Ladies and gentlemen, we present to you a perfectly fluffy, tender, sweet vanilla cake that’s vegan and gluten-free! Let’s bake!
This recipe is easy to make, requiring 1 bowl and 10 ingredients.
The base starts with vegan “buttermilk” made by mixing dairy-free milk and vinegar. Then add in applesauce for (oil-free!) moisture and natural sweetness and vanilla extract for that quintessential vanilla flavor. YUM.
For the dry ingredients, after much experimentation, we went with a mixture of almond flour, potato starch, and cornstarch. This combo totally nailed it! So stoked for that fluffy, crumbly texture.
Once your cake is baked, it’s time for frosting!
We included two options: one is coconut whipped cream and the other is classic vegan buttercream frosting. Both are delicious, but we were feeling classic vibes, so we went for the buttercream.
We hope you all LOVE this cake! It’s:
Fluffy
Tender
Perfectly sweet
Vanilla-infused
Easy to make
& SO delicious
This would make the perfect cake for holiday or special occasion celebrations. It’s delicious on its own but also pairs well with coconut whip, vegan buttercream (recipe below), or even chocolate frosting!
For more easy cakes, be sure to check out our Vegan Gluten-Free Chocolate Hazelnut Cake, Gluten-Free Birthday Cake, Vegan Gluten-Free Carrot Cake, Vegan Funfetti Cupcakes, and The Best Vegan Gluten-Free Chocolate Cupcakes.
If you try this recipe, let us know! Leave a comment, rate it, and don’t forget to tag a photo #minimalistbaker on Instagram. Cheers and happy baking, friend!
1-Bowl Vegan Gluten-Free Vanilla Cake
Ingredients
WET INGREDIENTS
- 1 2/3 cup dairy-free milk (we used boxed coconut milk // almond or rice would also work)
- 1 1/2 tsp apple cider vinegar (or lemon juice)
- 1/3 cup unsweetened applesauce
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
DRY INGREDIENTS
- 3 1/4 cups almond flour (not meal // we prefer Wellbee's brand)
- 1 scant cup potato starch (not flour)
- 1/3 cup cornstarch (or you can try subbing arrowroot starch for grain-free)
- 1 1/3 cup organic cane sugar*
- 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp salt (optional)
VEGAN BUTTERCREAM FROSTING (optional)
- 2 sticks vegan butter, softened (we prefer Earth Balance soy-free buttery sticks)
- 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 3 1/2-4 cups organic powdered sugar (sifted)
Instructions
-
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (176 C) and lightly grease two standard 8-inch round cake pans, one 9x13-inch, or three 6-inch round pans* (with vegan butter or coconut oil) and dust with gluten-free flour. Shake out excess and set aside.
-
In a liquid measuring cup, measure out dairy-free milk and add vinegar. Let set a few minutes. Then add applesauce and vanilla. Whisk/stir to combine.
-
Add dry ingredients to a large mixing bowl and whisk to combine. Then add wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix until well incorporated and no large lumps remain. The batter should be thick but pourable. Add more almond flour if too wet or dairy-free milk if too thick.
-
Divide batter evenly between prepared cake pans and bake on a center rack for 35-40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean and the edges and surface appear golden brown.
-
Let cool 15 minutes in the cake pans. To remove from pans, run a dull knife around the edge of the pans to loosen the cakes. Then place a plate or cooling rack on top and quickly invert. Let cool completely (preferably overnight or at least 6 hours on a wire rack) before frosting.
-
Frost with coconut whipped cream and berries for a lighter application (see inspiration here), or frost generously with my 3-ingredient Vegan Buttercream Frosting (see below).
-
Store cake covered at room temperature for 2-3 days or in the refrigerator for 3-4 days. Freeze up to 1 month.
-
FROSTING*: Add softened butter to a large mixing bowl and beat for 1 minute. Then add vanilla and mix once more. Gradually add sifted powdered sugar 1 cup at a time and beat until a thick, spreadable frosting is formed. I found about 3 1/2 cups to be the appropriate amount per 1 full cake recipe.
-
If too thick, the frosting will be too hard to spread (add 1/2 tsp almond milk at a time if too thick). If too thin, the frosting will slide off the cake. If too thin, continue adding powdered sugar until you get the right texture.
-
Use immediately or cover and store in the refrigerator up to 5 days. Let come to room temperature before frosting.
