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.
TC says
Hi!
I was wondering if this cake can be made ahead of time and frozen until it’s time to be frosted and decorated?
Thanks!
TC
Alison Andrews says
Sure! 🙂
Sonya Thompson says
I have 6″ pans, not 7″. Do you think I can make that work by adjusting the bake time?
Alison Andrews says
Hi Sonya, no need to adjust the time, this will work great in 6″ pans at the same temp and bake time (of course do the toothpick test to make sure they’re ready). All the best! 🙂
May says
My son celebrated his 30th birthday on Wednesday so i baked him this vegan cake and he absolutely loved it and so did the guests for which half was non vegans including myself. I am baking this agian on Saturday for yet another post-celebration. Also baked your peanut butter cookies and oatmeal cookies and it’s all a hit???????? thank you so much. I shall be trying more of tour recipes.
Alison Andrews says
Awesome! So glad it was a success! Thanks for sharing May. 🙂
Sue says
This looks amazing and I can’t wait to try it!
I wondered if I can bake this cake in 6 inch pans? Should I use two or three pans and how long should I leave them in the oven for?
Alison Andrews says
Hi Sue, two 6-inch cake layers will be perfect, they will just be a little fatter and that’s fine! Same baking temp and time. 🙂
Susan Sherron says
Made it for Sunday dessert. So yummy!!!
Alison Andrews says
Awesome! Thanks Susan! 🙂
Markina says
Delicious cake! I was using another recipe for years and this will be my new go to. The frosting turned out good as well using only 3 tbsp milk. Thanks!
Alison Andrews says
Awesome! Thanks Markina. 🙂
Maisy says
Hi just me again I’m really bad at maths so how many times do I need to double the recipe to do 4 layers thanks xx
Alison Andrews says
It depends on the pan size. If you’re making it in 7-inch cake pans then you would double the basic recipe. If you’re making it in 9-inch cake pans then you would quadruple the basic recipe.
Kathleen Sutherland says
Thank you for this recipe. It’s easy and makes a nice fluffy cake. I subbed lemon juice for the vinegar, which works equally well to give it rise, and adds nice flavor, if you like lemon.
Alison Andrews says
Awesome! Thanks for sharing Kathleen! 🙂
Maisy says
Can you taste the vinegar xx
Alison Andrews says
NOT at all. 🙂
Amal says
I was wondering if I could use lite coconut milk (from a can) in this recipe. I know the coconut flavor will come through, I want it to. Would lite coconut milk work as a substitute?
Alison Andrews says
Yes this would work fine. 🙂
Sarah Filetti says
I need to make a “Lego Cake” for my son’s birthday and I want to be able to eat it :-). I was going to use this recipe and the Best Vegan Chocolate cake recipe in two loaf tins to make the blocks. Do you think it would work in a 9 & 8 inch loaf tin?
Alison Andrews says
Hi Sarah, this would need to be doubled for a 2 layer 9-inch cake. Or made as is it would be a single layer 9-inch cake. We have links in the post to other recipes that can adapt to 8-inch though. All the best! 🙂
Kira says
Omg!! I’m baking this at 2:00am to surprise my roommate for their birthday in the morning. I had only enough sugar for one try, and it came out perfectly! I couldn’t be more excited to see their reaction! Happy 23rd bday Rayven <3
Alison Andrews says
Yay! Thanks for sharing Kira! 🙂
Gissel Reyna says
Can I use honey or maple syrup instead of sugar? Has anyone tried this? If so is it a one to one swap? Thanks.
Alison Andrews says
Hi Gissel, that wouldn’t work in this recipe. You can try a different type of granulated sugar though such as coconut sugar. 🙂
Ali says
Hi there – is it possible to turn this into a chai cake by substituting the soy milk for brewed chai tea?
Alison Andrews says
Yes, I think that could be awesome! 🙂
Cindy says
Ali, how did it turn out? I’m looking for a creative vegan cake recipe and I’ll be donating the cake to a fundraiser. Thanks!
Tatiana Prisco says
This was my first time ever baking anything vegan. I used two 8 inch pans and baked for 20 mins. Turned out absolutely perfect! I couldn’t believe the texture of the frosting and the moisture of the cake! Very yummy! I used oat milk as one of the kids in my daughter’s class is allergic to soy and I must confess I could taste the oat a bit but everyone loved it. Easiest recipe ever and perfect instructions. I will be bookmarking this one for sure! Thank you!
Alison Andrews says
So glad you enjoyed it! Thanks for the wonderful review. Interesting about the oat milk though, other options would be almond milk or coconut milk unless of course there are nut allergies. 🙂