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
shari eisenberg says
I used this recipe to create a lemon version of this cake. It was the most delicious lemon cake I have ever eaten. I also used your lemon curd recipe to fill in between the layers, which made it even more moist and lemony. I added lemon to the frosting as well. Its citrus season here in Arizona so I am making good use of all the plentiful citrus!
Sam Turnbull says
Amazing!!
R says
Absolutely delicious and this will now be my go-to cake. My mum who is an amazing cook really loved it and was so surprised it was vegan. Thanks Sam and again your recipies are the first I look at when I want to try something new.
Nancy says
Can I substitute coconut oil instead of vegetable shortening for the frosting?
Fiorela says
Followed this recipe exactly and I have since made these recipes MANY TIMES since! It is PERFECT and delicious and easy to customize and play around with as well. Thanks so much for sharing this brilliant recipe.
Sam Turnbull says
Amazing!! SO happy you love it, Fiorela 🙂
Someone says
Can I use more butter instead of vegetable shortening?
Marji says
I just made this cake and it came out really nicely! I taste-tested a small piece but the rest is going into the vegan tiramisu.
I have a question about the batter. This is the second time I've made a cake that the batter came out much too dry and I had to add water to make it pourable. It came out more like a pie crust almost at first. This means upping the baking time by another 15-20 minutes. The cake always comes out all right but this bothers me. Is there something I could do differently? I am trying to measure the ingredients carefully each time but I am not weighing. I usually spoon/pour dry ingredients into measuring cups.
Sam Turnbull says
Hi Marji, it's difficult to say without being in the kitchen with you but it sounds like a measurement is off somewhere. You can watch the video of me making the cake to see what each step should look like. ENjoY!
Jacey says
my mom is not a big fan of frosting so can I replace it with fruit??
Netra says
I want to give this a try.there is no need to add baking powder in this recipe?
Sam Turnbull says
The recipe is correct as written. ENjoy!
Netra says
I am sure it is correct as written 🙂 but was surprised when to add baking powder and when not.. or if we dont add baking powder why not?
anyway I made this last night for 6 cupcakes and oh my its the best I ever had!!! .. but since I had to make adjustment to the measurement for only 6 cupcakes the cupcakes fell apart a bit because they tured out super soft .. but nevertheless it was loved by family .. next time I am going to make the cake and more cupcakes .. thanks a bunch!
Caitlin Burth says
Hey Sam, I'm a huge fan of all your recipes! I made this vanilla cupcake recipe and it was delicious! One of my friends wanted peach and vanilla vegan cupcakes (12 of them), so I adapted this recipe by putting 3tbs of peach schnapps in a 2/3 measuring cup then filling the rest of it up with almond milk. Then I used 3 tbsp of of peach schnapps in the icing instead of thinning with non-dairy milk. Everyone who's tried them has absolutely loved them! I thought you might like to try that twist too!
Sam Turnbull says
Sounds fantastic!
Emma says
I love this recipe!! In the past I’ve made other vegan vanilla cake/ cupcakes but they always taste bland. I decided to try this recipe and it’s great! One thing I did do is half the white sugar and substituted in brown it helps give way more flavour you could probably even sub in coconut sugar. I also like to let them sit for a day as I find they have more flavour the next day!
Sam Turnbull says
So happy you enjoyed, Emma!
Shelia King says
Can I freeze the cupcakes for at least a week and frost later?
Tatyana Ali says
We made these cupcakes twice now and they're a huge hit! We added mixed berry jam to 1/2 a recipe (cupcake and frosting) and it came out great as well. Highly recommend this recipe! By far the best cupcakes we've tried.
Sam Turnbull says
Aww that's wonderful! SO happy you love them 🙂
Joanne says
Hello 🙂
Can I substitute shortening with solid coconut oil ?
Thanks.
Sam Turnbull says
Yes, but it will be a bit meltier, so be careful to keep it cool
Kirsten says
I have made this recipe a number of times, both as a cake and as cupcakes and it has been incredible every time. Our whole family loves it (even the non-vegans) and I highly recommend.
Sam Turnbull says
Yay!! THanks Kristen!
Ariana says
I had just tried a vegan cake mix hack and it did not turn out well at all. Fed it to our backyard possum. THIS recipe however gave me hope for my love for vegan baking- this cake came out beyond perfect and tastes 1000x better than any other cakes I used to make. Thank you!
Sam Turnbull says
Haha! Wonderful! Thrilled you loved it so much, Ariana 🙂
Anne says
Could I make this with almond flour to make it gluten free?
Elizabeth says
Thank you so much for this recipe! It's delicious, and it has a good basic structure to work well with flavor alterations. I replaced vanilla with strawberry extract and then blended some fresh and freeze dried strawberries with the milk and it was sooooo delicious!
