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.
Finally! A vegan vanilla cake recipe that is moist and delicious! This is my new go-to recipe! THANK YOU!
Hi! Planning on baking this for our first vegan birthday cake 😍 … in reading all of the notes it sounds like a lot of people seemed very happy with using yogurt instead of the aquafaba … Just wondering what you would think the possible difference between the two cakes might be because now I can’t decide if I should go with the original recipe with Aquafaba or with yogurt since so many people seem to be so happy with it! We’ve only baked vegan cookies and muffins up to this point and birthday cake feels like a whole different ball game as far as expectations lol
I really like how using vegan yogurt is easier than aquafaba, and honestly, I can’t tell the difference between the two! I’ve tested it several times. I hope you have a wonderful first vegan birthday!
I’ve just made this for the first time for my daughter’s birthday as a few friends/family have different dietary requirements. Usually I’d go for a traditional cake recipe so was a bit nervous to use a vegan one, but have just my tester mini cake and it’s very delicious! I appreciated the nice clear instructions, whisking the chickpea liquid is a cool learning experience! I notice it’s quite a moist cake – better than too dry but something I might try experimenting with cooking times to perfect.
I am hoping to prep the cakes a few days in advance. How would you advise storing the cake itself (without frosting)? I was curious if I could freeze them?
You could make the cake a few days ahead of time, not much more than 2 or 3 though. For optimal freshness, freeze them, then thaw and frost when ready to serve. Once frosted, 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. Happy cooking!
Thank you so much <3 we always love your recipes!
You bet, Cass! I so appreciate you using my recipes! Thanks for your positive review and feedback!
Have you ever baked this or your other cakes with a water bath? Also how do you feel about olive oil? I am excited to make your vegan cake and have been back and forth comparing your recipe to a non-vegan cake my daughter saw on YouTube and wants it for her birthday: https://pastryliving.com/fluffy-strawberry-cream-cake-chiffon-cake/
I have never tried baking cakes with a water bath, no. I’m not sure I’ve used olive oil in a cake either! If you try my cake recipe, I hope you love it. I’d love to veganize that strawberry chiffon cake, it looks great.
Hi Nora, if I am using 6” baking pans, how long should it be in the oven?
Hi Marina. I would say bake the cake layers for about 18-22 minutes. Hope this helps!
I didn’t remember seeing whether anyone asked about using almond milk instead of soy milk. Would it be okay to swap the almond for the soy and if so is there anything different I need to do to the recipe?
Almond or oat milk is fine, it doesn’t have to be soy milk.
Can I use a different neutral oil other than canola?
Absolutely, any neutral flavored oil will work. I like avocado oil.
Good to know 🙂 also I’m assuming I can’t replace the vegan butter with additional oil?
You might be able to, but it would miss the buttery flavor and it might turn out rather dense, I’m not totally sure though.
Wow. Fabulous recipe! After trying MANY different vegan vanilla cake recipes, I’ve found THE ONE! The texture with the cake flour makes all the difference. Thank you for sharing your wonderful recipe!
You are welcome, Jo! I’m thrilled you loved the cake! Thank you for sharing your encouraging review and feedback!
I absolutely LOVE this cake! I am hoping to adapt my mother’s 7 layer chocolate cake to work with this recipe. She uses Duncan Hines Butter Golden mix but doesn’t follow their instructions. One thing she includes is 8 oz. of sour cream. Would it be crazy to add sour cream to your vanilla cake recipe?
Hi Sam! I’m so happy you love this cake! I wouldn’t just add 8 ounces of sour cream to this recipe; it’s already quite moist and delicate and I’m afraid it will make it dense and too moist. However, you could use (vegan, I’m guessing to keep it vegan?) 1/2 cup of sour cream in place of the aquafaba. If you wanted. Hope that helps!
This is a very good vanilla cake recipe. Light and fluffy, just like you’d hope. My only problem is that the cupcakes are sinking in the middle.
I’m filling the cups halfway, but 18/24 end up sinking in. Baking powder is new. I’m not over mixing—almost positive I’m not because the texture is perfect. What am I doing wrong?
