This vegan white cake is light, fluffy and perfect! Topped with a simple white buttercream frosting it’s a super pretty cake that’s perfect for a special occasion.
You might be wondering, what’s the difference between a white cake and a vanilla cake? Well…. not a whole lot really. In fact this recipe is based on our super popular vegan vanilla cake recipe.
The main difference between a vegan white cake and a vegan vanilla cake is just trying to make the color as light as possible.
To make this white cake as white as possible, I used a clear vanilla extract, almond milk, which is very white in color, and baking powder instead of baking soda. Baking powder tends to result in a lighter color for baked goods so worked great here.
How To Make Vegan White Cake
You will find full instructions and measurements in the recipe card at the bottom of the post. This is a summary of the process to go along with the process photos.
- Sift all purpose flour into a mixing bowl and add white sugar, baking powder and salt.
- Mix together.
- Add almond milk, oil and clear vanilla extract and mix into a batter. Mix until just mixed, don’t overmix.
- Divide the batter between two 8-inch cake pans (sprayed with non-stick spray and lined with circles of parchment paper on the bottom.
- Bake at 350°F for 30 minutes or until a toothpick insterted into the center of one of the cakes comes out clean.
- Allow to cool for a few minutes in the pans and then transfer to a wire cooling rack to cool completely before frosting.
White Frosting
The frosting is a mix of powdered sugar, vegan butter, almond milk and clear vanilla extract. The frosting goes a little off-white as a result of the vegan butter, but once it’s on the cake you don’t notice that much anymore.
Simply add all the ingredients to the bowl of your stand mixer and starting off at slow speed, gradually increase speed until the frosting is fluffy and smooth.
Ingredient Notes
Almond Milk. We liked almond milk best for this cake as it’s very white in color so works well in that respect. Of course you can use a different non-dairy milk such as soy milk if you prefer.
Canola Oil. We used canola oil in this cake and either canola oil or vegetable oil work great. Melted coconut oil also works.
Clear Vanilla Extract. It’s ideal to use a clear vanilla so that it doesn’t darken the cake. Some white cakes also use a few drops of almond extract. We opted not to in this recipe but if you do want to, then just make sure it’s a very small amount as when it comes to almond extract a little goes a long way.
Recipe FAQ
This recipe will make 18-24 cupcakes. Baking time would be around 20 minutes.
If you’d like this cake to be gluten-free then be sure to use a gluten-free all purpose baking blend in the same quantity as the regular flour.
Storing and Freezing
Keep the cake covered at room temperature where it will stay good for a few (3-4) days. Alternatively store it covered in the fridge for up to a week. It’s ideal to let it come to room temperature before serving.
It’s also freezer friendly up to 3 months if you want to freeze it.
More Vegan Cakes
- Vegan Lemon Cake
- Vegan Victoria Sponge
- The Most Amazing Vegan Chocolate Cake
- Vegan Carrot Cake
- Vegan Banana Cake
- Best Vegan Chocolate Cake
Did you make this recipe? Be sure to leave a comment and rating below!
Vegan White Cake
Ingredients
Vegan White Cake:
- 2 ⅔ cups All Purpose Flour (330g)
- 1 ½ cups White Granulated Sugar (300g)
- 3 teaspoons Baking Powder
- ¾ teaspoon Salt
- 1 ½ cups Almond Milk (360ml)
- ½ cup Canola Oil (120ml) or Vegetable Oil
- 2 teaspoons Clear Vanilla Extract
White Buttercream Frosting:
- 4 ½ cups Powdered Sugar (540g)
- ½ cup Vegan Butter (112g)
- 3 ½ Tablespoons Almond Milk
- 2 teaspoons Clear Vanilla Extract
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C) and spray two 8-inch cake pins with non-stick spray and line the bottoms with circles of parchment paper. Set aside.
- Sift the flour into a mixing bowl and add the white sugar, baking powder and salt and mix together.
- Add the almond milk, oil and clear vanilla extract and whisk in with a hand whisk until just combined. Don’t overmix.
- Divide the cake batter evenly between the two prepared cake pans and place into the oven to bake for 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of one of the cakes comes out clean.
- Allow the cakes to cool for a few minutes and then transfer them to a wire cooling rack and let them cool completely before frosting.
- Prepare your frosting by adding the powdered sugar, vegan butter, almond milk and clear vanilla extract to the bowl of your electric mixer and start off at slow speed, gradually increasing speed until your frosting is thick and smooth.
Notes
- Measure your flour correctly. Either use the spoon and level method: spoon it into a measuring cup and then level off the top with a knife, don’t scoop it and don’t pack it into the cup, or weigh it on a food scale for the most accurate results.
