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!
Video
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.
Made this for the first time recently, brought to a family gathering to celebrate multiple birthdays. It was a hit and a half with everyone! My 8 year old niece even told me, “Uncle Shane, this is the best cake I’ve ever tasted!” And that really is all that needs to be said. Thank you so much Nora!
I made a pineapple upside down cake with this recipe and it came out perfect! I followed the directions, the only difference on mine is that I didn’t have any cream of tartar so I didn’t add that to my aquafaba, but it didn’t have any effect to the cake as far as I could tell. It’s very moist and not too dense.
Hi Karla. I’m glad the cake turned out wonderful made into a pineapple upside cake! Thanks for taking time to share your recipe experience and awesome review! Wishing you lots of happy cooking!
Hi! I’m planning to make this for my girlfriend’s birthday, and I was wondering if I could add Ube powder to the batter? She’s filipino and I want to make her a more traditional cake (Ube macapuno cake). It would only be around 20 g of powder rehydrated with 50 ml of water to form a paste. Ube is mostly starch, I guess? I thought about adding an extra splash of soy milk.
I have recipe tested some traditional recipes but haven’t had much success with trying to turn them vegan. Now I’m a bit short on time so I won’t be able to recipe test this one. 😅
Also, I’d be using vegan yoghurt instead of aquafaba but I can’t seem to find any with a higher protein content than 5.8 g/100 g (soy-based). Would that suffice…?
I understand this is a bit of a weirdly specific question, sorry about that!! No worries if you don’t have any advice of course!
I’m guessing that will work well, and it sounds incredible! I love Ube and need to experiment. I’ve used cashew yogurt (low protein) and it worked fine. Soy based should work just fine as well. I hope that helps, let me know how it turns out if you can!
In all honesty, the best vegan cake I have ever tasted. The recipe seems complex but it’s well worth the washing up and time. I’ve made it twice now as a traybake and it has been beautiful both times. Even lovely without icing. Will definitely be making it again and again.
Hi Emma. I’m so honored that you are loving my vegan vanilla cake recipe, and that you are having fantastic outcome with it! Thank you for taking time to share your terrific review! Wishing you lots of happy cooking!
Hi Nora,
What can I use for cream of tartar.
Leave it out if you don’t have it, it will still work!
Hi Nora, looking forward to making this cake for my husband’s birthday. I love your recipes. Do you think I can substitute soy milk for Ripple (pea milk)?
Yes, you can use Ripple milk in baking, it works well. I hope you both enjoy the cake!
Hi Nora, what would be the baking time for a 6 inch round cake pan, with a depth of 2 inches? Would the cake still turn out good? Thank you!
You can’t make the cake as written in one 6-inch round cake pan. It will be way too much batter. But you could make 3 6-inch layers, or cut the recipe in half, though that will still be too much batter for one 6-inch cake I’m afraid. Because of all these factors, the bake time will vary based on how much batter you use. With 3 layers, I’d say you’d bake for 18-25 minutes. If you’re trying to make a really tall 6-inch cake, it will take longer and may burn on the outside.
Can you please add weight in grams for flour to this recipe and all your other cake recipes? There are variations online for grams per cup of flour, so looking for the amount you used exactly.
I followed the recipe exactly but cakes turned out too delicate and oily. I think there wasn’t enough flour.
Thanks!
Hi, the metric measurements are there, you just have to click the “metric” button at the top of the ingredients list. Hope that helps!
Can I add fresh blackberries in the batter? Thanks!
Hi Ami. I have not tried baking fruit into the cake. I think it would add a lot of moisture, so it’s a little tricky. Freeze dried blackberries could work!
Hi Nora—thanks for the recipe, I made it once with great success but every attempt since has been met with a collapsing center. It looks good and is rising well until it falls right before it is done. Do you have any advice for what I may be doing wrong? No substitutions were made.
