The Best Vegan Vanilla Cake – Keeps Moist for 5 Days!
This is THE vegan vanilla cake that will put all vanilla cake recipes to shame. It’s incredibly soft, moist with a beautifully tight crumb and decadently sweet- yet, you’d never know it’s made entirely without eggs and dairy free. Slathered in a vanilla bean dairy free cream cheese frosting, absolutely everyone loves this vanilla cake recipe, vegan or not. It’s guaranteed to turn even the chocolate cake lovers into vanilla ones.
Reader’s Review:
The key to the best vanilla cake, vegan or not:
As someone who worked for several years in a bakery before going vegan, I’ve spent over 8 years perfecting this vegan vanilla cake to truly stand up as the best vanilla cake. And I can confidently tell you that you can now say goodbye to cake mixes, eggs, and dairy butter, because you’ll never go back to store-bought OR conventional vanilla cake again with a recipe this good and this easy.
Trust me, this cake is so good, you’ll be left thinking about it for a full day afterwards.
The breakthrough for finally figuring out the key to such a ridiculously good cake came while testing another entirely different cake in my new cookbook coming out in 2027.
I had been working on testing out the reverse creaming method with a pound cake, and I just fell to the floor with the texture it created. Soft, tender, beautifully tight crumb that was springy and bouncy and yet melted in your mouth of a punch of buttery vanilla flavor. So I thought, let’s try it on a layer cake.
Turns out, the reverse creaming method, along with very specific, key ingredients and the right ratios will yield a phenomenally gorgeous vanilla cake. And you will not believe it’s made without eggs and dairy. Like, it’s so moist and beautifully flavorful that even the chocolate cake obsessed will be begging for the recipe.
It’s so good, I’ve even used it for my friend’s wedding cake I made her!
What is the reverse creaming method?
Traditionally, we whisk wet ingredients together separately from the dry, most commonly starting with butter and sugar being creamed together. With the reverse creaming method, we’re really doing the opposite. You’ll whisk the dry together, including the sugar. Then add in the room temperature butter into the flour and sugar mixture.
What you need to make this vegan vanilla cake:
As I’ve mentioned earlier, this recipe took years to develop, so I’ve tried just about every combination of ingredients. Here’s where I landed to produce the best result for your vegan vanilla cake every single time.
For the cake:
- Cake flour: For a light, bouncy texture, this is key. I used to waffle back and forth about it because some say that cornstarch produces a dry cake. However, with the right ratio of wet ingredients (like with this cake recipe), you won’t have that problem. You can use all-purpose flour with this recipe, but you’ll need to add in cornstarch as well. The measurements are 450 grams all-purpose flour and 50 grams cornstarch.
- Sugar: A high amount of sugar is used here to really lock in moisture. So please don’t cut down the sugar quantity! It will drastically affect the level of moisture in your cake.
- Vegan Butter & Avocado Oil: With cupcakes, like my vegan vanilla cupcakes, I prefer to use just oil. The smaller volume dramatically affects the level of moisture remaining in the cupcake. But when it comes to cakes, the best combination is both butter and oil. Oil locks in more moisture than butter, and I speculate that it’s due to its liquid state of matter at room temperature. Then butter provides extra flavor and melt-in-your-mouth texture.
- Unsweetened dairy free yogurt: this basically acts as the “egg” that you’d typically find in other vanilla cakes. It’s the best out of all vegan egg replacements. I’ve tested this recipe with applesauce and flaxseed as well. They yielded okay results, but dairy-free yogurt really won by a landslide. I personally use a Greek-style, as there will be more protein, which helps give the cake a stronger structure.
- LOTS of Vanilla Extract: you’re going to need a lot of vanilla in here, including vanilla bean paste, but trust me, it’ll be worth it. This is the best vanilla cake recipe from scratch because of the vanilla. It’s amazing!
Overview: step-by-step how make a perfect vegan vanilla cake
For the full written instructions and ingredient measurements, see the bottom of this post in the recipe card. You can also hit the “jump to recipe” button at the top of this post! Here, we’ll go over a brief overview of the steps, along with providing visuals for a better understanding of the recipe.
The method I most prefer to make this cake with is the reverse creaming method in a stand mixer (or a hand mixer), which is what I describe below and as the main instructions for the recipe card.
That being said, I really want this recipe to be accessible to all levels of bakers. So I’ve also provided a method by hand (and that does NOT use the reverse creaming method). I have used this method as well, and the results are damn good, so don’t think you’re not getting a good cake here.
The difference really is between a wow cake and a “OMG you need to sell this in a bakery” cake.
My two tricks for the silkiest frosting:
If you want that gorgeously glossy finish while also having a structurally in-tact cake that doesn’t have cake layers slipping and sliding around, then you need these tricks.
First tip: For years, I used the whisk attachment to make frosting, when I actually should have been using the cake beater attachment (the paddle). The frosting is so much smoother and glossier even just for the crumb coat.
Now for the second tip, and my favorite: You’ll start with my vegan vanilla bean cream cheese frosting as the base and assemble the cake through the crumb coating. Then place the cake in the fridge to chill for 20 minutes. The crumb coating layer will lock in moisture so no need to fret about cake layers drying out.
You’ll also still have a decent amount of frosting leftover for the final layer which is where things get different. I add in 1/4 cup (60 mL) vegan heavy cream to the remaining frosting, and mix on high-speed. This will get the heavy cream to whip up and thicken while creating a glossy finish to your frosting.
Then simply spread onto your crumb coated cake, slice and serve!
Final reminders when baking this cake:
- Make sure to line your cake pans and preheat the oven before beginning: Once the buttermilk combines with the baking soda and baking powder, the chemical reaction occurs that gives the vanilla cake its lift. There’s a short window of time that you have to capitalize that by getting your cakes in the oven. That’s why it’s so important that you make sure your cakes are lined and the oven is preheated before even beginning to measure out ingredients. To line the cake pans, I lightly grease them and cut a round piece of parchment paper to be placed at the base of the pan.
- Weighing the ingredients will give you a more accurate bake than using cups: With cup measurements, some people scoop the flour rather than spoon and level. This will lead to weigh more flour than you actually need. Even spooning and leveling the flour isn’t as precise! The best bet to ensure that this vegan vanilla cake turns out just like my results each time is to use the weighted measurements given in the recipe card below!
- Make sure your baking powder and baking soda aren’t expired: Baking powder only lasts about 6 months. Simply add a 1/2 tsp of either to a small jar or glass and drop of vinegar. If it foams, it’s still good but if it doesn’t, then it’s time to change!
Want to save this recipe for later? Add it to your favorite recipe board on Pinterest!
If you make this recipe, please be sure to leave a comment and a rating ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ below. This helps others to find the recipes! As always, I absolutely love to see your beautiful creations on Instagram and Pinterest, so be sure to tag me there as well!
Print
BEST Ever Moist Vegan Vanilla Cake Recipe
- Prep Time: 10
- Cook Time: 30
- Total Time: 40 minutes
- Yield: 18 1x
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Vegan
Description
This is THE vegan vanilla cake that will put all vanilla cake recipes to shame. It’s incredibly soft, moist with a beautifully tight crumb and decadently sweet- yet, you’d never know it’s made entirely without eggs and dairy free. Slathered in a vanilla bean dairy free cream cheese frosting, absolutely everyone loves this vanilla cake recipe, vegan or not. It’s guaranteed to turn even the chocolate cake lovers into vanilla ones.
Ingredients
Vegan Vanilla Cake:
- 1 1/4 cup (300 mL) vegan buttermilk
- 4 cups (500 g) cake flour (see notes for all-purpose flour or gluten free 1:1 baking flour)
- 3 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/4 tsp sea salt
- 2 1/4 cups (450 g) granulated sugar
- 1 cup (220 g) salted vegan butter, room temperature
- 1/4 cup (60 mL) neutral oil, such as avocado oil, olive oil, or sunflower oil
- 1 cup (240 g) dairy free yogurt, room temperature*
- 2 tbsp vanilla extract (yes, 2 tablespoons!!)
- Optional (but recommended): 1/4 tsp vanilla powder or vanilla bean paste
Frosting:
- 1 batch of either vegan vanilla cream cheese frosting (recommended) or vanilla buttercream frosting
- 1/4 cup (60 mL) cold vegan heavy cream
Instructions
- Prep: Preheat the oven to 350 F. Grease three 8″ cake pans with cooking oil, and line them with parchment paper. Set aside. For beginner bakers who want to simply whisking the ingredients together, see below for instructions.
- Prepare the vegan buttermilk: Combine the dairy free milk with the apple cider vinegar, and set aside to sit for 3-4 minutes. You can weigh and measure the remaining ingredients during this time.
- Whisk: In a large liquid measuring cup, whisk together the vegan buttermilk, dairy-free yogurt, vanilla extract, and vanilla bean paste. Set aside.
- Mix the dry ingredients: In the bowl of your stand mixer, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and sea salt.
- Mix in the butter: In a stand mixer with paddle attachment or a large bowl with hand mixer, add in the room temperature vegan butter and oil. Begin mixing on low speed, and as the butter incorporates into the flour, turn it up to medium speed. It will create a sandy texture in the flour mixture. There should be no clumps of butter left, just a wet sandy texture.
- Finish the batter: Then pour in the buttermilk/yogurt mixture. Carefully turn the stand mixer onto low speed again to slowly start to integrate the wet ingredients into the batter. Then mix on medium speed until you get a consistent and smooth batter, scraping down the sides and at the bottom of the bowl as needed. Be careful here NOT to over mix- just when you achieve the smooth or near smooth batter, stop. You want to make sure the flour is FULLY incorporated into the wet or the cake won’t bake right- the ingredients will look slightly split, which means you need to keep gently mixing until you get a consistent batter.
- Bake: Divide the batter between the three cake pans evenly, and bake for 28-30 minutes in 8″ cake pans, or until the toothpick comes out nearly clean with a few crumbs on.
- Cool: Remove from the oven and allow the cakes to cool in their pans for 10 minutes, then transfer them to a cooling rack to cool completely. Once cooled completely (there is absolutely no warmth to the touch!), then you can prepare your buttercream.
- Make the frosting. When ready to frost the cakes, follow the instructions for making the frosting of your choice.
- Crumb coat: Apply about 1/2 cup of frosting between each layer, and a thin layer of frosting on the outside of the entire cake, sealing in the crumbs. Place the cake into the fridge to chill for 20-30 minutes.
- Make the finishing frosting: While the cake is chilling, mix the vegan heavy cream on high-speed into the remaining frosting, whipping it until it’s thick, fluffy, and glossy.
- Finish the frosting: Remove the cake from the fridge, and apply the glossy frosting on top, piping as desired. Then chill before serving or slice and serve immediately!
Notes
PLEASE NOTE: This recipe does NOT work with self-raising flour (either gluten-free or plain). Please do NOT swap in self-raising flour in this recipe!
Flour alternatives: You can use all-purpose flour or gluten-free baking flour. For gluten-free, I recommend King Arthur Measure-for-Measure gluten free flour. Whatever GF mix you use, it must contain xanthan gum. For the measurements, you will use 450g (3 2/3 cup) flour with 50 g (5 tbsp) cornstarch or arrowroot starch.
Simply whisked method: Instead of creaming together the butter, we’ll melt the butter until liquid, and whisk together with the sugar, dairy free yogurt, and vanilla extract and paste. Then add in the dry ingredients, and pour in the vegan buttermilk as you gently whisk JUST until the dry ingredients are incorporated (it doesn’t have to be a super smooth batter- DONT over mix). Then proceed onto the baking step!
