Vegan Birthday Cake

Celebrate compassionately with a moist, decadent vegan birthday cake that's easy to make and bursting with colorful sprinkles. Dive into layers of joy and savor every cruelty-free bite for birthday celebrations and beyond.
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Classic three layer vegan cake decorated with vanilla frosting and rainbow sprinkles spilling out of it.
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We set out on a mission to make the most delicious vegan birthday cake…and finally, here it is! We’re so happy to bring you this crowd-pleasing, foolproof, easy vegan cake recipe for a celebratory dessert made without a drop of cow’s milk, chicken eggs, or bug secretions.

This cake is 3 layers of moist vanilla cake with the most irresistible vanilla frosting layered in between. Perfection. It’s light and fluffy, and the frosting is rich and decadent. And friends, don’t worry. You don’t have to be a pastry chef or a crafting queen to bring this beautiful cake to life. This recipe makes it easy-as-pie!

Perfect vegan birthday cake with colorful sprinkles.

Why This Is The Best Vegan Cake for Any Occasion

Let’s be real, this vegan birthday cake is a total showstopper. Who says it’s just for birthdays? Here’s why this cake should be your plus-one for any shindig:

  • Crowd-Pleaser Guaranteed: It’s like that one friend who gets along with everyone at the party—vegans, vegetarians, and even the hard-core carnivores won’t be able to resist a slice.
  • Foolproof Fun in the Kitchen: No chef’s hat? No problem! This simple vegan recipe is so easy, you might find yourself whipping it up for no reason at all.
  • Decorate Your Heart Out: Get those creative juices flowing! This DIY vegan dessert is your blank canvas for vegan sprinkles, edible glitter, or whatever your heart desires.
  • Versatility is its Middle Name: Birthday bash, garden party, or just because it’s Tuesday—this cake fits in at any table.
  • Kindness Never Tasted So Sweet: Celebrating with a cake that’s as compassionate as it is delicious? Yes, please!

Key Ingredients

This cake is proof that simple pantry ingredients can be transformed into a spectacular vegan birthday cake! We’re talking about the usual suspects like soymilk and apple cider vinegar teaming up to make magic, plus a few more goodies that make our cake not just good, but great-for-any-party good.

Let’s break down these star players and show you why they deserve a spot in your baking lineup!

Key ingredients for vegan birthday cake with labels.
  • Soymilk: Not just any milk substitute! Soymilk is the hydrating hero of our vegan birthday cake, merging the dry ingredients into a perfectly moist batter. Plus, it’s got a secret talent: when mixed with apple cider vinegar, it transforms into a vegan buttermilk, ensuring your cake has a tender crumb that’ll make you swoon!
  • Apple Cider Vinegar: The magical match to soymilk! A dash of apple cider vinegar curdles the soymilk, crafting a vegan buttermilk wonder that helps the cake rise to fluffy new heights. This dynamic duo results in a texture so light, your taste buds might just think it’s cloud nine.
  • All-Purpose Flour: The backbone of baking, flour does all the heavy lifting to keep our vegan cake standing tall. It’s the framework that holds together every delightful, fluffy bite, proving that sometimes the simplest things are the most essential.
  • Baking Powder & Baking Soda: These little leavening legends are why our cake doesn’t just taste like a dream—it looks like one too. They create that irresistible rise, making each layer as light as a feather and as fluffy as a cotton ball.
  • Sugar: Sweetness personified! Sugar doesn’t just sweeten the deal; it also plays a crucial role in caramelization, adding that golden touch to the cake’s surface and tenderizing every mouthful to perfection. In case you’re wondering, yes, sugar is vegan!
  • Vegan Butter: The secret to that melt-in-your-mouth texture? Vegan butter. It adds the lush moistness we all crave and helps air whip through your batter, giving you a cake so soft, each bite is a cuddle for your taste buds.
  • Vanilla Extract: The essence of nostalgia! A splash of vanilla extract sends waves of warm, comforting flavor through every slice, complementing the sweet symphony created by our other ingredients.

Together, these champions create more than just a cake; they whip up a reason to celebrate—vegan style! See the recipe card below for full information on ingredients and quantities.

Customize Your Vegan Birthday Cake

This vegan birthday cake is the perfect base recipe for many cake variations. Feel free to play around with the recipe and customize it as you wish!

Want a vegan chocolate cake?

You can add some cocoa powder to the batter and/or the frosting for a decadent chocolate cake.