Hi there! A collapsing center can happen for a few reasons. If you open the door to check on it too often, that can make the center collapse. If you are under-measuring the flour or anything else, it could also happen, so measure carefully. I’d also try getting fresh leavening agents, because old ones may not work as well.
Thanks for the reply. I measured by weight and leaveners are fresh, however I did open the oven at the 30 min mark to check the cake, it was not done yet but did fall between then and 35 minutes when it was done. So I’ve made a note on my recipe to not check til 35 minutes next time. Hopefully that will fix it. Thanks!
Hi Nora,
I’m curious to try your recipe. I’m in Canada and the non nut vegan stick butter I can find is becel, earth balance and melt. Do you have a preferred brand? Thank you!
I prefer Earth Balance personally, but all of those will work fine. I hope you enjoy the vanilla cake!
I am tired of paying exorbitant amounts for vegan birthday cakes for my son’s birthday party at the park, so I thought I’d see if i could make one myself. The cake was delicious and so easy to make! I also used the buttercream frosting and that was delicious as well. I just didn’t a practice run and have things to improve on as far as frosting the cake, but my son approves and wants it for his birthday!
is this cake suitable for torting? i.e. baking two 8″ cakes as specified, but halving them to make 4 layers. i’m worried reading the comments about how delicate it is!
It will work if you are careful when cutting and handling the layers. I would let the cakes cool completely before cutting in 4 layers.
Can I replace the canola oil and just add more butter? Or coconut oil?
I wouldn’t use more vegan butter, but you could probably substitute melted and cooled coconut oil, or avocado oil.
I’m not vegan- I usually bake with both eggs and dairy, but I made this to avoid allergies for a birthday event. This recipe was absolutely excellent. Great flavor and good texture, was perfect as the base for birthday cupcakes. I did use vegan yogurt as suggested substitute for aquafaba. Specifically I used Siggis raspberry vegan yogurt based on coconut milk, pea protein, and macadamia butter. I used westsoy vanilla unsweetened soymilk.
100% chance I will make this again.
That sounds incredible! I’m so glad you enjoyed the recipe and those with allergies could have cupcakes. Thank you!
This cake recipe is amazing!
If I use vegan yogurt instead of the aquafaba do I still whip the yogurt? I’m planning on using the kite hill Greek yogurt
No, no need to whip the yogurt. Enjoy!
I made this cake yesterday for my daughter’s birthday. I followed the recipe and instructions to the letter but the cake was far too delicate, as others mentioned. I made a cake and used the leftover batter to make cupcakes. The cake fell apart but the cupcakes were decent. However, because of the lack of structure, the cupcakes didn’t hold their height after cooling. I may try this recipe with AP flour instead because the flavour was lovely. Thanks.
I baked this as a test ahead of a birthday and while it tasted great, it was really delicate, even after completely cooling which would make me nervous to heavily decorate.
I used an 8 inch pan and baked at 350. After 30 minutes it wasn’t ready so baked for about an hour in total. I followed the recipe exactly with no substitutions, could I have not whipped the aquafaba enough or under/over beat the batter?
TASTED AMAZING THOUGH!
Did you use TWO 8-inch pans or just one? It wouldn’t bake well in only one pan that size, so perhaps that was the issue. Hopefully I can help!
Of course, I only used one and then cut it in half!
Amazing, I will use two when I do this for the birthday. Thanks so much for replying!
I have made MANY of Nora’s recipes before and they’re ALWAYS bangers. This cake was probably the best cake I’ve ever had. So light and fluffy, EVERYONE loved it. Thanks Nora for always having the BEST recipes!!!
Hi Nicole. Thank YOU for loving my recipes! I appreciate your glowing review and invaluable support! This is such a fun cake, and I’m thrilled that you love it! Wishing you lots of happing cooking!
Hi!
Do you think this would work for a three tiered cake using 6” round pans? Thank you so much.
Hi Lindsay. I think that should work fine! You will need to increase the ingredient amount for a 3 tier cake. Jump down to the ingredients list, click on ‘2X’ which doubles the recipe. Hope that helps! Enjoy!
