The Almond Eater

Healthy, Wholesome Recipes

  • Home
  • About
    • faqs
  • Recipes
  • EBOOK
  • Portfolio
  • Contact
    • Privacy Policy

Vegan Vanilla Cake with Chai Spice Icing

November 18, 2016 by Erin 35 Comments

  • Share
  • Tweet
  • Pin
4176shares
Jump to Recipe

This three layer Vegan Vanilla Cake is moist, made with easy-to-find ingredients and is topped with a smooth chai spice icing. You must try it! 

Vegan Vanilla Cake | Make this 3-tier vegan vanilla cake topped with chai spice icing--super moist and full of flavor! | thealmondeater.com #vegan

Omgsh, a vegan vanilla cake just for you!

Guys I have to apologize—I’ve been horribly, horribly sick since Tuesday (still am!), which is why I’ve been a bit absent. I’m hoping that whatever I have goes away soon because I’m not sure how much more lying around and doing nothing I can take. It’s driving me crazy! 

With that said, I’m keeping things a bit short today, but not before I tell you about this cake. 

Vegan Vanilla Cake | This vegan vanilla cake is topped with a smooth chai spice icing--super moist and full of flavor! | thealmondeater.com #vegan

It’s a three layer vanilla cake topped with a thick icing made from powdered sugar and milk (basic), along with CHAI SPICES (totally not basic). It’s Miguel-approved (as most of my recipes are) and Miguel’s coworkers also approve of it. In fact, I was informed this dessert was dubbed the favorite by one of his coworkers. Now how’s that for an endorsement? 

If you aren’t into chai (who are you?!) you can omit the spices and enjoy a simple vanilla cake with vanilla icing. I know pies are the thing to bring for Thanksgiving, but if your family is one of those families that brings multiple desserts, you may just want to consider this cake, especially if someone in your family is vegan. 

I said I was keeping things short and that’s exactly what I’m doing. If you need me, I’ll be on my couch. Woof. If you make this vanilla cake, make sure to tag #thealmondeater on Instagram! And if you’re looking for another vegan cake recipe, check out this one–it’s a goodie. 

Print

Vegan Vanilla Cake with Chai Spice Icing

Vegan Vanilla Cake | This vegan vanilla cake is topped with a smooth chai spice icing--super moist and full of flavor! | thealmondeater.com #vegan

★★★★★

4.8 from 4 reviews

This three layer Vegan Vanilla Cake is moist, made with easy-to-find ingredients and topped with a smooth chai spice icing that’s sure to please!

  • Author: The Almond Eater
  • Prep Time: 20 mins
  • Cook Time: 40 mins
  • Total Time: 1 hour
  • Yield: One 3 tier 6" cake
  • Category: dessert
  • Method: oven
  • Cuisine: cake

Ingredients

  • 2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
  • 2 tsp baking soda
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 1 1/2 cups raw cane sugar
  • 1/2 cup dairy free butter (I use Earth Balance)
  • 1 1/2 cups almond milk
  • 1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
  • 2 tsp apple cider vinegar
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • For the icing:
  • 2 1/2 cups powdered sugar
  • 1/2 cup dairy free butter
  • 2 tbsp almond milk
  • 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1/4 tsp ginger
  • 1/4 tsp cinnamon
  • Pinch of cloves, all spice and cardamom

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350°.
  2. Combine flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl and set aside.
  3. In a separate bowl, cream butter and sugar together; add milk, applesauce, vinegar, and vanilla to that bowl and stir to combine.
  4. Combine wet and dry ingredients and stir until everything is mixed together, being careful not to over-stir.
  5. Grease three 6″ cake pans with nonstick spray or coconut oil and then pour batter evenly into pans, banging them on the countertop a few times so the batter evens out.
  6. Bake cakes for 35-40 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.
  7. Once cakes are done, leave them in the pans for 10 minutes before carefully transferring them onto a cooling rack. Wait until cakes are completely cook before icing them.
  8. For the icing: cream powdered sugar and butter together; add milk, vanilla and spices to the bowl and mix with an electric mixer until everything is smooth.
  9. To assemble: Once the cakes have cooked, remove the “dome” from each cake so that the tops of the cakes are flat. Next, ice the top of one of those cakes using a generous amount of icing and then place a second cake overtop, using the icing as glue to hold them together. Repeat this again for the third and final layer. Last, ice the top and sides of the cake.
  10. Cut and enjoy!

