Eggless Red Velvet Cake with Vanilla Cream Cheese Frosting

This easy eggless red velvet cake has a tender, moist crumb, a rich flavor, and beautiful vibrant red color. It’s topped with a sweet yet tangy whipped vegan vanilla bean cream cheese frosting. The cake can be made in one bowl, and is also dairy free, making this recipe entirely vegan-friendly. 

Why You’ll Love This Eggless Red Velvet Cake

• Tender, Moist & Velvety Texture: dairy free yogurt replaces the eggs in this recipe, giving the cake a super moist texture that slices and holds together beautifully 

• Rich Flavor and Intense Color: a mild cocoa flavor runs through this cake and it has a rich crimson color

• One Bowl: fewer dishes are always better- no need to use separate bowls for the wet and dry ingredients

• Easy to Follow Recipe: follow along with the step-by-step photos and video tutorial 

The Ingredients

This vegan red velvet cake uses a handful of ingredients, most of which are pantry staples that can be found at your local grocery store. You may need to order red food coloring online if you’re not able to find it in stores. 

• Vegetable Oil: to keep the cake extra moist

• Granulated Cane Sugar: for sweetness

• Unsweetened Dairy Free Yogurt: to help hold together the cake & replace the eggs in traditional cake recipes

• Dairy Free Milk: like almond milk, oat milk, or coconut milk

• Pure Vanilla Extract: vanilla essence gives the cake an aromatic flavor

• Vinegar: to help give the cake its characteristic tangy flavor, and to help the cake rise in the oven

• All Purpose Flour: or you can use cake flour

• Unsweetened Cocoa Powder: to give the cake its characteristic subtle cocoa flavor

• Baking Powder & Baking Soda: to help leaven the cake

• Cream of Tartar: this is optional, but it helps give the cake a subtle tang and helps the red color stay vibrant even after baking

• Red Food Coloring: if making this cake completely vegan, be sure to order a vegan-friendly red food coloring

• Sea Salt: to help balance the sweetness 

For the vanilla bean cream cheese frosting:

• Softened Salted Vegan Butter

• Softened Vegan Cream Cheese: I like to use Follow Your Heart or Trader Joe’s dairy-free cream cheese. They’re not too tangy and have a good texture.

• Vanilla Bean Paste: or you can sub vanilla extract

• Powdered Sugar or Icing Sugar

Substitutions

• Oil: the vegetable oil can be substituted for melted dairy-free butter or for another oil, like coconut oil.

• Dairy Free Yogurt & Milk: the dairy-free yogurt and milk can be subbed 1 for 1 with dairy based products.

• Sugar: while I haven’t tried this substitution, you could try substituting the cane sugar for a sugar free alternative like Swerve Granulated Substitute. If substituting the sugar, make sure to use a granulated replacement- not a liquid sweetener. 

• Food Coloring: you can opt for natural food coloring like beet powder instead of gel food color. Note: the color won’t be as intense as in the photos.

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Helpful Equipment

• 3 6” Round Cake Pans or 2 8” Round Cake Pans

• Parchment Paper

• Large Mixing Bowl

• Electric Hand Mixer or Stand Mixer: to make the frosting

Step by Step Instructions

🎥 *Video Tutorial is Above the Recipe Card Below!*

To Make the Cake Batter:

STEP 1: Cream the oil / melted vegan butter and sugar together in a large bowl until light and fluffy. Add the room temperature dairy-free yogurt, vanilla, vinegar and room temperature dairy-free milk. Whisk to combine.

STEP 2: Sift the all-purpose flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, salt, & cream of tartar (if using) on top. 

STEP 3: Mix the wet ingredients and dry ingredients together until the lumps of flour are gone and just combined. Add the food coloring and mix until incorporated and the batter reaches your desired color.

📌 Note: I used 3-4 drops of gel food color. Adjust the amount of food coloring based on your preference.

STEP 4: Pour the batter into the prepared cake tins. Smooth out the tops.

STEP 5: Bake for 23-26 minutes (6” pans) or 30-35 minutes (8” pans) in the preheated oven.

📌 TIP: A toothpick inserted into the center of the cake should remove cleanly when done.

STEP 6: Remove the cakes and let them cool in the pans for 5-10 minutes. Then, remove the cakes from the pans and place them on a wire rack to finish cooling. 

To Make the Vegan Vanilla Cream Cheese Buttercream Frosting:

STEP 1: Cream the vegan butter and vegan cream cheese with a hand mixer or stand mixer for 2-3 minutes until fluffy. Add the vanilla bean paste.

STEP 2: Add the powdered sugar (or icing sugar) 1 cup at a time. Mix on medium-high speed the frosting until it is light and fluffy and all of the sugar has been added, about 5 minutes.

📌 TIP: The frosting should be stiff enough to hold its shape, but still fluffy and creamy.

How to Assemble the Cake:

STEP 1: Flip the first layer upside down (so the flat side is facing up). You can also slice the domed top off of the cake to create a flat surface. Spread an even layer of frosting  on top of the cake.

STEP 2: Stack the next layer of cake on the cream cheese frosting with the flat side facing up. Spread more frosting on top. Top it off with the 3rd cake layer.

STEP 3: Apply a crumb coat of frosting to the cake layers. Once frosted, sprinkle the top with chopped vegan white chocolate. 

Serving the Vegan Red Velvet Cake 

This eggless red velvet cake is perfect for a special occasion or for the holidays like Christmas or Valentine’s Day. 

Serve a slice of this cake alongside a cup of milk (almond milk is great!) or a cup of coffee. 

The tangy cream cheese frosting is the perfect accompaniment for the cake, but feel free to serve it with a scoop of vanilla ice cream as well.

Storage

Fridge: The cake can be stored in the fridge, wrapped loosely in plastic wrap or in an airtight container for 1-2 days.

Freezer: After 1-2 days, I recommend freezing slices of the cake to help it retain its moisture. Wrap the cake with plastic wrap and place the slices in a freezer-proof baggie. Store in the freezer for 2-3 months.

Pro Tips

• Use room temperature dairy free yogurt and milk: room temperature ingredients help everything cream together easier and creates a better cake texture.

• Tap the pans before baking to remove air bubbles from the batter: this will help create a close crumb without holes.

• Bake the cake soon after mixing the batter together: because this batter has vinegar in it, the chemical reaction that helps it rise begins as soon as you mix the wet and dry ingredients together. The cake needs to be baked promptly after mixing the batter together for the best results.

• Let the cake cool completely before frosting: to prevent the icing from melting and losing its shape.

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Troubleshooting

My cakes look like they sunk in the middle. What Happened?

• If the cakes look like they sunk, it’s most likely because they are under-baked. The tops of the cakes should be smooth, and slightly domed when done baking.
• A toothpick or knife inserted in the middle should remove cleanly.

My frosting is too sweet. How do I fix it?

• If your buttercream is too sweet for your liking, I recommend creaming together another 2-3 tbsp of cream cheese in a separate bowl.
• Once light and fluffy, add the cream cheese back to the frosting mixture and mix to incorporate.
• You can also add 1 tbsp of cornstarch (or corn flour) to the frosting at a time until it is no longer as sweet.

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More Delicious Vegan & Eggless Cake Recipes:

• Eggless Red Velvet Cupcakes with Cheesecake Filling
• Vegan Strawberry Crunch Cake
• Eggless Apple Cinnamon Cake
• Vegan Biscoff Cake
• Baked Eggless Cheesecake
• Vegan Chocolate Crunch Cake
• Gingerbread Apple Cake
• The Best Eggless Pound Cake

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