This vegan vanilla cake is the perfect dessert for your next celebration! This moist, fluffy cake is covered in a creamy dairy-free frosting and it's easy to decorate for any occasion. And it’s 100% vegan!
All it takes to make this delicious plant-based cake is mixing together a few simple ingredients, pouring it into a cake pan, and popping it in the oven.
It's so simple - my five year old loves to help with it!
Frost it with a simple dairy-free "buttercream" frosting, add some sprinkles, and voilà! You have a beautiful cake that you didn’t have to spend hours decorating.
This vegan vanilla cake recipe is...
- Vegan
- Vegetarian
- Dairy-free
- Ready in 30 minutes.
- Perfect for a party.
- Easy to decorate for any occasion!
And if you're more of a chocolate lover, be sure to check out this vegan chocolate cake too.
If you love vegan baking, make sure you grab a copy of my free vegan baking cheat sheet while you're here. It's packed with all my favorite plant-based substitutions to help you vegan-ize any recipe!
How to Make Vegan Vanilla Cake
- Preheat the oven and grease your baking pan.
- Mix together non-dairy milk, vanilla extract, and vinegar. Let it sit.
- In another bowl, mix together the dry ingredients with vegan butter. Then pour the milk mixture in and combine everything.
- Pour the batter into the baking pan, and then place it on top of a baking tray.
- Bake the cake until it’s done.
- While the cake is baking, prepare the frosting.
- Beat together the icing sugar with vegan butter.
- Add the non-dairy milk and vanilla extract, and then whisk until it creates a white, creamy texture.
- Remove the cake from the oven and let it cool.
- Once cooled, cut the cake into two layers.
- Spread frosting on top of the first layer, and then cover it with the second layer.
- Use the rest of the frosting to decorate the whole cake, and add sprinkles!
- Enjoy!
Scroll down for the full recipe with measurements and detailed, printable instructions.
Tips & Tricks
Making Vegan Buttermilk
Were you wondering why we’re adding vinegar to this recipe?
When you combine dairy-free milk and vinegar, it makes a wonderful substitute for buttermilk. You get a vegan cake that is soft, fluffy, and richer in taste.
(And if you want more easy vegan baking substitutions, be sure to snag this free vegan baking cheat sheet!)
Make it Gluten Free
If you follow a gluten-free diet, then just switch out the flour for a gluten-free baking flour. I recommend this one from Bob's Red Mill.
The rest of the ingredients are naturally gluten free.
Variations
Top it with Fruit
Instead of sprinkles, try topping your vegan vanilla cake with fresh fruit. Berries are a great choice - strawberries, blueberries, or raspberries! (And they're also amazing on top of vegan cheesecake!)
Just make sure that you thoroughly dry the fruit before adding it to the cake. If you don’t, the water will make it all a bit mushy.
Try a Vegan Caramel Frosting
If you want to mix it up just a bit more, you might try a caramel frosting in place of this vegan buttercream frosting.
To make a simple version - just mix brown sugar, vegan butter, and non-dairy milk in a small pan until it boils. Let the mixture cool for a bit, and then whisk in icing sugar until it reaches the consistency you want.
You’ll want the frosting to be both thick and creamy. Make sure the caramel is sufficiently cooled — but not hardened before you mix in the icing sugar — or the frosting will come out too runny.
Or if you want a specific recipe to follow - this one is pretty good!
Decorate it for any Occassion
I love this cake because it's a great base recipe that you can tweak for just about any holiday. It’s like a blank canvas!
Need a birthday cake? Add a birthday message written in icing, and a few candles. Done! (Also be sure to check out this vegan birthday cake.)
Need a Halloween cake? Grab these spooky sprinkles.
Valentine's Day? Go for candy hearts.
You get the idea.
And don’t forget to grab a copy of my free vegan cheat sheet too! It’s packed with my favorite easy substitutions to help you make just about any recipe vegan!
Recipe
Ingredients
Dry Ingredients
- 2 cups self raising flour
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 tsp baking soda
Wet Ingredients
- ⅔ cup vegan butter
- 1 ½ cups dairy free milk such as almond or soy milk
- 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Vanilla Frosting
- ⅔ cup vegan butter
- 1 ½ cup icing sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tbsp almond milk
Decoration
- ½ cup sprinkles
Instructions
Make the Cake
- Preheat the oven to 350F (180C). Grease an 8" baking pan.
- Mix non-dairy milk, vanilla extract, and vinegar together. Let sit for a few minutes.
- In a large bowl, add all the dry ingredients. Add the vegan butter. Pour in the milk mixture and combine well with a wooden spoon.
- Pour the batter into a baking pan. Bake for about 60 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.
Make the Frosting
- In a stand mixer, beat the icing sugar and dairy-free butter together. Add milk and vanilla extract. Whisk until you get a nice, creamy texture.
Assemble Cake
- Remove cake from the oven and let it completely cool down. With a sharp knife, cut the cake into 2 layers.
- Spread frosting on first layer then top it with the second cake layer. Finish frosting the outside of the cake. Add sprinkles.
Maria says
Hello! This recipe looks delicious! Is there something I could substitute for the vegan butter? I'm trying to stay away from it.
Nicole says
Hi Maria! You could use coconut oil instead of a vegan butter.