Keywords: cake, vegan cake, vanilla cake, vegan vanilla cake, chai cake, dessert

Did you make this recipe?

Tag @thealmondeater on Instagram and hashtag it #thealmondeater

 Vegan Vanilla Cake with Chai Spice Icing | #vegan | thealmondeater.com

Print Friendly, PDF & Email

Filed Under: Dessert Tagged With: cake, dairy free, dessert, oven, vegan, vegetarian

« Three Cheese Broccoli Soup
Apple, Kale and Brussels Sprouts Salad »

Comments

  1. Hayley says

    December 28, 2018 at 3:21 pm

    Would this batter fit into 2 8 or 9-inch baking pans?

    Reply
    • ErinErin says

      December 28, 2018 at 3:40 pm

      Yes I think either should be fine!

      Reply
      • Hayley says

        December 28, 2018 at 4:01 pm

        Awesome I’m going to be making this in January then for my first vegan birthday!

        Reply
  2. Loni says

    March 15, 2018 at 5:12 pm

    I just made your recipe and it was a huge hit! I did have to make one change because my store did not have Earth Balance butter, so I used the new Melt butter. It worked out perfectly! I wrote about it here on my blog:
    http://clearwatercottage.blogspot.com/2018/03/vegan-vanilla-cake-with-chai-frosting.html

    ★★★★★

    Reply
    • ErinErin says

      March 16, 2018 at 11:16 am

      Yay!! So glad you liked it–thanks for sharing 🙂

      Reply
  3. Rhyan says

    March 2, 2018 at 4:25 pm

    So excited to make this as a birthday cake this weekend!

    Reply
  4. Dee says

    November 4, 2017 at 11:35 pm

    omg this sounds so amazing! I am planning on making this for my daughters 1st bday and I can’t wait! thanks so much for the recipe!

    out of curiosity, what edible flower/cake toppings did you add on?

    ★★★★

    Reply
    • ErinErin says

      November 6, 2017 at 7:34 am

      I used regular flowers just for the photographs 😀 I hope your daughter enjoys this cake!

      Reply
  5. jessi says

    October 9, 2017 at 8:51 pm

    can this cake be made gluten free? if so any suggestions on what to replace it with

    ★★★★★

    Reply
  6. Sarah Browne says

    July 13, 2017 at 4:32 pm

    Would almond butter maybe
    work as a substitute instead of earth balance butter?

    Reply
  7. Sarah says

    June 25, 2017 at 8:54 pm

    I was just wondering if coconut oil can be used in place of vegan butter? Has anyone tried that? Thanks so much!!!

    Reply
    • ErinErin says

      June 25, 2017 at 9:35 pm

      hi! I haven’t tried it in this recipe, but my Vegan Chocolate Peppermint Cake uses coconut oil in place of butter and it’s pretty similar.. try adding the sugar in with the dry ingredients and then adding 1/4 cup melted coconut oil in with the wet ingredients. Let me know how it turns out!

      Reply
  8. Jahmila Duncan says

    March 27, 2017 at 12:27 pm

    Soo good. The icing is LIFE. I made this recipe last night. I used a springform pan (didn’t layer). I omitted the cardamom and cloves from the icing ( I didn’t have any lol). I also used a half cup less brown cane sugar. So yummy. I also topped with almond shaves.

    Reply
  9. Amy says

    December 19, 2016 at 8:32 am

    This is beautiful!

    I was just wondering, can this recipe be used for cupcakes? How many would it yield?

    Many thanks 🙂

    Reply
    • ErinErin says

      December 20, 2016 at 7:39 am

      Great question! I imagine it would work but I haven’t tried it myself… let me know if you do, and I’ll add it to my to do list for after the holidays because I’m curious too.

      Reply
      • Amy says

        January 3, 2017 at 9:28 am

        Hey Erin
        Happy New Year!
        So I tried this out as cupcakes and it worked a treat!
        Managed to get 19 cupcakes out of this recipe and baked them at 350 for 20mins.
        Everybody loved them and they were gone in minutes!!

