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.
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.
Otherwise use a different decoration.
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.
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.
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 was well enamored with this cake.
So seriously – this cake is easy enough that a kid can do it (with supervision, of course).
Just a little note that this cake is quite a small petite cake!
I use cake pans which are 7 inch round – definitely on the small side – and the layers are not very tall at all. I think it’s a perfect size and you get 10 nice size slices out of it, but if your cake pans are bigger, or you just want more cake to go around, then you can easily double this recipe, or times it by 1 and a half.
If you make this cake (and I hope you do!) then please let us know how it goes by rating it and leaving a comment. Take a photo and tag it #lovingitvegan on Instagram as well so we can see it too!
If you love vegan cakes, definitely check out some of our other gorgeous cakes, like:
And sign up to our email list for a gorgeous (free) recipe ebook and to stay updated with all our latest posts!
- 1 and ¾ cups (220g) All-Purpose Flour
- 1 cup (200g) Sugar
- 1 tsp Baking Soda
- ½ tsp Salt
- 1 cup (240ml) Soy Milk (or other non-dairy milk)
- 2 tsp (10ml) Vanilla Extract
- ⅓ cup (80ml) Olive Oil (or other vegetable oil)
- 1 Tbsp (15ml) White Vinegar (or Apple Cider Vinegar)
For The Vanilla Frosting
- 3 and ¾ cups (450g) Powdered Sugar
- 3 Tbsp Vegan Butter
- 4 Tbsp Soy Milk (or other non-dairy milk)
- 2 tsp Vanilla Extract
For Decoration
- Fresh Strawberries
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit (180 degrees celsius)
- Sift the flour into a mixing bowl.
- Add the sugar, baking soda and salt and mix together.
- Add the soy milk, vanilla, olive oil and vinegar and whisk it in.
- Grease two 7 inch round cake tins with coconut oil and divide the mixture 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 soy milk.
- Beginning on low speed, mix with an electric mixer, slowly increasing speed until it is smooth and creamy.
- If your frosting is a little thin, add more powdered sugar, if it's a little thick, add more soy milk. 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.
*The cake tins used in this recipe are 7 inches round and 1.5 inches deep. In addition the cake layers are not very tall on this cake. If you are using bigger cake pans or want a taller cake, then double this recipe or times it by 1.5.
*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.
So delicious my husband almost wept when my sister promised to make it for us and bring it to us, but then couldn’t come after all….
The texture looks perfect ! Which is hard to achieve, in all the vegan vanilla cakes I’ve tried they always ended up soft and wet in the middle. Do you think I could sub the milk with freshly squeezed clementine juice ? I’m thinking of trying a variation !
Hey Nina! Yes, I was so pleased with the texture! 🙂 Wow, trying fresh clementine juice is such an interesting take on it, I have no idea how it will turn out, but it sounds like a fabulous thing to try. Please let me know how it turns out if you do it!
I tried it yesterday, and wow ! The flavor was amazing, even though 30 minutes weren’t enough, it was a tad undercooked in the middle. But it was still all gone in under an hour ! I’ll definitely make this again, and with a little adjustment to the baking time it should be perfect. Thanks for this wonderful recipe !
Awesome Nina! So glad to hear it came out well! I really appreciate you letting us know 🙂
So I want to baking this cake for my boyfriends sister for her birthday and I was wondering at what altitude did you make this recipe at? I live over 5000 and I needed to know if I need to change the ingredient measurements.
Hi Kathryn, I’m not at a high altitude but for high altitude baking I imagine this guide would be helpful: http://www.bettycrocker.com/how-to/tipslibrary/baking-tips/baking-cooking-high-altitudes
hi can i make it in one tin?
thanks
Sure, it will likely need to bake a bit longer, but I don’t know how much longer, you’ll just have to keep an eye on it after the 30 minute mark.
To ensure most any cake bakes uniformly (in the middle especially) you can use a metal Rose Nail. This item is used by cake decorators but can be found at Wal-Mart or Michael’ss in the US. Looks like a nail with a 1 inch or larger disk where nailhead would be. To use, place rose nail bottom down in middle of greased cake pan and pour cake batter over it, and bake as usual. Heat is conducted to middle of the cake. Blessings, wonderful to hear the love and caring baking blesses family and friends with!
Hi, I was so excited when I saw the pictures of the cake as you can visibly see the texture looks lovely, but sadly as I looked at the recipe I saw that it called for soy milk! Sadly I have a child who has ‘too many’ allergies including soy, please can I ask if you think I can add maybe oat milk etc instead or what you recommend?
Thank you
I’ve used coconut milk & almond milk & even a half & half mixture of coconut milk & water, it turned out amazing every time!…my guess is you could use any type of milk or or even water & it’ll taste great ☺ don’t be afraid to experiment!
Do you think you could make this into cupcakes and reduce the baking time?
You definitely can! I have done it on this recipe: Vegan Vanilla Cupcakes.
I make vegan cakes with butternut squash. The cake is always moist and delicious without eggs. I also use flax egg substitute. Gail
I have made this recipe twice (just the sponge and a few tweaks- added almond and some carribean flavours) with my own diy frosting. Both times went well. I doubled the recipe both times too. Thanks so much for this. It is an excellent sponge. Going to keep playing around with flavours.
Thanks Natasha! So great to hear that it turned out well. And your almond and Caribbean flavors sound very exciting!
Love this cake! My daughter made it a couple of weeks ago when we we went to her apt. for dinner. I can’t wait until the next time I can have it. As a matter of fact, we are going to make it tomorrow when I visit her. She made her own frosting using a meringue powder, and that was yummy too!
Awesome! Thanks so much for letting us know Kathy. Meringue frosting sounds great! 🙂
can i use apple cider vinegar instead of white vinegar? will it work? looks delicious, i am gonna make it for my sister’s birthday and use strawberry jam and slivered almonds, hope it turns out great. thank you in advance for help and for the recipe! 🙂
Absolutely you can! Apple cider vinegar will work just as well as white vinegar. You’re welcome – hope it comes out great!
:/ I should have read the comments before I made it. lol I wanted to use apple cider vinegar but used white since it was specified. I thought there must’ve been a reason. It’s in the oven now! 😀 I can’t wait to try it and I can use apple cider vinegar next time. 🙂
Hi Tricia, the only reason is in terms of the final color of the cake. Apple cider vinegar is a darker color and I wanted my vanilla cake to be light in color. But taste/texture wise it would not make a difference. Hope your cake comes out well! 🙂
I was wondering if you can substitute unsweetened coconut milk for the soy milk.
I just reread the recipe and it says other non-dairy milk can be substituted. So my question is answered. I’m going to give it a try.
Made this cake yesterday for a test try before i made it for my friends birthday and oh my it defiantly was approved! Only made one layer and it was gone within minutes just between my family and i 🙂 i may or may not of had 3 pieces haha oh well as long as its vegan who really cares right. And thank you so much for this recipe it tastes no different to a regular vanilla cake, actually even better! i’m so pleased i gave it a go and i’m sure my friend will love it too thanks again x
Woohoo! So glad to hear it came out well! Thanks so much for letting us know Ella! 🙂
Hi,
Do u think I can use normal oil instead?
Sure! Any vegetable oil should work fine.
This looks delicious
But I don’t have a circle tin, only an 8×8 square one.
Will this be okay to use and should I adjust cooking time?
Thanks!
Hi there! Are you planning to just make one layer? I would check it after 30 minutes but it likely would not be cooked by then, so just check again every 10 minutes thereafter by using a toothpick inserted into the center to see if it comes up clean. If you’re planning on two layers using two square tins, then that should be fine but will just result in thinner cake layers.
Just made this cake as a tester because its my little girls birthday soon and since turning vegan no vanilla cake has turned out for me without been undercooked in the middle.I cooked this cake in two 8 by 8 pans and its worked out perfectly and it has a very good texture you cant tell its got no eggs in which sometimes you can with vegan cakes.I will probably use this recipe but double it so the cake is a bit thicker though thank you.
Glad to hear it came out well with a great texture Vanessa. Yes, my cake pans are 7 inches, so using 8 inch pans would result in thinner layers. Doubling it will make a very nice tall cake I’m sure! All the best!
Hi Alison! I just came across your recipe while looking for a recipe for cherry vanilla cake for my daughter who wants to make a cake worthy to be on ‘Cake Wars!’ What you think about adding a cherry element to this recipe? Do you think using Maraschino cherries would work as an add-in? Or would cherry pie filling work better? How much would you add? Thanks… We will try it tomorrow!
