This vegan strawberry cake is the ultimate plant-based dessert. Rich, moist strawberry cake is layered with an indulgent strawberry buttercream frosting. No one would ever guess it's entirely vegan!
This vegan strawberry cake is the latest addition to my growing collection of vegan cakes. I actually created this one nearly two years ago, but simply ran out of time to take photos and get it posted! Crazy, huh?
But better late than never! And this strawberry cake is worth the wait. It's a completely indulgent vegan dessert, that no one would ever guess is entirely egg and dairy-free.
The secret ingredient in this cake is aquafaba - which does an incredible job of replacing the egg whites used in traditional cake. You get all of the moisture, without adding any strange flavors to the batter.
The recipe for this cake was inspired by this cake from Sally's Baking Addiction. I'd made it once before, and it was incredibly delicious. But I wanted a vegan cake- and that one is filled with eggs and dairy - so I set out experimenting to make the perfect vegan version!
The eggs were replaced with aquafaba, the milk was replaced with almond milk, the butter was replaced with coconut oil - and a few more tweaks to make it perfect.
Tips & Tricks
Soften the coconut oil
I like to keep my coconut oil (this is a great brand) in the pantry at room temperature, so it's always ready to go. If you keep yours in the fridge, you'll want to leave it out for an hour or so to soften before using it in this recipe. If it's too cold, the consistency will not work.
Cooking with Aquafaba
I use aquafaba (the liquid from a can of chickpeas) fairly often. It's perfect for replacing egg whites, and makes an appearance in many vegan baking cookbooks. It's also the star of my 3-Ingredient Vegan Chocolate Mousse and critical to my Vegan Puff Pastry recipe.
Freeze Dried Strawberries
These really are a critical ingredient for the strawberry frosting on this vegan cake. They grind up into a fine powder, which you can easily whisk into the frosting for that delicious strawberry flavor. I used this kind, which I ordered on Amazon. If you prefer a plain vanilla frosting, you could also use this vegan buttercream frosting.
Use a stand mixer
While you could use a handheld mixer, this cake is really a lot easier to make using a stand mixer. I love my KitchenAid mixer, and highly recommend the brand if you are in the market for a new mixer!
More Vegan Cake Recipes
If you love this vegan strawberry cake, be sure to check out these other delicious vegan cake recipes:
Recipe
Equipment
- Two 8" Cake Pans
Ingredients
- 2 ¼ cups all purpose flour
- ¼ cup cornstarch
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp salt
- ¾ cup coconut oil plus 1 tbsp softened
- 1 ¾ cups sugar
- 10 tbsp aquafaba
- ⅓ cup dairy-free yogurt
- ½ cup almond milk
- ½ cup strawberry puree directions in this recipe
- red food coloring optional
Strawberry Puree
- 1 pound strawberries fresh hulled
Vegan Strawberry Buttercream Frosting
- 1 cup freeze dried strawberries
- 1 cup coconut oil softened
- 4 cups confectioner's sugar
- ¼ cup almond milk
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Instructions
Make the Strawberry Puree
- Puree the strawberries in a blender.
- Pour the pureed strawberries into a small saucepan. Cook over medium-low heat for approximately 30 minutes, until reduced by half.
- Remove from heat and allow to cool to room temperature. You can place it in the fridge for a half hour to speed up the cooling (exact time will depend on how cold your fridge is).
Make the Vegan Strawberry Cake
- In a mixing bowl, combine the dry ingredients (flour, cornstarch, baking powder, baking soda, and salt). Set aside.
- In the stand mixer, cream together the coconut oil and sugar. Beat on high speed until creamy and well combined.
- Slowly whisk in the aquafaba on medium speed.
- Add the dairy-free yogurt and vanilla, and mix until combined.
- Add the dry ingredients and start mixing on low speed.
- Add the almond milk and whisk on medium speed until well combined.
- Whisk in the strawberry puree, and mix until the batter is smooth. You may add a couple drops of red food coloring at this point, if you want a more red cake (this is purely aesthetic - I used one drop).
- Prepare the cake pans by spraying with non-stick cooking spray and lightly sprinkling with flour.
- Pour batter evenly into the two cake pans.
- Bake for 30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.
- Set cakes aside to cool before frosting.
Make the Vegan Strawberry Buttercream Frosting
- In a blender, grind the freeze dried strawberries into a fine powder.
- In a stand mixer, whisk the coconut oil for a minute until creamy.
- Add the confectioner's sugar, almond milk, and vanilla. Whisk on high speed until you have a smooth and creamy frosting.
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