Author: This is the vegan vanilla cake you've been searching for. Fluffy, moist, tender, and perfectly vanilla-infused. It tastes just like classic bakery-style vanilla cake, but it's totally egg-free and dairy-free. No one will ever guess.
FEATURED COMMENT:
Made this cake for my mom's birthday and we loved it. It was absolutely delicious, the texture was perfect, and it was so easy to make! Legit tastes like a gourmet recipe. - Clyde ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Why You'll Love This Cake
- Fluffy, soft, and tender (never dense or gummy!)
- Uses simple pantry ingredients, no aquafaba, no weird binders
- Perfectly sweet with rich vanilla flavor
- Reliable and foolproof - great for beginners
- So delicious, no one can tell it's vegan!!
This is my go-to celebration cake for birthdays, dinner parties, showers, and "just because it's Tuesday."
Ingredients for Vegan Vanilla Cake:
For the Cake:
- All-purpose flour - creates that perfect soft and tender crumb. Use a 1:1 gluten-free blend with xanthan gum for GF.
- White sugar - classic vanilla cake sweetness and moisture.
- Baking soda + lemon juice (or apple cider vinegar) - react together to make the cake rise. No, you can't taste the vinegar.
- Salt - balances the sweetness and enhances vanilla flavor.
- Plant-based milk - soy gives the best structure, but oat, almond, or cashew also work. Make sure it's unflavored.
- Light oil - keeps the cake super moist and fluffy. Use a neutral oil like canola or vegetable.
- Vanilla extract - the star flavor, so use pure vanilla if possible.
For the Frosting:
- Firm vegan butter (not tub-style spread!) - frosting needs structure so it pipes and swirls beautifully. My go-to is Earth Balance.
- Powdered sugar, vanilla, and a splash of plant milk - mix until fluffy and spreadable
- Decorations: vegan food coloring if you want to color your frosting. Sprinkles, nuts, berries, candies, cookies, shaved chocolate, or any fun decoration ideas you may have!
How to Make Vegan Vanilla Cake
- Prep: Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C). Grease and line two 9-inch cake pans with parchment.
- Mix the dry ingredients: In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking soda, and salt.
- Mix the wet ingredients: In a separate bowl, whisk together the plant-based milk, oil, lemon juice (or apple cider vinegar), and vanilla.
- Combine: Pour the wet mixture into the dry and stir until just combined. A few small lumps are totally fine - don't overmix.
- Bake: Divide the batter evenly between the pans and bake for 22-28 minutes, or until lightly golden and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let the cakes cool completely in the pans.
- Frost: Beat the vegan butter until fluffy, then mix in powdered sugar and vanilla. Add plant-based milk as needed until smooth and spreadable. Frost, decorate, swoon.
More Vegan Cake Recipes You Might Like:
- Easy Vegan Vanilla Cupcakes
- Vegan Red Velvet Cake
- Vegan Confetti Cake
- Vegan Chocolate Cake
- Vegan Pumpkin Spice Cake
- Vegan Lemon Loaf
- Vegan Chocolate Sheet Cake
Storage & Make Ahead
Store this cake the same way you would a traditional vanilla cake:
- Room temperature: Store the frosted or unfrosted cake in an airtight container for up to 2 days.
- Refrigerator: Keeps well for up to 5 days.Tip: Bring to room temperature before serving for the best soft, fluffy texture.
- Freezer: Freeze unfrosted cake layers or the fully frosted cake (well wrapped) for up to 1 month. Thaw at room temperature before serving.
FAQs
Can I make this gluten-free?
Yep! Use a 1:1 gluten-free flour blend that contains xanthan gum, such as Bob's Red Mill 1:1. Texture will be slightly more delicate and dense, but still delicious.
Can I use almond/oat/cashew milk?
Yes. Soy is my go-to because its protein helps the cake rise and gives the best texture, but any plant milk works.
Can I use margarine for the frosting?
No, the frosting needs firm vegan butter made for baking or it will melt. If your vegan butter is on the softer side, you can swap ½ cup of the vegan butter for ½ cup vegetable shortening for more structure.
Can I make this as cupcakes?
