This eggless vanilla cake recipe is so soft and moist, full of vanilla flavor, and could not be easier to make (even without a mixer!). It can be made fully vegan by subbing in dairy-free milk. I did tons of recipe testing to find an extremely versatile vanilla cake recipe that you can use to celebrate your friends and loved ones with egg allergies, dairy sensitivities, and those that are vegan by choice. I’m so excited to offer this one, especially since many of you have been asking for egg-free cake recipes for years!
One Reader, Kate, says: “Just wanted to say thank you for this recipe (and your eggless chocolate one). I’ve returned to it time and time again for birthday cakes and school birthday cupcakes for my kids, to cater for all the kids who are egg, nut and dairy free. I routinely get comments about how delicious the cakes are – even from people who usually complain about having to eat a “….-free” cake!” ★★★★★
The Recipe Tests
One of the things that kept me from starting this eggless vanilla cake testing journey was that I was a bit overwhelmed. There are quite a few different egg replacer options out there (flax seed, aquafaba, vinegar, actual egg replacement products) and I didn’t know where to start. My vegan vanilla cake already uses aquafaba, but I wanted to create a recipe that’s even easier with ingredients that are super accessible. So that led me in the direction of using vinegar, which ended up being my preferred egg replacer! The vinegar in this recipe reacts with the baking soda to create a beautiful rise while helping maintain a velvety soft crumb.
Once I nailed the eggless vanilla cake recipe base, here are some things I tried to make it even more versatile:
- I replaced the whole milk with soy milk, which ended up being my preferred method of making this cake vegan
- I replaced the whole milk with oat milk. The result was a bit too soft and fluffy and didn’t have enough structure.
- The previous test led me to replace the cake flour with all purpose flour when subbing the whole milk for oat milk. This added a lot more structure but the cake was too dense.
- I tried making the cake gluten-free and it turned out too gummy. I’m going to come up with a separate gluten-free vanilla cake in the future though, so stay tuned!
The Easiest Egg-Free Vanilla Cake Ever
This eggless vanilla cake is extra moist with a velvety soft crumb and has the perfect vanilla flavor. It could not be easier to throw together, even if you don’t have a stand mixer! You’ll essentially mix the dry ingredients together, mix the wet ingredients together in a large liquid measuring cup, then pour them into the dry ingredients and mix until combined. That’s it! In my recipe testing I found that you can do this by hand with a large bowl and whisk, or let your stand mixer do the work for you. The result is the same in the end, and I love how accessible that makes this recipe.
In addition to being simple, the recipe only uses eight ingredients that you can easily find in the baking aisle of your local grocery store. They work together to create a vanilla cake that is so soft and moist, perfectly structured, and packed with vanilla flavor. You wouldn’t even know the eggs were missing!
Eggless Vanilla Cake Key Ingredients and Substitutions
Here are the key ingredients that make up this eggless vanilla cake + the substitutions you can make:
- Cake Flour. This helps yield a super soft crumb and I can attest that subbing this for all-purpose flour will make the cake a lot more dense. You should be able to find cake flour in the baking aisle at your local grocery store, but just in case you can’t, I have a recipe for homemade cake flour that will work as a substitute.
- Granulated Sugar. Not just responsible for sweetening the cake, this ingredient also contributes to the soft texture. You can use half granulated sugar and half brown sugar if you want to give the cake an even richer flavor.
- Baking Soda. The baking soda helps this cake rise, particularly when combined with the vinegar. This chemical reaction will only happen with vinegar and baking soda, so I don’t recommend any substitutions with this one.
- Whole Milk. The fat in whole milk gives this cake a rich texture and flavor while helping bind the ingredients together. After substituting lots of milk alternatives, my favorite recommendation for making this recipe dairy-free is to use soy milk in place of the whole milk.
- Vanilla Extract. Responsible for the beautiful vanilla flavor in this cake. You could also substitute half of the vanilla extract with almond extract, or really any other extract you’d want to use as a flavoring!