Notes
*If altering batch size, please note that the number of pans and frosting instructions are based on how the original recipe is written. Adjust accordingly.
*To reduce sugar, each 1/4 cup of sugar be swapped with 1 packet (1/2 tsp) of powdered stevia. Or you could try subbing a mix of maple syrup and coconut sugar, but I haven’t tested it this way and can’t guarantee results.
*Nutrition information is a rough estimate calculated with the salt and without frosting.
*Prep time does not include cooling the cake.
*Recipe inspiration from The Vegan 8.
Nutrition Per Serving (1 of 10 Slices)
- Calories: 326
- Fat: 12.1g
- Saturated fat: 0.9g
- Sodium: 345mg
- Carbohydrates: 50.1g
- Fiber: 3g
- Sugar: 27.4g
- Protein: 5.4g
Hi, I'm Dana! I am a food stylist, photographer, creator of the Food Photography School and author of the 31 Meals Cookbook and Everyday Cooking.
Follow us on Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, and read more about us here!
Looks delicious!
This looks so deliciously fluffy, I am so looking forwards to giving it a go – just need to go and get some almond flour & potato starch (thanks for the recommendations). Going to make sure I add plenty of vanilla!
Holly
Amazing recipe!
I can’t wait to make this! I’ve baked many of your cakes before and they are all near and dear to my heart but sometimes a good old traditional vanilla cake is what we all need!
Thanks, Samantha! Hope you love it.
Hi Dana,
This cake looks amazing! I’m not gluten-free, so can I use regular AP flour instead of the potato & corn starches? I love almond flour, so I’d still want to use that. Thanks!
Hi Jennifer, not sure if this cake would be a good fit for all purpose flour (we haven’t tested it). But if you do give it a try, let us know how it goes!
I was wondering the same thing, I’m going to try it! We have egg and dairy allergies in our house but gluten is ok. Will report back. ???
Wondering if you tried a non-gf version??!
Would this work for cupcakes? If so, about how many would it make? Thanks!
I would think so, yes. Just reduce the cook time by about 1/3, and use a muffin tin with cupcake liners. Let us know how it goes!
I would like to give it a try but how do I one make one instead of 3? It’s too much for me! Thanks
Just cut the recipe in thirds and reduce the baking time by maybe 1/3. Check for doneness around that point.
Do you have a substitute for the almond flour? Tree nut allergy here!
I’ll be trying this out with sunflower seed flour! (I just blend some raw sunflower seeds up in the vitamix to make a sunflower seed meal/flour, then I sift along with all the other dry ingredients). I’ll let you know if it works out!
Susy and Lauren, as for almond flour subs, I’m not sure. It is a pretty key ingredient in this cake. But if you test other flours or meals, let us know how it goes!
Would just potato starch be ok? It’s almost Passover, and aside from the corn starch this would be s great cake for the holiday!
You can actually get Lieber’s tapioca flour (which is the same as the starch as far as I can tell). I’m planning to make this as well.
I would suggest arrowroot in place of cornstarch. Tapioca may also work. Let us know how it goes!
Looks great! What size cake pans did you use?
three, 6-inch round pans!
Can cassava flour be used ? Would I need to still add the starch? I’m vegan & trying to bake GF. Also would like to use the coconut sugar
Janette, I’m not sure. I assume you’re trying to leave out the almond flour? It’s a pretty key ingredient in this cake. I’d say keep the starch in that case. Coconut sugar should be fine, but may also turn the cake darker and give it more of a “muffin” flavor and texture. If you try it, let us know how it goes!
Great post. These just gets one hungry.
Where can we buy the cake pans you used?
I got mine at a local kitchen store, but they’re readily available on amazon! Just get a set of three, 6-inch round pans.
Looks amazing! Is there any substitute for the potato starch? I don’t have any and I really want to make it :(
It’s a pretty key ingredient. But if you try something else let us know how it goes!
Hi! Is there any way to replace applesauce with something else? It’s not something that’s easily found in European stores… or would it work if I made it myself?
In other recipes here grated apples are used. I’ve used them as an applesauce substitute numerous times with great success. I was planning to use them since I don’t want to buy applesauce but often have that one, leftover, somewhat not-so-wonderful apple hanging around. Now, I just have to figure out if I should use my 9″ pans or make cupcakes. Oh, I hate buying 3 pans that I’ll likely not use much. Ugh!
