Posted in Recipes on 25.01.2019
The Best Vegan Cake
prep: 20 mins / cook: 30 mins / inactive: 0 mins / total: 50 mins / quantity: 8-10 slices Print recipe?
This vegan cake recipe is a deliciously light vegan version of the very classic Victoria Sponge Cake with vegan frosting and homemade raspberry jam!
I have a lot of cakes in my baking history – vegan cake and otherwise. One of my most epic fails in cake baking was a Victoria Sponge. I was about 12 and it was during those pre-Kitchen Aid dark days. I was so very very focused on creaming together the butter and sugar and mixing in the eggs, because that’s what made the lightest of sponges, that I completely forgot all about the flour.
Turns out butter, sugar and eggs alone do not an edible cake make. I was SO disappointed. My tiny arms had beaten and beaten and all that was left were two sorry tins of mush.
Fast forward some 30+ years to this super easy vegan cake recipe. No frantic beating of butter and sugar but the result is still a beautifully light sponge cake. I’m convinced there’s very few recipes that can’t be made vegan, especially cake!
But when you know something’s going to taste good, and you’re hungry, well, let’s just say it doesn’t always make it through to the end of me photographing it
Why this is the best Vegan Cake Recipe
It’s really quick and easy
It can be adapted so easily into a Vegan Birthday Cake
It so incredibly light with a moist texture and wonderful filling
We’ve made it (and so have many others!) so many times you know you can trust it
No unusual ingredients required – just cupboard essentials
Nobody will guess that it’s a vegan cake
It contains your own homemade Jam (So easy to make) – and that my friends, is worth the bragging rights alone!
How to make this Vegan Cake
This really is a very simple, foolproof recipe, simply make your Jam (see below), make a very simple Vegan Cake mix using flour, sugar, baking soda, almond milk and oil, drop into two tins and bake! Honestly, is so easy that even “Him” (the non-baker of the two of us) made it and it was a perfect.
And please don’t be put off my the whole ‘making your own jam’ thing!
This easy raspberry jam recipe is SUPER easy – using just 4 ingredients and taking just 15 minutes to make.
The raspberries, lemon zest and juice and syrup all go in a saucepan to be bubbled for 10 minutes. Then add the chia seeds and bubble for a further 5 minutes. And that’s it!
The vegan frosting is also super simple and basically the same as normal frosting – just using a vegan butter substitute. What you use is up to you, though for frosting for vegan cake I’d suggest a block type margarine rather than the spreadable kind as they hold up much better when piping and at room temperature. I used a spreadable margarine to frost these Strawberry Muffins and these Halloween Chocolate Cupcakes and while they both tasted great, towards the end of piping it was starting to get too warm to hold its shape!
Of course you don’t have to pipe the frosting onto this cake, you can just spread it. I just think all cake should be a little fancy 😉
Other Vegan Cake Recipes
We’ve made plenty of other Vegan Cake Recipes, the deliciously moist Vegan Apple Cake, Our Raspberry and Almond Cake, a perfect afternoon treat and our classic Carrot Cake. Honestly, nobody will ever guess that these are vegan and each one would make a perfect Vegan Birthday Cake! If you’re looking for something to truly wow your workmates or friends, how about our Vegan Jaffa Cakes, a twist on the classic British biscuit ( may be a cake – they were the subject of a famous court case)
Vegan Cake Tips
- Freezable: you can freeze the un-frosted cakes for up to 1 month.
- Don’t over-mix the batter when adding the wet ingredients to the dry. Be sure to fully combine but don’t beat to much!
- Make a stunning three tiered version by increasing the ingredients by an extra 50%.
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The Best Vegan Cake
prep: 20 mins / cook: 30 mins / inactive: 0 mins / total: 50 mins / quantity: 8-10 slices
Ingredients
Jam:
- 250g raspberries – can be fresh or frozen
- 1 tblsp maple syrup
- 1/2 lemon – grated zest and juice
- 1 tblsp chia seeds
Cake:
- 2 cups (260g) plain flour
- 3/4 cup (120g) golden caster sugar
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 cup (225ml) unsweetened almond milk
- 1/3 cup (60ml) oil – I used extra virgin olive oil but feel free to use whatever you’d prefer!
Frosting:
- 1/2 cup (100g) block margarine (see note)
- 1 cup (100g) icing sugar + extra for dusting
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Instructions
- If you're making the jam start this first. Put the raspberries, syrup and lemon zest and juice into a heavy based saucepan and bubble gently for 10 minutes
- Add the chia seeds and bubble for a further 5 mintues before removing from the heat and leaving to cool
- Preheat your oven to 170 Fan / 190 C / 375 F / Gas 5. With a little oil or dairy free spread grease and then dust with flour two 6 inch (15cm) sandwich cake tins. I also cut a disc of parchment for the bases - but my tins are old and losing their non-stick!
- For the cake, sift the flour, sugar, baking soda and baking powder into a large bowl
- In a smaller bowl or jug whisk together the almond milk and oil then add to the large bowl of dry ingredients. With a rubber spatula, stir lightly but thoroughly to mix them together
- Divide this mixture evenly between the two tins, spreading to cover the base of each tin
- Bake for 30 minutes until lightly golden and a skewer inserted into the middle of the cake comes out clean
- Leave to cool in the tins for 5 minutes before removing to a cooling rack to cool completely
- When the cake is cooled make the frosting by simply beating together the block margarine, icing sugar and vanilla until pale and creamy. You can do this by hand or in a stand mixer
- If the cakes have domed slightly, cut a slice off the top of one of the cakes to make it flatter and put the cut side down onto your serving plate
- Spoon the frosting into a piping bag fitted with a large round nozzle and pipe Hershey's Kiss style blobs all round the outer edge of the cake base. Pipe the remainder into the centre and smooth flat. Alternatively just spread the whole cake base with the frosting
- Spread the jam mixture onto the bottom of the other cake then place on top of the frosting. Dust the top of the cake with icing sugar - I use a small tea strainer for this
- Store the cake in an airtight container at room temp
Notes
- If you're using an electric mixer to make the frosting you can leave the block margarine in the fridge till needed. If you're making the frosting by hand you'll find it easier to have the margarine at room temperature.
Some products I used in today's post...
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Hello there! I’m Sam, former Michelin star pastry chef and now your go-to vegan foodie on a mission to make plant-based eating a deliciously easy adventure! From cozy comfort foods to vibrant salads and decadent desserts, there’s something for everyone in my kitchen.
Whether you’re cooking for one or for a houseful I believe food doesn’t have to be complicated to be full of FLAVOUR and I want to show you how. I’ve been a rigorous meal planner for over a decade whilst embracing seasonal ingredients (because that’s where the real flavour is!)
I’m also a dedicated dog mum to Nooch and Baxter and enjoy cooking them homemade treats (many of which are posted here) when I’m not screaming at the tennis or devouring fantasy fiction.
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