Vegan birthday cake

This vegan birthday cake is so pretty, boasting three layers of vanilla sponge sandwiched with vanilla buttercream and strawberry jam - and absolutely no eggs or dairy.

It's simple to make, so you don't need to be a baking pro to get a really effective, pretty result.

There's a full, detailed recipe with plenty of step-by-step pics below but, in a nutshell, you'll start by measuring the plant butter, self-raising flour, vanilla, plant milk and aquafaba (that's the liquid you get in a can of chickpeas) into a bowl, beat until smooth and that's it! Your batter will be ready to pour into three lined cake tins and bake.

For the vegan buttercream, you'll whisk icing sugar, plant butter, vanilla extract and plant milk together until light and fluffy. You'll then use it to sandwich your cakes together, piping a taller wall around the edges, while filling the centre with jam - don't worry, I'll walk you through the process below so it's all super easy to follow!

Decorate the top of your cake with more buttercream, a generous scattering of sprinkles and, of course, some vegan-friendly candles and your totally vegan birthday cake is ready to serve!

Here's the full recipe.

Instructions

Make the sponge

Preheat the oven to 200C (180C fan). Grease the baking tins and line the bottoms and sides with baking paper.

Put the plant butter and sugar in a large mixing bowl. 

Add the self-raising flour, vanilla, plant milk and aquafaba. 

Whisk until smooth and creamy.

Share between three 18cm (7 inch) tins.

Bake for 20-25 minutes until golden - you can push a skewer into the centres to check they are cooked through. The skewer should come out clean.

Transfer to a wire rack until cool enough to handle, then turn out and leave to cool completely.

Make the frosting

Put the icing sugar, plant butter, vanilla extract and plant milk in a bowl.

Whisk, starting slowly at first and speeding up until you have a pale, creamy, smooth frosting.

Assemble the cake

Place the first layer of the cake on the your board.

Transfer the frosting to a piping bag and snip the tip off the piping bag.

Pipe dots of icing all over the cake. You can do this with a spoon or palette knife instead, if you prefer. Leave a taller ring of piping around the edge of the cake.

Spread jam in the centre of the cake.

Top with the next layer and repeat the application of frosting and jam.

Place the final cake on top. This time, frost across the top, then scatter with sprinkles.

Place in the fridge to allow the frosting to firm up before serving. On a hot day, I'd recommend at least an hour.

Enoy!

Pointers, tricks and troubleshooting tips for the perfect vegan birthday cake

Is vegan birthday cake easy to make?

This is such a classic birthday cake with vanilla buttercream and jam filling - so much so that you might not even guess it's vegan. The cake is made using the all-in-one method, so no need to cream the plant butter and sugar separately, you just pile all the ingredients into a bowl and whisk away.

I love making this vegan birthday cake, there are no tricky additions to replace the eggs, we're simply using aquafaba, the liquid from a can of chickpeas, why not try making this yummy cinnamon hummus with the actual chickpeas!

Will I need any special equipment for this vegan birthday cake?

As this is a three-tier cake you'll need three 18cm (7inch) cake tins to cook the cakes in, and some baking paper to line them.

You'll also need the usual baking kit, such as weighing scales, measuring spoons, and a wire cooling rack.

I've used an electric hand whisk to whip up the cake batter and buttercream. You can use a free-standing mixer, a manual whisk or even a good old fashion spoon, if you wish. The manual methods will, of course, require a bit more effort.

To decorate, I put the buttercream in a piping bag as this makes it easier to get the filling evenly distributed and I like the way it looks in the finished bake. However, you could simply spoon the buttercream on, or use a palette knife to spread.

There is a full list of suggested equipment on the recipe card below.

Where can I buy vegan plant butter?

There are more and more options available for vegan plant butter now, you should be able to find a few different options in your local health food store or online. I like to use Flora Plant Butter, which is stocked widely in supermarkets in the UK at the time of writing (September 2021).

Whatever plant butter you choose, try to find one with a high-fat content of around 80% as this is a similar proportion to dairy butter, so will behave in a similar way. A lot of vegan spreads and margarines are often around than 50% fat (or less!) and have a much higher water content, so don't work as well to replace dairy butter when baking.

Is this vegan birthday cake suitable for vegetarians as well as vegans?

Yes, as this birthday cake is vegan it is automatically suitable for vegetarians too as it's free from any form of animal product.

