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.
Gissel says
I made it as a last minute cake asking couldn’t buy one for my son for his 2nd birthday and everyone loved it. It was delicious.
Alison Andrews says
So happy to hear Gissel! Thanks for the awesome review. 🙂
Lupe says
Hi, do I make this with sweetened or unsweetened soy milk?
Alison Andrews says
Either or is fine. 🙂
Adrianna says
This is my first time making it and wont be my last 🙂 my family absolutely loved it.
Alison Andrews says
Wonderful! Thanks so much for the awesome review. 🙂
Yasmine Hall Gibbs says
Haven’t made it yet but looks delicious and also the ingredients are so easy to follow so that alone get 5 star for easy step by step instructions
Alison Andrews says
Thanks Yasmine! 🙂
Rachael says
Hi, Would this cake turn out quite delicate and tender, or would it be dense and held together enough to be able to stack 4 layers on top of each other without collapsing?
Thanks
Alison Andrews says
Hi Rachael, this recipe has been used by others who have made multiple layers so I believe it would hold up great, though I haven’t personally made more than 2 layers with this recipe.
Pamela says
I’ve made this many times and it will hold up for stacking, I just level the tops off (if they are rounded on top, slice the dome off ) then place a spoon of frosting on the cake board , then one later down on the cake board add to cover the top, then another bottom up add frosting, and continue . I’ve stacked 3 layers of it no problem, however if you’re planning to do 4 full size layers I would put a cardboard round in between the 2nd & 3rd layers. If you’re simply slicing 2 layers in half so they’re 4 thin layers they will be fine. It’s easiest to frost and stack them if you wrap the cooled cakes in plastic wrap and chill them in the freezer for 15-20 minutes first. I’ve used this recipe in many wedding cakes, carved cakes and even number cakes. It holds up amazingly, and is absolutely delicious. ????
Alison Andrews says
Thanks so much for the super helpful info Pamela! 🙂
Pamela says
Alison you are so very welcome thank you for the amazing recipes. ????
Irina Cevallos says
Delicious
Alison Andrews says
Thanks Irina! 🙂
Sarah buckton says
In response to the query about white vinegar. I used white wine vinegar and it worked fine. I’m.also
from the U.K and it is widely available.
Alison Andrews says
Thanks for sharing Sarah! 🙂
Sarah buckton says
This recipe is really easy and the cake looked and tasted absolutely AMAZING. This is the best vegan cake ever. I found mine needed baking for longer( I did the two layers cake recipe). I did 35 minutes on gas mark 4 then reduced to gas mark 3 for another 20 minutes. It rose beautifully.
Alison Andrews says
Fantastic! So happy to hear it was a success! And thanks for sharing about the baking time difference. Thanks so much for your awesome review. 🙂
T says
Hello I am looking to making this cake. I am from the UK and we don’t have white vinegar. Is apple cider vinegar a like for like substitute?
Alison Andrews says
Hi there, yes you can use apple cider vinegar, that’ll work fine. But Heinz has a white vinegar in the UK that works great! 🙂
T says
Hi there. Just made this it’s turned out slightly sticky and a tad doughy (although very soft and spongy). Could it have done with slightly longer baking? I did check with a toothpick and it came out clean but noticed in your video the cake has a brown colour finishing where as mine was on the slightly paler side…
All just to confirm all purpose flour is the same as plain four?
Alison Andrews says
Hi there, ovens do vary quite a bit so it could be that a few mins more were needed, I’m not sure. But yes all purpose is called plain flour in the UK.
Maddy says
Would this recipe work to make cake pops as well? 🙂
Alison Andrews says
I’m sure it would! I haven’t made cake pops (yet) but I don’t see why not! 🙂
Harjinder says
Absolutely the best eggless and vegan recipe I have ever tried. Baked it three / four times with different flavours. All turned out perfect. Had to bake it for a friend too as her children loved the chocolate version. Thank you for sharing Alison and please please keep sharing. ????????????????????❤️❤️. Your recipes are the best Alison.
Alison Andrews says
Awesome! Thanks so much for the amazing review. 🙂
Jenna says
I’ve made this a few times and love it, I’m planning to make it again for my daughter’s birthday party this weekend – she is allergic to dairy and egg so this is perfect! I’ve calculated I’ll probably need to make a 10 inch double layer cake to feed all of the guests, I know it says to double the recipe for a 9 inch double layer, do you think that would be ok for my slightly bigger cake? Obviously each layer would be slightly thinner, but I don’t know if it would be TOO thin… Or maybe I should do even 2.5 times the recipe? Just wondering what you think!
Alison Andrews says
Hi Jenna, I think it would work! Doubling the recipe for a 9-inch cake does result in quite fat cake layers so I think it would work fine to have them be a little thinner for a 10-inch cake.
Parveen says
Hi Jenna, I know this was a while back but do you recall how the cake turned out or the 10 inch double layer? Any idea how thick your layers were?
Shameika says
I made this recipe for my daughter’s birthday. It was delicious and better the next day. Six adults have it thumbs up.
Used Almond milk instead of soy and half coconut sugar half cane sugar. All else was the same. Baking time CAUTION. 30 minutes was NOT long enough. We lucked out that it did not fall in the middle from opening the oven too early but wait 45 min. I am in the Bahamas so the warm temperatures may have something to do with it… I’m no baking scientist.
As far as the buttercream icing, it melts sssssooooo fast. I had to apply it to the cake for a few minutes then put the cake in the fridge for a few minutes to firm up…until I got done. The icing just melted way too fast. Topped with strawberries that were sliced and put into cane sugar to absorb the sweetness. Perfection.
Alison Andrews says
So glad you enjoyed it! Ovens can definitely vary, it may be that your oven is not hot enough, but I’m glad it worked out with the longer baking time. Thanks for sharing and the great review!
Emily says
I tried this recipe with coconut sugar and the batter had the consistency of peanut butter. It’s in the oven right now, so we’ll see how it turns out. It doesn’t look too promising.
Alison Andrews says
Hi Emily, that doesn’t sound promising! The batter should not be so thick. I don’t think coconut sugar would be the culprit though, it is more likely a bit too much flour.
joe says
Hi intend to make this cake asap cos I love vanilla cakes. What can i use instead of sod bic it doesn’t go well with me.
Alison Andrews says
Hi Joe, hmmm, I don’t know, you could try replacing it with 3 tsp of baking powder and see how you go. I haven’t tried it, but that is usually the way to replace baking soda with baking powder.