Make sure that you add in a tablespoon of arrowroot powder or cornstarch if using gluten free 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!!
Applesauce substitute: If you’re having a hard time finding applesauce in stores, you can also swap in your favorite dairy free unsweetened yogurt instead. You’ll use an equal amount. Please make sure that the yogurt has come to room temperature.
Storage: Any leftovers you have can be sliced and then stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. Additionally, you can freeze the cake, and let it thaw in the fridge for 4 hours when you’re ready to enjoy again! You can also leave this cake at room temperature for up to a day if covered and stored in an airtight container.
Be sure to read the full post for all of my tips and suggestions!
For a vegan vanilla cake made with just oat flour, check out my vegan gluten free vanilla cake recipe.
Hi! Have you tried freezing these cakes at all? Wanting to make ahead, freeze, then thaw and decorate a few days later. Wondering if the texture will stay the same. Thanks!
Hi Zoe! I haven’t tried freezing them before, but I have heard you can freeze the layers before dirty icing the cake, you just need to let the layers thaw a bit before frosting! If you don’t want to freeze them, you could easily make these cakes the day before you want to decorate them without freezing, and they’ll be perfect!
I am planning to make this for a birthday, I was wondering, how much would the bake time change if I bake it as a single layer in a 9×13 pan? thank you 😊
Hi Alexis! Oh that’s wonderful! So I actually have all instructions for making it as a sheet cake here- it will need to bake for 50-55 minutes in a 9×13 pan!
thank you so much! I can’t wait to make this 🙂
Absolutely! can’t wait to hear what you think!
Hey, is there any way I can sub the regular flour for almond flour? or coconut flour? Really appreciate all these wonderful and diverse recipes 🙂
Hi Tiffany! Aw you’re so sweet- thank you for the kind words 🙂 for the recipe, I haven’t subbed in almond and coconut flour yet, but I have tried this Bob’s Red Mill gluten free 1-to-1 baking flour (NOT the GF flour in the red bag, this one is in a blue bag- TOTALLY different results!), and it worked perfectly!
I just made this recipe and it absolutely slaps. I love it! It is super dense but in a good way and it’s really good and vanilla-y. I iced it with choc-banana icing and it was really delicious. Super moist and great texture. My family loved it, (my aunty on a zoom call said it looked great but she couldn’t have any because you know, isolation things). This is a perfect vegan cake and one of the only ones without granulated sugar, so good!
Aw my goodness I am just so happy to hear it!! Thank you so much for such a wonderful review, and I’m so happy to hear you loved it! ENJOY!
Thank you for the recipe! I love baking but haven’t been vegan baking for long and I was disappointed with how things were turning out without eggs. This is the first time I’ve tried applesauce in a recipe as a replacement and it came out beautifully.
Aw I am just so happy to hear it!!! Thank you so much! Enjoy! 🙂
First of all, these photos are absolutely stunning! And secondly, this cake is AWESOME! I find a lot of vanilla cakes to be wayyyyy too sweet, but this one has the perfect balance that really allows that vanilla flavor to come through 🙂
You are truly too sweet, thank you so much!! I appreciate your kind words 🙂 Enjoy!
The recipe looks amazing! I was just wondering if I could substitute the applesauce for vegan yogurt as I have no applesauce on hand? Thank you!
Hi Chloe! So sorry for the delay! Vegan yogurt will work just fine in this recipe as a substitute (1:1 ratio 🙂 ). Enjoy!
If I wanted to use regular butter for the butter cream, would you recommend salted or unsalted?
Hi Lauren! You can use unsalted 🙂
I made this cake yesterday with some chopped peaches mixed in for a summer treat and it was wonderful! I used yogurt in place of the coconut oil and it still came out tender and fluffy. The cake was delicately sweet and the vanilla flavor definitely came through – exactly what I was looking for in a vanilla cake recipe. Thank you for sharing! I can’t wait to make it again.
My goodness, this is just truly lovely to hear!! Thank you so much for the sweet words and the rating!! Also love that you used fresh peaches!! What a genius idea!
Too TOO beautiful I just can’t!! Definitely baking one of your cakes this weekend. Now I have another question along with the “what do you do with all the food” one: what camera do you use? And how do you get the beautiful pour shots such as when pouring maple syrup on your pancakes? Thanks again, Britt!
Aw thank you!! That means the world to me 🙂 I use the canon mark 5d! And lotssss of practice haha!! There are great tutorials online!
Thank you so much for your replies, Britt! I’ve read the Canon mark 5d is the best indeed, but pricey as well! Who knows, when I’m done with school and ready to take my own level up a notch, I might upgrade! 😉 Thanks for being the best inspiration, I truly look up to you everyday! xx
This looks amazing!! I tried using flaxegg as a egg replacement but had black specks throughouut and excited to try this instead. I was wondering can you use this recipe to make a 2 layer 8/9″ cake instead?
Aw I’m so happy!! Yes, so a flaxseed will have some specks because it’s not a puree like applesauce! I recommend using applesauce if you can, but then again, if you don’t mind the look, the taste will still be amazing! You can absolutely make a 2 layer 8″ cake out of it! The bake time will be a bit different- I would start looking at how it’s browning (look for a light gold color) around the 30 minute mark, and use a toothpick to test!
Would it work if I decreased the sugar in the cake? Maybe 3/4 cup? And how would the cake ingredient measurements be if I wanted to make an 8 inch triple layer? I don’t have 6 inch pans. Thanks.
Hi Jody! You can safely decrease the sugar in the cake to 1 cup, but any less might alter the taste drastically. No need to adjust for 8″! You’ll be able to fill the cake pans just fine! The cakes will just take about 5 minutes longer to bake, but check them after 27 minutes to see how they’re doing!
Ok sounds great, thank you! I’ll let u know how it turns out!
Unfortunately, the result was a flop. I baked in 3 8- inch cake pans. They came out flat, like really thick pancakes. Underneath, in the bottom of each cake there are numerous holes. Not sure what I should do with these now. Don’t even know if making frosting is worth it.
Hi Jody- I’m so sorry to hear this!! Do you mind walking me through what you did (any ingredient swaps, were the ingredients room temperature, were the leavening agents stored in a cool place/not expired, etc)? I’ve tested it countless times in both 8″ and 6″ cake pans, but it sounds like there was something wrong with the baking powder if it didn’t rise. Again, I’m so sorry this happened!
Hi! This recipe looks great and I can’t wait to make it for my Mom’s birthday!
I have a couple questions, first could I replace maple syrup for some of the sugar? And secondly, I only have sweetened mylk in my house… so how much should I reduce the sugar content by?
Thanks so much! I can’t wait to eat this 🙂
Aw that’s so wonderful!!! I hope she loves!! So I wouldn’t recommend using maple syrup in lieu of sugar, as it will throw off the wet to dry ratio. However, you can reduce the sugar to account for the sweetened mylk to 1 cup sugar!
I hope you all love! And happy early birthday to your mom! 🙂
Hello 🙂 I am so excited to try this cake recipe for my sons birthday in a few weeks, and I was wondering if the Buttercream icing recepie will still work if I add in some food coloring to make it blue icing?
Thank you,
Stephanie
Oh absolutely!! That will be beautiful 🙂 Enjoy!!
Great!! Thank you so much for the reply and sharing all of your beautiful recipes!!❤
Hi, do you think I could use oat flour in place of the all purpose flour? Thanks 🙂
Hi Tessa!! I’m actually working on testing out cakes with oat flour 🙂 Stay tuned! This one I haven’t quite nailed down the texture, but I’m working on it! For now, I recommend using gluten free 1:1 baking flour, such as Bob’s Red Mill (blue bag, not red!) or King Arthur!
Hi!! Would these work as cupcakes? If so, what baking time would you recommend?
Thanks!
Kat
Hi Kat!! Aw you are too sweet, thank you!! So I actually have a vanilla cupcakes recipe that’s based off of this 🙂 You can find that here: https://thebananadiaries.com/best-vegan-vanilla-cupcakes/ Enjoy!!
Ah perfect!! Thanks so much!! I see you mentioned you can sub vegan yogurt for apple sauce 1-1 for this recipe. Can I do the same for the cupcakes? 🙂
Yes you can!!! 🙂
I made this cake for my daughter who has many allergies( dairy, eggs, wheat, all nuts including coconut,
and sesame. Iused casava flour and soy milk. Everything else was the same. The cake tastes pretty good but it’s a little chewy. Not sure what I did wrong. I also didnt use arrowroot because I wasnt sure if I needed it for casava flour. My kid gets so excited at birthday parties because there is cake but she can never have any its heart breaking, so I’m trying to find a good recipe so I can make them for her.
Hi Ronald! Oh I’m so sorry to hear that about your daughter- my little cousin is the same way, which is why I started making the GF recipes for her! I would definitely add in the arrowroot next time, that will help with the cassava flour texture! I’ve also noticed that for whatever reason, cassava flour seems to be slightly different across certain brands. I use Bob’s Red Mill, or Anthony’s Goods, and those seem to yield the best texture. Can your daughter consume oats at all? If so, you can swap out 1/2 cup oat flour for the cassava and see if that helps with the chewiness (it should!). Otherwise, if she can have a GF 1:1 baking flour, such as Bob’s Red Mill, that will also work!
Hi there!! I want to make this for my sister’s birthday but I wan to add in some vegan chocolate chips for a chocolate chip cake. Do you think that would change the texture or baking time? I can’t to try this after reading the reviews seeing how wonderful it turned out for everyone! 🙂
Aw thank you so much!! It shouldn’t change the bake time too much, if at all (sounds like a wonderful addition!). I would just check the doneness with a toothpick or with the bounce-back test nearing the end of the designated bake time! I can’t wait to hear what you think!
Is there any healthy sub for powdered sugar? I try to stay away from refined sugars altogether
Hi Heidi! You can use coconut sugar that you turn into a form of powdered sugar (by pulsing it for about 15-20 seconds in your food processor). However, that will give the frosting a caramel color. As long as you’re okay with that, then it’s a wonderful substitute!
Hi, can’t wait to make this. Just want to check as think I’ve had a problem when using US recipes ( I’m from uk). Is your temperature 350F fan? Or just a normal oven, think this conversion keeps messing up my bakes lol, thanks!
Hi Olivia! I apologize for the delay in my response!! Yes, it’s a fan oven (convection in the US, but fan in the UK!). I hope that helps!
Today is the second time that I have attempted to bake a vegan cake. This recipe was a hit. It will be my number one go to for vegan cakes. I can’t wait to try your other vegan recipes.
Thanks so much!
This is so wonderful wow!! Thank you so much for the kind words 🙂 Enjoy!!
Hi there !
Can I use soy milk instead of nut/coconuts milk for the buttermilk?
Yes absolutely!
The frosting is truly unbelievable. I’m normally not a frosting person, but I couldn’t get enough of this frosting. I sliced up a ripe banana and put the slices in the batter and baked them into the cake which was delicious too. Thank you so much for an amazing and easy to follow recipe!
Aw I’m so happy to hear it!! LOVE the banana idea 🙂 Thank you so much for this review! Enjoy!
This cake came out very dense and very sweet.
Hi Melissa! So sorry to hear about the dense-ness! Did you by chance scoop the cup into the flour? And were you using room temperature wet ingredients?
Can you use cake flour
I haven’t tested the latest version of this cake recipe with cake flour, but once I do, I will update it!
