Vegan Vanilla Cake

This vegan vanilla cake is so moist, fluffy and with a tender crumb, you won’t believe it is made without eggs! Simple ingredients and made in just one bowl! 

Vegan Vanilla Cake

When it comes to vegan desserts, my favorite recipes to make are chocolate cake, rice crispy treats, and this vegan vanilla cake. We’ve got all of these plus many more on our Vegan Desserts page here.

Vanilla flavored desserts get a very unfair stigma. There, I said it. In a world where chocolate takes center stage, vanilla is the underdog who always provides. Growing up, I was always team vanilla. Whether it be in ice cream form, cupcakes, or other desserts, it was my favorite and severely underrated.

Everyone needs an easy vegan cake recipe to fall back on time and time again and a vanilla one will always tick the boxes. It’s perfect for those who aren’t fans of chocolate, and they are also the perfect vehicle for other flavors. Want something fruity? Add some to a vanilla cake. Want something with chocolate chips or chunks? Add it to a vanilla cake. When you need a dessert in a pinch, you can whip up this vegan cake!

I’ve been meaning to share a vegan vanilla cake recipe for quite some time. It was one of the first desserts I ever made since going plant based, and one of my favorite desserts. It uses simple ingredients and takes minutes to prepare. The texture is moist, fluffy, and with a gorgeous tender crumb. It’s sweet and full of vanilla flavor, accentuated with a lovely vanilla frosting.

I had some friends over for a birthday dinner the other week and served them this cake and NO ONE believed me when I said it was vegan- They were pleasantly shocked!

Ingredients to make a vegan vanilla cake

Here are the ingredients you’ll need to make this recipe. You’ll notice it uses very simple ingredients and offers several substitutions.

• Flour– For a perfectly white cake, use bleached white flour. Otherwise, standard all purpose flour can be used.
• Sugar– I used white sugar, but any sugar can be used. Be wary that brown or coconut sugar will yield a darker cake.
• Baking soda– Gives the cake some rise and depth. It also reacts with the vinegar to replicate what eggs would typically do.
• Salt– Brings out the sweetness of all the other ingredients.
• Oil– I used vegetable oil, but any neutral flavored oil can be used.
• Vinegar– White vinegar or apple cider vinegar.
• Vanilla extract– A must for any good vanilla dessert!
• Water– To mix everything together. You can also use a plant based milk if you’d prefer.
• Frosting– A must for any good cake!

How do you make a vegan vanilla cake?

Start by adding your dry ingredients into a large mixing bowl. Next, add the oil, vinegar, and vanilla extract, before adding the water and mixing it all together, until smooth.

Now, transfer the batter into a 7-inch cake pan and bake for 25-30 minutes, or until a skewer comes out clean. Remove the cake from the oven and let the cake cool completely, before frosting it.

Vegan vanilla frosting ideas

Any vanilla frosting can be used, but I love using a vegan vanilla buttercream version. It’s super forgiving and you can make it as thick or thin as you like!

To make: 3 cups powdered sugar, 6 tablespoons vegan butter (softened), 1/2 tablespoon vanilla extract, and 1-2 tablespoons milk of choice.

In a mixing bowl, beat together the powdered sugar and vegan butter until smooth. Add in the vanilla extract and milk before continuing to beat until light and fluffy. Add more milk if needed.

Can I make this gluten free?

If you’d like this cake to also be gluten free, replace the white flour with a gluten free flour with added xanthan gum. We’ve had success with Bob’s Red Mill baking flour.

Can I use a bigger cake pan?

This cake is designed to be baked in a 7-inch cake pan.  If you’d like it to fit into an 8 or 9-inch cake pan, you can double the ingredients and be left with a thicker cake.

Alternatively, you can bake this in a bundt cake pan.

Tips to make the best vegan birthday cake

• Do not overbake the cake, as it continues to cook as it is cooling down.
• To make a layer cake (as pictured), triple the cake and frosting ingredients.
• If you use all purpose flour or white flour that has NOT been bleached, your cake will be darker.

Storing and freezing the vanilla cake

• To store: Leftover cake can be stored at room temperature, covered, for up to 5 days. If you’d like to keep it longer, store it in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.
• To freeze: Place slices of the cake in a shallow container and store in the freezer for up to 6 months.