Publised on 21/06/2024. Last Updated on 24/08/2024 by Richard
The most perfectly light vegan birthday cake made from vegan vanilla cake, vanilla buttercream frosting and sprinkles!
This vegan birthday cake is an absolute game-changer! Imagine a fluffy, moist sponge, layered with luscious vanilla frosting, and topped with colourful vegan sprinkles. I’ve been fine-tuning this vegan birthday cake recipe ever since I realised my vegan pound cake was such a hit, and let me tell you, it’s a banger. This cake is perfect for any special occasion, but especially for birthdays when you need something extra special. I’ve tweaked and tested every aspect to ensure you get the best vegan birthday cake that’s not only delicious but also impressively beautiful.
During my recipe testing phase (imagine a mad scientist, but you know, vegan), I learnt a few tricks from my vegan pound cake recipe and the unique texture of my vegan tres leches cake. By incorporating some of those techniques, this birthday cake turned out to be not just another dessert but an absolute dream cake! Let’s dive in and make your next birthday bash a memorable one with this incredible vegan birthday cake!
Jump to:
What Makes This Birthday Cake Vegan?
Making a birthday cake vegan involves swapping out traditional ingredients like eggs, butter, and dairy with plant-based alternatives. Here’s what we’ve got:
- Eggs: Replaced in this recipe by corn starch and vegan yoghurt to add moisture but also to help emulsify the cake batter.
- Butter: Substituted here with vegetable shortening at room temperature, ensuring the same creamy consistency in the frosting without being heavy or greasy. In the UK you can use TREX and in the US you can use Crisco.
- Milk: I always use soy milk in all my bakes. Soy milk is preferred for its lecithin content which acts similarly to egg yolks in emulsifying the cake batter. If you're baking for someone with an allergy, feel free to swap for any other plant milk like almond milk or oat milk.
Ingredients You’ll Need
To whip up this delicious vegan vanilla birthday cake, you’ll need the following ingredients. As usual, the full recipe with quantities is listed at the bottom of the page in the recipe card, so feel free to scroll down if you’re in a hurry!
- Caster sugar (aka superfine sugar in the US)
- Vegetable shortening
- Vanilla extract
- Cake flour (see my extra notes on flour below)
- Cornstarch
- Baking powder
- Baking soda (aka bicarbonate of soda)
- Fine sea salt
- Vegan yoghurt (unflavoured and unsweetened)
- Plant milk (ideally soy, always unflavoured and unsweetened)
- A double batch of my vanilla vegan buttercream frosting
- Coloured vegan sprinkles
Make sure to source vegan sprinkles, as not all cake decorations are vegan-friendly.
The Best Flour for Vegan Birthday Cake
Using cake flour is key for a light and fluffy vegan birthday cake. Cake flour has a lower protein content compared to all-purpose flour, resulting in a finer, softer crumb. If you can’t find cake flour, you can use plain flour, but the texture will be slightly denser. The combination of cake flour and cornstarch in this recipe ensures a tender and delicate cake.
Cake flour is very common in the US but not so much in the UK. You can order it from amazon OR do what I did and purchase "Special Bun Wheat Flour". I got this from my local Asian supermarket and it's normally used for making soft Bao buns. It contains 8% protein (aka gluten) and is super fine, which makes it identical to cake flour!
Ingredient Substitutions
I wouldn't advise making subs or swaps with this vegan birthday cake recipe. The vegan vanilla cake is super delicate and I've really tailored it to be the perfect texture, so you'll inevitably end up with different results if you make swaps. However, if you truly HAVE to, here are my suggestions.
- Vegan Yoghurt: Swap this for silken tofu blended with a splash of white wine vinegar or apple cider vinegar to create a simple vegan buttermilk. Add to your wet ingredients as the recipe states and you're good to go!
- Vegetable Shortening: Use canola oil or another vegetable oil as a replacement. The texture and colour of the vegan layer cake might differ slightly, but it’ll still be delish.
- Cake Flour: Plain white flour (aka all purpose flour) can be used instead, though the colour and texture of the cake will be affected.
How To Bake a Vegan Birthday Cake
Here's a quick rundown on how to bake this masterpiece (if I say so myself). For the full recipe, scroll to the bottom of the page!
