The fluffiest Vegan Vanilla Cake made without any weird ingredients. Soft and tender vanilla cake topped with vanilla frosting and sprinkles. This easy one bowl vegan cake is made without eggs, butter or milk!
Meet my Vegan Vanilla Cake.
A soft and fluffy one bowl Vanilla Cake that’s made without butter, eggs or milk. Topped with a creamy vanilla frosting, it’s hard to believe it’s egg-free, dairy-free and vegan.
Whether you’re following a vegan diet, baking for allergies or have simply run out of eggs, this Vegan Vanilla Cake is sure to satisfy.
My, my, my, this cake really tested my limits. If you follow along on Instagram, you would have seen it took 8 attempts to get this cake just right.
Despite having a delicious Chocolate Vegan Cake recipe to start from, I quickly discovered that while cocoa covers everything, vanilla leaves you no place to hide.
I ended up with vanilla cakes that were crispy like cookies, some were stodgy in the middle, others tasted like oil.
I was beginning to think it couldn’t be done. But finally, the right combination of ingredients resulted in a lovely, soft cake with a beautiful texture. Even I was surprised!
Just like my favourite Apple Cake, this recipe relies on oil for moisture. Without being able to use dairy to ensure a light texture, we instead use the combination of almond milk and white vinegar. And a generous amount of vanilla extract ensures the vanilla flavour really comes through.
I will be honest, in my opinion, this cake doesn’t level up to a beautiful, buttery Vanilla Cake, but it is a wonderful vegan option. You can also throw it together so quickly, seeing as it is just a mix and stir recipe. And it’s fantastic as an egg free cake alternative.
Why you will love this Vegan Vanilla Cake
- Quick and easy
- Simple one bowl cake
- No weird ingredients
- Uses only pantry staples
How to make Vegan Vanilla Cake
- This easy cake comes together in minutes. No electric mixer needed.
- Start by adding your white vinegar to your almond milk and setting it aside for 5 minutes to curdle.
- In a large mixing bowl, add flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Gently whisk to combine.
- Next, add oil, vanilla and milk to the dry ingredients and combine using a whisk until smooth and creamy. Batter will be thin and runny – this is ok.
- Bake cake for 30-35 minutes or until a skewer inserted in the centre comes out clean.
- Leave to cool completely before topping with vegan vanilla frosting.
Bake your cake straight away
Once the baking soda and vinegar meet they will start to react, which means you need to get your cake in the oven pronto. Don’t let your cake batter sit for any length of time or your cake won’t be soft and tender.
Substitutions
For best results, I do recommend following the recipe as it is written. However, below I’ve detailed the ingredients and what can and can’t be changed.
- White vinegar: You can use either white vinegar or apple cider vinegar in this recipe. Both will yield similar results. DO NOT leave this ingredient out. It is very important in creating a light and fluffy cake as it reacts with the baking soda.
- Almond milk: I tested this recipe using almond milk. If you can’t use almond milk due to a nut allergy, you could try another plant based milk like soy. But I found almond milk yielded great results.
- Plain flour: Use either plain flour or all purpose flour in this recipe.
- Caster sugar: Use either caster sugar or granulated sugar in this recipe. I haven’t tested the recipe with coconut sugar or any sugar alternatives. Keep in mind that sugar doesn’t just add sweetness to baked goods, it adds moisture, texture and colour too.
- Baking powder and baking soda: I did test this recipe using only baking powder and only baking soda, but I found the combination of both definitely resulted in the best cake. Remember to regularly check the expiration dates on your raising agents.
- Vegetable oil: I have only tested this recipe using vegetable oil, but I’m sure other flavourless oils would also work.
- Vanilla extract: Use vanilla extract, rather than vanilla essence, for optimal vanilla flavour. Don’t skimp, otherwise your cake will be rather bland.
Change up the flavours
You can easily use this cake recipe as a base but add fresh blueberries, zest of a lemon, or a handful of chocolate chips. Or if you prefer a chocolate version, try my Vegan Chocolate Cake.
More vegan recipes to try
Did you make this recipe? Don’t forget to rate the recipe and leave a comment below. Hungry for more? Join me on Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest and Twitter for more amazing recipe ideas.
Let’s Bake
Vegan Vanilla Cake
Soft and fluffy Vegan Vanilla Cake made without, eggs, butter or milk.
Ingredients
Vegan vanilla cake
- 240 ml (1 cup) almond milk*
- 1 tablespoon white vinegar
- 210 grams (1 and 1/2 cups) plain flour or all purpose flour, sifted
- 150 grams (3/4 cup) caster sugar or granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 80 ml (1/3 cup) vegetable oil
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
Vegan vanilla frosting
- 115 grams (1/2 cup) block of vegan butter (not spreadable), softened*
- 250 grams (2 cups) icing or powdered sugar, sifted
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon almond milk, if needed
- Sprinkles, optional
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 180 C (350 F) standard / 160 C (320 F) fan-forced. Grease and line an 8-inch round cake pan with baking or parchment paper.
- Add together almond milk and vinegar and set aside to curdle for 5 minutes. In a large mixing bowl, add flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Whisk briefly.
- Make a well in the middle of your dry ingredients. Add oil, vanilla and all the milk. Whisk until combined. Your cake batter will appear thin – this is ok.
- Transfer batter to cake pan and place in the oven. Bake for approximately 30-35 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the middle comes out clean. Leave to cool completely.
