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? There are a few changes that are needed to make this cake really work great for gluten-free. We made the adaptations for gluten-free with our vegan gluten-free vanilla cupcakes and they came out beautifully. You can adapt that recipe from cupcakes to a layer cake (two 7″ layers) just like this one if you like.
Can I make this in 8″ cake pans? Yes, but because the maths can get a little tricky sometimes when you increase a recipe, I recommend you 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:
- Classic Vegan Chocolate Cake – also a 7-inch layer cake
- The Best Vegan Chocolate Cake – a 9-inch layer cake
- Vegan Lemon Cake – a divine 8-inch beauty
- Vegan Carrot Cake – our super popular 7-inch layer cake
- Vegan Red Velvet Cake – also 7-inches
- Vegan Banana Cake – a 9×13 sheet cake or an 8-inch two-layer cake, it’s up to you!
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
Print Recipe
Pin RecipeDescription
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 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) Extra Virgin Olive Oil (or sub 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.
- Grease two 7 inch round cake tins with coconut oil (or spray 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. 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 it to 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) Extra Virgin Olive Oil or Canola Oil, 2 Tbsp White Vinegar. Everything else including baking times, 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
In response to the query about white vinegar. I used white wine vinegar and it worked fine. I’m.also
from the U.K and it is widely available.
★★★★★
Thanks for sharing Sarah! 🙂
This recipe is really easy and the cake looked and tasted absolutely AMAZING. This is the best vegan cake ever. I found mine needed baking for longer( I did the two layers cake recipe). I did 35 minutes on gas mark 4 then reduced to gas mark 3 for another 20 minutes. It rose beautifully.
★★★★★
Fantastic! So happy to hear it was a success! And thanks for sharing about the baking time difference. Thanks so much for your awesome review. 🙂
Hello I am looking to making this cake. I am from the UK and we don’t have white vinegar. Is apple cider vinegar a like for like substitute?
Hi there, yes you can use apple cider vinegar, that’ll work fine. But Heinz has a white vinegar in the UK that works great! 🙂
Hi there. Just made this it’s turned out slightly sticky and a tad doughy (although very soft and spongy). Could it have done with slightly longer baking? I did check with a toothpick and it came out clean but noticed in your video the cake has a brown colour finishing where as mine was on the slightly paler side…
All just to confirm all purpose flour is the same as plain four?
Hi there, ovens do vary quite a bit so it could be that a few mins more were needed, I’m not sure. But yes all purpose is called plain flour in the UK.
Would this recipe work to make cake pops as well? 🙂
I’m sure it would! I haven’t made cake pops (yet) but I don’t see why not! 🙂
Absolutely the best eggless and vegan recipe I have ever tried. Baked it three / four times with different flavours. All turned out perfect. Had to bake it for a friend too as her children loved the chocolate version. Thank you for sharing Alison and please please keep sharing. 👌👌👌👌👌❤️❤️. Your recipes are the best Alison.
★★★★★
Awesome! Thanks so much for the amazing review. 🙂
I’ve made this a few times and love it, I’m planning to make it again for my daughter’s birthday party this weekend – she is allergic to dairy and egg so this is perfect! I’ve calculated I’ll probably need to make a 10 inch double layer cake to feed all of the guests, I know it says to double the recipe for a 9 inch double layer, do you think that would be ok for my slightly bigger cake? Obviously each layer would be slightly thinner, but I don’t know if it would be TOO thin… Or maybe I should do even 2.5 times the recipe? Just wondering what you think!
Hi Jenna, I think it would work! Doubling the recipe for a 9-inch cake does result in quite fat cake layers so I think it would work fine to have them be a little thinner for a 10-inch cake.
I made this recipe for my daughter’s birthday. It was delicious and better the next day. Six adults have it thumbs up.
Used Almond milk instead of soy and half coconut sugar half cane sugar. All else was the same. Baking time CAUTION. 30 minutes was NOT long enough. We lucked out that it did not fall in the middle from opening the oven too early but wait 45 min. I am in the Bahamas so the warm temperatures may have something to do with it… I’m no baking scientist.
