We’ve been on a quest for the ultimate vegan cake recipe for years, and finally found it in this recipe developed by vegan baking aficionado Kathy Chrzaszcz for WorldofVegan.com. We use any special occasion as an excuse to make it, and love to have fun with the recipe by adding vegan sprinkles to the batter to create a “confetti cake” effect, or by decorating the top with fresh flowers, fruit, or chocolate drizzles.
Yield: 8–10 servings
Prep time: 30 minutes | Cook time: 30 minutes | Total time: 1 hour
You’ll need: three 8-inch cake pans and an electric stand mixer or hand mixer
2 cups soy milk (any variety), at room temperature
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
1⅓ cups granulated sugar
¾ cup vegan butter, at room temperature
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 batch Buttercream Frosting (page 175) or 2 batches Chocolate Frosting (page 169)
Optional Decorating
Ideas:
Fresh fruit or flowers
Vegan sprinkles
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour three 8-inch cake pans.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the soy milk and apple cider vinegar. Allow the mixture to sit for at least 10 minutes so it can thicken and curdle.
3. In a large bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Whisk to combine and set aside.
4. In the bowl of a stand mixer (or in a separate large bowl, using an electric hand mixer), cream together the sugar, vegan butter, and vanilla extract.
5. Run the mixer and slowly drizzle in the soured milk, beating to combine. Slowly add the flour mixture a little bit at a time and beat until combined.
6. Distribute the batter evenly among the prepared cake pans. Bake the cakes on the center rack of the oven for 27 to 30 minutes, until the cakes are golden and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Allow the cakes to cool in the pans. Carefully remove the cooled cakes from the pans.
7. When the cake layers have reached room temperature, you can frost and stack the cake layers. Do not frost before they have cooled completely, or your frosting will melt. If your cakes are a bit rounded at the top and you want them to be perfectly flat, use a cake leveler (or a sharp, serrated knife) to gently slice off the top of each cake, and flip them upside down for a perfectly level decorating surface. Spread or pipe a layer of frosting onto one layer of cake. Place the second cake on top and frost it. Repeat with the third cake. Then frost the top and sides of the cake.
8. Decorate with any additional toppings you like.
Friendly Suggestion: If you notice the cake frosting is softening or you won’t be serving the cake immediately, store the cake in the refrigerator. The frosting will firm up in the fridge and the cake can last 5 days there.
Tester Tip: “I used two 9-inch pans and it worked great!” —Carol M.
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