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Give me the choice between chocolate cake and vanilla, and I’ll pick this vegan vanilla cake every time. Unfortunately, vanilla cake doesn’t always get the love it deserves. But when it’s done right it’s anything but boring.
Like my vegan pound cake and vegan chocolate lava cake, this recipe is a classic. It’s light and fluffy yet tender and super moist, with a sweet vanilla flavor that shines through.
Why You’ll Love This Vegan Vanilla Cake
It’s no surprise that I love cake. I’ve made vegan chocolate crunch cake, Biscoff cake, red velvet… you name it. But this vegan vanilla layer cake is up there as one of my favorites. The batter comes together in one bowl, the method is foolproof, and the result is a cake that feels special enough for a celebration yet simple enough to bake on any ol’ weekend.
Emily’s Recipe Notes:
- Flavor: Sweet, rich, lots of vanilla
- Texture: Stays moist for days, super tender, melt-in-your-mouth
- Ease: One bowl with a fool-proof reverse creaming method
- Time: Just over an hour, most of it is baking time
Why This Recipe Works
A good vanilla cake might seem simple, but that simplicity is what makes it so hard to get right. In traditional recipes, eggs provide binding, structure, and lift.
Without them, vegan cakes can easily turn out heavy, greasy, crumbly, or dry.
Best Vegan Egg Substitute for Cakes
When developing this recipe, I started by testing the egg substitutes themselves. The main vegan egg substitutes I looked at were yogurt, aquafaba, JUST Egg, and plant milk with vinegar.
Yogurt (I used Forager) came out on top for structure, flavor, and long-term moisture, though I had to tweak the fat balance. Too much oil made the cake greasy, but cutting it completely left the crumb dry, so a small amount turned out to be essential.
Plant milk with vinegar gave nice rise but baked up crumbly and dried out too quickly. Aquafaba added too much moisture and a subtle beany flavor. JUST Egg offered structure but lacked the same tender mouthfeel.
Reverse Creaming Method = Tender Crumb
In the end, I reduced the fat content slightly from traditional non-vegan cakes, increased the sugar, and leaned on vegan yogurt as the egg substitute.
The result is an eggless vanilla cake that stays moist for days, is never greasy, and has the kind of fine crumb you’d expect from a classic.
Ingredients
Ingredient Spotlight & Some Swaps
Cake Flour
I used Swan’s Down Cake Flour in this recipe. Cake flour has a lower protein content than regular flour which helps create the most tender texture. I’ve also tested this recipe with King Arthur’s Unbleached All Purpose Flour. It works but the end result is a bit denser.
For the best results, spoon and level (instead of scooping from the bag), or better yet, use grams to avoid over-measuring.
Dairy-Free Yogurt
I use Forager unsweetened plain yogurt, my preferred brand. Their unsweetened vanilla bean variety also works for extra flavor. It has about 9g fat and 3g protein per 150g, so look for a brand with similar macros for the best results.
Soy Milk
Soy milk performs closest to dairy milk in baking. Thanks to its protein, it actually curdles when mixed with vinegar, creating a better dairy-free buttermilk. In past bakes, I’ve found that almond milk can sometimes make cakes spongier and sometimes stodgy, so I recommend unsweetened oat or flax milk if you need a soy-free option.
Vegan Butter
My vegan butter of choice is Violife. I tested nearly every major vegan butter brand in both cookies and cake (you can read that article here), and Violife consistently delivered the best texture and flavor for baking.
Neutral Oil
Use something light, like canola or vegetable oil. It helps with long-term moisture retention.
Baking Powder + Soda
In this recipe, baking soda balances acidity from the vinegar and yogurt, and also promotes browning for a golden exterior. Baking powder provides lift for a fluffy, fine crumb.
Step By Step Guide
Exact ingredient quantities are in the recipe card below.
Whisk together the dry ingredients and sugar. Add softened, cubed vegan butter.
Use a hand mixer to cream the butter into the dry mix.
The mixture should look like fine sand. If there are any large chunks of butter, use your fingers to break them apart.
In a measuring cup, whisk soy milk and vinegar together to make a dairy-free buttermilk. Set aside for 1-2 minutes to curdle.
Make a well in the dry mixture and add all the wet ingredients.
Use a hand mixer to combine the wet ingredients with the dry ingredients. Mix for about 2 minutes on medium speed until well combined.
Bake the Cake & Frost
Pour the batter into two 8″ round pans that are greased and lined with parchment paper.
Bake at 350F for about 40 minutes. The top should be slightly domed and the edges should be golden.
Let cool in the pan for 10 minutes. Then, transfer to a wire rack to cool completely before frosting.
Frost with this vegan vanilla buttercream and decorate with berries or sprinkles!
Ways to Serve This Vegan Vanilla Cake!
This cake works with so many different fillings and frostings, and I’ve had fun trying it a few ways. Here are some of my favorites:
- Cake soak: Brush the warm layers with my homemade vanilla syrup (made with real vanilla bean) for even more moisture and flavor.
- Classic frosting: Keep it traditional with vanilla buttercream and some vegan sprinkles. I love the naturally colored ones from Whole Foods.
- Frosting swaps: Try this recipe with cream cheese frosting, or go fruity with my vegan strawberry buttercream.