As far as the buttercream icing, it melts sssssooooo fast. I had to apply it to the cake for a few minutes then put the cake in the fridge for a few minutes to firm up…until I got done. The icing just melted way too fast. Topped with strawberries that were sliced and put into cane sugar to absorb the sweetness. Perfection.
★★★★★
So glad you enjoyed it! Ovens can definitely vary, it may be that your oven is not hot enough, but I’m glad it worked out with the longer baking time. Thanks for sharing and the great review!
I tried this recipe with coconut sugar and the batter had the consistency of peanut butter. It’s in the oven right now, so we’ll see how it turns out. It doesn’t look too promising.
Hi Emily, that doesn’t sound promising! The batter should not be so thick. I don’t think coconut sugar would be the culprit though, it is more likely a bit too much flour.
Hi intend to make this cake asap cos I love vanilla cakes. What can i use instead of sod bic it doesn’t go well with me.
Hi Joe, hmmm, I don’t know, you could try replacing it with 3 tsp of baking powder and see how you go. I haven’t tried it, but that is usually the way to replace baking soda with baking powder.
I’m excited to try and make this cake! Can I use a bundt cake pan instead? Also I’d have to transport it so I’m thinking of making the cake and frosting and transporting them separately. Will the frosting be fine in a glass jar for half a day until I can arrange it all together?
Hi Anna, you can probably use a bundt pan but I haven’t tried it that way. If you read the other comments I’m sure someone else has done it like that. It would affect the baking time mostly. If the weather is hot then the frosting might get a little melty, but otherwise it should be fine to transport. All the best! 🙂
Just wanted to update and say this cake was delicious! I made it in two 7″ pans and was able to transport the frosting separate and put it together later. One thing that baffled me was that the top layer kept sliding off the bottom layer after I put in together. I’m guessing its because both of the tops of the layers were a little “hilly”…how can I make sure it won’t happen again in the future?
Hi Anna! So happy it worked out great! Haha, yes this cake does dome a bit, you can slice the tops of the domes off with a sharp knife so that they are level. 🙂
Happy to report even non-vegans loved this cake! It was a hit! I bake most of the birthday cakes for my family’s events…and my niece’s 7th birthday was no exception. It was going to be her first birthday party with friends from school too so it was my first sheet cake in a while. I got wind that one of her guests asked about the food that was going to be served so they could plan ahead because they are vegan. Being a peanut allergy mom, it dawned on me that I should probably try to accommodate them. It’s so nice when people do that for my daughter – go the extra mile to be sure her food is safe so she can feel normal at a party too. So I came across this recipe! Now, this was the first time I’ve ever attempted a vegan cake, and I have to say…it was super easy! The only changes I made were that I used apple cider vinegar because I had it 🤷🏼♀️ And I used a simple syrup to keep the layers moist because I had to bake and freeze them ahead of time. (I honestly think the simple syrup made it even better!) I LOVED how perfectly flat the layers were, and I actually used two 6 inch pans. I did some research and found (via peta’s website) that many canned, store bought frosting is “accidentally vegan”. I was pressed for time, already had some, and had a whole other sheet cake to make, so canned frosting was the solution. I did simple rosettes and called it done! Not only did the mom and 2 kids tell me it was the best they ever had, but several other guests preferred the vegan cake to the other one! I finally had a sliver when I got home and I enjoyed it too! Thanks so much…I’ll be using this recipe again! My questions: is there a reason vegetable oil isn’t preferable? Why olive oil? And has anyone tried any other kinds of milk alternatives? Almond milk, coconut milk? Sweetened? Vanilla flavored? Etc.
