Vanilla Vegan Birthday Cake

Name: Vanilla Vegan Birthday Cake
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 35 min
Total time: 1 h 45 min
Yield: 20 servings
Ingredients: 4 cups all-purpose flour (tap "Metric" above to see weight in grams); ¼ cup corn starch; 2 teaspoons baking powder; 1 ½ teaspoons baking soda; ½ teaspoon fine sea salt; 2 ¼ cups unsweetened soy milk; ¼ cup fresh lemon juice; 6 tablespoons vegan butter, melted; ½ cup flavorless oil such as canola; 2 ½ cups organic cane sugar; 2 ½ tablespoons vanilla extract; 1 ¼ cups vegan butter (sticks), room temperature; 4 ½ cups organic powdered sugar; ¾ to 1 teaspoon vanilla extract; ¼ teaspoon almond extract, optional; up to 1 tablespoon non-dairy milk; 7 ounces Vegan sprinkles

User Reviews

5.0

39 reviews

Excellent

Prep Time
30 mins
Cook Time
30 mins
Additional Time
40 mins
Total Time
1 hr 45 mins
Servings
20 servings
Calories
450 kcal
Course
Dessert
Cuisine
American

Vanilla Vegan Birthday Cake

Finn Russell

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This vegan vanilla cake is moist, sweet, fluffy, and loved by vegans and non-vegans alike! It's perfect for birthdays and other celebrations and very versatile. Made with easy-to-find ingredients, you'll love the sweet, rich vanilla flavor. Create an impressive vegan sprinkle cake, or choose classic decorations like fruit, flowers, piped frosting, or chocolate. Yield: one 3-layer, 8-inch round cake; serves 16 to 20

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Ingredients

Servings

For the cake:

4 cups all-purpose flour (tap "Metric" above to see weight in grams) see Note 1
¼ cup corn starch
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 ½ teaspoons baking soda
½ teaspoon fine sea salt
2 ¼ cups unsweetened soy milk or almond milk
¼ cup fresh lemon juice or 1 tablespoon white vinegar
6 tablespoons vegan butter, melted I used original Earth Balance sticks
½ cup flavorless oil such as canola
2 ½ cups organic cane sugar
2 ½ tablespoons vanilla extract real or clear/imitation; see Note 2

For the vanilla frosting (enough for a 3-layer cake):

1 ¼ cups vegan butter (sticks), room temperature I used original salted Earth Balance (2 ½ sticks)
4 ½ cups organic powdered sugar
¾ to 1 teaspoon vanilla extract or clear vanilla
¼ teaspoon almond extract, optional optional but does add nice flavor
up to 1 tablespoon non-dairy milk

Optional decoration:

7 ounces Vegan sprinkles

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Instructions

A few hours before you plan to frost the cake, set the butter out to come to room temperature. Arrange two oven racks near the center of the oven. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (176 C), and lightly oil three 8-inch cake pans. Place a circle of parchment paper in the bottom of each pan.
Combine dry ingredients in a mixing bowl: flour, starch, baking powder, baking soda, salt. Then sift them into an extra large bowl.
In a separate mixing bowl, combine the melted butter, oil, sugar, milk, lemon juice, and vanilla. Whisk for about 1 minute to dissolve the sugar. Pour wet ingredients into dry, and whisk just until there's no visible dry flour. Divide batter evenly among the 3 pans.
Bake for 32 to 35 minutes (the cakes are thicker than most, so the bake time may seem longer than you're used to).
To test for doneness, lightly press the center with your finger. If it bounces back even a little bit, the cakes are done. You can also insert a toothpick in the center; it should come out clean or with a few crumbs. Let the cakes cool in the pans for 10 minutes, then turn out onto racks to cool completely.

Make the Frosting:

Using a handheld mixer or stand mixer with paddle attachment, cream the butter on low speed for 1 minute. Sift in half of the powdered sugar, and beat on low until smooth. Sift in the remaining sugar and mix again on low speed. Stop to scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed.
Add the extract(s) and milk (only as needed for consistency), and beat on low until fluffy and smooth. If the frosting is too soft, chill in the fridge for 10 minutes.
To frost the cake, cut 4 strips of parchment paper (about 2 ½ inches wide) and arrange on the cake stand in the shape of a box (this keeps the base of the cake neat and tidy). Place one cake layer so the edges are resting on the parchment strips, holding them in place. Spread the top with an even layer of frosting, about 1 cup. Place the second cake layer and repeat. Place the third cake layer, and frost the top and sides. Decorate as desired. See Note 3 below for sprinkle cake tips.
Carefully slide the strips of parchment paper out from under the cake. For the best results, chill the frosted cake for 1 hour before slicing.

Notes

Be sure to review the Top Tips and FAQ sections in the post.
Note 1 - I recommend using a kitchen scale to weigh flour. They're inexpensive and so useful if you do much baking. If you don't have a scale, whisk the flour, lightly scoop it up with a measuring cup, and level off the top.
Note 2 - the type of vanilla is totally up to you; I usually bake with pure vanilla extract but experimented this time with clear vanilla for its lighter color and slightly different flavor. McCormick's clear vanilla is vegan, as are many other brands. A quick online search will help.
Note 3/Sprinkle Cake:
watch this YouTube video by Cupcake Jemma to see the best method for sticking sprinkles on the sides of the cake.
Place a large sheet pan underneath the cake stand to catch the excess sprinkles.
The frosting should be soft enough for the sprinkles stick but not too soft. If the frosting is too warm it can be messy, or even worse, cause your cake to lean and become unstable. Just pop it into the fridge for 10 minutes, then finish adding the sprinkles.