Truly White ~ Vegan White Cake Recipe - Gretchen's Vegan Bakery (2024)

FAQs

Why is my vegan cake not fluffy? ›

CAKE NOT RISING

This can be caused by a few things already mentioned such as using the wrong egg replacer or over mixing. I always recommend using fresh raising agents. Generally, baking soda and baking powder only stay active for 3 months after opening.

Vegan baking, on the other hand, omits all animal products. While baking without eggs and butter can seem daunting, it's not impossible. All it takes is getting familiar with the right substitutions, and you'll be whipping up cakes, cookies, cupcakes, and more in no time.

To put it simply, a vegan cake is a cake that doesn't contain any animal-derived ingredients, most notably eggs, milk, and other dairy products. In 'regular' cakes, eggs and dairy products are among the key ingredients used to create the sponge and icing, and often decorations, too.

Ingredient Notes and Substitutions

The acid in the vinegar is needed to activate the baking soda and powder, giving the cake lift without using eggs. Sugar: use plain white sugar or cane sugar. Oil: choose a neutral oil, like light olive oil, vegetable, or safflower.

Most cakes begin with creaming butter and sugar together. Butter is capable of holding air and the creaming process is when butter traps that air. While baking, that trapped air expands and produces a fluffy cake. No properly creamed butter = no air = no fluffiness.

The most crucial tip? Instead of buying an entire box of cake flour, simply incorporate two tablespoons of cornstarch into 3 1/2 cups of all-purpose flour. This blocks the formation of gluten in the flour, which produces a lighter, fluffier cake.

What are good vegan butter substitutes? In baking, you can use vegan butter, applesauce, dairy-free yogurt, coconut oil, coconut butter, olive oil, nut butter, mashed banana and mashed avocado. In cooking, you can use olive oil, coconut oil, vegetable stock, or avocado oil to replace butter.

Leavening Agents: Eggs play a crucial role in leavening non-vegan cakes, but in vegan baking, bakers must find suitable alternatives to provide the necessary rise and lightness. Baking powder, baking soda, and vinegar combinations are commonly used to replace the leavening properties of eggs.

Another all-around great substitute, vegetable oil can be used for most vegan recipes out there, from breads to cakes and pies. Vegetable oil is also great at replacing regular fats found in butter and shortenings with polyunsaturated fats. This helps keep cholesterol low, which is great for the heart.

Does cake box make vegan cakes? ›

Welcome to Cake Box Veganuary!

Satisfy your sweet cravings while staying true to your plant-based lifestyle. Our specially crafted vegan cakes are made with premium ingredients, offering a delightful treat for every occasion.

Apple cider vinegar can be used as a substitute for white distilled vinegar in many recipes, but it may change the flavor profile of the dish. White distilled vinegar has a very neutral flavor and is often used for pickling and preserving, as well as in recipes for salad dressings, marinades, and sauces.

Vinegar helps with the rise of our baked goods

When vinegar reacts with baking soda, it creates carbon dioxide bubbles, which act as leavening agents. So as the batter bakes, these tiny bubbles expand, causing the cake to rise and giving it that light, airy texture we all love.

In the case of cooking, vinegar is used to add the most-needed acidity. If you don't have vinegar, substitute it with lemon juice. If the recipe calls for one tablespoon vinegar, add two tablespoons of lemon juice for the same flavour.

Vegan cakes can sometimes be denser than their non-vegan counterparts due to the absence of certain ingredients that contribute to the structure and texture of traditional cakes. Eggs, in particular, provide leavening, moisture, and binding properties in conventional cakes.

Your cake is too dense A cake that is overly dense typically has too much liquid, too much sugar or too little leavening (not excess flour, as is commonly thought).

There could be various reasons, like you are not properly sifting the dry ingredients, or mixing the dry and wet ingredients too thoroughly. Or maybe the egg substitute is being too heavy. Make sure that the baking powder isn't too old or hasn't become moistened.