        Reply
        • ErinErin says

          January 4, 2017 at 10:07 am

          I’m so glad to hear that, Amy–thanks for letting me know. Happy New Year!

          Reply
  10. Maikki | Maikin mokomin says

    November 21, 2016 at 1:50 pm

    So beautiful! In my opinion naked cakes are the prettiest layer cakes 🙂
    Maikki | Maikin mokomin recently posted…Chai-persimonkakku | Chai persimmon cakeMy Profile

    Reply
    • ErinErin says

      November 22, 2016 at 11:21 am

      I agree! Thanks 🙂

      Reply
  11. Jess @hellotofit says

    November 20, 2016 at 3:15 pm

    Miguel- AND office-approved?! Put that one in the boooooks! I love vanilla and chai flavors. And cake, obvi.

    Reply
    • ErinErin says

      November 22, 2016 at 11:20 am

      I’m adding it to my resume 😉 Thanks Jess!

      Reply
  12. Ellen @ My Uncommon Everyday says

    November 19, 2016 at 4:55 pm

    This cake is beautiful and the vanilla + chai flavors totally call to me. Looks like I need some little cake pans! I hope you feel better soon, Erin!

    Reply
    • ErinErin says

      November 22, 2016 at 11:20 am

      Thanks Ellen! Feeling so much better now thankfully.

      Reply
  13. Annie says

    November 19, 2016 at 1:21 pm

    What a beautiful cake! The chai spice icing is something I simply must try!

    Reply
    • ErinErin says

      November 22, 2016 at 11:19 am

      Chai spice icing is where it’s at–thanks Annie!

      Reply
  14. Georgie @ Healthy Pears says

    November 18, 2016 at 11:48 am

    you make the prettiest cakes!!! love chai spiced!

    Reply
    • ErinErin says

      November 22, 2016 at 11:19 am

      Thanks so much 🙂 That means a lot.

      Reply
  15. Shashi at RunninSrilankan says

    November 18, 2016 at 10:32 am

    Sending you feel good vibrations and wishes, Erin – being sick around the holidays sooks!
    BTW – this cake is gorgeous – loving the naked look!
    Shashi at RunninSrilankan recently posted…Sweet Potato Cranberry SouffléMy Profile

    Reply
    • ErinErin says

      November 22, 2016 at 11:18 am

      Thanks so much Shashi! 🙂

      Reply
  16. Isabel Eats says

    November 18, 2016 at 9:30 am

    NOOOO! The sickness is definitely going around. Hope you feel better!

    Also, once again, another beauty! This cake looks amazing. I need to get on the cake train like yesterday

    Reply
    • ErinErin says

      November 22, 2016 at 11:18 am

      Get on the cake train!! You must.

      Reply
  17. Kelly @ Kelly Runs For Food says

    November 18, 2016 at 8:14 am

    Hope you feel better! Being sick is the worst. I was sick for well over a month and I’m just now starting to feel like myself again, so I’m crossing my fingers for you.
    Chai anything is the BEST. This cake is making me want a chai latte lol.

    Reply
    • ErinErin says

      November 22, 2016 at 11:17 am

      Sick for a month?! Ahhh that sounds awful. Yes I’m feeling so much better now thankfully!

      Reply
  18. Marina @ A Dancer's Live-It says

    November 18, 2016 at 7:40 am

    Aw I hope you feel better Erin!! Thank you for still posting this cake though, you’re the BEST! 😀 I definitely need to buy 6″ cake pans now…smaller cake = justification to eat most of it. 😉
    Marina @ A Dancer’s Live-It recently posted…Out Of Office Until Next Week!My Profile

    ★★★★★

    Reply
    • ErinErin says

      November 22, 2016 at 11:16 am

      HAHA I like your way of thinking 😉

      Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

★☆ ★☆ ★☆ ★☆ ★☆

CommentLuv badgeShow more posts
Hi, I'm Erin, food photographer, food stylist and overall food obsessed! More>>
Follow

