The yummiest Vegan Vanilla Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting recipe is here! This cake is super indulgent, fun to make, and even more fun to eat. You only need one bowl and around an hour to make it from start to finish!
Some people argue that vanilla is boring. I can’t deny that there are more outrageous flavors out there. But boring? I don’t think so.
This vegan vanilla cake is:
- Light & Fluffy
- Topped with a gorgeous vegan cream cheese frosting.
- Easy to mix up in just one bowl!
- 100% plant based
- Gluten-Free
- Totally delicious.
You can mix it in one bowl, bake, assemble, and you’re good to go! Feel free to experiment with your favorite mix-ins (chocolate chips, anyone?) or your own favorite vegan frosting.
Ingredients & Substitutions
- 2 cups plant based milk of your choice. Coconut or oat milk work best.
- Apple cider vinegar.
- Rice flour. This is quite a dense flour that will help the cake hold up nicely in structure.
- Chickpea flour. A lighter flour that will add fluffiness without drying anything out. Don’t worry, the distinctive flavor of chickpeas will disappear throughout the baking process!
- Xanthan gum.
- Baking powder.
- Baking soda.
- Maple syrup. I don’t recommend using agave, as it’s not as sweet.
- Flax eggs, which you can easily make by combining ground flaxseed with water and setting aside for around 10 minutes.
- Vanilla extract.
- Melted coconut oil.
Make the Cake (Step by Step)
First, preheat the oven to 180 degrees C/350 degrees F. Meanwhile, mix together the plant based milk and apple cider vinegar, setting aside to curdle for 10 minutes. At the same time, combine the flaxseeds and water for the flax egg and stand aside to soak.
In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the rice flour, chickpea flour, xanthan gum, baking powder and maple soda. Then, pour in the apple cider vinegar mixture, maple syrup, the flax egg, vanilla extract, and coconut oil. Whisk until smooth.
Line the bottom of two 9-inch cake tins with parchment paper and divide the batter evenly between them. Bake in the preheated oven for 30-35 minutes. Try not to test the cake too early because if you open the door the center might sink. The cake layers are ready when golden brown and a toothpick test comes out clean.
Make sure to cool down fully before frosting. If you know that you will be in a rush, make the cakes the night before and store in an airtight container before you are ready to ice them.
Vegan Cream Cheese Frosting
The best thing about this frosting is that it requires just 3 ingredients: vegan butter, vegan cream cheese, and icing sugar. You’ll end up with a fluffy and smooth texture, plus that classic sweetness that will make you want to eat it straight from the bowl.
I always make a little extra just for that purpose! You can also use this frosting for cupcakes, brownies, and any other desserts of your choice.
Ingredients for vegan cream cheese frosting
- Vegan butter. The stick kind works better than vegan butter from a tub. Also, make sure that it is slightly softened before using.
- Vegan cream cheese.
- Good-quality icing sugar.
- Gel food coloring. Totally optional. I used a pink gel food coloring to get that gorgeous color!
That’s it!
Make the Frosting
Cut the butter into cubes and add to a large mixing bowl together with the cream cheese. Whisk together using a handheld electric mixer until fully combined.
Then, sift in 1 cup of the icing sugar and whisk to combine. Repeat with the rest of the sugar, adding it gradually and making sure there are as few lumps as possible.
Then, if you want to, you can add food coloring and recreate the pattern I made here. Trust me, the finished cake will hit differently!
Start by adding a small amount of food coloring to the icing, whisking, and adding in between the layers, on top of the cake, and around the edges.
Then, add a little bit more food colouring, whisk, and use an icing spatula to add evenly-spaced specks of the darker icing.
Repeat until you have created your desired number of ‘layers’ – I did around 4 in total.
Reserve some of the original icing to add right at the end for a beautiful contrast!
Tips & Tricks
I would recommend weighing the ingredients. A kitchen scale can help a lot, and is always preferred for baking.
Make sure that the cake is fully cool before attempting to ice it! Skipping this step will always end in disaster.
Do not skip adding parchment paper to the cake tins because this will ensure that the layers don’t stick.
More Vegan Cake Recipes
If you love this vegan vanilla cake, be sure to check out these other delicious vegan cake recipes.
Recipe
Equipment
- Conventional oven
- Mixing bowl x 3
- 9-inch cake tins x 2
- Hand-held electric mixer
- Icing spatula
Ingredients
For the vanilla cake
- 2 cups plant based milk
- ¼ cup apple cider vinegar
- 3 tbsp ground flaxseed
- 6 tbsp water
- 2 ⅔ cups rice flour
- 1 ⅓ cups chickpea flour
- 2 tbsp xanthan gum
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1 cup maple syrup
- 1 tbsp vanilla extract
- 1 cup coconut oil melted
For the cream cheese frosting
- ¾ cup vegan butter
- ¾ cup vegan cream cheese, storebought or homemade
- 6 cups icing sugar
Instructions
- First, preheat the oven to 180 degrees C/350 degrees F. Meanwhile, mix together the plant based milk and apple cider vinegar, setting aside to curdle for 10 minutes. At the same time, combine the flaxseeds and water for the flax egg and stand aside to soak.
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the rice flour, chickpea flour, xanthan gum, baking powder and maple soda. Then, pour in the apple cider vinegar mixture, maple syrup, the flax egg, vanilla extract, and coconut oil. Whisk until smooth.
- Line the bottom of two 9-inch cake tins with parchment paper and divide the batter evenly between them. Bake in the preheated oven for 30-35 minutes. Try not to test the cake too early because if you open the door the center might sink. The cake layers are ready when golden brown and a toothpick test comes out clean.
- Meanwhile, make the frosting. Cut the butter into cubes and add to a large mixing bowl together with the cream cheese. Whisk together using a handheld electric mixer until fully combined.
- Then, sift in 1 cup of the icing sugar and whisk to combine. Repeat with the rest of the sugar, adding it gradually and making sure there are as few lumps as possible
- Make sure to allow the cake to cool down fully before frosting. If you know that you will be in a rush, make the cakes the night before and store in an airtight container before you are ready to ice them. You can also leave the icing in the fridge while the cake cools down.
- If you want to, you can add food coloring to the icing and create a fun design. Start by adding a small amount of food coloring to the icing, whisking, and adding in between the layers, on top of the cake, and around the edges.
- Next, add a little bit more food coloring, whisk, and use an icing spatula to add evenly-spaced specks of the darker icing. Repeat until you have created your desired number of 'layers' - I did around 4 in total. Reserve some of the original icing to add right at the end for a beautiful contrast!
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