- Jam layers: Add spoonfuls of berry jam, or try my homemade pineapple jam for a summery twist.
- Caramel drizzle: Finish with a pour of my coconut caramel sauce for a rich, buttery topping.
Tips for the Best Vegan Vanilla Cake
A thin batter, too much sugar or leavening, or excess oil can cause sinking. Try reducing the liquid or fat slightly or increasing your flour slightly for better structure.
Store covered at room temperature for up to a day. Store in the fridge (wrapped well) for 2-3 days and let come to room temp. before serving. Individual slices can be wrapped well and stored in an airtight container in the freezer for 2 months.
Yes. You can wrap cooled cake layers tightly in plastic wrap and freeze for up to 2 months. To make ahead, bake the layers a day or two in advance, wrap well, and store at room temperature until ready to frost.
It depends on the type of cake, but for eggless layer cakes test results showed that unsweetened dairy-free yogurt works best. It adds structure, moisture, and a fine crumb without making the cake heavy. Aquafaba often bakes up too moist or with a slight aftertaste, while JUST Egg gives structure but an off-flavor. For this recipe, unsweetened vegan yogurt gave the most reliable, classic cake texture.
More Vegan Cakes to Try
Best Vegan Vanilla Cake – Moist, Fluffy & Tender
Rate this RecipeIngredients
Dry Mix:
- 3 cups cake flour, 360g- spooned (not scooped) into a measuring cup from the bag and leveled off
- 1 tbsp baking powder, 12g
- ¼ tsp baking soda, 2g
- ¾ tsp fine table salt, 4.5g
- 1 ½ cups + 2 tbsp granulated sugar, 325g
- 7 tbsp salted vegan butter, 100g – softened to room temperature (like Violife or Trader Joe’s)
Wet Mix:
- 1 ¼ cup unsweetened soy milk, 300g – room temperature
- 2 tsp apple cider vinegar, 10g – or white vinegar
- ½ cup plain unsweetened vegan yogurt, 120g – room temperature (like Forager’s Unsweetened Dairy-free Yogurt)
- ⅓ cup neutral oil, like canola or vegetable – 80g
- 1 tbsp pure vanilla extract, 16g
- 1 tsp vanilla bean paste, 7g
Buttercream Frosting:
- 1 recipe vegan vanilla buttercream frosting
Instructions
- Prep: Let the vegan butter, dairy-free yogurt, and soy milk come to room temperature for several hours. Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Line two 8-inch round cake pans with parchment and grease the sides.
- Whisk Dry Ingredients: In a large bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients. For best results, measure the flour with a digital scale. Or spoon the flour into a measuring cup and level off (don't scoop directly from the bag).3 cups cake flour, 1 tbsp baking powder, ¼ tsp baking soda, ¾ tsp fine table salt, 1 ½ cups + 2 tbsp granulated sugar
- Reverse Cream the Butter: Add the softened vegan butter to the dry ingredients and beat with a hand mixer until the mixture looks like sand. If there are any large chunks of butter, use your fingers to break them apart and continue mixing.7 tbsp salted vegan butter
- Make Vegan Buttermilk: In a measuring cup, mix the soy milk and vinegar. Let sit for 1-2 minutes to curdle.1 ¼ cup unsweetened soy milk, 2 tsp apple cider vinegar
- Mix Batter: Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and add the milk mixture, yogurt, oil, vanilla extract and paste. Beat on medium speed for 1 minute until mostly smooth (a few small lumps are fine).½ cup plain unsweetened vegan yogurt, ⅓ cup neutral oil, 1 tbsp pure vanilla extract, 1 tsp vanilla bean paste
- Bake the Cake: Divide the batter evenly between the pans, tap to release air bubbles, and bake for 35-40 minutes until golden on top and the edges pull away slightly from the sides. I baked mine for ~39 mins. but the time will depend on your specific oven.
- Cool and Frost: Cool in the pans on a wire rack for 10 minutes, then turn out and let cool completely before frosting, slicing, and serving.Optional: Brush the warm cake layers with this homemade vanilla syrup (made with real vanilla bean) for even more moisture and flavor.1 recipe vegan vanilla buttercream frosting
Recipe notes
- Cake Flour: Use a kitchen scale for best accuracy. If measuring with cups, spoon and level to avoid packing in too much flour, which can make the cake dry. This recipe can be made with all purpose flour, but the end result isn’t as light and tender.
- Reverse Creaming:
- Vegan Butter: I recommend Violife or Trader Joe’s Buttery Sticks. Look for stick-style butter (not tubs) with at least 79% oil content for reliable results.
- Yogurt: I used Forager Unsweetened Plain (which has 9g fat per 150g serving). For best texture, choose a dairy-free yogurt with a similar ratio.
- Pans: Makes two 8-inch round layers. You can also bake in 9-inch pans; the layers will be slightly thinner.
Did You Make This?
Leave a star rating and a comment below to let others know how it turned out for you!
Took this to a potluck topped with big fat blackberries. Made it in a 9”x13” pan. Every bit was gone! So many compliments. I splurged buying vanilla bean paste and cake flour. Absolutely delicious! Also garnished with nasturtiums.
Hi Angelina! Those toppings sound beautiful, and I’m so glad it was a hit 🙂