Light fluffy and delicious vegan vanilla cake! Two layers of vanilla sponge, topped with a velvety vegan vanilla frosting and fresh strawberries.
This vegan vanilla cake is light fluffy and dreamy! But what you’re going to like most about it is how EASY it is.
I’m going to admit, I had to play around with this recipe for quite a bit before I got it right.
The first time it was delicious, but I used a flax egg and while a flax egg is GREAT for most cakes, in the case of a vanilla cake when you want it to have the glorious light color, well….it didn’t work out so well.
I ended up with a delicious cake that looked like a seed cake and nothing at all like a vanilla cake.
The next time I tried it, it ended up way too dry, so I knew I needed to adjust the flour ratio.
I’m happy to report that the recipe you see below delivers the ideal level of moistness and as you can see, the color is totally gorgeous!
The vanilla flavor comes through perfectly, and by pairing it with vanilla frosting, you get yourself a whole lot of vanilla heaven going on!
Strawberries on top add a dash of gorgeous color and offset the vanilla flavor just right. However, feel free to use whatever cake decorations you please.
The strawberry dilemma…
I love the fresh fruit, but of course it doesn’t keep. You also have the small problem of the strawberries running and making the cake soggy.
So it really only works if you’re going to serve it within minutes of placing those strawberries on top.
So if you’re going to keep the cake around for a few days, then choose a different decoration OR just add some sliced strawberries to the individual slices as you serve them.
Even kids can do it…
I made this with my niece when she came for a sleepover at her aunt and uncle’s house. Since vanilla is her favorite flavor for everything, she loved this cake.
So seriously – this cake is easy enough that a kid can do it (with supervision, of course).
It’s really quite petite.
Just a little note that this cake is quite a small petite cake!
I used cake pans which are 7 inches round. The layers on this cake are not very tall, but I think it’s a perfect size and you get 10 nice sized slices out of it.
If you want to adapt this cake to larger cake pan sizes, see our notes on how to do that below.
Vegan Vanilla Cake Q&A
Can I make this gluten-free? You can try simply swapping the regular all purpose flour for a gluten free all purpose flour blend.
Can I make this in 6″ cake pans? Yes, this recipe makes a perfect three layer 6-inch cake cake. Bake for 20 minutes.
Can I make this in 8″ cake pans? Yes, but the layers are just a little thinner. You can also take a look at our vegan vanilla sheet cake recipe, that recipe adapts perfectly to two 8″ cake layers. Just bake it for 30 minutes instead of the shorter baking time recommended for a sheet cake.
You can also take a look at our vegan white cake which is made for 8″ cake pans. That recipe was adapted from this one and is basically a perfect vanilla cake, just adapted to be a little more ‘white’ in color (to fit the ‘white cake’ description) and to be 8-inches.
Can I make this in 9″ cake pans? This exact recipe will make a single layer 9″ cake. So if you want to make a single layer cake, you can make this vegan vanilla cake recipe exactly as is, but just have a single layer instead of a 2-layer cake. We did this for our vegan pineapple upside down cake. Alternatively, you can double this recipe for a 9″ cake with two layers. I have included the exact measures for doubling this recipe in the notes section of the recipe card below.
Can I make this into a bundt cake? Some have done it, if you read the comments below, it has been done. I don’t have a bundt cake pan so I haven’t got personal experience with that (yet!).
Can I make cupcakes from this recipe? Yes you can! We have already done it, check out our recipe for vegan vanilla cupcakes, which is adapted from this recipe.
I’m pretty sure you’re going to love this vegan vanilla cake! It is:
- Light and fluffy
- Perfectly moist
- Spongey!
- Frosted with velvety vanilla frosting!
Keep it covered at room temperature where it will stay perfectly fresh for a few days or keep it covered in the fridge to stay good for up to a week.
Love vegan cakes?
