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.
Best vegan cake recipe ever!!!! I just used this recipe to make a coconut vegan cake (just added 1/3 c coconut flakes and 2TSB coconut extract…soooo good!!! Even my skeptical bf enjoyed it! lol. Also, I made your delicious vegan chocolate cake. I’m so grateful for good, tested and proven recipes. It’s such a life saver 🙂
xo
The coconut version sounds incredible! I’m so glad you loved it, and the chocolate cake, thank you!
Hi Nora! I tried your vegan chocolate cake recipe!!! Loved it!!! Question..can I make the vegan vanilla cake with 2 9-inch cake pans??
Thank you so much! Yes, you can. Just watch the cakes as they may require a few minutes less of cooking. Thanks and enjoy!
This cake is amazing!! Best vegan vanilla cake I’ve made yet, and I haven’t liked most of them. My cake was pretty lopsided though – and I think because of that it was slightly under-baked on the thicker side. It also sank a lot after I took it out of the oven, but none of this seemed to effect the taste. Any idea what I might’ve done wrong? I followed everything exactly except I added a small amount of mini chocolate chips. I’m going to use it to make a birthday layer cake in a week so hoping it’s more even next time. Also just wanted to clarify – for the aquafaba should I be measuring 1/2 cup of liquid before or after I’ve whipped it up? I had done it after it was whipped up. Thanks for the great recipe!!
I’m glad you enjoyed the vanilla cake! I’m not sure why your cake was lopsided; was the batter distributed evenly before baking? If it sank a lot after baking and was under-baked on one side, I would say next time bake it longer, until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Oven temperatures can vary, so this is the surest way to make sure your cake is cooked through. You are correct about the aquafaba, it’s measured after whipping. Thank you, and good luck for the birthday cake!
hi, how do you measure out your flour for the cake? thanks!
I spoon it into the measuring cup, then level it off with the back of a knife. Hope that helps!
Fab recipe! I’ve also tried your chocolate and lemon cake recipes (made them all as cupcakes instead of cake). I’ve been happy with the results for each and got great reviews from the non-vegans who helped me eat them 🙂
Thank you so much! I’m so happy you’ve made all the cakes and enjoyed them. LOVE impressing non-vegans. 🙂
Hi my sons allergic to egg and nuts so I was wondering can I use normal butter instead of vegan butter? And normal cows milk?
I haven’t tried it but I think it would work just fine, yes. Thank you!
Would this cake work as a sheet cake in a 9×13 pan instead of a layer cake? I don’t bake much in my very small kitchen and don’t want to have to buy/store pans!
Yes, it will work just fine in a 9×13 pan. No problem at all! Enjoy!
Do you think I could make this as a 3 tier cake? And if so, what would be my measurements?
Hi! So if you look at the recipe card, where it says “Servings”, hover over the number (12). A slider will pop up, and you can set it to 18, which would be 1.5 amount of the recipe, just right for a 3 tier cake. Doing this will change the amounts of ingredients. That should work just fine! Hope that helps, thank you!
I have been recipe testing in advance of Mother’s Day. I’ve been trying to find the best recipe to make for my mom. I have been vegan for 3 years and no vanilla cake has ever tasted “right” to me. Good? Sure. Adequate? A few. But none of them had the same taste and texture as the nonvegan ones. But this one… wow!! Using both vegan butter and oil as well as the aquafaba have made these incredibly light and fluffy and the taste is SPOT ON.
I made them into cupcakes, using half the recipe. I only had 11 liners so I made 11 cupcakes (I had enough batter for 12 though!). The only alteration I made was using shortening instead of butter and increased the salt by a tiny pinch to make up for it. Everything whipped up wonderfully.
Great recipe! I am so glad I found this! All the other popular vegan vanilla cake recipes had the same ingredients that I’ve used before- they were okay, but not true to the flavor. This one was. You won the contest, hands down. 🙂
The best recipe for a vegan cake, I’m not vegan but had a request from a friend who is to make her birthday cake. I was ready to give up until I came across this one. Does it freeze ok. After many attempts i have loads of cake and while the boys and chooks are doing their bit I’d like to freeze the good ones.
Yes, the cake freezes well. Thank you, so glad you enjoyed the cake!
I am planning to try this for my son’s birthday party. He is allergic to dairy and eggs. This looks promising! I already have soy milk in the fridge, but it’s not the unsweetened kind. Do you think it would be ok to use, and if so, do I need to reduce the amount of sugar? What kind of unsweetened milk did you use?
The soy milk you have will be fine. If you want to reduce the sugar by 1/4 cup you could, but if not it will be fine, just a bit sweeter. 🙂 I usually use unsweetened almond or soy milk, but I have used sweetened as well without changing the amount of sugar and it was great. Thanks, I hope your son and everyone else enjoys the cake!
Looks a fab recipe! I’m in the UK, where the most common type of sugar used in baking is caster sugar. Is this what you’ve used here, or is it granulated? Also, I don’t have a mixer, so bake by hand. Would things still work okay? Sorry if these sound like silly questions- my sister’s conversion to veganism is definitely broadening my meagre baking horizons! Thank you.
