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.
coralie says
Hi 🙂
Can we freeze the cake with the frosting ?
Thank you !!!
Alison Andrews says
Yes you can!
V says
Hi
Can I make this Gluten free ? I was thinking of a layer of jam as well in the middle, so as to convert it into a victoria sponge cake.
Alison Andrews says
Hi V, yes I think you can, I would recommend using a gluten-free all purpose flour blend in the same quantity as the regular flour. All the best!
Norma says
Hi, I’m looking to make a giant cupcake. I wondered if this or one of your other recipes would be ok. I have made a great deal of your recipes & they are always excellent.
Alison Andrews says
Hi Norma, it’s not something I have ever tried, but I’m sure any of our cake recipes could work! 🙂
April says
Is it OK to use regular vanilla rather than the clear?
Alison Andrews says
Sure! 🙂
Morgan says
I made this for my birthday party and all my non vegan friends said it tasted better than regular birthday cake! I just used food dye as well to make the layers different colors 🙂 perfect recipe
Alison Andrews says
Fantastic! Thanks so much Morgan!
Hannah says
What would the cooking time be if I wanted to make this as cupcakes rather than a layered cake? Thanks!
Alison Andrews says
About 20-25 mins.
Rita C says
Loved this recipe! Added cherry jelly and lime zest to middle icing layer. Excellent flavor combo! Cake came out soft yet firm and delicious!
Thank you!
Alison Andrews says
That sounds lovely! Thanks for sharing Rita!
Brittany Dawkins says
Hello 🙂
I am planning on using this recipe for my nieces birthday cake. I don’t know if someone else has asked this, apologies if so, but can I use an all purpose baking gluten free flour? I have a brand that’s for baking, but wasn’t sure if that would change anything with how this recipe turns out.
Thanks.
Alison Andrews says
Hi Brittany, yes if it’s an all purpose blend it should work. 🙂
Brittn says
Thank you. Will come back to let you know how it turns out.
William Matus says
What do you do when you don’t have access to vegan butter?
Alison Andrews says
Usually you can find a dairy free margarine even if there are no vegan butter brands available, otherwise if you have the ingredients you can make your own homemade vegan butter.
Nikki says
Hi Alison,
If I halved all the ingredients, would it be okay to make only one 8-inch cake?
Thank you!
p.s. you’re vegan carrot cake has got to the best cakes ever, never fails to impress my family 🙂
Alison Andrews says
Hi Nikki, yes sure that will be fine! So happy to hear you love the carrot cake! 🙂
Kathy says
Can I double or triple this recipe to make a multi-layer cake?
Alison Andrews says
Sure!
Emma says
Made this cake exactly as per recipe, but also added strawberry jam in between the layers. Came out perfect. Thanks for another great recipe.
Alison Andrews says
Awesome! Thanks so much Emma!
Susan says
Hey! I just made your frosting but it came out separated and grainy. Any tips??
Alison Andrews says
Hi Susan, put it into the fridge for a bit and then mix again. 🙂
Di says
Hi! Can I add cocoa butter to make a white chocolate frosting? Or do you have a recipe you could share?
Alison Andrews says
Hi Di, I haven’t tried adding that in so I’m not sure how it would work. I did find a recipe for white chocolate frosting from Wallflower Kitchen though that looks good!
Mary says
Hi Alison, thank you for an amazing recipe! I had some fig preserves I needed to use and thought that the leap year and dreary weather would be a perfect excuse for a “Bleak Midwinter Cake.” I searched for plain cake recipe to use and returned to your blog (your vegan carrot cake is a favorite of mine and my sister’s!) So I followed the recipe (I didn’t have oil but used melted vegan butter and it seemed to work fine) and added 1/2 tsp each of Ceylon and Saigon cinnamon, a 1/4 tsp each of ground ginger, nutmeg, cloves, and cardamom, and 1/3 cup of the fig preserves. For the icing, I used an imitation cream cheese icing from Nora Cooks with chopped walnuts and pistachios. In hindsight, I probably should have added just a cup of sugar instead of a 1 1/2 as the fig preserves were very sweet, but the cake turned out wonderfully and even my dad, who doesn’t like spices or figs, liked it. Thank you again! 🙂
Alison Andrews says
Awesome Mary, that sounds delicious! Thanks for sharing and the great review. 🙂