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. You can also make this cake as a three layer 6-inch cake, or a single layer 9-inch cake.
To adapt this cake to different size cake pans, see our notes on how to do that below.
Vegan Vanilla Cake Q&A
You can try simply swapping the regular all purpose flour for a gluten free all purpose flour blend.
Yes, this recipe makes a perfect three layer 6-inch cake cake. Bake for 20 minutes.
Yes, but the layers are just a little thinner. You can also take a look at our vegan Victoria sponge cake recipe which is this recipe, adapted for 8-inch cake pans. 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.
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.
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!).
Yes you can! We have already done it, check out our recipe for vegan vanilla cupcakes, which is adapted from this recipe.
Storing and Freezing
Keep it covered at room temperature where it will stay perfectly fresh for a 2-3 days or keep it covered in the fridge to stay good for up to a week.
The cake is also freezer friendly for up to 3 months. You can freeze it either frosted or unfrosted (but definitely don’t add strawberries if you plan to freeze it).
More Vegan Cakes
- Vegan Chocolate Cake
- Vegan Lemon Cake
- Vegan Carrot Cake
- Vegan Red Velvet Cake
- Vegan Banana Cake
- Vegan Strawberry Cake
Did you make this recipe? Be sure to leave a comment and rating below!
Vegan Vanilla Cake
Ingredients
For the Vanilla Cake:
- 1 ¾ cups All Purpose Flour (220g)
- 1 cup White Granulated Sugar (200g)
- 1 tsp Baking Soda
- ½ tsp Salt
- 1 cup Soy Milk (240ml) or Other non-dairy milk
- 2 tsp Vanilla Extract
- ⅓ cup Canola Oil (80ml) or Vegetable Oil
- 1 Tbsp Distilled White Vinegar or Apple Cider Vinegar
For The Vanilla Frosting:
- 3 ¾ cups Powdered Sugar (450g)
- 3 Tbsp Vegan Butter (45g)
- 4 Tbsp Soy Milk or Other non-dairy milk*
- 2 tsp Vanilla Extract
For Decoration:
- Fresh Strawberries Optional
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C). Spray two 7-inch round cake pans (*see notes) with non-stick spray and cut parchment paper into circles to fit the bottoms.
- Sift the flour into a mixing bowl and add the sugar, baking soda and salt. Mix together.
- Add the soy milk, vanilla, oil and vinegar and give it a quick whisk with a hand whisk until just combined.
- Divide the batter evenly between your two prepared cake pans.
- Bake for 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of one of the cakes comes out clean.
- Let the cakes cool in the pans for a few minutes before transferring them to a wire 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.
Video
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 round cake (bake for 20 minutes) or a single layer 9-inch round 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 the cake recipe for our vegan Victoria sponge. If you want to adapt this recipe to fit two 9-inch round cake pans see our full instructions below.
- If you want to double this recipe for a 9-inch round two layer cake, then the ingredients list will be as follows: 3 and ½ 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, ⅔ 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.
I have made this recipe many times and it’s been my go to for cakes for years now. Modifications I’ve made is a reduction of sugar (as it’s still plenty sweet with the frosting) and the oil by about 80%. It is always rather crumbly and messy when eating though, so was wondering if this is normal or something I could adjust to make it stick together better?
Hi Denise, my guess is that is because of your adjustments to the quantities. Sugar is not just for sweetness, it serves other purposes in a cake, and the oil binds it all together. I would try the recipe as is, see how different the texture is and then try gradually reducing the quantities from there. You may just be making too large of an adjustment.
Hey there! I’m in charge of desserts for Christmas dinner and needed a vegan option for my niece. Just road tested it to make sure the taste was good, and the cake and frosting both came out great! The only modification I made was that I took the tip from another commenter and added in cinnamon swirls to half the cake, since that made it seem a little more Christmasy, and that also worked out perfect. This cake is definitely a winner, so thank you so much for the recipe!