Oh my word, you are SO in the right place! We are crazy about vegan cakes and have made a bunch of them. Here’s just a few:
- Easy Vegan Chocolate Cake
- The Best Vegan Chocolate Cake
- Vegan Lemon Cake
- Vegan Carrot Cake
- Vegan Red Velvet Cake
- Vegan Banana Cake
If you make this cake (and I hope you do!) then please let us know how it goes by rating the recipe and leaving a comment. It’s so helpful and we love to hear how it worked out for you. Thanks so much.
And sign up to our email list for a gorgeous (and free) recipe ebook containing 10 delicious vegan dinner recipes and you’ll also stay updated with all our latest recipes.
Vegan Vanilla Cake
- Prep Time: 15 mins
- Cook Time: 30 mins
- Total Time: 45 mins
- Yield: 10
- Diet: Vegan
Description
Light fluffy and delicious vegan vanilla cake! Two layers of vanilla sponge, topped with a velvety vegan vanilla frosting and fresh strawberries. Ideal for special occasions.
Ingredients
For the Vanilla Cake:
- 1 and 3/4 cups (220g) All-Purpose Flour
- 1 cup (200g) White Granulated Sugar
- 1 tsp Baking Soda
- 1/2 tsp Salt
- 1 cup (240ml) Soy Milk (or other non-dairy milk)
- 2 tsp Vanilla Extract
- 1/3 cup (80ml) Canola Oil (or other vegetable oil)
- 1 Tbsp White Vinegar (or sub Apple Cider Vinegar)
For The Vanilla Frosting:
- 3 and 3/4 cups (450g) Powdered Sugar
- 3 Tbsp (45g) Vegan Butter
- 4 Tbsp Soy Milk (or other non-dairy milk)*
- 2 tsp Vanilla Extract
For Decoration:
- Fresh Strawberries
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C)
- Sift the flour into a mixing bowl.
- Add the sugar, baking soda and salt and mix together.
- Add the soy milk, vanilla, oil and vinegar and give it a quick whisk with a hand whisk until just combined.
- Spray two 7 inch round cake tins (*see notes) with non-stick spray and cut parchment paper into circles to fit the bottoms.
- Divide the batter evenly between them.
- Bake for 30 minutes.
- Remove from the oven and using a toothpick, insert into the center of the cake. If it comes out clean then your cake is done.
- Move to a cooling rack to cool completely.
- Prepare your frosting.
- Add the powdered sugar, vegan butter, vanilla and half of the soy milk.
- Beginning on low speed, mix with an electric mixer, slowly increasing speed. Add the rest of the soy milk, only as much as needed until it is smooth and creamy. If your vegan butter has a higher water content, you may not need to use all of the soy milk.
- If your frosting is still a little thin, add more powdered sugar, if it’s a little thick, add more soy milk (a drop at a time). The consistency must be thick enough that it doesn’t slide off the cake, but thin enough to be spreadable.
- When your cake is completely cool, add frosting to the top of one of the layers.
- Add the second layer on top and frost it completely, using a knife to carefully frost the sides of the cake.
- Decorate with fresh strawberries and serve right away.
- If you’re not serving right away, then omit the strawberries or serve them on a plate alongside the cake, so it doesn’t get soggy.
Notes
*I highly recommend you weigh the flour for the best results. Flour measures can be tricky, so weighing it on a food scale is the best way to ensure accuracy.
*The cake tins used in this recipe are 7 inches round. This cake recipe as is will also make a three layer 6-inch cake (bake for 20 minutes) or a single layer 9-inch cake (bake for 30 minutes). It can also be made as a 9×9 square sheet cake (bake for 20-25 minutes). If you want to make this cake for 8-inch cake pans, see our vegan white cake recipe which is an 8-inch cake or our vegan vanilla sheet cake which adapts perfectly to two 8-inch cake layers. If you want to adapt this recipe to fit two 9-inch cake pans see our full instructions below.
