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    Recipes » Recipes » Baking & Desserts

    Gluten-Free Vegan Vanilla Cake

    Last updated - July 14, 2021; Published - April 24, 2018 By Rhian Williams 180 Comments

    Jump to Recipe Jump to Video Print Recipe
    A collage of two Gluten-Free Vegan Vanilla Cake photos

    This Gluten-Free Vegan Vanilla Cake is moist and fluffy, covered in a silky buttercream and is simple yet delicious! It comes together in one bowl, is easily customisable and is refined sugar free too. A versatile dessert that suits almost any occasion: think birthdays, Valentine's Day, Easter, Mother's Day, baby showers and bridal showers!

    A slice of gluten-free vegan vanilla  cake with white frosting on a plate with a gold fork

    How to make the cake

    Scroll down to the bottom of the post for the full recipe.

    • Mix together all the ingredients in a glass mixing bowl.

    Tip: Use a measuring jug to measure out the plant-based milk.

    Raw gluten-free vegan vanilla cake batter in a bowl
    • Transfer into two 18 cm / 7 inch sandwich baking tins.

    Tip: Line the tins with greased baking paper to make the sponges easier to remove afterwards.

    Raw gluten-free vegan vanilla cake batter in two circular baking tins
    • Bake in the oven for 15 minutes.
    Two gluten-free vegan vanilla cake sponges in two circular baking tins
    • Transfer onto a cooling rack and leave to cool completely before applying the frosting.
    Two round gluten-free vegan vanilla cake sponges on a wire rack

    How to make the Vegan Buttercream Frosting

    • Place soaked cashew nuts, maple syrup, almond milk and vanilla in a food processor.

    Tip: Make sure the cashew nuts are soaked to make them easier to blend. Soak them overnight in cold water or in boiling water for at least 15 minutes.

    Cashew nuts in a food processor against a marble background
    • Whizz until completely smooth.

    Tip: You will have to mix it around a few times to make it easier to blend up.

    Vegan cashew buttercream frosting in a food processor
    • Taste and adjust flavour if necessary, adding more maple syrup for sweetness.
    Vegan cashew buttercream frosting

    How to frost the cake

    • Place one of the sponges on a cake stand or a plate and apply just less than half of the frosting onto it using a palette knife for frosting.
    A gluten-free vegan vanilla cake sponge on a cake stand being spread with vegan buttercream frosting using a palette knife
    • Place the other sponge on top and apply the frosting on the top and sides of the cake.
    • Decorate as desired.
    Gluten-free vegan vanilla cake covered with white frosting topped with freeze-dried raspberries

    How long does this Vanilla Cake keep for?

    This Vanilla Cake tastes best fresh, but keeps covered in the fridge for up to a few days.

    Substitutions you can make

    • You can use any type of oil: coconut oil, olive oil or vegetable oil.
    • You can use any type of plant-based milk: almond milk, rice milk, soy milk, cashew milk, oat milk etc.
    • You can use any type of liquid sweetener: maple syrup, agave syrup, brown rice syrup etc.
    • You can replace the ground almonds (almond meal/almond flour) with ground walnuts.
    • For a nut-free version: replace the ground almonds (almond meal/almond flour) with ground sunflower seeds.
    • You can use plain flour instead of the gluten-free flour if you’re not gluten-free.
    A slice of gluten-free vegan vanilla cake with buttercream on a plate

    More gluten-free vegan cake recipes

    • Tropical Carrot Cake
    • Lemon Blueberry Cake
    • Cherry Bakewell Cake
    • Matcha Strawberry Cake
    • Chocolate Cake
    • Orange Cake
    • Strawberry Cake
    • Black Forest Cake
    • Red Velvet Cake
    • Peanut Butter Chocolate Cake
    • Lemon Pound Cake

    If you try out this recipe or anything else from my blog, I’d really love to hear any feedback! Please give it a rating, leave a comment, or tag a photo @rhiansrecipes #rhiansrecipes on Instagram! Thank you.