Prepare Your Pans and Ingredients: Preheat the oven to 170°C/340F (fan/convection). Line your cake pans with parchment paper and grease the sides. Make sure all your ingredients are at room temperature.
2. Add the wet ingredients and dry ingredients in increments. I like to add half of the wet ingredients followed by half of the dry, and so on! This stops the batter from splitting and helps to make sure the sponge has a beautiful rise.
Bake: Divide the batter between the cake pans and bake for 25 minutes or until a skewer comes out clean. Let the cakes cool in the pans for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire cooling rack.
Cool and Frost: Once completely cool, remove from the wire rack and frost with vegan vanilla buttercream and decorate with vegan sprinkles.
How to Frost a Vegan Birthday Cake
As you might know, I really don't enjoy decorating cakes! However, here are some of the tricks I've used along the way to get better at frosting beautiful cakes!
1. To take this from a vegan vanilla cake to a vegan birthday cake, you'll need to whip up a double batch of vegan vanilla buttercream frosting. I'd also recommend making sure your cake is completely cooled before decorating. I even refrigerate my sponges for an hour as it makes them easier to work with and less likely to crack or break. You'll also want to prep your tools in advance. Use a cake turntable and a flat cake side scraper for the best results.
2. I like to add the centre layer of frosting with a cookie scoop. It helps to distribute the buttercream evenly, before spreading into one layer with a pallet knife. Top with the second sponge and apply a thin layer of frosting (also known as a crumb coat) to the cake to catch any crumbs. Chill for 30 minutes.
3. Apply a thicker layer of frosting over the crumb coat. I like to use my piping bag with a flat nozzle for this. Smooth with the side scraper.
4. Pipe any flourishes on top and add vegan rainbow sprinkles. Alternatively top with fresh fruit like strawberries. Feel free to substitute the vanilla buttercream for my vegan chocolate frosting if you fancy a chocolate twist. Any extra frosting can be stored in the fridge for up to a week or frozen for longer.
Tips for a Perfect Vegan Sponge Cake
Now for some tips for the perfect sponge! These should help you take that vanilla cake recipe (as well as your other vegan baking) to the next level.
- Room Temperature Ingredients: Ensure all ingredients are at room temperature to prevent the batter from splitting.
- Sift and Whisk Dry Ingredients: This ensures they are thoroughly combined and the cake has an even texture.
- Vanilla Extract: Use a high-quality vanilla extract instead of essence for the best vanilla flavour.
- Soy Milk: Preferred over other plant milks due to its lecithin content which helps emulsify the batter.
🤷♀️ Vegan Birthday Cake FAQs
A: Corn starch works great as an egg replacer in most cake recipes. It acts as an emulsifier which stops the cake batter from splitting while baking, and also gives the sponge a nice springy texture.
A: You can, but soy milk is preferred for its emulsifying properties. Just make sure you use a plant milk thats unflavoured and unsweetened.
A: Absolutely, you can freeze the unfrosted cake layers, ideally wrapped in plastic wrap, for up to 3 months.
A: Yes, by using a gluten-free flour blend, though the texture may vary.
A: Sure! For some nice vegan versions of summer classics, try my delicious peach cobbler, or my twist on a classic trifle with extra cherries! Oh and don't forget my tiramisu for any caffeine heads!
There you have it, the ultimate vegan birthday cake recipe! It’s a fun, simple recipe that guarantees a delicious and beautiful cake. Don’t forget to take pictures of your vegan birthday cake and tag @schoolnightvegan on social media – I’d love to see your creations!
If you enjoyed this recipe, you might also like some of my other delicious vegan cake recipes, such as my Vegan Lemon Drizzle Cake, my Vegan Carrot Cake or my Vegan Chocolate Cake. Happy baking, friends!