- Vegetable Oil. This gives the cake tons of moisture and my favorite oil to use is plain vegetable oil since it doesn’t affect the overall flavor at all. You can substitute this for canola oil or any other clear baking oil as long as you don’t mind the flavor.
- Distilled White Vinegar. Not only does it contribute to the velvety crumb of this cake, the white vinegar reacts with the baking soda to make it rise in the baking process. If you don’t have distilled white vinegar on hand, you can substitute it for apple cider vinegar.
Making this a Vegan Vanilla Cake
I love how simple it is to make this cake fully vegan! I did lots of testing to figure out which non-dairy milk would work best in place of the whole milk in this recipe. Soy milk was by far the best substitute, as it most closely mimics the protein content and makeup of whole milk.
If you need a soy-free option, you could try oat milk or almond milk. These both have significantly lower protein content though, so the final result of the cake will technically work, but just be careful with the layers because they end up extremely soft. Without the extra protein, the structure of the cake isn’t as strong. To combat this, you could try using a homemade version of cake flour in place of the actual cake flour. Since it’s made with all-purpose flour as a base, it makes up for a lot of the extra protein and thus will give the cake more structure.
Can this Cake be Made Gluten-Free?
Unfortunately, this cake didn’t work when I substituted gluten-free baking flour in for the cake flour. It ended up super gummy! BUT I’ve added some gluten-free recipes to my baking list because that gets requested all the time, so stay tuned for those coming to the blog in the (hopefully) near future! For now, if you’re looking for great GF baking recipes, check out my friend Butternut Bakery.
What Frosting to Pair with Eggless Vanilla Cake
I chose to pair this cake with my favorite vanilla frosting and rainbow sprinkles to make it celebratory. The double vanilla flavor is so delicious and my kids absolutely devoured it! A couple details about the decorating: I frosted the cake with a smooth buttercream finish, used these rainbow sprinkles around the bottom border (and sprinkled on top) and used Wilton Tip 4B to pipe swirls on top.
The best thing about vanilla cake is that it goes with literally any frosting you can think of. I have a few of my favorite suggestions below, but keep in mind you’ll need to double the recipes below to have enough buttercream for filling and frosting the cake:
- Vegan Vanilla Buttercream (if you’re making this cake dairy-free)
- Whipped Cream Cheese Frosting or Whipped Mascarpone Frosting (if you want a light, not-too-sweet frosting)
- Chocolate Buttercream
- Strawberry Buttercream
- Raspberry Buttercream
- Funfetti Buttercream
- Lavender Buttercream
Here’s a video of the baking process for this eggless vanilla cake. Enjoy!
If you love recipe videos like this one, be sure to check out my YouTube channel! I’ve got a growing collection of cake recipes, decorating tutorials, and Cake Basics over there. Hit the subscribe button on my page so you never miss a new video.
Eggless Vanilla Cake
Ingredients
Eggless Vanilla Cake
- 2 1/2 Cups (265g) sifted cake flour* DIY recipe in notes
- 1 1/2 Cups (300g) granulated sugar
- 1 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 1/2 Cups (360ml) whole milk*, room temperature substitute this with soy milk if you need a vegan cake
- 1 Tbsp pure vanilla extract
- 1/2 Cup (120ml) vegetable oil
- 1 1/2 Tbsp white distilled vinegar
Vanilla Buttercream
- 1 1/2 Cups (339g) unsalted butter, room temperature see notes for vegan version
- 5 Cups (600g) powdered sugar
- 1 Tbsp pure vanilla extract
- 3 Tbsp whole milk, room temperature see notes for vegan version
- 1/4 tsp salt, or to taste
Garnish (Optional)
- 1/2 Cup rainbow sprinkles
Instructions
Make the Eggless Vanilla Cake
- Preheat the oven to 350ºF/177ºC and prepare three 6-inch or two 8-inch light-colored* cake pans by spraying the sides with cooking spray and fitting the bottoms with a parchment paper circle.
