Best Vegan Gluten-Free Vanilla Birthday Cake. This cake is soft, fluffy, really moist, healthy and oil-free. It is also grain-free!
This vegan vanilla birthday cake with chocolate ganache is adorned with curled white chocolate on top. Yes, please. Now, this is how to start the week. It’s hard to believe it is completely vegan, without eggs and dairy-free. I’m a sucker for vanilla, it’s almost right up there with cinnamon. I love vanilla cakes, like this Vegan Gluten-free Vanilla Chocolate Chip Cake and this Funfetti Birthday Cake.
THE BEST INGREDIENTS TO MAKE A VEGAN VANILLA CAKE
To make this vegan gluten-free vanilla cake you need to gather these 8 ingredients (+salt):
- blanched almond flour
- potato starch (this is the exact starch that makes the cake so fluffy, other starches will NOT work the same)
- baking powder
- pure maple syrup
- unsweetened applesauce
- apple cider vinegar
- vanilla extract
- aquafaba
I recently made this vegan gluten-free vanilla cake as a double layer for my daughter who turned 4. I topped with a Vegan Strawberry Buttercream Frosting and then a chocolate ganache. She asked for that, so I had to deliver. Here is that cake I made for her birthday party. I was rushing at the last minute so it’s not perfect, but it tasted yummy!
HOW DO YOU MAKE A VEGAN VANILLA CAKE?
First, you will preheat the oven to 350°F (177°C) and line a 9 inch round cake pan with a piece of round parchment paper on the bottom and along the sides. It helps to lightly spray the inside of the pan first so the paper adheres. OR you can make cupcakes and line a pan with 10 liners.
Add the almond flour, potato starch, salt and baking powder to a large bowl and whisk everything together really well until there are no lumps remaining.
In a separate small bowl, add the syrup, applesauce, apple cider vinegar, vanilla and aquafaba and whisk until smooth. Pour the liquid over the dry ingredients and beat with a handheld mixer for about a minute to incorporate some air and make it really smooth.
Pour the batter into your prepared pan and bake on the middle rack for 25-30 minutes, until it has risen with a light golden top (as pictured here), a toothpick comes out completely clean from the center. Let cool 30 minutes before removing from the pan. Then turn it over, so the flat side is facing up on a cooling rack. Cool completely before icing,
HOW TO MAKE THIS VEGAN VANILLA CAKE GRAIN-FREE
Using almond flour and starch keeps this cake grain-free as well as an oil-free vegan vanilla cake. The almond flour gives it a buttery taste, keeps it insanely moist and the potato starch is what gives it fluff and that all-purpose flour effect.
In place of eggs, I used aquafaba, which is just the liquid at the bottom of a chickpea can. This idea has exploded all over the internet. It works as an egg replacer, among a billion other things. It is NOT my idea, the credit goes to Goose Wholt for the amazing discovery I found on Facebook. The recommended amount for 1 egg is 3 tablespoons chickpea liquid, but I found 4 tablespoons to work best for my specific recipe. In fact, it worked better than flax.
CAN YOU MAKE THIS CAKE AHEAD OF TIME?
Yes, you can make this cake the day before you need it and it will still be moist and taste delicious. Of course, I prefer the texture and taste of cakes always made the day of, but you can cover the baked cake at room temperature and then add the icing or ganache the day of serving.
Try these other vegan cupcakes and cakes:
- Funfetti Cake
- Best Vegan Vanilla Cupcakes
- Vegan Gluten-free Vanilla Cupcakes
- Vegan Gluten-free Chocolate Cake
Vegan Gluten-Free Vanilla Cake
Ingredients
MAKE SURE YOU ARE USING POTATO STARCH, NOT POTATO FLOUR! Some have incorrectly used that and the cake doesn't work!
- 2 cups (224g) superfine blanched almond flour (Do not use regular almond meal (with the skins), it is not light enough and will not produce the same results. See NOTE below)
- 1/2 cup + 2 tablespoons (100g) potato starch (this is the exact starch that makes the cake so fluffy, other starches will NOT work the same)
- 1/2 teaspoon fine salt
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 cup + 2 tablespoons (200g) pure maple syrup
- 1/2 cup (120g) unsweetened applesauce
- 1/2 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
- 1 tablespoon (15g) real vanilla extract
- 1/4 cup (60g) aquafaba (the liquid at the bottom of a chickpea can)
NOTE
- It is crucial to not sub these ingredients for best results. It's necessary to use a superfine blanched almond flour because it is what makes the cake so moist and light. Always use a scale for accuracy when baking, following MY gram weights listed. You never need cups, just the scale and bowl and make sure to zero out in between each ingredient.
- I use this scale.
