The Best Ever Vanilla Cake (And it’s vegan!)

This is the best vanilla cake I’ve ever had. Period. And somehow, it’s also vegan and healthy, yet no one would know! From the dairy free vanilla buttercream to the vegan vanilla cake, this vanilla cake will be your new go to for birthdays and celebrations!

I’ve finally done it. I’ve made a recipe that tops all recipes. That literally beats out anything chocolate for me.

My friends, I’d like to introduce you to the best vanilla cake you will ever make in your life. It is so good, I swear you will never touch another cake box mix again.

In fact, you’ll scoff at it walking down the aisles of the grocery store because in your back pocket, you have the best vanilla cake recipe in the world, and little do those cake box mixes know, you’re about to wow your friends and turn them all into believers in making only making a vanilla cake recipe from scratch!

Yes, I am that confident.

I’m sure you want to know the catch. And I’m sorry to report that there is no catch. In fact, this recipe is actually a vegan vanilla cake recipe and it’s so dang good, you wouldn’t even know that it’s completely dairy free and egg free.

Yep, the best vanilla cake is healthy, and you wouldn’t even know it.

The even better part is that it’s just as easy as making a cake mix from the box, but when you can have the best vanilla cake ever from scratch, why even buy the mix?!

I know, I know, you’re probably wondering how easy this actually is…because before I made this cake, my only vanilla cake recipe from scratch was dumping a Betty Crocker mix into a bowl and calling it a day ha!

Trust me on this one, you’re going to be a pro in no time!! Let’s dive in 🙂

Vegan vanilla cake ingredients

Organic Flour: yes, I used regular ol’ flour in here! Okay, so I actually used organic flour, which I do always try to do when purchasing flour, and it only ends up being a $1 more than the regular conventional flour. You can also sub in your favorite gluten free cup for cup brand with a little xanthan gum.

Coconut Oil: you’ll be surprised that there actually isn’t a lot of coconut oil going into this cake! However, I used coconut oil here because it will help to dry out the cake a little (yet leave it still incredibly moist) because there’s a lot of liquid going into this vanilla cake recipe from scratch!

Unsweetened Applesauce: a key to making this the best vanilla cake ever is in the (apple)sauce 😉 This locks in the moisture while also not being so heavy and bogging you down! You’ll finish this cake (a slice…or two…or three!) feeling real good 😉

Coconut or Nut Milk with Apple Cider Vinegar: or what I like to call our vegan “buttermilk” 😉 Just simply combine your favorite coconut or nut milk (or dairy free milk!) with a little apple cider vinegar (or white vinegar works as well!), let it sit, and there ya go! A vegan version of buttermilk 🙂 This is another secret to why this vanilla cake is so dang good. It’s irresistible!

Maple Syrup: if you’ve been following me for a while, you probably know my love affair with maple syrup, and if you’re new here, hi, I’m Britt, and I love maple syrup!! The cake is completely refined sugar free, yet tastes like the best dang vanilla cake you’ll ever eat. I’m serious, you won’t be able to put down the fork to this bad boy!

Vanilla Extract: you’re going to need a lot of vanilla in here, but trust me, it’ll be worth it. This is the best vanilla cake recipe from scratch because of the vanilla- literally makes it taste like you’re eating a Georgetown Cupcake vanilla cupcake! It’s insane!

Vegan Butter: I personally love Miyoko’s but you can use whichever vegan butter substitute that you prefer! Just make sure that you soften it a little like you would a regular buttercream 🙂 This will yield the best frosting for your undetectably healthy vegan cake!

Powdered Sugar: I know some people would like a completely refined sugar free cake, but I honestly like to live my life without strict rules. While I eat a lot of unrefined sugar baked goods and desserts sweetened with fruit, I also enjoy my cakes with regular sugar. I opt for organic always, but I live by the motto everything in moderation, including your healthy food. There is such a thing as being too healthy, and that comes in when you place too many restrictions on what you can and can’t eat, completely unrelated to allergies. What makes this the best vanilla cake recipe ever is that appeals to everyone, all tastebuds and preferences 🙂

How to make the best vanilla cake ever

A part of what makes this the best vanilla cake in the history of vanilla cakes is that it’s incredibly easy to make.

