Learn how to make the fluffiest vegan vanilla cake. This light vegan vanilla sponge cake is easier to make than you think. It makes the perfect base cake for your next layer cake creations!
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💡 The recipe in a nutshell
- Vegan (eggless and dairy free)
- Light, fluffy, and a pillowy soft crumb
- Easy to make
- A great base cake for layer cakes
🧁 A cake for vanilla lovers
If you are looking for a very basic sponge cake in your vegan cake repertoire look no further! The baked cake keeps well in the fridge, making it perfect for your next layer cake project. Since it's such a basic recipe you can get very creative with it.
👩🏽🍳 How to get a vegan cake super fluffy?
To get an incredible pillowy soft crumb, yet moist cake, we will use the reverse creaming method. I first heard and read about it on Yupitsvegan's blog. The method is surprisingly simple and easy.
You start by sifting together your dry ingredients and sugar. Then, you add the fat directly to the dry ingredients and mix well until all is covered and you're left with a sandy, coarse meal. Only afterward add any other type of liquid, beating on low to incorporate until just combined.
This way, the fat molecules coat the flour and prevent the flour from coming in direct contact with liquid, which in turn, prevents gluten from forming. The gluten is what may have made your other egg-free cakes dense and chewy before. This fantastic method turns this easy vanilla sponge cake into an absolute fluffy delight!
📋 Using vinegar and baking soda
Another factor plays adding vinegar and baking soda. The vinegar reacts with the baking soda creating carbon dioxide bubbles while baking. This reaction helps the batter to rise in the oven, making the cake extremely fluffy.
💭 Mistakes to avoid
The cake is very delicate! If you trim, move or frost the layers when your cakes are still warm, they easily crumble or tear. Let your cakes cool completely before trimming, moving around, or frosting.
Additionally, if you frost your cake when it's still warm the frosting is very likely to melt away, and can make the cake slippery and soggy. Consider baking the cakes a day before you plan to frost them. Otherwise, chill the layers before frosting.
🍰 Frosting and decoration ideas
Frost this cake with your favorite buttercream, or frosting. One of my absolute favorites to use is this vegan cream cheese frosting. Or top with vegan whipped cream and fresh fruit like strawberries for a summer dessert.
This recipe is a perfect base to create the layer cake of your dreams. Decorate it however you like! If you are looking for an idea check out this incredible rainbow surprise cake recipe, which uses this vanilla sponge!
🥣 Storage
To store unfrosted cake tightly wrap it up after it has cooled in plastic wrap or parchment paper. Store it in a sealed food-safe bag (using two is best) and leave it in a cool dark place at room temperature. It keeps fresh for up to 3 days.
To store frosted cake cover with a big cover. Or put it in a cake box and wrap it in plastic. Thankfully the buttercream coating acts as a protective layer to the cake. It will last for approximately five days in the fridge. However, this highly depends on the humidity and the temperature. For the best experience eat as fresh as possible!
📖 Recipe
How To Make Vegan Vanilla Cake (super fluffy)
Equipment
- Mixing bowl, electric mixer, cake board, cake pan(s)
- Makes one Ø20cm / 8" cake; or two Ø15cm / 6" cakes
Ingredients
- 2 teaspoon apple cider vinegar (10 ml)
- 280 mililiters plant milk eg: almond, soy, oat (9.4 fl oz)
- 210 grams unbleached all-purpose flour (7.4 oz)
- 140 grams organic cane sugar (4.9 oz)
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 90 grams vegetable oil (3.1 oz)
- 1 package vanilla sugar (9g), or 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 lemon to zest (organic)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 180°C / 355ºF. Prepare the baking pan(s) by spraying with oil, lightly flouring, and then placing a parchment paper circle to cover the bottom of the pan(s).
- In a mixing bowl add the plant milk and vinegar and set aside to clabber for 5-10 minutes. Zest lemon and set prepared zest aside. In a second mixing bowl sieve together dry ingredients: flour, cane sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Add oil to the dry ingredients and mix with a fork until all dry ingredients are covered in fat. Add vanilla sugar, or extract and lemon zest into the clabbered milk and whisk to combine. Then add to the rest of the ingredients and whisk with an electric mixer until the batter is smooth. Pour the batter into the prepared pan(s).
- Bake for 30-35 minutes. The cakes are done when the edges are golden and have pulled away from the sides of the pan and a toothpick comes out clean.
- Remove from oven and let cool for 10 minutes. Then working gently, turn over the pan with a wire cooling rack to catch the cake. Remove the pan, then peel off the parchment paper. Turn the cake back right side up and leave to cool fully on a cooling rack. Serve as is, or frost and decorate.
The provided nutritional information is an estimate. Accuracy is not guaranteed.
PS: Don't forget to rate this recipe and leave a comment on your experience - this helps improve my recipes and serves you with the best instructions, tips, and substitution ideas. Plus, I love hearing about your takes on my recipes! Tag me on Instagram @thesimplesprinkle to show me your pictures.
I love a good vanilla cake with cream cheese frosting and fresh strawberries. Looking forward to using this recipe! It looks so fluffy!!
Me too! Strawberries (or other fruit) work great with this one!
is it weird that i keep wanting to squish it cuz it's so fluffy? So tasty too btw
Haha, that really made me laugh! Thank you!
This vegan vanilla cake is delightful! Perfectly sweet and so fluffy!
Thank you Marinela!
such a delicious cake! so easy to make too!
Thank you for the feedback!
deliciously moist
I love that this cake is vegan!~
love how simple this cake is! easy and delicious!
Can the same be used for Swiss roll cake?
I personally have never tried, but I could see it being possible. Let me know if you end up trying!
Hi Sinu! Thank you for reading my blog! I have not tried that out yet! It could be worth a try. If you end up trying this recipe out for a Swiss roll cake let me know how it went.
Great recipe! Not gummy or dense. The interior is soft & light! Thank you!
Hi Yvonne, thank you so much for your kind words! I’m so glad it turned out soft and light for you - that's exactly what I was going for when I created this recipe 😊
The recipe uses so much oil. It seems like far too much to me.
Hi Cicely, thanks for your comment! I can see how the oil amount might feel like a lot, but for a vegan recipe like this, the oil actually helps keep the texture moist and tender since we’re not using butter or eggs. Compared to traditional baked goods, it’s actually on the lighter side - many recipes use even more fat. If you’d prefer less oil, you could experiment with substituting part of it with unsweetened applesauce, but the texture might end up being different.