Sam Turnbull says
Oh sounds fantastic! So glad you enjoyed 🙂
Grace says
OMG!!! These vanilla cupcakes are sooo moist and delicious!!! I see why you couldn't help but to eat the whole slice in your video! You're awesome!! I've been looking for a really good vanilla cake recipe and this is definitely it! I plan on making your chocolate cake recipe tonight! Have you come up with a red velvet cupcake recipe? One of my students will graduate next month and I'd love to make her some vegan red velvet cupcakes that are as good as your other recipes! Oh and I absolutely love your personality! So cheerful and positive and fun!! Thank you for sharing your gift of baking absolutely yummy goodness!! 🙂
Sam Turnbull says
Haha! Awesome!! So thrilled you love it so much, Grace. I haven't done red velvet yet, but I will add it to my list!!
Karen says
I didn't need 24 cupcakes or a large cake so I took a risk and cut everything exactly in half and baked in a square dish. Delish! Thank you so much for this easy and very good cake.
Sam Turnbull says
You're most welcome, Karen! Thrilled you loved it 🙂
Suzanne Amdur says
Is there a substitute for buttermilk? I am thinking of making orange-cranberry scones but one of the ingredients is buttermilk.
Sam Turnbull says
1 cup of non-dairy milk + 1 teaspoon of lemon juice = 1 cup of buttermilk. Enjoy!
Sue Amdur says
Thanks for the info above, now I need to know what to use for 1/2 cup of vegetable shortening for the vegan vanilla cake. I am going to make this today (1/3/20200, so looking forward to your reply! By the way, I bought two of your cookbooks and gave one to my granddaughter as a present. She is loving it and we are sharing the food we make with the recipes.
Sam Turnbull says
You can sub all vegan butter but the frosting will be a bit softer so you may need less non-dairy milk and keep the cake and frosting in a cool place. Glad you're enjoying my book!
Pau says
I have done this recipe as an ingredient for the vegan tiramisu, and I have to say that it is simply great! I am not an experienced baker, so I was afraid that I would screw it all, but resulted nicely and tasty. I used baking powder though, because I didn't have any baking soda... I just put double amount and it raised well (I needed to add also some soy drink because the mix was too thick, I am actually amazed that it turned out well!). Tomorrow I will see how is the final tiramisu!
Sam Turnbull says
So happy you enjoyed, Pau!
Maraika says
Hi. I made the cupcakes but they didn't rise very well and I am wondering if the dry ingredient Baking Soda is Baking Soda (Bi-carbonate of Soda) or Baking Powder. Two totally different ingredients here in Australia as I notice that it is an American recipe. Might make all the difference. And would 1/4 cup of Apple Cider Vinegar taste the same as adding 1/4 cup of Lemon Juice please. It is certainly a very easy recipe otherwise.
Sam Turnbull says
Hi Maraika, it's actually a Canadian recipe, as I'm Canadian 😉 Baking soda and baking powder are two completely different things here too. It's difficult to know what went wrong without being in the kitchen with you but if you baking soda is very old it might not have as much rising power. Also, over mixing is also a common problem. The vinegar should be pretty tasteless and the lemon might have a slight lemon taste. ENjoy!
Clémentine says
What type of canola oil do you use? I used virgin, cold pressed colza oil thinking it was the same thing, but it tastes horrible. Please clarify! 🙁
Sam Turnbull says
Hi Clémentine, canola oil should be flavourless. If yours has a strong taste I recommend using another flavourless oil instead such as vegetable oil. Enjoy!
Clémentine says
Thanks for your reply. Turns out canola and colza are two different varieties of the same plant (rapeseed), and canola is harder to find in Europe. Hence the confusion...
I have to say though, that the texture of this cake is really nice and fluffy. I will probably make it again some day.
Sam Turnbull says
Wonderful! And good to know the difference! Next time be sure to use a flavourless oil and you will have no problems. ENjoy!
Rita says
Hi Sam!
I’m looking forward to trying this recipe over the holiday season and wanted to ask:
1- When you say white sugar is the granulated or caster sugar?
2- would sunflower oil work just as well Instead of vegetable oil?
3- would cashew milk work just as well instead of soy or almond?
Thank you.
Sam Turnbull says
Granulated, yes, and yes 🙂
Rose says
Can this recipe be used to make a sheet cake?
Sam Turnbull says
Absolutely! Heres a guide on how to adapt to make it a sheet cake. Enjoy!
VeganSweta says
Like some other people, I had the pan sticking issue too. I increased the recipe by 1.5 to make 3 layers. I greased and floured each pan. I've never had an issue with this before. I was able to get each layer out without injuring the cake, it just took some time.
The cake itself was great; so light and fluffy. I'd totally make it again, but as cupcakes. I agree it's the best vegan cake! So good that I couldn't let myself deduct any stars for the sticking issue.
Sam Turnbull says
So happy you enjoyed it so much!
Laura says
Followed the recipe exactly and it turned out beautifully. For those who's cakes turned out poorly, they were likely doing something wrong. People need to be mindful that even the way you measure out ingredients in baking can be the difference between a flop and a great finished product. I learned that you have to measure flour correctly after many failed loaves of bread.
Sam Turnbull says
So happy you loved the recipe and that it turned out for you perfectly, Laura! And yes, you're correct, measuring is KEY when baking 🙂
Donna roe says
Hi is the temperature for a fan oven or do I have to loser it please
Sam Turnbull says
The temperature is for an oven without the fan turned on. Enjoy!