Instructions
- This cake is best made the day of but you can bake it the night before if absolutely necessary. Just cover the cake well and add the ganache the day serving it. I recommend baking it at least 2 hours before your event to make sure it has completely cooled. Baked goods with starch tend to still slightly "cook" and fluff up for a couple of hours after removing them from the oven. They are a tad too moist to eat immediately.
- Line a 9 inch round metal pan with a piece of round parchment paper on the bottom and along the sides. It helps to lightly spray the inside of the pan first so the paper adheres. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. OR you can make cupcakes and line a pan with 10 liners.
- Make sure to weigh all your ingredients for accurate results. Fluff your almond flour with a whisk first to break up any lumps. If unable to use a scale, then scoop your cups into the dry ingredients, lightly pat down to make sure there are no gaps and then level off. Add the almond flour, potato starch, salt and baking powder to a large bowl and whisk everything together really well until there are no lumps remaining.
- In a separate small bowl, add the syrup, applesauce, apple cider vinegar, vanilla and aquafaba and whisk until smooth. Pour the liquid over the dry ingredients and beat with a handheld mixer for about a minute to incorporate some air and make it really smooth. It should be a very smooth, pour-able batter. Now, try not to eat all the batter now. I know, it's so dang good.
- Pour the batter into your prepared pan and bake on the middle rack for 25-30 minutes, until it has risen with a light golden top, a toothpick comes out completely clean from the center. If making cupcakes, using an ice cream scoop makes for nice rounded tops. Cupcakes should be done around 25 minutes, but check for a clean toothpick in the center. Your time may slightly vary depending on your oven and may take longer to bake. Let cool 30 minutes before removing from the pan. Then turn it over, so the flat side is facing up on a cooling rack. Cool completely before icing, at least an hour. Or, you can flip it back over and frost the dome top if you prefer that look.
- I recommend topping it with my Ultimate Vegan Chocolate Ganache/Glaze! For additional decoration, I added some curled vegan white chocolate. OR if you want a traditional buttercream icing, use the one from my Best Vanilla Cupcakes or my Vegan Gluten-free White Cake.
Recipe Notes
Nutrition per slice: 276 calories, 14 g fat, 6 g protein, 35.2 carbs, 18.8 g sugars, 3.1 g fiber, 312.4 mg sodium
The nutrition does not include the aquafaba since there is no nutritional info that I could find online. But it's such a small amount, it wouldn't make much a difference anyways.
SO GOOD. My FIRST gluten-free and vegan cake success! It’s so easy, and doesn’t end up as a pan full of goop! Thank you so much Brandi!
Thank you so much Sarah for the wonderful review and email! I’m so happy to hear this was the first vegan cake that was a success! Yay!
I’m looking forward to trying this recipe. One question: am I correct in assuming the 2 tablespoons of water go into the wet ingredients? They are left out of the recipe instructions. Thank you!
Hi Maya, yes they go into the batter! Fixed the directions, sorry about that!
The water is still not in the list of ingredients, so I did not know how much to add. Cake turned out very flat, so not sure if that was why.
Can you add the water to the list of ingredients?
Thank you
Hi Lee! I actually just made this cake about a week ago and removed the water from the ingredients because I found it to be better without the water. The water made it almost too moist. So, no the water wouldn’t make it rise more, in fact, would make it heavier. The cake is flat intentionally, it doesn’t have a high dome top. This is so it is perfectly flat to frost easily and makes a nice layer cake, it should look flat like the photo above showing it in the pan. But it should be a nice even top, not deflated or anything. But that shouldn’t affect the taste at all. It was only 2 tablespoons of water anyways. Just fixed the directions. Sorry about that!
Hi Brandi,
If I’m going to be using flax instead of the aquafaba, should I just use 1 TBS flax plus 3 TBS water AND the additional 2 TBS water listed in the recipe? Btw, this recipe is going to be a lifesaver this Passover!
Thanks!
Hi Nicki, I don’t recommend flax, which is why I used aquafaba and noted above in the post. Flax will make the cake much more dense and the structure was better with the aquafaba and more fluffy. I didn’t like the result with flax when I tested it. So, if you use it, please know that the result will be different than intended. It has been a long time since I tested it, so my guess would be just to use 1 tbsp flax with 3 tbsp water and still add the water. I guess just see how the batter is after you add the flax egg, if it’s smooth and pourable and not too thick, don’t add the water. If it is kind of thick, add the water. It should be like a traditional smooth loose cake batter, not watery and runny. Please let me know if you try it with the flax!