Is there an ALDI anywhere near you? They have applesauce, both sweetened and unsweetened.
Hi looks yummy…
can you freeze the cake with the frosting??
Yes! Freeze up to 1 month.
Is there a substitute for potato starch? Unfortunately, I am allergic to potatoes.
Hmm, it’s a pretty key ingredient. You could try another starch like arrowroot? If you try it let us know how it goes.
I am honestly not a fan of baked goods, but your posts have been drawing me in!
This looks and sounds delicious!!!
Could I use my GF 1 to 1 baking flour instead of all the other flours?
I wouldn’t recommend that.
Can I sub tapioca flour / starch for the potato starch?
I’m not sure, but if you try it let us know how it goes!
It just occurred to me that this recipe is perfect to adapt for Passover, which starts next week. I think I’ll be baking a cake next Friday :)
Hi! This looks so delicious, but I’m allergic to apples. Is there a soy free and dairy free replacement for this ingredient?? Thank you!
Another fruit puree, perhaps?
Big, big fan of all your cakes–they are the best! But, I also need an applesauce substitute. Google suggests using an oil, what are your thoughts? thanks :)
Hmm, that may work. Let us know how it goes!
Thank you, this was exactly what I was looking for!!
Nikki
It looks really yummy Dana! Can’t wait to make it! My daughter’s birthday is coming up! Thanks!! ?
I think you are a Saint regarding how much people question you
Your recipes are awesome and I am very grateful for your kindness to offer them to us
ox
xo!
You are an 11 on my list of 1-10! Love this cake recipe and can’t wait to try it. Thanks for all that you do. My family and I love, love, love your website!
Hi Dana,
Have you tried making this cake with almond meals? That’s all I have is almond meals and I’m thinking of using this almond meals instead flour.
Thanks.
I wouldn’t recommend almond meal. Ir provides a completely flavor and texture. But if you try it let us know how it goes!
Hello! This looks insanely good, but I’d love a non-nut based flour alternative recommendation, as my partner is sadly very allergic. Thank you!
You can see some of my recommendations above!
Beyond amazing!!!! Made this tonight and it was out of this world. The only modification I made is that I reserved a little bit of the batter at the end and added cocoa powder then poured over the vanilla batter (after I had poured the vanilla batter into the pans), so I basically turned it into a marble cake ;)
I had tried other recipes for Vegan vanilla cake but nothing compares to this one. I do think the combination of flours used makes a huge difference.
My mother in law makes a mean marble cake (non-vegan), I actually think this one turned out better!!!! Thanks a million Dana for yet another brilliant recipe…you are seriously the best!!!!!
Wow! That’s awesome! thanks for sharing. I love the swirl idea. So smart.
Also, next time would you mind leaving a rating? It’s superful helpful for us and other readers!
So sorry Dana, I thought I had added the rating. Just did now….5 stars of course! ;)
Hi Caroline and Dana,
I made this cake yesterday for a birthday and was sooo looking forward to it. I’ve made some of your other cakes before and I’m a pretty experienced cook.
The frosting turned out delicious! I added almond flavoring instead of vanilla and it was awesome. I did have to add, however 3 Tbsps. of almond milk because it was way too dry.
The cake, however, was hard as a rock. The flavor wasn’t bad but it wasn’t the best and I’m wondering what happened. I measured everything and did everything right, except I didn’t have the whole amount of corn starch but almost all. Do you think that could make such a BIG difference? Was there something you think I missed in the recipe?
Hmm, that’s very strange. this cake is very light and spongy in texture. Did you change anything else? And you’re sure you used potato starch and NOT potato flour?
nice recipe i love to bake ..i will try this for sure
Hi, I‘d love to try the recipe but am failing at finding the best almond flour. Unfortunately the recommended brand is not available in Germany. There are Brands with 12-53grams of fat per 100g, which one would be the best, so the cake won‘t turn out too dry or to wet. Thank you.
The brand we love and use is Wellbee’s, which has 14 g of fat per 28 g (1/4 cup) serving. Somewhere close to that range would be best.
Hi Dana,
Thank you for sharing all of your amazing recipes and inspiration for healthy cooking! Would this recipe work for cake pops baked in a cake pop oven? Is there anything you would alter?
Hi Bonnie, I’ve never tried that before. But I’d assume there wouldn’t be many modifications besides cooking time, which would need to be reduced? Let us know how it goes!
