This vegan vanilla cake is soft, tender, and full of vanilla flavor, with a fluffy crumb that makes it perfect for birthdays, celebrations, or any time you're craving a classic layer cake. Just like my vegan yellow cake and vegan funfetti cake, this recipe is made without eggs or dairy, but you don't need specialty ingredients or complicated techniques to make it.
Quick Look: Vegan Vanilla Cake
- Method: Whisk the cake batter together in a bowl, then use a stand mixer or hand mixer to mix the frosting until light and fluffy.
- Why Make THIS Version? Tender and moist cake with light and fluffy buttercream for a showstopping dessert everyone will love.
- No Need To: Use eggs or dairy to create a moist cake with a fluffy crumb. This cake recipe is completely vegan!
- Secret to Success: Chill the cake layers in the freezer for 30 minutes to make stacking easier.
- Key Ingredients: All-purpose flour, non-dairy milk, non-dairy butter, leaveners, sugar.
- Calories/Serving: 658 kcal.
- Decorate it With: Fresh fruit, rainbow or chocolate sprinkles, candy or piped buttercream.
- Freezer-Friendly: Yes. Separately freeze the cake layers and the frosting for up to a month. Then, just thaw and assemble.
I've been a professional baker for 15 years, and layer cakes, like my vegan lemon cake and vegan coconut cake, are my favorite recipes to make and create. It is all about striking the perfect balance between soft, fluffy cake texture and enough sturdiness for stacking and frosting. And this vegan vanilla cake recipe strikes the perfect balance.
And if you are a beginner, don't worry! I've trained new bakers to decorate cakes for years. I'll walk you through mixing and baking the cake layers, preparing the frosting, and stacking and frosting your cake, with step-by-step photos and tips from my years of cake decorating experience.
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Why You'll Love This Vegan Cake Recipe
- This Vegan Vanilla Cake is easy to make and bakes up moist and fluffy thanks to melted vegan butter and non-dairy milk.
- It is absolutely delicious and has bold vanilla flavor in the cake and in the vegan vanilla frosting.
- Decorate it with fresh berries, sprinkles, candy, or piped buttercream to make it your own.
- My vanilla cake recipe is made without eggs or milk, so anyone can enjoy it!
- In this post, I show you step-by-step how to stack the cake layers, so even a beginner can make this recipe.
Ingredient Notes
All-Purpose Flour: I use all-purpose flour for my layer cake recipes, like my vegan chocolate cake, rather than cake flour. All-purpose flour gives enough structure to stack and frost without becoming dense. Cake flour has less protein, which can create a crumb that is too delicate for stacking.
Vegan Butter: It is important to use a vegan butter that comes in a stick or block form, especially for the frosting, because it has a firmer texture. If you use vegan butter that comes in a tub, the frosting will be too soft to support the cake layers.
Using butter instead of oil in the cake layers adds flavor and much-needed structure to the cake. Since butter is a solid at room temperature, it gives the cake structure as it cools, while still adding to the cake's moistness.
Baking Powder and Baking Soda: I use a combination of baking powder and baking soda in all of my cake recipes, like my Earl Grey Lavender Cake, for a light and tender cake. Baking soda also promotes browning throughout baking. Combining these leaveners creates a tender cake that is sturdy enough to frost.
Non-Dairy Milk: I always have oat milk on hand, so that is what I usually use. But I have also used soy milk and boxed coconut milk, and they work with identical results.
Vanilla Extract: The vegan cake layers and vanilla frosting both get big doses of vanilla extract for bold vanilla flavor in every bite. If you are looking for more vanilla recipes, try my vegan vanilla pound cake!
Lemon Juice or Vinegar: I used lemon juice, but white vinegar or apple cider vinegar also work. You will not taste this in the final cake. It activates the baking soda for a light, tender cake.
Variations
I used vanilla frosting, but you can also use my Vegan Chocolate Buttercream Frosting, Vegan Cream Cheese Frosting, Vegan Lemon Buttercream Frosting, or Maple Bourbon Buttercream Frosting.