I also have this other cake that does not use either flax or aquafaba! https://thevegan8.com/2016/07/28/vegan-gluten-free-funfetti-birthday-cake/
Thanks so much! The only reason I’m not using AF is because I can’t use it on Passover. I actually tried it out with chia, and while it was dense, the flavor was terrific! I’ll check out the other cake as well!
Oh, I see! So glad to hear it still tasted yummy, thank you for letting me know!
I made this two days in a row, hoping that the first time was a mistake and I would nail it the second time. Both times I measured by weight, and the batter was SO thick and dry… I noticed a couple other comments with the same problem, so I did some quick calculations and found that half a cup of potato starch is actually 60g, not 80. 80g =2/3 of a cup, which throws off all the other ratios of wet to dry! Now I’m trying to fix it by adding more liquid, but I think the reason why most people are having such great success is that they used the “cups” measure, not the weight. Hope this helps the ones who had the same problem!!
Hi Shannon! Actually, 80 grams is correct, it’s not 60 grams. Even the bag measures 80 grams per half cup. I’m extremely thorough and careful when measuring before I post, so it’s definitely 80 g. I’ve had many people make this all over social media and used weight measurements with success.Are you using BLANCHED almond flour and potato starch, not potato FLOUR? Added the syrup and applesauce? Let me know, thank you!
I made this into cupcakes and they were great! They were a lovely light golden, with perfectly domed tops. They were a little sweet for my taste, but not being a skilled baker, I don’t know how to decrease the maple syrup without ruining the texture. Do you have any suggestions? Thanks!
Wonderful Lindsay! So glad you enjoyed them! Oh really? So funny because I made them for my mother-n-law 2 weeks back and she said they weren’t sweet enough, lol! Shows how different our tastebuds are 🙂 But, if I were you, just sub 2 tablespoons of the syrup with 2 tablespoons thick milk, like full-fat coconut milk and that should still yield a very similar result. Thank you Lindsay for the review!
Thank you for the great recipe! I’ll try coconut milk next time 🙂
Hi, I just made this cake…the recipe was waaay too intriguing not to try ! I had a lot of Bob’s blanched almond flour on hand and so decided to give it a try, despite the warnings. And wow…the cake’s flavor is fabulous ! It was a tad heavy, I’m assuming from using Bob’s. I’m going to give it a whirl with the pricier KingArthurs flour sometime this baking season 🙂 Thank you very much for doing all the hard work of the recipe development !
I’m baking at 5,408 ft, so I reduced the baking powder to 1.5 teaspoons and upped the oven temp to 365…all of that may have affected the recipe too. However, the cake is still very delicious !!!
So very happy to hear you loved it Dale, thank you so much for the review and glad to hear you were able to make it work! Yes, Bob’s Red mill unfortunately doesn’t work well in cakes, so you will have much better luck with King Arthur flour! Thank you again!
I have made this cake over and over and over since you first published it- and every time I am in heaven! Every single person who has tasted it (mainly non-vegans!) want the recipe and beg for me to make it whenever we get together. It’s so perfect on its own, but extra decadent with frosting or sauce!
You are the best Liz, I love how many times you’ve made and LOVED this cake! Thank you so much for the awesome review!!
Amazing! Very moist, full of flavour, like everything Brandi does!! Looove your recipes! XO
Yay! I love to hear that Tatiana! Thank you so much for the sweet review and for always making so many of my recipes, I love hearing the feedback!
Hi Brandi! Just trialled this recipe today as I will be making it for my 4 year old’s birthday. Tasted amazing however mine did not quite rise like yours- it was rather wet and flat. I weighed everything exactly. However, my baking powder was a few months expired so I wonder if that was the reason. I put a toothpick in at 25 mins and it came out clean so I took it out but I wonder if it could’ve used another 5-10 minutes? Also, just to clarify, are you saying to use the hand mixer just on the wet ingredients or to combine wet and dry and then hand mix? I did the latter. Lastly, I am planning to use the vanilla buttercream frosting from your funfetti birthday cake. I know that makes enough for an 8” double layer cake but since I’ll be making a 9” double layer cake, do you know how much more I’ll need? Was thinking I might just 1.5x it? Thanks so much!!
Hi Crystal! So glad it tasted amazing! As far as rising and it being wet, that most definitely sounds like an almond flour issue. Almond flour brands can really vary and dramatically affect the cake being fluffy and being the right texture. Some almond flours simply won’t fluff up well at all and make the baked good more flat and wet. I think that is more it than the cooking time. I don’t think it’s the baking powder. What brand almond flour did you use? Honeyville, King Arthur flour are really good brands. Also, if you like, you could just make the confetti cake base instead, with no sprinkles if you like, that one is actually my most popular cake and is vanilla flavored too and much fluffier anyways. People make that one all the time for birthdays. You might have better luck with that one but the almond flour is still very important. As far as the buttercream, it makes a lot so I think it should be enough for a 9 inch cake. That’s not too much more.
