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.
I made this cake recipe into cupcakes, I also made your vegan butter to use for the frosting. I’ve been baking and decorating cakes for years, so when I saw the white frosting recipe, I had my doubts. It calls for double the icing sugar to traditional buttercream but it turned out great! It held up its structure nicely, again I had my doubts, but I was happily surprised.Thank you so much for your recipes
Happy to hear the recipe worked out for you Deanna! Thanks so much for your wonderful review!
will it come out different if I use stevia instead of sugar?
This has been my go to cake for all our celebrations for a few years now since we found out my son has a dairy allergy and trying to find suitable home-made treat recipes he would eat as a toddler. He’s turning 6 tomorrow and I’ve made this as bday cakes, cupcakes for lunchboxes to our wedding cake last year. Really is the most delicious and straightforward cake recipe, and always fun to decorate to each occasion
That’s amazing Ainsley! So happy to hear you enjoyed the recipe! Thanks so much for your review!
I am overjoyed by this fab cake!
I know it is more like a wacky cake
but I love how they raise without eggs!
just a note to the one who is getting a bitter flavor in her cake. More than likely it is the baking powder. I have used Rumford,very sucessfully for years on end. It does not have aluminum in it. That is also what makes baking powder biscuits bitter.
Everything tastes better without bitter.
Thanks for sharing Janice! Happy to hear you enjoyed the recipe!
This is a very good tasty vegan cake recipe. Can I bake in a one layer square pan?
Yes you can Jeannie!
Made this for a work colleague and it was fabulous- decorated with some pipped buttercream and coconut/ freeze dried raspberries!
Would like to make it again for a friends daughter’s birthday and would like to do it as 3 tier- 6 inch tins work ok- time wise not sure around 27-30 mins?
Thanks so much!
Yes that should be fine Carla! Thanks so much for your great review!
I made this cake twice and it was bitter.
what could be wrong?
Hi Dane, so sorry to hear you had this problem. I’m not sure what went wrong as this has never happened to us.
I have accidentally used baking soda when I should have used baking powder in the past when making vanilla cupcakes, and they were so bitter! Is it possible that’s what happened here?
Made this recipe yesterday! I made it into cupcakes instead, and they were so moist and delicious! Thank you for the great recipe.
Happy to hear you enjoyed the recipe Meera!
My cake turned out flat, with each layer being no more than 1 inch high. 🙁 I followed the recipe exactly aside from using coconut oil instead of canola oil. Do you know what could have prevented it from rising?
Sorry to hear that jojo. Your baking powder can be old and not active anymore.
Made this for my daughter’s first birthday. It turned out so well. Everyone at the party commented on how good it tasted. I will definitely be making this cake again!
That’s awesome Liz! Thanks so much for your great review!
Do you need to bring the vegan butter to room temperature before making the frosting?
It is best if the vegan butter is softened, however if you forget to (like we sometimes do) you can cut the butter into smaller pieces and beat it a bit longer to warm it up before adding in the powdered sugar. 🙂
I just made the cake today. It was moist and delicious! I used the melted coconut oil. It was so quick and easy. Thank you for a great recipe!
So happy to hear you enjoyed the recipe Cindy! Thanks so much for your great review!
Can I used brown sugar instead of white sugar?
Hi Janet, sure! The color of the cake will be darker than on the photos and the texture of the cake will just be a bit different than when using white sugar.