Subscribe to receive tasty, wholesome recipes in your inbox

eBook

Book-Cover

WHOLE30 FAVORITES

Paleo Broccoli Shrimp with Zucchini Noodles 4 Beef Ragu with Sweet Potato Noodles 3 Butternut Squash Chili with Cauliflower Pearls 4 Paleo Cod Lettuce Wraps 1 Arugula Pesto Zucchini Noodle Bowl 5 Turkey Sweet Potato Chili 4
  • I find that I tend to avoid the hard tasks because they seem scary. But the truth is, without doing the scary stuff, you’re never going to grow. Ever. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
➖⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
It’s so much easier to sit back and do what you’ve been doing, I know. But it’s SO rewarding to get past that hump. Past that fear. It’s called growth and even though it’s scary, it’s so necessary both in life and in business. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
➖⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
I challenge you (and me) to do that one thing you’ve been avoiding. You know, that task on your to do list that’s been there for MONTHS. Just do it. Often times it’s something as simple as sending an email. Because honestly, what’s the worst that can happen? ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
➖⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
📸 Miguel, my Instagram husband
  • Shot this for @tablefortwo and OMG if you haven’t tried it yet, you must! ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
➖⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
•⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
•⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
•⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
•⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
•⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
#instafood #foodie #dessert #chocolate  #f52grams #foodinspo #BHGfood #onmytable #foodandwine #heresmyfood #inmykitchen #shareyourtable #feedyoursoull #marthafood #bonappetit #foodblogfeed #instagood #marthabakes #delisheats #todayfoodclub #getinmybelly #goodeats #goodmoodfood #tastemade #foodpic #instayum #thekitchn #yum #thealmondeater
  • Seeeeeriously craving this Blueberry Rice Pudding right about now—have you tried it? It’s easy to prep the night before so I think I’m adding it to my to-do list tonight ! ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
➖⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
Recipe here: https://thealmondeater.com/cinnamon-blueberry-rice-pudding/⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
➖⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
•⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
•⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
•⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
•⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
•⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
#instafood #foodie #breakfast  #f52grams #foodinspo #BHGfood #onmytable #foodandwine #heresmyfood #inmykitchen #shareyourtable #feedyoursoull #marthafood #bonappetit #foodblogfeed #instagood #marthabakes #delisheats #todayfoodclub #getinmybelly #goodeats #goodmoodfood #tastemade #foodpic #instayum #thekitchn #yum #thealmondeater
  • These Paleo Sweet Potato Bars are the perrrrrrfect weekday snack, plus they’re topped with maple almond butter 😛 ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
➖⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
Recipe in bio and here: https://thealmondeater.com/paleo-sweet-potato-bars/⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
➖⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
•⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
•⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
•⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
•⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
•⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
#instafood #foodie #paleo #glutenfreefood #f52grams #foodinspo #BHGfood #onmytable #foodandwine #heresmyfood #inmykitchen #shareyourtable #feedyoursoull #marthafood #bonappetit #foodblogfeed #instagood #imsomartha #delisheats #todayfoodclub #getinmybelly #goodeats #goodmoodfood #tastemade #foodpic #instayum #thekitchn #yum #thealmondeater
  • It’s a shame that pecan pie is only eaten around the holidays. I mean C’MON, this Chocolate Chip Pecan Pie sounds reeeeeal good right about now. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
➖⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
Recipe: https://thealmondeater.com/chocolate-chip-pecan-pie/⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
➖⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
•⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
•⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
•⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
•⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
•⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
#dessert #pie #chocolate #thebakefeed #foodphotography #f52grams #foodinspo #BHGfood #onmytable #foodandwine #heresmyfood #inmykitchen #shareyourtable #feedyoursoull #marthafood #foodblogfeed #instagood #getinmybelly #goodeats #goodmoodfood #tastemade #foodpic #instayum #thekitchn #yum #thealmondeater
  • NEW: Sun-Dried Tomato Salad complete with feta AND burrata #extra ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
➖⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
Recipe in bio and here:⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
➖⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
•⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
•⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
•⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
•⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
•⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
#instafood #foodie #salad #cheese #f52grams #foodinspo #BHGfood #onmytable #foodandwine #heresmyfood #inmykitchen #shareyourtable #feedyoursoull #marthafood #bonappetit #foodblogfeed #instagood #imsomartha #delisheats #todayfoodclub #getinmybelly #goodeats #goodmoodfood #tastemade #foodpic #instayum #thekitchn #yum #thealmondeater

Privacy policy

Copyright © 2019 · All Rights Reserved · Design by Deluxe Designs