Want a vegan strawberry whipped cream cake?

Switch out the icing for coconut whipped cream instead and add slices of strawberries in between the layers!

Want a vegan blueberry cake?

Add fresh blueberries into the cake batter or even the icing.

Want a vegan confetti cake?

Jazz up your standard vegan cake by folding a generous 1/4 cup of vegan confetti sprinkles into the batter. The result? A vibrant, color-speckled masterpiece that screams celebration!

Perfect for everything from unicorn-themed parties to Pride celebrations, this cake turns any occasion into a kaleidoscope of joy. Just mix, pour, and bake your way to a spectacularly festive treat!

There are so many possibilities with a recipe like this that truly acts as a blank canvas.

How To Make (Hint—It’s Wicked Easy)

Think making a vegan cake is a chore? Think again! This cake is all about simple steps that lead to big, delicious results. Here’s the breezy breakdown:

Step 1: Start by letting the vegan butter and soymilk come to room temperature. This little step makes a big difference!

Dry ingredients for this vegan birthday cake being whisked in a mixing bowl.

Step 2: Whisk soymilk and apple cider vinegar together and let them mingle until they’re just right. In another bowl, get your dry ingredients—flour, baking powder, baking soda, and a pinch of salt—all sifted and combined.

The vegan cake batter being mixed in a bowl with an electric hand mixer.

Step 3: In a large mixing bowl, whip up the sugar, butter, and a splash of vanilla into a creamy delight. Gradually blend in the soymilk mixture and then the flour mix until it’s all smooth sailing.

Vegan cake batter in a cake pan.
Baked vegan cake in a cake pan.

Step 4: Pour the batter into your prepped pans and pop them in the oven. Let the heat work its magic, transforming your batter into golden layers of cakey goodness.

Step 5: While the cakes do their thing, whip up a batch of the fluffiest vegan frosting. Once the cakes are cool, layer and frost them to your heart’s content, crafting a masterpiece that’s as fun to decorate as it is to eat!

See how to add natural color to your frosting or turn this into a sprinkle surprise cake below!

A frosted vegan birthday cake with sprinkles.

Baking Tips

  • Keep in mind the size of the cake pans you use does matter, as it will impact how thick each layer will be. 8-inch pans like these are ideal! If you only have one cake pan, you can bake the three layers one at a time, just know that it will take significantly longer that way (instead of just 30 minutes, you’ll need to allow 90 minutes for baking). But hey—it also gives them time to cool!
  • While the cake layers are baking you can prepare the icing. Once the cakes are removed from the oven and completely cooled, you can frost them.

Let’s Talk Vegan Cake Frosting

Frosting a cake shouldn’t come with a stress manual. Our vegan frosting is not just a dream to spread; it’s robust, ready for any weather, and ridiculously tasty. Here’s how you can make your vegan cake frosting the star of the dessert table:

  • Temperature Triumph: Our frosting stands its ground—whether it’s a sunny day picnic or a cozy indoor bash. No droopy disasters here!
  • Chill Out: In hotter climes? Just pop your cake in the fridge. This vegan frosting knows how to stay firm and fabulous, even when the mercury rises.
  • Long-lasting Lusciousness: Planning ahead? This frosting will keep your cake deliciously adorned for days. It’s perfect straight out of the fridge—cool, creamy, and irresistible.
  • Flavor that Wows: Ready for frosting that rivals traditional recipes? This vegan version is sweet, buttery, and so creamy, your guests might just need a moment.
  • Spread the Love: Smooth and easy to spread, make sure your cake is completely cool before dressing it up. This ensures your frosting stays thick and even—no melting or sliding!

Feel free to mix it up! Our vegan cream cheese frosting adds a little tang. This matcha buttercream frosting and lemon buttercream frosting add a whimsical touch. For our chocolate lovers: this chocolate frosting is a dream come true! Prefer pre-made? Check out our vegan frosting guide!

A big mixing bowl filled with vanilla vegan frosting.

How to Color Frosting Naturally

You can leave the frosting white as it is, or you can have a little bit of fun with it and use all-natural vegan food coloring. Many conventional food dyes aren’t vegan, and they’re usually filled with chemical ingredients—there’s no need for that!

You can use all-natural food coloring and natural food dyes to achieve beautiful colors in cooking and baking, without artificial ingredients.

