Moist and light, this easy Vegan Vanilla Layer Cake is a vanilla cake with vanilla frosting and rainbow sprinkles. There isn’t an occasion that this cake wouldn’t be perfect for!
If you are looking for more vegan cake recipes, check out my Vegan Strawberry Carrot Cake, Vegan Chocolate Birthday Cake, or my Vegan Chocolate Strawberry Banana Loaf Cake.
Why You'll Love This Recipe
You will love this recipe because this is an easy one bowl cake! This Vegan Vanilla Cake from scratch can be made in a bowl with a whisk, with your hand mixer, or in your stand mixer. Any option will work.
Whenever cakes are oil-based and not butter based, it’s really easy to mix them together in one bowl. The benefit of these kinds of cakes is that they never have any clumps, and you get a nice smooth batter, even if you are a beginner baker!
I finish this cake with a classic vegan buttercream frosting. I use Spectrum Organic Vegetable Shortening for the frosting, which is my favorite vegan butter to use for frostings. It’s really light and it’s white in color which makes for a beautiful vegan vanilla cake from scratch!
I top this easy Vegan Vanilla Layer Cake with natural rainbow sprinkles. I use a mix of India Tree Nature’s Colors Carnival Mix and ColorKitchen Nonpareils.
How to Make this Easy Vegan Vanilla Layer Cake
Step 1
First step is to add the cane sugar, canola oil, coconut milk, water, apple cider vinegar, and vanilla extract. Give this a quick mix just to combine.
Step 2
Add in dry ingredients and mix until you have a smooth batter. Then transfer the batter to two prepared 6-inch cake pans. I like to line my pans with parchment paper, but if you don’t have that, then be sure to grease and flour them well. You can do that with canola oil or your shortening, either will work! Then sprinkle a bit of flour in there, same thing, you can use either your all purpose or pastry flour.
Step 3
Time to bake your cakes and then let them cool. You can also place them in the freezer before you crumb coat your cake, to make it easier!
Step 4
Crumb coat your cake, and I finished this one with the spiral design. Then I just added some rainbow sprinkles around the top for a cute cake for any occasion!
FAQ's
Do I need a stand mixer for this cake recipe?
No! You can use a hand mixer or even a bowl with a whisk to make the cake. You will need some kind of mixer for the frosting though, whether that is a hand mixer or a stand mixer.
Can I use another oil in this cake?
Yes, if you prefer, you can use sunflower oil. I haven’t tested this cake with melted coconut oil, but it may work. You can also use olive oil or avocado oil, but those will provide a flavor to the cake that I wouldn’t recommend. That’s why I chose canola oil as it’s the most neutral flavor.
Can I use another kind of vegan milk?
Yes, if you want to use almond milk or pistachio milk you can use those as well. Oat milk would even work in this recipe! I always prefer coconut milk as it’s my favorite, and I feel it has the best flavor for baking.
What if I don’t have Irish moss powder?
You can’t find Irish moss powder online you can also use cornstarch in its place. This is a natural thickening agent and I like using it in vegan bakes!
What if I don’t have apple cider vinegar?
You can use white vinegar in its place if you don’t have apple cider vinegar. Worst case, you can leave it out, but your cake may be a bit denser. This can help vegan cakes with texture.
What if I don’t have pastry flour?
You can use cake flour in place of pastry flour. Try my Homemade Cake Flour recipe!
Can I use another kind of vegan butter?
Yes, if you want to use the Miyoko’s Organic Vegan Butter with Sea Salt that one will also be great in the frosting!
What else can I top this cake with?
You could add fresh strawberries, chocolate chips, or Vegan Chocolate Ganache on top of this cake in place of sprinkles. All would be delicious!
How should I store this cake?
This easy Vegan Vanilla Layer Cake is moist so it needs to be stored in an airtight container to retain its moisture and texture. You can leave at room temperature, or also store in the fridge.
Ingredients for the Best Vegan Vanilla Layer Cake
La Tourangelle Organic Canola Oil
Real Coco Organic Coconut Milk
Costco Kirkland Organic Cane Sugar
Cairnspring Mills Organic All Purpose Flour
Spectrum Organic Vegetable Shortening
Wholesome Organic Powdered Sugar
Simply Organic Vanilla Extract
India Tree Nature’s Colors Sprinkles
Why Organic
Why use organic ingredients in this recipe? You all know I’m a huge organic advocate, and I bet you may be thinking sometimes, Why would I even bother to use organic ingredients in something that is so sweet and indulgent? But, that is the exact reason why you should use organic ingredients! Sweet things need to have flavor in order to be good, otherwise they are just sweet and they don’t taste like much else. Organic ingredients are more pure than conventional ones, therefore they actually have more flavor than the non organic options. Say it with me, organic means more flavor! And not just more flavor but a more true and pure flavor. And organic ingredients are much healthier for you to eat in general as they do not contain GMOs or anything artificial. Plus, you are being environmentally friendly when you choose organic ingredients!
So, I highly recommend that you buy the best organic ingredients for this recipe! You can also shop my Amazon Storefront for all my favorite organic ingredients here. Tip – hover over each ingredient to see the name. And if you want to learn more about organic foods and the difference, read my post here on Food Labels and What They Mean.
Try my easy Vegan Vanilla Layer Cake! This simple two layer vegan vanilla cake from scratch is the best vegan vanilla layer cake for any celebration!
Ingredients
- Batter
226 grams (1 cup) organic cane sugar
1/2 cup organic canola oil
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons organic coconut milk
1 teaspoon organic apple cider vinegar
2 tablespoons hot water
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
142 grams (1 cup) organic pastry flour
127 grams (1 cup) organic all purpose flour
2 teaspoon organic Irish moss powder
1 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
- Frosting
170 grams (3/4 cup) organic vegetable shortening
340 grams (heaping 2 1/3 cups) organic powdered sugar, sifted
2 teaspoons organic vanilla extract
2 tablespoons organic coconut milk
Directions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line two 6-inch cake pans with parchment paper.
- To make the batter: In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, add the cane sugar, canola oil, coconut milk, apple cider vinegar, hot water, and vanilla extract. Mix together.
- Add in the pastry flour, all purpose flour, Irish moss powder, baking powder, and sea salt in that order. Mix on low until combined and you have a smooth batter.
- Divide evenly into the cake pans, about 370 grams each. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes, or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Allow to cool completely in the cake pans.
- To make the frosting: In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, add the vegetable shortening, powdered sugar, vanilla extract, and coconut milk. Mix on low until combined, then speed up mixer to high and mix for 2 to 3 minutes until the frosting is light and fluffy. Be sure to scrape down the sides of the bowl halfway through mixing, and continue mixing.
- Crumb coat the cake, and then frost it with a spiral design or however you like. Add rainbow sprinkles on top.
- Store in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
Recipe Video
Notes
- Find my tutorial on How to Crumb Coat a Cake.
- High Altitude – Bake at 350°F for 30 to 35 minutes, or until a wooden pick inserted in the center comes out clean.
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