Hi Catherine! How about using a cherry jam in the center (you can halve the frosting recipe and use it only on top) and then decorate with maraschino cherries! Using cherry pie filling in the actual cake batter would throw off the proportions, so I’m not sure exactly how it would need to be adjusted. Hope it goes great and your cake is totally ‘Cake Wars’ worthy! 🙂
The cake came out fabulous! We ended up doubling the recipe and filling three 9-in. pans. We also decided to add two jars of maraschino cherries (without the liquid) to the batter figuring it wouldn’t affect the proportions as much as adding cherry pie filling. They took about 22 mins. to cook and were delicious… Perfect for the top layers of our “Dr. Seuss” themed cake!
So happy to hear Catherine! Thanks so much for letting me know! What a great idea to put the maraschino cherries into the batter, I’m sure it looked gorgeous!
Can I sub whole wheat pastry flour for the plain flour?
I have never tried this, so I can’t advise on whether it would work out or not.
Hi, can I uses bundt pan, and if so, do I have to do anything differently ?
Hi Sue, it may just affect the cooking time. I don’t think the ingredients would change, as the bundt pan will just change the shape and not influence the ingredients. So you could just keep a check on it and see if it needs to bake longer than usual.
Mmmmmmmmmmmm, looks Yum. Cant wait to try this, so easy, basic, but yummy & classic!
Perfection! x
Thanks Candy! Let us know how it turns out when you make it. 🙂
Best cake ever!!!! Better than regular cake!! So spongy, so delicious, just amazing!! My sister and I made this cake at least 6 times in the spam of 2 months… oops!?! Hahaha we made it for our friends and family and everyone fell in LOVE with it!! I can’t express how good it is!! Thank you so much for sharing!!
Awesome! Thanks so much for letting me know! So happy to hear it was a success!
The vanilla cake sounds great, could I use an 8×8 glass dish for 1 layer instead of the two 7 inch cake pans?
Yes you can. It may just take a little longer to cook since it will be a thicker one-layer cake, so check after 30 minutes but it may need more time.
Can I make this a few days ahead and freeze?
Sure!
Tasty cake! Loved the texture! It was a big hit for my Husband’s birthday! Doubling the recipe for 8 inch square pans was vital! The cake paired nicely with my homemade strawberry filling and strawberry frosting! Our non-vegan friends were so impressed with the texture (moistness, fluffiness) and taste!
Brilliant Kacie! Thanks for letting me know! And the tip about doubling the recipe for 8 inch square pans is great to know. And homemade strawberry filling and frosting sounds awesome!
I added blueberries and it turned out soooo great! Thank you for sharing!
Awesome Rhea! So happy to hear!
Did you add blueberries in the mixture or on top of the cake?
I’m going to try this cake for my daughter’s birthday. I would like to put it in a sheet cake. Can I double the recipe and bake it in a 13 x 9 sheet cake pan?
Thanks,
Pam
Sure Pam, you will just need to adjust the cooking time. Since it will be a single (thicker) layer, it would likely need to cook for longer.
Hi I only have baking powder available is it possible to sub for baking soda? Thanks so much
Hi Dominique. It’s a bit risky because the baking soda acts together with the vinegar for binding. You could try it, and maybe it would still be ok as all-purpose-flour already binds quite well because of the gluten in the flour, but I don’t know if it would work out.
I’ve tried the cake with baking powder but it didn’t rise. It was still delicious, but dense and doughy. …although, it was kind of good that way. 🙂 Let’s face it, dense, doughy cakes may technically be failures, but they’re pretty delish.
Thanks for letting us know Heather! 🙂
I baked the cake tonight… a trial-run because my food-allergic son is taking a hunk of cake to and party this weekend. I actually used melted unsalted butter and homemade baking powder. I simply stirred with a wooden spoon and baked in an 8x8in baking pan. The cake is quite delicious, served with Hershey’s homemade chocolate glaze, but it’s not as thick as I’d like. I don’t know if it’s because of the pan size or that I was forced to use Kroger brand vinegar; they were out if Heinz, and I was afraid we’d taste my Blagg’s ACV. When I make the BD party version, I’m thinking of baking 1.5 batches and baking in the same 8x8in pan. I wonder if that’ll give me the thickness I want. I’m also making a buttercream frosting for that cake. Thanks for the yummy recipe!!!
Hi Paula, I used 7 inch pans, so if you used 8 inch pans, that would be why it wasn’t as thick. But it sounds as if you used 1 8 inch pan? If so, then it should have been pretty thick. I don’t think the vinegar would have made any difference. Did you use baking powder instead of baking soda? That could be an issue though because the baking soda and vinegar react together. Good luck with baking it for the birthday party! 🙂
Yes, I used an 8×8 inch pan and baking soda. When I made 1 1/2 batch, I got great rise. Of course, it cooked longer and cooked through. My family lived it (both ways). I’m baking it again for the party this weekend. Thank you!!
Great to hear that 1.5 batches turned out well! Thanks for letting us know! 🙂
sure thing!! ?
Thank you for posting this recipe! Do you think it’d be okay to substitute cake flour for the all-purpose flour? I’m planning on baking this tomorrow, for my birthday! 🙂
Hi Amy, you can’t do a straight swap of cake flour for all purpose flour, the reason being that all purpose flour contains more gluten, so it binds better. If you do swap those flours, you would need to add something additional for binding purposes, like a flax egg, but bear in mind that would make this look more like a seed cake than a vanilla cake. Since the flax egg contains water, you would also need to balance out the dry ingredients accordingly. I also have not tested this, so am not sure how well it would work. All the best with it and happy birthday! 🙂 xxx
Thank you so much, Alison! I just posted my very first ever photo on instagram to show you how adorable the cake came out. Loved it! (I stuck with the All-Purpose flour, hadn’t realized cake flour isn’t vegan!)
Thank you so much Amy! LOVE the pics! It looks BEAUTIFUL! 🙂
Actually, scratch that, after reading ingredients, the cake flour isn’t vegan! I got some all-purpose at the store, excited to make it today!
This looks so yummy. I’m going to be making it for my friends surprise baby shower. I was wondering would it be ok if I cover the cake with fondant? ?
Hi Hellen, I don’t see why not! Sounds like a fun idea! Would love to hear how it works out! 🙂
i made this for a friend but i had to triple the amount because the batter was only enough for one layer. but the outcome was great he enjoyed the cake very much.
Good stuff! Glad your friend enjoyed it! 🙂
what could i do for a chocolate mousse without the dairy and eggs
This is more of a chocolate frosting, but despite the simple and unexpected ingredients, it is fantastic: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s8EV7GgzUAo You could perhaps substitute this for mousse?
Hey Christopher, I have a chocolate mousse recipe on this site. The main ingredient takes a few minutes to get your head around, but it works!
If you mean a chocolate mousse frosting, then the closest I have is chocolate ganache frosting, which is kind of mousse-like.
Hi! Is coconut oil ok to use instad of olive?
Hi Andee, any vegetable oil should work fine, in the case of coconut oil, just make sure it’s melted first. 🙂
I made a vanilla vegan cake before and it tasted like chemicals. Will this cake recipe do that? Lol i’m traumatized because I had no idea it would taste so soapy and I served it at my graduation party and everyone hated it lol. It was another recipe that had both baking soda and baking powder so I don’t know if that made a difference. But yea, I don’t know what I did wrong. Will this cake do that?
Haha Kellianne, I definitely didn’t detect even a small hint of soapiness in the flavor 🙂 If you make it, just be very careful about the measurements to be safe. Weigh out the flour on a food scale and use spoon measures (level) for the baking soda and baking powder. All the best!
Thank you for posting this! My husband made it for Mother’s Day and it was delicious. We have been looking for a good vegan vanilla cake recipe since my daughters both have egg allergies and it was perfect. This recipe is definitely a keeper!!!!
Brilliant! So good to hear Patty! Thanks for posting!
Looks delicoous! I was wondering if I could use the scraped seeds from 1 vanilla pod instead of the 2 tablespoon of extract? And can I use coconut oil (not virgin) instead of vegan butter in the frosting?
I haven’t tried that so have no idea. It sounds like it should be okay though 🙂
I made this cake for my vegan sisters birthday. I used regular oil, apple cider vinegar, and homemade rice milk. I put seedless raspberry filler between the layers and topped it with chocolate coconut oil frosting. The frosting was coconut oil, powder sugar, vanilla and baking coco. The frosting harden when I refrigerated it but it melted in my mouth as I ate it. It was so good. I’m only vegetarian and i eat eggs but I will make this cake again and again!
Brilliant Sally! So love to hear that. Thanks for posting! 🙂
THIS CAKE IS AMAZING! I’m a 16 year old vegan girl and I wanted to make a simple vanilla cake for my cousin for her birthday. I searched up “vegan vanilla cake” on google and low and behold, this recipe came up! I ended up making this cake 3 times within the time span of basically 30 hours for my cousin, boyfriend, and brother who all have birthdays within a day of each other. Each time I have made this cake, it has turned out perfectly. It tastes amazing; not too sweet, but it has a perfect balance of vanilla and sugar. I recommend using vanilla soymilk! I am not a baker by any means but I am willing to try new things, and this recipe is both easy and delicious! Fool proof! ? Also, I recommend serving with strawberries or putting them on right before serving! I made this wonderful design with strawberries but their moisture made the cake icing a bit soggy, but it still tasted wonderful! I hope this helps somebody!