- Almond Milk. We liked almond milk best for this cake as it’s very white in color so works well in that respect. Of course you can use a different non-dairy milk such as soy milk if you prefer.
- Canola Oil. We used canola oil in this cake and either canola oil or vegetable oil work great. Melted coconut oil also works.
- Clear Vanilla Extract. It’s ideal to use a clear vanilla so that it doesn’t darken the cake. Some white cakes also use a few drops of almond extract. We opted not to in this recipe but if you do want to, then just make sure it’s a very small amount as when it comes to almond extract a little goes a long way.
- Cupcakes: This recipe will make 18-24 cupcakes. Baking time will be around 20 minutes.
- Gluten-Free: If you’d like this cake to be gluten-free then be sure to use a gluten-free all purpose baking blend in the same quantity as the regular flour.
- Storing: Keep the cake covered at room temperature where it will stay good for a few (3-4) days. Alternatively store it covered in the fridge for up to a week. It’s ideal to let it come to room temperature before serving. It’s also freezer friendly up to 3 months if you want to freeze it.
- This recipe was first published in July 2018. We have updated it with new photos and a few small changes to the recipe. The original recipe used baking soda (1 ½ tsp baking soda + 1 Tbsp white vinegar) and melted coconut oil. We re-tested the recipe and found baking powder to work best for the color and preferred canola oil for the texture, though melted coconut oil does work just fine if you prefer to use that.
Terryn says
Thanks for sharing! I use this exact recipe to make cupcakes! I can’t believe how tall they are despite lack of eggs! This is my new favourite go to recipe for vegan birthday cake/cupcakes!
Heather says
I used Country Crock’s new dairy free butter – it’s lighter in color than Earth Balance (what I usually use) and made a really beautiful bright white frosting! The cake was delicious- thank you for another great recipe ????
Alison Andrews says
Sounds awesome! Thanks Heather! 🙂
Lux says
Made this for my daughter’s birthday and it was great!
I have a question – I want to make this again but do it in one pan so it’s one taller cake instead of two thinner layers and was thinking of pushing some frozen berries in to the top before baking. Do you think this would work?
Alison Andrews says
Hi Lux, the issue can be that the cake takes too long to cook in the middle but overbrowns on the top in the meantime. You can definitely try it, but I would think the baking time would be at least 45 minutes and maybe up to 55 minutes. To prevent it overbrowning, I would bring it out at the 30 minute mark and place foil in a tent shape over the top (so it doesn’t press down on the cake from the top) and then put it back into the oven until it’s baked. All the best! 🙂
Jen says
Hi, I want to make this for my son’s first birthday. Instead of almond milk, would I be able to substitute for either cashew milk or ripple pea milk?
Thank you
Alison Andrews says
Hi Jen, I think either should work. 🙂
Jenna says
Followed recipe exactly aside from using olive oil and cake turned out AMAZING!!! This will forever be my go to white cake. I brought this to a family dinner where 90% of people are not vegan. EVERYONE LOVED IT!!!
Alison Andrews says
Yay! So happy to hear that Jenna! Thanks for the awesome review. 🙂
Karin says
This recipe is fantastic! I ended up using a very finely ground organic raw cane sugar and regular vanilla because I couldn’t find clear at the time, so my cake did not turn out white but the flavor was amazing! I altered the recipe just slightly by using 20ml more almond milk which was an accident at first, but because we loved it so much I add that amount extra every time. You can easily serve this cake to non vegans and they will not notice that it doesn’t use eggs or milk. My husband, a non vegan, said it is the best vegan cake he’s ever had which was great feedback considering we travel extensively and have had vegan cakes at several well known restaurants and bakeries. The author of this recipe really knows what she’s doing regarding vegan baking, you will not be disappointed with this cake! It rises a lot in the middle, but I’m not great at baking in general so there may be a simple way to fix that. I look forward to trying other recipes on this website.
Alison Andrews says
Thanks so much Karin!
Emma Warner says
Hi Alison,
What vegan butter do you use? I am struggling to find one that doesn’t give buttercream a strange taste. Thank you! I can’t wait to try this recipe.
Alison Andrews says
Hi Emma, are you in Australia? I’m a big fan of Nuttelex which is an Australian brand. They have an olive oil spread and a coconut oil spread and then their ‘regular’ one and all have worked well for me in frostings. It might be a case of finding which one tastes best to you.
Judy says
Would this cake work in a bundt pan?
