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.
Lisa says
Hi Alison,
Could the vanilla cake recipe be made using gluten free flour?
Thanks,
Lisa
Alison Andrews says
Hi Lisa, yes, this recipe has been adapted for gluten-free, I did it in the form of gluten-free vanilla cupcakes, but it could definitely also work for a 2-layer 7 inch cake.
Damien Romano says
Link to my cake pics! https://www.instagram.com/p/Bq7qIUvnUNK/?utm_source=ig_share_sheet&igshid=mq2g877o1p3n
Just made this and it is amazing! Best vegan cake recipe i have tried to date. Thanks!
Alison Andrews says
The pic looks amazing! So glad you liked the recipe! 🙂
Sue says
Hi Alison! I tried making this recipe but it came out drier than I expected, even after I added more soy milk to the batter.How can prevent dryness?
Alison Andrews says
Hi Sue, it is definitely not supposed to be dry at all, I really recommend weighing your flour as accidentally using too much flour is my guess for why it came out dry.
Alysha says
Fingers crossed that this turns out. I made this recipe last year for my son’s birthday and am attempting it again this year. However, I really don’t remember the batter being this thick!! His party is tomorrow and I basically have one shot at making this. Was the batter really thick ?
Alison Andrews says
No, it’s not super thick at all, you can see the consistency in the video.
Melanie says
Is the frosting Ok left on the counter wrapped also?
Alison Andrews says
Yes, as long as ‘room temperature’ isn’t super hot like in full summer. 🙂
Ash says
Amazing recipe and cake! Loved it, made it for my vegan daughter… THANK YOU!!
Alison Andrews says
Yay! So glad it was good! Thanks for sharing. 🙂
Nathalia says
Amazing recipe! Fluffy, vanillish and everyone approved! I just put a little more baking powder and it grew up a little higher. Just loved!
Faith says
I have tried many vegan cakes but always worried about the outcome and never truly happy with them. This is the first time I haven’t worried as it is one of the best basic recipes that can be changed at will so Thank you so much for sharing!. I made a lemon version and ginger version, orange & poppy, carrot.
Here are the last two used for decorating. I’m thrilled! Sorry you can’t see the inside 🙁
https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=1915591965214950&id=458930177547810
https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=1914885418618938&id=458930177547810
Alison Andrews says
Wow! They look so amazing. You are super talented! So happy you like the recipe. I agree, I pretty much use this as my basic recipe for all flavor adaptations. Thanks so much for sharing! 🙂
madhavi ragu says
Superb ! Your blog is incredible. I am delighted with it. Thanks for sharing with me.
Lisa Densford says
Can this recipe be used with Gluten Free All Purpose Flour?
I need a great GF Vegan vanilla cake.
Alison Andrews says
Hi Lisa, I have adapted this recipe for gluten-free when I made gluten-free vanilla cupcakes. You could use that exact recipe to make a 2 layer 7 inch cake, just increase the baking time to 30 minutes.
Rahil says
OMG, this is the best vegan recipe, it’s easy and delicious.
Alison Andrews says
Wonderful to hear that! Thanks for the fabulous review! 🙂
Gregory Johnson says
Made a birthday cake using this today… so… one word of warning… when you are doing it… make sure you have 7 inch pans… and don’t think that 9 inch is close enough. The first two layers were half an inch or less thick… and lets just say.. less than fluffy and light. The next two layers (yes, made a four layer cake) turned out better, much lighter actually soft and fluffy. I am sure this would produce a perfect cake, if I knew what I was doing. The GOOD news is that the chocolate frosting that you have as a separate recipe is absolutely amazing!!!
You SAVED this cake with that frosting.
The good news is that we decided to not try to cut it.. and just eat it directly off the cake plate with forks. Was told it was “the best birthday ever”. (I cant say how much they were trying to make me feel better… but it was fun!!! Thank you. I will try better next time!!)
Alison Andrews says
Hahaha, yes if you are using a 9″ cake pan you would make a single layer cake with this recipe, or double it for a 2 layer cake. So I can imagine those layers were like frisbees! But so glad you still enjoyed it and that chocolate frosting is a winner for sure! Thanks so much for sharing! 🙂
Holly says
I’m trying to go vegan after watching “What the Health.” My kids are trying to as well so I wanted to show them you can still eat things that are treats. This was a real treat! I did only cook it for 25 minutes, it would have been really dry had I done 30. But other than that I follow the recipe to a T and it didn’t disappoint and both my kids ate every bit!
Alison Andrews says
Hi Holly, so glad it was a success! Thanks for sharing! 🙂
Sabrina says
Hi,
Just wondering if it’s possible to make this frosting without an electric mixer?
Thanks,
Sabrina
Alison Andrews says
Hi Sabrina, I imagine it is possible, in fact I seem to remember I have heard from people who have done so, I imagine it is just a lot more arm power and make sure the vegan butter is nicely softened.
Allison says
Hi Alison, Would this cake bake well in a bundt pan?
If so, any tips on preventing sticking in bundt pan?