This looks fantastic. I’m making this on the weekend, looks so yummie. Thanks for the post.
For those that have asked I replaced the applesauce with oil and the cake was tasty. It was a very fragile cake but delicious.
Thanks for sharing, Trish!
YUM! I’m baking myself a cake today. Thank you for doing all the leg work!
Do you think I could sub tigernut flour for the almond flour? We can’t do any nuts (or wheat). Cassava flour is safe, as is rice flour and quinoa flour – and I’m willing to trial tigernut. I am trying hard to find a way to make a safe birthday cake that my 2 and 4 year olds can eat!
Hi Karen! We’ve never used that flour before. And we haven’t tested this recipe with quinoa or rice. But if you give it a try, let us know how it goes!
Looks delicious! Is it possible to convert it to lemon cake by adding lemon zest and lemon juice to the frosting?
Yes, that should work. Report back on how it goes!
Just adding the 5 star rating since I forgot to do it along with my comment.
Thanks, Caroline!
Just made this. I haven’t had a decent gf/vg vanilla cake in years and this one is sooooo good. Thank you for coming up with awesome recipes that I can eat and that taste good!
Glad you enjoyed it, Caroline!
I made this yesterday and it turned out pretty well. I used half corn starch half potato starch since I wasn’t sure if it was potato starch (said potato flour on package, but I found out later it was 100%starch). I halved the recipe and it made a thin 5/8. I cooked for 30 minutes with a convection oven. But it wasn’t done in middle. It still made a tastey cake.
So potato flour and potato starch are very different and you want to make sure it’s potato starch! Perhaps that was part of the issue?
This cake in unbelievable! We made it last night using 1/8 of the frosting and it was one of the best cakes any of us had ever had. We didn’t stack the layers as we didn’t want to use so much frosting so we lightly frosted the top of each of the three layers, sliced and served with berries. I think more frosting actually would have taken away from how delicious the cake is on its own. Making it again for our passover party this week. Thanks for a new family favorite!
How lovely, thanks for sharing! xo
great, loved it
Can you double this recipe and would it be sturdy enough to be used in a tiered cake?
I think so, yes!
I think I gained a few pounds just by looking at these cakes. They look absolutely decadent but GLORIOUS! Haha, but in all seriousness, I think these cakes look incredible and perfect for any party. I would absolutely love to try this recipe once I get all the ingredients. I might add chocolate into the vegan buttercream frosting just for some flair one day!
I made this for a friend’s birthday today and it was certainly tasty with a nice texture. It did crack rather a lot during transport though (it wasn’t iced at this point). Is this fragility why you suggest a 5 hour – overnight cooling period? I was only able to leave it cool about one hour before transporting it.
Yes, the longer cooling period helps the cake maintain form!
I know, I was surprised myself. Your recipes are usually great. I’ve made the 1bowl chocolate cake and that’s wonderful.
Could it be it’s supposed to be almond meal and not flour? The recipe does seem to have too many dry ingredients and not enough liquid.
And, yes,I did use potato starch not flour.
I’m going to try to make it again and see. It looks so good in the picture. I’ll let you know what happens.
Thanks!
Can I make this in a 9×13 pan instead? Thanks!
Yes!
I am not gluten-free, vegan, or dairy free but my friends are and you won me over with this recipe! This cake was easy to make and come out deliciously! I didn’t have potatoe starch but I replaced it with equal parts gluten-free all purpose flour and it worked! Thanks Dana Your recipe was a hit!!!
We’re glad you enjoyed it, Angela! :D
so you still used the almond flour and cornstarch but just replaced the potato with gluten free flour?
Correct! And everyone loved it. It is a dense cake yet suprisingly moist and fluffy ??
Disgusting! What a waste. 4 of us tried it and the flavour was awful. Icing was great. Threw out the whole thing.
We’re sorry that you did not enjoy this recipe, C. Thank you for taking the time to review, and better luck with the next one!
Hi,
I tried to make this cake last week and unfortunately I was not amused.
The cake was realy heavy, not fluffy at all. Due to all the baking powder and soda it had a chemical smell and flavour and the cake was overly sweet. Ingredients were crazy expensive, which wouldn’t have mattered if the cake was good. Bad recipe, too bad. :(
Hi Iris, I’m not sure what happened here. It shouldn’t have a chemical taste at all. Were your baking powder and soda fresh? This cake isn’t quite as fluffy as say a traditional white cake with eggs and white flour, but we certainly found it light in texture and delicious! If it was too sweet for you, perhaps scale back on sugar next time. Sorry it didn’t work out for you!
