This classic vegan vanilla butter cake is buttery with the aroma of vanilla and presents a firm cake crumb. It’s not overly sweet and can pair with any flavour. This cake is great for stacking and freezing as it doesn’t dry out easily. It’s a must have stable recipe for your vegan cake repertoire.
This cake is one of the recipes featured in my new cookbook THE VEGAN CAKE BIBLE, now available to purchase here. This cookbook encapsulates 60 recipes, decorating cake tutorials, troubleshooting, ingredients recommendations and everything you could possible ever want to know about vegan cakes. My hardcover cookbook (265 pages!) is broken down into the following chapters:
- HOW TO USE THIS BOOK
- THE BASICS
- ASSEMBLING & DECORATING YOUR CAKE
- FOUNDATION FROSTING
- FOUNDATION FILLINGS
- FOUNDATION CAKES
- TRADITIONAL CAKES
- SPECIALITY CAKES
- GLUTEN FREE CAKES
The reason I’m sharing this recipe is that you can’t beat a classic vanilla cake recipe. It works of every occasion and it’s also an easy recipe that you can bake, whether you’re a beginner or at an advanced level.
This cake can pair with any type of cake frosting or even a ganache recipe, so get creative.
Vegan Vanilla Butter Cake Breakdown
Substitutions for this recipe
- sub soy milk for your favourite plant milk
- sub xanthan gum for 1 flaxseed egg (1 tablespoon ground flaxseed mixed with 2.5 tablespoons boiling water)
Tips for making this recipe
- Try to use the best quality vegan butter you can, a block butter is best
- Use high quality vanilla, I recommend a vanilla bean paste for the best results
- Preheat your oven and check with an oven thermometer before putting your cake into the oven
- If you use a flax egg instead of xanthan gum, add to the creamed butter and mix on high until combined
- If your oven tends to bake unevenly, use baking strips or rotate your cake at the 40 min mark
- You can easily double or triple this recipe if you want to make a larger layered cake
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VEGAN VANILLA BUTTER CAKE
- Total Time: 1 hour 13 minutes
- Yield: 12 – 15 serves 1x
- Diet: Vegan
Description
This classic cake is buttery with the aroma of vanilla and presents a firm cake crumb.
Ingredients
125 ml (½ cup) plain soy milk
1 tablespoon white vinegar
125 ml (½ cup) water, at room temperature
2 teaspoons vanilla bean paste
½ teaspoon vegan butter flavouring (optional)
250 g (1 cup) vegan butter or margarine, at room temperature
170 g (¾ cup) caster sugar
350 g (2 ⅓) plain all purpose flour
2 ½ teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon sea salt
½ teaspoon xanthan gum (see substitutes list if you don’t have this)
Instructions
- Preheat your convection oven to 165°C (330°F) and line a 1 x 8in / 20.32cm cake tin with baking paper, grease with oil and dust with flour.
- In a small jug mix soy milk with vinegar to thicken, then add water, vanilla and butter flavouring. Mix together until completely combined.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer with a paddle attachment, cream together butter and sugar for 2 to 3 minutes, or until light and creamy with no lumps.
- Sieve flour, baking powder, baking soda salt and xanthan gum in a small mixing bowl.
- Add ⅓ of the flour mix to the creamed butter and mix very slowly on lowest speed, then add ⅓ of the liquid and mix on the lowest speed. Repeat until all ingredients are just combined. It will be a very thick batter. Don’t over mix.
- Pause the mixer and scrape down sides with a rubber spatula, then mix on a low speed for a few seconds.
- Pour into your cake tin and tap the tin firmly a few times on the bench to release air bubbles.
- Place on the middle rack in the center of your oven and bake for 55 – 58 mins, check with a skewer through the centre, if it comes out clean it’s ready.
- Let cool in the tin for 10 minutes, then flip on a cake rake and allow to completely cool before decorating with your desired frosting.
- Prep Time: 15
- Cook Time: 58
- Category: Dessert
- Method: creaming
- Cuisine: Dessert
Keywords: vanilla, cake, vegan
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Hi sara.. i’ve tried and the results are amazing. But for the cakes it a lil bit crumbly, so when i layered with filling, its kind of breaks easily. Any recomendation make it less crumbly? I really love your recipe. Thankss
Hi Florence
Add 1/2 teaspoon of xanthan gum and that will help the cake be less crumbly.
Can I bake this in a regular oven ? I don’t have a convection oven. Domino sugar is supposedly vegan, so I will be using that.
Yes
Hi we have someone dairy free only can I use a egg instead of xantham gum ?
No sorry
The recipe says to line a 1 x 8in / 20.32cm cake tin with baking paper, grease with oil and dust with flour. Do you line the pan with paper AND grease and dust? Or is it one or the other?
Yes, line and grease
This cake looks lovely! I didn’t see the substitutes list for xanthum gum. What is it used for? Also, is there another name for caster sugar, and do you know of any brand in the US that is also vegan?
Thank you.
Hey Gina, if you scroll up on the post there is the list for subs. It’s used as an egg replacer. You can use white sugar instead of caster sugar. I’m not from the USA but usually just buy organic sugar brands and they are vegan.