I’m taking cake mix from a box easy to make. Trust me, you’re not going to go back.

First, make sure that you’ve prepared your vegan “buttermilk.” Simply whisk or mix together the nut milk and the apple cider vinegar and set aside.

Then preheat the oven to 375F and grease two cake pans with olive or coconut oil.

Next, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and sea salt together in a large bowl. Set this aside, and in a medium bowl, whisk together the apple sauce, the homemade “buttermilk,” maple syrup, and vanilla. Add in the melted coconut oil and whisk together quickly.

Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix together until it’s a nice and smooth vanilla cake batter.

Pour the cake batter evenly into both cake pans and place in the oven on the middle shelf to bake.

Once they’re done, remove them from the oven and let cool in the pans before removing and placing onto a cooling rack.

Now we’ll move onto make the vegan buttercream frosting so your undetectably healthy vegan cake can also look the part of the best vanilla cake recipe in the world!

Making a vegan vanilla buttercream frosting

You may think that’s it’s impossible to make a good tasting vegan vanilla “buttercream” frosting…

But that’s why you’re on The Banana Diaries 😉 Here, we make the impossible possible!

Making a vegan buttercream frosting is actually quite easy and really quite literally is the icing on the cake that makes this the best vanilla cake in the world.

You think I’m joking. Welllllll let’s see about that 😉

You’ll need only a few ingredients: vegan butter, coconut oil, vanilla, a nut or coconut milk, and organic powdered sugar.

Make sure that your vegan butter is softened, basically at room temperature like you would make a normal buttercream frosting. Your coconut oil should be soft too, like how we make these vegan chocolate chip cookies.

Add the butter and coconut oil to a large bowl and beat them together until they’re well mixed. Then add in the powdered sugar 1 cup at a time and continue to beat until it becomes a thick buttercream. Add in the vanilla extract here, as well as any needed coconut or almond milk to make it to the desired thickness you’d like.

Then frost your beautiful healthy vegan cake! Now, if you made it into two tiers like I did (and what I delineate in the instructions), start by placing one tier onto a cake stand or dish. Add about 1 cup of frosting to the top of that tier and spread out evenly.

Then place the next tier on gently and add another cup of frosting (or more if desired) to the top and spread out evenly on top of your vegan vanilla cake.

You can leave the sides completely naked, fully frost them, or go for the slightly exposed look that I did, and you won’t even need a frosting knife! Just simply add a little bit of frosting to the knife and essentially, you’re gently “scraping” the frosting alongside the edges of your vegan vanilla cake.

Next we’ll move onto how to decorate the best vanilla cake so you can wow your guests and prove to them that they’ll never need another box mix either 😉

How to decorate your cake

Personally, I love just simple decorations! I wanted to go for a really beautiful yet elegant feel that everyone can recreate.

Adding flowers, especially edible ones, is a great touch- easy yet stunning every time! You could also color part of your vegan buttercream frosting with natural food colorings, like raspberry jam or turmeric for yellow! They have some great tutorials on how to make fun piping decorations online so just do a quick google search if you want to up your piping game 😉

As always, you could just go with rainbow sprinkles and candles naturally 😉 like I would do! Or maybe top with some of your favorite candy, likes chunks of these vegan snickers bars!

The only limitations come from our thoughts so allow your creativity to be limitless!

I just know you’re going to love this homemade vanilla cake recipe as much as I do. I mean, it really is the best vanilla cake recipe in the world!

Say goodbye to cake mixes, because you’ll never go back to store-bought with a recipe this good and this easy 😉

Let me know how your cakes went over in the comments below, and I look forward to seeing how you decorate them on Instagram and Pinterest!

Happy Baking, my loves!

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