Yes! Here is my vegan vanilla cupcake recipe. (The same recipe, just tweaked slightly for the best cupcake results).
If you try this recipe, let us know by leaving a comment, rating it, and don't forget to tag @itdoesnttastelikechicken on Instagram.
Bon appetegan!
Sam Turnbull.
(click stars to vote)
Vegan Vanilla Cake (Fluffy, Moist, & Foolproof!)
This vegan vanilla cake is fluffy, tender, and bursting with pure vanilla flavor. It uses simple pantry ingredients, and bakes into a beautiful two-layer celebration cake. No one will guess it's dairy-free and egg-free. Perfect for birthdays and special occasions. Looking for cupcakes instead? Get my Easy Vegan Vanilla Cupcakes recipe here.
Servings: - 16 slices (2-layer 9" round cake)
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Ingredients
Dry Ingredients:
- 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 ½ cup white sugar
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
Wet Ingredients:
- 1 ⅓ cup plant-based milk, (such as oat or soy)
- ⅔ cup light oil, (such as canola or vegetable)
- ¼ cup lemon juice or apple cider vinegar, (for rise, you can't taste it)
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
Frosting:
- 1 cup firm vegan butter, (or ½ cup vegan butter + ½ cup vegetable shortening, see notes)
- 3 cups powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 - 4 tablespoons plant-based milk, (such as soy or almond)
- Vegan food coloring, optional
- Vegan sprinkles, chopped nuts, shaved chocolate, or vegan candies, optional, for decorating
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C). Lightly grease two 9-inch (or 8-inch) round cake pans and line the bottoms with parchment for easy release.
- Mix the dry ingredients: In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking soda, and salt.
- Mix the wet ingredients: In a medium bowl, whisk the plant-based milk, oil, lemon juice (or apple cider vinegar), and vanilla.
- Combine: Pour the wet ingredients into the dry. Stir until just combined. Don't overmix, some lumps are fine. Overmixing can lead to dense or flat cake layers. A light hand = fluffy cake!
- Bake: Divide batter evenly between the pans. Bake for 22-28 minutes, or until the tops are lightly golden and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Let the cakes cool completely in the pans on a wire rack.
- Make the frosting: In a large bowl or stand mixer, beat the vegan butter until light and fluffy. Add the powdered sugar, vanilla, and food coloring (if using), and continue mixing until smooth. If the frosting is too thick, beat in plant-based milk 1 tablespoon at a time until it's perfectly fluffy and spreadable.
- Frost & decorate. Ensure your cakes are cooled completely so the frosting doesn't melt. Spread frosting between the layers and over the sides and top. Add sprinkles or other decorations if desired.
Notes
Firm Vegan Butter: Some vegan butters/margarines are soft and spreadable, which is great for toast but not ideal for frosting as they can make it loose or melty. Use a firm vegan butter made for baking (it should say so on the package). If yours is on the softer side, you can swap ½ cup of the butter for ½ cup vegetable shortening to give the frosting more structure for piping and spreading.
Gluten-Free Option: Use a 1:1 gluten-free flour blend that includes xanthan gum (such as Bob’s Red Mill Gluten-Free 1:1 Baking Flour). If your blend doesn’t include xanthan gum, add ¼ teaspoon for better structure. Texture may be slightly more delicate and dense, but still delicious.
Lemon Juice / Apple Cider Vinegar: The lemon juice or vinegar reacts with the baking soda and acts as the egg replacer, helping the cake rise and become fluffy. The flavor disappears once baked.
Cooling Tip: You can cool the cake completely in the pans, no need to transfer to a wire rack while warm. This keeps the layers moist and makes them easier to handle.
Storage / Make Ahead:
- Room temp: Store frosted or unfrosted cake in an airtight container for up to 2 days.
- Fridge: Up to 5 days (bring to room temp before serving for best texture).
- Freeze: Cake layers or frosted cake freeze beautifully for up to 1 month. Thaw at room temp.