Soooo delicous! I made this cake as a tester for my one year old’s birthday party on Sat – and I will definitely be using this recipe for the big day, Moist, and sooo yum.
Aw so glad to hear it!! Thank you so much for trying it, and happiest first birthday to your little one!!
Can I use regular milk and butter to sub for non dairy products? I’m allergic to eggs and wheat, but not dairy. Seems impossible to find appropriate recipes! Thanks in advance!
Yes you can! I have not personally tested this, but I know other readers have had great success with this.
Hi there! This recipe looks amazing, I’ve often had a hard time making a vegan and gluten free vanilla cake, so hoping this works well for me!
Just wondering if there is anything else I can swap the apple sauce for? Could I possible use 1:1 ratio using vegetable oil?
Many thanks 🙂
Hi Maddy! I hope you love this recipe! 🙂 So for the best result, I would not recommend swapping applesauce- applesauce will give you that really moist and tender texture without being gummy. Flaxseed sometimes just doesn’t add enough moisture. For the vegetable oil, you can absolutely use that!
I hope you love it!
Is it possible to use paleo all-purpose flour? If so would I still need to add in arrowroot since it already has it?
Hi Erica! Definitely still use arrowroot, as that helps the flour to create a really tender texture. What Paleo all-purpose flour are you using? I have only tried this with cassava flour!
This is a lovely recipe. Would love to try my first vegan cake!
We’re in lockdown here in Melbourne, Australia and I had already planned to make this cake for my birthday but was worried as i used 2/3 of the recipe and made a two layer cake as we can’t have more than one person over. Well it worked out amazingly! Best cake I have ever made. Infact I may have had a piece for breakfast this morning. Thank you for putting together a recipe that is not only super easy to follow, but tastes great as well 🙂
Aw my goodness!! This is so wonderful to hear!! Happy Birthday to you, and so glad you loved it 🙂 Thank you so much for this review, and enjoy!!
What do you think the bake time difference would be if I did a two layer 9” cake?
Hi Stephanie! I would start checking on it using the oven light at around 35 minutes. It should be between 37-42 minutes bake time!
A friend made this for me, and I can honestly say that this is THE BEST vegan cake I have EVER had the pleasure of eating. The cake was so moist, and stay that way for several days. It was not overly sweet, which made the flavors come out as you ate it. I will never be using another cake recipe after this!
Aw my goodness!! This is so wonderful to read, thank you so much!!! ENJOY! 🙂 And thanks for coming back here to review it!
Hi, I am making this cake this weekend for a friend who is vegan, gluten free, and nut free. I plan on using the Bob Mills GF 1:1 flour but was curious if I need to let the batter rest for 15-30 mins in the fridge to allow the ingredients to moist? Thanks and excited to try out this recipe!
Hi Lisa! If you’re using the Bobs Red Mill GF 1:1 (in the blue bag!), you’re good to put the batter directly into the cake pans to bake! However, if you typically allow your cakes to rest, you can let it set in the fridge for 5 minutes! You just don’t want to miss the window of the baking soda reacting with the vegan buttermilk to create that rise! 🙂 Enjoy!
Could I replace the applesauce with eggs? How many?
Hi Brittany! Nice name 🙂 (I spell it “Brittany” too ha!). So I haven’t personally tested this with eggs, but I know that several readers have and said they were successful with it. The recommended ratio is for every 1/3 cup applesauce, use 1 egg. I hope that helps!
Amazing cake! Would this also work with cake flour?
Yes absolutely!
Wow thank you for responding so quickly. Yay can’t wait to make it again! I am a huge fan of yours and all your recipes! I always learn so much and enjoy your beautiful photos. 🙂
You are so sweet, wow!! Thank you so much for being here 🙂 Enjoy, and looking forward to hearing what other recipes you try! 🙂
hi! I just finished baking this cake. I took a slice to taste and the bottom of the cakes came out stodgy. wonder what I did wrong? Read all your tips on room temperature liquids, not expired baking powder. could I have over beat it? I used a hand mixer. cake taste amazing – just not proud of the texture. I used vegan yoghurt instead if applesauce. So disappointed with myself. perhaps I should use applesauce next time?
Hi May! I’m so sorry to hear this!! It sounds like there might have been an issue with your leavening agents- older/expired baking powder and baking soda would cause a stodginess to the cake!
You mentioned you could do a sheet cake instead…: what size pan and how long would I cook it?
Yes, you can! I recommend 9×13″ 🙂 It will take about 30-35 minutes, but start looking at how it’s doing after about 25- all ovens are slightly different!
Hi!
Is this the whole batter in one 9×13? Or split? Thank you!!
Hi there! This can either bake three 8″ layers, or yes, you can bake it as a sheet cake in a 9×13 pan all in one!
Are we supposed to use arrowroot only when making it glutenfriee? 🙂
Yes, that is correct! 🙂
This is a lovely recipe. I made this for Easter. Thank you so much!
I’m so so happy you loved it!! Happy belated Easter and enjoy! 🙂
So happy I found this recipe. This cake was so delicious. My sister is the only vegan and she wanted me to make the wedding cake so I gave this a try for practice. I did add a layer of vegan pastry cream and strawberry jam. Everyone loved it. Definitely a recipe keeper
This cake is DELICIOUS!!!!! best cake I’ve ever had, even from before I was vegan. The texture is amazing. I’ve had a seriously hard time baking a vegan cake I loved the taste AND texture of. This cake checks all the boxes! And my child’s non vegan friend was shocked to discover it was vegan and wanted to Know the secret of the buttercream! You won’t revert making this cake. Follow the directions though. I weighed everything.
This is just so wonderful!! Thank you so much, Jeanine!! It looked like such an awesome cake 🙂 Thank you for taking the time to review the recipe, and enjoy!!
Hi, I’m eager to try this recipe out. Can I use cake flour instead of the regular one noted in the recipe?
Yes you can! If you’re using the gram measurements, you’re fine to use it as is- if you’re using the US cup measurements, add in 2 tbsp of cake flour per cup of AP flour! 🙂
Please can you tell me how much batter I would need for a 12″ size cake,
Hi Leo! Quick question- are you trying to make a three layer 12″ cake? And how tall would you want to make the layers? Standard size is about 1″- if that’s the case, you can double the batter!
This cake is amazing! I added about 4 teaspoons of baking powder to the apple sauce to give it a light fluffy texture !
So happy to hear it!! This is wonderful! Thank you for the review and for giving it a go 🙂 Enjoy!
I just made this cake for my great niece’s 2nd birthday.this recipe is super easy to follow and switch up. I did the applesauce this time and loved it. I think next time I will try the yogurt to see if I can get a more white looking vanilla. Since this was for a birthday I added sprinkles to it to make it a funfetti type cake and baked it in 2 8 in square pans. Because this is a denser cake, it took about 40-45 min to bake, which is normal. I added ground freeze dried strawberries to the frosting which gave it a wonderful strawberry flavor. I love this buttercream recipe. I let it go in my KitchenAid for 10 minutes to get a nice, light, fluffy texture. And I actually carved this cake into a bus. This made for a great wheels on the bus cake for my birthday girl and my non vegan family loved the cake and the frosting.
This is so wonderful to hear! Thank you so much for being so thorough in your review, what great tips you provided!! Love the strawberry buttercream idea 🙂 YUM! Enjoy, and thank you again!
Bonjour, je souhaiterai réaliser cette recette avec une crème au beurre à la framboise.
Pensez vous que c’est possible ? Si oui, serait il possible de m’indiquer les proportions ?
Je voudrai reproduire le gâteau qu’hadrid offre à Harry Potter, avec une crème au beurre à La framboise pour éviter d’avoir à ajouter des colorants dans la crème au beurre initiale, et puisque ma fille aime beaucoup la framboise 😉
Merci d’avance pour votre réponse 🙏🏻
Belle journée à vous et merci pour vos délicieuses recettes 🥰
Hey Britt! My Birthday is next weekend and I’ve been searing high and low for a V/GF/SF cake recipe… I came across yours and I’m really excited to make it! Your intro paragraph at the top states refined sugar free, but your ingredients call for granulated sugar. Since granulated sugar is refined, I’m confused. Am I missing something? I’m also curious which 1:1 flour replacement you used. Thanks in advance for your help!
Oops! Typo! … I’ve been *searching* high and low. Not searing lol
Oh, I’m so excited for you to try this recipe! I made the gluten free version for my birthday this past month, and it was wonderful 🙂 I’m wondering if you’re somehow seeing an older description of the cake? When I originally created it, it was all refined sugar free, now I use granulated sugar, BUT you can use either coconut sugar OR granulated sugar for the actual cake! I hope that helps! For GF flour, I use King Arthur measure-for-measure flour (the one with xanthan gum- NOT their AP gluten free flour!)- it works like a charm! I also use the weighted measurements too! Enjoy, and happy early birthday!
Hi Britt! I’ve tried this recipe about 3 times and feel like I’m doing something wrong. The flavor is great but it is kind of gummy. I’ve never made a vanilla GF vegan cake so maybe that’s just the nature of the cake? I would love any help because I’m determined to get this right!
Here’s what I’ve done.
– used oat milk (per the directions on your site)
– added 1 tbsp ACV (you don’t have a specific amount to add to the milk on this page/recipe)
– using Earth Balance (soy free blend)
– applesauce
– Bob’s 1-1 w/cornstarch per your suggestion.
– cane sugar
I’m following the mixing instructions as written. Would LOVE to hear any suggestions to get this right! I need the cake to be vegan, GF, nut free, soy free. Thank you!
Hi Dafna!
I’m SO sorry this is happening for you! Sometimes Bob’s Red Mill can be a bit finicky- I’ve sort of been wondering if they’ve changed their recipe in their 1:1 flour because it hasn’t been baking as consistently for me either, so I’ve switched to King Arthur measure-for-measure. I recently used the King Arthur for a birthday cake for a friend, and it came out wonderfully! Another reason for a gummy texture could be over mixing- it’s okay if you have a few clumps in the batter! It will help your cake to rise better! Also, are your baking powder and baking soda fresh? Expired ones of either of those can lead to gumminess!
I really want to make this. Can I divide the batter between two 8 in cake pans instead of 3??
Hi Anna! Yes, you absolutely can! The baking time will be a bit more though!
Amazingly delicious cake, I have made it three time thus far. Amazing website and video, quick and easy to follow. Most of all, you are amazing. There is something about you, the calm and kind energy you exude from within!
Aw my goodness!! You’re so sweet!! Thank you for these words, you just made my day 🙂 Enjoy, and thank you for being here!!
Oh my gosh! this cake is SOOOOOOOOO good. I was eating it with no frosting it was so damn good. It’s perfectly fluffy and moist! Such a winner! How long after taking it out of the fridge will it go back to that amazing fluffiness?
thank you for sharing!!!
Oh I’m so happy to hear it!! Seriously, it’s my all time favorite cake recipe, I make it all the time for family and friends!! Enjoy! For the fridge, I would say, if your fridge isn’t too cold, it’ll be about 30 minutes 🙂
Hi i just baked 2 half pan size and would like to know if i frost it today will it stay fresh snd moist until Saturday
I am taking it to get together for eggless crowd.
So question is can i frost it and then refrigerate it? For soft results??
Hi Bina! Wonderful! Yes, you can frost it today once the cakes are cooled, then store it in the fridge until the frosting is set and hard. Then you might want to wrap it in plastic wrap or a cake box to keep it moist!
