Many people write off vanilla as an unremarkable, even boring, flavor, but this list is here to show that that couldn’t be farther from reality. If you’ve been looking for tasty and easy vegan vanilla cake recipes, now you have some yummy options to choose from! From vegan cheesecake to vegan buttercream frosting, this list has everything.
1. Mini Vanilla Cake By OopsVegan
Kicking off this list of yummy vegan vanilla cakes is this adorable mini vanilla cake from OopsVegan. Sometimes making an entire cake isn’t necessary. So if you aren’t throwing a party or celebrating a birthday, you can still have a yummy cake at home for yourself.
The soy milk and soy yogurt give the cake a moist texture and sweet flavor that is ideal for someone craving the lovely taste of vanilla. And rather than a heavy and complicated frosting, this recipe features a simple glaze that adds some moisture and even more vanilla!
2. Vegan Vanilla Cake By Vegan Huggs
If you just want a classic vanilla cake, Vegan Huggs has you covered. In place of eggs, milk, and butter that would go into a traditional vanilla cake, you only need applesauce! While the apple flavor doesn’t come through, the moisture and fluffy texture do.
A hint of lemon and almond extract brings the vanilla flavor to life, making it even tastier without overwhelming your palate. The recipe includes an easy vegan vanilla frosting, so you can get all the vanilla flavor you want in every bite.
For a painless but delicious vegan vanilla cake, save this for your next celebration.
3. Simple Vegan Vanilla Cake By Sweetest Menu
Sweetest Menu delivers a recipe that prides itself on not using any hard-to-find ingredients, so you likely won’t have to run to the grocery store to bring this yummy vegan vanilla cake to life. Likewise, you will only need one bowl, making cleaning up a breeze while the cake rises in the oven.
If you want a quick cake to make, this is an excellent option for you. The ingredients are mostly pantry staples, and the steps to make the cake are straightforward. Even if you don’t think of yourself as a top-notch baker, you can nail this creation without any worry.
4. Perfect Vegan Vanilla Sponge Cake By Bianca Zapatka
For the ultimate fluffy and delicate vegan vanilla cake, take inspiration from Bianca Zapatka’s blog. This delicious vanilla sponge cake is moist but airy, so every bite is super soft and flavorful. Angel cakes are excellent for picnic or teatime, along with finger sandwiches.
The most important ingredient is ground bourbon vanilla. It may be an unusual ingredient, but it has a warm and bold flavor that is worth a trip to the grocery store or an online order. But the entire recipe takes less than 40 minutes from start to finish, so it’s an easy one to execute.
5. Vegan Angel Food Cake By Spoonful of Kindness
Most vanilla cakes are light and fluffy, but if you want them to be heavenly, try out this angel food cake! Angel food cake tends to be light and delicate, with a decent amount of bounce when you stick your fork in.
If you want something that won’t weigh you down and make you feel overly full, you’ll love how simple but delicious this is. An uncommon but necessary ingredient is aquafaba, which is the liquid drained from a can of chickpeas.
It may sound odd, but it’s an integral ingredient to make the angel cake very soft and bouncy.
6. Vegan Vanilla Cake With Buttercream Frosting By Jessica in the Kitchen
Just because you don’t eat butter doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy the luscious texture and taste of a buttercream frosting. Thanks to Jessica in the Kitchen, you can indulge yourself with this vanilla vegan cake with vegan buttercream frosting.
Believe it or not, with the right technique, vegan butter can be made just as creamy and luxurious as dairy butter, it just takes some powdered sugar and a mixer! And the cake itself is dense and flavorful, so if you want a heavier cake, this is the best choice for you.
While some people enjoy the airiness of angel food or sponge cake, sometimes you want a thick and filling bite of vanilla cake.
7. Vegan Vanilla Cake By Steph Sunshine
This vegan vanilla cake recipe is the perfect balance between the super-light cakes and the dense cakes. It features a rich buttercream frosting that will knock your socks off. But the actual cake features aquafaba, which helps lighten the texture and the flavor.
Kids and adults will both love the flavor and texture as it strikes an ideal balance between indulgent and airy.
This recipe from Steph Sunshine is intended to make a three-layer cake, but she offers other baking times if you want to simplify it or make it more extravagant with extra layers. You can also adapt it to make decadent vanilla cupcakes!
8. Vanilla Vegan Sheet Cake By Green Smoothie Gourmet
Sheet cakes are simple and absolutely delicious. If you want to make an easy-peasy cake that can feed lots of people, it doesn’t get better than this vanilla sheet cake from Green Smoothie Gourmet.