Hi! This cake idea looks superb! I love all of your recipes and have used so many over the years. I have three 9″ pans, should I double the batch in that case?
Thanks in advance!
-Sara
I forgot to mention, I am using this recipe for my husband’s birthday cake for a surprise party tomorrow. Any advice you have is greatly appreciated!
Yes, I would!
I baked this cake last night and it was excellent. I baked half the recipe after weighing out the full amount of dry ingredients and baked in a 6X9 glass pan. Today it is very moist (almost too much) but I think I could have baked for a bit longer and removed from the pan sooner. I’ve tried so many almond flour cake recipes which were inedible but this one isn’t greasy or heavy. Great job on this cake recipe :)
Do you think it would be possible to split this cake into two 9 inch pans instead of three 6 inch?
Yes!
Just made this and the cake is super delish and surprisingly easy to make! I made a half batch and i would strongly recommend to follow the directions as the cooling period is very important for the setting of the cake. Thank you for this awesome recepie!
Thanks, Sandra!
Can I simply add cocoa powder to make this a gluten free chocolate cake?
We haven’t tried, but that should work! Another reader made a marble cake (vanilla and chocolate) and mentioned it in a comment above!
I made this yesterday and frosted it today. It is delicious! I used Bob’ Red Mill Almond Flour, and almond milk. Next time, I’ll use the recommended almond flour. However, this time I used what I had in hand. I sifted the dry ingredients together after I whisked them, just to make sure it was as fluffy as possible.
When I frosted the cake, Little cake crumbs and frosting mixed together in an unattractive way, but it still tasted delicious. It was as if the cake was piling, like a sweater. Not sure how to fix that, I’m new to cake making. The cake was definitely cooled, as I’d made it the night before.
Everyone loved the cake. It makes a perfect Easter dessert.
Thank you!!!
You need to do a ‘crumb coat’ first. Put on a thin layer of frosting to trap the crumbs, then chill the cake for about 15 minutes, then try putting on your second layer. If it still picks up crumbs you may have to freeze the cake before doing the final coat of frosting.
Thank you!!!
This cake was fantastic!! Makes having a bazillion food allergies not so bad ;) I used plain unsweetened almond milk in the cake, and arrowroot instead of corn starch and Wegmans brand almond meal/flour (so not the super fine stuff). I added more flour than called for because she said the cake was supposed to be thick and mine was pretty loose, and baked in 3 6-inch pans. The cake came out super moist — the top was dark golden and I didn’t want to bake it too long and dry it out, but it still felt pretty soft to the touch in the middle (but not jiggly). Leaving it out on the counter to cool overnight helped firm it up a bit I think, because it wasn’t as “squishy?” in the morning yet still very moist and soft. I froze the layers to decorate a few days later. I used 3 sticks of the vegan butter and only 3 cups of powdered sugar + vanilla — I usually find frostings way too sweet. It was the perfect amount for us. And the berries on top just made it perfect!! Will definitely make this again (and again and again!) Soo Soo good!
Whoa, awesome! Thanks for sharing, Meg! Sounds like it turned out amazing.
This cake is the bomb!! It’s day 2 and still moist. I like it better than white flour. The almond flour gives it depth and richness. Soooo good!!
Made this EASY cake for Easter! Everyone loved it- even non Gluten Free’ers and non Vegans! I did have to cut the baking time a bit (I was baking one pan at a time). Loved that the ingredients were easy to find, NO FLAX EGG (yay!), and it was one bowl! And don’t get me started on that dreamy ‘butter’cream!! Will definitely be making this again ASAP!
Delicious cake! I made it last night and frosted it today. Absolutely spectacular! I put a little less sugar because my applesauce was the sweetened kind and I used lemon instead of vanilla because I can’t afford pure vanilla extract right now and the artificial kind isn’t my thing. I put the zest of one lemon (it could’ve used two) and squeezed a whole lemon into it which topped off the liquid from one can of coconut milk. It turned out perfectly moist. I topped it with lemon buttercream and thawed from frozen blackberries. Scrumptious! Thanks Dana!!!