When adding food dyes to this icing recipe, I suggest whipping up the icing first. Then turn on the stand mixer on medium speed (or your handheld mixer) and add very small amounts of food coloring just a little bit at a time until you achieve the desired hue that you’re going for.

If adding food coloring elements makes your frosting too soft and liquidy, you can always add in more powdered sugar to firm it up!

Also, note that there are many vegan-friendly food dyes on the market as well! You’ll most likely find these in a large health food store or even online.

Natural Food Coloring Options

Some basic ingredients that you can use for vegan food coloring to achieve your desired look are:

Red/Pink

  • frozen blended dragonfruit pulp with seeds, thawed (this is what I used—I mixed a teaspoon at a time directly into the frosting until I got the pink shade you see in the photos)
  • freeze-dried dragonfruit powder
  • beet crystals or beet juice
  • berries or berry juice from fruits such as strawberries and raspberries

Yellow / Orange

Green

  • barley grass juice powder
  • spirulina powder
  • chlorella powder
  • matcha green tea powder

Blue

  • organic blue matcha powder (aka blue butterfly pea powder)
  • blue majik powder (a form of blue spirulina)

Purple

  • blueberries or blueberry juice

How To Make A Sprinkle Surprise Cake

If you’d like to make it rain sprinkles, we have a fun and easy idea for you! Just follow these easy steps and be on your way to an explosion of flavor and color. Here’s what you’ll do:

A vegan cake being iced.

Step 1: Bake a 3-layer cake and frost the bottom layer.

A mold used to cut out a tier of a vegan birthday cake.

Step 2: Take your next layer and cut a hole in the middle.

A second tier of a vegan birthday cake with a hole in the middle.

Step 3: Put that layer on top!

A vegan sprinkle cake being iced.

Step 4: Add your sprinkles inside, then frost the ring.

Icing being applied to a three-layer vegan cake.

Step 5: Add your top layer, then frost the top and sides.

A decorative swirl of icing being applied to a vegan birthday cake.

Step 6: Decorate with your favorite icing tips.

A vegan birthday sprinkle cake being decorated.

Step 7: Add more sprinkles to the base for a pop of color and fun!

FAQs

How long does this vegan cake last in the fridge?

Stored properly in an airtight container, your vegan birthday cake will keep fresh and tasty for up to 5 days in the fridge. It’s perfect for enjoying a sweet slice well after the party ends!

Can I freeze the vegan cake layers for later use?

Yes, you can freeze the cake layers! Wrap them tightly in plastic wrap and then in foil to protect against freezer burn. They’ll stay good for up to 3 months, making your future cake-prepping a breeze.

How can I make this cake extra special for kids’ parties?

Transform this cake into a themed delight with edible vegan decorations like fondant figures, fresh fruit, edible flowers, or even vegan gummy candies. It’s not just a cake; it’s a canvas for your creativity—perfect for any kid’s party!

Alright, comrades. With that, you’re ready to tie up that apron and get to baking. Enjoy! This vegan birthday cake has such a nostalgic taste to it, and something about it is even reminiscent of the childhood classic Dunkaroos. Yep, it’s that good.

(P.S. If you’re looking for another staple cake recipe for your kitchen, this basic vanilla sponge cake recipe is incredibly delicious or, if quick and adorable is what you’re searching for, try these super cute vegan cake pops!)

If you make this vegan birthday cake recipe, please leave a star rating and let me know what you think in the comments below! I love reading your comments!

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Vegan Birthday Cake

4.93 from 13 votes
This decadent vegan birthday cake has a light and fluffy vanilla base, and the most delicious and addicting vegan frosting that makes a great base for decorating! It's the perfect 3-layer cake for absolutely any occasion.
Classic three layer vegan cake decorated with vanilla frosting and rainbow sprinkles spilling out of it.
Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 1 hour
Servings 12

Ingredients

Cake Batter

  • 2 cups soymilk, at room temperature—this is important
  • 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 tablespoon baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 1⅓ cup granulated sugar
  • ¾ cup vegan butter, at room temperature
  • 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract

Frosting (this makes enough for a 3 layer cake; halve the recipe for a 2 layer cake)

  • 2 cups Earth Balance vegan butter, at room temperature—do not melt
  • cups powdered sugar
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Instructions

