Easy Vanilla Cake
A one-bowl, easy vanilla cake that’s simple enough to make whenever you’re craving cake!
Just as easy as a box cake mix, this vegan vanilla cake is great with my buttercream frosting and sprinkles on top.
This simple, homemade vanilla cake recipe is light, fluffy, and perfect for any occasion. It’s easy enough to put together for dessert tonight and delicious enough to be served to company.
Why I love this recipe
Yes, this easy vanilla cake recipe is as simple as it looks! With two kids, we love cake in my house. I make my vegan chocolate cake a few times a year, primarily for birthday celebrations.
I wanted a vegan vanilla cake recipe that I could make whenever the craving struck– and so this easy vanilla cake recipe was born.
It’s almost as easy as a box mix, and can be made in one bowl. My kids love that they can ask for cake at 5 PM and have it ready for dessert that night and I love that this vanilla cake recipe is a cinch to whip up without any special ingredients.
The best part is that this cake is naturally vegan, which means you can make it right away. So many vanilla cake recipes call for room-temperature butter, which requires foresight, or for whipping the egg whites separately from the yolks, which requires more time and effort.
Not this cake recipe! Simply combine the dry ingredients, then add the wet, mix, and bake. As a bonus, I almost always have the pantry ingredients on hand, so we can have our cake and eat it, too.
Ingredients
- All Purpose Flour: You’ll need 1 2/3 cup of all purpose flour, or 209 g. I often weigh my flour for ease. I almost always bake with AP flour as I have it, but cake flour will also work.
- Sugar: This easy vanilla cake recipe has been tested with cane sugar
- Non-Dairy Milk: The two milks I almost always have on hand are unsweetened soy milk and oat milk, and this cake has been tested using both. I like using oat milk as it browns like dairy milk because of it’s higher carbohydrate content, but either work. I don’t recommend baking with coconut milk as it doesn’t brown and imparts a coconut flavor.
- Apple Cider Vinegar: The vinegar is key to make a homemade buttermilk, which will tenderize the gluten in the flour and make for a more tender, moist cake. Another acid, like lemon juice or white vinegar, will work.
- Oil: I use a neutral oil, like canola or vegetable oil. I don’t recommend using olive oil as it will impart a unique flavor that competes with the clean vanilla flavor.
How to Make
Step 1: Make the Buttermilk
Combine the milk and vinegar in a small bowl or a Pyrex cup, as shown below. As I have to measure the milk anyway, I just add the vinegar to the same container and let it sit for a few minutes to curdle slightly.
Once it’s curdled, you can also add the oil and vanilla to this same container or wait and add them when you add all of the wet ingredients to the dry.
Step 2: Make the Dry
In a large bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients: flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt.
Step 3: Combine
Add the wet ingredients to the dry- the DIY buttermilk, the oil, and the vanilla and then whisk to combine. You want the batter to be mixed together, taking care not to overmix. I use my sourdough whisk to easily combine the batter, but you can use a wooden spoon or a spatula.
Step 4: Bake and Cool
Pour the batter into a greased 8×8 inch square baker (affiliate) and place in the oven. The cake is ready when a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. This takes about 23 minutes in my oven, though I check around the 20-minute mark.
Remove the baker and let the cake cool completely before frosting. I let it cool in the baker for 15-20 minutes, and then turn out onto a cooling rack (affiliate) until cool to the touch.
Step 5: Frost
While the cake is cooling, make the frosting. Beat the butter in a stand mixer or a bowl with a hand mixer until fluffy, this takes me about 3 minutes on low speed in my stand mixer. Add in 1 cup of the powdered sugar and beat in until fully incorporated, then slowly add the rest as needed. Beat in the milk and vanilla and beat another 1-2 minutes until fluffy.
Frost the cake, then slice into squares. I often put sprinkles on top (these are my favorite), but that’s optional!
Expert Tips
As with most of my vegan cake recipes, this vanilla cake relies on the reaction between the acid in the apple cider vinegar and the baking powder, which provides the leavening that eggs usually give cakes.
I tested this recipe using vegan butter, and while it works, using the neutral-flavored oil resulted in a much more moist cake and a simpler process—no creaming required!
Take care not to overmix. Once you combine the wet and the dry ingredients, mix until you no longer see streaks of flour. Overmixing can overdevelop the gluten, which can make your cake tough or dense instead of light and fluffy.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I combine the wet and dry ingredients properly?
The best method is to whisk together the dry ingredients together in one bowl and then add in the wet. As I use my large pyrex cup to measure the milk, I usually add all of the wet there before adding but you can make this a one bowl recipe by adding all of the wet into the dry and then mixing together. Mix until you no longer see streaks of flour, a few small lumps are fine!
How can I tell when it’s done?
The most reliable method is the toothpick test: Insert a toothpick or wooden skewer into the center of the cake. It should come out clean or have a few moist crumbs attached. If there is wet batter on the toothpick, it needs more time. Other signs include the cake appearing golden brown, the top springing back lightly when gently pressed, and the edges starting to pull away slightly from the sides of the pan.
What’s the best way to cool the cake after baking?
I let my cake cool in its pan on a wire rack for 10-15 minutes to allow the cake structure to firm up so it’s less likely to break when you handle it. Then, invert the cake onto a wire cooling rack and let it cool completely. This allows air to circulate the cake, preventing a soggy bottom. The cake must be completely cooled before frosting.
Serving Size
This easy vanilla cake recipe fits an 8×8 square pan. However, you can use a 9-inch round cake pan instead if you prefer.
The frosting makes enough for an 8×8 pan to be frosting on top and the sides. If you want to make a layer cake, then you’ll want to double both the cake and the frosting.
More Vegan Dessert Recipes
- Chocolate Vegan Pudding
- Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Salted Tahini Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Vegan Carrot Cake Cupcakes
- Vegan Donuts
Easy Vanilla Cake (Vegan!)
Equipment
Ingredients
For the Easy Vanilla Cake
- 1 2/3 cup flour
- 1/2 cup + 2 tablespoons sugar
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup + 2 tablespoons non-dairy milk, I use either unsweetened soy or oat milk
- 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar, or other acid, like lemon juice
- 1/2 cup neutral oil
- 1 tablespoon vanilla
For the Frosting
- 1/2 cup butter, softened, regular or dairy-free
- 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar, or more, could use up to 2 cups
- 1 teaspoon milk, I use the same as above, unsweetened soy or oatmilk
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease a square 8 x 8 baker and set aside.
- In a small bowl, mix the milk and vinegar together and set aside for 5 minutes to curdle.
- In a large bowl, whisk togther the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt.
- Add in the milk and vinegar mixture, oil and vanilla to the dry ingredients and stir together until just combined.
- Add the batter to the prepared square baker and cook for 23 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean in the center. Remove and let cool before frosting.
- When ready to make the frosting, add the butter to a stand mixer or to a bowl using a hand mixer, beat the butter until fluffy, about 3 minutes.
- Add in 1 cup of powdered sugar and beat in until fully incorporated, then slowly add in the rest as needed. I call for 1 1/2 cups of powdered sugar, but you may need up to 2 cups depending on the preferred texture.
- Add in the milk and vanilla and beat for another 1 minute, until fluffy.
- Place the cooked and cooled cake on plate or serving platter of choice and frost. Add sprinkles if desired and serve.
Nutrition
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