric mixer. Start at slow speed and gradually increase speed until your frosting is thick and smooth. If your frosting is too thin, add more powdered sugar, if it’s too thick, add more soy milk a drop at a time until it reaches the right consistency.
- Frost the cooled cake and decorate with sprinkles.
- Cut into squares and serve.
Notes
*You can use almond milk instead of soy milk if you prefer.
*You can use any vegetable oil, such as canola oil, if you prefer.
*You might not need all the soy milk in the frosting. This is how much I used but different brands of vegan butter have different water contents, if your brand has a higher water content than the one I used, you may not need to use as much soy milk. It’s a good idea to add it in slowly and only as much as needed.
*This recipe can adapt to an 8-inch round layer cake. Just spray two 8-inch cake pans with non-stick spray and line the bases with circles of parchment paper. Divide the batter between them and bake for 30 minutes.
*Adapted from our Vegan Vanilla Cake.
- Category: Dessert, Cake
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: Vegan
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 Slice (of 15)
- Calories: 414
- Sugar: 56g
- Sodium: 323mg
- Fat: 11.7g
- Saturated Fat: 1.8g
- Carbohydrates: 74.8g
- Fiber: 0.6g
- Protein: 3.1g
Keywords: vegan vanilla sheet cake
I have made this four or five times now and every time the cake has come out perfectly. I have a grandson that’s allergic to dairy and it is so nice to have a cake he can eat and that all the dairy eaters love too! I follow the directions exactly for both the cake and the frosting. Hate to mess with perfection!! Thank you so much.
★★★★★
Yay! So happy to hear this Julie! Thanks so much for posting and the wonderful review! 🙂
The sponge was spot-on. We ended up scraping the frosting off, it was too sweet. We used a cashew-based vegan butter that didn’t come through in the frosting, what kind of vegan butter did you use? I was definitely missing the buttery complement to the powdered sugar.
★★★★
Hi there! So glad you enjoyed the cake, but yes, a cashew based butter would be unlikely to work, you’re looking for a dairy free margarine or oil based vegan butter product like Earth Balance. 🙂
Just wanted to let you know the link you posted for vegan sprinkles doesn’t link to vegan sprinkles. Once glance at the questions section and there are two asking if they’re vegan and the answer is no because it contains confectioners glaze.
I don’t know if the link is broken or what you linked to changed. Just a heads up.
Thanks for letting me know Bessie.
The vanilla cake is in the oven for a friend’s 18th birthday tomorrow. I am in Australia and would like you to clarify whether you have used an American tablespoon measure – three teaspoons. Our tablespoon is 4 teaspoons – 20ml.
Thanks,
Pam
Hi Pam, I use American measures. Hope the cake comes out well. All the best! 🙂
Other than soy and almond, would pea milk or coconut milk work? So many allergies at my house!
Hi Beth, coconut milk would work yes. I’m not sure about pea, but probably that too. 🙂
Made this cake last night with my 5 year old daughter, we did it as two layers in 8 inch pans, and filled with strawberry jam, and topped with strawberry jam and desiccated coconut – this sponge is delicious and will be my go to vanilla cake from now on (I have tried a few vanilla recipes, but this is the winner for me.) I haven’t tried the buttercream yet as my daughter is fussy and doesn’t like buttercream! I have baked a few of your recipes now and everything has been a success, thank you Alison!
★★★★★
So happy you enjoyed it and have been enjoying some of our other recipes too! Thanks so much for the wonderful rating! 🙂
Can this cake be used to make cake pops? How much icing would you use? Not sure if this would be too moist but I would love to make this for my son who has an egg allergy!
Hi Ashley! I’m sure it could! I haven’t made cake pops yet, that’s still on my ‘to-do’ list so I’m not sure of how much icing, but I would imagine if you have a recipe for cake pops that this cake/icing would work great. All the best! 🙂
Hi Allison, I’m a little confused. So this sheet cake is made in a regular 10 x 15 baking sheet? Not a so-called “sheet cake pan” with like, 2″ or 3″ high sides? This will be my first vegan cake, it’s a birthday cake for my husband so I want to be sure I’m starting with the right equipment at least, LOL
How high does the cake end up being more or less? I’m afraid it will plop over the sides when it starts cooking if I use a cookie sheet. Clearly, I have not made many cakes, vegan or otherwise.
Thank you so much!
Hi Cyndra, the sheet pan I use does have some space up the sides, it will of course need a couple of inches up the sides to be able to hold the cake. 🙂
Hi Alison, thank you for responding. In the article the link for the 10×15 sheet pan goes to one on Amazon (looks like a nice one) but it has 1 inch high sides. So you’re saying, probably a 2 inch high side might be safer?
Also, I may end up using a 9 x 13. It says to add more time for that. Is that like, 5 min at a time and check it in the middle? Probably 5 min is going to be about right?
I’m sorry to be asking such basic questions. I believe I can follow the recipe, I’m just nervous to goof up something simple that most bakers probably know instinctively.
Thank you SO much!!!
Oh I see, the one I link to is definitely fine to use! Yes, try an extra 5 mins for the 9×13 and then just do the toothpick test to see if it’s ready, a toothpick into the center should come out clean. Don’t worry, even if you make mistakes, the learning process in baking is lots of fun, and usually delicious! All the best! 🙂
I used this recipe to make two 9” cakes then sandwiched them and frosted them with your vegan buttercream frosting and made into a unicorn cake for my daughter’s 21st birthday (picture posted on Instagram). It was perfect!
Thank you so much for your delicious and foolproof recipes. I have used many of your recipes and they have always worked perfectly 💚
★★★★★
Hi Catherine! So happy to hear that! Sounds awesome. I’ll definitely look for the pic on instagram, thanks so much for the wonderful review! 🙂
I’ve used this recipe many times over the past few years and it’s so reliable and good! I always get compliments on it from non vegans who have no idea that it doesn’t contain dairy or eggs. I have found that using crisco or vegan butter and beating it till fluffy gives me better results than using oil. Also, I like to let the soy milk and vinegar set up a bit before using (maybe 30 minutes).
★★★★★
So happy to hear that the recipe has worked great for you! Thanks so much for sharing your adjustments and the awesome review. 🙂