Basic Vanilla Sponge Cake {Vegan + Eggless}

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slice of vegan sponge cake decorated with berries and flowers served on a plate
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Craving a tasty, simple, and fluffy vegan sponge cake recipe? Well, lucky you, we’ve got an incredible recipe for a vanilla, eggless, buttery sponge cake that will knock your socks off! Serve it alongside some delicious vegan ice cream or nice cream and thank us later.

If you’ve ever wanted to try your hand at baking a cake but weren’t sure where to start, this dairy-free sponge cake recipe is just for you. Traditionally made with eggs, this version instead calls for aquafaba and takes just over an hour to come together. Perfect for enjoying throughout the week or serving on a special occasion, you’ll love how light, fluffy, and satisfying this vegan cake comes out to be.

This delicious dairy-free sponge cake recipe comes from Sarah Kidd’s book, The Vegan Cake Bible. Made using simple ingredients such as flour, aquafaba, baking soda, and vanilla bean paste, this cake is a must-try!

vegan sponge cake r

Awesome Ingredients in This Vegan Vanilla Cake

What does it take to make such an amazing cake, you ask? Well, just a few simple and straightforward ingredients, some patience, and an oven! All of these ingredients are simple to obtain and should be available at most grocery stores. You could even have kids or teenagers help out with the cake-making magic!

Aquafaba: How do we make this an egg-free sponge cake? We use aquafaba as the egg substitute! Essential for binding and creating a fantastically fluffy cake, aquafaba (which is simply chickpea brine), makes a magical egg substitute. Not sure what to do with your chickpeas? Check some of our recipes here!

All-Purpose Flour: Great for making a variety of baked goods, all-purpose flour is versatile and comes from a blend of different wheats which keeps it from getting too dense. Gluten-free? You’re welcome to use your preferred flour at your discretion!

Tapioca Flour: Versatile and excellent for gluten-free baking, tapioca flour is essential for making this sponge cake nice and thick.

Plain Soy Milk and White Vinegar: When mixed with white vinegar, soy milk becomes curdled which helps vegan baked goods to become lighter, acting as a vegan buttermilk!

Vanilla Bean Paste: using vanilla bean paste may sound unusual, but it adds a vital element of flavor to the cake! If you don’t have vanilla bean paste, you can substitute vanilla extract.

vegan sponge cake recipe ingredients flatlay

How Can I Make a Vegan Victoria Cake With This Recipe?

A Victoria Sponge Cake is British two-layer cake that is traditionally filled with a layer of jam and whipped cream. The cake is named after Queen Victoria, who apparently enjoyed a slice of the sweet, sandwich-like cake every day with her afternoon tea around 4 pm.

If you want to make your a vegan version of a Victoria cake, you have a few options! The first is to make two cake rounds with this recipe, the bottom of which you would then slather with vegan whipped cream and strawberry jam before topping with the top round and adding some powdered sugar.

The second option is to slice your fluffy vegan sponge cake in half horizontally so that you have a top and bottom round. You would then add the vegan whipped cream and jam onto the bottom piece and add the top layer back on!

What to Serve With Your Sponge Cake

Curious about how you could throw the ultimate vegan dessert party or add a simple complement to your sweet and fluffy vegan sponge cake? Here are a few great recipes for satisfying that sweet tooth of yours.

  • Homemade Almond Milk – Wash down your cake with a cool and refreshing glass of homemade almond milk!
  • Vegan Matcha Chip Ice Cream – Want to add a burst of color and distinct matcha flavor to go with your cake? This vegan matcha chip ice cream was made for that.
  • Fresh Vegan Strawberry Ice Cream – Like your ice cream on the fruitier side? This vegan strawberry ice cream is creamy, fruity, and will go with your fluffy vegan cake like a dream.
  • Spiced Maple Cream Sauce – This spiced maple cream sauce is good for many things and bringing your cake to the next level is certainly one of them.
  • Vegan Rocky Road Ice Cream – Add some exciting texture alongside your fluffy vegan cake with this vegan rocky road ice cream!
  • Vegan Hazelnut Nutella – Put some of this vegan hazelnut spread on your cake and you’ll soon be in vegan treat heaven.
  • Silken Tofu Chocolate Pudding – This creamy, super easy-to-make pudding is perfect for enjoying alongside your vegan vanilla cake!

If you want to try all of these desserts at the same time, we’d suggest throwing a vegan dessert potluck! Yum!

how to decorate a vegan sponge cake with fresh berries and frosting or whipped cream

If you try this vegan vanilla cake recipe, let us know what you think by leaving a comment and rating below! Be sure to follow along on PinterestInstagram and Facebook for even more vegan recipe inspiration.