Thank you so much it looks great
Soft and fluffy
This recipe looks amazing! Just wondering if it would work OK in a bundt tin?
Hi Anna! Thank you so much! I have not tried it as a bundt cake, but I imagine it would, yes! You’ll just have to bake it for much longer!
In the video you use 1 cup of vegan butter for the icing but in the ingredient list you have 2 cups.
Is it 2 cups for the icing?
Hi Marge!
Yes, I would use 2 cups because I like to decorate the cake with extra frosting! I hope that helps!
Yes just want to be sure. Making this for Thanksgiving. Thanks
Oh wonderful!! That’s awesome! Can’t wait to hear how it comes 🙂 If you’re serving a big crowd too, you can make it as a sheet cake! I have a whole post on that too!https://thebananadiaries.com/easy-vanilla-sheet-cake-recipe/ Enjoy!
I made this for my friends bday! I always make a cake as my gift for friends. I mirrored you ingredients to a T and the consistency was perfect! Flavor 10 out of 10. She is the only vegan in the group so finding a vegan recipe that everyone enjoys can be hard! Not with this! Highly recommend!
Omgsh this is so wonderful!! Thank you so much for leaving this review!! So so happy everyone loved it 🙂 Enjoy!!
Hello! I’m excited to bake this cake. Before I do I was wondering, how long will it last at on the counter at room temperature? Thanks!!
Hi Megan! I would recommend leaving the cake out no longer than 2 hours or so, because vegan butter is very soft, even at room temperature, and won’t necessarily hold up well after a while. It’s best to keep it in the fridge afterwards!
Hi, is there any way I can make this cake lemon flavour. I’m a cake maker and have been asked to make a gluten free, vegan lemon cake. TIA Sheila
Hi Sheila! I actually have a gluten free vegan lemon cake already 🙂 You can check it out here! https://thebananadiaries.com/vegan-lemon-cake-with-raspberry-buttercream/ However, if you wanted to make this one into a lemon cake, you can add 2 tsp of lemon extract, and swap in lemon juice instead of apple cider vinegar for the vegan buttermilk. A tablespoon or two of fresh lemon zest would work as well!
This recipe was amazing. I made it for my daughter’s 1st birthday smash cake. I did tweek it though. I cut the recipe in half to make two, 6″ layers. I used coconut oil instead of butter and I did not do the creaming method. I just gave it a mix. I also used gluten free flour and did not add the arrowroot. I was not sure it would work, but it was the best gluten free cake I’ve made and I’m a professional baker and gluten free for 13 years. So thank you for this absolutely delicious recipe. I owe you one!
Omgsh!! This is wonderful!! First of all, happy first birthday to your baby!! How sweet! Thank you so much for trusting me with your ingredients and time 🙂 So glad to hear you all loved it! Thank you for coming back to review! Enjoy!
Love this recipe and cant wait to try it for my lil ones birthday next month! Wanna do a trial run and was wondering if I could scale down the measurement and layers? If I just wanted to make it in a 8 inch dish what adjustments would need to be made? Can’t wait to try it! 🙂
Hi Silvana!
Oh how wonderful!! Absolutely, you an do that! To just fill an 8″ cake pan (just as one layer) the measurements would be:
1/3 cup (100 mL) vegan buttermilk
1 1/4 cup (150 g) all-purpose flour (or gluten free 1:1 baking flour + 1 tbsp arrowroot or cornstarch)
2/3 tsp baking powder
1/3 tsp baking soda
2/3 cup (115 g) granulated sugar
1/3 cup (75 g) salted vegan butter (I recommend Miyoko’s or Flora Plant butter), room temperature
1/3 cup (80 g) unsweetened applesauce or dairy free yogurt, room temperature*
2/3 tbsp vanilla extract (yes, 2 tablespoons!!)
Optional (but recommended): 1/4 tsp vanilla powder
Frosting:
2/3 cup (150 g) salted vegan butter, room temperature
1 1/3 cup (213 g) organic powdered sugar
1/3 tsp vanilla extract
2–4 tbsp unsweetened dairy free milk
Enjoy!
Made this cake vegan and gluten free. I added a raspberry palais to cut the sweetness of the icing. As well, I add lemon zeste in the icing. It turned out really good. Thank you for sharing this recipe.
Aw that sounds just wonderful!! Love the sound of the raspberry Palais 🙂 Enjoy, and thanks for the review!
So soft! So fluffy! So easy!! Make it!!!
So happy to hear this!! Thank you for your kind words 🙂 Enjoy!
Hi! I am making this cake for my neighbor who is a diabetic. I am thinking of replacing the granulated sugar with Stevia in the Raw, do you think that would work? Thanks!!
Hi Nora! So I’ve had mixed experiences using zero sugar sweeteners in my recipes. The best one I’ve tried is granulated allulose, but even then I thought it was a bit too different. I’ve never baked with stevia in the raw, so maybe if you’ve found it to work in the past and it’s granulated, it might work, but I can’t guarantee anything! I’m so sorry!
Brittany I have been a professional pastry chef for over 30 years and doing vegan for 27 I must say this cake structurally is perfect I don’t really find too many recipes online but when I saw your video I thought I would give it a try I am very happy with the results I used applesauce and all the traditional ingredients there isn’t too many great vegan vanilla cakes out of there this one hit it out of the park
Oh my goodness!! You made my WEEK!! Thank you so much for this, you have no idea how much this means to me! This recipe is my pride and joy, literally, I’ve been through so many rounds of it to just be a great vanilla cake (vegan or not) and I’m just so grateful to hear you agree!! Thanks so much for these words, and enjoy!!
Can the frosting be made a day in advance?
Absolutely! Just allow it to sit at room temp for a little then just do a minute of fluffing with the hand mixer 🙂
OMG!!!! How much is a cup of butter, how on earth do you measure that!
Hi Tania! It will say so on the packaging, but 1 cup of butter is 226 g. I hope that helps!
Hi!
I’m not a baker, whatsoever, but I decided I wanted to make my son’s cake for his 2nd birthday. He is allergic to dairy and eggs so I searched and found this recipe. I was so excited to try it. I did a trial run this evening but didn’t make it past the cake as I found it had a very unpleasant taste. I know that it’s 100% because of the vegan butter I used. The cake basically tasted like the butter (with a hint of delicious cake). I’m going to try it again with a different vegan butter. The one I used was salted with a coconut oil base. My son is also allergic to cashews so that limits some options.
My question is: do you think I’d get a better/more natural taste if I used an unsalted vegan butter that doesn’t have a coconut oil base? I honestly don’t know if it’s the coconut oil base or that fact that it’s salted. But that specific butter is definitely the problem. I appreciate your input. I’m eager to try this again!
Hi Chiara! First, I love your name 🙂 One of my best friends from childhood’s name is Chiara! I’m so sorry to hear about the flavor! It’s definitely the vegan butter- a high quality vegan butter is super important here because vegan butters do have a strong taste! Did you happen to use Earth balance? I recommend Miyoko’s unsalted if you can find it- otherwise, Violife is also good! I’ve stopped using Earth Balance, even though it’s nut free and coconut free for allergies- I just really don’t like the taste of it! Miyoko’s though, uses cultures to create the flavor, and I find it’s an overall better flavor profile when used in baking! I hope that helps!
I am making this recipe. My ingredients were all room temperature and measured because it was the first time making it – so I was meticulous about doing everything as listed. The batter is very thick. Is it supposed to be so? There isn’t any mention of this. Can you comment, please? Thank you.
Hi Gwen! The batter is thick, but not so thick that it’s not pourable! If yours is, the baking powder might just be activating quite quickly which can sometimes happen and produce a thick batter. But it still should bake alright! My only other note would be if you used cups vs a scale- then there might have been too much flour, but I’m guessing this might have been baking powder thickening up the batter!
I do NOT recommend using all coconut sugar with this recipe!! It didn’t taste like a vanilla cake- more like a caramel cake. It was far too sweet & dense for my liking and I think the ground vanilla added an odd flavor as well. I will try it next time using a lower amount of cane sugar and omit the vanilla powder.
Hi, can you reduce amount of sugar for the cake batter? Will it affect the integrity and texture of the cake? I was thinking of reducing it by half.
Hi Sarah! So it definitely will impact the flavor and texture- I wouldn’t reduce by anymore than 1/4 cup!
The most delicious basic vegan cake recipe out there. I like how you can use apple puree and vegan yoghurt interchangeably. It’s true that it keeps moist up to 5 days. And I’ve even had it sit in the fridge for that long because I had a temperature sensitive frosting on it. I would take it out some time before serving and it would be moist still.
I made it with spelt flour and coconut sugar and it’s super-duper. It’s going to be my go to cake recipe for birthday cakes. I like that it doesn’t crumble, like some other cakes made without egg replacements.
I used Naturli vegan butter as I’m based in UK. You can also use Flora vegan butter.
This is so wonderful!! I’m so happy you loved it 🙂 Thank you also for sharing the brands you used in the UK, that’s SO helpful for other readers!! Thank you, and enjoy 🙂
Hi Zoe! I’m wondering if you’ve checked your oven temperature to see if it’s running correctly? Sometimes it can say 350F but actually be quite lower, especially if it’s an older oven! It shouldn’t bee gooey at that stage, but it shouldn’t need more than 5 minutes at that point. I hope it ended up still baking through!
Hi Britt Thank you for the recipe! I am trying to make a gluten free vegan cake, but was wondering if I can use canola or vegetable oil instead of the vegan butter or coconut oil. Also Can I cut the apple sauce out and use something else instead of that? Would adding extra baking powder and vinegar help to replace the applesauce? Thank you!
Hi Monika! Excited for you to try this 🙂 So you can use the oils, but the best flavor will be with vegan butter! And I would swap in yogurt for the applesauce- that will be the best replacement!
This cake is delicious! I am not very familiar with vegan cakes and this feels oily and maybe too moist? I used unsalted dairy butter instead of vegan butter. I also lightly oiled the pan and wiped off excess but did not flour it. I used a metal skewer to test when and it came out clean (I didn’t have toothpicks on hand). Any thoughts?
I may have reacted too soon. I had to leave the layers on the cooling rack for a few hours and now they are not feeling oily so I think they are actually fine and do taste delicious.
Oh no problem!! I’m so glad to hear it 🙂 I’m wondering if it just felt different at first because of the dairy butter but glad that it worked out!! Enjoy!
I made a second cake with Earth Balance Original. It was far less oily and tasted great!!
Hi! I would like to make this cake, but want to know if it would change anything if I substitute Truvia for the cake and use powdered monk fruit for the icing as I would like to have sugar free? Please tell me your thoughts. Thanks so much.
Hi Camila! So I haven’t ever used a granulated sugar free sweeteners in this cake recipe, I know they can bake differently. Typically for the frosting it will work, but I just can’t guarantee that the cake will work. I’m so sorry!
My husband is diary free, but we eat eggs. It’s so hard to find dairy free cake recipes and I’m eager to make this to celebrate our college graduation. Is it possible to use eggs instead of applesauce? How many eggs would I use?
Hi Savannah! Not a problem! It is possible, however please note that I personally haven’t tried this as I am vegan. But I do know that several readers have swapped in eggs for applesauce or yogurt with great success. Typically, 1/3 cup applesauce or yogurt = 1 large egg. I hope that helps!
Can you add cocoa powder to make a chocolate version?