Thanks Shawna! So happy to hear your cakes came out well! Yes, totally agree, fresh fruit is awesome, but it does have the sogginess factor. So your idea to serve them alongside the cake rather than on the cake, is a good one! Thanks for posting!
Do you know how well this cake would hold up under the weight of frosting and fondant? Also, is it dense enough to be able to carve without turning into crumbles? Thanks! Looks delicious!
Hi Sarah, I haven’t tried that. However, it’s not a crumbly cake. It’s a spongey cake that’s light and fluffy but it’s not crumbly, it holds together well.
Hello Alison. I have been looking for a recipe like this for awhile. I did tweak mine a bit. I used coconut oil instead of olive oil, and almond milk instead of soy milk, and I used raw sugar instead of whit sugar. I felt like being creative and instead of making layer cake and icing it I ended up making peach upside down cake. I sautéed peach slices in coconut oil and raw sugar, and put them on the bottom of a spring form pan. I added blue berries and sprinkled a bit of cinnamon sugar over them. I then added the batter and baked. It did need a few more minutes but turned out so well. Thanks for this recipe.
Hi Sandra! So glad you liked the recipe! And wow your adaptations with the peaches and blueberries sounds amazing! I’ll have to try that sometime! Thanks for posting. 🙂
Hi I made this cake with an 8 inch pan and the middle section of the cake caved in. Can you give me tips on how to make it not cave in?
Hi CC, cakes can sink in the middle for a few reasons: if you open the oven door while it is rising, this can cause it to sink – so to prevent it only open the oven door when it’s done or nearly done. Another reason can be if the cake batter sits too long before going into the oven. And then finally, it’s very important to measure out your baking soda with a measuring spoon, as accidentally using too much can also cause this. Since you are using 8 inch pans, it might be a good idea to times the recipe by 1.5 so that you get a better height on your cake layers as well. All the best! 🙂
I made this cake for my daughter’s fourteenth birthday party. She wanted a coconut cake. I substituted coconut milk for the soy milk and coconut oil for the olive oil. In the frosting I substituted coconut milk for soy milk and used 1 tsp vanilla extract and 1 tsp coconut extract. The kids loved it. The cake was a bit denser, but boy was it moist. We are really working to support my daughter’s transition to veganism. This website has been very helpful!
Hi Cathy – your substitutions sound awesome! So cool that you’re supporting your daughter so fabulously. And I’m so happy that this website has been helpful. Thanks so much for posting! 🙂 xxx
I made this today as a tester for a baby shower cake. Its amazing! The only thing is I used extra virgin olive oil and it does taste a tad bit like an olive oil cake, but still amazing! What kind of olive oil did you use and do you think that taste would go away if I used canola instead?
Hi Mattea, I used extra virgin as well. I definitely don’t taste any flavor from it though. Especially as it’s only 1/3 cup used. Could it be the brand of oil? I have no idea, just speculating. You can use any oil of your choice though. So definitely try a different one if a strong taste is coming through from the extra virgin. So glad you liked the cake though! All the best!
Hello Alison,
I want to try this cake for my mothers birthday. I was wondering if I could use gluten-free all purpose flour because my mom has a gluten sensitively.
Thank you!
Hi Maria,
Sure you can. However, the thing with gluten-free flours is they absorb more moisture, so to account for that I would increase the oil up to 1/2 cup and also add 2 Tbsp applesauce. All the best!
Hi Alison,
Thank you for your suggestions. This cake was soo amazing and very very moist. My mom was very happy and every one in the family had a piece they didn’t even realize it was gluten free/vegan cake which is great.
I did a fresh strawberry jam filling and with your frosting on top and it was amazing..
Thank you so much for your recipe.. ??
Maria
Soooo happy to hear Maria! Thanks so much for posting! 🙂 🙂
I doubled the recipe and accidently used 2 cups of olive oil. I baked it anyway and it tasted pretty good, I’m gonna try it again tommorrow
Oh no! Glad to hear it tasted okay anyway! You will definitely like it better the second time round though I’m sure! 🙂
Hi 🙂 Looks good! I plan on making this this week! Can I substitute the non dairy milk for water? or will it effect the tast or texture?
I definitely think it would affect the taste, not sure about texture. It isn’t something I’ve tried.
Hi! I’m new to all this vegan eating, my son has some pretty high allergies to diary and eggs and wheat. I’m looking to make this for his first birthday but wondered if you could use a gluten free flour instead of regular? Thank you in advance!
Hi Haylee, yes this cake can be adapted to be gluten-free with a few changes. Firstly you need to use a gluten-free all purpose baking flour (like Bob’s Red Mill) and then increase the oil up to 1/2 cup and add 2 Tbsp applesauce. This works out beautifully, the color is more golden than what you see in the pics due to the gluten-free flour, but it comes out fabulously. All the best!
Just made the sponge for the first time for my daughter’s birthday. Also made a muffin tester with the left over batter and it is absolutely delicious. I did 1.5 times the mixture as suggested as I only have 8in tins and it has come out a treat. Pleasantly surprised. My daughter is very pleased. To us it is like a steam pudding texture but definitely not stodgy. Would highly recommend. Now to make the frosting!
Our daughter questions everything regarding vegan recipes, so for her to like this cake, then it is pretty special. Thank you Alison.
This is awesome Jayne! Thanks so much for posting! I’m so glad it came out so well and your daughter was pleased! 🙂
What brand of vegan butter do you use? I tried to search the comments and couldn’t find anyone else who asked either. Also what type of brand of soy milk do you use? I find the flavour really varies from brand to brand of both soy butter and soy milk. Would love to know what you like best! I need to make cake for my daughter’s 2nd birthday this Thursday and lots of kids at preschool have a dairy allergy. Looking forward to your response!
Hi Julia, since I am currently in Dubai, I’m using an Australian brand of vegan butter called Nuttelex that is available here, they have different options, either made from coconut oil or olive oil. So I use either one depending on what is in stock. And when it comes to soy milks I have used lots of different brands and haven’t found it to make a difference to the end result. My main brands lately have been Silk or Edensoy.
I made these for my son’s birthday party as a vegan option for my friend. I substituted the milk with crushed pineapple in juice and used coconut oil. For a glaze I used powdered sugar, vanilla, pineapple juice, and coconut oil. They were such a hit, even the kids preferred them over the boxed mix/pineapple cupcakes I made for them! They were dense and moist, almost like pound cake. Really good, and it’s great that I have this delicious option for vegans and non-vegans alike! Thanks for this recipe!
Awesome Melissa! Thanks for sharing! 🙂
Hello! Does this cake stay pretty moist if I didn’t eat it until the next day? Also, how long would the cooking time vary if I made 24 cupcakes instead of a tiered round cake? My friend’s bachelorette party is this weekend and I’m going to use this recipe for cupcakes, but I have to bake the cake on Thursday and we wont be eating it until Friday!
Hi Brooke, yes the cake stays perfectly moist. I usually keep it covered in the fridge and it is perfectly moist and lovely for a few days and even up to a week. Regarding adapting this for cupcakes, I have already done this here: http://lovingitvegan.com/vegan-vanilla-cupcakes-strawberry-vanilla-frosting/ you’ll need to double the recipe to get 24 cupcakes. All the best!
I just made this cake and substituted the vanilla for coconut extract and added coconut extract to the icing instead of vanilla also, then layered the strawberries and sprinkled unsweetened coconut… Omg … So so good. I think this recipe is the perfect base to add any flavour you like.. Maybe banana or lemon next…
So glad it came out well Suzanne! That sounds awesome! 🙂
I used this cake recipe to make a pineapple upside down cake. It was the best cake ever??????
Yay! That sounds awesome Katie! Thanks for posting!
I made that Cake yesterday and it turned out great but tasted a lot like olive :/ I used the “liter/gram/ measurements, cause I’m from Germany. Did I do it wrong maybe? I would like to try it again, with a different oil. Should I use the same amount, 80 ml, again? Also, do you have an Idea, for a less sweet Frosting? Thanks for your help!
Hi Annika, you didn’t do anything wrong, using the gram/ml measurements is a great way to ensure accuracy. I have never noticed a strong olive oil flavor but others have pointed out the same in the comments. So you can absolutely switch this out for any oil of your choice, in the same quantity. Regarding the frosting, you could try increasing the vegan butter to 1/2 cup (112g) and decreasing the powdered sugar to 3 cups (~360-375g). And then around just enough soy milk to get the right consistency. It’s still very sweet due to being frosting of course but less sweet than in this recipe as there is less powdered sugar/more butter. All the best!
