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.
Is it possible to use applesauce instead of oil? Also what would probably be the amount? Anastasia
Hi there, yes you could use it in the same quantity as the oil. It doesn’t usually have the exact same texture, the cake may be a bit more dense, but you can definitely try it. 🙂
I see several mentioning domed cakes. Should I use those Wilton cake baking strips to try to make sure these bake flat? I’d appreciate any advice you’re willing to give me. I just got an order for a vegan cake and have never made one before. I’m terrified of it not working out. 🙁
Hi Chrissy, yes they do tend to dome, it’s not an issue for me though as I just level them if I need them flat, but I don’t usually need them to be flat! You can either level them as you like or you’re welcome to use cake strips. I would highly recommend doing a test run though so you’re confident but this is one of the easiest cakes ever. 🙂
Hello! I am wondering if I can use coconut oil instead of canola oil?
Thanks!
Looks great 🙂
Hi Emily, yes you can use melted coconut oil. It does seem to create a slighter more dense texture but it definitely works.
I’ve made this recipe a few times and its always been great!! My first try was a double batch in a fairy tin that turned out great, I just watched it to see how long it needed to cook.
I’m here making it again for a birthday party- a unicorn rainbow cake has been requested by lil miss. I’m wondering if it can be frozen so on the day I can just defrost, put the layers together, frost and decorate which will be time consuming enough?! Thanks!!
Hi Tina, yes this cake does freeze very well, so if that saves time you can definitely do that. All the best! 🙂
I have to make a Barbie cake I’m going to do it in an angel food pan I hope it picks up OK I’m excited.
Hi there
I love this recipe but I tried to recently make it differently using cassava flour and it came out very dense and chewy. I added more milk but it didn’t help. Any tips on how I could adjust the recipe to make it work with cassava flour please?
Thank you xx
Hi there, I haven’t tried cassava flour but I believe it can be tricky to bake with and absorbs a lot more liquid than regular all purpose. So it sounds like you maybe needed even more liquid to balance it. It may be easier to work with a recipe that is designed to be made with cassava flour like this one from the banana diaries.
After trying another recipe without dairy, and it turning into a disaster, I looked for a different recipe and landed on this one. This cake turned out perfectly! The layers look so good! I made the recipe twice for four layers in 6″ pans. I only had to add four minutes to the bake time. How stable is the frosting? Could I frost it the night before, or should I wait until the day of? I know plant-based butters can be finicky sometimes. I only have Country Crock avocado oil atm. Thanks!
Hi Danielle, so glad you enjoyed it! As long as the frosting isn’t too runny (go easy with the amount of non-dairy milk) then it’s very stable and you can frost it the day before. The Country Crock brand should work great!
Hi, can this be baked in an 8.5 by 4.5 inch loaf pan? How long would it need to bake for?
Hi Priya, I haven’t tried it myself, but others have done it successfully. I would guess it would be a baking time of around 50 minutes or even longer, just keep a close eye on it.
Always turns out so moist. So easy and quick to make. It’s our go to celebration cake 🎂
Thanks so much for the awesome review Melissa!
This is a fabulous recipe. Makes a lovely gluten free cake! I matched with chocolate pudding filling and pb icing. Thank you for this great recipe.
Absolutely delicious but unfortunately the same thing happened to me as to another person in the comments above – the cakes didn’t rise for me and were very flat. After reading the comments I tried to address the things mentioned and not mix too much as well as put the cakes in the hot oven immediately after mixing. Any other thoughts?
Hi Louisa, are you using baking soda (also called bicarbonate of soda in some places). This recipe really won’t rise much if you use baking powder instead. If it’s not that then it could be that your baking soda is no longer working properly, you can do a simple test for it.
I made this for my sisters birthday and it turned out so good. I baked in three 6” pans and it was the cutest little layer cake. Lasted us a few days in the fridge. I’m a chocolate cake fan, so I’m going to try a chocolate cake recipe next.
Awesome! Thanks for the great review Ellen!
This cake is delicious however when I tried to make it using 2 9 inch pans the top cracked after frosting it but still so delicious. Not sure what happened
This cake recipe is so good that you can’t even tell it is vegan. I’ve made it so many times and it always turns out perfect. Even my non-vegan friends love it.
-edensveganrecipes.com
So happy to hear that Eden! Thanks for the great review!
Better than I thought it would be! Moist and flavorful. Perfect size for my family of 3. I baked it in a 9 inch pyrex pan for 35 minutes. After it was cooled, I topped with a chocolate ganache (hot Trader Joe’s vegan Coconut Creamer mixed with TJs Dark Chocolate Chips). I will definitely make this again.
That sounds delicious! Thanks so much for sharing and the wonderful review!
I made this cake and it tasted great. Mine was only about an inch thick, yours looked a lot bigger in the pics, just wondering if I did something wrong?
Hi Frankie, so glad it tasted great! What size cake pans did you use?
I used 7inch pans
Hi Frankie, then it should have risen nicely and the layers should have been fat! So I’m thinking something else went wrong. Just a quick run through, it must be baking soda and not baking powder, the cakes should bake immediately after the batter is mixed, it’s important not to over-mix the batter, mix until just mixed and then stop mixing. Hope this helps for next time!