Vegan cakes are an incredibly delicious way to please your sweet tooth while also impressing others. While cakes may be known as traditionally made with eggs, milk and butter, vegan cakes omit the animal ingredients in lieu of completely plant based ones. Yet they lack in nothing when it comes to their fluffy texture and rich flavors. We’ve gathered our favorite vegan cake recipes from around the web. These include the classics such as chocolate cake, shortcake and even twists on classics such as cheesecake. We promise these cakes will delight your tastebuds and will impress even the most picky of eaters. We’ve shared a few of our favorite substations and baking tips in case you want to try to veganize a favorite traditional recipe or want to swap out some ingredients in the recipes below.
Baking Substitutions For Non Vegan Ingredients
Milk
Milk can usually be easily replaced in any recipe with any unsweetened, plain plant based milk. Options include:
Eggs
Eggs can be replaced with the following:
Butter
Butter can often be replaced with the following:
A Few Helpful Vegan Baking Tips
- Most recipes can easily be made gluten-free by swapping out the flour for a 1 to 1 gluten-free flour blend. You can use Bob’s Red Mill, Namaste or make your own using this recipe from Minimalist Baker.
- If you don’t have the time or desire to make your own frosting, a few great already made brands exist. The Simple Mills brand offers a vegan chocolate and vanilla that taste delicious and work like traditional already made frosting. Wholesome makes organic vanilla, chocolate and strawberry frostings that are delicious and easy to find.
- If you want some sprinkles for your cake, there are a few options, especially if you are willing to get creative. Let’s Do Organic makes vegan confetti sprinklez available online and in many natural food stores. You could also consider purchasing vegan hard candy, put it in a bag and crush it to make pretty, sheer sprinkles. Freeze dried fruit such as Natierra brand is another great and super healthy option. Simply put the fruit in a plastic or wax bag. Then crush it to make vibrant, beautiful sprinkles that offer a burst of flavor and color.
- Truly vegan sugars can be hard to find as many are processed through bone char. Many brands may be vegan but do not advertise it. Wholesome brand sugars are all completely vegan as they state they are and do not use bone char for processing.
10 Vegan Cake Recipes to Try
Recipe: The Ultimate Vegan Chocolate Cake
Where to Find it: It Doesn’t Taste Like Chicken
Why We Love it: This is the ultimate decadent chocolate cake. It’s rich, moist, and sweet chocolate cake topped with chocolate frosting that is sure to wow. It is perfect for all those chocolate lovers in your life. The double layer cake is easy to make and assemble. And all the ingredients are easy to find and most likely in your kitchen pantry right now. We suggest making this for any and all special occasions. It will be appreciated by cake lovers regardless of whether they’re vegan or not.
Recipe: Vanilla Berries Naked Cake
Where to Find it: Dear Kitchen
Why We Love it: We absolutely love this simple cake with a fruity twist. It’s the perfect combination of a sweet, moist cake combined with tart, fresh berries. The cake and frosting recipes are incredibly easy to make and require very basic ingredients that most people have on hand. If you want to add a little something extra, we suggest toasting coconut flakes until golden brown. Once cooled, add them wherever you frosted the cake for an extra depth and crispy crunch.
Recipe: Vegan Peanut Butter Cake with Chocolate Peanut Butter Glaze
Where to Find it: Vegan Richa
Why We Love it: The classic combination of peanut butter and chocolate in cake form does not disappoint. This cake features a small list of relatively healthy, easy to find ingredients and comes together in minutes. It’s sure to be a hit with children and adults. It's incredibly easy to change if you prefer to swap out the peanut butter for almond butter or a nut-free version using tahini.
Recipe: Vegan Strawberry Cake with Strawberry Frosting
Where to Find it: Loving It Vegan
Why We Love it: This cake is an absolute strawberry lovers dream! Perfect for when you found some strawberries on sale or when they’ve finally come in season. It uses simple ingredients to make the perfect blend of tart, sweet and moist cake. The buttercream frosting comes together quickly. It is so good you’ll have to try to make it onto the cake before you eat it all! The red food dye isn’t necessary for this delicious cake. But if you want it to be a rich color, there are natural alternatives such as Color Kitchen brand.
Recipe: Gluten Free Mocha Cake with Vegan Coffee Buttercream
Where to Find it: Go Dairy Free
Why We Love it: This cake is soy free, tree nut free and gluten free, and you would never even guess it. This coffee mocha cake is the definition of decadence. It is worth the time and effort to make this multi layered, ganache filled cake. We highly recommend enjoying it with a vegan latte, for a rich, chocolatey, fully caffeinated experience.
Recipe: Strawberry Shortcake
Where to Find it: Medical Medium
Why We Love it: Nothing signals the start of summer quite like the appearance of strawberry shortcake. This version is grain free, healthy, and incredibly easy. The shortcake combined with the coconut whipped cream perfectly complements the tart yet sweet fresh strawberries. The shortcake and coconut whipped cream are a perfect combination to use with any fruit including other berries and even stone fruit like peaches when they come in season, making it a great staple recipe for any vegan kitchen.
Recipe: Lemon Layer Cake
Where to Find it: Making It Milk Free
Why We Love it: This light lemon cake is perfect for serving at parties and is sure to be a crowd pleaser. The ingredients are easy to find and come together quickly to make this light, tart and sweet cake. We love topping this cake with fresh, in season raspberries or blackberries. And for an extra burst of color, sprinkle crushed freeze dried raspberries on top.
Recipe: Foolproof Vegan Applesauce Spice Cake
Where to Find it: The Full Helping
Why We Love it: There’s something so warm and cozy about spice cakes, and this one is particularly delicious. Bundt cakes always look so beautiful and appealing. The flavors of this easy vegan cake make it a sure family favorite. This cake is great topped with powdered sugar as suggested, or served with a bit of vegan butter and some jam. No matter how you serve it, keep this one in your recipe box for when the weather turns cool and you want a warm, comforting dessert.
Recipe: Raw Cashew Cheesecake
Where to Find it: La Mesa
Why We Love it: Raw cashew cheesecake is pretty big, and for a good reason, it’s amazing. We love this simple version of a raw cashew cheesecake because it’s everything we want it to be, sweet, rich, creamy and refreshing. While this may not be the cheapest or quickest recipe to make when you factor in setting up time, it is incredibly healthy and delicious, and worth every ounce of time and every cent made to make it. We recommend experimenting by topping it with berries, cherries or melted drizzled chocolate and raw cacao nibs.
Recipe: Raw Vegan Carrot Cake
Where to Find it: The Blenderist
Why We Love it: This cake is incredibly delicious and flavorful, and we just can’t get enough. The ingredients are super healthy, easy to find, and come together beautifully for a delicious dessert that won’t give you a sugar crash. We highly recommend adding either crushed freeze dried pineapple or dehydrated pineapple pieces to the top for a tart and tropical touch.