Hi Jen! No worries at all! Yes, caster sugar is the same thing as granulated sugar, I believe. It’s very fine sugar. You can do this by hand as well, you just might get an arm workout! I would use a whisk for the aquafaba, and a large wooden spoon or something similar for the rest. Hope that helps, and happy baking!
turned out great, your recipes always do, you’re my go-to. thank you
Thank you so much, that’s great to hear!
I made your cake for my daughter’s birthday this weekend! It was a hit with both vegans and non-vegans alike! I followed the recipe exactly as written, and it turned out wonderful. Thank you!
I’m so happy to hear the cake worked out so well for your daughter’s birthday! Thank you for commenting to let me know. 🙂
Would using cake flour work in place of all purpose?
Yes, that should work just fine.
Went for it and subbed cake flour for all purpose and the three layer cake and dozen cupcakes (two batches of batter) turned out over the top perfect.
Thank you so much for sharing this most perfect recipe. <3
Forgot to mention..the ratio is different for cake flour. For every cup of all purpose you use 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons cake flour sifted 🙂
I did a little research !
Hello Nora
Thank you for the delicious vanilla cake!
I’d like to make this cake with a cherry almond theme
Do you think I can incorporate chopped up sweetened jarred cherries and almond extract without compromising the results?
Thanks!!
Mari
Hi Mari! Yes I think that would be very delicious, and wouldn’t compromise the cake. Good luck!
I know this comment is old BUT… how did the almond and cherry additions work out for you?
Thanks!
Jen
I am a professional cake decorator, and have a wedding request for a vegan cake. I’ve done a fair amount of vegan baking, but haven’t made vegan vanilla for a few years and couldn’t find the recipe I used to use. I tried this, and was so impressed by the results. I’ve heard of aquafaba, but never used it before, and it was amazing how well it worked. Definitely the best textured and moist vegan vanilla that I’ve tried. Thanks for sharing!
Wow! I am honored that you made and loved this vanilla cake, thank you!! So glad you enjoyed it.
You are my favorite food blogger for cakes! Your recipes are absolutely delicious. I love this cake and am planning on making it again this weekend but will need to do gluten free this time. Have you tried this with GF flour and did it turn out okay?
Aw thank you so much! I have tried it gluten free before, using King Arthur flour and it worked quite well. Hope you love it!
What could you replace the vegan butter with? Will be making this for my sons first birthday! Trying to avoid canola oils that usually are in vegan butters. OR what are your thoughts on Miyokos vegan butter ?
Hi! Miyoko’s should work quite well. You could also use coconut oil in the cake. For the frosting, you really need to use some kind of vegan butter, but Miyoko’s should work fine. Hope you enjoy and your son has a wonderful 1st birthday! 🙂
Hi Nora! Instead of the aquafaba can I make a flax egg instead ?
I am sure you could, I’ve also used applesauce in place of it with good results as well. For flax eggs, I would use probably use two (2 tablespoons ground flax with 5 tablespoons water.)
I can’t use any kind of vinegar. Can I substitute something or leave it out?
You could substitute lemon juice. I think you could leave it out if you needed to.
Just wondering if i could make this in a 10inch cake pan?
It will be quite a lot of batter for just 1 10-inch cake pan. It may work, but it will be one tall cake and will take longer to bake.
Hi, I was wondering if i could leave the butter out and just use oil. I want to make this for a friend of mine but she hates the taste of butter.
Yes, that should work just fine. I hope she enjoys the cake!
The cake came out great! My friend absolutely loved it, thank you!
I’m so glad!! 🙂
About to try this recipe for Mother’s Day tomorrow!
Was just wander if you used 1 cup of oil instead of half butter and half oil? I was hoping to avoid using vegan butter as well.
TIA!
Just made this for my son’s 18th. Delicious! Easy recipe to follow and the cake consistency is amazing. Thanks!
So glad you enjoyed the vanilla cake, thank you!
Can I make this gluten free?
You could try using a gluten free flour mix, but I’ve never tried it so I really can’t vouch for the results. I’ve heard good things about Bob’s Red Mill All Purpose Gluten Free Flour.
This recipe is amazing! I tried two other recipes before yours and they failed the delicious test. Your cake is delicious, moist, and fluffy. Thank you for sharing.
Thanks Alicia! I’m so glad this vanilla cake passed the delicious test for you! 🙂
So delicious!! One of the best cakes I’ve ever had. Thank you for a go-to recipe!
I really want to try this. But i dont do gluten. Can u pls advise alternative flours? And not the ” gluten free” the oats/almonds ets…
Much appreciated! Cant wait to try this
I’m not quite sure what you are looking for, but I think you would have the best luck making this gluten free with a quality gluten free flour mix. You can buy one, or make your own. I don’t think oat flour or almond flour would work for this recipe, sorry!