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.
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!