Vegan Birthday Cake
Ingredients
- 300 g caster sugar aka superfine sugar
- 80 g vegetable shortening must be at room temperature. See notes in blog post above
- 2 teaspoon vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste
- 300 g cake flour see notes in blog post above
- 4 tablespoon cornstarch aka corn flour
- 2 teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
- 200 g vegan yoghurt must be at room temperature. I use Coconut Collaborative brand. use a thick Greek-style variety that's unflavoured and unsweetened
- 120 ml plant milk must be at room temperature. Unflavoured and unsweetened
- 2 batches vegan vanilla buttercream frosting
- 2 tablespoon coloured sprinkles for topping
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 170 °C (fan/convection). Line the bottom of two 20cm/8 inch cake tins with baking parchment and grease the sides. Set aside.
- If you haven't already, make the vanilla buttercream frosting and set aside in a medium bowl covered with film wrap.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, add the caster sugar, vegetable shortening and vanilla extract. Cream together on high speed for at least 3 minutes or until pale and fluffy. Alternatively use an electric whisk.300 g caster sugar, 80 g vegetable shortening, 2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- In a medium bowl, sieve together the cake flour, cornstarch, baking powder, baking soda and fine sea salt.300 g cake flour, 4 tablespoon cornstarch, 2 teaspoon baking powder, ¼ teaspoon baking soda, ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
- In a measuring jug, whisk together the vegan yoghurt and plant milk until smooth.200 g vegan yoghurt, 120 ml plant milk
- If using a stand mixer, replace the whisk attachment with the paddle/beater attachment and switch to medium speed. Add half of the vegan yoghurt mixture and beat until combined. Add half of the flour mixture and beat again until combined. Repeat with the remaining yoghurt mixture followed by the remaining flour mixture, until you have a smooth, thick batter.
- Divide the batter evenly between the two cake pans (I recommend using kitchen scales for this) and smooth the surface with a spatula. Place both cake pans in the oven to bake for 25 minutes.
- Remove the cakes. A skewer to the centre should come out clean - if not, place back in the oven for a further 5 minutes. Allow the cakes to cool in their tin for 5 minutes before carefully removing from the tin and leaving to cool fully on a wire cooling rack.
- Frost the cakes with the vanilla buttercream (you may not need to use all of the buttercream and there will be plenty left for decorating the top) then sprinkle with the coloured sprinkles before serving.2 tablespoon coloured sprinkles, 2 batches vegan vanilla buttercream frosting
Lyndon Yochem
Life insurance is necessary that is why i always make sure that i get a reputable insurance company;;
Hayley
Just made this for the second time. Just as good as the first one. Thank you so much richard
Kaitlyn
Thicccest batter ever but it turned out to be quite moist and amazing (best cake I’ve made according to partner) but became a lot denser after a quick chill in the freezer and icing (used the recommended buttercream recipe which was the best I’ve ever made).
I baked 4 lots with vegetable shortening (it didn’t rly ‘cream’ together with the sugar but still turned out okay and then baked 2 with vegan butter and still tasted good. I didn’t ice it and the next day was still good but slightly crumbly.
Probably the most highly rated cake and icing recipe I’ve tried for vanilla cake/icing.
I ended up making a 4 tier birthday sprinkle and lolly cake 🍰 amazing
Ana
This cake is always the go to!
I'm thinking of adapting the recipe this time into a funfetti cake.
Do you know if just adding sprinkles to the batter would work?
Thanks!
joanne caley
Thankyou for such a wonderful recipe. This will be my only go to cake recipe for vanilla cake now, it's the best.
Elaine
Made this cake again, this time as butterfly buns. Wonderful how food evokes memories. Super easy, extremely gorgeous cake. A new family favourite ❤️
Elaine
I have just made this cake and buttercream for no particular reason other than it’s Friday! What an amazing cake, so white, fluffy and light and buttercream is scrumptious. Such a simple recipe, I didn’t have cake/bun flour but regular flour seems to have worked well. I also had trouble getting vegetable shortening here in Ireland but managed to get a huge tub of Crisco from an American online store….so lots of cake in our future😊 Richard you are amazing, another wonderful recipe🙏
Amani
Can I do this cake 2 days before and leave in fridge or will dry out?
Irene
Great sponge and a lovely flavour! My husband loved it
Abby
Yes! Tender crumb, light, but holds it's stracture so good for a layred cake.
Yum!
Hannah Barron
This was a super easy cake to make and it was perfect for carving into a sculpted cake after it had cooled! Thanks school night vegan! 😁