Hi Alison,
I am going to make this cake for my son’s bday and I was just wondering if you can substitute the soy milk with almond milk.
You definitely can! 🙂
Awesome thanks! This recipe is exactly what I was looking for! Since my son went from a vegetarian diet to a vegan diet I have struggled with things to make for him and this seems simple enough for me to do and looks delicious. I can not wait to surprise him with it. 🙂
Awesome Cindy! Hope he likes it! 🙂
Hey I really would love to make this cake for my little sisters birthday! She has been vegan since birth and has never really had a good vanilla cake but this year she asked me for a layer of vanilla and a layer of chocolate. Is there anyway I could make half of the recipe chocolate using cocoa powder? If so how much should I add after separating in half?
Hey Kenzie, I would make two separate cakes. The reason being that just adding cocoa to the vanilla cake recipe wouldn’t be enough on its own, you’d have to consider properly balancing the wet and dry ingredients. And this is why it would just be easier to use a separate chocolate cake recipe for the chocolate layer. My vegan chocolate cake recipe is super easy: http://lovingitvegan.com/vegan-chocolate-cake
If your cake tins are the same size as mine (7 inches round) then I would just halve each recipe so that you have the right proportions for a layer of each. However, if your cake tins are larger and you could go with a fatter layer cake, then I would leave it as is, and just adjust the baking times (you’d likely need to bake a little longer if the layers are thicker, before a toothpick inserted into the center would come out clean).
I would just experiment with this prior to her birthday to make sure it’s working perfectly. Good luck with it, it sounds like it’ll be a great cake!
I don’t know what I did wrong, but the mixture came out all doughy?
Hi Shania, how did you measure the flour? Did you use the cup measurement only or did you also weigh it out in grams? The reason I ask is because flour measurements are the trickiest measurements in baking and if you don’t measure it out properly you can easily end up with way too much. The safest way to measure it is to weigh it out. Since you say the mix was doughy, this is the most likely explanation that comes to mind. If you did weigh it out already then let me know more details and I can try and figure it out with you.
Would it be OK to use regular milk and butter? I’m making this for my son who has an egg allergy but not dairy.
Hi Allison – it’s only ever been tested as a vegan recipe, however, I’m pretty sure any milk or any butter would work.
We used regular milk and butter and it worked just fine. I did find the frosting very sweet so I may use less sugar in the cake. It also seemed pretty salty so I’ll make sure the butter is unsalted. It was delicious enough to be devoured!
I’m making this cake for a neighbor who is vegan. I’m unfamiliar with Vegan Butter mentioned in the frosting recipe and I’ve not seen it here in the shops. Is there something that I can substitute that would be Vegan? Perhaps vegetable lard? Like Crisco or something? Although here in the UK I haven’t seen much of that either. lol
Apparently there is a vegan UK brand called ‘Pure’. Their website is purefreefrom.co.uk. Otherwise just look at some margarines and read the ingredients lists. You will usually be able to find a couple of options that don’t have dairy products (margarines often have whey). A vegan one might say dairy-free or lactose free on the package,, but it also might not. So it’s just a case of doing a bit of investigating. I also found this list of vegan margarines that might be useful, depending on where you’re shopping: http://veggies.co.uk/tag/vegan-margarine/
Hi Alison 🙂
I’ve been looking for a decent sponge cake recipe ever since I turned vegan. My grandmother was a Hungarian pastry chef who specialized in layer cakes, and so I have a treasure trove of delicious recipes I am keen on veganizing, and I badly needed a great sponge cake recipe, to match my grandmother’s perfect non-vegan recipe. I’ve been experimenting, and as you can imagine, there have been quite a few let downs. But then I stumbled upon your recipe here, and was amazed to find so many positive reviews of people who have ACTUALLY made the recipe and gave incredibly positive feedback. Usually I find that most comments have people raving about how wonderful a recipe looks and/or asking for advice about making it, but a relative few actually comment after making the recipe, thus making it hard to gauge how the recipe is without trying it out for one’s self. And voila: people were right! This is BY FAR the best vegan sponge cake style recipe I’ve made. And the amazing thing is: no apple sauce/flax-seed/other of the standard binding egg-substitutes were part of the success. You are a wizard! I take my hat off and thank you profusely.
And now, to the questions:
1. I found the flavor of the olive oil and the vinegar (I used apple cider vinegar) just a bit too strong. It’s not that important, as it blends pretty well, but I was wondering whether you had a recommendation about making those flavors a little more muted? Would using canola oil, for example, reduce the flavor and work just as well as the olive oil? What does the vinegar do in the recipe? Can it be subbed for anything else that will do the job just as well? I think subbing the olive oil will do the trick, flavor-wise, but I am curious about the vinegar, regardless. Regardless, leaving the recipe as is, would be just fine too. Just curious for your thoughts.
2. I used a larger tin (I think it was either a 9 or a 10 inch one) and so the amount seemed too small to put in two such tins, as it came out too flat and I was concerned it wouldn’t rise properly, and so I put it all in one tin. This resulted in the cake being slightly domed, as the sides did not rise more than a few inches. And so I wanted to ask: is this the reason you said to use two tins: because otherwise it comes out a bit like a slight dome, with the sides not having risen as high as the inside? Or was it simply to make it easier, so there’s no need to cut the cake in half to create the layers? Do you think the 7 inch tin is necessary for the cake to rise equally? If making the cake for a about 10 people, is it possible using a bigger tin?
3. The cake came out a little more on the tan side, rather than that lovely pure yellowish-white vanilla look you have going in your pictures. Did I leave it in for too long? I saw that a few people here commented on the center not being ready as fast as the sides, and as my oven usually takes longer than the time written in most recipes anyway, I left it in for 7 more minutes. It was still moist and all, just the color was more towards brown than yellow-white. Would this account for the color, you think?
4. Lastly, I want to learn the principles used in this cake for future experiments, and so I wanted to ask: what is the ingredient(s) that holds the cake together instead of the eggs? How did you come by the idea? I don’t always like the result of using flaxseed or apple sauce and other standard vegan egg-substitutes, and so I want to take note how this cake works brilliantly without any of those.
Thanks loads and loads for the great find that is your recipe. Furthermore, I am excited to find a new blog I can trust to try new recipes from. Kudos!
(My apologies for the length of this comment. I just couldn’t quite curb my enthusiasm 🙂 )
Hi Nathaniel! Thanks so much! I’m thrilled you liked the cake! To answer your questions, yes, you can definitely swap out the olive oil for any other oil that you might prefer. It would definitely work just as well. You could try using white vinegar to see if that helps. I usually use white vinegar. The reason the vinegar is important is it interacts with the baking soda and is functioning as an egg replacement. I think it’s more for leavening than binding though. Regarding the cake tins, I would just double up the recipe or times it by 1.5 to account for the bigger tins and then make two layers. My cake layers also come out a little domed. You can see in the video if you watch it that they look a little domed. Regarding the color, I guess it could be different brands of flour that may have that impact. Otherwise check the cake a little earlier by poking it in the center with a toothpick, it may be done faster than you thought. And then finally, the main thing holding this cake together is the fact that it is made with all purpose flour which has a fairly high gluten content, gluten holds together pretty well. Perhaps this combined with the egg replacement of vinegar/baking soda is just enough to work. All I do is experiment and then I’m delighted when it works, I don’t always know exactly how! All the best with your vegan baking! 🙂
My daughter cannot have wheat products and all purpose flour has wheat. Can I substitute a non-wheat flour instead?
Yes you can, if you see the comments above, I’ve given direction as to how to do it exactly.
Hi there, thank you for this wonderful recipe. I made it last night for a friend’s birthday today and it came out great.
I just wondered, if I was going to say, double or triple the recipe, would I also scale up the salt? For example 3 x the recipe would mean 1 1/2 tsp salt – would that work or do I need to reduce it?
Thank you!
Yes you would scale up the salt like that. But if the amount of salt seems a lot to you, you could also scale it down when increasing the recipe, it wouldn’t make a big difference. So glad you liked the recipe! Thanks for posting. 🙂
Hi Alison,
I tried this cake and its texture was perfect. I was able to taste the olive oil. Do u think I can use melted butter instead of oil? (I personally love butter)I’m not vegan just looking for egg free recipe. Also I tried this with whole wheat pastry flour. The texture was so good.
Thank u!
I wanted to give this 5 star.
Hi Geekay, so glad to hear you liked the recipe and the texture was good with wholewheat pastry flour! You could definitely substitute any kind of oil for the olive oil. I ‘think’ melted butter should work out fine too! I don’t really see why not! Let us know how it turns out if you make it like that! All the best! 🙂
That was a quick reply ?. Thank u so very much. I tried with melted butter. It tasted better than olive oil but was a little denser. I’ll try again with some neutral oil and let u know.
