Vegan Vanilla Cake with Chai Spice Icing

Name: Vegan Vanilla Cake with Chai Spice Icing
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 40 min
Total time: 60 min
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; 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

By Erin · November 18, 2018 · Updated June 23, 2020 · 50 Comments

Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links.

Dairy Free Vegan Vegetarian

Jump to Recipe Print Recipe

This is the best Vegan Vanilla Cake recipe you'll try! It's perfectly moist, made with easy-to-find ingredients, and topped with a flavorful chai spice icing, making this cake a little more exciting than traditional vanilla cake.

Oh my gosh, a vegan vanilla cake just for you! As much as I love my vegan chocolate cake recipe, sometimes I'm craving something a little less rich. I love this cake for so many reasons--the texture, the flavor and the icing to name a few--and it never fails me. I've made this recipe at least 10 times, and it's always turned out perfectly, so I hope you love it as much as I do!

I know vegan baking can sometimes seem overwhelming or scary, but I promise it's not! Let me walk you through everything you need to know in order to make the perfect vanilla cake.

WHY THIS IS THE BEST VEGAN VANILLA CAKE RECIPE

It's made in 6" cake pans, so it's a good size cake but nothing too complicated
The cake is perfectly moist but not too sweet
The chai spice icing really takes the cake up a notch in terms of flavor and excitement

HOW TO MAKE VEGAN VANILLA CAKE

First, cream the dairy free butter and sugar together. Add milk, applesauce, vinegar, and vanilla to that same bowl and stir until everything is combined. Don't worry if there are a few lumps in the batter--they'll go away once you add in the dry ingredients.

In a separate bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Then, mix the wet and dry ingredients together for a few seconds until the batter is smooth.

Line the baking pans with parchment paper (more on that below!), then divide the batter evenly amongst the pans. Bake cakes for 35 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.

Last, wait 10 minutes then run a knife along the edges and carefully invert the cakes on a cooling rack. Be sure to wait until they're completely cool before icing them.

HOW DO I KNOW WHEN THE CAKE IS DONE?

There are a few ways to tell when a cake is done, but my two favorite ways are:

When the cake edges have set
When a toothpick is inserted into the center and comes out clean

HOW DO I PREVENT THE CAKE FROM STICKING TO THE BOTTOM OF THE PANS?

You want to line each 6" baking pan with parchment paper. If you own pre-cut cake parchment, that's great, but if not, let me walk you through how to do this. Tear a large piece of parchment paper, then place one of the cake pans on top of it. Use a pencil to trace the outside of the pan, then use scissors to cut that circle out, placing it on the bottom of one of the cake pans. Repeat this process for all three pans. It might sound like a lot, but it only takes a couple minutes and is a HUGE help in preventing your cakes from sticking!

CHECK OUT THESE OTHER VEGAN DESSERT RECIPES