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
Description
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
Hi Alison, I made this cake for my husband’s birthday. His birthday is actually today and I couldn’t wait to post my comment. I made the cakes yesterday and I assembled them today. The cake was delicious, perfect texture and flavor, and the best part is that it was so easy to make!! it was unbelievable I made the frosting and I used cream cheese instead of using all butter or vegetable shortening. The cake was absolutely amazing. Honestly, I’m really not a baker I love to cook, but I always bumped into problems when I tried to bake cakes or any dessert. However, if I find them easy to make and delicious they go into a “keepers recipe book” to make them again and this cake is one of those recipes. I used two 8 inch cake pans as you recommended in your vanilla cake, the one you decorated with strawberries, I did that as well. I wish I can upload a picture my husband loved his B-day cake. He ate 3 pieces 😱
★★★★★
So happy to hear it was a success! Thanks so much for sharing!
Can I use an 11×7 inch baking sheet?
If it’s fairly deep then it should work okay, but the baking time will be longer. I’m not sure exactly how long it would be, I would check it from around 25 minutes onwards and get a feel from there for how much longer it needs.
I made this cake for my mom and ever since then it’s the only cake she’ll eat. I subbed the olive oil for peanut oil and it came out great. Being a vegan it’s hard to find great deserts and this is definitely my favorite.
Awesome! Thanks for sharing Aubree!
When you say white sugar are you talking about granulated sugar or castor sugar? I’m a brit and will be trying your recipe for the first time for my daughter’s 16th birthday cake as she has a vegan friend coming so don’t want to make a major mistake – I’ve got to get it right first time round or my life won’t be worth living 😂
Hi Kate, it’s white granulated sugar. 🙂
Could I make these ahead and freeze them? Want to make two 2-layer cakes and freeze them ahead of time. Will add the frosting after they are thawed. Would that work?
Yes you can freeze it.
Hit the spot on this summer day, thank you! Moist and springy, with all good ingredients. I am thinking of swapping out the oil for unsweetened applesauce and see what happens :).
★★★★★
Awesome! Thanks for sharing Mary!
Can I use vanilla soy milk? Or plain oatmilk?
Vanilla soy milk would be great!
This was so good!! I used coconut milk and coconut oil and put some strawberries, blueberries and kiwi on top of the icing. The cake was dense and delicious. Thanks for the yummy recipe. I’ll be using this again!
★★★★★
Thanks Kristin!
I used cake flour and coconut extract. Then turn it into a poke cake using a cup of coconut cream and a cup of coconut milk. Topped with coconut style whipped topping and toasted unsweetened coconut. Drizzled raspberry sauce. My vegan daughter was thrilled, as well as everyone else in the house. This as the 3rd recipe from you I have tried and not one has disappointed. I finally have found someone to teach how to make some really good vegan baked goodies.
Thank you!
★★★★★
So happy to hear that Andrea! And that sounds divine! Thanks for sharing. 🙂