This vegan white cake is light, fluffy and perfect! Topped with a simple white buttercream frosting it’s a super pretty cake that’s perfect for a special occasion.
You might be wondering, what’s the difference between a white cake and a vanilla cake? Well…. not a whole lot really. In fact this recipe is based on our super popular vegan vanilla cake recipe.
The main difference between a vegan white cake and a vegan vanilla cake is just trying to make the color as light as possible.
To make this white cake as white as possible, I used a clear vanilla extract, almond milk, which is very white in color, and baking powder instead of baking soda. Baking powder tends to result in a lighter color for baked goods so worked great here.
How To Make Vegan White Cake
You will find full instructions and measurements in the recipe card at the bottom of the post. This is a summary of the process to go along with the process photos.
- Sift all purpose flour into a mixing bowl and add white sugar, baking powder and salt.
- Mix together.
- Add almond milk, oil and clear vanilla extract and mix into a batter. Mix until just mixed, don’t overmix.
- Divide the batter between two 8-inch cake pans (sprayed with non-stick spray and lined with circles of parchment paper on the bottom.
- Bake at 350°F for 30 minutes or until a toothpick insterted into the center of one of the cakes comes out clean.
- Allow to cool for a few minutes in the pans and then transfer to a wire cooling rack to cool completely before frosting.
White Frosting
The frosting is a mix of powdered sugar, vegan butter, almond milk and clear vanilla extract. The frosting goes a little off-white as a result of the vegan butter, but once it’s on the cake you don’t notice that much anymore.
Simply add all the ingredients to the bowl of your stand mixer and starting off at slow speed, gradually increase speed until the frosting is fluffy and smooth.
Ingredient Notes
Almond Milk. We liked almond milk best for this cake as it’s very white in color so works well in that respect. Of course you can use a different non-dairy milk such as soy milk if you prefer.
Canola Oil. We used canola oil in this cake and either canola oil or vegetable oil work great. Melted coconut oil also works.
Clear Vanilla Extract. It’s ideal to use a clear vanilla so that it doesn’t darken the cake. Some white cakes also use a few drops of almond extract. We opted not to in this recipe but if you do want to, then just make sure it’s a very small amount as when it comes to almond extract a little goes a long way.
Recipe FAQ
This recipe will make 18-24 cupcakes. Baking time would be around 20 minutes.
If you’d like this cake to be gluten-free then be sure to use a gluten-free all purpose baking blend in the same quantity as the regular flour.
Storing and Freezing
Keep the cake covered at room temperature where it will stay good for a few (3-4) days. Alternatively store it covered in the fridge for up to a week. It’s ideal to let it come to room temperature before serving.
It’s also freezer friendly up to 3 months if you want to freeze it.
More Vegan Cakes
- Vegan Lemon Cake
- Vegan Victoria Sponge
- The Most Amazing Vegan Chocolate Cake
- Vegan Carrot Cake
- Vegan Banana Cake
- Best Vegan Chocolate Cake
Did you make this recipe? Be sure to leave a comment and rating below!
Vegan White Cake
Ingredients
Vegan White Cake:
- 2 ⅔ cups All Purpose Flour (330g)
- 1 ½ cups White Granulated Sugar (300g)
- 3 teaspoons Baking Powder
- ¾ teaspoon Salt
- 1 ½ cups Almond Milk (360ml)
- ½ cup Canola Oil (120ml) or Vegetable Oil
- 2 teaspoons Clear Vanilla Extract
White Buttercream Frosting:
- 4 ½ cups Powdered Sugar (540g)
- ½ cup Vegan Butter (112g)
- 3 ½ Tablespoons Almond Milk
- 2 teaspoons Clear Vanilla Extract
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C) and spray two 8-inch cake pins with non-stick spray and line the bottoms with circles of parchment paper. Set aside.
- Sift the flour into a mixing bowl and add the white sugar, baking powder and salt and mix together.
- Add the almond milk, oil and clear vanilla extract and whisk in with a hand whisk until just combined. Don’t overmix.
- Divide the cake batter evenly between the two prepared cake pans and place into the oven to bake for 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of one of the cakes comes out clean.
- Allow the cakes to cool for a few minutes and then transfer them to a wire cooling rack and let them cool completely before frosting.
- Prepare your frosting by adding the powdered sugar, vegan butter, almond milk and clear vanilla extract to the bowl of your electric mixer and start off at slow speed, gradually increasing speed until your frosting is thick and smooth.