Yay! Thanks for sharing your recipe changes, Zoë! We’re glad you enjoyed it :D
I used the regular almond flour instead of the blanched one, so it looked more like carrot cake. The flavor was good though the frosting was a little dense. Overall good recipe and I will certainly try it again!
Thanks, Charleen!
I have struggled to find the perfect vanilla cake, and this is it!! However,
I made lemon cupcakes with just a few subs & additions and they were phenomenal! First off 17mins was perfect for my oven! Made approx 20 cupcakes.
I used pacific brand original hemp milk and coconut vinegar instead of apple cider vinegar. I was slightly short on cane sugar and used ~1/8th cup coconut sugar. I also used Young Loving Lemon Vitality essential oil – 8 drops for cake – 10 drops in frosting.
Mind blowing! Thank you so much! You are a genius! ❤️❤️❤️
Thanks for sharing your recipe changes, Jaimie! :D If you wouldn’t mind leaving a rating, that would help us a ton!
Thank you Dana so much for linking to my recipe, that is so kind of you! So honored to hear my Vanilla Cake inspired you. Isn’t the almond flour and potato starch combo the best?! I love your cake, it is just beautiful.
Hi! I love all of your recipes. I have friend whose son also struggles with sugar, agave, maple syrup, and honey as sweeteners. His birthday is coming up and I’m hoping to find him a cake recipe (like this one) but one that I can substitute Stevia which he can eat without problems. Can I substitute stevia for sugar in a cake recipe? Thank you for any tips (or other recipes that might work!)
Hi Evan! To reduce sugar, each 1/4 cup of sugar be swapped with 1 packet (1/2 tsp) of powdered stevia. Or you could try subbing a mix of maple syrup and coconut sugar, but we haven’t tested it this way and can’t guarantee results. Good luck!
Any tips if making into cupcakes ? Thanks again!
Just reduce the cook time by about 1/3, and use a muffin tin with cupcake liners. Let us know how it goes!
Just made it and it is absolutely delicious! My only change was almond flavoring in the frosting instead of vanilla flavoring. This is a keeper!
Omg Dana…this cake was SO GOOD! My friend and I made it and shared it with some friends who are very much not gluten-free/vegan and they thought it was delicious too! The icing was incredible (we ended up having to make more to cover it), the cake has such great vanilla flavor and the texture was perfect. We covered it in raspberries. Love.
Yum! Raspberries are a great addition, Sophie! We’re glad you enjoyed it :D
This cake is AMAZING!!! I made it and didn’t tell anyone (except) my wife that it was vegan/gluten free…my inlaws ate the whole cake! THEN I told them…they wouldn’t believe me until I showed them the recipe and they realized my wife was eating a slice (she’s vegan)…they already asked me to make it again and I’m making another one so my wife can take it to a Lularoe party tomorrow! Thank you so much for sharing such a great recipe…is definitely gonna try one of your chocolate ones next!!!
Yay! We’re so glad to hear this, Philip!
Made this for my birthday and OMG, AMAZING CAKE!! Dense but moist and full of flavor. This one is definitely a keeper.
Yay! Happy Birthday, Lis :D
I have been asked to make a lavender inspired cake for a friends bridal shower. I was thinking I could take a spin off of this one. I’m not sure if I should do lavender cake and vanilla frosting or vise versa.. What would be your suggestions on how to do that?
It all depends on how much you want the lavender flavor to come through! I think a vanilla cake with lavender frosting would be subtle but offer a really great balance of flavors. Share a photo of what you bake up on Instagram using the hashtag #MinimalistBaker and we’d love to see the final product!
I made this recipe as cupcakes for my girls’ soccer party and they came out wonderful! The coach asked for seconds they were so good! They tasted like real gluten filled vanilla cupcakes from my childhood! I substituted arrowroot for cornstarch to make them grain/corn free. I used coconut sugar instead of cane sugar. The recipe made 20 cupcakes. They baked for about 20-22 minutes and then I let them cool on a cooling rack for about 10 minutes. Then popped them in the freezer for 30 minutes to cool quickly so I could frost them because we were running late! They hold together perfectly with no egg, they are moist and delicious with the perfect cake crumb! I’ve made the Vegan8 version before and it is wonderful too, so I already had high hopes for this recipe since it was so similar. I like not needing aquafaba because I don’t always have it in stock. Thank you for the wonderful recipe, it is going in my “go-to recipes” binder and the search for vanilla cake is over! ^_^
I followed the recipe without substitutions. It makes 24 cupcakes, baked 16 minutes with a turn in the oven half way. They’re cooked perfectly and still moist!