- In the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (you can alternatively use a large bowl and whisk), add the cake flour, granulated sugar, baking soda, and salt. Mix together on low speed to combine.
- In a large liquid measuring cup, whisk together the whole milk, vanilla, vegetable oil, and white vinegar.
- With the mixer on low speed (or while whisking by hand), add the liquid ingredients in a slow steady stream. Mix until just combined, then scrape down the bowl and paddle and give it a few stirs by hand to make sure there are no large lumps.
- Divide evenly between the prepared cake pans and bake for 24-28 minutes, until a wooden toothpick inserted comes out clean. Cool completely before frosting.
Make the Vanilla Buttercream
- With a hand mixer or paddle attachment on your stand mixer, cream the butter on medium-high until it’s creamy and light (almost white) in color. About 7 minutes.
- With the mixer on low, add the sifted powdered sugar a few cups at a time, scraping down after each addition and making sure each cup is fully incorporated before adding the next one.
- Add the vanilla, milk, and salt and mix on low for another minute until fully incorporated.
Assembly
- Once the eggless vanilla cakes are cooled throughout, level and torte the layers to your desired height. Place a cardboard cake circle on top of your cake turntable, add a swipe of buttercream (to act as glue), and place the first cake layer on top of it. Fill and stack the cake with vanilla buttercream.
- Crumb coat the cake with vanilla buttercream and place it into the refrigerator for at least 20 minutes to let the crumb coat firm up before frosting with a smooth layer of vanilla buttercream.
- To create the design pictured, while the frosting is still tacky to the touch, add rainbow sprinkles to the bottom third of the cake by pressing them on with your palm. Add the remaining buttercream into a piping bag fitted with Wilton Tip 4B and pipe swirls on top of the cake before garnishing with more rainbow sprinkles.
Notes
- The eggless vanilla cake layers can be baked, cooled, wrapped in plastic wrap, and left out at room temperature up to two days ahead of decorating. Unfrosted cake layers can be wrapped tightly in plastic wrap and stored in the freezer for up to two months before thawing and frosting.
- The vanilla buttercream can be made ahead and stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to two weeks. When you’re ready to use it, bring it back to room temperature and re-whip in your stand mixer to bring back to smooth buttercream consistency.
Did you make this cake? I want to know how it went. Let me know in the comments section below or tag @sugarandsparrowco on Instagram to show me a photo. I love to see what you make!
I made this cake for my daughter’s birthday because she is allergic to eggs. It came out extremely sweet. For me it was not enjoyable at all, the guest ate some of it, but all said it was too sweet. The recipe itself is easy to follow and the cake & frosting come out as expected regarding the form and consistency. But oh my God, I cannot handle this much sugar.
Hi Dalma! I’m sorry you found this cake too sweet. Was it the cake itself or the frosting? The cake has a pretty standard amount of sugar in it as far as cakes go, but the frosting is an American buttercream which tends to be sweeter than other kinds of frosting like a whipped cream or meringue based frosting. If you give the cake a try again, maybe go with a less sweet frosting like one of these whipped cream options: https://sugarandsparrow.com/whipped-cream-cheese-frosting/ or https://sugarandsparrow.com/whipped-mascarpone-frosting/
Hi Whitney, thank you so much for your reply. I appreciate it! The cake itself was also sweet, but the frosting was what pushed it to the ‘too much’ side. I will definitely try it with the mascarpone frosting next time, thank you for the suggestion.
Made this as an 8” cake and came out great. Can I use this recipe to make cup cakes?
Yay, Sandy! I haven’t tried it as cupcakes yet but I’ve heard of other readers having success with this recipe as cupcakes. If you want to try it, I would fill the cupcake tins no more than 2/3 full and bake at 350F for 14-18 minutes.
Hi
I want to use this recipe for my sons 1st birthday cake. I need enough for 30-40 people. How much do i up the recipe?