Notes
- Measure your flour correctly. Either use the spoon and level method: spoon it into a measuring cup and then level off the top with a knife, don’t scoop it and don’t pack it into the cup, or weigh it on a food scale for the most accurate results.
- Almond Milk. We liked almond milk best for this cake as it’s very white in color so works well in that respect. Of course you can use a different non-dairy milk such as soy milk if you prefer.
- Canola Oil. We used canola oil in this cake and either canola oil or vegetable oil work great. Melted coconut oil also works.
- Clear Vanilla Extract. It’s ideal to use a clear vanilla so that it doesn’t darken the cake. Some white cakes also use a few drops of almond extract. We opted not to in this recipe but if you do want to, then just make sure it’s a very small amount as when it comes to almond extract a little goes a long way.
- Cupcakes: This recipe will make 18-24 cupcakes. Baking time will be around 20 minutes.
- Gluten-Free: If you’d like this cake to be gluten-free then be sure to use a gluten-free all purpose baking blend in the same quantity as the regular flour.
- Storing: Keep the cake covered at room temperature where it will stay good for a few (3-4) days. Alternatively store it covered in the fridge for up to a week. It’s ideal to let it come to room temperature before serving. It’s also freezer friendly up to 3 months if you want to freeze it.
- This recipe was first published in July 2018. We have updated it with new photos and a few small changes to the recipe. The original recipe used baking soda (1 ½ tsp baking soda + 1 Tbsp white vinegar) and melted coconut oil. We re-tested the recipe and found baking powder to work best for the color and preferred canola oil for the texture, though melted coconut oil does work just fine if you prefer to use that.
I have 20cm cake tins, would this recipe work in them?
Yes, that’s perfect!
Delicious, thankyou!
I didn’t care about the whiteness as it was going to be iced with pink frosting for my little girls birthday, so I used regular vanilla, oat milk and added some passionfruit to the icing. it came out beautifully and still tasting good a few days later. I’m definitely saving this and will use it again and again.
Hi,
You say use granulated sugar…….can I confirm that I can’t use castor sugar ?
Thankyou
Hi Pat. We haven’t tested this recipe with caster sugar, but it should work just fine.
Delicious, perfect for for my husband’s birthday. Thank you.
Yay! Glad you liked it and thanks for your great review!
By far the best vegan white cake I’ve had. The consistency and crumb are great and the flavor is perfect.
Thank you so much Pat!
May I just say that I’m not vegan so this is being “judged” based on ALL possible ingredients available to me. I love this! My favorite way 2 serve this is as a strawberry shortcake. I don’t like traditional shortcake but this cake is beautiful & sturdy enough to support berries, juice & whipped cream. I visit this site often & there has always been an alternative for short notice requests & I’ve not been disappointed once. Consider me a non vegan non vegetarian student. Thank you for sharing your knowledge.
Thanks so much for the amazing comment and review Christina! 🙂
I have someone who’s allergic to nuts. Would oat milk work instead of almond milk? Thanks!
Sure!
Can you advise what the equivalent to All Purpose Flour is in the UK please? Is it plain or self raising flour? Thanks!
It’s plain flour.
Made this with my daughters yesterday. We cut the sugar down in both the cake mix and the icing. The result is an excellent cake that is not overly sweet. Thank you for this recipe! We will make it again, I am sure.
Awesome! Thanks so much for sharing Mark.
Awesome recipe. Thank you!
So glad you enjoyed it!
Hi, can I use regular milk instead of almond milk..thanks.
Sure!
Hello,
is it possible to use oats flour instead of all purpose flour?
I’m also thinking about using a gluten free flour. I’m a little hesitant because of my previous experiences working with gluten free flour.
Thank you!
I really love all the recipes!
Hi Lana, I wouldn’t make it with oat flour. But a gluten free all purpose blend should work well.
Can I make 9 X 13 cake by doubling up the recipe?
I would leave the recipe the same for a 9×13 sheet cake. The baking time would be 25-30 minutes.
Can I use baking soda instead of baking powder?
Not without making other adjustments to the recipe, you might prefer to use our vegan victoria sponge cake recipe or our vegan vanilla cake recipe instead.
This turned out delicious! I used regular almond milk, but will unsweetened also work? I used the cake recipe and turned it into a fresh strawberry cake. Yum! Thanks
Unsweetened almond milk will be just fine. Glad you enjoyed it!
Hi made this cake with coconut oil and cooked it in one 9-inch pan for 40 minutes! 3 doses of a three layers birthday cake decorated with blue vegan buttercream…most kids came back for the second portion!
Oh that’s awesome Gabriella! So glad it was a success!