Vegan Vanilla Sponge Cake

Who knew it was easy to whip up a cake that’s fluffy, tender, perfectly moist and has all the jazz? This vegan vanilla sponge cake shows you just how!

When I sat down to make a list of #TAFEverydayCake for the blog, I somehow missed a sponge cake. Thankfully, I have some lovely followers on Instagram, and they requested the recipe for an eggless sponge cake. That got me thinking why not create one that’s vegan to boot and here we are.

The vegan vanilla sponge cake is humble yet delicious. You fall in love with it not only because it’s mouth-watering (it so is) but because the cake is ridiculously easy to bake.

What’s a sponge cake?

It is a dream come true.

No, seriously these are light, airy cakes, unlike pound cakes that are firmer and heftier. Think of them as a gorgeous summer silk fabric ready to be prettied up as you want (more on this later).

How to Make a Vegan Vanilla Sponge Cake?

Like usual, begin by mixing whole-wheat flour and all-purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a bowl. The all-purpose flour keeps the sponge cake super light. I'm very curious to try this with only wholewheat flour and also with a glutenfree one. I'll keep you all posted her whenever I do.

To make sure that it has that balanced not-too-sweet savour add in some raw, unrefined sugar.

The recipe is eggless; so, I used a mixture of vinegar and coconut milk. Let it rest for five minutes and then pour in coconut oil. FYI, it is the oil that makes the cake wonderfully light on the palate. And yes, you can use any oil of your choice.

Finally, sprinkle a few drops of almond extract. While it doesn’t add an almondy nuttiness rather it enlivens the natural flavour of vanilla. Fold the wet and dry ingredients together to make the batter, and you’re almost done.

The 1 condition to a delicious vanilla sponge cake…

The recipe hardly requires any ingredients. So, how do you bring a depth of flavor? By using the best quality stuff. For coconut milk, the full-fat version is best. When it comes to vanilla, skip the artificial flavour and choose the real deal.

Vanilla bean paste or pure vanilla extract work really well here.

Or even better, use a vanilla pod. Slice open a pod and scrape the beans into the batter with a knife. Believe me, when you savour those little flecks in the baked cake, the effort will be worth it.

Baking the vegan vanilla sponge cake

Pour the batter into a pan and let the oven do the rest of the work. Yes, that’s it. I did warn you the cake is hassle-free and ridiculously easy to bake.

My mini Bundt pans came in handy here, but round or square tins will do just fine. I did fret that the cake may not rise as much. But those worries were laid to rest, as you can clearly see from the photos!

Dressing up the vanilla sponge cake

I love a vanilla sponge right out of the oven. Trust me nothing tastes better than a tender, moist morsel of it. But I did say it is like a gorgeous silk fabric ready to be prettied up, so here are some ideas on how to decorate it.

Continuing with the theme of Valentine’s, I drizzled the vanilla sponge cakes with a tantalizing pink glaze. Because I tend to steer clear of food coloring, I made use of beetroot juice combined with icing sugar to make a thick, smooth glaze. A little splash of rose water went in here too, just to give the cakes that extra delicate floral touch.

The trick here is to add the rest of toppings (for me, those were rose petals and pistachios) just as soon as you are done spooning the glaze on the cake. If you let the glaze set, it hardens just enough that any ingredient you sprinkle on top simply slides off.

Other variations you can make

For those making the sponge cake as an everyday dessert, add chocolate chips to the batter or even a citrus zest like lemon or orange. The combination is heavenly!

Or you can put some tutti-frutti to work.

Another classic variation of the sponge cake is the Victoria sandwich, where you spread a lovely, thick layer of wholesome jam between two pieces of the sponge cake.

Serving the cake

To make a truly indulgent treat, I recommend a scoop of ice cream or whipped cream topped with fresh strawberries. For a lighter snack with morning coffee or afternoon tea, add some nuts to it.

The vanilla sponge cake is going to be divine, no matter how you serve it. Every slice of it is ludicrously tender, soft and wonderfully moist.

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