If they sink a little bit, I don’t personally worry about it because I pipe frosting on anyhow. But if you really want cupcakes that dome on top, perhaps try adding a little extra flour to the batter, about an extra 1/4-1/2 cup and see if that is more to your liking. You can also try my Vegan Vanilla Cupcakes recipe instead.
I make this cake often and it’s incredible.
Yesterday, I was measuring and doing all the cake things while multitasking. Instead of 1 1/4 cup milk I only used 1/4 cup. And also first time trying with new revised recipe. When I pulled the cakes out of the oven I knew something was off. Didn’t know about omitting an entire cup of milk. Turned cakes out onto cooling racks. After cooled, I retraced my steps and figured out where I went wrong. Couldn’t use the cakes so I cut into them. Oh my they were moist and reminded me of sweet bread with a nice crust!!! I cut them into squares and we enjoyed with coffee this morning. What I thought was a fail turned out to be a pleasant surprise.
Rebaked the cake this morning with correct measurements and of course they turned out lovely 🥰
Well I’m glad to hear even the off batch turned out good enough to enjoy with some coffee! Thank you. 🙂
Hi! I’m making this today- if I’m using yogurt instead of aquafaba, do I still need the cream of tartar?
No, you do not need cream of tartar if using yogurt instead. Enjoy!
I am not a cake person but wow wow wow!!!! This cake was sooo good! The first time I baked it I used the flour/cornstarch mix and it was good, but the texture was like cornbread (which gave me the idea to adjust this recipe for vegan cornbread also!). The second time I used true cake flour and that made all the difference. I also used the vegan yogurt substitute (Forager vanilla favored) and had no issues. Keep a close eye on the timer as one of my cakes had a slight crust at 36 minutes cook time, but I don’t mind. I paired with vegan whipped cream and strawberries on the side. Absolutely delicious.
Hi Maria. Your whipped cream and strawberries serving idea sounds so delicious! Thanks for sharing your fabulous review and feedback. Wishing you lots of happy cooking!
Thank you for this recipe! I rarely leave feedback regarding recipes, but need to say that I love this cake (and I am not vegan)! I’ve tried a few vegan vanilla cake recipes, and this one is lovely and delicious. The texture is wonderful. I made it as a 2 layer, 8” round cake, and also as a half sheet cake. No issues at all with the cake coming out of the pan, being frosted, or staying delicious for days. I used vegan Greek yogurt instead of aquafaba. This will be my “go to” recipe for vegan family members.
You are welcome, Barbara! I’m thrilled this is now your go vegan cake recipe! Your feedback is so encouraging! Thank you for taking time to share. Wishing you lots of happy cooking!
I have made this cake so many times, the old recipe and the updated one. Both were amazing. My question is, do you think it would be OK to make this recipe into a funfetti cake? Or do you think it would be better to use your actual funfetti cake recipe? The only reason I would prefer to use this base is because I’ve made it many times so I am confident bringing it to a birthday party full of non-vegans 😆
I just didn’t know if adding sprinkles to the batter would make the cake more crumbly or less stable?
Thank you so much! 🤍🤍
I’m glad you’ve made this vanilla cake so many times and are enjoying it, thank you! You can absolutely just add sprinkles to this recipe, I have done it several times and it works great. It won’t make the cake more crumbly or anything.
Hello Nora!
I’m going to be baking a big ol cake and your dessert recipes have never let me down. It’s going to be 12”, 10” and 8”. Do you have any tips for adjusting cooking times for these different sizes? Thanks in advance
Hi there! Thanks for enjoying my recipes! Gosh, that will depend on a lot of factors and you just might have to play it by ear and test with a toothpick often while baking those different sizes. For example, are you doubling the recipe and how much batter will go in each pan?
Yes, I was planning on doubling the recipe (maybe even tripling, don’t mind having leftover batter) to make sure I have enough to get them all done. Was planning on filling each pan half way
Sounds good! I would do a toothpick check after 25-30 minutes on each cake to know when they’re done. The larger the pan, the longer the cakes will take in the oven. What a fun cake!