I actually have a really great chocolate cake recipe here for you to try! 🙂 https://thebananadiaries.com/best-vegan-chocolate-cake-ever/ Enjoy!!
Would it work if I used non-vegan salted butter in this recipe? And what about baking this as cupcakes instead – recommendations on temp and time? Thank you!!!
Hi Carolyn! So I personally haven’t tried this recipe with anything other than vegan ingredients, so I can’t speak to the results of non-vegan ingredients. You’re more than welcome to try it, but I can’t guarantee the results! I’m sorry! And for the cupcakes, I have a vanilla cupcake recipe based off of this one that’s AMAZING- yields a dozen cupcakes, and is so easy! Here’s the recipe: https://thebananadiaries.com/best-vegan-vanilla-cupcakes/ Enjoy!
If I decrease the frosting by half, would it still be enough to cover the cake?
I don’t think it will, unless you want more of a naked style cake!
Thank you, that helps! And I’m sorry, 1 more questions. I noticed the written recipe for the frosting calls for 2 cups of butter, but when I watched the video I saw you put in just 1 cup. Which is correct? I don’t want to mess up the recipe when I make it.
No problem! And so sorry for that confusion! The 220 g is correct (the written recipe calls for 1 cup, in the video I used 1/2 cup). The video is a slightly outdated version of the cake- similar, but the written one is much more improved! I hope that helps!
This is a keeper – our party guests kept saying how great it was! Someone actually thought it was bought from a professional baker. Due to my family’s allergies, we used King Arthur’s GF Flour, regular butter, coconut milk yogurt, and a tad less sugar. Baked in two 8 inch rounds for about 35/40 minutes.
Hi there,
I made this cake using 2 5” cake pans that I cooked at 330 for 52 minutes and they came out a bit dense. I did not follow your cooking time because I only had 2 pans rather than 3 so I tried to adjust the cooking time and temp. As a result, my cake is not light and it feels kind of chewy when I chew it, so I have to remake them. Can you give me some guidance on how long to bake this cake and what temp please? Thank you.
Hi Jacqueline! Thank you so much for filling me in with all this info, because this is super helpful! So the reason it wasn’t fluffy and light was because of the lower temp- even if you switch to a smaller pan, you can keep the same temperature- the cake needs that high temp to quickly activate and rise the leavening agents! A lower temp won’t rise the cake fast enough, causing a denser texture. I hope that helps! If you try it again, bake it at 350F if you can, and it would probably need 40-45 minutes if its 2 5″ cake tins and you didn’t adjust the volume of the recipe!
Hi,
I feel like the ratio of butter to icing sugar is very high. The frosting turned out very buttery. Is there a typo? Ps I used real butter in this recipe, perhaps that’s why?
The cake turned out nice and springy, but I think I accidentally over baked it so it was a bit dense while eating it.
Thanks for the recipe! I made a cake for my cousins baby shower :).
Hi Kiran! Hmm I’m wondering if it was the real butter? To get a more spreadable frosting for vegan buttercream, I use a lower amount of sugar (which makes the frosting a bit less sweet, but I think still tasty!). I’m so glad the cake was still good though! Thank you so much for sharing 🙂
This was the most phenomenal cake I’ve made! My son is allergic to dairy so I was looking for the perfect cake to make for his second birthday. The cake and frosting didn’t disappoint! I received high praise and even the vegan skeptics in the room loved it. I used Mikoyo’s butter, which I think was crucial to the success of this. I’m so excited to try more of your recipes.
This is so so wonderful!! Thank you so much for reviewing it 🙂 Glad you love the recipes! Enjoy!!
Why is there no salt in your cake ingredients? I’m adding a teaspoon salt and crossing my fingers.
Hi Mel! It’s because I used salted vegan butter (more common to find than unsalted unfortunately), but if you use unsalted, you can add in the salt to the flour ingredients, no issue!
Absolutely the best tasting egg-free vanilla cake I’ve ever made! But… it wouldn’t cook evenly. Do you know what could have happened? We used 6” pans and to get the middles actually cooked the outside was far too done and crispy/hard. We are egg-free for allergies, but used dairy products (dairy butter, dairy yogurt instead of applesauce, and buttermilk). We’d like to try again, but hoping to figure out what went wrong.
Hi Danielle! Aw I’m happy to hear you liked it!! But so sorry for the over-cooking- that might have been due to using the regular dairy products vs dairy free. Some people have success swapping in dairy products while others don’t- I can’t even speak to the results because I’m truly vegan so I can’t test it haha! I would try it with the dairy free products next time because I’ve compared my ratios to those of conventional baking, and they definitely are slightly different, so that would mean that the dairy might act slightly different! I hope that helps!
I made this cake for my son’s birthday…OUTSTANDING! It was moist (I used 3 – 9 inch cake pans), baked for 30 minutes, and used unsweetened applesauce. I would not change a thing! If you follow all of the steps and tips, this cake will turn out beautifully! I have tried other vegan cake recipes, but yours (I have now made 3 of your cakes) are THE BEST! Thank you for convincing this “southern” heavy cream and butter cook that there IS another way to bake! Blessings to you!
This is so wonderful!! Thank you so much for this review 🙂 Makes my heart sing!! Enjoy!! And thanks for being here!
Hi Cozy! It sounds like you let the frosting sit too much at room temperature (did you melt the butter instead of letting it just sit at room temperature?) Or there might have been something wrong when you mixed the frosting because it definitely shouldn’t have done that, it’s a simple buttercream recipe! I’d love to help you!
Is it ok to chill the cake after the crumb coat before I decorate it.?
Absolutely!
What is a good substitute for vegan buttermilk. Cannot find it here in Sydney. Thank you. Can I use oat milk? Same measurements? Thanks.
Hi Penny! So the vegan buttermilk is always homemade- I actually don’t think it’s ever sold in stores! I use almond or soy milk combined with ACV- it’s linked there as the recipe! You can use oat milk with 1 tbsp acv, but it’s best to use almond milk or soy milk!
Hello! Can I make this in two 8 inch round pans instead of three 6 inch? I wasn’t sure if it would bake the same way.
Hi Maddie! Yes, you can! The cake might need longer to bake- check it after 30 minutes to see how it’s doing!
I loved it and especially the Buttercream Frosting! Trying your chocolate cake this weekend!
That is so wonderful! I’m so glad to hear it, thank you so much for the review 🙂 Enjoy, and can’t wait to hear what you think of the chocolate cake!
If I only have sweetened applesauce at home, will that change any of the recipe or can it stay the same and give the same results?
It will still give similar results, it will just be a bit sweeter!
2 cups salted vegan butter, room temperature
4 cups organic powdered sugar
How many grams are these? Trying to be precise.
Thanks!
452 g butter
600 g powdered sugar 🙂
Hi! My best friend is vegan and I’m making this cake for her gender reveal!
Can I make just the sponges the day before? And then I was going to frost/assemble on the day she’s picking up the cake. How would you recommend storing? Every time I leave cake in the fridge it dries out. Is it okay to leave the cooked sponges out overnight on the counter? Should I wrap them in siren wrap once they cool?
And once I’m done frosting .. how long can it sit out for? Should it be stored in the fridge? Thank you! Excited to try this recipe. I’ll be adding a blueberry compote in between layers as well!
Hi Erin! Oh that’s wonderful!! You absolutely can- I do that all the time, and just wrap them tightly with plastic wrap and store at room temp on the counter until I frost it the net day! After it’s frosted, and as long as you aren’t doing a naked-style cake where there’s very little frosting, you can store it in the fridge in a box and it will keep! The buttercream should act as an insulation 🙂 Otherwise, it will keep at room temp (70-72F) for a few hours, depending on how soft your vegan buttercream is! With a filling, I recommend chilling it though first just to ensure 🙂 The blueberry compote will be delicious!! Enjoy!!
If I did your recipe in a bundt cake pan would the time be around 50 min? Or less?
Hi TJ! I believe so, but I haven’t personally tried this! I would check with the oven light how it’s doing around the 45 minute mark, and then go from there~
Making this for my allergy kid to bring to a cake decorating party. Can I make this in 4 inch cake pans instead so she matches the other kids?
Hi Alisha! How sweet is that! You would need to reduce the recipe to about 1/3 if you want to make three 4″ layers, because there’s quite a lot of batter. Alternatively, I have a small vegan vanilla cake recipe based on this for situations like this! Here’s the link. This one would probably be more ideal because you don’t have to reduce anything (I’ve already done it for you! 😉 ). Enjoy!
This was by far the best vegan cake recipe I have ever tried. I did add a bit less sugar, as I used the cake as a base for a tres leches kinda cake, but it still turned out amazing! It’s now officially my go-to recipe. Thank you 🤍
This is so wonderful!! So happy to hear this, thank you so much for the review 🙂 Enjoy!!
I want to say a BIG thank you. My son suffers from life threatening allergies (9 of them). He can’t have dairy, gluten, nuts and so on.
I made this cake for him on his 2nd birthday. He loved it.
I then cooked a few other recipes from your blog. They are so good. It gives him the chance to enjoy some delicious baked goods. Really appreciate the gluten free recipes.
I purchased your book ❤️ Can’t wait to use them to cook for my family and make them my children’s childhood memories. Thanks so much!
Omgsh I’m so happy you all loved it!! This is so wonderful that he can enjoy these goodies ❤️🥹I’m so grateful that these recipes can help make things a bit easier (and yummier!!). Please let me know if there’s anything you’d love to see on the blog, and thank you for all of your support!! Happy 2nd birthday to your son as well!!
Xx
Britt
Do you say how much apple cider vinegar to use? Thanks!
Yes, in the buttermilk recipe linked in the recipe card! 1 tbsp 🙂
Hi!
This looks amazing, I’m planning on baking this for a co workers birthday this week. Would self raising flour work for this recipe instead of plain flour for fluffier sponges? Thank you!
I’m so sorry I’m just responding! I actually haven’t used self raising flour before because it’s not available here in the States, so I’m not sure what the results would be (since the recipe already calls for baking powder and baking soda)- I’m so sorry!
This recipe seems delicious, so I would really like to give it a try! Sadly, I only have a small oven that only fits one pan. Do you think I can bake the three layers separately and thus leave the rest of the batter waiting for like an hour?
And if I need to bake the cake a day before eating it, would it be better to store the cake with or without the buttercream? Thank you so much!
Hi Amber! I totally understand working with a small oven (was me once!!). I wouldn’t leave the batter waiting for an hour- if you can, I would try to divide the recipe in two, and you can bake it in 2 batches then for a 2 layer cake. And you can make the cake and frost it the next day! It might be easier!
Hi
, I’m planning to try your vegan vanilla cake for my mother’s birthday this weekend. It will be my first time baking a vegan cake. May I ask a couple of questions about sugar? I have only caster and soft brown sugar in my pantry. Will either of these be all right to use instead of the granulated sugar stipulated in your recipe? Caster is usually the sugar of choice for light cakes so I’m wondering if there’s a specific reason for stipulating granulated iin your recipe. With thanks, Chris
Hi Chris! Oh that’s so wonderful! So yes, you can use caster sugar in place of granulated sugar- make sure you’re using a kitchen scale! The reason I use granulated sugar is just because it’s more widely available, but they’re really 1:1! can’t wait to hear how it goes, enjoy!!
Many thanks Britt for your prompt reply, it’s much appreciated! Chris
I just made this cake (Friday). I will be serving it on Monday for my daughters 30th birthday. Should I freeze it and dethaw Monday morning or will it be OK in the fridge.