Hi Brandi! I used Wellbee’s almond flour which has always given me great results. But I was about 15g short so had to use Bob’s Red Mill super fine almond flour for the rest. I have ordered more almond flour. Unfortunately I can’t have grains so that’s why I’d prefer to make this cake over the other. That’s great if you think the buttercream recipe should make enough for a 9” double layer. We really loved the cake, my husband and I ate the whole thing in one day argh! Thanks so much!
Haha, that is awesome! So glad you both loved the cake so much! Ahh, I think they may be what the slight issue was then. That is my guess anyways. I have just never had luck with Bob’s almond flour, even the superfine one, sadly. It seems that some almond flours really make baked goods wet and flat and some nice and fluffy. It is the oddest thing, haha. I’m going to be testing this cake soon with yogurt instead of applesauce as well and I think it might bake up even fluffier.
Hey Brandi,
Thank you for sharing your recipes and loving stories!
I know you said it works best when made day of event but I may to make it one day ahead. Does ot make a huge difference or could I get away with it?
Any suggestions to keep ot fresh?
Thanks!
Hi Bonnie! You should be okay for the next day. It is a very moist cake so it definitely will not dry out, just put on a plate and cover it will foil. Wait to do the ganache or frosting the day of. Just make sure it’s fully cooked through. I would also do a trial run before your event to make sure you don’t have any issues 🙂
This was GREAT. worked exactly as expected- it’s one of the few vegan/gf things I’ve made that has been successful. I felt like I was eating a pancake-flavored cupcake. I loved it.
Yay! That makes me so happy to hear Melina! Thank you so much for the awesome review and for making it!
Hi Brandi, I’ve made this cake one time before and we LOVED it. This time I’m planning to make it into cupcakes. Will standard paper cupcake liners be fine or would it be better to use non-stick or parchment ones since the recipe is oil-free?
Hi Callie! So glad to hear that! Yes, you are exactly correct, since these are oil-free, it’s always best to use either of the non-stick or parchment paper ones 🙂
Thanks so much!
Hi Brandi,
Thanks for all your delicious recipes. I am a big fan! This is my go-to vanilla cake, and I’d like to make a trifle using this cake and a cashew sweet cream. Do you think the cake will hold up? Thank you.
Hi Naomi! So glad to hear that! Thank you! Yes, I think it would fine because it will be held in the trifle dish. It’s a moist cake but I wouldn’t think it would get too moist with a cashew cream. You would be keeping it in the fridge anyways, right? So I think it would be fine and delicious. I would love to see it and hear about it after you make it!
My son has a terrible like allergy and isn’t supposed to eat any sort of grain. His first birthday was coming up And we were desperate to find a recipe that not only he could eat {safely} and enjoy, but something everybody else at the party would love as well. I had my heart set on a funfetti cake I’m finding one with the right ingredients that I thought I could trust to make the day of it without trying multiple versions and recipes in the days or weeks before I was proving to be difficult. And then I stumbled upon the Vegan 8 vanilla cake {Just add a few tablespoons of sprinkles and there’s your perfect funfetti birthday cake!} Not only was it incredibly simple, but it tastes so good, and it’s beautiful! I made sure to weigh out all of the ingredients and because I made it the day before and wanted it to stay a bit more moist for the party the following day I did substitute some coconut oil for part of the applesauce. So happy I found this body Thank you, Brandi for being so responsive during our Instagram messaging and giving me some great ideas and tips! It turned out perfectly! And another bonus to this cake being eggless is that you can lick the beaters without a care in the world 🙂
Wow, thank you Seneca so much for this amazing review! Your pic of it on Instagram was just beautiful!! So glad everybody loved it! The cake does stay very moist for a few days since applesauce keeps things moist but glad the little bit of oil worked well too! Thank you for making it!
can we skip apple cider vinegar from this recipe?
asking as i dont want to buy that whole bottle as wont be using it for other things!!
please reply soon . 🙂
Hi! The vinegar reacts with the baking powder which helps the cake rise and give fluff, so you definitely don’t want to just skip it. You can, however, try subbing with lemon juice instead. I have not tried this so not sure of the exact result, so hope it works!
I’m interested in the nutritional values per serving. How many servings for this cake when it’s prepared as a layer? It states it’s a 9″ cake or 12 cupcakes. Does that mean the nutritional calculation is based on 1/12 of the cake?
Hi, it’s based on 9 slices, or maybe 10 I think, definitely not 12. I’m sorry, it’s been years since I did the calculations, I don’t recall!