One word, WOW! I wanted to bake a gender reveal cake for the grandparents to know that we were having a baby girl and simply amazing! I did both this recipe and the vegan buttercream frosting and this cake came out to be a HUGE success! I only had 9 Inch cake pans so I doubled the recipe and increased my bake time. I also used vegan protein yogurt instead of the aquafaba and chef’s kiss. What a reliable and delicious recipe! As a person with a dairy allergy and a huge sweet tooth, I eat vegan desserts to ensure safety (specially now with the pregnancy), however, cake recipes are not always as reliable. However this one, WORTH SAVING AND BAKING!! Can’t wait to continue baking from your recipes!
Congratulations to you all! I’m thrilled that you loved the cake! Sounds like a fun get together! Thanks for taking time to share your wonderful feedback and review!
Good Evening Nora, I used this vanilla cake recipe last year as the base for a cherry chip cake that I was making for my mom (turned out great like all of your recipes). But for the life of me I cannot remember the measurements of chopped maraschino cherries and almond extract that I used and was hoping you would have some idea of where to start? If not no worries but I thought I would ask just in case you have some advice.
H Jen, this sounds like such a great cake! I don’t really know where to start on amounts, but maybe if you look at a regular cherry chip cake recipe it will give you some idea and maybe remind you what you did last year? Sometime I’ll have to test out a recipe for this.
Your suggestion makes sense to me 🙂 Your cakes are always a hit and I am looking forward to when your version hits the internet. Thanks for your help!
Hi, I haven’t made this cake but I made your lemon cake and it was really good. A question: do you think it would be possible to successfuly make your vanilla cake as a full sheet cake? Someone wants to order it from me and I never really make such giant cakes so I am super intimidated. I guess I would have to multiply your recipe by 4 but do you think it would work out?
Hi there! Wow, that is a giant cake. 🙂 I’m not really sure, I don’t see why not but I don’t have much experience in making really large or complicated cakes. Good luck! Let me know if it works out.
This cake looks delicious! I’m looking to make a train cake for my son, I’m wondering if when it’s cut it can be iced all around without being crumbly?
Thanks!
Yes, if you are careful with icing it. I’m no expert cake decorator, but there are a lot of tips for icing and cutting cakes if you google it.
Hey Nora,
Firstly I want to say your recipes have been very useful to me! I loved this cake, and am being commissioned to do a special birthday cake which will be highly decorated. I need to make a bigger cake, have you ever doubled this recipe and made bigger cakes? I was thinking I would cover with Al foil and bake longer. But just wanted to check if you had done it and it was successful?
Hi there and I’m so glad my recipes have been helpful for you! Sounds like a fun cake. I haven’t doubled the recipe myself. Hopefully it still works well! If you try it, let me know how it turns out.
I have made this cake a couple of times now and it is so tasty, I always get great comments.
The only thing I find is my cakes tend to break apart, and the last time I made it I struggled to ice it as the icing pulled the cake away with it as I tried to smooth it out. What am I doing wrong? Please help 🙂
I’m glad you have enjoyed the cake a few times but I’m sorry you’re having issues with the cakes breaking. An important question – at what point are your cakes breaking? Is it when you transfer them to a cooling rack and handle them? If so, you need to handle them much more carefully. Grease the pans well, place a round of parchment paper on the bottom of each one so they pop out easily. If the icing is pulling away as you frost the cakes, likely your cakes are still warm somewhat. They must be cooled completely or this will happen. OR, your icing is simply too thick, in which case you need to thin it out a bit so it’s easier to spread. In each step, handle the cakes gently, not forcefully, to prevent breaking. Hope that helps somewhat!
This cake was so good! My partner said it was one of the best he’s ever had.
Some notes on the recipe:
I made it with cocobella yogurt and it was an absolute delight. Did not taste it in the final product.
The only trouble I faced was baking time, I baked it for nearly 40 mins and it was still pretty wet inside so I switched to convection and sadly my cake developed a bit of a crust lol. I’m sure with a bit of experimenting I can figure it out though!
Hi I read where you mentioned you could use an egg replacer if so would it be the same amount as the aquafaba? as well it’s powder form, does that work too? thank you soo much
Hi Nastasha. I have never tried this without aquafaba, however, you could use applesauce or two flax eggs. It won’t create the same fluffy texture as aquafaba. It will work though! Bob’s Red Mill Egg Replacer (2 eggs worth) could also work. I hope this helps!