This recipe has a powerful vanilla punch that will have your tastebuds dancing. And the texture is soft but crumbly, so it melts in your mouth with every bite. What’s more, this recipe can be easily made in cupcakes for a convenient handheld treat.
The key to this yummy sheet cake is the vanilla paste of homemade vanilla extract. No matter what you use your vanilla for, making your own extract is a new level of deliciousness. Save this recipe for the extract instructions, even if you don’t want to make a sheet cake.
9. Whole Wheat Vanilla Cake By Of Donkeys and Dhoklas
A whole wheat vanilla cake may sound strange, but after you try this recipe, you’ll become a believer. This cake is super simple, only calling for eight ingredients to come together.
The key is to use whole wheat flour for a rich and earthy flavor that is homey and comforting. Something about the whole wheat flour makes the cake feel more personal and homemade, rather than straight from a fancy bakery.
If you love rustic but delicate flavors, you’ll be head over heels for this fabulous delight. A little bit of cinnamon in the batter will make it a great option for chilly fall days or your next holiday party.
10. Vegan Vanilla Layer Cake With Raspberry Jam By Country Crock
The perfect thing about vanilla is that it pairs well with so many flavors. This recipe from Country Crock features incredible and refreshing flavors. Every part is homemade, including the raspberry jam!
It’s the perfect choice if you really wanna wow your friends, or maybe your in-laws. But be warned, it does take a considerable amount of effort to nail all of the aspects. The cake features lemon, orange juice, and aquafaba for a light and interesting flavor.
The raspberry jam is surprisingly easy to make, using just four ingredients. And everything is smothered in a decadent and tangy buttercream with a generous splash of fresh lemon juice to wake up your palette.
11. Vegan Vanilla Bean Bundt Cake By Nutritious Delights
Bundt cakes don’t get enough love, so be sure to give this vegan vanilla bundt cake a try. The flavors in this recipe go a step further, as it’s vanilla bean and not just vanilla. Vanilla bean has a deeper and more tropical flavor than typical vanilla extract.
You can use standard vanilla extract, but the vanilla bean flavor is worth seeking out the right vanilla bean paste. It also uses whole wheat flour for a rich and earthy taste that will surprise you and your friends.
What’s more, this recipe allows you to be flexible with some of the ingredients. You can use any kind of milk and sugar you want, so the most difficult ingredient to get your hands on will likely be the vanilla bean paste. But if you want that indulgent and tropical vanilla flavor, it’s worth the hunt!
12. Strawberry Vanilla Cake By Wife Mama Foodie
If you’re looking for vegan vanilla cake recipes with an added fruity flavor, make this straightforward creation with an incredible strawberry buttercream frosting. The frosting uses freeze-dried strawberries, so you know that refreshing summer flavor is sure to come through.
And Wife Mama Foodie is nice enough to have a gluten-free version of this cake so everyone can enjoy this delicious dessert.
While the list of ingredients for this cake is fairly long, you only need about 20 minutes to prepare everything. So as long as you have a stocked kitchen, you can readily whip this up when you get a sudden craving for vanilla and fruit.
13. Very Vegan Vanilla Oreo Cake By Orchids and Sweet Tea
If the vanilla filling in an oreo is your favorite part of the cookie, you’ll love this vanilla-forward oreo cake. It can use up to 20 Oreo cookies, so make sure you buy plenty before tackling this recipe.
The almond milk and organic cake flour make for a super thick but fluffy cake that will wow your friends and family. If you love Oreos but don’t want an overwhelming vegan chocolate cake, this vanilla-heavy delight will be your new favorite dessert.
Any kids or adults who love Oreos will beg for this cake over and over again!
14. Easy Vegan Vanilla Cake Pops Recipe By Vegan Baking at Home
If you’re looking for something a little different, try making these yummy and adorable vegan vanilla cake pops. Cake pops are great for parties or picnics because you can grab one and pop a bite of cake into your mouth, no fuss, no muss!
Don’t settle for subpar cake pops when you can make this amazing twist from Vegan Baking at Home. The secret to nailing this recipe is using the plant-based buttermilk over any other vegan milk because it makes for a rich, moist cake pop.
And make sure you chill the cake pops right after forming and coating them, or they may have a wonky shape, and then you won’t be as proud to serve them.
15. Soft Vanilla Vegan Mug Cake By Colleen Christensen
If you don’t have the time or energy to make a whole vanilla cake, you’ll love this super simple vegan vanilla mug cake. Mug cakes are the best way to have a last-minute, late-night cake all by yourself.
