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!
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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!
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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.
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!