Just one question…I don’t have 7″ pans, and since I was mostly just testing for flavor anyway today, I went with making a single 9″ layer. I’d like to go with 2, 8″ layers. So to make sure I understood correctly what you said, your “Vegan Victoria Sponge” cake recipe is EXACTLY this recipe, so if I use those measurements to make the cake, I’ll end up with a cake that has the same texture and taste as this recipe, but with the right amount of batter to make 2 8″ layers?
Yes exactly! If you make our victoria sponge and just frost it with a buttercream you have a perfect 8-inch vanilla cake. 🙂
Hi! this is my familiy’s go-to recipe for vanilla cake! Thank you so much for posting it. A question- I need to make a vanilla sheet cake this weekend, 9×13, does the recipe need to be adjusted at all? I’ clueless about these things.
Thanks so much!
Hi Nicole, we have a vanilla sheet cake recipe, so rather check that out.
Easily made 3 6″ layers, turned out SO delicious! Was so simple and easy, I loved that it didn’t require me to use something like aquafaba or vegan yogurt.
Awesome! Thanks so much Carley!
This is a fabulous and simple vegan cake. I was craving a very simple vanilla + cinnamon swirl cake. I used this recipe as a base and simply added some cinnamon swirls to the prepared batter in pan (with brown sugar, cinnamon, and oil). Cooked for 30 minutes at 350 and it produced a wonderful final product. Many vegan vanilla cakes are quite dense, but this was nice and fluffy. I also accidentally added 1/2 cup oil instead of 1/3 cup, and reduced the sugar from 1 cup down to 3/4 cup. Turned out lovely and I will use this all the time. Thank you!
Oops, forgot to mention I did this for a 1 layer 8 inch round cake. 🙂
That sounds awesome! Thanks for sharing and the great review Sarah!
Absolutely the best cake and icing recipe. Have used it 3 times and it is basically no fail. Made small cakes and 24 cupcakes, doubling the recipe. Everyone loves it! Each time i thought for sure I was going to mess it up and it was perfect each time.
So happy to hear that Tina!
Amazing! So light and fluffy and moist. I halved this recipe, and baked it in a ceramic dish that’s about 9×5 I think? My 10yo did most of it (trying to teach her to get around in the kitchen). We used red wine vinegar because that’s what I had, and we didn’t have powdered sugar, so allergen-free melted chocolate chips mixed with the same Blue Diamond almond milk we used in the cake made a great ganache frosting.
So glad it worked out well! Thanks so much for the awesome review.
Just curious if you could add 1/3 cup apple sauce rather than oil. Has anyone tried? Oh and when tenting, you can use toothpicks to lift the foil from touching the batter as it cooks.
You can use applesauce to replace oil but it does create a different texture, not bad, just different.
This cake looks amazing! The recipe doesn’t mention baking powder? Is that correct? Thank you!
It uses baking soda.
Perfect cake – just sweet enough without being too sweet. I actually loved it the next day with hardened frosting when the cake came out of the fridge. I will make this for all my celebrations. I made it in a 9×11 inch glass pan and cooked it longer until the toothpick came out clean (I think about 10-15 extra minutes). My whole family (I’m the only vegan) loved it.
Awesome Tammie! Thanks so much for sharing and the wonderful review.
The cake worked fine and tasted great, but I tried the buttercream recipe and it just gave me a thick glaze. It’s totally seeping and melting off the cake. And just tastes like icing sugar..
So glad you liked the cake. The frosting is a very simple vanilla frosting not a buttercream, which is why it has very little vegan butter, but even then, it sounds like you may have used a brand of vegan butter that doesn’t work great for frostings, or you used too much non dairy milk. It also may have gone on while the cake was still warm if it’s melting off.
I ended up using nearly 6 cups of powdered sugar. I used a vegan avocado oil butter spread. It was running until the additional powdered sugar.
If you use Earth Balance margarine in the cubes, it is made sturdier for baking.
Hi! I’m making this for my daughters birthday and i have to make it the day before her party and was wondering if you think the cake will contain its moistness and still be fresh a day later?
Thank you!
Yes absolutely! I would frost it, cover it and keep it in the fridge overnight and then let it come to room temperature before serving. It will be perfect.