With a moist and fluffy crumb and decadent vanilla flavors, you’ll fall head over heels for this Vegan Vanilla Cake recipe. It’s perfect for all kinds of occasions and no one will guess it’s vegan!
You won’t ever have to search for a vegan cake recipe again with my vanilla cake, Vegan Chocolate Cake, and Vegan Yellow Cake recipes in your back pocket.
Introducing the only vegan vanilla cake recipe you’ll ever need!
My Vegan Vanilla Cake is an extraordinary dessert that will ‘wow’ the vanilla lovers in your life. It’s moist and fluffy, has elegant vanilla flavors, and is paired with my Vanilla Vegan Frosting for just the right amount of sweetness.
With over 200 5-star reviews, this recipe is a proven favorite! Here’s what readers are saying:
“Love this cake recipe!! The best I’ve ever had!! The whole family loves it too.” – Melissa
“Absolutely amazing! Impressed all my non-vegan friends!!” – Brittany
“I have tried many cake recipes and this one is the best by far! It was perfect and the whole family loved it. I’m keeping this one. Thank you so much!” – Lauren
My favorite way to serve this moist vegan vanilla cake is with sprinkles on top, but you can use fresh fruit, vegan whipped cream, edible flowers, or any fun decorations you love. Bring it with you to the birthday party, bridal shower, or holiday party, and watch as everyone rushes to get a slice!
Why this is the best vegan vanilla cake
- It’s the type of cake you dream about – This bakery-style vanilla cake has a wonderfully moist and fluffy crumb and an elegant vanilla flavor. The best part is that it’s made without eggs or dairy but you’d never know it!
- Two secret ingredients – Aquafaba (the liquid from a can of chickpeas) and cake flour are solely responsible for this cake’s delicate, fluffy texture.
- Perfect for any occasion – Decorate the cake with vegan buttercream frosting and sprinkles so it’s ready for birthday parties, baby showers, weddings, holidays, or any special occasion. You will also love my super easy Vegan Funfetti Cake for birthday parties!
How to make vegan vanilla cake
This is simply an overview with photos. For the complete, printable recipe, scroll down to the recipe card.
First, preheat your oven to 350 degrees F and grease 2 8-inch round cake pans. Place a round of parchment paper on the bottom for easy removal of the cakes later.
Whisk the flour, baking powder and salt in a medium-large bowl and set aside.
Make the vegan buttermilk by combining the milk and apple cider vinegar in a glass measuring cup. Stir a little, then set aside.
In a small bowl, whisk the aquafaba and cream of tartar vigorously until foamy, about 2 minutes. You don’t need this in stiff peaks, just get it a bit fluffy and foamy. OR, you can vegan yogurt, which works just as well!
Cream the softened vegan butter, canola oil, and sugar together in a large bowl until creamy. Next, add the aquafaba to the bowl along with the vanilla extract. Beat until well combined.
With your mixer on low speed, alternate between adding portions of the flour mixture and vegan buttermilk to the batter, mixing until just combined after each time.
Do not overmix the batter! The batter should be fairly smooth after everything has been incorporated. A few lumps left behind are okay.
Pour the batter into your prepared cake pans and bake until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out mostly clean.
Set the cakes aside to cool while you make the Vegan Buttercream Frosting, Chocolate Frosting, Vegan Cream Cheese Frosting or Swiss Meringue Buttercream.
Or consider making this incredible Vegan Whipped Cream (that tastes like dairy whipped cream!) and serve with berries.
Frost the vanilla cake when the layers are completely cooled. Add some sprinkles on top for fun, then slice and serve!
Frequently asked questions
Cake flour works the absolute best in this recipe but all purpose flour is fine, too. You can also make homemade cake flour by mixing all purpose flour and cornstarch together. Check out this Cake Flour Substitute Guide from Sally’s Baking Addiction to learn how it’s done.
A quality gluten free flour mix, like Better Batter, will work as a substitute but just know that the cake will have a slightly different texture and it probably won’t be as fluffy and light.
Aquafaba is simply the liquid, or juice, from a can of chickpeas. That’s it!
Like egg whites, it does amazing things when it’s whipped up, such as making vegan-friendly meringues, mousses, whipped cream, brownies, and more. It’s also a rockstar egg replacer in vegan baking, including this recipe. It gives the cake a fluffy and moist texture and a crisp white color (no brown bits from flaxseed eggs!).
To learn more about the magic of aquafaba, check out my guide, Aquafaba 101.
