Soft and fluffy vegan vanilla sheet cake or tray bake is an easy buttery sponge, topped with whipped icing and fresh fruit. Perfect for birthdays, afternoon tea or simply because!

This vanilla sheet cake morphed a few times between inception and final baked cake.  Should it be a layer cake?  Strawberries IN the cake?  Fresh fruit or sprinkles?  And honestly, I pretty much decided as I went along!  I knew I wanted to incorporate strawberries somehow as it’s summer and they’re abundant and full of juicy flavour!  But I also wanted this vegan vanilla cake to be as easy as possible and adaptable depending on what it’s needed for.

Easy vegan vanilla cake ingredients:

Not only did I want this cake to be adaptable, I wanted to make sure there were no hard to come by ingredients and included most things you probably already have!

Caster sugar – I use golden caster sugar for a couple of reasons.  The golden variety is unrefined, and processed in a way that maintains some of the molasses, similar to brown sugar.  It has a warmer, more caramel-like flavour than white caster sugar.

Apple cider vinegar – also a couple of reasons for its uses.  Mixed with the milk beforehand curdles the milk making it into a vegan version of buttercream which gives the baked cake extra richness.  It also produces a chemical reaction with the bicarbonate of soda resulting in a soft, fluffy cake texture.

Vanilla – always use the best vanilla you can afford.  Vanilla pods or paste is the ultimate for taste but they’re very expensive.  A more reasonably priced vanilla extract is a good compromise between the expensive pods and the much cheaper vanilla flavouring that, I think, tastes a bit too artificial.  But use what you have or can afford 😉

Oil – use a light oil as olive oil is too strong a flavour and may even give your cake a weird green hue!  Rapeseed, sunflower oil or just vegetable oil all work great.  I use oil in baking as it captures the gases that are released from the interaction of the baking powder and baking soda, and slows down gluten formation.  This helps keep certain baked goods tender and fluffy in texture!

How to make this easy vanilla sheet cake:

Start with the tin.  I’ve brushed mine with a little margarine and sprinkled with flour then put a sheet of parchment in the bottom.  I’ve used a square tin 8 inches (20 cm), or use a 7 x 9 inch (18 x 23 cm) tin.  Set it aside.

In a bowl or jug whisk together the milk and vinegar and set that aside too.

In a large bowl mix together the flour, sugar, baking powder and baking soda.

Once the milk has thickened add the oil and vinegar then pour that into the bowl of dry ingredients, mixing well.  Stir up from the bottom of the bowl, making sure there are no flour ‘pockets’.

Pour this into your prepared tin, smoothing the surface flat then bake for 25 minutes until well risen and cooked in the middle.  To test if the cake is cooked insert a cocktail stick in the middle of the cake.  If it comes out clean the cake is done, if there is still raw cake mixture clinging to it, return to the oven for a few more minutes then test again.

Allow the cooked cake to cool in the tin for 10 minutes before carefully lifting out then leave to cool completely on a wire rack.

Decorating your vanilla cake:

Once the cake is cool, slice off the top if it has domed slightly.  This is cookies perks 😉

Beat together the softened vegan butter, icing sugar, vanilla and vegan cream until pale and very fluffy.  If you’ve got a Kitchen Aid or other stand mixer you don’t really need to soften the butter beforehand.

Spread the buttercream over the top of the cake, smoothing the surface as you go.

Decoration is up to you. Got a birthday?  Scatter over some candy sprinkles and edible glitter, poke in some candles and get your celebrating pants on!  Fancy a spot of afternoon tea?  Use fresh strawberries or even dip some strawberries in chocolate and delicately plonk on top of your cake!

Store the cake in an airtight container for 3-4 days.  The cake itself can be frozen undecorated – wrap tightly in foil or clingfilm then defrost and ice as needed.

Looking for even more delicious and easy vegan cake recipes?  Try these:

Easy vegan chocolate cake

Spiced vegan apple cake

Pear and almond cake

Lemon poppy seed cake

Chocolate fudge cake

If you make this recipe or any of the recipes from The Cook & Him I’d LOVE to see! Just snap a picture and share it on Instagram using #thecookandhim and tagging @thecookandhim in the photo itself (as this guarantees I’ll see your picture!)

Don’t forget to follow me on Facebook or Pinterest for even more recipe inspiration and chat, competitions, behind the scenes and so much more!