Is 1×9″ round and 1×7.5″ round tin enough?
Thank you
Hi Jess! To serve 30-40 people you’ll need three 8-inch or 9-inch cake layers. You can make 1.5x the recipe to make three 8-inch cake layers, or double the recipe to have enough for three 9-inch cake layers. If you go the 9-inch layer route, be sure to fill the pans no more than 2/3 full (you might have slightly more than enough batter). Hope that helps!
Hi, I just doubled the recipe for the 9″ tins. Ive only filled it only half way (its about 2.5″ deep) and I dont think I’ll get enough in another tin, let alone 3.
I had 5 cups flour and so forth
Hi! I’m a cake maker and have successfully used your eggless vanilla recipe for a 5” consultation cake. I’m now baking a 4-layer 10” wedding cake for tomorrow and scaled the recipe up. The layers have baked extremely dark and fallen apart on release. Do you have a tested quantity or method for a 10” 3-inch-deep tin (4 layers) ? It’s for a wedding tomorrow so I’d be incredibly grateful.
Hi Emma! I haven’t tested this recipe in a 10-inch pan. My best suggestions for you given the layers turning out dark/falling apart at that pan size would be to lower the oven temperature to 325F, make sure you’re using light colored pans (anodized aluminum), and make about 1.5x the recipe per pan. I hope these suggestions work, that’s super stressful!
I have made this twice now and it is the best eggless cake I have ever baked. I used refined coconut oil (has no flavor) and reduced the amount to 1/3 cup so that I could add a little (1/4 cup) melted butter. It was heavenly! I never usually have white vinegar on hand so I ended up using lemon juice and that seemed to work. Do you think I would get a better rise if I used distilled vinegar instead? The lemon juice was fine but I am getting ready to do a 3-layer (10 inch) cake for my son’s birthday and am wondering whether using vinegar would get it a bit higher. Oh, and I am going for your beautiful galaxy cake! Planning to use this recipe along with your white chocolate buttercream recipe to make it all happen. I hope it comes out ok- my frosting jobs are usually not so intricate! Thank you in advance!
Hi Meredith! I’m so happy you love this eggless cake recipe! I believe that vinegar will yield a better rise because it will react better with the baking soda to make more air bubbles. I’m so excited for you to make it into a galaxy cake! It’s such a forgiving decorating technique, I’m sure you’ll nail it!
I want go make a mini cake for my daughter’s first birthday using 4 inch pans. Are there any changes I would need to make to the baking time?
Hi Mariana! Yes, I would bake 4 inch cakes at 325ºF and check for doneness around the 14 minute mark, then add more time from there. I think baking at a lower temp for those smaller pans will be good for this recipe. Let me know how it goes!
Hi how did this turn out? I was thinking about doing the same thing
Hi, Thank you for sharing. Can I bake this eggeless vanilla recipe in a 8inch pan (3inch height)?
Hi Renu! I haven’t tried this recipe in a deeper pan like yours (mine are 2 inches tall) but if you want to try it, I’d recommend filling the pan no more than 2/3 full and adding more baking time. Start checking for doneness about 5-10 minutes after the recommended baking time. Hope that helps!
I’ve made this cake numerous times as a 2 layer 6 inch cake and it works beautifullyZ however, when I bake it as a 2 layer 8 inch it hardly rises. Should I do the recipe 1.5x for it to be a better height ? Thank you!
Hi Anna! I wonder what the difference is. How tall are your cake pans and how tall do the layers end up once baked? My cake pans are 2 inches tall, and the layers end up being about 1.5 inches tall regardless of 6 inch pans or 8 inch pans. If your pans are taller and you want to achieve taller layers, I would try 1.5x the recipe. Hope that helps!
Made this for a friend followed all the instructions. I did not have a piece, but she said it was dry. Made a chocolate eggless cake from a different recipe and that one everybody loved.