Always make sure to double-check all of your ingredients labels to see if they are suitable for vegans and vegetarians. Don't forget to also check anything extra you intend to serve this birthday cake with - even the candles!

Is this vegan birthday cake gluten-free?

This vegan birthday cake is made with regular self-raising flour so is not suitable for someone who needs to avoid gluten.

I haven't tested this recipe using gluten-free self-raising flour yet but you could give it a go. I recommend using a good quality brand which will likely be a blend of rice or oat flour, mixed with xanthan gum to help with texture and of course a raising agent.

Double-check all of your ingredients labels to make sure that they are gluten-free, particularly flavour extracts and decorative elements. Don't forget to also check anything extra you intend to serve with this birthday cake, including the candles!

Is this vegan birthday cake keto-friendly?

This vegan birthday cake has an estimated 100g (3.5oz) of carbohydrates per serving so is not suitable for a keto diet.

Is this vegan birthday cake healthy?

As with most birthday cakes, they are a celebration of all things not so healthy, being high in sugar and fat this cake should be enjoyed in a sensible portion on special occasions, not as an everyday snack. There is more detailed nutritional information on the recipe card below, all figures are estimates based on publicly available data.

Is this vegan birthday cake safe to eat while pregnant?

There's nothing in this birthday cake recipe that would usually pose a risk to a pregnant people.

Make sure all the ingredients are in good condition and the cake is prepared and stored safely and hygienically.

A Mummy Too does not offer medical advice. Please seek help from a medical professional if you need further information or have any concerns.

What goes well with this vegan birthday cake?

This is the perfect celebration cake to serve as part of a vegan birthday party. You could serve alongside other vegan treats such as vegan scones!

Can I make this recipe without aquafaba?

The aquafaba in this recipe is going some way to replace the eggs that would usually appear in this type of cake, so you can't just leave it out entirely.

I haven't tested this recipe using other egg alternatives yet but you could give it a go if you don't have a tin of chickpeas handy.

Try using 4 tablespoons of crushed chia seeds crushed mixed with 140ml water, left in the fridge for 10 minutes to replace the 200ml of aquafaba. Keep in mind using chia seeds instead of auqafaba will mean you're cake won't look quite so much like a classic sponge as it will be dotted with chia seeds.

I haven’t got plant butter, can I use vegan margarine?

You could, in theory, use any vegan margarine but I would urge you to try to find a vegan-friendly butter. The main reason being that plant butter will have a much higher fat content (ideally similar to dairy butter's 80%), and less water than margarine or spreads. This means that when you're baking with it, the plant butter behaves in a similar way to butter, giving you better results for your bakes.

There are more and more brands of vegan plant butter available and it has really the world of vegan baking. Give it a go!

What is the best type of plant milk to use?

There are so many different plant milk options available, including established brands, new brands and supermarket own brands. It can be hard to pick which one to use!

As a general rule, I usually go for unsweetened soya milk - either Alpro or own brand.

I find unsweetened soya milk to be the most neutral tasting and stable and it has worked well for me with lots of different bakes and recipes in the past. Of course, if you usually use almond milk or oat milk then these should work just fine too.

Can I add fruit to this vegan birthday cake?

I wouldn't recommend adding fruit to the sponge, but this cake would be lovely with fresh fruit as a decoration, perhaps to replace the jam or as decoration on top.

Be careful when adding fresh fruits to cakes as the juices can seep into the cakes and make them soggy. They also shorten the life of the cakes since fresh fruit goes bad quickly, so if you want to keep the cake for a few day, I would stick to using jam for the fillings.

The easiest fruit to use would probably be strawberries. Wash and slice them into 0.5cm (2/8 inch) and lay the slices on a piece of clean kitchen towel to pat away some of the moisture. Layer the strawberry slices onto the buttercream in place of the jam.

You could then use fresh berries to decorate the top instead of sprinkles, which would be really pretty. Just take care not to overload the cake.

How should I store my vegan birthday cake? How long will it keep?

You can keep the cake in a sealed container somewhere cool and out of direct sunlight. Eat within three days of making.

If you want it to last a bit longer, I find it best to store this vegan birthday cake in the fridge, if you have room. It has quite a bit of buttercream that will keep better when chilled, especially if your house tends to be warm.

If you have a cake box or cake dome, use this to protect it in the fridge. When kept in the fridge, this cake will last for up to five days.

Can I leave this birthday cake out on the counter?