Vegan Sponge Cake FAQs

Got questions about this awesome vegan cake? We have answers!

What is the best way to keep a sponge cake fresh?

The best way to keep a sponge cake fresh is by wrapping it in cling wrap for up to five days! Since refrigeration dries cake out, it is recommended to wrap it and keep at room temperature. You can certainly freeze it as well but only if you don’t plan to eat it for a while.

Is all baking powder vegan?

Yes! Baking powder is a combination sodium bicarbonate and powdered acid and does not come from animals.

What can you use instead of eggs in a sponge cake?

While this recipe calls for vinegar and baking soda along with aquafaba to replace eggs, you could also use ingredients such as silken tofu, banana, yogurt, or unsweetened applesauce.

Storing Your Plant-Based Sponge Cake

Want to make your leftover sponge cake last as long as possible? You’ve got a few choices! If you plan on eating the rest of it within five days, you can wrap it in cling wrap and leave it at room temperature. If you don’t plan on touching it for a while, add some layers of aluminum foil around the cling wrap, stick in an airtight freezer-safe container, and freeze for up to three months! Just be sure to allow enough time for the cake to defrost before enjoying again.

About the Author

Sara Kidd is a vegan pastry chef, food writer, recipe developer, and author. Prior to vegan baking, she worked in the film industry for 15 years and still does some work behind the screen on her YouTube channel. Known for her retro aesthetic, Kidd’s recipes are as a vibrant as she is. Her book, The Vegan Cake Bible: Bake, Build, and Decorate Spectacular Vegan Cakes offers easy-to-follow recipes on creating incredible vegan cakes for all occasions.

More Delicious Vegan Cake Recipes

Basic Vanilla Sponge Cake {Vegan & Eggless}

Author: Sara Kidd | The Vegan Cake Bible
4.95 from 17 votes
From the author of The Vegan Cake Bible cookbook comes this divine basic vanilla sponge cake! Made with aquafaba in place of egg whites, this tasty vegan vanilla cake is easy enough for kids to help out with and delicious enough for a homemade birthday treat. Enjoy with a fresh glass of non-dairy milk and enjoy!
vegan sponge cake recipe
Prep Time 25 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour
Total Time 1 hour 30 minutes
Servings 12

Ingredients

  • ¼ cup aquafaba (canned chickpeas/garbanzo bean liquid), 60 ml
  • cup tapioca flour, 40 grams
  • 2⅓ cups plain (all-purpose) flour, 350 grams
  • 1 cup caster (superfine) sugar, 230 grams
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon sea salt
  • fl oz. vegetable oil, 100 ml
  • 1 cup plain soy milk, 250 ml
  • 1 tablespoon white vinegar
  • ½ cup water, at room temperature, 125 ml
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C) conventional. Lightly grease and line a 8 in (20 cm) round cake tin with baking paper, then grease again and dust very lightly with flour, tipping out the excess.
  • Place the aquafaba and tapioca flour in the bowl of a stand mixer with the whisk attached, then whisk on high speed for 5–10 minutes, until stiff peaks form. Set aside.
  • Sift the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt into another stand mixer bowl, this time with the paddle attached. Beat on low speed for a few seconds to combine. Slowly pour the vegetable oil into the bowl to coat the dry ingredients. Mix until it’s a sandy texture (it will look a little greasy).
  • Combine the soy milk and vinegar in a jug and stir until slightly thickened. Add the water and vanilla bean paste and stir to combine.
  • Mixing on low speed, slowly trickle the milk mixture down the side of the bowl and mix until just combined. Pause and scrape down the side of the bowl to incorporate any oil or flour that has stuck to the side, and mix for a few seconds.
  • Using a firm spatula, gently fold in the meringue until just combined. Make sure that it’s completely homogeneous, with no white streaks remaining in your batter. Don’t over mix.
  • Pour the batter into the prepared tin, then firmly tap the tin a few times on your work surface to release air bubbles (there will be big bubbles sitting just underneath the surface).
  • Bake on the middle rack of your oven for 57–60 minutes, until a skewer inserted into the cake comes out clean.
  • Let the cake cool in the tin for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a cake rack and allow to cool completely. Decorate with your desired frosting and inclusions.

Notes

Baker’s tip: Use cake flour instead of plain flour for an even softer cake crumb.

