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.
Artemis says
Has anyone ever tried using coconut milk instead of soy milk for this recipe?
Nadine @ Loving It Vegan says
Hi there! Coconut milk will work just fine! 🙂
Janet Pattison says
I would like to make this cake for my son’s 40th birthday next month.Will it freeze ok or is it better to freeze without the icing?
thank you
Janet Pattison
Nadine @ Loving It Vegan says
Hi Janet! This cake is 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).
Krystle says
I made this cake for my sons first birthday as he’s allergic to dairy and eggs. I made one 3 layer 6 inch smash cake & a double batch for a 2 layer 9 inch cake for the guests. I wasn’t sure what to expect and I was a little nervous because I didn’t do a trial run, but it was so so easy to make and very moist and delicious! The flavours were amazing and you honestly could not tell it was a vegan cake. It was a hit and we will definitely make it again. It’s honestly foolproof, very impressed.
Thanks so much for sharing the recipe!
Nadine @ Loving It Vegan says
You’re welcome Krystle and thank you so much for the great feedback and review!
Sophia says
Such a delicious cake I made it for my Birthday and it tastes amazing thank you
Nadine @ Loving It Vegan says
That’s great Sophia! Thanks for your review!
Christine says
One of the best cakes I’ve ever made! Thank you for the recipe!!!
Nadine Van Zyl says
That’s great Christine! Thanks so much for your great review!
Natalie says
I made this cake for my little boy’s 1st birthday as he has a dairy allergy, and it came out AMAZING!! I got a store-bought non-vegan cake too for the rest of the family as I wasn’t sure how it would turn out, and everyone ended up trying both and said the one I made was much better!! Such a great easy recipe, just perfect, thank you so much! Will be making it again and again!
Nadine Van Zyl says
That’s amazing Natalie! So glad we could help! Thanks for your great review!
Vendy says
Hi, I’ve just made this cake to test it,I want to make it for my son’s birthday. The only problem is that it rose a lot in the middle, which could be a problem for decorating. Is there a way I could make it rise evenly?
Nadine @ Loving It Vegan says
Hi Vendy! You can level (cut off) the top of the cake with a serrated knife and then turn it upside down and decorate the sides that have not been cut to prevent the crumbs from getting in the frosting.
Liz says
I made this cake for a wedding last weekend, and everyone loved it, couldn’t believe it was vegan. I made a two layer 7 inch cake, and an 11 x 15 inch sheet cake in a single layer, (doubled the recipe) and it was all perfect! Thank you!
Nadine @ Loving It Vegan says
That’s awesome Liz! Thanks for sharing and for your great review!
Melina says
I love this cake recipe and have made it several times! I was wondering if I would be able to turn this into cupcakes, and if so, how would the baking time change? Also, would I have to decrease the cake recipe at all or would it make enough for 12 cupcakes?
Thank you! ❤️💗
Nadine @ Loving It Vegan says
Hi Melina! Thank you for your awesome review! You can try out our delicious vegan vanilla cupcake recipe that also tastes amazing!
Tara P says
Made this for my 13 year old daughter’s birthday party because one of her friends has a vegan diet. The kids all said it was delicious…and it was! I made it in an 8″ round pan so I put a little bit in another bowl to cook. I think it might have all fit in the 8″ pan, just. I cut it in half and put peach jam filling in the middle. It was awesome! Will definitely make this again.
Nadine @ Loving It Vegan says
Good to know Tara! Thank you so much for your review!
Anastasia says
Hi Alison,
is it possible to make this cake with gluten free flour?
Thanks
Anastasia
Nadine @ Loving It Vegan says
Yes you can!
Nubian Kowrie says
This is my go to cake for all occasions. The first time I accidentally added a tablespoon of vanilla and surprisingly it came out great everybody loved the extra vanilla flavoring!!! I’m about to try something different today I’m going to use the Wiltons wonder mode to make the Barbie doll cake. I’m pretty sure it will turn out great. I’ll come back with an update! Thx for a fool proof recipe
Tyson Johnston-Moir says
How much honey to substitute sugar?
Melonie says
Hi Alison,
How would you suggest I adapt this recipe for a 3 layer 10″ round cake. Should I triple the recipe?
Nadine @ Loving It Vegan says
Hi Melonie, yes, you can triple the recipe.
Stevie says
perfect base for many variations! thanks!
Nadine @ Loving It Vegan says
Awesome! Thanks so much for your review!
Sofia says
I love the taste of this recipe, I’ve made it countless times, but it never rises… like ever. I do everything in accordance to the measurements and instructions. The oven is also at the right temperature. What can be happening?