How to Make the Cake Layers and Frosting
Step 1. In a large mixing bowl, combine sugar, non-dairy milk, melted vegan butter, vanilla extract, and vinegar or lemon juice. Whisk well until everything is combined.
Step 2. Add the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt, and whisk to form the batter. It should be about the texture of pancake batter. It is okay if a few lumps remain.
Step 3. Divide the batter into two prepared 8-inch round cake pans and spread the batter out evenly using a spatula. If you have a kitchen scale, it will be 22 ounces per pan.
Now, bake the vegan vanilla cake layers in a 350°F oven for 25-28 minutes. A toothpick inserted into the center of a cake layer should come out clean, and the cake should be browned around the edges and golden on top.
Allow the layers to cool completely before frosting, then place in the freezer for 30 minutes to chill the cake layers before frosting.
Step 5. To make the vegan vanilla frosting, cream vegan butter in a large bowl using a hand mixer.
Take your time with this step. The butter needs to be completely smooth for a smooth frosting.
Next, add powdered sugar and mix on low until combined. The mixture will look very thick here.
Then, add vanilla and non-dairy milk and mix on medium speed until the frosting is light and fluffy.
How to Stack and Decorate This Vegan Vanilla Cake
Step 7. To stack the Vegan Vanilla Cake, place one cake layer upside down on a cake board or a cake stand. This ensures you start with an even, flat surface.
Then, scoop about ¾ cup of vanilla frosting on top.
Step 8. Next, use a metal offset spatula or a butter knife to evenly spread the frosting across the top of the cake, all the way to the edges.
Step 9. Flip the remaining cake layer upside down and place it on top of the frosted layer.
Step 10. Frost the outside of the layer cake using the same spatula or knife. I topped my cake with a few rainbow sprinkles, but you can use any garnishes you like!
Vegan Vanilla Cake FAQs
Place the cake in a large cake box or other large container and store it in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
I recommend allowing the cake to sit at room temperature for at least 20 minutes before serving. Cold cake has a drier mouthfeel than room temperature cake.
Yes! Bake the cake layers, then allow them to cool completely. Turn them out of the cake pans and wrap them with plastic wrap and freeze for up to a month. On the day you want to stack and decorate the cake, remove the cake layers from the freezer for 10 minutes, make the frosting, and proceed with the recipe.
Vegan cake is made of the same ingredients as regular cake: flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. The only difference is that vegan cakes use non-dairy butter and non-dairy milk.
This recipe would make way too many cupcakes, so I recommend making my Vegan Vanilla Cupcakes recipe instead. It makes exactly 12 cupcakes.
You can use 9-inch cake pans. The cake layers will just be a little bit thinner, and you will need to adjust the baking time to 20 minutes. A toothpick inserted into the center of the cake should come out clean, and the cake should be brown around the edges.
Don't use 6-inch cake pans, though. You will have way too much batter.
Megan's Expert Tips
Make sure that the vegan butter is at room temperature for making the vanilla frosting. It will be much easier to mix to a light and fluffy texture.
When I teach beginners to decorate cakes, I always recommend freezing the layers for 30 minutes before stacking the cake. This chills the cake, making it firmer, sturdier, and easier to work with. You can move it around without smashing it, and it won't wobble as you decorate it.
Cake thaws really quickly, so by the time you are finished decorating your vegan vanilla cake, it will be thawed and ready to serve.
Looking for More Vegan Cake recipes?
If you tried this Vegan Vanilla Cake recipe or any other recipe on my website, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it went in the 📝 comments below. Thanks for visiting today!