We made this cake for my birthday and covered it in strawberries. It was wonderful, moist and delicious. Nothing but yummy. It was super easy to make and my vegan daughter loved it. Thank you for the recipe.
Brilliant! So glad it came out well and you all liked it! Thanks so much for commenting Cindi!
This cake is really good! our family loved this cake!
We followed all the instructions but added sliced almonds and sliced strawberries in the middle and on top of the cake. We also added chocolate to the top portion and vanilla to the bottom portion and it was delicious!
I really recommend this to anyone! And its super EASY to make.
Awesome Sebas! Sounds like some fabulous changes you made there! Glad you enjoyed it! 🙂
I’ve made an Earl Grey Lavender version of this cake for my birthday, and everybody loved it! I used almond milk and steeped 2 earl grey teabags and 1tsp culinary lavender in it.
Want to make the cake again today for a baby shower for Saturday. Could I freeze it?
Oooh that sounds fab! And yes sure you can freeze it!
Do u think it works with vanilla sugar? In addition?
Or is it too much?
(:
Hi Franzi, is the vanilla sugar also granulated like regular sugar? If so then it should be fine! I don’t think it would be too much at all. I haven’t tried it, but that’s my best guess.
Hi Allison,
Has anyone tried using gluten free flour to make this cake? If so, I’d like to know what alterations were needed to make the cake.
Thanks!
Robyn
Can I substitute applesauce for at least half the oil amount? Would it still turn out light and fluffy?
Hi Freda, you likely can. I can’t be 100% sure as I haven’t tried it myself but since the applesauce would be adding moisture in the same way that oil does I think it could work out fine. Let us know how it turns out if you do try this! All the best! 🙂
Well mine was a disaster! It hardly rose at all & was half cooked & dense. Toothpick came out clean too
Hi Alison,
This recipe sounds super simple! And all the positive reviews have me convinced this one might be a winner.
Can’t wait to make it tomm for my dad’s 75th birthday (trying to get him to eat clean).
I cant eat regular flour and was wondering if this would work as gluten free cake? I have a GF flour that has tapioca flour, maize & potato starch added to it. Would it come out just as well?
Also – I live in india, and a vegan butter doesn’t exist here. The margarine quality here (when available), sucks!
Any other options / alternatives for the frosting?
Can I use sunflower oil with the same results?
Sure!
This cake looks great, just the texture I’m looking for – 2 things:
Planning to scale way up to do a sheet cake – a little concerned how that’ll work out, cooking through etc.
Also got cake flour instead of all purpose,but realized that’s meant for fluffier cake than I want – I like a nice toothsome cake texture- but maybe in a vegan cake that could actually be fine and might help with density?
Thoughts?
Hi Jay, not sure how a sheet cake would affect the cooking times, as I haven’t tried it that way. The reason I used all purpose flour here instead of cake flour is that cake flour has less gluten, so it doesn’t bind as well. You could definitely try it if you’re in the mood to experiment, but that’s what could go wrong – the cake may not bind properly. All the best!
i was just wondering if i could use this recipe in a cupcake tin.
You definitely can! Check out my recipe for vegan vanilla cupcakes: http://lovingitvegan.com/vegan-vanilla-cupcakes-strawberry-vanilla-frosting/
Hello, I’m making a vegan almond sponge and wanted to know if I can sub almond for the vanilla extract or should I just add the almond extract on top of the vanilla? Thank you 🙂
Hi Angie, yes, I would sub the almond extract for the vanilla in that case. All the best!
Tried making cupcakes and loved how spongy and flavorful it turned out. Big thank you ?
I am planning to bake a coconut cake using same base recipe. Thinking of adding 1 cup of dried coconut for strong flavor. Do you recommend adding more liquid?
Hi Grishma! So glad you liked the recipe! 🙂 As to your question I’m not entirely sure. I think that because it’s a fatty ingredient you may not need to add any extra liquid. I would try it out like that first and then see if it needs to be adjusted. As an example, when I tried my vegan carrot cake recipe with a cup of added dried coconut, it came out perfectly, there was no need for extra liquid added. So I would guess it may be the same for this one. All the best!
Do you think I can make this a day ahead of time and just serve the strawberries on the side? This cake recipe sounds great! I am making it for my cousins birthday. She is vegan and I am gluten-free, so I am going to try making it with gf flour. Fingers crossed it turns out great!!
You definitely can make it ahead of time. If you’re making it gluten-free, I would recommend you check out my vanilla gluten-free cupcakes to see how I adapted the recipe for gluten-free: http://lovingitvegan.com/gluten-free-vegan-vanilla-cupcakes-matcha-green-tea-frosting/ It’s the same recipe, just adapted to be gluten-free. So just keep the cooking times the same as for the cake and you’ll be golden. All the best!
My baby has a dairy allergy, so I used your recipe to make his first birthday cake. It worked out well. Thank you so much! I will use your recipe for many more birthday to come.
Yay! So glad it came out well! Thanks for posting! 🙂
I have made this cake loads now! We all love it!!!! Any tips on making it chocolate?
Thanks!
Hi Kelly! Good to hear! You can definitely make it chocolate, just follow my easy vegan chocolate cake recipe here: http://lovingitvegan.com/vegan-chocolate-cake/ 🙂
Brilliant! Thanks : ) That vanilla cake is the best vegan cake I have found so far!!!! x
Thank you so much for including measurements in grams and litres, very much appreciated, making it today 😀
You’re very welcome! 🙂 Hope it goes well!
This was delicious! I found out that it was my cousin’s birthday day-of, so I didn’t have time to go grocery shopping. I’m so glad that this recipe uses relatively common ingredients that I always have on hand. I mixed fresh strawberries into a few spoonfulls of frosting and poured it over the frosted cake as a glaze. Then I topped it with white chocolate covered strawberries and leaf imprints for decoration. None of my relatives could even tell that it was vegan (with the exception of optional white chocolate for non-vegans)! I overheard multiple people trying to guess the “secret ingredient” (“I can definitely taste a smidgen of spice…nutmeg?”) and some asked for the recipe. Thanks for making me feel like a culinary wizard! This recipe is certainly a keeper: moist, appropriately sweet, …everything you could ask for in a cake!
Hi Katherine, I was SO happy to read your comment! So glad it turned out so well! And your decoration ideas sound fabulous. Thanks so much for posting.
Made this in a 9×13″ pan with your chocolate cake recipe and did a swirl combo, it came out amazing, Brought it to work for a bunch of non vegans, they loved it and they couldn’t tell the difference. Thanks so much for sharing!!!
Oh wow, the swirl combo sounds fab! Thanks for posting! 🙂
This cake turned out beautifully..it was so delicious! Thank you for doing the legwork and perfecting this recipe to share ..we all loved it!
That’s fabulous Tara! And you’re absolutely welcome! 🙂
Would coconut oil work instead of olive oil?
Yes, you can use any vegetable oil you like instead of olive.
Hi, I was just wondering if you could use lemon juice instead of vinegar? Thanks
Possibly. If you try it let us know how it works out.
Just letting you know I tried the recipe using lemon juice. I baked both recipes side by side and they both turned out beautifully. For the lemon juice cake I just replaced the vinegar with double the amount of lemon juice and dropped the vanilla. The lemon took 5 more minutes to cook but that could have just been heat spots in my oven. I also found the lemon was less likely to leave massive air pockets in the sponge. Lovely moist airy sponge, will definitely make this again, and I’m not even vegan 🙂 thanks
Thank you – that is SUPER helpful. Really appreciate you letting us know! 🙂
Must admit I was a little sceptical of this recipe as it seemed so simple. Given all the positive feedback I thought I would try it. Yum!!! Made it for mums birthday tomorrow, but the kids and I really thought we should try it first… now have to make another for tomorrow. Will be our go to vegan vanilla cake. Thanks so much for sharing.
Yay! Glad it came out well Belinda!
Is there a replacement for vinegar?
Lemon juice. You need to double the quantity. X
Do you think it would be okay to substitute applesauce for olive oil?
It might be. In theory it would be okay but I haven’t tried it. When baking gluten-free I add applesauce in addition to oil, I have never tried leaving the oil out altogether when baking cakes.
Made this today for my dads birthday and I have to say that it turned out fantastic. I was a little apprehensive because I’ve never tried a vegan cake recipe before and wanted it turn out well because after all it was going to be my dads birthday cake. I doubled the recipe as my cake tins are bigger, but not the frosting and it was plenty! It was such a nice change from typically having chocolate all the time and I could actually eat it with everyone because it was vegan! My family were also impressed and wouldn’t have guessed otherwise. The sponge was dense but light? Such a nice texture and flavour. I’ve got such a sweet tooth and I actually licked the frosting bowl clean. I’m so happy because I will DEFINITELY be baking this all the time!