It's best to keep this cake in a nice, cool pantry or in the fridge to ensure freshness, and to keep it for longer. If it's in a warm part of the kitchen, it simply won't stay fresh for very long.

If the cake has been in the fridge for a while, you might want to leave the slices on the side for 10-15 minutes before serving so they come back up to room temperature, this helps improve the texture and bring out the flavours.

Can I make this vegan birthday cake ahead?

As with most bakes, this vegan birthday cake is tastiest when freshly baked.

You could make the buttercream the day before, cover the bowl and pop it in the fridge. When you come to use it, you'll probably need to whisk it again to loosen it back up enough to work with.

Once your cake is assembled, it's a good idea to set the frosting in the fridge for 30-60 minutes (depending on how warm your kitchen is) before attempting to slice, so your cake can be made a bit ahead - up to a day or so should be fine.

You could also make the cakes the night before and, once cool, wrap them individually in clingfilm and put them in an airtight container somewhere cool, ready to add the buttercream and decoration the next day.

Should I keep this vegan birthday cake in the refrigerator?

I prefer to keep this cake in the fridge as it has lots of fresh buttercream and jam. It is safe to keep in a cool pantry for 2 or 3 days, but it will keep for longer in the fridge (up to 5 days), so if you have space then it's the best place to store your cake.

Can I freeze this vegan birthday cake?

I haven't tried freezing this exact cake but I've had success with similar bakes that fare pretty well in the freezer, even with the buttercream. If you do want to freeze some of this cake, do so as soon as you can after the first serving so that the cake is kept at its best.

It's a good idea to freeze the cake in slices, that way you can just get out as many slices as you need, when you need them. Cut the remaining cake into slices and then pop them into a suitably sized container. Don't forget to separate each slice with a piece of greaseproof paper or they will all stick together.

Try to use a container that the cake slices fit snuggly into without too much empty space -this reduces the risk of freezer burn and takes up less space in the freezer.

This cake will keep for up to three months in the freezer. Label your container with the date and type of cake so you know when to use it up by.

What is the best way to defrost vegan birthday cake?

It's best to defrost this vegan cake in the fridge. Food that isn't going to be reheated is best thawed out slowly at a low temperature as this reduces the risk of bacteria spreading on the food.

Take out the slices you want to defrost, pop them into a clean container, and put them in the fridge to thaw out overnight. Putting your cake into a container helps stop condensation from forming on the buttercream.

Once thawed, consume within 24 hours and don't refreeze.

Can I make this birthday cake in a different quantity?

If your cake tins are a different size to mine, you can still make it work.

On the recipe card below, you'll see the servings near the top left. Changing this number will automatically change the ingredient quantities, so you can make more or less cake. Just click or hover over the serving number and a little slider bar will pop up. Move the slider up or down to get the amount you want to make.

Use the following serving settings to adjust for your tin size:

• 15cm (6inch) = 9 servings
• 20cm (8inch) = 16 servings
• 23cm (9inch) = 20 servings
• 25cm (10 inch) = 24 servings

Some of the ingredients might go into a decimal place so round up or down if you need to.

To add extra tiers using 18cm (7inch tin) set the servings as follows:

• 3 tiers = 12 servings
• 4 tiers = 16 servings
• 5 tiers = 20 servings

When making a cake with more than three tiers you might need to add doweling sticks to support the cake. Here is a great explanation of how to dowel a cake.

Can I make this vegan birthday cake using only two cake tins?

If you only have two cake tins you can still make this cake, you'll just need a bit less of the ingredients. Assuming you're still using 18cm (7inch) tins, simply hover over or click on the serving number on the recipe card below and then use the slider to set the number of servings to 8. The ingredients will update automatically to give you 2/3 of the original amounts; enough for a two-tier cake.

Can I make this vegan birthday cake in a stand mixer such as a KitchenAid or Kenwood Mixer?

Both the cake batter and the buttercream need to whisked for this recipe, so using a free-standing mixer would be ideal if you have one.

To make the cake batter, use the paddle attachment and put the sugar into the bowl first and then add the softened plant butter, flour, aquafaba, plant milk, and vanilla extract. Beat slowly to start with so the flour doesn't fly everywhere then increase the speed and whisk until everything the batter is lovely and smooth. Don't overdo it as this can overwork the gluten in the flour, resulting in a tough sponge.

While the cakes are cooling you can get on and make the buttercream. Wash and dry the bowl and balloon whisk attachment before you start. Add the icing sugar, plant milk, vanilla, and plant butter, starting slowly to keep the icing sugar in the bowl whisk until you have a beautiful smooth creaming frosting.

