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.
Divisha says
My daughter loved this frosting and cake. The only thing for us that was a splay was the top layer sliding off lol! Other than that it was a great experience for her to make her own cake and frosting.
Alison Andrews says
So happy to hear she loved it! Haha about the top layer sliding off, but glad it didn’t ruin the experience! Thanks for the wonderful review. xo
Robin Ross says
Can you use maple syrup instead of sugar in the recipe? I need an immediate answer
Alison Andrews says
Sorry, no you can’t.
Gram says
My son the absolutely loved this cake. This was my first experience with baking a vegan dessert. Used a bundt pan. Added the zest from a lemon and turned the frosting into a glaze(made my own powered sugar; 2 cups of sugar 2tsp of cornstarch)Can’t wait to try the chocolate cake recipe.
Gram says
I forgot. The variation between cooking times due to using a bundt pan I think. Baked for 50 minutes.
Shams says
When a recipe asks for sugar, do you mean granulated or castor sugar?
Alison Andrews says
It’s granulated sugar. 🙂
Karen says
Can you use cake flour in this recipe or any of your other cake recipes?
Pamela says
I used it in all of her recipes, I swap have of the ap for cake, just don’t over stir or it will fall in the middle. It makes for a super light cake. You sand use all cake flour, I’ve done this too, just seemed to be perfect crumb with half and half. Good luck ?
Pamela says
Sorry about the typos, it was supposed to say you can use all cake flour, just be very gentle when stirring. I tried both and half cake flour and half ap seems perfect ?
Alison Andrews says
Thanks for helping out Pamela, really good info! 🙂
July Otos says
Alison, did you use any egg substitute on this recipe?
Alison Andrews says
Hi there, we didn’t and it’s not required in this recipe. 🙂
Lisa says
Best vegan cake ever!!
Alison Andrews says
Yay!! Thanks so much Lisa! xo
Mei says
Hi I wanna make this for a friend, is it ok to travel with it? Is it ok to serve it the next day or 2 instead? Thanks!!
Alison Andrews says
Hi Mei, it should be fine to travel with. The only issue would be if it’s quite hot, then the frosting ‘might’ get a little more runny, but it should still be okay and it’s definitely good for a few days at room temp. Also definitely don’t add any fruit to the topping! Otherwise it should be fine. All the best! 🙂
Mei says
I made this recipe and it was perfect! The cake was not too sweet and very moist!
I doubled the recipe and made 1 8in cake and 1 6in. Frosting is plenty to cover both, stacked together and I put some strawberries right before serving-2days later!
It was okay to travel and yes, the icing somewhat melted but not too much and still was a very great cake 🙂
Alison Andrews says
Awesome! So happy to hear it worked out great and travelled well! Thanks so much for sharing and the fabulous review. xo
Rhiannon says
Hi Alison! Thank you so much for this recipe. Will be making it for my kids with food allergies. Do you think I could use 6″ cake pans? I see the modifications for larger pans, and I realized mine are tiny.
Alison Andrews says
Hi Rhiannon, yes it would be fine in 6-inch cake pans, the layers will just be a little fatter which will be totally fine! 🙂
Shellie says
Yum! Just finished making this! Was delicious! I used coconut oil instead of vegan butter and I didn’t make the frosting but instead combined coconut cream cheese with a little icing sugar and vanilla essence for the filling with some raspberry jam. Super light and fluffy. Will definitely be making this again. Thanks for the fab recipe!
Alison Andrews says
Sounds delicious! Thanks for sharing Shellie! xo
Natalie says
This is the first vegan cake I have ever made and I was sceptical that it would taste any good but I was pleasantly surprised! This cake is amazing and I will definitely be making it again. Mega easy and takes superb!
Alison Andrews says
Wonderful! Thanks Natalie. xo
dawn says
Very nice cake, I am not vegan but this cake had good flavor and a nice “crumb” ( made for a family member)
I used unsweetened cashew milk, and cut sugar to 3/4 cups. I added 2 drops of almond extract. Baked in two 6 inch pans. Cake was served with no icing with slightly sweetened strawberries and coconut whipped ‘cream’.
Alison Andrews says
Sounds divine! Thanks so much for sharing and the great review. xo
Luz says
Tried this one with chocolate ganache (made with almond butter, soy milk, melted chocolate and sugar) and sliced strawberries in the middle too. 100%recommend
Alison Andrews says
Wow, sounds divine! Thanks for posting and the awesome review! 🙂
Lauren says
Hey! Replacement for vegan butter in the frosting? Recipe looks amazing!
Alison Andrews says
Hi Lauren, I don’t think there is an ideal replacement. You can make your own vegan butter and I know some have made it with coconut oil, so you can try it like that if you like. 🙂
T.Sass says
The icing is fab, the texture is fab but there’s a really strong bi carb taste and I put the exact recommended amount in? What have I done wrong?
Alison Andrews says
I’m really not sure! I have never experienced that. Maybe someone else will be able to weigh in.
Pamela says
This recipe is amazing, I swapped half the flour for cake flour, and oh my word, lol it’s sooo good!! I know you mentioned you don’t use it since it’s not available to you and I’m sure this is super delicate without. I’m wondering if the reader above,T.Sass used self rising flour ? That would explain the off taste. Made this a few times and it is consistently delicious. ?Thanks very much for all of your hard work. I will use this as a base for several other recipes.
Alison Andrews says
Thanks so much for the awesome review Pamela! And that is a really good point about the self raising flour, that would definitely explain it if that was used. xo
Isabella says
I’ve used this recipe a few times to make vegan upside down peach cakes (also other varieties of fruits). It has come out delicious each time! Love the simple recipe.
Alison Andrews says
Hi Isabella, that’s awesome! Thanks for sharing and the great review! 🙂