Nutrition

Calories: 257kcal | Carbohydrates: 40g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 9g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 5g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Trans Fat: 0.1g | Sodium: 321mg | Potassium: 65mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 18g | Vitamin A: 79IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 72mg | Iron: 1mg
Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Keyword vegan cake recipe, vegan sponge cake

This vegan sponge cake recipe was excerpted from the cookbook The Vegan Cake Bible: Bake, Build and Decorate Spectacular Vegan Cakes by Sara Kidd. Copyright © 2022 by Smith Street Books. Photography by Sara Kidd. Reproduced by arrangement with the Publisher. All rights reserved. Many thanks to Jessica Sabbagh and Lexia Cicone for recipe testing. This article may include affiliate links when available and shopping through these links supports World of Vegan.

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Recipe Rating




27 comments
  1. 5 stars
    Hi, it’s in the oven right now… only had organic bicarb soda so added 2 teaspoons (instead of baking soda and powder). I hope it works, any advice on what I should have done… thank you again!

    • Hi there! I hope it worked for you! In the future, you can substitute 1/4 tsp of baking soda plus 1/2 tsp of vinegar for every teaspoon of baking powder that is needed in a recipe. Good luck and hope you loved the cake!

  2. Gurneet Kaur says:

    5 stars
    This seems like an amazing recipe! Just wondering what can be used in place of tapioca flour. Does it act as a thickener for the aquafaba and if so can corn starch be used instead?

    • Yes, the tapioca flour helps to thicken the aquafaba. Another reader has used cornstarch with great results, so I don’t see why not! If you try it, please let us know how it turns out for you! 🙂

  3. chelsea predvil says:

    Is there any substitutes I can use for tapioca flour ?

    • Unfortunately, this recipe hasn’t been tested with a substitute for tapioca flour. You could try arrowroot powder but we can’t guarantee results. If you try a substitute, please let us know how it goes!

  4. Julianna Stuart says:

    Hi there, how long would you suggest baking this for if you are cooking it in two 8 or 9″ pans?

    • Hi Julianna, if doubling the recipe into two pans you shouldn’t need too much extra time, if any. Just make sure to bake them on the same rack for even baking and make sure there are at least two inches of space between them for airflow. Happy baking! 🙂

  5. Jantab hussaini says:

    Thank you helping me make vegan cake

  6. Maria-Carin Gala says:

    5 stars
    I used gluten-free flour and it worked wonders. I also used coconut sugar so it was darker but still lush.

  7. Maria-Carin Gala says:

    5 stars
    I made it. It worked. I’m happy. Thank you!

    Ps: I popped some pre pears inside and halved the sugar which suited my lower sugar flavour. I look forward to trying it with some lemon perhaps make a ;lemon drizzle cake mmmmm

  8. 5 stars
    I was craving cake and took a chance to look up a recipe for it and finally I found an easy recipe.

  9. 5 stars
    Thank you for this wonderful recipe! I’ve been craving a very simple sponge cake and nothing in the stores provided what I was looking for. I used this recipe as a base and made a chai flavoured/infused cake! I steeped chai bags in hot soy milk (1.5 cups, replacing the water called for in the recipe) and let it cool down and proceeded with the rest of the steps. I also had to use corn starch for the tapioca, as I had none at home- it worked fine. The batter was beautiful and airy with the whipped aquafaba!

    I ended up baking mine only for around 40 mins (maybe the tea/soy milk vs. water made a difference) when it was ready in the center. I eagerly waited for it to cool down and glazed it with a very simple maple cardamom powder sugar + soy milk glaze. WOW. Easily the best non-chocolate vegan cake I have ever made. This recipe produced such a beautiful tender crumb, likely from the fat-flour mixing method and the aquafaba. I’m saving this one and will use it all the time! Looking forward to making a classic Victoria sponge cake next week with a light vegan whipped and homemade jam. I’m amazed!!

  10. 5 stars
    The most perfect vegan sponge cake I have ever made! Perfectly fluffy and moist!

  11. 5 stars
    Tasty basic cake recipe. So many variations I can use this for

  12. 5 stars
    Classic and so good, simply delicious vanilla sponge cake.

  13. 5 stars
    Vegan sponge cake!!! So good and the texture was perfect.

  14. 5 stars
    Love that this is just made with pantry staples I already have!

  15. 5 stars
    So lovely, light and delicious! I can’t wait to make this at my next vegan tea party! Woooo!

  16. 5 stars
    This sponge cake turned out perfect! Spot on texture and sweet flavor!

  17. 4 stars
    So incredibly easy using ingredients that are pretty much staples in the pantry.
    Delicious! I love to serve this with strawberries and berry sauce.
    Must try!!

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