Nutrition
Serving: 1slice with frosting (recipe makes 16 slices) | Calories: 419kcal | Carbohydrates: 57g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 20g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 9g | Monounsaturated Fat: 7g | Trans Fat: 2g | Sodium: 380mg | Potassium: 57mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 41g | Vitamin A: 81IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 33mg | Iron: 1mg
Nicole says
Made this vanilla cake for Easter and made a raspberry buttercream frosting to go with. The cake was very moist, a little crumbly I found, but super delicious! First time trying a vegan vanilla cake recipe and my whole non-vegan family loved it!
Anonymous says
Hello,
I had a hard time getting this cake to come out of the pan. It fell apart. I followed the recipe. What went wrong? Thank you
Sev says
Was the pan greased and was parchment paper used?
ellen says
I did grease the pan, but I did not use parchment paper. Thank you!
Olivia says
Hi Sam, I made this cake last minute for my mom’s birthday after a failed first attempt with another recipe. I substituted the frosting with dairy free whip cream and put jelly in the middle. Everyone thought it was super good! Thank you for this awesome recipe!
Sara says
I just made cupcakes using this recipe and they turned out so good! Great consistency and flavor my kids loved them! Thanks for sharing I will definitely be using this recipe again!
Courtney Johnson says
Sam,
I found you from one of Kim Constable’s (Sculpted Vegan) groups & I am so glad I did. I have made a few of your recipes already & enjoyed every one. I made this cake for my son’s 6th birthday last week & it was a hit for us. Literally gone by day two lol. Will definitely be making this cake again.
Keep doing what you do!
Andrea says
I'm going to combine this recipe with the strawberry filling from your oat bar recipe and make a strawberry shortcake!! Super Excited about, all your recipes are amazing so I know it'll be great c:
Erin says
I tried this recipe with no small amount of trepidation after reading all the comments and seeing the random super-negative review interspersed with all the extremely positive ones. Sure enough, after being a vegan for 10 years and getting acquainted with all the ins and outs of vegan baking, this cake turned out disastrously in terms of flavor (though, I must admit the texture was quite good-- hence the 2 stars).
I could definitely taste the baking soda something fierce, so apparently the apple cider vinegar and baking soda didn't totally neutralize each other (even as they produced a spongy, fluffy cake as far as vegan cakes go).
Before Sam comments that I didn't follow the instructions exactly, please note the following: I measured everything by weight, didn't overmix, carefully controlled oven temperature with an oven-going thermometer, didn't mix wet and dry together until directly before use, sifted the dry ingredients first, and whisked the wet ingredients well before combining. I'm a pretty advanced home cook, and following directions precisely is not something I struggle with.
For all those who followed this recipe and were pleased with the results, I'm glad for you... maybe I'm just a super-taster and more sensitive to this stuff? But the two friends I served it to agreed with me: this cake had a fantastic texture for being dairy-free, but an awful taste. Thank god I used it to make tiramisu so the coffee and rum drowned it out, but I can't imagine using this recipe for regular white cake or cupcakes.
Nadia says
Hey! I can definitely taste the baking soda as well... I don't know what went wrong, maybe because we used apple cider vinegar instead of lemon juice?
Tania Allan says
I used lemon juice and I thought they were great. I’ve been making cakes for a very long time (culinary training and I owned a custom design cake company). I did not taste the baking soda or any specifically strong ingredient. Was a mild vanilla in my opinion. Looking forward to making the chocolate next week. I made them in cupcake form.
Cheryl says
This is my first time making this and I had no problems. The recipe doesn't call for sifting the dry ingredients and it looks like the ingredients are measured not weighed. I also am pretty advanced and could not taste the baking soda at all. I was very surprised at how magnificent this cake turned out. Will definitely make again and recommend!!!
Tania Allan says
I also measured rather than weighed, and am also quite advanced in baking. I was pleasantly surprised at how easy and fast it was to whip these up (made them in cupcake form). Did not sift or whisk or anything. Probably the easiest cake and frosting recipe I’ve made in years. Happy with it and will definitely make regularly. Going to make the chocolate version next week 🙂
Karla says
loved this recipe!! so quick and easy to whip up and it is absolutely delicious, made it for my mom's 50th and she loved it too! and the two of us are not big on cakes! thank you so much for sharing <33 i love all of your videos too and can't wait to make more of recipes 🙂
Quefa Carter says
Hello, I was planning to make this cake for my dad's birthday this friday but I have a cake tin problem. I only have 4x 7inch sandwich tins one 8 inch tin that is 3 inch deep and one 9 inch tin that is 2 inch deep. Is there any modification which I can do?