It’s okay to be a little indulgent with your cake sometimes, and this single-serving recipe is the best way to do that. You only need six ingredients and less than ten minutes from start to finish.
To make the mug cake even better or just prettier, you can add a scoop of sprinkles, a dollop of peanut butter, or a handful of chocolate chips to add a new flavor to complement the vanilla. You can even top it with fresh fruit for a summery and refreshing flavor.
16. Vegan Chocolate Chip Vanilla Cake By Domestic Gothess
Chocolate chips and vanilla are a beautiful but simple pairing that will forever be a classic combination. For a light and airy vanilla cake that has the decadence of some gooey chocolate chips, this is an irresistible treat.
This cake is also more casual than many of the other recipes featured in this list. You can serve this as a sweet breakfast treat or an afternoon snack with a cup of coffee. There’s no frosting, so all the sweetness comes from the chocolate chips and the vanilla flavoring.
The cake comes out moist and tender, so every bite melts in your mouth. Kids and adults alike will be obsessed with the soft vanilla flavor, while the rich flavor of chocolate chips is equally sumptuous.
17. Classic Vegan Pound Cake By The Banana Diaries
Pound cakes are one of the most decadent desserts that don’t make extensive use of heavy flavors like chocolate or coffee. If you want something that will have you unbuttoning your pants and taking a food nap after just one piece, this is the cake for you.
It’s great to bring to Thanksgiving or even have as a super indulgent breakfast! One of the crucial aspects of a pound cake is that it’s shaped like a loaf of bread rather than a circular cake.
All in all, if you want to make something a little different but still get that fabulous vanilla flavor, this pound cake recipe from The Banana Diaries is a home run.
18. Vegan Vanilla Cake With Chocolate and Cookie Ganache Filling By Happy Vegannie
If you want a vanilla cake but still want a delicious chocolate flavor, you can have the best of both worlds with this vegan vanilla cake with chocolate and cookie ganache filling.
The recipe combines a vanilla sponge cake with an almond cookie, vanilla buttercream frosting, and a decadent chocolate ganache. While it may be a bit more work than others, it’s well worth the extra effort.
It has a soft crunch in the center, and the ganache is smooth and silky in your mouth. And, of course, the vanilla sponge cake is fluffy and tender, making it the perfect combination of textures and flavors.
19. Vegan Vanilla Cheesecake (No Cashews) By BakedByClo
For people who want something super creamy and indulgent, make this fabulous vegan vanilla cheesecake! Making cheesecake as a vegan can be tough but BakedByClo makes it easy to get the rich and delicate texture you expect from the perfect cheesecake.
And the entire recipe only calls for six ingredients! So it couldn’t be simpler. For the base, you combine biscuits and vegan margarine, and for the filling, you need sugar, vanilla, vegan cream cheese, and vegan cream!
It’s the perfect vanilla cake for a hot summer day, and you may even manage to fool your cheese-loving friends!
20. Vegan Birthday Vanilla Funfetti Cake By Eat With Clarity
For something more fun, make this colorful and celebratory confetti cake that is ideal for a birthday or other party. This recipe is completely oil-free but still has that soft and moist texture you want from a vanilla cake.
But you can feel good knowing it’s healthier than many other options out there. You can use as many or as few sprinkles as you want, depending on how colorful and vibrant you want the cake to be.
One of the best ingredients for this recipe is the full-fat coconut milk that adds a rich and fluffy texture and a hint of tropical flavors. And the whole cake is frosted with a delightful four-ingredient buttercream icing.
21. Vegan Berry Vanilla Layer Cake By Crumbs and Caramel
If you want a beautiful and colorful vanilla cake, you’ll love how this vegan berry vanilla layer cake comes out. It features several different berries, including blueberries, blackberries, strawberries, and raspberries! But you can use any mix of berries you prefer.
The recipe also features fresh mint leaves to enhance the delicate flavor of the vanilla and the refreshing taste of the vibrant berries.
This cake is ideal for a summer picnic or a celebration. The best part is the berries between the cake layers that add bursts of juiciness and freshness to every slice of this yummy cake.
Easy Vegan Vanilla Cake Recipes, Final Thoughts
From vegan birthday cakes to vegan cupcakes, there are many things you can do with these easy vegan vanilla cake recipes. Vanilla is a versatile and often overlooked flavor, but these vegan cakes will remind you how wonderful a simple vanilla cake can be.