- To make your vanilla frosting, add vegan butter to a large mixing bowl. Use an electric mixer to beat on a low speed for 30 seconds or so, just until soft and creamy. Add sugar and vanilla. Beat until a soft frosting forms. If it’s too thick, add a touch of almond milk. If your frosting is too soft, place it in the fridge to firm up before frosting your cake.
- Use a spatula to frost the top of your cake and decorate with sprinkles, if using.
Notes
Milk: I tested this recipe using almond milk, however, other plant based milks, such as soy, should also work. See above in post for full substitution guidelines.
Vegan butter: I find that vegan butters are naturally very soft since they are usually made with oil. Unlike regular butter, you may not need to softened your butter for long (even just 10-15 minutes out of the fridge) before using it. Use your judgement!
Nutrition Information
MC Salander says
No substitutions or additions, cake almost overflowed the pan and was raw in the center after 35 minutes.
Jessica Holmes says
Hi MC, it sounds like you may have used a smaller-sized cake pan than the recommended 8-inch pan. This is the only way it would overflow and it would also increase the cooking time as the depth of batter would be greater.
DD says
Hi, Can you increase the quantities with this recipe to make a 14 inch cake?
Thank you 🙂
Jessica Holmes says
Hi, yes you could. I haven’t tested it myself so I can’t say specifically. But maybe try doubling it? This article might help with cake pan conversions.
Henk says
Super Easy and very tasteful, best Vegan cake ever!!
Jessica Holmes says
Yay! So glad you enjoyed it!
LaGresha says
I use coconut milk all of the time…comes out great! My vegan and regular customers rave about it. I add a tablespoon of lemon flavor for lemon cake.
Jessica Holmes says
Love that!!
Yanira says
Hello!! Can I substitute the almond milk for coconut milk?
Jessica Holmes says
Hi, I haven’t tried but it should be ok!
LaGresha says
Yes, I do All of the time..
Kat says
Everything was good it turned out fluffy and very nicely baked. BUT I really think it’s way to sweet, next time I will probably reduce the sugar by 1/2.
Jessica Holmes says
Thanks for the feedback Kat! Just remember that adjusting the sugar will not only affect the sweetness, but the flavour, moisture and colour.
Lee says
OMG! Cake heaven. I pride myself on great tasting moist cakes. So when aske to do a vegan cake I was reluctant as I though it would not be good. But I love this cake, and I am making a second one as I write. 10 out of 10 for this cake
Jessica Holmes says
Brilliant, thank you Lee! So happy to hear that!
Brittany says
I made this last night to imitate Pittsburgh’s traditional burnt almond torte. I replaced the vanilla with almond and the vegetable oil with a high heat olive oil, and it’s honestly the best BAT I’ve ever had. It was better than any local bakery by far. For frosting, I also replaced the vanilla with almond, added a little sea salt, and sprinkled with toasted almonds.
Ok, then I went rogue on a second batch. I put the olive oil and some rosemary in the food processor before added to the cake. For the frosting, I browned the butter (olive oil vegan country crock) and used orange extract and zested an orange into the mix. Topped with same almonds. We think it was amazing, but the savory in the cake swallowed the sugar, so it didn’t taste sweet anymore. It reminded us of zucchini bread in texture though. The icing was good, but we felt it was more like a breakfast food.
Can’t wait to keep fussing with the recipe. Not having eggs in it leaves some room for error – not having to worry about over-beating the batter!
Brittany says
Oh, I made them as cupcakes!
Jessica Holmes says
Wow sounds amazing Brittany!
LaVon Bridges says
This cake turned out lovely. I even baked it in a heart-shaped pan. The frosting is great as well. I was careful to grease and flower the pan and to cut out a heart-shaped piece of parchment paper to line the bottom and sides of the pan as well. I will definitely make this cake again for my vegan friends.
Jessica Holmes says
That sounds lovely! So pleased you enjoyed it!
Lu Riv says
My non vegan family liked it a lot!
Jessica Holmes says
Love hearing that!
Daips says
Came out great! Super easy to make and tastes amazing 10/10
Jessica Holmes says
Love that!
Zee says
Hello can I freeze this cake after it’s been baked?
Jessica Holmes says
Yes absolutely! Just make sure you let it cool completely before freezing.
Baylea says
This is my absolute favourite recipe in the whole world. Never fails me EVER!
I would love to adapt it to be caramel flavour. Any suggestions how?
Jessica Holmes says
Yaaay! So glad you love it! I haven’t tested a caramel version myself, but an easy way to get more caramel flavour into the sponge would be to use brown sugar.
Sajida says
Made this cake for my husbands birthday with your vegan chocolate frosting- it was absolutely amazing!!
Just wondering if I bake these as cupcakes instead , how long do they need in the oven? And is it the same temperature ?
Thank you!
Jessica Holmes says
I’m so glad you enjoyed it! It would be so lovely with chocolate frosting. Yes, you could use it take make cupcakes. If you fill them around 3/4 full, I would bake them for around 15-18 minutes or until they spring back lightly to the touch. Same oven temperature should be fine.
Genie says
I would like to increase the flour amount from 1.5 cups to 2 cups (which looks like it is 1.33x more). If I increase the other ingredients by the same amount, would that work?
Jessica Holmes says
Hi Genie, I haven’t tried myself but it may work.