I recently did some testing and discovered that the best substitute for aquafaba in this recipe is vegan yogurt! Use a higher protein/fat version that is unsweetened and unflavored for best results. You can also use 2 flax eggs, possibly JUST Egg or another egg replacer.
Sure. This recipe makes enough cake batter for a 9×13, 10, or 12-inch cake pan or a sheet pan. Remember to add an extra 10 to 15 minutes to the baking time when using a larger pan. Two 9-inch round pans work as well, but the cakes will be thinner.
Wrap the baked and cooled cake layers in plastic wrap, then store them in the fridge for 4 to 5 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months.
I recommend keeping the frosted cake in an airtight container, like a cake carrier, in the fridge or counter (it will get rather dry quickly in the fridge). You can also lightly wrap it with plastic wrap, but it may ruin your designs. At room temperature, it will last about 5 days.
Want more incredible vegan cakes?
I love making vegan cake recipes that taste just as good, if not better than the usual dairy and egg filled versions! Make any of the following recipes and become a vegan cake connoisseur:
And you can find even MORE cakes here! Vegan Cake Recipes. Happy baking!
Vegan Vanilla Cake
Ingredients
Dry ingredients
- 3 cups cake flour
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
Vegan buttermilk
- 1 1/4 cups unsweetened soy milk
- 2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar
Aquafaba (or sub 1/2 cup vegan yogurt)
- 1/2 cup aquafaba
- 1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
The rest
- 1/2 cup vegan butter softened to room temperature
- 1/2 cup canola oil
- 1 1/2 cups sugar
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
Frosting and sprinkles
- 1 Recipe Vegan Buttercream Frosting
- vegan friendly sprinkles optional
Instructions
Preparation
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F place the rack in the middle of the oven.
- Grease 2 8-inch round cake pans with oil or vegan butter. Place a round of parchment paper on the bottom for easy removal later.
Combine dry ingredients
- In a separate medium sized bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside.
Prepare vegan buttermilk
- Combine the soy milk and apple cider vinegar in a glass measuring cup or small bowl. Stir briefly, then set aside to curdle. This is your buttermilk.
Whip the aquafaba (or use yogurt instead)
- In a small bowl, whisk together the aquafaba and cream of tartar vigorously until foamy, about 2 minutes. You don't have to whip it into stiff peaks, just get it a bit fluffy and foamy. Set aside.
Finish the cake batter
- Cream fats and sugars: In a large bowl using an electric hand mixer (or a stand mixer with a paddle attachment), cream together the softened vegan butter, canola oil and sugar until creamy and well combined, about 3 minutes, scraping the sides as needed.
- Add aquafaba and vanilla: Add the aquafaba mixture to the bowl with the creamed butter/oil/sugar, along with the vanilla extract. Mix until well combined, about 1 minute.
- Add flour and buttermilk: Alternate adding the flour mixture and vegan buttermilk in 3 parts, mixing until just combined each time. The batter should be fairly smooth (a few lumps are okay), but do not over mix.
Bake, cool and frost
- Pour the cake batter evenly into the prepared pans, and bake for 30-35 minutes, until the edges are golden brown, the surface looks and feels set, and a toothpick comes out mostly clean, with no wet batter. These cakes come out pretty flat, so there is no need to slice off the top like some other recipes.
- Allow the cakes to cool in the pans for 15 minutes, then carefully invert them onto a cooling rack. Allow them to cool completely before frosting.
- Frost with my Vegan Buttercream Frosting, Vegan Cream Cheese Frosting, Chocolate Frosting or even vegan whipped cream and berries. Add some sprinkles for fun, if desired. Enjoy!
Notes
- Cake flour will make the cake much lighter with a fine crumb, but all purpose works fine if you can’t find cake flour. Or make your own cake flour.
- Gluten free? Try substituting a quality gluten free all purpose mix. I like Better Batter brand.
- Soy milk works best because of the protein and fat content, but you can use another milk if needed. Hemp, oat, cashew or almond all work quite well.
- If you can find it, unsweetened high fat or protein yogurt works well in place of the aquafaba.
- For cupcakes, bake for 20-25 minutes until done and fill liners half full.
- For a 9×13 inch cake, bake for 40-50 minutes, until done. Two 9 inch round pans will work, but the cakes will be thinner.
Can I use this recipe in a sheet pan?
Hi Cristina. I haven’t made it in a sheet cake style, so I’m not sure how long it will need to bake for. I’d guess around 20 minutes. I think it should fit fine in that size pan. Hope this helps. Let me know how it works for you! Thanks!