    Watch how to make this recipe

    A slice of gluten-free vegan vanilla cake with buttercream on a plate

    Gluten-Free Vegan Vanilla Cake

    This Gluten-Free Vegan Vanilla Cake is moist and fluffy, covered in a silky buttercream, and simple yet delicious!
    4.30 from 130 votes
    Print Pin Rate
    Course: Dessert
    Cuisine: American
    Keyword: gluten-free vanilla cake, vegan gluten-free cake, vegan vanilla cake
    Prep Time: 40 minutes
    Cook Time: 15 minutes
    Total Time: 55 minutes
    Servings: 8
    Calories: 378kcal
    Author: Rhian Williams

    Ingredients

    For the cake:

    • 60 g (¼ cup) coconut oil (or sub olive or vegetable oil)
    • 200 ml (⅘ cup) unsweetened almond milk (or any other plant-based milk)
    • 2 tablespoons lemon juice
    • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
    • 8 tablespoons maple syrup (or sub any other sweetener)
    • 150 g (1 ¼ cup) ground almonds (almond meal) *
    • 150 g (1 ¼ cup) gluten-free flour blend (or sub plain flour if not gluten-free)
    • 2 heaped teaspoons baking powder (ensure gluten-free if necessary)
    • ¼ teaspoon bicarbonate of soda (baking soda)

    For the buttercream:

    • 100 g (⅔ cup) cashew nuts soaked in cold water overnight or in hot water for 15 minutes
    • 3 tablespoons maple syrup (or sub any other sweetener)
    • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
    • 4 tablespoons unsweetened almond milk (or sub water or any other plant-based milk)

    Instructions

    For the cake:

    • Preheat oven to 180 degrees Celsius (350 degrees Fahrenheit).
    • Place the coconut oil in a large bowl and melt over a saucepan of boiling water or in the microwave (skip this step if using any other oil).
    • Once melted, add the milk to the same bowl along with the lemon juice, vanilla, maple syrup and ground almonds.
    • Sift in the flour, baking powder and bicarbonate of soda.
    • Mix well, adding a tiny splash more milk if it’s looking too dry.
    • Transfer mixture between two greased baking tins lined with baking paper (I used two 7inch/18cm springform baking tins).
    • Bake in oven for around 15 minutes until risen and an inserted skewer comes out clean.
    • Once done, turn the cakes out onto wire racks and leave to cool completely before frosting.

    For the buttercream:

    • Drain soaked cashews and add to a food processor or blender with all the other ingredients.
    • Whizz until completely smooth, adding more milk or water if necessary.

    To frost and decorate the cake:

    • Place one half of the cake onto a plate or cake stand, and spread just less than half of the frosting onto it.
    • Place the other half of the cake on top of that and use rest of the frosting to spread on top and around the sides of the cake.
    • Tastes best when fresh but keeps covered in the fridge for up to a few days.

    Video

    Notes

    *You can alternatively use almond flour
    Nutrition Facts
    Gluten-Free Vegan Vanilla Cake
    Amount Per Serving
    Calories 378 Calories from Fat 207
    % Daily Value*
    Fat 23g35%
    Saturated Fat 8g40%
    Sodium 81mg3%
    Potassium 170mg5%
    Carbohydrates 39g13%
    Fiber 4g16%
    Sugar 19g21%
    Protein 8g16%
    Vitamin C 1mg1%
    Calcium 135mg14%
    Iron 2mg11%
    * Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
    Made the recipe?Tag @rhiansrecipes on instagram and use the hashtag #rhiansrecipes!

    Disclosure: This posts contains affiliate links to Amazon. If you purchase any of these products, a small percentage will come to me with no extra cost to you! This income will go towards the running of this blog – thank you.

    More Baking & Dessert Recipes

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    • 35 Vegan Thanksgiving Dessert Recipes (Gluten-Free)
    • Vegan Baked Pumpkin Cheesecake (Gluten-Free)
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      Recipe Rating




    1. Eunice

      May 18, 2022 at 4:38 pm

      Hey, thank you for your recipe! Are there any other options to replace the GF flour mix without it being white flour? Perhaps coconut or oat flour? Would I use the same amount?

      Thank you very much xx

      Reply
      • Rhian Williams

        May 22, 2022 at 2:53 pm

        Yes! You can use the same amount of oat flour! Hope that helps! xx

    2. Meryem

      July 22, 2022 at 11:13 am

      Hello! It was unbelievably delicious we applied exactly the recipe. But it wasn't fluffy like the recipe's photos and it saperated. What do you think about using flaxseed for cake?

      Thank you very much!

      Reply
      • Rhian Williams

        July 23, 2022 at 12:19 pm

        Thank you for your feedback! I'm sorry to hear that, did you make any substitutions? What type of gluten-free flour did you use? Did you use enough baking powder?

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    Photo of Rhian Williams from Rhian's Recipes

    Hi, I'm Rhian! I make easy, undetectably vegan + gluten-free recipes, including healthy comfort food and naturally sweetened desserts using plant-based ingredients.

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