Can I make this vegan birthday cake with a food processor?

The blades of a food processor will not be suitable for mixing the cake batters and will not be able to whip enough air into the buttercream.

How can I make sure the vegan sponges are perfectly cooked?

With a few simple steps you can ensure these cakes are perfectly cooked and your vegan birthday cake turns out beautifully.

First, preheat the oven. Preheating the oven is important to make sure the cakes are evenly cooked. Try and arrange the oven shelves so the cakes can be baked in the middle. As this is a three-tier cake you may need to need to use two shelves.

It can take up to 15 minutes for some ovens to come up to temperature, so set yours before anything else so that you can be sure it will be fully heated once you've lined your cake tins, made the cake batter and poured it into the tins, ready to bake.

Don't skip on greasing and lining your cake tins. Even with nonstick tins, lining helps ensure the cakes bake evenly and don't stick.

The batter itself is easy to make. Put all the ingredients into a large bowl and whisk just until it's smooth and creamy. Divide evenly between the three lined cake tins, and bake for 20-25 minutes.

You'll know when the cakes are done when they've turned a lovely pale golden colour. They might shrink away from the sides of the tins ever so slightly and a skewer will come out clean.

When the cakes are cool enough to handle, turn them out onto wire racks to cool completely.

When you come to make your buttercream, it's important that your keep whisking well past the point where the ingredients are merely combined. You want to introduce lots of air to give a lovely pale, smooth, light buttercream that has considerably increased in size.

If you're not sure if your buttercream could stand to be mixed some more, keep the whisk in a single position in your bowl and hold it there for 15 seconds. Remove the whisk and compare the colour of the buttercream in that spot with the rest of the bowl. If the whisked spot is paler, the whole bowl needs whisking further.

Finally, make sure the cakes have fully cooled before attempting to assemble with the buttercream and jam. If the cakes are still warm they will be fragile, the buttercream will melt and your cakes might well collapse.

Why did my cakes turn out dry and dense?

There is quite a bit of moisture going into this cake mix so they shouldn't turn out dry. Did you remember to add the plant milk?

If the oven is too hot, or the cakes are left in too long at a lower temperature, they will likely dry out, so make sure to preheat your oven to the correct temperature, set a timer and check on the cakes after 20 minutes.

If too much flour is added to the mix, this will also create dry, dense cakes so make sure to measure the ingredients carefully and mix the batter so that everything is evenly incorporated. Be careful not to mix past the point where the batter ingredients are combined, though, as this can overwork the gluten in the flour, leading to a tough sponge.

Why did my cakes turn out wet and pale?

If the cakes are still wet and pale then they haven't been in the oven long enough. Return them to the oven and give them another 5 minutes before checking on them again.

Preheating the oven is really important whenever you are baking. These cakes only take about 25 minutes to cook, and some ovens can take 15 minutes to come up to temperature. If the cakes are going into a cold oven by the time it's hot enough to bake them there might only be 5 or 10 minutes of cooking time left.

Once the cakes are in the oven make sure to keep the door shut, you can check on the cakes through the glass in the door. Try to avoid opening the oven repeatedly to check on your cakes as each time you do this, you will lower the temperature inside the oven, which can make your cakes sink, turn dense and take forever to bake.

If your cakes just don't seem to be baking, you may have the wrong ingredient quantities somewhere. Alternatively, your oven dial may be wrong, so consider investing in an oven thermometer.

Why didn’t my vegan cakes rise?

This cake mix is made using just self-raising flour with no extra raising agents added so don't expect big domes on the tops of your cakes. As this is a three-tier cake, we want the cakes to rise but remain level on top so that we can stack them up more easily.

If they didn't rise at all it's likely that the raising agent in your flour has lost its potency. Try adding 2 tsp of baking powder next time, or better yet, invest in some fresh flour.

How can I add/change the flavours in this vegan birthday cake?

I love the classic vanilla flavour of this vegan birthday cake, but you can easily mix things up to suit the special birthday person's tastes.

You could use a different flavour extract instead of vanilla - a sparing drop of rose water would be lovely in the frosting, as would a little caramel flavouring. And why not use a different complimentary flavoured jam, or even a dulce de leche caramel instead?

You might like to add fruit like fresh berries to decorate the top, or top with the birthday person's favourite vegan sweets.

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