Author: This Vegan Vanilla Cake is soft, fluffy, and packed with rich vanilla flavor. Made with simple pantry ingredients, it bakes into a beautiful two-layer cake that's perfect for birthdays, celebrations, and special occasions. The texture is light yet tender, the frosting is creamy and classic, and no one will guess it's dairy-free and egg-free!
FEATURED COMMENT:
I have tried many vanilla cake recipes but this is by far the best one. I keep coming back to it. My non-vegan family absolutely love this cake. Thanks for sharing! - Mo ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
If you're making a vegan birthday cake for the first time, you've come to the right place. This recipe is soft, fluffy, moist, packed with rich vanilla flavor, and honestly tastes exactly like the classic vanilla birthday cakes many of us grew up with. No fancy ingredients, no expensive egg replacers, and no complicated techniques: just a simple, reliable cake that turns out beautifully every time.
It's the vegan vanilla cake I recommend most often because it just works. Whether you're baking for a birthday, a celebration, making a wedding cake (this recipe has been used many times!) or simply because you're craving fluffy vanilla cake, this recipe has you covered.
Why This Vegan Vanilla Cake Never Lets Me Down
- Fluffy, soft, and tender: I've tested and retested this recipe until the texture was just right.
- Simple pantry ingredients: You probably have almost everything you need already.
- Completely foolproof: This is a great recipe for beginners, but experienced vegan bakers will love it too for its reliable results.
- Everyone can enjoy it: This cake tastes just like a classic vanilla cake, so there's no need to bake separate desserts.
Ingredients for Vegan Vanilla Cake
Dry Ingredients
- All-purpose flour: Gives the cake its soft, tender crumb. Use a 1:1 gluten-free blend with xanthan gum for a gluten-free option.
- White sugar: Sweetens the cake and creates a moist crumb.
- Baking soda: Helps the cake rise. Look at the date on the box to make sure it hasn't expired, or you won't get the lift you want!
- Salt: Balances the sweetness and enhances the vanilla flavor.
Wet Ingredients
- Plant-based milk: Soy milk is my favorite for baking because it is the most reliable, but oat, almond, and cashew milk work too.
- Neutral oil: Canola or vegetable oil keeps the cake super moist.
- Lemon juice or apple cider vinegar: You won't taste it! It reacts with the baking soda to help the cake rise.
- Vanilla extract: The star flavor of the cake, so use a good-quality vanilla if you can.
Vanilla Frosting
- Firm vegan butter: Stick-style vegan butter works best for a frosting that pipes and swirls beautifully.
- Powdered sugar: Sweetens and thickens the frosting.
- Vanilla extract: Adds classic vanilla flavor.
- Plant-based milk: Just enough to make the frosting fluffy and spreadable.
Optional decorations: Vegan sprinkles, chopped nuts, shaved chocolate, vegan candies, or birthday candles. Have fun with it!
How to Make Vegan Vanilla Cake
- 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 extract.
- Combine: Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and stir until just combined.
- Bake: Divide the batter between the prepared pans. Bake for 22 to 28 minutes, or until lightly golden and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
- Cool: Allow the cakes to cool completely before frosting.
- Make the Frosting: Beat the vegan butter until light and fluffy. Add the powdered sugar and vanilla, then continue mixing until smooth. Add plant-based milk, one tablespoon at a time. Spread frosting between the cake layers and over the top and sides.
Tips and Variations
- Don't over-mix the batter: Stir only until the flour disappears (it's a good thing if there are some small lumps). Over-mixing over-develops the gluten and makes the cake less tender.
- Use a good-quality vanilla if you can: it really gets a chance to shine here.
- Don't peek: Keep the oven closed while the cake is baking and only check on it after 22 minutes. Opening the oven early can cause the cake to deflate.
- Use stick-style vegan butter: Soft butter in tubs will give you a frosting that's melty and doesn't hold its shape well. If all you have on hand is butter in a tub, you can swap ½ cup of it for ½ cup of vegetable shortening for a thicker texture.
- Let the cake cool completely: Even if the cake is just a touch warm, it will cause the frosting to melt.
Storage
- Room Temperature: Store your vegan vanilla cake covered for up to 2 days.
- Refrigerator: Refrigerate for up to 5 days. Let the cake come to room temperature before serving for the best texture.
- Freezer: Freeze unfrosted cake layers, the fully assembled cake, or individual slices for up to 1 month. Thaw at room temperature before serving.
More Vegan Cake Recipes
- Easy Vegan Vanilla Cupcakes
- The Ultimate Vegan Chocolate Cake
- Easy Vegan Chocolate Cupcakes
- Vegan Red Velvet Cake
- Chocolate Mug Cake (Quick & Easy + Vegan)
- Vanilla Mug Cake
- Vegan Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting
- Vegan Confetti Cake
If you try this vegan vanilla cake recipe, let us know by leaving a comment and rating it. I'd love to hear what you think! Share your creation in the It Doesn't Taste Like Chicken Community (this is where we're all hanging out now!) or tag @itdoesnttastelikechicken on Instagram.
Bon appetegan!
Sam Turnbull.
(click stars to vote)
Vegan Vanilla Cake (Fluffy, Moist, & Foolproof!)
This Vegan Vanilla Cake is soft, fluffy, and packed with rich vanilla flavor. Made with simple pantry ingredients, it bakes into a beautiful two-layer cake that's perfect for birthdays, celebrations, and special occasions. The texture is light yet tender, the frosting is creamy and classic, and no one will guess it's dairy-free and egg-free!Looking for cupcakes instead? Try my Easy Vegan Vanilla Cupcakes recipe here.
Servings: slices (two 9-inch layers)
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Ingredients
Dry Ingredients:
- 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 ½ cups white sugar
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
Wet Ingredients:
- 1 ⅓ cup plant-based milk, (soy or oat work well)
- 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
Vanilla 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
- Vegan food coloring, optional
- Optional decorations: vegan sprinkles, chopped nuts, shaved chocolate, vegan candies, birthday candles
Instructions
- Prep the pans: Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C). Lightly grease two 9 inch round cake pans (or 8 inch for thicker layers) and line the bottoms with parchment paper.
- 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 together the plant milk, oil, lemon juice (or apple cider vinegar), and vanilla extract.
- Combine: Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and stir until just combined. Some small lumps are fine. Avoid overmixing as this can make the cake dense.
- Bake: Divide evenly between the prepared pans. Bake for 22 to 28 minutes, until lightly golden and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Cool: Let the cakes cool completely in the pans before frosting to keep them moist and easy to handle.
- Make the frosting: In a large bowl or stand mixer, beat the vegan butter until light and fluffy. Add the powdered sugar and vanilla and continue mixing until smooth. Add plant-based milk, 1 tablespoon at a time, until the frosting is light, fluffy, and spreadable.
- Frost and decorate: Spread frosting between the layers and over the top and sides. Decorate as desired.
Notes
Firm Vegan Butter: Use a stick style vegan butter made for baking. Softer tub style spreads can make the frosting loose or melty. If the vegan butter you're using is softer, 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 contains xanthan gum (such as Bob’s Red Mill 1:1). If your blend does not contain xanthan gum, add ¼ teaspoon. The cake will be slightly more delicate but still soft and 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.
Storage:
- Room Temperature: Store covered for up to 2 days.
- Fridge: Store up to 5 days. Bring to room temperature before serving for best texture.
- Freeze: Freeze unfrosted layers, assembled cake, or individual slices for up to 1 month. Thaw at room temperature.
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!