Hi Cindy! I’m SO sorry I’m just responding! As long as it’s well frosted and encased in the buttercream (and wrapped tightly after the buttercream has set in the fridge!), it will last beautifully in the fridge. Otherwise, you can always freeze it!
Hello , I made this cake using regular buttermilk and almond flour , it didn’t cook at all and ended up with a purée , why did this Happen ? Is it because of the buttermilk?
Hi Ana! It’s because you used almond flour- it’s not a 1:1 substitute for all purpose flour so that’s why!
Ahhh okay ! I will have to try this again ! I thought it could maybe have been cause I melted the butter too but we’ll see how it turns out next time! Thank you !!
Absolutely! Let me know how it goes next time! You can also check out this guide here for vegan room temp butter!
Made this cake for my son and his girlfriend’s combined birthday celebration. It was fabulous – moist and flavorful! I used peach preserves between one layer and frosting for the other. I added cardamom to the frosting for a little extra flavor.
Oh my goodness, this is wonderful! That sounds DELICIOUS! Thank you so much for sharing, and so grateful for your review 🙂 Enjoy!!
Absolutely loved this cake. Just made it on MLK day, for my daughter’s birthday. Beautiful texture, good looking, fabulous frosting. Loved everything about it and so simple to make. We put a border of frosting around the middle layers and filled with raspberry jam.
Oh this is so wonderful!! Happy birthday to your daughter too 🙂 Thanks so much for the review, and sounds LOVELY to fill it with raspberry jam 🙂
If I use refined coconut oil to replace the vegan butter, should I cream it together with the sugar? Or should I melt it into a liquid and just mix it with the other liquid ingredients? Thanks!
I would melt! 🙂
I’ve tried many vegan recipes for vanilla cake. This is the first one the whole family have compared favourably to an egg based cake. I added a little dissolved decaf coffee to the butter icing and it worked really well with the vanilla cake. Thank you!
Oh I’m so happy to hear this!! And that frosting sounds YUM! Thank you so much for trying and reviewing 🙂 Enjoy!!
I used real dairy products as I was just looking for a cake with no eggs due to allergies. It worked out perfectly and tasted amazing!
Thank you so much for the review!! So glad it all worked out 🙂 Enjoy!!
Hi! Can you sub the applesauce/yogurt for flax seed? if so how much should i use? Thank you!!!
Hi Cat! I actually don’t recommend swapping in flaxseed here – more about why in my “vegan egg substitutes and what to use them for” post, but essentially it won’t give you the most moist cake. So sorry!
Dear Britt, do you think it’s possible to bake the batter in one cake pan and then separate it into three layers with a big knife (I only have one and a pretty tiny kitchen)? Thanks in advance!
Yes absolutely! You definitely can! Just make sure it cools fully before doing so 🙂
I didn’t have the time to wait for your reply but it turned
out pretty good :)) I baked it a bit longer though. I think for 1h but I am not sure anymore.
The only issue is that the outside gets a bit crusty, so it has to be cut a bit more carefully.
I topped it with dried raspberries.
I was so excited to make this for my husband’s birthday and YIKES! I just looked in the oven and it has spilled out of the pans all over the place. And it is falling and looks like funnel cake all over the oven. It has been in the oven for 20 min. Help!
I’m so sorry to hear this!! It sounds like you overfilled the pans- what sizes did you use, and how tall were the walls? Also did you measure the baking powder properly? I’m so sorry that’s happened!
This is 100% the BEST vegan vanilla cake I’ve made +eaten. And I trial and bake A LOT of cakes bc it’s my favorite dessert and we vegans don’t have many good choices for cake if we’re not making it ourselves. I was short on ingredients so I used all coconut sugar (which made a beautiful caramelly color) and did 1/2+1/2 apple sauce and cocojune plain yogurt. It’s moist , tender, has a perfect crumb and is delicious to boot. I frosted it with plain miyokos cream cheese frosting. Thank you for this recipe! It’s the first I’m trying of yours, and it definitely won’t be the last !
Is this a good recipe for vegan “tres leches”?
Yes it definitely has the structure! Technically a tres leches should be a bit more airy (less oil) but it will still work!
Can I substitute honey for the sugar?
Hi Stasi! Unfortunately, a liquid sweetener will not work in this cake based on ratios. I’ve tested with maple syrup and it did not work. I’m sorry!
Hello
I am about to attempt this cake for the first time (it needs to be gluten free and vegan), so fingers crossed! Please could you tell me what the temperature of the oven should be for a fan oven?
Thank you Jen
Hi Jen! Oh wonderful! 350F is perfect 🙂
Hello again!
I have another quick question about yor lovely recipe please. I am making this cake for a wedding and was wondering whether I could add a layer of raspberry compote, along with the frosting inside. I am looking to make this a couple of days ahead, would that work do you think?
Thank you so much
Oh of course! As long as there’s a layer of frosting between the cake and the compote, and the cake is well insulted with frosting when stored in the fridge, it will be perfect!
looks great. my vegans have their own chickens so eat eggs, how many in this recipe could I use please?
Thank you, Julie! Unfortunately, this recipe isn’t designed for eggs. I would try a more conventional recipe that uses eggs if you want to use eggs. I hope you understand!
can i replace butter for oil? in my country is hard to find vegan butter
Hi Loreto! You can use Coconut Oil instead, just make sure to add in a 1/4 teaspoon of sea salt. 🙂
H Britt! This cake looks incredible, and i’m going to attempt it this weekend for my nephew’s 2nd birthday!
Would using two 9″ round pans be okay or would they turn out a little flat?
I’m from NZ so don’t have access to Bob’s Red Mill 1-1 (cry), but we have other GF flour blends that sound *similar* in ingredients, so i’m really hoping it turns out okay!
Hi Renee! I think 9″ pans would definitely make them a little flat, but totally your choice of course! I hope the flour works! Definitely keep us posted on how it turns out and Happy Birthday to your nephew! 🙂
What type of butter do you recommend for this recipe? A block butter or a spread/tubbed butter?
Hi Cleo! I recommend using a block! Miyoko’s is my favorite, but Plant Crock also has a really nice stick of vegan butter!
This really is the absolute best vanilla cake I’ve ever eaten and made! Thank you so much for sharing ❤️❤️❤️
Omgsh I’m so so happy to hear it! Thank YOU for being here! 🙂
Hey! I want to make this cake for my birthday but just as a sheet cake. Is that possible? Let me know where I should look for directions. And is it ok if I use coconut sugar instead of regular? Or do you have another sugar alternative? We have a diabetic in the family. Can’t wait and thank you 🙏🏼
Hi Hannah! Oh yes you can actually make this recipe as my vegan vanilla sheet cake! Definitely can use coconut sugar instead of regular, the color will just be more tan in color. Allulose and other zero-calorie “sweeteners” tend to prevent the cake from rising. I hope that helps!
Enjoyed making this cake recipe. Loved how the cake came out. Definitely worth making.
Hi Alettie! SO happy to hear this and thanks so much for the positive feedback!
So excited to try this! If I wanted to make this a 2-layer cake in 10 inch pans how should I adjust the recipe? Thank you!
Hi Sophia! Oh you definitely could! The baking time will be much shorter, about 24-25 min, but check with the oven light at the 20 minute mark to see how they’re baking. Also, keep in mind the layers will be a bit thinner, but still delicious!
First time following this recipe, and I definitely will be making again! So moist and fluffy, and very similar to how I remember these bakery style muffins tasting! I am from the UK, so I used plain flour. I also had some trouble working out if US baking powder is the same as ours – after some time spent googling, I ended up using 15g of UK baking powder and this worked the trick. I used soy milk for the buttermilk, and olive oil for the neutral oil. These quantities made 10 big muffins for me.
Thank you so much for sharing this recipe! My non-vegan family/friends also very much approve.
I was wondering would the recipe change if I made this a Bundt cake ?
Hi Amira! The recipe itself shouldn’t change but the bake time will! I would check with the oven light how it’s doing around the 45 minute mark, and then go from there! 🙂
Was wondering how many cupcakes I could get out of a single recipe
12 cupcakes!
I want to try this recipe! In the past when I have tried vegan layer cakes, they are way too tender to frost and decorate. Could be something I’m doing wrong or my substitutions. They’ve been falling apart on me with the least pressure. Does this recipe yield a cake that is firm enough to decorate as a layer cake?
Oh I have used this recipe to make several of my friends’ 3-4 tiered wedding cakes, so it’s definitely sturdy! Your problem might be in the firmness of your frosting. Make sure your room temperature butter is truly room temp (65F) and not warmer, or your frosting won’t hold up your cake layers!
Hi Britt
I made this today and whilst it was beautiful it was a bit dense.
I used gluten free self raising flour and didn’t add the soda or baking powder as SR had that in already. Do you think this would’ve been why? I baked in 2 8” pans and for 30 mins on 180
Thanks
Rachel
Hi Rachel! I think it was definitely the self raising flour! I personally recommend KA measure for measure if you’re going gf and adding in the baking powder and soda still per the recipe. That’s the flour I’ve found that gives the best results here while also being GF!
Hi. I have to make a wedding cake for my sister – and have tried oil based vegan cake and they really don’t stand up well to 4 layers of cake on top of each other (with buttercream and fondant). Will this work any better do you know? Do you have any other recipes that give a firm /sturdy but still moist finish? Thanks so much
This is a great recipe for layering, even as a 4 layer cake- it stands up just as any vanilla cake made with eggs does!
Hi, Britt! I just had to come on here and say that this cake recipe has been nothing short of magical!
I myself am not vegan, but I like to bake for my office and make sure everyone is included. We have a company member who is vegan and also doesn’t eat gluten, so sometimes I have to get creative to accommodate their dietary restrictions. This cake comes out perfect every time!
One fun note is that I like to flavor my milk (I usually use soy) by steeping my favorite tea bags in it on the stove then letting it cool to then use in my cake layers and buttercream. I’ve made both Earl Grey and Masala Chai flavored cakes and they are truly lovely.
A million thanks for this recipe!
Hi Emma! That sounds AMAZING and oh-so-lovely! What a wonderful idea to flavor your milk! Thank you so much for sharing and for being a part of the community!
If I wanted to make a healthier version of this- what do you think about subbing the flour for whole wheat and the granulated sugar for maple syrup? I know they’re big changes but wondered what you thought. Thanks!
Hi Be! So this cake definitely can’t do with whole wheat flour- that would require an entirely different recipe that adjusts the wet ingredients drastically. I’m so sorry! I’ve also personally tried this recipe with maple syrup for a friend that wanted that, and it didn’t work :/ You could use maple SUGAR which is granulated maple syrup, but definitely not maple syrup!
The cake looks amazing! Is it all right to reduce the sugar amount? It seems like too much of it for the recipe.
Thank you!
Hi Mela! Thank you so much for being here! We found that the given measurements yield the best results for this recipe, but you’re welcome to experiment of course! Let us know how it goes! 🙂
Could you add frozen blackberries to the batter? Should there be any adjustments if so?
Hi Sumi! Yes you can definitely add frozen blackberries here! Be sure to coat them in 1 tbsp of flour before folding into your batter 🙂 That’s the only adjustment!
This cake is amazing. I made it for a church function, the minister’s wife is vegan. Carnivores didn’t even know there was no dairy or eggs in it. This recipe is definitely going into my keeper- re use pike!