Hi Priyanka! Very glad to hear you and your family enjoyed the cake. Thanks so much for posting! 🙂
Hi, thanks for the recipe. I appreciate you listing the flour in weight. Can you describe the texture of the finished cake? Is it moist and gummy or does it have a moist fluffy cake-y texture. That is what I’m going for. There is a fine line between too dry and too moist. I’m thinking of adding lemon juice in place of vinegar and adding some fresh zest to make a lemon vanilla version. Thanks!
This is actually the best vegan cake recipe ever! I’ve had so many failures with recipe from other bloggers but this time the texture of the cake was so on point! I decided to sub half of the flour with whole wheat/wholemeal and it turned out great! It’s a brilliant and flexible recipe so thank you!!
You’re so welcome! So glad you loved it! 🙂
Can i substitute the vinegar with lemon juice
Hi Alison. My family and I are avoiding all purpose flour. Do you have any substitute that you would recommend? I am going to try this recipe today. Looking forward to your reply 😊
Hi Ann, you can make it with a gluten-free all purpose flour blend. Have a look at my gluten-free vanilla cupcakes (just use the search bar to find the recipe) to see the adjustments I made.
Thanks for your reply Alison. I was thinking can I replace certain amount of sugar with honey? Color of the cake isn’t critical so I was wondering if its possible.
Since it’s a liquid ingredient, it would mean the whole recipe would need adjusting. You could experiment with it, but keep in mind that the wet and dry ingredients are perfectly balanced in this recipe and this would throw it out so you would need to adjust accordingly. So with this in mind – I would be more inclined to look for a recipe that already uses a liquid sweetener – unless you are happy to experiment.
I just made this so that I’d have something I could eat at a co-workers birthday party and everyone seems to want to eat this cake over the regular yellow cake. It turned out fantastic!. Thank You!
That is just TOOO cool! So happy to hear Tracey! 🙂
Hello Alison this cake looks amazing, I want to try to make a rainbow cake for my mums birthday, could I use this receipe as the basis for the layers? I would really appreciate any ideas you have 😊
Definitely! I’m assuming you would want to just color the layers? You could use this exact recipe, and just add food coloring directly to your layers. If you’re making four layers, just double this recipe. Usually you only need a small amount of food coloring to get the right color, so it wouldn’t affect the overall recipe if it’s a tsp or less of liquid food coloring added. If you need to use more liquid food coloring, then just add an equivalent amount of flour to keep the wet/dry ingredients balanced.
Thank you so much 😊😊
Can I replace vinegar with seasoned rice vinegar and soy milk with coconut creamer?
This looks delicious and I’m excited about making it as a surprise for a vegan friend! Could you confirm whether the oven temperature is for a fan-assisted oven? Thanks!
No, it’s for a conventional/standard oven.
I made this cake for a birthday party and everyone loved it. I used canola oil instead of olive because that is all I had. I doubled the recipe for a 9 inch pan and it came out perfect.
Thank you!
Yay! So glad! Thanks for posting Jen!
This recipe is fantastic! This was my first time making a vegan cake. Both my boyfriend and I are newly vegan and so I had decided to bake him this cake for his birthday. It came out delicious, moist, and had the perfect amount of sweetness. I also added cherry pie filling on top. His entire family (non vegans) also really enjoyed it. It was all gobbled up. Thanks soo much!
You’re welcome! So glad it came out so well!
Love this cake!!
Already made it twice and it was enjoyed by both vegan and non-vegan eaters.
The first time I might have over mixed the batter and it turned out slightly dense, but the second time I was more careful and the cake was fluffy and amazing.
I used canola oil instead of olive oil and halved the amount of sugar (as I do with most recipes, because I like more mild sweetness).
Thanks for sharing this!
You’re welcome Ayelet, thanks for posting!
I just made this cake yesterday and it was really good! I used a 9 inch round pan and it rose tall and it was fluffy enough. However, I noticed that it was more on the wet side and not really sweet enough for my taste. I used organic cane sugar. It is the perfect recipe that I want to continue using, but I wonder what can I do to make more on the dry, fluffy side and a pinch more sweet. Thank you for a great recipe!
Hi Sherie Lyn, if you weighed your flour and definitely used the right amount, then I would wonder if it shouldn’t bake a few minutes more. It is definitely not supposed to me more ‘wet’ but exactly right. 🙂 If you want it to be sweeter I would try adding a little more sugar. Usually you can add a bit more sugar without it affecting the overall recipe.
I made this cake today but with a chocolate frosting. The cake was absolutely delicious. The only issue I had was getting it out of the cake pans. It started to completely crumble, I ended up just leaving it in the pan and adding the frosting on top. Any suggestions?
So glad it was delicious! About the crumbling, I’m assuming this was due to it sticking to the bottom of the cake tin? Try greasing the pan and then adding a circle of parchment paper (cut to fit your cake tins) on top of the greased tin. Parchment paper usually sorts out any issues of sticking to the bottom.
Very glad that you are putting both cups and grams as measurements. Made this cake twice, works out well. Thanks.
You’re welcome! So glad it’s been working out well for you! 🙂
Thank you for posting your recipe! The icing is one of the best recipes I’ve ever referenced, if not the best. It dries on the outside to a shell-like texture and then dissolves when you bite into the cake. Unfortunately, vegan cake texture is something that I really struggle with and I do feel that this is still too rubbery. Without the icing, the cake is almost like a sweet bread.
Glad to hear you liked the icing! It is great! I definitely don’t agree on the texture though, I’m guessing something went wrong in the baking process if it came out rubbery or like a sweet bread. I bake my vegan cakes often for family and friends – almost none of whom are vegan – and they rave about them. So it’s not a case of only vegans thinking they’re nice but everyone else thinking ‘meh’. 🙂
Hi there, I’m not a big fan of all purpose white flour. Would it ok to substitute the flour with whole wheat spelt flour? Let me know what you think please?
Can I use apple cider vinegar instead of white vinegar?
Yes you can.
I did and it was delicious!
Hi, can I use regular milk instead of soy milk as I am vegetarian.
Any kind of milk will work here.
I made your cake about a month ago….DELICIOUS! It taste even better the next day warmed up!
I used “vanilla almond milk”, & “vegan butter”
NOW…I’m bad at icing cakes so I decided to make it a bit thinner so I could just pour it on…it worked but I just kept pouring and pouring lol. In the end I didn’t want to ruin the cake by wiping up all of the icing so I just added MORE STRAWBERRIES LOL
I’m also making it today…
Thanks
#5STARS
It will not let me upload a picture!
Hi Patricia! So glad to hear it came out well! If you’re on instagram, please post the pic and tag us #lovingitvegan so we can see it! 🙂
I need this recipe to be Dairy Free and Soy Free, should I just substitute the soy milk for rice milk? Also, do you have any suggestions for soy free, dairy free butter for the icing?
I’ve made mine with coconut milk. It was perfect!
Do I have to use milk or can I use water instead? How would using water affect the texture and the flavour of the cake?
Could I use brown sugar or coconut sugar instead of white sugar?
I don’t see why not. 🙂
Lovely cake! Made it quite a few times. Comes out perfectly! Last time today. I decided to change the flavour a bit. Swapped a 1/4 cup of flour with coconut flour and added coconut essence. My frosting was whipped coconut cream and strawberries. Yummy! !
Sounds delicious! Love that idea! 🙂
Frosting too sweet, but cake perfect.
When my niece asked me to bake her a vegan cake, I was like – blah, that’s no fun, even though I’m a flexitarian (off and on vegan, don’t judge me…..I’m trying, lol) I bake regularly but was lost with this task so I had to use google and I found this beautiful looking cake and it had easy ingredients so I made a sample cake last night. I followed the recipe to the letter however, I exchanged vanilla extract for almond and used almond milk, there was not enough batter for two pans, so I just made one – baking was done in about 45 minutes. I made the frosting with vegetable shortening and the listed ingredients. I added coconut flakes around the sides and sliced almonds on top, instead of the strawberries. Soooo, what do I think? It was really good, however, the olive oil taste was a little strong for me, it was moist but greasy, so in the future I will alter the oil a bit. Overall, I loved it and my co-workers did too (they didn’t even notice the olive taste, maybe it was in my head, ha ha). Looks like I can offer my services as a vegan baker too. Thanks, you made it easy!
So glad it was easy and worked out well! Yes, you’re not the only one to say that about the olive oil, I have never noticed a flavor from it, but it’s an easy switch to use any kind of vegetable oil that you prefer. Thanks for posting!
Hi, is it possible to bake the same cake using a stove and pressure cooker without pressure??
Hi Alison,
I will be making this yummy sounding cake for the first time this week for my future daughter in laws birthday!! She also works for me so I’m nervous due to my entire staff tasting it together. I do have one question tho… Do you use a mixer for the cake portion or do you just hand mix it? I read where one person said they had over mixed the cake. Thank you so much for sharing your recipe and all the reviews and comments were a huge help!! I’ll let you know how it turns out!!