★★★★★
Hi Mary! So happy to read your comment, thanks so much for sharing and the wonderful review. To answer your questions, I used olive oil because it was what I had on hand and found that it tasted perfect! But vegetable oil is totally fine to use and these days I often use canola oil in baking as well. I have tried different plant milks and they usually all work very well. Vanilla flavored would enhance the vanilla flavor a bit, sweetened is fine as they are usually only minimally sweetened so I don’t find that it usually makes a difference to the end result. 🙂
I made it twice. Both times I used water instead of soy milk. I used Walmart vanilla extract the first time and some artisanal brand from a coop the second. And I grabbed baking powder for the first by mistake instead of baking soda. The outcomes? Both were really good with a good vanilla flavor, but not overpowering. I would like to boost that a bit. More extract and less water, the quality of the extract doesn’t seem to matter much. The first one stuck to the bottoms of the brand new “non-stick” pans so I used parchment paper on the second to good effect. I greased the sides of the pans with Vegan butter the second try. The first batch of frosting was a bit too liquid I think, because it flowed down the side of the cake overnight in the frig, even though it went on like a frosting. The second was fine. I made them the same way with the same ingredients (except vanilla source) so I think even miniscule variations in the liquid can have a large effect on the viscosity of the frosting. Thanks for the recipe. It is way too rich for me, but make great gifts. 8)
Hi Don! Thanks so much for sharing and so glad you like the cake. I totally agree very small changes in the amount of liquid for the frosting can make it too runny, so it’s about getting the right balance. So glad it worked out in the end! 🙂
Hi there,
for the electric mixer, does this need to be one of those $500 ones with the big paddle, or can I use the little hand-held ones?
Hi Allison, a hand held mixer will be fine! 🙂
Very dense and bland. I followed the directions exactly but it did not turn out.
★★★
Sounds like something went very wrong Kat, as this is not the usual experience with this cake.
Jar did you use real vanilla or imitation ? I’ve made this cake a hundred times and it always comes out fluffy and delicious, possibly your didn’t spoon and level the fluid ? I weigh it, it can vary by a 1/4 cup if you just scoop it, which can cause it to be heavy, also over mixing can. Maybe try it again I promise her recipes don’t disappoint 💕 good luck 💕
★★★★★
Oops was supposed go be to Kat , lol and also I was asking if you spoon and leveled the flour?
★★★★★
Thanks Pamela! xo
Alison you are so very welcome and thank you for your wonderful recipes 💕pp
★★★★★
🙂 xoxo
I’d like to bake this in a 9 x 12 in. pan. Which recipe should I follow?
Hi Lisa, I think it would be best to look at our vegan vanilla sheet cake recipe. 🙂
Hi! I just made this cake in a 9×12 pan tonight. It came out great and puffed up perfectly to fit the pan. I also added cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves and ginger to the frosting recipe and cut down on the sugar to make a nice spiced glaze. Great recipe!
Would this recipe work in a single 9″ pan?
Hi Hayley, yes! It works perfectly for a single layer 9-inch cake. Same baking time. 🙂
I made the single layer cake in a 9” pan today. It was soooo good! I skipped the vanilla frosting and instead made coconut whipped cream and berry compote. It was the perfect light end-of-summer dessert! Thank you!
★★★★★
Sounds delicious! So glad it worked out so well, thanks for the amazing review. 🙂
I made the sponge exactly as described in the recipe, and weighed out all of the ingredients for which weights were listed. The cake came out very moist and spongey, and I’d say somewhere on the denser side (although definitely not too dense). I think I personally prefer cakes that are a bit drier and lighter but I think this cake came out as described above so I gave it 5 stars. I used refined olive oil so the olive oil flavor wouldn’t affect the cake.
★★★★★
I also like my cakes to be drier and lighter!
Alison, I want to make a spherical cake for halloween (to turn into a cauldron) using a 6 inch diameter sphere cake pan. Do you think the recipe as written will work? Thanks!
Hi Kiera, I’m not sure, but I think it would hold up as well as other cakes. 🙂
Amazing recipe ! Delicious !
Thank you for sharing.
★★★★★
Thanks so much Shereen! 🙂
hello from korea!
i’d like to make this beautiful cake but i have only one cake pan (15cm x 7cm depth). do you think it will be okay if i pour the whole batter in one cake pan and bake it at a time? thanks!
★★★★★
Hi Gilie, that’s a pretty small cake pan, it might be better if you halve the recipe?
hi, Alison, thank you for the reply. i already baked this cake, actually only made the cake sheet in my 22.5cm x 22.5cm sheet pan with the whole batter. it was perfect, moist, fluffy, and of course delicious. i cannot get any store-bought vegan butter here in korea. so i’m trying to make homemade vegan butter adequate to cake frosting in some way and another. 🙂 wish me luck!
★★★★★