Hi KJR! So happy you and your guests loved this vanilla cake! It always end up being a favorite! Enjoy 🙂
Hi! Thank you for sharing this! My daughter, who is allergic to dairy, has been asking me to bake her a “vegan” cake. Although she isn’t allergic to eggs, I’d like to try this recipe using eggs instead of applesauce. How many eggs would be equivalent to 1 cup (240g) of unsweetened applesauce?
Hi There! I haven’t personally tested this with eggs, but I know that several readers have and said they were successful with it. The recommended ratio is for every 1/3 cup applesauce, use 1 egg. I hope that helps!
Is the vanilla powder really necessary? If I don’t add it will the flavor be off? thank you!
It’s not necessary, just adds even more vanilla flavor! But definitely make sure to not skimp on the vanilla extract then!
Awesome thank you so much!
Can’t wait to make this for my friends bday!!! Would I be able to sub granulated sugar for monk fruit / allulose??
Hi Lindsey! So I’ve made this before with allulose and it does NOT work- won’t rise at all! I’m not sure if monk fruit would be the same way? I just worry too that the moisture might not be there, as sugar adds in a lot of moisture when baking!
2 things – 1st I feel the recipe should’ve said 1 1/2 tsps. of baking soda. I only have 2 cake pans so I did the first 2 pans. They came out about 3/4 ” tall. I put another 1/2 tsp. of baking soda in the batter for the last pan. It rose to a normal level as it should’ve. 2nd I never saw how much vinegar to put in the nut milk to make the butter milk so I added a tsp. That’s how much I normally put in a cup of regular milk to make buttermilk. I think the flavor will be good. I tasted the batter and it was yummy.
Hi Shelly! I’m so sorry that happened to you! So this recipe uses baking powder AND baking soda- you need both definitely. Just 1/2 teaspoon of baking soda works here because we’re supporting it with the baking powder. The buttermilk recipe is linked in the recipe card too- I hope that helps!
Hi there! I made the cake and tasted it and was delicious. I made the frosting and the taste is not there for me. could be because I’m not vegan but it kind of taste like oil to be. is this normal if not how can I fix this please?
Hi Christina! So happy you loved the cake! As far as the frosting goes, what kind of vegan butter did you end up using? You could always add in more powdered sugar if it’s not sweet enough for you. 🙂
Thanks for your response! I used Violife plant butter. It was for a wedding cake and the bride was pleased with it so I guess it was just my taste buds haha. I also had my husband taste it and he said it was pretty good. 😊
Hi Christina! That looks incredibly beautiful and delicious! You did an AMAZING job and so happy the bride loved it too! Thanks for sharing!
Hi vegan butter is extremely expensive where I am. Can I use oil and what quantity?
Yes you can use oil! I would suggest a neutral flavored oil, and it will be the same quantity as the butter. It might be a little less fluffy but still delicious, from what I’ve tested myself!
Hi!! I will be trying this recipe for my son’s 5th birthday 🙂
Just wondering if I can make the following substitutes:
1) Can I use soy milk for the buttercream instead of almond milk/coconut milk?
2) Can I use Earth Balance vegan butter instead of Miyoko or Flora? The grocery stores near me don’t have what you recommend for vegan butter.
Thank you for this recipe!
Hi Jackie!! Absolutely!! Okay here are your answers:
1) yes definitely 🙂 Either works!
2) I wouldn’t use Earth Balance in the TUB, but definitely the sticks work fine 🙂 Enjoy!!
This cake was delicious and had a great flavour! Almost like a sugar cookie. It was very dense, which I didn’t mind but it was almost like a pound cake. I’m not sure if I did something wrong, because looking at your photos the texture looks lighter than what I ended up with. I would still make this cake again as I loved the flavour. Any ideas as to where I could have gone wrong? I followed the recipe exactly, weighed my ingredients, and used brand new baking soda.
Hi Hayley! Thank you so much for your comment and feedback! As far as your cake being dense, sometimes if your ingredients aren’t room temperature (i.e. something is very cold and something is very hot), it will throw off the texture in the cake and cause it to be gummy rather than fluffy and moist. Another reason this can happen is if you don’t sift the flour. Let me know if this helps or if you have any other questions!
I made this cake as a vegan/GF option for my daughter’s wedding. Tons of compliments! Made (3)7×9 layers ahead and froze them for one week. A few days before the wedding, I built a 3-layer cake with frozen cake and vegan buttercream. Kept in fridge in airtight container for 2.5 days until the wedding day, then room temp for 7 hours. It was perfect and DELICIOUS!
Hi Lisa! AWESOME! SO happy to hear this turned out so amazing for you! Thanks so much for sharing and for being a part of the community! 🙂
How would you recommend storing sponge in fridge overnight? Also, have you added a jam layer to cakes like this, if so, how does it turn out and do you have any recommendations? Or even fresh raspberries?
Hi Natalie! I would actually keep the cake layers stored at room temperature overnight and wrapped tightly! This will ensure they’re still moist 🙂 And you can definitely add a jam filling!! I’ve done that before and it’s delicious 🙂 Just make sure you have a frosting wall around the edge before you put the jam in the middle! If you don’t want the jam to soak into the cake layers, I would also spread a thin layer of frosting on top of each layer before adding the jam 🙂 Enjoy!
I just made this cake yesterday, and it was so beautiful, one of the best I’ve ever made! Incredibly soft, perfect amount of moisture, and everything! Thank you for this recipe, it’s definitely going to be a staple in my kitchen 🙂
I also wanted to ask, what’s the best way to store this, if I make it the night before an event? Can it go in the fridge, even with the frosting, without the risk of it getting dense?
Hi Vandhana! Oh my gosh, so happy you loved it!! It can definitely go in the fridge completely frosted and served the next day without any worry of drying out- I’ve done it loads of times!
How can you store the cakes so that they can be frosted two days later?
Two days later, I’d let the cakes fully cool then wrap them tightly in plastic wrap (2-3 wraps). Storing at room temperature is best, but you can also do freezer first day, then thaw in the fridge second day and room temp the day of frosting. I hope that helps!
Can the frosting be made ahead of time and put on later?
Yes absolutely! I do that all of the time 🙂 Just store the frosting in a container and let it come to room temperature before you’re ready to frost. I usually give it a few folds with a silicone spatula to get it creamy and smooth again.
This is my faborite recipe however is too. Moist for tall cake stacking… Any recommendations? (maybe i can adapt with less liquid? Or do you have another recipe suitable firmer for tall cake stacking?
Hi Lissette! Oh I find it’s totally okay for stacking! Do you mean for a tier cake? I’ve used this cake recipe for making a few 4 tier wedding cakes for friends and it works wonderfully, but you just need to dowel it! And as long as your buttercream is firm, it should all hold up!
thats great i will give it a try!….planning to stack a 20 cm /4 tier tall cake!
Fantastic!! Let me know how it goes, and definitely upload a pic, would love to see it!!
This was a very nice cake! I really liked it. I made it in a rectangle glass 9×13 baking dish and dressed it up with a glaze. I made it to bring to a gathering and there were only a few pieces left when I brought it back home! 🙂 Thank you very much!
I’ve been searching for a great vegan and gluten free cake recipe, and this is it! The flavor is SO good! I filled it with vegan lemon curd and vegan lemon buttercream. The only thing I struggled with was baking time. Gluten free cakes often take longer to bake, and that was the case with this recipe. I have an oven thermometer to ensure I’m baking at the right temperature. I used Bob’s 1:1 flour, and I baked six 8″ layers (two at a time) in aluminum pans. I ended up adding bake time in 5 minute increments for all layers. Some were slightly underbaked and some were slightly over. I just couldn’t find the sweet spot. If you have any suggestions on bake time for the gluten free version, I’d love to know! Thank you!
I used this recipe for my sons birthday cake. in the 8 years I’ve been baking vegan, this is the best cake recipe I’ve used. The cake got so many compliments and comments on how lovely and moist it was. Will definitely be using this one again 🙂
This is INCREDILE! Oh I’m so so happy to hear it!! Thank you so much for the review, it looks GORGEOUS!
I look forward to your weekly email and am so happy that you shared this recipe! I left a review for this prefect cake on YouTube and I wanted to come here and tell you I made it and it’s next level! Thank you for your amazing contribution to, not just vegan baking but, baking in general! Your demeanor and personality shine and you bring each recipe to life! Thank you!
I made this today for my grandson’s 4th birthday and honestly I’m THRILLED with the results! I used the cake flour suggestion, and the melting/whisking method and baked it in one 8.5 inch deep pan on 160 degrees for about an hour. When cold, sliced it into two layers (so easy!) and filled with buttercream. Totally beautiful, both to look at and the texture and taste was perfect! Thanks so much for the recipe. ❤️
This is just wonderful 🙂 Thank you so so much for this review!! And happy 4th birthday to your grandson!!
This recipe sounds awesome. I’m hopefully going to make it this Thursday however, I need to transport it an hour away to almost an hour and a half away to my destination for work. Is that possible at all or will I need to make sure that I chill it before or during? Thank you for sharing this recipe and for your expertise!
Oh I’ve done this before!! Very anxiety-inducing the first time I did it haha! I would just recommend making sure the cake is in the fridge for a full day before transporting. And keep your car cold!
I decided to use 1/4 tofu, 1/4 aquafaba, 1/3 homemade soy yogurt – just as an experiment. omg this recipe is perfect. I used cake flour too. I’ve always used ap flour, 1/2 apple sauce and 1/2 yogurt and that was good, but now it’s the best! Thank you so much for this recipe! *The photo is from a little extra batter so not the true height of a layer
The texture is fabulous!! Wow and so interesting to use tofu!! I’m so intrigued by that!! Amazing!! Thank you for the review!
Hi there! I’m excited to try this recipe and will be attempting as my wedding cake. To confirm, the recipe as given for ‘x1’ is a three tiered cake in x3 8 inch pans? Can you confirm how tall the cake would be?
Thank you!
Hi Zita!! Oh wonderful!! Yes confirmed 🙂 The cake layers will be about 1.5-2″ tall!
Hey made this today for 50th birthday and brought back childhood memories of an Indian cake have grown up with 10 stars
Yes this cake is really good. Though with the original recipe it would be way too sweet for my taste. I reduced the amount of sugar to 100g for the 1x recipe, and that was perfect for me. The icing adds sweetness and I like the contrast. Also, I substituted lemon juice in place of the ACV in the ‘vegan buttermilk’. The lemon juice goes perfectly with the vanilla.
I adore this recipe – it’s the first recipe i’ve found that actually does work as it says it will! so delish! I was wondering – if i wanted a deeper cake, could i do two 8 inch pans?
AMAZING! Oh I’m so happy you love it!! You could totally do two 8 inch pans! Will need more like 35-40 minutes to bake 🙂
Hi! I plan on making this vanilla cake but should I adjust the recipe if I am using 6’ cake pans instead of 8’?
Hi Enge! Absolutely! I would do half the recipe 🙂 You’ll get three nicely sized 6″ layers!
I made this cake for my daughter’s birthday and everyone loved it! Three people asked me for the recipe, it was so good. And it does, in fact, keep moist for days. I made it the day before the party and it was perfect the next day. No stress making the cake the morning of the party! I definitely recommend, and I’ve come back to leave this comment as I’m about to make it again as cupcake for my son’s birthday. I’ll report how it works out. Thank you!