Leny R. says
I made this today for a co-worker and she loved it. I used country crock plant based olive oil butter instead of oil and sweetened almond milk. For the frosting I used the same butter, 1 pound of organic powdered sugar and 4-5 tablespoons of lemon juice. I panicked when the cake came out and it crumbled a little around the edges but I managed to save it. Thanks for the recipe. I will use it again.
Patrick Auffray says
OMG! I've been a vegan for a number of years and have baked dozens of vegan cakes. This has to be one of the worst cakes I've ever made. For one thing, I couldn't get it out of the pan, even after having greased it like instructed. I destroyed the cake attempting to lift it out. And the taste was, well, not really any different than any of the other vegan vanilla cakes I've made. Sorry, two thumbs down.
Haley says
I made this cake yesterday for my daughter's 4th birthday. She had requested a blueberry cake and I couldn't find any vegan blueberry cake recipes that looked like birthday cakes, so we went with this one and threw a few handfuls of blueberries in the batter at the end. It was perfect! She loved it and I think it is the best cake I've ever made (and there have been lots!). Both the cake and the frosting are the perfect amount of sweet. Thank you so much for this recipe. It's a keeper!!
Sam Turnbull says
Wonderful! SO happy you loved it, Haley!!
Reuben Weiss says
I made this recipe last year (for about 50 people) for a highly modified tiramasu. Was not expecting too much from the cake alone, but it was highly memorable - so moist and flavorful. Now planning another dessert, probably topping it with ice cream and sauce, but I am wondering if you can freeze the cake for 2-3 days. This meal cannot come together for so many people on the same day. Thanks for your persistence in coming up with a really fantastic recipe.
Sam Turnbull says
Yes! The cake freezes very well, just wrap tightly and allow to thaw at room temp. 🙂
Alexandra Colacito says
I'm reading through the comments and can't decide whether to use lemon juice of apple cider vinegar. Has anyone tried using half apple cider vinegar and half lemon juice??
Sam Turnbull says
Hi Alexandra, you really won't taste either so it really doesn't matter which one you use or if you combine them. Enjoy!
Meagn says
Absolutely delicious cupcakes. I am not vegan, and an experienced baker so made a lot of cakes and cupcakes over the years and this is my go to recipe vegan or not
Amy says
I dont want to rate this because it is probably Me but two times cupcakes imploded! Help! Why? I used safflower oil. Is that it? Help!
Minda says
I’ve made this recipe 10 times and We adore it. Do we need to refrigerate the leftover cake?
Sarah says
I’ve been using this recipe for YEARS even before I was “full time” vegan and give the recipe to everyone! Nothing has topped it! Sometimes I grate a lemon’s worth of zest in and make a lemon frosting... so so good!
Maria says
It doesn’t taste like chicken, but it sure does taste like egg! I believe it’s because of the baking soda and vinegar combination. It left a strong smell in my kitchen and a weird egg aftertaste. Sorry, this recipe didn’t work for me.
Janessa says
Lol .... my kitchen did smell strong of egg... Loved the cake though.. will try the lemon juice next time!
K Odeen says
Beware! I used apple cider vinegar and it was inedible. Lemon Juice might work but apple cider vinegar is extremely overpowering. It was very disappointing, I made this for my mom on Mothers Day as a surprise and was so excited to give it to her but when I tried it it was horrible.
Tania Allan says
I used lemon juice and it was good. I would try regular distilled vinegar next time, rather than apple cider vinegar. It’s what I alternate with instead of lemon juice for baking and for making buttermilk. Has never tasted of anything and I’ve made hundreds of times. Hope that helps.
Sharon says
Sam, I made this recipe as a birthday cake (for myself!) and made your lemon curd recipe for the middle. It was simply delicious, and the family loved it. Thanks for another recipe I can rely on to turn out well.
Sam Turnbull says
Aww wonderful, happy birthday!