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.
I made this using gluten-free flour, and it came out amazing! I’m going to use aquafaba as my egg substitute going forward.
Hi Donna. I’m glad my vanilla cake turned out amazing for you! Thank you for sharing!
Hi Nora! Love your recipes. Just one question, can you try to add less sugar in any layer cake?
You can try, but if you cut it too much it will affect the structure of the cake. Thanks!
This turned out amazing!!! Thank you and I appreciate your help on my last comment. I never got an email to reply back it’s weird but I did notice it on here so thank you!! I have one question though… I was wondering for the cake flour is Swanson cake flour vegan friendly?
I’m so glad! I’m not sure why you didn’t get an email alerting you, I will check that out and make sure it’s working the way it should. Yes, Swanson is vegan friendly as far as I know. Thank you!
Hi! We love absolutely all of your baking recipes — a true lifesaver for our daughter who is allergic to dairy and eggs. Unfortunately she is also allergic to chickpeas. Do you have any suggestions for a replacement for the chickpea liquid in this recipe?
I’ve heard that other bean liquids work the same, so maybe try the liquid from a can of navy or white beans? I wouldn’t use black bean liquid because of the color. 🙂 Thank you so much! If you really needed to, you could sub a few flax eggs, but the cake won’t be a light and fluffy.
We have been advised to avoid all legumes until further testing is available (delayed due to COVID). Would Bob’s Egg Replacer work? If so, how many “eggs”would I need?
I’ve never tried it, so it’s hard to know for sure. It would probably work okay, though I would use cake flour so the cake isn’t too dense. I would say 4 eggs worth.
Can I just say you’re super amazing?! Thank you for replying!!
Aw thank you! 🙂
Hi Nora! how many grams do you do for one cup of cake flour? thanks. and what brand do you use? thank you!
I don’t personally bake using grams, I use cups. I have used various brands of cake flour, whatever is available near me. Hope that helps!
This is by far the best vegan vanilla cake I have tried. Made it this week for my daughter’s bday…she loved it!!!
Hi Eva. Glad the cake turned out great for your daughter’s birthday! Thank you for sharing!
If I cant use aguafab, what substitute can I use.
Can you use the liquid from a can of white beans, NOT chickpeas? That would work the same. If you can have any bean liquid, you could try another egg replacer, but I haven’t tested it so I’m not sure what would work best. Maybe Bob’s Egg replacer?
Hi Nora! I tried your chocolate cake and I and my sister loved it! I replaced the hot water with hot coffee, which worked great. I’m excited to try this vanilla cake too but was wondering if I could leave out the butter and use only the 1/2 cup of canola oil? Or would I have to add in another 1/2 cup of oil in place of the omitted butter? Thanks and God bless you!
Hi there! I’m so glad you love the chocolate cake. I’m afraid the cake will be much too dry if you leave out the vegan butter, and it will be missing that buttery flavor. You could maybe add a whole cup of canola oil instead, but I haven’t tried it to be sure. Thanks so much, hope you enjoy it!
This cake sounds and looks amazing!! I want to make this for a friends birthday this weekend, but I’m wanting to use an 8” or 9” square pan. Do you know how long I would need to bake this for if go this route? Would it be the same?
Thank you, I hope you love it! So the recipe as written will be too much for one 8 or 9 inch pan. I would cut the recipe in half, or make two 8 or 9 inch cakes. They will need about 25-35 minutes to bake, but this does depend a bit on your oven so make sure to check it often after 25 minutes. It’s done when a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Hope that helps and you enjoy the cake!
Hello Nora! I just wanted to start off by saying how inspirational you are to me when I bake in my kitchen. All I bake is vegan desserts. And you are always my go to for baking anything sweet. So thank youuu. Now my question is,
I have never used aquafaba, and I just happen to have canned chickpeas, so I’m going to use the aquafaba my first time using this recipe. However if I ever came to where I don’t have a can of chickpeas, could I use Bob’s Red Mill Egg Replacer? And if I can then how much for this recipe? I do t ever mean to ask a complex question, but I was just curious. Thank you Nora for doing what you do!
Hi Danielle! Thank you so much, that is wonderful to hear! Aquafaba is really great here because it helps the cake be light and fluffy. I haven’t tried using Bob’s egg replacer, it would likely work but the cake might not be as moist or fluffy. I’m sure it would work in a pinch though! Hope you love the cake.
Hi thank you for this recipe! Regarding the aquafaba, I’m curious how it should look like after whisking it for a bit. Is it ok to use an electric mixer for one minute or should it be hand whisked? I want to make sure I get it light and foamy. Thanks!