Hi Treesie, yes you mix it by hand, there is no need for an electric mixer and this would increase the chance of over-mixing. I just do a brief whisking with a hand whisk to remove any lumps. To get a visual of the process watch the video we have of the recipe above, it will be helpful. Good luck with it, hope it turns out great! My best tip is always: weigh the flour! 🙂
Alison,
Thank you so much for the reply!! I’m glad I asked because I would definitely have put the mixture in my big mixer!! Whisking it makes it that much easier of a recipe….stay tuned and I’ll let you know how it turns out!! I’m so excited to make this cake for such a sweet girl and support her vegan lifestyle!!
Thanks again!
Treesie
This recipe is FANTASTIC!
I made this for my Mum’s birthday yesterday. This was the first cake that I’d made in a long time, and the first vegan cake I’d ever made, so I was really nervous as to how it would turn out.
I didn’t have any white vinegar so I used rice vinegar instead, but it made no difference at all.
As I made this cake a few hours before we were going to be eating it, I added a layer of strawberry jam in the middle instead of putting fresh strawberries on top.
It was seriously one of the best cakes I’ve ever tasted, vegan or otherwise. Fluffy, moist, delicious, and the vanilla really came through. EVERYONE who tried it loved it, even the omnivores. Nobody could believe that it was vegan, and thought I was some sort of wizard!!
I got 12 smallish servings out of it, but if you had a bigger appetite it would still feed 8-10 easily.
I will be making this again, and again, and again. And no doubt using it to make cupcakes too. And adjusting the recipe to make other flavours like lemon, or coffee and walnut. THANK YOU SO MUCH!!
Emily, I just loved reading this SOOO much! Thank you! I totally agree, everyone I have made this cake for loved it too! Vegans, non-vegans, everyone! Thanks so much for posting! 🙂 x
I just love this cake and I keep making it over and over! My non vegan friends love this cake too. I do use coconut whipped cream instead of icing but the cake is so moist and tastes so good that my non vegan daughter love to eat it without any icing or cream! Thank you so much for creating this vegan vanilla cake recipe!!!!!
You’re so welcome! So glad you love it! Thanks for posting! 🙂
Hi! If I wanted to use 8 inch pans (can’t seem to find 7 inchers) , do you think the measurements for this recipe in an 8inch pan would be the same? I don’t want to mess it up!
Hello – I’m not the author of this recipe but I just wanted to let you know that I have personally made this cake with 8 inch pans and it turned out great. I didn’t alter the recipe at all, but I did notice that the cakes cooked quicker because of the increased surface area (they needed about 5 to 10 minutes less than the instructions). So just keep an eye on the cakes as they are in the oven and it should be fine 🙂
Thanks Emily! 🙂
Thank you so much for the reply, Emily. You didn’t double the recipe or anything? I’d obviously prefer not to double it if I don’t have to, I just want to make sure it turns out well. Thanks for the advice about the baking time too. 🙂
I forgot the white vinegar 😢, this will be ruined. Sad.
Oh no! It might still be okay though.
This is by far the best vegan vanilla cake recipe INTHEWORLD!!! I made this the first time following your recipe exactly, baking at 350 and using measuring cups. The result was a bit dense and too brown, but it tasted delicious! This time, I used your tip to weigh the flour, decreased the sugar by 1/4 cup (I’m not much of a sweet tooth), and baked at 325 for a bit longer. The result: the most PERFECT, LIGHT, FLUFFY vanilla cake I’ve ever eaten! Even my skeptical non vegan sister (she’s 8) said it was the best cake ever, and requested it for her birthday. I never comment on recipes, but I just had to. Thanks for the recipe! 🙂
That’s so cool Sarah! Thanks so much for commenting! So awesome to hear your experience! 🙂
Thanks for helping me in making awesome cake.
You’re most welcome! 🙂
This recipe is amazing. I was looking for a non-dairy recipe for a 1st birthday party, when I came across this. I just had to try it. This Vegan Vanilla Cake really exceeded my expectations. I made a second batch so that my children could try it too. Thank you so much for sharing! This recipe is definitely going into my recipe book.
Awesome! 🙂 Thanks for posting!
Is there a strawberry vegan cake version? Should I just add 1-2 cups fresh strawberry puree?
Thanks
Hi there! If you added strawberry puree, you would need to adjust the ratios of the recipe as it’s a wet ingredient. If you wanted to use this recipe, I would be more inclined to do something like a strawberry jam filling and a strawberry frosting. If you do use the puree then just keep in mind that it’s a wet ingredient so the dry ingredients would need to be adjusted to balance it out. Alternatively you could use some strawberry puree in place of some of the oil, and some of the non-dairy milk.
I made this cake so many times, it’s my favourite vegan cake, you can’t even tell it’s vegan, it’s so good. It’s super easy, it’s done in a very short time. I just love it. My only problem with it is that where I live there’s no vegan butter available, so I can’t make the frosting, but what I do is I mix fruit juice with corn starch, I boil it for 5 minutes or so and I get something similar to a jelly and I put that on top and in between the layers of the cake. It’s really delicious and I recommend it to all my vegan friends.
So glad you like it Erika, and that frosting idea sounds great and is so creative! 🙂
Hello! I just made this recipe and I loved it! Only I made it in a mold a little wide and it was smaller, I also covered it with dulce de leche and it was a little sweet, but I suppose I had to subtract sugar from the recipe if I was going to cover it with something so sweet. But, the recipe is great. Thank you! And, happy mothers day. Blessings
So glad you loved it Mafe! Thanks for posting! 🙂
Really yummy! I made this for mother’s day. I used 9 inch pans and 1.5x the recipe as someone else suggested. I baked it for 30 minutes. The cake came out a teeny bit dry, so next time I will do a couple minutes less. I made cashew cream icing for the top cause I had some leftover. I liked it with the vanilla & strawberries. I’m a total novice when it comes to baking so yours looks much better than mine. But even as a level 1 baker, it still somehow turned out so great. My non-vegan family loved it! In the future I will attempt to make it as gorgeous as yours! Thanks for the recipe.
Awesome Christine! It sounds like you did a great job with it! Thanks for posting!
Made this yesterday for my husband’s birthday and posted on Instagram. Thank you for the great recipe! I substituted coconut oil instead of olive oil. I also increased the recipe by 1/2 because all I have are 9″ pans.
Awesome! Thanks so much for sharing! And thanks for posting the photo – love it! 🙂
Can coconut milk be substituted for the soy milk?
Yes!
Just used this recipe as written with the following substitution: I used vanilla almond milk instead of soy milk. The color of the cakes has turned out a beautiful creamy color. I used two 6″ cake pans and the batter was sufficient for those pans. The cakes appear to have risen nicely and smell wonderful. I’ll give an update on flavour and texture after tasting.
Sounds great!
I made this cake yesterday for my birthday and it was absolutely divine! I haven’t tried the frosting as I wanted a strawberry frosting but the cake itself was fantastic, it had an amazing taste and texture! Everybody, me included, loved it. Thank you for this great recipe I will definitely make this cake again xx
Awesome! Happy Birthday! Thanks for posting!
Can I substitute sugar with stevia?
Stevia is a lot sweeter than sugar, so you could try using as much stevia as would equal the sweetness of the sugar, but then you would have to increase the flour so that the wet and dry ingredients are still balanced. I’ve never experimented with this though so I don’t know how it would come out.
This looks great! But I only have a 9″ bake tin. I want to double the recipe and make two 9 inch cakes. How long should I bake them?
It might not necessarily need longer, I would check them at 30 minutes and if a toothpick inserted into the center doesn’t come out clean, then put them back in for a few minutes longer. All the best and let us know how it goes! 🙂
Hello and thank you very much for this simple and yummy recipe. I kept mine in the fridge and it tasted even better from there. I like that you added mass measurements in addition to cups, Thank you. I doubled the vanilla (I love vanilla) and it tasted amazing.
Awesome! Thanks for sharing! 🙂
Hi Alison,
I’m looking for a vegan vanilla cake recipe to make my daughter a rainbow cake for her birthday. Do you think adding the colours to your cake would make any difference to the final texture?
Hi there! I think this would make a great base recipe for something like that. If the amount of liquid from food coloring is small, like a teaspoon, then it would not make a difference to the final texture. If you needed to use more though for whatever reason, then just add a corresponding amount of extra flour. So if you needed to use 2 tablespoons liquid food coloring for a particular color, then add 2 tablespoons extra flour so that it balances that way. All the best!
I attempted making the vanilla cake until I realized I didn’t have the right sized baking tins for it so I decided to make it as cupcakes like this as it’s the same recipe. They came out great – soft and tasty and the frosting was amazing! I’m a fairly new vegan who loves sweets so it’s nice knowing that I have very good options for vegan desserts. Thank you!
