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.
Lilly says
Can I substitute almond milk for the soy milk
Alison Andrews says
Sure!
Caitlin says
I’ve used this recipe to make a 7 layer rainbow cake and tie-dye cupcakes. By far the best vegan cake recipe I’ve used in my 6 years of baking trials and errors.
Alison Andrews says
That’s so wonderful to hear Caitlin, thanks so much!
Mary says
Would you know if an egg would be good in this recipe, I only need dairy- free
Alison Andrews says
Hi Mary, no an egg wouldn’t work in this recipe, as we don’t use anything that would fit the purpose of an egg so there is nothing to replace.
liz says
Hello if I did 2 6″ pans how long would this bake in the oven and for what temp and should I just halve the recipe so i can make just 2 6″ pans? Thanks
Alison Andrews says
It works fine for 6-inch without any changes.
Jill says
Can I make this in a 10 inch cake pan?
Alison Andrews says
It would be quite a thin cake even if done in a single layer 10-inch cake pan. If you’re making two 10-inch cake layers then you could use our recipe instructions in the notes for two 9-inch cake layers, your layers would just be slightly thinner.
Jennifer says
Hi I’ve used this recipe before with great success, thanks! Have you ever considered using cake flour instead of all purpose? Do you think that would work?
Alison Andrews says
Hi Jennifer, I think you ‘could’ use cake flour and if you read the other comments, it has been done by others, but there is a small risk that it will be more crumbly as cake flour has a lower gluten content than all purpose.
Tiffany says
Best cake I’ve made yet! I needed a recipe that included what I had on hand and no wonky ingredients and this fit the bill. I added some sprinkles because it was a birthday cake and it was absolutely perfect!
Alison Andrews says
Thanks Tiffany!
Pree says
It was a perfect cake. Soft and moist.
Alison Andrews says
Thanks Pree!
Emma says
Hi Alison!
How much icing does this recipe make? I like to ice a roses on the cake, is there enough icing for it? Do I need to double the recipe for the icing?
Thanks so much
Alison Andrews says
Hi Emma, I’m not sure! It does make enough for a thick generous frosting so there may be enough if you’re just planning on doing a small amount of decorating.
Pamela says
Can I substitute lemon juice for the vinegar in the cake recipe? Thank you in advance for your advice. I look forward to making this cake!
Alison Andrews says
Hi Pamela, yes that should be fine! 🙂
Jill says
Would it be possible to replace the oil with something? I don’t use oil which I’m afraid might mean I don’t get to make cake…
Alison Andrews says
Hi Jill, you can try using applesauce in the same quantity. 🙂
Ashley Lee says
I made both this cake and the buttercream tonight for a friends anniversary cake tomorrow and thought both were delicious. Just wondering, can the leftover buttercream be frozen? I really hate to waste it and because I made a semi-naked 4” cake for her there’s about half left.
Thank you!
Alison Andrews says
Hi Ashley, so glad you enjoyed the cake! Leftover frosting can definitely be frozen. Just thaw it in the fridge when you’re ready to use it and give it a quick whisk in the mixer again when thawed. All the best!
Kevin says
Would you recommend using regular soy milk or could I use a vanilla flavored soy milk?
Alison Andrews says
You can use either/or, whatever is easiest. There won’t be much difference at all in the end result.
Jules says
This cake is the best! I’ve made it many times!!! Thank you!!
Jodie Jackson says
Hi! I want to make this cake but only have self-raising flour. Would I be able to use this and omit raising agent? Thankyou!
Alison Andrews says
You probably can, I would probably reduce the baking soda by half (but not eliminate it) and omit the salt.