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.
Made this for my moms birthday with an orange zest vanilla frosting….amazing pair! So delicious!!! All of my non vegan family thought it was so delicious!
Hi Nora!
This recipe looks so yummy ?
Question in regards to the Aquafaba… when I whip it there is still some liquid at the bottom of the bowl with the foam on top …do I only taking out a 1/2 cup of the foam part? Or do I include some of the liquid at the bottom as well?
Thank you! Yes, that is fine. If you get some of the liquid it is totally okay, but I try to use nearly all foam if there is enough. You do not have to include any of the liquid if you have enough of the lighter foamy part. Hope you enjoy!
Hi there,
I’m wanting to make a blueberry lemon cake and I’m open to either a vanilla cake with an inner layer of blueberry compote and lemon frosting on the outside, or, a lemon cake with the blueberry compote layer and vanilla frosting on the outside..I can’t decide. But for either option I’m wondering if this cake would hold the berry compote layer well or if it’s already too moist/crumbly?
I have tons of fresh blueberries and I’m craving a cake, that’s the occasion 🙂
Thanks for any help!
I haven’t tried it myself, but I think it would hold up okay with a berry compote layer. Hard to say for sure without trying, but it sure sounds amazing! Let me know if you go for it how it turns out. Thank you!
Hey! My birthday is coming up and im in the middle for training/losing weight but still want a vegan sweet for my birthday. I don’t want to make a ton. If I were to make a sixth of this or even a third, do you think its work out?
Thanks!
Cutting down recipes to 1/6th is a bit challenging, even 1/3rd. I’m not sure it will turn out. You might be better off looking for a mug cake that is a single serving. That said, it might work, I just can’t guarantee it will turn out. Happy birthday and I hope you find a way to treat yourself on your special day!
Hi Nora!! This looks amazing. Wondering if you’ve ever baked fruit into this recipe and did it come out okay? In my experience adding frozen or fresh fruit always alters the cake because of the excess moisture so was thinking of using freeze dried strawberries. Any thoughts??
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 strawberries sound good though!
When I made it I used 1/2 cup aquafaba after mixing it with a whisk until it was foamy. I use 2 8″ round cake pans, making 2 layers. The layers came out really flat, about an inch each layer. Did I do something wrong?
Something went wrong here, and it’s hard to say what without being there or having more information, but I’m sorry it didn’t turn out well! If the cakes came out flat and dense, it is likely that you over mixed the cake batter, or perhaps baked it too long. They cakes should be fluffy and taller than 1 inch. The aquafaba sounds correct, if you mean you used 1/2 cup of whipped aquafaba. Other than those things, make sure you are measuring everything accurately. Hope that helps!
Ymmy! Made this for my grand daughter’s 3rd birthday and it was a hit! I followed the recipe exactly but used and 9 inch pan and it still turned out great.
Hi! Do you whip the Aquafaba with just a whisk or a stand mixer
I just use a whisk, but a mixer works as well.
Can you make it days ahead of time? Also how is it best stored and how long will it last ? Thank you
You could make it a few days ahead of time, not much more than 2 or 3 though. Or make the cakes, freeze them, then frost at a later date. I think it’s best stored in the refrigerator but room temperature works as well. It will keep for 2-3 days at room temperature, and maybe 4-5 in the fridge.
Hi, we love bundt cakes..do you think this would be ok to make in a bundt pan?
Yes, I think it would work well! It will take longer, probably around 50 minutes.
in your instructions there is no where when you should add the 1.25 cups of milk or the 2 teaspoons of apple cider vinegar, so my cake was not a cake it was a
(FLOP)
Hey there, in instruction #7 it says this: “Using the mixer on low speed, alternate adding the flour mixture and vegan buttermilk, mixing until just combined after each time.” So that is where the vegan buttermilk is added. Sorry it didn’t turn out!
So delicious!!! Everyone loved it!
Thanks!!
Does it get soggy quickly if a purée filling was to added?
I don’t think it would, but I haven’t tried it.
Soft and tender every time! My go to vanilla cake recipe! Also love making it chai flavoured by steeping the milk with chai tea bags and substituting about 1/3c to 1/2c Of the sugar with vegan chai latte powder! Tastes amazing ?
That sounds so amazing, thanks for the tip! I’m so glad you like the cake.
The most well written recipe I’ve encountered in a long time. Walked me right through the process. Really appreciate that kind of thoughtfulness! Aquafaba?! What a discovery.
Thanks so much!!
Would it taste different if I use white vinegar instead of acv? I have tried a number of recipes with acv and they all had an aftertaste. All recipes called for 1 tablespoon of it. Could that have been the issue? Do you taste the vinegar? I want to make this for my son’s birthday so I want to make sure it is perfect and that people won’t be able to tell that it is not vegan.
If you don’t like acv, use white vinegar or even lemon juice instead. All will work fine. Hope you enjoy!
Could I use this in some 6inc pans to make a smaller “smash” cake?
Sure, that would work fine.
Hi Nora,
The recipe looks amazing. I am going to try it for my husband’s birthday. I’m wondering if I could cut the recipe in half to make one 8 inch pan only. And if I could use regular 2% milk (yes, it makes it non-vegan) since that’s all I have. Could I substitute the milk 1:1 ratio?
Thanks,
Ann
Thanks so much! Yes, you can cut it in half to make one 8 inch cake, and using another milk is fine. I hope you and your husband enjoy it!
I made this recipe as cupcakes and they were great. One question though- do you measure 1/2 cup Aquafaba after its whipped or do you measure a 1/2 cup of the liquid and whip that amount?
I’m glad to hear that! Measure the 1/2 cup AFTER whipping it, not before. I generally pour the chickpea juice from a can into a bowl, whip it then measure 1/2 cup.
Turned out wonderfully! Made cupcakes. This is now my go to vegan white cake! ? ?
I love to hear that!! So glad it was good!
Hey Nora!
I have a quick question…I am all out of oil but I do have vegan butter. Can I just use all vegan butter? Or do I have to use half and half?
I think it would be fine, I might melt half of the vegan butter though, to replace the oil. Hope that helps!
Hi Nora, would this sponge have the stability to hold multiple layers…. For example 4 or 5? Thanks
Yes, I would say so, though I haven’t personally made more than a 3 layer cake with it.
Has anyone used almond flour or coconut flour instead of regular flour? Is the ratio the same?
Hi! I’m making a cake for a kid that is allergic to dairy, but not egg. If I wanted to use egg, what is the conversion for the aquafaba? About 3 eggs?
I’m not really sure actually, but probably 3 egg whites only. But I haven’t baked with eggs in a long time and this recipe was made specifically with aquafaba in mind through testing, so it’s hard for me to say. Thanks!
This cake is AMAZING it’s so fluffy and delicious so happy we found this recipe ??????????
I’m so glad to hear that! Thanks for the comment!
Is cooking temperature/time different if I wanted to make cupcakes instead?
Yes, I’ve included this variation in the Notes section. Same temperature, but the cupcakes will only bake for 20-25 minutes. Hope that helps!
Hi! Is this recipe enough for a 9×13 pan? Or should I double it?
Yes, it’s enough for a 9×13 inch cake, no need to double the recipe. Thanks!