Oh yes there are soooo many good options for fabulous vegan desserts! So glad your cupcakes were great!
Hi Allison! I used the cake recipe with a few tweaks and different frosting (veg cream cheese based, as I needed it to keep its shape). Very simple and versatile recipe. Thank you!
I bake this cake yesterday and oh how beautiful it turned out my kids love it. it was simple and delicious. I did however use apple cider vinegar instead of white vinegar and I did add a little lemon juice and lemon zest, I removed the baking soda and use 2 teaspoon of baking powder instead. Turn out great.
Excellent! Thanks for sharing! 🤗
Can I use my mixer cos I want to make a big batch of the recipe thanks.
I don’t use a mixer as it’s too easy to over-mix the batter, which can affect the results. Even tripling the recipe here should not be too hard to mix by hand as it’s an easy batter to work with.
Thanks Alison,pls can I use a wooden spoon to mix as against the wisk
So I’ve made this cake before, with the frosting. The first time I made it, it was delicious! And I loved it!! So I’m making it once more, I remember the only trouble I had with the cake was the frosting. It came out waaay to thin, so I kept adding powdered sugar to it, but when all said and done, the frosting was way too sweet. Is there a way I can thicken the frosting without having to add so much powdered sugar to it?
I’ve made frostings for many of my cupcake recipes that use more vegan butter and less powdered sugar – you could try one of those. Otherwise a cream cheese frosting should be less sweet (though I don’t have a recipe for that) or a vegan whipped cream frosting.
I make cupcakes with this recipe: I usually use a full batch or half batch and bake for 15(?) minutes, but I just made a quarter batch (3 cupcakes) in the microwave for instant gratification. I have to play with the timings, but for a first go I am happy. I didn’t even wait for them to cool or add icing. #noregrets
Great! I have never tried these in the microwave but I love the instant gratification idea! 🙂
This is hands down the best cake I have ever eaten!! I’ve already made it twice… and am looking forward to making many more :p I added cardamom and rose water to my second one and it turned out lovely! Thank you for sharing!
Wonderful to hear! And those additions sound lovely! Thanks for posting! 🙂
Omg this cake came out absolutely delicious!! Thanks so much for sharing. This is my second recipe from you that came out perfect and I cannot wait to try more!!!!
Yay! Such good news! Thanks for posting Gina! 🙂
Made this for my daughter’s birthday last week and boy was I surprised with how delicious it was! I say was because it did NOT last long in this house, lol.
I would make no modifications other than using Vegan powdered sugar….absolutely perfect and moist cake!
As anyone that takes care of many different types of appetites in one household, this cake will please everyone…..even a die hard meat eater!
Awesome Heather! So glad it worked out well! Thanks so much for sharing! 🙂
I made this for my daughters 2nd birthday, as she has dairy, egg, and all nuts allergies. This was a hit for all mainstream and vegan participants!! No one could believe how good it was. It was best vegan cake recipe I’ve ever made!! Thank you so much for making my daughters birthday “sweet”! Last year we used a different one that was chocolate and wasn’t too bad but since then, we discovered she doesn’t like chocolate anything;) Vanilla all the way!!
That is so awesome Jolene! Thanks so much for sharing that! My niece also doesn’t like chocolate, it’s all about the vanilla! 🙂
Thank you very much!
It is so easy and so delicious! I tried a lot of vegan cake recipes and all of them tasted very strange. But this one does not taste “vegan” or strange at all! It is vanilla, sweet but not extra sugary and it has a hint of almonds … maybe because of the vanilla aroma. 🙂
If you read my comment while surfing the internet for a vegan cake recipe, indecisively which you should try, stop searching, this one is perfect! Just follow the instructions.
I recommend you to bake it in two layers as in the recipe. Do not bake the whole mixture in one thick layer which may be the problem of the people who told that it was damp. It will 100% turn out fluffy and soft and not mushy/half-baked or crumbly.
I wish I could post a picture of my result.
Thank you and love from Germany <3
Thank you so much for sharing about your results! So happy to hear it came out great! If you have instagram, I’d love you to post the picture there and tag it #lovingitvegan so we do get to see it! If not, then no worries. Thanks so much for posting!
This sponge cake recipe is absolutely delicious. I did not make the frosting. I used the sponge cake for another old family recipe that I veganized and it turned wonderful. It is a truly fluffy and moist sponge cake. Thank you!!
Yay! Wonderful stuff! Thanks for posting!
Loved baking and eating this cake. This was the first time I baked a vegan cake ( I have always baked eggless cakes with condensed milk in the past), and this was so quick yet so tasty! Thank you very much!!!
My variations, i>> I used jaggery instead of sugar since I have been off processed sugar for a year now. And I reduced the quantity to nearly half and it was still delicious.
ii>> I used coconut oil instead of olive oil since we use coconut oil at home in India.
iii>> I reduced the vanilla essence to a couple of drops and added 2 Tbsp of cocoa powder and 2 tsp of instant coffee powder to give it a mocha flavor.
Now I can’t wait to try other recipes on your website!
That sounds fantastic! Thanks so much for sharing about your changes and additions! 🙂
I made it as the base of a plum torte (an adaption from a non-vegan recipe) and it worked wonderfully. Making it again today. And coincidentally after I made it I saw it as a post on a Facebook group by someone claiming that it was the best cake recipe. It truly is!! Sorry, tried to give it a 5 star, but they wouldn’t activate for me.
Hi Anne! So happy to hear! And the 5 star rating did come through, thanks so much for that! We are working on fixing that bug in the ratings system. 🙂
Ä°t is a great recipe as well as easy. A friend of mine wanted a cake without eggs from me that’s why I looked for a vegan sponge cake recipe. Since most reviews were all positive I wanted to give it a try and yesss I was right. Ä°t is soft and looks delicious. I definitely recommend this recipe if you want to bake a vegan Cake.
That’s awesome Tugba! Thanks for sharing! 🙂
This cake was good but not great. Denser than I expected. I multiplied the recipe by 1.5 and beat strawberries into the frosting and served it with coconut strawberry cream.
Did you weigh the flour? I’m just wondering if a little too much flour could have caused it to be a little too dense. The frosting sounds great!
I’m looking to make a vegan strawberry cake. Do you think i can add strawberry puree to this recipe along with some strawberry flavouring or will the cake not turn out nice? I tried to look for a strawberry cake recipe on your website but didn’t come across any! Is there one that I’m missing?
Hey Sanya, I definitely think you could, you could add strawberry essence instead of vanilla extract and you could add in strawberry puree in place of some of the oil or in place of some of the non-dairy milk (or both) just remember to balance your wet and dry ingredients so that it equals out to the same balance as it currently is. And that should do great! And you’ve given me a great idea, I’ll add strawberry cake to our recipe ‘to do’ list. 🙂
Perfect. Thank you! I’ll certainly let you how it turns out!
Has anyone tried freezing this cake after it was baked? I want to make it for my sons birthday and save one layer for his party a week later. Thanks!
It will be fine to freeze! Here’s a link with some info on freezing a cake the right way. 🙂
hi! for the cake, would you recommend vanilla coconut milk instead of soy milk? also, sweetened or unsweetened?
thank you!
You can really use any non-dairy milk. I usually use a regular sweetened variety, but it won’t make a big difference whether sweetened or unsweetened.
Awesome cake I’m a baker plus Was a little hesitant to use vinager(strong flavor) but it taste like a sugar cookie!! I loved it!!!
Hahaha, brilliant! Thanks for posting! 🙂
This is EXACTLY what I have been searching for! You have no idea how happy I am to have found this recipe. I’m newly vegan and my weakness is without a doubt vanilla cake, but not any vanilla cake…it has to be a store bought Betty Crocker Rainbow Bit. Ive searched the net high and low for something remotely similar and every caked Ive baked came out a complete fail..until now! Thank you so much for sharing this recipe, can’t wait to try some of your others 🙂
I forgot to mention, I swapped the white vinegar for apple cider 🙂
Awesome Casandra! So happy it filled the gap! 🙂
hi Alison I made your vegan red velvet cupcakes for the first time and they were insane! my husband who is so picky didn’t bat an eye and ended up eating three of them thank you again for such a wonderful recipe I was wondering if I can turn them into cake pops I can’t wait to try the vanilla and chocolate
Hi Cindi! So glad to hear they were a hit! I definitely think they would make great cake pops! Let us know how it works out if you try it! 🙂
Hi Alison i just made your chocolate cupcakes with your vegan vanilla frosting and my son said they were better than regular ones they tasted lighter and they were sweetened just enough! My finicky husband had 2 lol once i figure out how to add the pics i will definitely load them up thank you again I’m totally new to clean eating and i never figured it could taste soooooo good!😊