Alison Andrews says
Hi Judy, I think so, but I haven’t tried it. It would need a longer baking time, maybe around 50 minutes but you’d have to play it by ear. 🙂
Sharon Gillespie says
Great cake family loved it made for my vegan son. I had to make it twice I use your version w: olive oil first but forgot the sugar still tasted ok w / vegan buttercream frosting but not sweet .thanks for recipe definitely cheaper than buying from whole foods
Kate says
Hi Alison. I want to make this cake for my daughters 2nd birthday but she can’t have gluten can I just swap the flour for all purpose gluten free flour? Or should I use gluten free self raising and add a little Xanthum gum?
Alison Andrews says
Hi Kate! I would try a gluten free all purpose blend. You shouldn’t need to add any xantham gum. Some blends have it and others don’t but I personally haven’t found a big difference between blends that do have it and blends that don’t. All the best! 🙂
Yvette says
Can I use this exact recipe for ONE, 8-inch round cake pan? (Will the pan be too small? Will the batter spill over while baking?)
Or should I halve the recipe to fit into ONE, 8-inch round cake pan?
Alison Andrews says
Hi Yvette, you would halve this recipe for 1 8-inch cake layer. All the best! 🙂
Yvette says
Hi, thank you. I used the original recipe for one, 8-inch round cake pan. I was scared it would overflow when it rose, but it didn’t overflow. I substituted olive oil and baked the cake for around 90 minutes at 150 degrees Celsius. I also used normal/dark vanilla extract (my cake isn’t light; maybe the olive oil also had a part to play in the colour?). I found the cake was too sweet, though. I’ll bake another one soon and this time, I’ll use 1 cup of sugar instead of 1 and 1/2 cups.
Colleen says
Disclaimer: I only made the cake and not the frosting. I’ve been searching endlessly for a solid vegan vanilla cake that I could use on its own and also as a base for other flavors. I’ve tried so many recipes and none of the cakes were what I was hoping for until now. This is so perfect!!!! The texture is amazing. It’s super light and fluffy but holds together really well. Honestly, it’s a better cake than most cakes that use eggs and dairy. This will for sure be my go-to vanilla cake from now on. Thank you so much!
Alison Andrews says
Thanks so much Colleen! So happy you liked it! 🙂
Sylvia Nadar says
Dear Alison,
Vegan butter is not commonly available in my place. Can I use sunflower oil instead of vegan butter?
Alison Andrews says
Hi Sylvia, oil can’t be used in place of vegan butter when it comes to frostings. Some people have used coconut oil but it still doesn’t work quite the same. You can use homemade vegan butter, but it also isn’t my favorite for frostings. Most countries will have a dairy-free margarine if you look hard enough, otherwise homemade vegan butter is probably the best bet. All the best! 🙂
Joann says
Dear Alison,
this cake is awesome. I made the 7″ vanilla cake for chistmas and it was a big success! I even got a request for this coming saturday to make it again!
I want to make an 8″ cake but I only have 1 cake pan. Can I put the entire batter in one pan? And if so… how long do I have to bake it then? Thank you.
Alison Andrews says
Hi Joann, I think it might be best to halve the recipe in that case.
Tracy says
Hi-Earth Balance is the vegan butter available where I live but I find it has a strong taste and makes icing taste funny. Any thoughts on using Vegan Becel for the icing? I’m thinking it will be too soft to get a good consistency.
Thank you!
Alison Andrews says
Vegan becel should work great! If you prefer the taste of it, then I think it will be perfect. 🙂
Raquel Abreu says
Hello!
First of all, thank you for your amazing website.
I made this cake with water in substitution of almond milk and sunflower oil in substitution of coconut oil and it turn out very good and fluffy!
I have a question.I put some chocolate chips in the batter but they sank to the bottom of the pan. Do you have any suggestion for the chocolate chips stay in the middle of the batter?
Thank you!
Alison Andrews says
Hi Raquel! So glad you like the blog! Thank you! So the thing is with adding chocolate chips to batter, is that they will sink if the batter is quite thin. So you have to take steps to make the batter as thick as possible so that the chocolate chips will stay evenly distributed throughout the batter. So for this recipe to thicken the batter, I would probably want to use vegan buttermilk instead of almond milk (and definitely not water). And I would make vegan buttermilk with soy milk and lemon juice as that will be the thickest. So add 1 and 1/2 Tbsp of lemon juice to a measuring jug and then add soy milk up to the 1 and 1/2 cup (360ml) line and let it curdle and thicken. This might work, but it still might be too thin a batter for chocolate chips to work as well as you would want. This is why muffins are perfect for chocolate chips – good muffin batter is very thick! All the best! 🙂
Raquel Abreu says
Thank you so much for your answer! 🙂 I will try it!