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Homemade Vegan Wedding Cake Recipe

Homemade Vegan Wedding Cake Recipe

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  • Author: thebananadiaries
  • Prep Time: 180 (including making, cooling, and decorating)
  • Cook Time: 30
  • Total Time: 48 minute
  • Yield: 110 1x
  • Category: Dessert
  • Method: Baking
  • Cuisine: American
  • Diet: Vegan

Description

The ultimate guide and tutorial to how to bake and decorate your own homemade vegan wedding cake! This DIY wedding cake recipe is a step by step tutorial for how to bake, assemble, and decorate up to a four tier cake for any home baker! I’ve even included the exact recipe I used for making a four tiered vegan gluten free wedding cake!

Ingredients

Scale

4” Cake:

  • 136 1/2 mL unsweetened dairy free milk, room temperature 
  • 1 tsp apple cider vinegar (to be mixed with dairy free milk milk) 
  • 209 1/3 grams all-purpose flour or gluten free 1:1 baking flour + 1 tbsp arrowroot or cornstarch 
  • 1 tsp baking powder 
  • 1/2 tsp baking soda 
  • 104 2/3 grams granulated sugar 
  • 77 1/3 grams salted vegan butter, room temperature 
  • 86 1/2 grams unsweetened applesauce, room temperature 
  • 1 tbsp vanilla extract
  • Optional (but recommended): 1/4 tsp vanilla powder

6” Cake:

  • 300 mL unsweetened dairy free milk, room temperature
  • 2 tsp apple cider vinegar (to be mixed with dairy free milk milk)
  • 460 grams all-purpose flour or gluten free 1:1 baking flour + 1 tbsp arrowroot or cornstarch
  • 2 tsp baking powder
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 230 grams granulated sugar
  • 170 grams salted vegan butter, room temperature
  • 190 grams unsweetened applesauce, room temperature
  • 2 tbsp vanilla extract (yes, 2 tablespoons!!)
  • Optional (but recommended): 1/4 tsp vanilla powder

8” Cake:

  • 390 mL unsweetened dairy free milk, room temperature 
  • 2 2/3 tsp apple cider vinegar (to be mixed with dairy free milk milk) 
  • 598 grams all-purpose flour or gluten free 1:1 baking flour + 1 tbsp arrowroot or cornstarch 
  • 2 2/3 tsp baking powder 
  • 1 1/3 tsp baking soda 
  • 299 grams granulated sugar 
  • 221 grams salted vegan butter, room temperature 
  • 247 grams unsweetened applesauce, room temperature 
  • 2 2/3 tbsp vanilla extract

Baking time: 33 minutes

10” Cake:

  • 569 1/3 mL unsweetened dairy free milk, room temperature 
  • 4 tsp apple cider vinegar (to be mixed with dairy free milk milk) 
  • 873 1/8 grams all-purpose flour or gluten free 1:1 baking flour + 1 tbsp arrowroot or cornstarch 
  • 4 tsp baking powder 
  • 2 tsp baking soda 
  • 436 1/2 grams granulated sugar 
  • 322 2/3 grams salted vegan butter, room temperature 
  • 360 2/3 grams unsweetened applesauce, room temperature 
  • 4 tbsp vanilla extract
  • Optional (but recommended): 1/4 tsp vanilla powder 

Vegan buttercream recipe

Instructions

  1. Before beginning, please read through all instructions below, as well as the post above. The post above contains vital information for baking your wedding cake that cannot fit into the recipe card.
  2. Prep: Preheat the oven to 350F. Prepare your cake pans by placing a rounded parchment paper sheet and place onto the bottom of each pan and greasing them generously. Bake each tier one at a time (so only focus on baking the 10″, then the 8″, etc.). The same directions apply for each of the tiers. 
  3. Make the vegan buttermilk: prepare each vegan buttermilk in a separate bowl. Combine the dairy free milk and the vinegar and let sit for 5-7 minutes to curdle before using. 
  4. Whisk the dry ingredients together: It does not matter which tier you make first, just make sure that they are each separate. Start by whisking together the flour, baking powder, and baking soda, then set aside.
  5. Make the batter: To a stand mixer with paddle attachment, add in the vegan butter and sugar. Cream together on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes. Then add in the vanilla extract and applesauce, and mix again until just combined. Add in the flour mixture and vegan buttermilk in two intervals, mixing on low speed in between. Mix the batter on medium speed just until the dry is incorporated into the wet. 
  6. Bake the cakes: Divide the cake batter evenly into each pan, and bake. For the 4″ cakes: bake the cakes for 26-27 minutes; For the 6″ cake: bake the cakes for 27-30 minutes; For the 8″ cake: bake the cakes for 30-35 minutes; For the 10″ cakes: bake the cakes for 35-38 minutes. Or until a toothpick comes out clean on the layers. The top of the cakes will be lightly golden and bounce back to the touch.
  7. Cool the cakes slightly: Remove the cakes from the oven and allow them to cool for 5 minutes in the pan. Then carefully transfer them out of the pans and onto several cooling racks to cool entirely before frosting. The cakes should be cold to the touch, or else the frosting will slip and slide off. If you’re freezing the cake layers, wrap them only after they’ve cooled for 10 minutes. Then freeze until you need to assemble. 
  8. When ready to frost and assemble, prepare the buttercream: beat the vegan butter until creamy. Sift in the powdered sugar and continue beating until the powdered sugar is mostly combine. Add in the dairy free milk and vanilla, and continue beating until the frosting becomes fluffy. 
  9. To assemble: Start by placing the bottom most tier on the cake plate. You’ll need at least 4 dowels per tier, and one central dowel. Measure the dowel against the bottom tier and mark slightly above where the top of the cake meets the dowel. Cut where the mark is and repeat for the remaining dowels. Place the dowels in a square formation (see post) in the middle of the cake. Then place the central dowel through the cake. Dowel the remaining tiers, making sure you’ve also cut a hole in the bottom of each cake board for the central dowel to go through. When stacking the cakes, place the 8″ cake tier and carefully slide it down the central dowel. Repeat for the remaining cake tiers. Use a few tablespoons of the leftover buttercream to cover any gaps between each of the two tiers.
  10. To decorate: mix colors into the buttercream frosting and pipe! I recommend watching some tutorials on YouTube, specifically referencing Cake It! or The Preppy Kitchen! You can also use real flowers (see post for non-toxic recommendations) or even paint onto the cake!
  11. Store the cake in a cool place before serving! Slice and enjoy! You can store any remaining cake in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days!

Notes

Make sure that you add in a tsp of arrowroot powder or cornstarch if using gluten free 1-to-1 baking flour. This will give the flour more like a cake flour texture when baked- very tender and moist!

If you use coconut sugar, your cake will be slightly tanner in color- but still delicious!!

Please read the post for full instructions on how to make the vegan wedding cake over several days, and how to assemble with photo references. 

Find it online: https://thebananadiaries.com/homemade-vegan-wedding-cake-recipe/