Gluten-Free Vegan Vanilla Cake

This Gluten-Free Vegan Vanilla Cake is moist and fluffy, covered in a silky buttercream and 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!! 

How to make this Gluten-Free Vegan Vanilla 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.

• 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.

• Bake in the oven for 15 minutes.
• Transfer onto a cooling rack and leave to cool completely before applying the frosting.

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.

• Whizz until completely smooth.

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

• Taste and adjust flavour if necessary, adding more maple syrup for sweetness.

• Apply the frosting to the cake using a palette knife for frosting.

How to decorate this cake:

• Freeze-dried raspberries or strawberries.
• Fresh fruit.
• Chopped nuts.
• Dried fruit.
• Edible flowers!

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 to this recipe:

• 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.

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.

Gluten-Free Vegan Vanilla Cake

This Gluten-Free Vegan Vanilla Cake is moist and fluffy, covered in a silky buttercream, and simple yet delicious!

4.37 from 74 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 (1/4 cup) coconut oil (or sub olive or vegetable oil)60 g (1/4 cup) coconut oil (or sub olive or vegetable oil)
• 200 ml (4/5 cup) unsweetened almond milk (or any other plant-based milk)200 ml (4/5 cup) unsweetened almond milk (or any other plant-based milk)
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 8 tablespoons maple syrup (or sub any other sweetener)8 tablespoons maple syrup (or sub any other sweetener)
• 150 g (1 1/4 cup) ground almonds (almond meal) *150 g (1 1/4 cup) ground almonds (almond meal) *
• 150 g (1 1/4 cup) gluten-free flour blend (or sub plain flour if not gluten-free)150 g (1 1/4 cup) gluten-free flour blend (or sub plain flour if not gluten-free)
• 2 heaped teaspoons baking powder (ensure gluten-free if necessary)2 heaped teaspoons baking powder (ensure gluten-free if necessary)
• 1/4 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda (baking soda)1/4 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda (baking soda)

For the buttercream:

• 100 g (2/3 cup) cashew nuts soaked in cold water overnight or in hot water for 15 minutes100 g (2/3 cup) cashew nuts soaked in cold water overnight or in hot water for 15 minutes
• 3 tablespoons maple syrup (or sub any other sweetener)3 tablespoons maple syrup (or sub any other sweetener)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 4 tablespoons unsweetened almond milk (or sub water or any other plant-based milk)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

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.

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