*If you want to double this recipe for a 9-inch layer cake, then the ingredients list will be as follows: 3 and 1/2 cups (438g) All Purpose Flour, 2 cups (400g) White Sugar, 2 tsp Baking Soda, 1 tsp Salt, 2 cups (480ml) Soy Milk, 4 tsp Vanilla Extract, 2/3 cup (160ml) Canola Oil, 2 Tbsp White Vinegar. Everything else including baking times (30 minutes), remains the same. The frosting as listed in the recipe above will be enough to spread generously onto the top and middle of a 9-inch layer cake but not enough to frost the sides as well. Take a look at our vegan buttercream frosting recipe which is enough to frost this whole cake when made as a two layer 9-inch cake.
*Only add fresh strawberries to this cake if you’re going to be eating it right away. The strawberries are a fabulous addition to the flavor of this cake, BUT they run and can cause sogginess. So if you are keeping this cake for a few days, then either don’t use strawberries at all or just add some strawberry slices directly to the individual cake slices when served.
*Nutrition information is based on 1 serve of 10 with a very generous amount of vanilla frosting.
*Vanilla Frosting is from this recipe.
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Bake
- Cuisine: Vegan
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 Serve (of 10)
- Calories: 441
- Sugar: 65g
- Sodium: 290mg
- Fat: 11g
- Saturated Fat: 1.6g
- Carbohydrates: 83g
- Fiber: 0.8g
- Protein: 3g
Keywords: vegan vanilla cake
Can I substitute the oil with butter? If so how much?
It’s not the best substitute as it’s not as moist.
High hopes for this recipe! can I ask, how deep do the layers come out based on the original recipe for the 7″? Im scaling this up quite a bit for a sheet cake so needed to know how deep your layers are. Thanks
★★★★★
Hmmm, I’m not sure exactly, we have scaled this recipe up already for a vanilla sheet cake that you can take a look at.
I was feeling for something sweet but not too sweet and I didn’t have granulated sugar so I used raw brown sugar, didn’t have white vinegar so used rice vinegar, and didn’t have canola oil so I used coconut oil. I also added half a teaspoon of sugar and baked on 350 in cupcake mold for 17 min. Came out AMAZING!! I usually suck a baking and my girlfriend was shocked and said she was jealous lol! Thanks so much for the recipe!!
★★★★★
So happy to hear it worked out great! Thanks for sharing!
Is it possible to substitute cake flour for the all purpose flour? If yes would you use the same measurements I plan to make it tomorrow.
Hi Ginny, it should be fine, in the same quantity, however I haven’t tried cake flour myself.
I have yet to make this recipe and am hoping to use it in the sitting bear mold made by Wilton to continue the 1st birthday tradition started by my parents in the 70s (my son’s birthday is tomorrow). The 3D pan is quite temperamental and does best with a pudding type cake mix texture. Does anyone know if this recipe (or the chocolate one) might work? Thanks so much!
Hi! I’m making your cake recipe for my daughter’s birthday. I have searched a long time for a good cake recipe that I can sub regular flour for Spelt flour. It’s turned out great! And I used 2 – 9″ cake pans and it was great! Thank you!
Oh wonderful! Thanks so much for sharing!
Hi Alison,
This is a great recipe which I’ve used quite a bit for various occasions- thank you! I’m planning to use it again tomorrow for my daughter’s birthday and wondering if coconut sugar would work here? Thanks!
Hi there, coconut sugar should work! The color will be darker though but otherwise should work fine.
Hi Alison, I absolutely love your recipes!! For this cake, can I use muscovado sugar instead of the white sugar? I don’t mind if the colour changes but will the cake loose any structure? And should I do a 1:1 switch? Thanks!
That should be fine! You can use the same quantity. 🙂
Can I switch the all purpose for gluten free self raising? X
You can definitely try it. Usually a gluten-free blend works well.
I made this with my 9 year old daughter recently for our Monday afternoon “bake club”. Easy to follow instructions and a delicious cake that was loved by all. We made a single cake and I just halved the buttercream. The cake didn’t rise as much as yours did, but as we had to sub raw sugar, and baked one large cake, I figured those two factors probably caused the issue. Wasn’t totally flat or anything. Will definitely make again, and expect it to be requested for the next birthday. Thank you!
★★★★★