I am so excited to try this!! I am vegan (by choice) and GF (not by choice ): ) and I seriously dislike chocolate. Vanilla cake is SO hard to come by. SO THANK YOU! Now I’m even more excited for my birthday
I’m excited to try this because I actually have a large container of potato starch that I got during Passover when the stores stocked it. My question is, will this recipe taste good if I added some spices to “spice up” the vanilla flavor like say cardamom and lemon juice?
Yes, I think that would work!
I made this for my co-workers birthday. It was great! Thanks for the simple and beautiful recipe!
This cake is delicious! Wonderful flavor and just the right amount of sweetness! My one question is in regards to the texture of the cake itself…mine turned out almost gooey on the inside and I am curious if this is just a really moist cake or if perhaps I did something incorrectly?! My toothpick came out clean and the tops were a nice golden brown so I was a bit surprised by the inside texture.
Hmm, sounds like maybe it wasn’t baked long enough. What size cake pans did you use? Did you alter any ingredients? Let us know!
I followed this recipe exactly. Sorry to say it was very dense and very dry. The almond meal makes it quite dark in color, doesn’t look vanilla and there was very little vanilla taste.
Janine, it seems like you used almond MEAL instead of almond FLOUR, which provide two completely different flavors, textures, and colors. Next time give almond flour a try and we think you’ll have better results!
Absolutely wonderful cake!!!! I made this for my friends birthday (she is gluten free, I’m vegan) and it was incredible. Also incredibly simple and easy to make! Followed the recipe to a tea and everyone was wowed! Said it was the best cake I’ve ever made. Thank you Dana for all your wonderful recipes. I always enjoy. ?
Hi Dana,
Can you sub oat flour instead of almond flour? If not, what other flour would you recommend?
Also, can you make in one longer cake pan instead of layers?
Thank you,
vanessa
Hi Vanessa! I’m not sure about almond flour subs as it is a pretty key ingredient in this cake. But if you test other flours or meals, let us know how it goes! As for making it in one longer pan, that will work!
hey there!
i couldn’t find potato starch anywhere here in egypt! what’s a good substitute??
I made this for a vegan family, and they loved it, including the teenage boy. This was my first experience baking with almond flour. The batter was a little thin after mixing, so as you suggested, I added about an 1/8 cup more almond flour. Much more flavor than regular flour. The first time I may have over baked it slightly, so it was a bit hard and dry, but I corrected that the second time, and it was great.
Can I substitute the cornstarch with arrowroot starch and the potato starch with tapioca starch?
Yes, we would suggest arrowroot in place of cornstarch. Tapioca may also work. As for subbing the potato starch, it’s a pretty key ingredient. But if you try something else let us know how it goes!
You are my go to every time I need to bake.
I’m a terrific cook but a horrendous baker. Like reeeally bad, seriously. cuz I tried to sub everything and for baking you need more science than heart lol.
Anyways you make it work EVERY. SINGLE.TIME
thank you for being the party saver one more time.
Yay! So glad to hear it, Nicole!
HI! I just made this exactly as directed but my cake fell in the center. Any ideas? I have a lot of GF/vegan baking experience, it’s not that! It’s still cooling so I haven’t tasted it yet. Thanks!
I made this cake over the weekend, and topped it with chocolate frosting and berries. My daughter who needs to eat GF (Celiac) liked it, as did my son and I. The other grown-ups complained that it was too dense (I think from the almond flour) and not sweet enough. I actually liked it more because it wasn’t overly sweet. Not sure if I will make again because it didn’t have a huge fan base, but the leftovers will get eaten!
I substituted tapioca flour for the potato and it worked wonderfully! I had to add more cornstarch and tapioca flour mixed with a little All-Purpose GF flour to thicken it up a little more (I accidently added too much almond milk so I don’t think anyone else would have to adjust the dry ingredients; I’m blind without my glasses). This is an absolutely wonderful cake recipe and will definitely be making it again and again. My mom loved it for Mother’s Day, thank you so much Dana!!
Hi,
I would like to make your 1-BOWL VEGAN GLUTEN-FREE VANILLA CAKE and can’t eat almonds. Is there a substitute flour that would work.