This cake was SO GOOD! I’ve made it twice- once with AP flour and more recently with cake flour. Both times came out great but the cake flour is definitely a game changer and I’m so glad I picked some up. It made the cake so light and soft and took it to the next level.
I’ve tried a fair share of other vegan vanilla cake recipes and most usually come out dense and almost resembling cornbread but this recipe is truly top-notch and will be my go-to. Thank you so much for this recipe!
I’m glad you love the vanilla cake! Thank you for taking your time to share your great review and comments! I’m thrilled this will be your go to vanilla cake recipe!
Hi Nora! Do you have any suggestions on how to cook this in 6-inch cake tins?
You could divide it into three 6 inch cake pans and bake until done, checking with a toothpick. Hope that helps!
Wonderful, thank you so much! Looking forward to making this today 🙂
Happy cooking, Denali!
My son and his girlfriend are Vegan… so every year I have two vegan birthday cakes to bake!
I was telling them to wish me luck this year for her birthday cake since I’ve had so many vegan cake fails in the past….
And she said “but that was before you discovered Nora cooks !”
I made this cake for her birthday and it was sooooo delicious! She said that it was the most delicious vanilla cake she’s ever had in her life! The texture and flavor were extraordinary and it was easy to make.
I couldn’t find cake flour so I used all purpose and it was fine!
I’m so grateful for this website that I had to make it a point to write a review.
Thank you for sharing your wonderful and fun review, Lea! I’m glad that the cake was a hit! Maybe you’ll try the chocolate cake next!?
Hi Nora.
Thank you for the delicious vegan recipes. Would like to know which brand of cake flour would you recommend. Also, if I use all purpose flour, should i use unbleached or bleached ?
Your welcome! 🙂 I use a variety of brands, whatever I can find. I usually use unbleached flour, but it doesn’t much matter taste wise.
When I mix the butter,sugar, and buttermilk, It stays liquidity,and doesn’t cream at all, I used oat milk, and earth balance buttery spread.
Hi Analia. I think you might be missing a step. First you cream together the vegan butter, sugar and oil (not buttermilk) THEN you add the aquafaba. Next you alternate adding the flour mixture and the vegan buttermilk. Make sure to read the instructions closely. Hope that helps!
Hi, Nora! Maybe you can help me…
I made this vanilla vegan and your strawberry vegan cakes. The first one – strawberry – was quite dense. Not airy or fluffy at all. I tried this vanilla one today – trying instead to hand mix in case I was over mixing with the standing mixer. Same result! Though maybe marginally better? I’m wondering what I’m doing wrong, because your photos have an airy, fluffy looking appearance and are higher than my sponges.
Help!
Try using cake flour instead of regular flour, it’s my go-to for all cakes now with the exception being my chocolate cake. It makes a world of difference. Other than that, make sure you don’t make any other substitutions, do not over mix and measure everything accurately.
Hi there! If I added fresh blueberries to the batter, do you think it would still turn out well?
Thanks so much!
-Kaia
Yes, I think that would be yummy! I’ve done it with my lemon cake, so I’m sure it will work here. Thanks!
Can I use three 9inch cake pans?
The recipe is perfect for a double layer 8 or 9 inch cake. If you make three, the cake layers will be super thin, unless you try increasing the recipe by 1.5 times, but I haven’t tested it to know how it will go. In theory, it should work.
Can I use lemon extract instead of vanilla extract to make a lemon cake?
Sure, you could do that. I’d add lemon zest as well. Have you seen my Vegan Lemon Cake? It’s very similar.
Hi Nora,
Question for you. How do you actually measure aquafaba? When I poured mine (already whisked) into the measuring cup, the half cup of liquid had another quarter cup of foam on top. Is that ok or should the foam be included in the measurement?
Thanks!
Hi there! Luckily I have found that adding a bit of extra aquafaba doesn’t hurt the cake at all, so I wouldn’t worry about it too much. But what I do is measure exactly 1/2 cup of the foamy aquafaba. I would include the foam in the measurement. Hope that helps!
Perfect fluffy cake. I converted it to a pineapple upside-down cake by subbing 1/3 of mylk with juice from canned pineapple and 1/2 T of pineapple flavoring. Great results!
Your pineapple upside-down cake sounds delicious! Thank you for sharing your review and comments!
I halved this recipe and it made 3 4-inch round cakes! I used Nucoa brand vegan margarine sticks. It was absolutely delicious. I have been searching for the perfect vanilla cake and i’m so happy I found this recipe! Nora’s recipes never fail me.