  • Advance Prep: Allow butter and milk to come to room temperature.
  • Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
  • In a small bowl, whisk together the milk and apple cider vinegar and allow it to sit for at least 10 minutes.
  • In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Whisk to combine and set aside.
  • In a large bowl, cream together the sugar, butter, and vanilla using a stand mixer or an electric hand mixer.
  • Run the mixer and slowly drizzle the soured milk until combine. Slowly add the flour mix a little bit at a time and again, beat until combined.
  • Distribute the batter evenly between 3 8″ greased and floured cake pans. Bake the cakes on the center rack of the oven for 27-30 minutes, or until the cakes are golden and a toothpick inserted comes out clean.
  • While the cakes are baking, you can prepare your frosting. Use an electric mixer to whip the butter for a couple of minutes until it’s nice and smooth. Add the powdered sugar half a cup at a time and mix until it begins to form a frosting. Add the vanilla extract and whip until the frosting is smooth. If you’d like to color the frosting, add the coloring agent now and mix well. 
  • When the cake is completely cooled, you can gently remove each layer of cake from the pans. If your cakes are a bit rounded at the top and you want them to be perfectly flat, feel free to use a cake leveler (or sharp, serrated knife) to gently slice off the top of each cake. Then stack the layers, one on top of the other, smearing a layer of frosting between each using an icing spatula (or a generic spatula). Beware, if the cake is still warm, the frosting will melt!
  • Frost the cake exterior using your icing spatula (or kitchen spatula) and decorate as desired.

Notes

Want to make a 2 layer cake instead? You can use the same recipe, just divide the batter into two cake pans instead of three (approximately 2.5 cups of batter in each). Increase the baking time to approximately 45 minutes, until baked through (test for doneness by piercing the center of the cake with a wood or metal skewer and seeing if it comes out clean). Then halve the frosting recipe (you can always whip up more if needed, depending on how you choose to decorate).
If you notice the cake frosting is softening or you won’t be serving the cake immediately, store it in the refrigerator. The frosting will firm up in the fridge and the cake can last several days there!
Please note that different brands of vegan butter behave differently in frosting. Earth Balance vegan butter baking sticks have provided the most consistent results for me, so that’s what I recommend! I also tried Miyoko’s butter which didn’t work nearly as well in this.

Nutrition

Calories: 500kcal | Carbohydrates: 97g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 36g | Saturated Fat: 8g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 10g | Monounsaturated Fat: 15g | Trans Fat: 2g | Sodium: 645mg | Potassium: 95mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 23g | Vitamin A: 1593IU | Vitamin C: 3mg | Calcium: 118mg | Iron: 1mg
Course — Dessert
Cuisine — American
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Recipe Rating




28 comments
  1. 4 stars
    Hi! I love this cake and made it 4 birthdays in a row, however I always run into the issue of the cakes not rising very much. I add the correct quantity of baking powder, soda, and they aren’t expired. I also make sure my oven is the right temperature and don’t take them out too early. Do you have any suggestions please? Thank you!

    • Hi Davine, thank you so much for making our cake for 4 birthdays in a row—how amazing! I’m sorry to hear you’re having trouble with the cakes not rising much. Here are a couple of things you could try: Make sure you’re not overmixing the batter, or mixing it too soon before transferring it to the oven. Overmixing can cause it to become dense and not rise properly and mixing too early can cause the leavening agents to lose their effectiveness. Ideally, you want to place the cake in the oven within a few minutes of the batter being ready. Hope this helps!

  2. Jara Knowles says:

    Hi! I can’t wait to make this! My 2 year old & I are planning to make it for my Mom’s birthday tomorrow. Can we make the cake today & ice it tomorrow? How would you store the cake overnight – sealed on the counter, or in the fridge? Thanks!

    • Love that! You can store the cake at room temperature in an airtight container. Hope she loves it!

  3. 5 stars
    Recipe looks amazing but do you have any thoughts on how I could reduce the carb/sugar levels with this recipe for a keto vegan? Could any flour or sugar alternatives be used ?

    • This recipe hasn’t been tested with any alternatives so we can’t guarantee results, however, an all-purpose gluten-free flour would be your best bet. Unfortunately when it comes to baking, the sugar/flour ratio is very important, so we don’t recommend reducing or swapping the sugar. Let us know how it turns out if you try a gluten-free flour!

  4. Hello,

    Thank you for sharing your recipe. Such a beautiful looking cake. I just wanted to ask if the flowers you topped on the cake are edible or non toxic and if so what kind are they? So pretty. Also, how do you measure/scoop your flour for the cake batter to ensure accuracy? Is the batter supposed to be thick or thin because 2 cups of milk to cups of flour seems like a high ration of liquid. Thank you! Such a pretty cake.