Many thanks,
Suzen
Hi Suzen! I’m not sure about almond flour subs as it is a pretty key ingredient in this cake. But if you test other flours or meals, let us know how it goes! As for making it in one longer pan, that will work!
Can you recommend temperature/cook time adjustments for making this in a 9×13 instead of 6” rounds?
Also- my weirdo BF loves jello cake (bake a boxed cake mix, then poke holes and pour liquid jello on top and chill). Is this cake light enough that it might be a good base for that, or is it dense/moist enough on its own that adding more moisture from the jello would be too much? I’ll certainly let you know how it goes if I try it, just curious about your opinion before I do.
Same temperature and bake for 35-40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean and the edges and surface appear golden brown. I am not sure if the jello idea would work but if you give it a try, let us know!
Hello,
I was wondering if you can pipe with this buttercream recipe. I’m making this cake for my daughters birthday, and wanted to pipe a pretty design for her unicorn cake.
Thank you so much.
Andie
I think that should work! Let us know if you give it a try, Andie!
It is so hard to find vegan and grain free cake (I used arrowroot powder) recipes and this absolutely knocked it out of the park. We have several food allergies to accommodate (dairy, eggs, gluten, rice, amongst others) and everyone loved this cake. I am so impressed that you were able to leverage the oiliness of the almond flour to make this with so few ingredients. This is a genius recipe. Thank you.
I have to say that this recipe is the best! I had my son’s birthday party and was going crazy looking for something this delicious! I have to say is sooo easy to follow and I can’t believe that in less than 40 mnts I already had a cake! Increible! Thank you so much for your recipes! We became vegan since feb and your website is such a blessing for our family! Looking forward to many yummy recipes from you🤗.
Thanks, Aisha!! So glad you liked it.
I made this for my boys’ 5th birthday party! It was a hit! And oh so delicious. I’m sad that it’s gone now. I used the arrowroot powder instead of cornstarch and I made the vegan buttercream frosting to go on top. I used 2 8-inch pans for the layer cake. I’m very happy I found this recipe and it tasted delicious. Thanks for sharing it!
I must admit I was skeptical about making a vegan, oil free, gluten free cake but my expectations were seriously blown out the water when I made this! It was that good! I put coconut cream between the layers then used the cashew buttercream frosting (recipe also by MB) but minus the oil & then I sprinkled shredded coconut all over and it was just absolutely divine! My mum loved it too and she isn’t even vegan or gluten free. Thank you for this recipe!
Anybody tried any other flours to substitute the almond flour? I would love to bake this for my son’s 5th birthday but we have a guest who has a severe nut allergy.
Made this yesterday for Father’s Day. Fantastic cake! Part of the party was vegan and part not and the non vegans had no idea. The cake was super moist and the butter cream frosting was so thick and fantastic. The only thing I changed was I used caster sugar as I wasn’t sure what kind of cane sugar the recipe called for. I also used bobs red mill almond flour as that is all we have in Bermuda, it worked perfectly as far as I could tell. Two tips I would give anyone making this would be, firstly 100% make sure you make this the night before you need it as it’s extremely fragile, and two leave it in the pans for a litttle longer after baking, just run your knife round the edges right away and then turn it out on to a plate lined with wax paper ( for ease of removal later). I put strawberries, blackberries, raspberries, and blue berries on top for decoration, with mint leaves and lemon zest. I may play around with the recipe and add lemon juice to both the cake and icing next time to add a little extra oomp to it. Best vegan, gluten free cake ever!!!
Yay! Thanks for sharing!
Sorry forgot to rate!
Hi Dana,
I tried this recipe. I’m good at making baking but this one has failed me. The cake is moist but it is gooey feel not cakey and fluffy. What is the problem? I am so disappointed.
Hmm, not sure what happened without more details. Did you make any substitutions? Did you use Potato FLOUR instead of starch?
This was a hit! I made them into cupcakes and used coconut cream to enhance the coconut/vanilla flavor. I baked the cupcakes for 20 min and they came out perfectly. The buttercream can be a bit sweet so just keep that in mind when frosting.
Thank you! Please keep the recipes coming. My husband loves anything that I make of yours.
Yay! We’re glad to hear it, Melissa!
Hi there! Do you store this at room temp after frosting? As someone who wants to refrigerate everything this makes me wary! Thank you.
Hi Becky! We recommend you store in the refrigerator up to 5 days and let it come to room temperature before frosting.