I just want to say a huge thankyou for your recipes, they have been a lifesaver since our baby girls anaphylaxis diagnosis to egg and dairy. This recipe was the reason she was able to have cake for the very first time today, on her 2nd birthday – she absolutely loved it and it felt like a huge win for us to have a little bit of normal birthday traditions. You’re recipes change lives.
Hi Remy. Thank you for taking time to share a bit of your story with me! I am thrilled that your daughter was able to have birthday cake! It really warms my heart to know that my recipes are helping people be able to enjoy delicious food! Living with food allergies is so challenging. Thank you for sharing your glowing review and heartfelt comments! Wishing your daughter a very happy birthday! Wishing YOU lots of happy cooking!
Could we use cows milk instead of soy milk? I know then it wouldn’t be vegan
It would probably still work fine yes, but of course the cake won’t be vegan like you said.
This cake is absolutely delicious! I made it using gluten-free flour and yogurt (instead of aquafaba). I used Bob’s Red Mill Gluten-free Pastry Flour. Everyone in the house loved it.
Hi Johanna. How fabulous that the cake was a hit with everyone! I appreciate your awesome review and feedback! Happy cooking!
Could cocoa be added to make it chocolate?
I don’t think that will work well, but I would highly suggest you go make my popular Vegan Chocolate Cake instead if you are looking for a chocolate cake recipe.
I went vegan just over 12 months ago. I’ve tried a lot of vegan cakes whilst out and about, both abroad and in different cities around the UK. I’ve found the majority to be really dry and quite tasteless tbh. They don’t hold well when you get your fork on them. Oh my word, I can honestly say, I’ve baked both this, your vegan chocolate cake and chocolate vegan mug cake. You’re restored my faith and actually I’d argue vegan cakes can taste nicer than non vegan cakes by ten fold. P.S I make your vegan mug cake every evening for my ten year old son 🙂
Hi Lindsay. I am so honored that you are using my cake recipes, and loving them! I’m also thrilled your son is loving the mug cake – a must for anyone having a chocolate craving! I hope you are finding lots of delicious food on your vegan journey! Wishing you lots of happy cooking!
Hello Nora!
I have vegan yogurt instead of Aquafaba but I don’t have cream of tartar. What can I use instead? Is this a must?
Hi Fernanda. You can leave out the cream of tartar and substitute vegan yogurt for the aquafaba + cream of tartar if that’s easier. I hope you enjoy the cake!
Hello! I was wondering if the 3 cups of cake flour is more important than the cake flour weighing 375 grams. My cake flour is 30 grams per 1/4 cup — so I’m torn as to whether I use 360 grams or 375 grams. Thanks! I use your recipes all the time!
I’ve always loved your recipes, and I used to make this vanilla cake for special occasions. Nowadays, I would just like to have on hand a simple quick bread that is reminiscent of vanilla cake. I bake with high-protein flour, so I was wondering if I could use that instead, cut down on the sugar, and bake it in a 2-lb loaf. Thank you for all of your recipes through the years, ever since that happy day my son said to check out your site.
Thanks for loving my recipes Joanne! That’s wonderful to hear. You could certainly try making it with your high protein flour and cut down on the sugar. You’ll have to bake it much longer. You might also be interested in making a version of my Vegan Pound Cake, perhaps leaving out the lemon and adding extra vanilla if you want.
Hi Nora. Thank you for sharing this recipe. Can you advise on how to turn this into a hazelnut cake please? Thanks.
Will this cake work for a three tier cake?
Also does it freeze well?
It will work but you’ll have to increase the recipe by 1.5 for 3 8-inch layers. It does freeze well. Thanks!
I’m actually doing 3 tiers of differing sizes, so 3 x 12 inch, 3 x 9 inch and 3x 6in
I should be able to figure out ratios, but if you have any idea I’d love the help ahah!
I just wanted to make it was stable enough, I will be using boards and cake dowels down the middle on each layer