Thank you for sharing you kind review, and for using my recipes! I’m glad you love the cake!
Hi Nora. I have made this recipe so many times before using just AP flour, comes out so good but I feel like if I start using cake flour it would come out PERFECT! Is there a cake flour brand that you recommend? There’s so many brands/options (bleached, unbleached), and it’s slightly confusing.
Thanks so much
Yes, cake flour makes such a difference! I use whatever I can find, especially since Covid. Most often that is Swan’s Down brand or King Arthur. Hope that helps!
This cake is phenomonal. No hyperbole. I made this this for my non-vegan daughters birthday. She said this was the best cake she has tasted hands down vegan or not. I am vegan and can say this was sooo good. I think the cake flour was a winner for this cake. Used cannellini bean liquid, followed directions to a T. Also made your vanilla frosting. I did make a strawberry puree to put between layers. Thank you so much
Hi Denise! I am thrilled the cake turned out so wonderful! I also love this cake, and agree cake flour is ideal! Happy birthday to your daughter, and thank you for sharing your wonderful review and comments!
Thank you! This cake was amazing! I was scared of aquafaba but it was delicious. I’ve never had so many compliments on something I baked. So, again thank you!
So great that the cake you made was a hit! Thank you for taking time to share your review, Michele!
This is the best vanilla cake recipe I’ve ever tried. I’ve made it for my non-vegan family members several times and they couldn’t believe it was a vegan cake. It’s super soft and fluffy!
I appreciate you taking your time to share your wonderful review! I’m glad you love the cake!
Can I put sprinkles in the batter to make it a Funfetti cake? I know you have a separate Funfetti cake recipe, but it calls for all-purpose flour and has coconut flavor, so I want to confirm that the slightly different recipe of the vanilla cake here is ok with sprinkles added to the batter. I don’t want the sprinkles to sink to the bottom.
You can definitely add sprinkles to this cake, they won’t sink or anything. Hope you enjoy it!
Any idea how much I would need to do a 3 layer 9” round cake?
I haven’t tried it, but I would probably increase the recipe 1.5. Might be a little confusing!
Hello Nora 🙂
Living in France I don’t have access to Earth Balance butter. Is it better to use “hard” vegan butter like in stick or soft, spreadable vegan butter? I don’t want to mess with the texture of the cake. Thank you !
Hi Pauline! No problem, you can use another vegan butter. I prefer the sticks for frosting because they are less melty. I’m sure either would be fine. Hope you enjoy the cake!
Hello! Are there other gluten free flours I can use in place of the flour (besides 1:1 gluten free flour)? Like coconut flour, buckwheat flour, etc…
No, sorry they just won’t work well here!
Would this achieve the same fluffiness as your chocolate cake recipe if you added a cup of boiling water as well?
No, it really doesn’t work for vanilla cakes for some reason, I’ve tried it! 🙂 But if you use cake flour for this recipe and aquafaba it’s very fluffy and moist.
This cake is absolutely delicious! And the simple buttercream is of course amazing. I had a little trouble with the cake though – it came out of the oven really fluffy and had clearly risen. However once it cooled, the center sank down and deflated. My baking soda is new, so the only thing I can think of is I didn’t whip the aquafaba enough? That step was a little confusing to me. I also baked in a 9×13 pan for 42 minutes because I don’t have two small round pans so maybe that was the problem. The cake is still really tasty, just more dense like a pound cake rather than a fluffy birthday cake. Any tips?
Thanks Abby! Hmm well the recipe calls for baking powder not soda, so that may have been your issue right there. It’s also possible it needed to cook for longer, 42 minutes may not have been enough, I’m not sure though. It should be nice and fluffy. 🙂 Make sure you don’t over mix as well. Hope that helps!
This cake is AMAZING!!! Easy to make, and so good. Love the fluffy vanilla frosting. Got the clean plate of approval from my omni better half. Thanks, Nora!
Thank you for taking your time to share your review, Lauren! I’m glad you guys love the cake!
Hi Nora, could you use coconut oil instead of the vegan butter?
You might be able to. Sometimes coconut oil can make cakes a little more dense, so it would be best to use cake flour and do not over mix the batter.
Thanks Nora, it’s a bit of a challenge as the cake needs to be gluten free and nut free too, so using a nut butter is out of the question. I have decided to use pure vegetable fat as I think I will achieve a better result than using coconut oil. I’m also tripling the recipe to make a big birthday cake. Let’s hope it all works out!
Sounds good, I hope it works out well!