    • Hi! Great questions 🙂 I used flowers I had on hand, but we didn’t eat them. We took them off upon serving. But you can definitely use edible flowers, that would be even more fun! You can really decorate this however you’d like. For the flour, scoop the flour into the measuring cup and then level it with your finger or a knife, and that should be golden! The batter for these is on the liquidy side, definitely pourable. Happy baking! – Michelle

  5. Hi! After creaming the sugar and “butter” I added the soy milk/apple cider vinegar mixture, and it all curdled up like cottage cheese with some liquid. It was a bit shocking, but I ended up moving forward and added the flour. Cakes came
    Out fine but rise too much (maybe 1 inch each). Can’t imagine what it would have been like if I used 3 pans! Has this ever happened to you? I’m
    Wondering if it’s the butter I used or the soy milk (whole foods unsweetened). Either way. Thanks for the recipe.

    • Hi Josh, glad the cake turned out well for you! The rising has more to do with the baking soda and baking powder you used, but rising 1 inch seems to be on track with how much the average cake rises. If you prefer the cake to be more flat on top you can shave off the dome before decorating 🙂

  6. Hi,
    Is a cup 250 ml? Thanks a lot

    • I believe it’s technically 236.59 mL but 250 is typically used as the round number 🙂

  7. 5 stars
    This came out so well, it will be my go-to vegan cake recipe going forward! I made it three layers which was fun, but I’ll experiment with two layers next time.

  8. Nicole Kellum says:

    Hi Elen. Can I substitute coconut milk for soy milk? I wonder if it will sour probably. Thanks.

    • That should work just fine! If you give it a try, please do report back and let us know how it went!

  9. Hello! I am so excited for this recipe! I just tried this step: In a large bowl, cream together the sugar, butter, and vanilla using a stand mixer or an electric hand mixer.
    The mix gets split, what am I doing wrong? 🙁

    • Hi Elen! What do you mean by “the mix gets split”? Not sure I understand. Hope I can help and that you love the cake!! 🙂

  10. Davine Spiers says:

    5 stars
    So delicious and easy, I made this for valentines day and I can’t wait to make it again for a birthday. Thank you!

  11. Jayde Odum says:

    I have 2 “9” inch pans and one “10” inch. I’m looking to make three layers the top being double layer 9 and bottom just one frosted layer like a base. This recipe says it’s for “8” inch. Should I double the recipe or do you have any suggestions?

    • Hey Jayde! You can use different pan sizes it will just result in a thinner or thicker cake, and you will need to adjust the cooking time slightly (test with a toothpick to see when it’s done). If I were you and wanted to do a three layer cake, I’d bake the first two 9″ cakes and save 1/3 of the batter for the last layer, and I’d cook that once the first ones are done (reuse one of the 9″ pans). I actually only have one pan so I have to do a lot of separate bakes!

  12. Thanks for this I always wanted to try making homemade vegan cake and way better for birthdays if it’s made with love ❤️

  13. Beatriz Buono-Core says:

    5 stars
    My kids are obsessed with this cake recipe! I’m so lucky they love having a homemade cake made so they can add all the decorations 🙂 You have to try this birtdhay cake!

  14. 5 stars
    Made this for my wide’s b-day! We loved it!!!

  15. 5 stars
    The best birthday cake in the world!! Not only is it the prettiest vegan cake I’ve ever seen, but everything about it screams joyful and yummy. I love rainbow sprinkles so much and now I can have as many as I want on vegan ice cream or cake – yay! I love how helpful this recipe is – so much information on how to make frosting, vegan sprinkles and how to customize and naturally color your cake/frosting. I learned a lot. So happy to have a go-to favorite birthday cake recipe. I never have to worry again 😀

  16. 5 stars
    This is my go-to birthday cake! I make it several times a year and have fun mixing up the frosting colors, add-ins, and decorations. One year I even made my husband a vegan Dungeons and Dragons cake—LOL!

  17. 5 stars
    I just can’t even with this recipe!!!!! I am drooling! It’s almost too pretty to eat (but definitely going to devour this at my next celebratory event)!

  18. 5 stars
    Cake is one of those things that I absolutely love to eat and have always wanted to attempt to make yet have been intimidated by. No more! This recipe is so easy to follow and I might just have to make my own birthday cake next year, when I can hopefully gather with others to share!

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