You can use an electric mixer or simply whisk by hand. I’ve recently found that an immersion blender works fast and well for this, too. It should be white and foamy, but it doesn’t need to have stiff peaks. Hope that helps!
Wow, this cake looks fantastic! I love the amount of yummy butter and aquafaba in it. I was wondering if I could put sprinkles in it for my best friend’s birthday. Would it work, or is the cake too soft and the colors will bleed?
Thank you, I hope you like it! You can put sprinkles in it, some sprinkle brands bleed while others don’t, it doesn’t really have much to do with the cake itself. I love Sweetopolia for vegan sprinkles, they never bleed.
I am so excited to try out this recipe ! The only butter I have currently is country crock with avocado. Do you think the avocado will adjust the flavor of my cake and icing ?
I’ve been using that one recently and the flavor is nice and not strong. It will work great! Enjoy!
Do you use the Earth Balance sticks with salt or the unsalted ones? I just bought some unsalted buttery sticks but I’m thinking if you use salted, I may increase the salt a bit in the cake recipe. Thanks!
When I created this recipe, unsalted vegan butter was not available, so I used salted. If you use the unsalted (which is fine) I would add a little more salt. Thank you!
I used this as a trial run for my daughter’s wedding cake .She said it was good, we loved it. I froze the leftover cake to sue as trifle for Christmas. I defrosted beautifully and was jsut as tasty and moist as when we ate the first one.
Hi Alison. What a wonderful idea for the vanilla cake! I’m glad it is working well for you and that you are enjoying it. Thank you!
This cake is so delicious however whenever I make it the sponge is so tender and delicate I can barely handle it. What do you suggest?
I handle all cakes very gently when moving them around. I’m not sure what else to suggest, but the cake shouldn’t be so fragile it falls apart easily, they are pretty sturdy. But it’s always good to handle cakes carefully so they don’t break.
This looks so yummy and moist! I have had so much success with all your recipes! Thanks for posting such great content. Does it matter if the vegan butter is a stick or from a tub? Some baking recipes are super specific about only using the sticks.
Thank you so much! I prefer using the sticks, but I have definitely used the tub when needed. Either is fine. 🙂
Best cake I have ever made I wish I could insert a photo! Everyone said it tastes so fresh even when it was two days old.
That’s so great!
I made this for a party, and nobody could believe it was vegan! It’s so delicious and tender.
That’s so great to hear!
I cooked this today as a trial run for my daughter’s wedding cake. She has final say and won’t taste it until next week but hubby and I really like it. The very bottom seemed almost like it wasn’t cooked but the skewer came out perfectly cleanly so it must have been. It has such a beautiful flavour, is a perfect height for stacking and best of all, it doesn’t need levelling.
Amazing! I made this cake, along with the vanilla frosting for my moms birthday. Knocked it out of the ballpark! My mom was practically begging to keep the rest of the cake. This definitely has become my new go-to!
I’m so glad she loved it! Thank you so much.
When my son suddenly said he wanted vanilla cupcakes for his birthday, instead of chocolate, I knew I should look at your website for a recipe. This recipe was perfect! Thank you!
You’re welcome!
Hi Nora,
Help. I have made this cake 3 times but the last two times the cakes cracked. Can you help me ? What am I doing wrong ?
Thank you
Natasha.
Usually when a cake cracks it’s because you are over baking it. Ovens can vary temperature wise, so you may need to bake it for a little less time to avoid cracking. Bake only until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Hope that helps!
Hi Nora, i really loved the texture and softness of this cake. Its so so good. I’m gonna keep this recipe handy always from now on.
I need to make a 6″ 2 layer cake tomorrow, how can I cut this recipe? Its so confusing, any thoughts?
Hmm I haven’t tried it so I’m not sure. I have made a triple layer 6 inch cake with this recipe, so you could do that, and perhaps just freeze one of the cakes for another time. I’m afraid if you cut the recipe in half you won’t have quite enough batter.
This looks good, excited to make this!! Can I use salted canned chickapea for the aquafaba? If so would I need to omit/decrease the salt and by how much?
Thanks for your great recipes Nora! My fam and I always love trying your vegan desserts
Yes, that’s fine. I always use salted cans actually. Thank you so much, enjoy!
The recipe looks awesome and reviews great. So I am going to attempt using this recipe for a 1/4 size sheet pan size. Just a few questions: how long should I bake for, do I need to adjust the recipe amounts and can I torte this cake to make even for frosting? Will I be able to do a crumb coat put in fridge then do my second buttercream coat to smooth out? Sorry so many questions.
Thanks Jeanette, I hope you enjoy the cake. 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. I’m honestly not sure about torting the cake or a crumb coat, you might have to play with that.