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.
Symmetry says
Can I use melted vegan butter instead of olive oil in the cake? Would the amount be the same?
Alison Andrews says
Hi! I haven’t tried it that way, but I think it might work out okay. Oil is going to work best though. 🙂
Jewelz says
Hi. I’m making this for a party how long will it last sitting on table before it drips? I wont be putting any fruits on just plain.
Alison Andrews says
Hi Jewelz, it would be just fine at room temp and shouldn’t drip at all. Make sure your frosting is nice and thick though! 🙂
Amparo Figueroa says
I’m terrible at cooking but I didn’t mess up with this one! It turned out absolutely delicious flavorwise and it was also tender and moist. Thank you!
Alison Andrews says
So glad it was a success! Thanks for sharing and the awesome review. 🙂
Dee R says
Hey this is a brilliant recipe.. And so easy with little ingredients.. I am trying to make two, 5 inch cakes.. I know mini ones.. ???? But I can’t seem to get the calculations right and it doesn’t come out well.. Could you please guide me with the measurements. Thank you.. ????????
Alison Andrews says
Hi Dee, to be honest, I would probably stick with the recipe as written, the layers would be really fat but that’s okay! It might need a longer baking time, I would probably still check at 30 minutes but would expect that they may take about 10-15 minutes longer to bake.
Dee R says
Thank you so much for the response.. I am def gonna try it.. ????????
Duque Dayana says
Can I sub white sugar for cane sugar?
Alison Andrews says
Sure! 🙂
Diane says
This is a favorite recipe in our house and is used for all celebrations (mostly as cupcakes). Most guests don’t know it’s vegan.
For Thanksgiving, I used this recipe as the “cake batter” portion of Ina Garten’s Easy Cranberry and Apple Cake. It was delicious. The only difference was I didn’t sift the flour (to make the batter a little thicker).
Thanks for such a wonderful, versatile, and easy recipe Alison!
Alison Andrews says
Fantastic! Thanks so much for sharing and the wonderful review Diane! 🙂
Jessica M says
Just made this cake for my boyfriend’s birthday and everyone loved it so much I’m making another for Thanksgiving! Thanks for the recipe
Alison Andrews says
So glad to hear that Jessica! Thanks for the wonderful review. 🙂
Tressey says
Thank you for this recipe. I just made this for Thanksgiving, using Pamela’s gluten free flour (1 cup) and Sorghum flour (3/4). It was awesome. I failed to read pan size and made the recipe for a 7 inch pan, but cooked in an 8 inch pan, it produced two thin layers, which is just great to help me eat just the right amount and not too much. I can’t wait to try other recipes from your site now.
Alison Andrews says
Fantastic! So glad to hear it worked out well! Haha yes it would be a little thin on the layers as an 8-inch but that’s okay! 🙂 Thanks so much for sharing and the wonderful review. 🙂
Nana says
Can you use rising flour instead of AP flour?
Alison Andrews says
Hi there, it may have an impact since self raising flour has baking powder and salt added. It might work okay but I’m not 100% sure. If you try it maybe omit the salt from the recipe as there is already salt in the flour. All the best! 🙂
Poonam says
Do i have to double the ingredients if i want 4 layer 9 inch cake
Alison Andrews says
Hi Poonam, in the notes we have the measurements for a 2-layer 9 inch cake, so you would double that, or use 4 times the measures in the ingredients list.
Cinthia Gil says
Can I sub the olive oil for coconut oil?
Alison Andrews says
Yes sure, melted coconut oil.
Deborah May says
I am a chocolate fan, but my daughter loves vanilla. This is my go to recipe for her birthday cake. It is one of the best white cakes I’ve had. Thank you for the great recipe, You have some really creative recipes, Alison. My son is vegan, I will be trying some for sure.
Alison Andrews says
So happy to hear! Thanks so much for the amazing review. xo
Zoe Short says
Very tasty. As I am gluten free, I had to use GF flour, but otherwise, delicious!
vera vella says
I made this cake and it was absolutely so moist and tasted amazing thank you for the recipe.
Alison Andrews says
Awesome! Thanks for sharing Vera! 🙂
Allison Neptune says
Can coconut milk be used rather than soy?
Alison Andrews says
Sure! 🙂