📖 Recipe
Vegan Vanilla Cake
Equipment
- 1 Large Mixing Bowl
- 1 Whisk
- 2 8" Round Cake Pans
- 1 Hand Mixer or Stand Mixer
- 1 Cake Stand
- 1 Metal Offset Spatula
Ingredients
For the Vanilla Cake Layers
- 2 ⅔ Cups All-Purpose Flour
- 1 tablespoon Baking Powder
- ¼ teaspoon Baking Soda
- ¼ teaspoon Kosher Salt
- 1 ½ Cup Granulated Sugar
- 1 ½ Cup Non-Dairy Milk
- 9 tablespoon Vegan Butter, melted
- 1 tablespoon Lemon Juice or White Vinegar
- 1 tablespoon Vanilla Extract
For the Vanilla Frosting
- 24 tablespoon Vegan Butter, room temperature
- 6 Cups Powdered Sugar, sifted
- 1 tablespoon Vanilla Extract
- 3 tablespoon Non-Dairy Milk
Instructions
To Make the Vanilla Cake Layers
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease two 8-inch round cake pans with coconut oil or pan spray. Insert a parchment circle into the bottom of each pan.
- In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Whisk together and set aside.2 ⅔ Cups All-Purpose Flour, 1 Tbsp Baking Powder, ¼ tsp Baking Soda, ¼ tsp Kosher Salt
- In a large bowl, combine sugar, non-dairy milk, melted vegan butter, lemon juice or vinegar and vanilla. Whisk to combine.1 ½ Cup Granulated Sugar, 1 ½ Cup Non-Dairy Milk, 9 Tbsp Vegan Butter, melted, 1 Tbsp Lemon Juice or White Vinegar, 1 Tbsp Vanilla Extract
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and whisk to form the batter. Then, divide the batter between the two prepared cake pans. If you are using a scale, it will be about 22 ounces of batter per pan. Then, use a spatula to spread the batter out evenly.
- Bake the cakes in a 350° oven for 25-28 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cakes comes out clean. Allow the cakes to cool completely before frosting.
Make the Vanilla Frosting
- In a large bowl using a hand mixer, or in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream the vegan butter until completely smooth.24 Tbsp Vegan Butter, room temperature
- Add the powdered sugar and mix on low until combined. Then, add the vanilla and mix until combined. Finally, add the non-dairy milk and mix on medium speed until light and fluffy.6 Cups Powdered Sugar, sifted, 1 Tbsp Vanilla Extract, 3 Tbsp Non-Dairy Milk
Stack and Frost the Cake
- Place one layer of cake upside down on a cake stand or a cake plate. Top the cake layer with about ¾ cup of frosting and use a metal spatula to spread the frosting evenly across the cake.
- Top with the remaining cake layer, then frost the exterior of the cake.
- Decorate as desired and serve!
Jessica says
Hi! I’m looking to make a mini cake with your recipe so using two 4in pans.
Would I just cut the recipe in half?
Megan Calipari says
Yes, that's what I'd recommend! It will still probably be too much cake batter, but it can be hard to divide more than that with the fractions. So maybe make a few cupcakes with the additional batter!
Cindy says
Hi there!
this recipe look so yummy!!
can we do it gluten free ?
thank you
Megan says
Hi! I’ve made this cake once already but wanting to adapt for cupcakes. About how many would this make? And what should the bake time be?
Megan Calipari says
Hi! This recipe will make about 24 cupcakes. And I'd start with a bake time of 18-20 minutes. Use the toothpick test to make sure they are done!
Megan says
Hi! Can I make this 2 days ahead of time? If so, should I wrap in Saran and freeze the cake or pop them in fridge after they have cooled? How far in advance can I make the icing? Thank you!
Megan Calipari says
Hi! Allow the cake layers to cool completely, then wrap them tightly with plastic wrap. And you can actually stack the cake while the layers are still frozen. It will give you more stability. You can make the frosting up to 2 weeks ahead of time, but you need to let it come to room temperature, then add it to your mnixer and whip it back up until it is smooth and fluffy before using it. Let me know if you have any more questions!
Lauren says
Hi, Megan! What all-purpose flour do you prefer for your cakes and cupcakes? Does unbleached make a difference?
Megan Calipari says
Hi! I use King Arthur All-Purpose Flour in my cakes and cookies. You can use either bleached or unbleached- it doesn't make a difference in baking. I use unbleached flour as a personal preference, but use what is accessible to you!