This is amazing 🙂 Thank you so so much for the kind words!! We do also have a vanilla cupcake recipe you could check out! But definitely eager to hear how the cupcakes work for your son’s birthday! Enjoy 🙂
I made this best vanilla cake for the 4th of July family gathering and it was a hit! Definitely a tasty reason to practice improving my cake-frosting skills 😉
Perhaps I missed it, but how would I scale this recipe to make a single layer 8” circle cake? I don’t need all 3 layers and I only have 1 8” circle pan or a 9×9 square
Hi Ashley! So sorry I’m just responding! If you wanted to make a single layer 8″ cake, you can either divide this recipe into thirds OR you can use my small batch vanilla cake recipe, and scale up x2 🙂 Enjoy!
Best vanilla cake vegan or not.
THIS! Oh my gosh I’m so grateful to hear it 🙂 Thank you so much for the kind words!!
I made this for my own birthday and it was such a hit!! I adore vanilla so I added half a split vanilla bean to the frosting, I also only used three cups of sugar in the frosting instead of four. The cake was sooo good on it’s own! I evened out the top after they baked (to prepare for frosting) and have been nibbling on those bits non stop! Even my non vegan husband loved it! He actually loved it so much he requested a chocolate version for his birthday, please tell me you have a chocolate version?! Great recipe, will be made again!
Amazing 🙂 WOW!! Thank you so much for the review!! And YES we do have a chocolate version here!! You’re both going to love it 🙂 Happy belated birthday to you, cannot wait to hear what you think of the chocolate cake!
In the video, you don’t mention anything about the 2 tbsp of oil. You just talk about adding the butter. What are the 2 tbsp of oil for in the recipe?
Hi Dorita! A new video is in the process of being filmed and edited 🙂 For now, the recipe card is the most up-to-date form!
I’m so sorry to hear this!! I see that you’re UK based- do you mind sharing which flour blend you used? They can be very different from the US (and those are the only ones I have access to). The blend most definitely needs to contain xanthan gum, and I know after my own testing that the Namaste blend is no good in any of my recipes. Let’s try to solve this!
I used Doves Farm GF self raising flour, this does contain xantham gum. It also contains raising agents so my only guess is that there was too much baking powder in total!
I will say, I’ve managed to salvage half the cakes by chopping off the top and it is delicious and hopefully still usable for my cake tomorrow 😊
Maybe I just need to tweak it slightly and try a plain (all purpose) flour.
It’s always fun trying to convert everything to UK items.
Oh that’s definitely the issue! too much baking powder would definitely not work here if you’re continuing to add in the other leavening agents. Thank you so much for making this note, it’s going to help other bakers who might run into the same issue with using self raising flour!
Hi Britt planning making this cake.I’m from UK and will be using the Doves Freee from Plain flour how much xanthan gum would be needed as it doesn’t contain it? Will I need to add cornstarch and the xanthan?
I want to use 3 6inch cake pans should I adjust the recipe or will it be ok and how long to bake in 6inch pan sorry I can’t see any info on that
Thanks
Aine
Hi Aine! So I’ve never baked with Doves Free From Plain Flour- I will say, though, that a few people have accidentally used the self-raising version of this and the cake did NOT turn out. So please make sure the flour blend you’re using is not self-raising! Typically the recommendation is 1/4-1/2 tsp of xanthan gum per 1 cup of gluten free flour. However, I can’t speak to this flour specifically as it’s not available to me (I’m in the States!).
For 3 6-inch cake pans, you can either have very tall cake layers (totally fine! They’ll just need to bake longer!), or you can reduce the recipe to about 2/3 of what it is! I hope that helps!
Enjoy!
Wanting to make this for a gluten free dairy free friend for her birthday.
Just looked up vanilla powder and it’s a bit pricey for using just 2 Tablespoons. Not sure I’d ever use it again. Could use real vanilla beans?
Oh absolutely!! So for gluten free, please make sure your cake has xanthan gum in it! And yes you can use real vanilla beans! The most important quantity is the extract- the powder is more optional. It WILL enhance flavor, but not as much as the extract!
Thank you for this recipe! My granddaughter is 1 today, and I used the recipe for her first birthday cake. She has milk and milk protein allergies which means we have to be careful with her diet. Her mom requested a “smash cake” and this option allows for fun and great flavor! Thanks again!
Omgsh- this is amazing!! Thank you so much for the kind review!! ENJOY!!
hello, i want to try making this tomorrow! instead of the vanilla powder you recommended, i have a vanilla bean pod with me…would you recommend i add the beans directly to the batter or steep it in some other liquid first to infuse it more evenly? thank you!
Hi Renee! So sorry I’m just responding!! Oh yes, you can add the vanilla beans directly to the batter 🙂 Enjoy!!
The cake was perfect! I followed the recipe exactly as written and used Swans Down Cake Flour, Miyoko’s Butter, Florida Crystals Sugar and Silk Vanilla Almond milk yogurt. Also used the Vegan Buttercream recipe and it was delicious. Everyone enjoyed the cake.
STUNNING!! Oh my gosh, this is beautiful!! Also LOVE that you shared brands, this is so helpful!! All around stunning bake 🙂 Thank you again for the review, and enjoy!!
Hi! I made this cake for my son’s birthday. It was delicious but I’m wondering if you can troubleshoot a few things for next time: it didn’t rise and was quite dense, not light and fluffy. I lined the pans first like you said, and the oven was pre heated. I was pretty quick about getting in the oven, noting your instruction about the buttermilk reaction with the baking powder and flour. Maybe I overmixed the batter? I didn’t have a scale to weigh the ingredients, just used cup measurements. Maybe there was too much flour? The other thing was the icing was way too sweet. I used flora plant based salted butter. Some comments were that it was too buttery. Any tips for that too? Thank you so much, the cake looked beautiful despite its flaws!
Oh it looks beautiful, but I do see the denseness so that definitely could have been accidentally measuring too much flour from using cups instead of weighing! The buttery flavor may have been from the butter- if you’re nut free, I like Violife for frosting, but if you can do nuts, Miyoko’s has the best natural tasting vegan butter! Also is your baking powder fresh? That can also contribute to denseness!
Hi Britt! Great recipe. Everyone LOVED this at my daughter’s party, and no one else is vegan. The flavor is excellent, but it was a bit drier than I expected. I used Silk soy yogurt, Swans cake flower, Country Crock olive oil plant butter, an olive oil/sunflower mix, and Silk unsweetened soy milk (the teal one), and we skipped the vanilla powder. The only other thing I can think to mention is that I mixed thoroughly, but was careful not to over-mix it (as I have found that can make cake too dense), so it had texture and wasn’t super smooth when I poured it. It was thick enough that I had to push it to the edges of the pan. Any ideas to amp up the moisture? A little more oil? Do you think it could have been overcooked? It definitely had what I’d call a crust on the top when I cut it down for stacking. My husband did the actual baking in the oven, so I’m unsure of the timing there. You can see the browning around the edges, since I only cut the top. Thanks for the recipe and for taking a look at this.
Oh it’s beautiful!! Thank you so much for sharing this!! So for moisture, I’m wondering if it was a touch over baked? And How did you store the cake layers before frosting? If they were stored in the fridge unfrosted then it’s possible they dried out there!!
Sounds about right. How do you recommend cooling it? keeping it out on the counter?
I’ll have to give it a another shot and keep a close eye on timing. The recipe says the toothpick should be clean, so my husband said he waited for that. I was taught to take a cake out when there’s a couple dry pieces that come out with the toothpick rather than fully clean. And definitely before it crusts. Could you speak to the details there on timing and toothpicks? 🙂
Thansk again.
PS – failed at getting a really good picture of the cake, but wanted to share the fun vibes we created with it.
Omgsh yes I’m so sorry for the confusion!! That is my bad, I should’ve written that I meant for it to be nearly clean- some people may have been going for the toothpick to be entirely clean and ignoring the actual baking time, I’m so sorry for this! Just corrected it, but again so sorry! And that is such an adorable cake 🥹LOVE the colors!! I’m so grateful you shared this recipe with your loved ones! Thank you so much for the review and pics 🙂 Love seeing these!!
Super delicious made it for my four years old birthday. And used her coconut cream frosting recipe. Everyone loved it.
WOW look at that cake! Love the decoration!
I made this cake for my Mom’s birthday and the whole family loved it. I put your chocolate frosting on top instead of the vanilla. My Aunt said it was better than a well known bakery in our town! Yay! Thank you!
Absolutely STUNNING, my goodness! Thank you so much for this review 🙂 Means the absolute world!! Wow!! I’m so honored! Thanks for being here 🙂
Thank you so much for sharing this amazing vegan cake! It’s absolutely delicious. I found it a little sweet for my personal taste, but my vegan friends loved it. I made one small change: once the cake had cooled, I soaked it in a mixture of soy milk, coconut cream, and desiccated coconut for about 10 minutes before assembling. It reminded me of the birthday cakes from my childhood. 😊
Oh I’m so happy you love it!! Totally understand, it is definitely a sweet cake but wow I love the additions 🙂 That sounds so yummy!! I have to try that! Thank you so much for the review!
I am making a heart shaped vintage cake, marble for my friend’s engagement party this Sunday (5 days away). The groom is allergic to eggs, so I need to make it egg free, so I was wondering could I use regular butter, dairy-yogurt and non-vegan buttercream in the recipie and it would still be ok?
Hi Isabelle! Oh so fun!! So unfortunately, I’ve never tested any of my recipes with anything other than vegan products. There are readers who say that my recipes work great with dairy products, but I can’t guarantee it myself as I haven’t tried it! There are a lot of comments, however, that point to it working!
I used two heart-shaped cake pans because that’s all I have and baked it approximately 45 mins with great success. This was not only the best vegan cake I’ve ever eaten, but it’s the best from-scratch cake I’ve ever made!! The recipe is simple, very forgiving & adaptable. My (adult) son asked me to make this cake for his birthday every year from now on! Loved it!!
This is perfect oh my goodness!! What a cute idea 🙂 So so happy you all loved it, what an honor! Thank you for the review, and enjoy!!
Hi Britt! I found your site while looking for gluten free recipes. This is a health choice, and I am a experienced baker but not enough with GF recipes. I have tried several with huge success And this was no different. Using GF flour I halved the recipe to go into 4 -6 inch cake pans. The only yogurt I had was apple cinnamon, so I also subbed apple sauce for the oil. They baked up beautifully in 35 minutes. Oh and did I mention I’m also at altitude. Frosted with cinnamon buttercream, and sliced the layers to put some cooked apple filling. Excellent results. I froze 2 layers for later, to see how that works out but I have high hopes!!! I appreciate all your hard work and I am looking forward to trying some of your savory recipes as well.
Hi Lisa – thanks so much for sharing the success! I’m so glad you found the site!
This recipe looks perfect a light, fresh flavored cake. Would the recipe work in a single Bundt style pan? Do you use double acting aluminum free baking powder or single acting? Does it help to refrigerate the batter before baking? Thanks!
Oh definitely!! Just make sure you flour the pan well, as well as grease every crevice. I use double acting, and I don’t recommend refrigerating the batter before baking. Enjoy!
Thank you so much. You are my always to go to when I need wheat and egg free cake for my son.
Any UK followers I use the Dove freee from plain flour with the corn flour and some xanthan gum. Followed the recipe but I used stork margarine (tub) added some bake stable sprinkles to make it confetti.
It’s going down a treat.
Always recommend you online to others.
Oh my goodness, Aine! Thank you!!! WOW!! This is just stunning!! And I have to say, that texture looks INCREDIBLE with the Dove!! It’s fantastic! Thank you so much for sharing!! ENJOY!