This scrumptious, fluffy coconut vegan birthday cake with vegan cream cheese frosting will give you a reason to celebrate! It’s so good, you won’t notice it’s 100 percent plant-based. And it’s so easy to make — without any weird substitutions.
Vegan Birthday Cake Recipe
This beauty is the perfect cake to serve to your vegan family and friends!
I am not a vegan. But I do enjoy vegan recipes — especially one as tasty as this vegan birthday cake.
And let’s be real. It’s not always easy to find a GOOD vegan cake! While developing this recipe, I found that while making a vegan cake is pretty simple, it’s much harder to create one that isn’t just super sweet and one-note. I tried four other versions before getting it right.
But this vegan birthday cake recipe is a winner! The cake bakes up perfectly tender and moist and so super delicious. The coconut really helps to balance and enhance the flavor and texture of the cake. And the vegan frosting has that perfect velvety cream cheese frosting texture and mouthwatering tang that pairs perfectly with the coconut in the cake.
And of course, it wouldn’t be a birthday cake without a topping of festive vegan sprinkles and some candles, right?
The Best Vegan Birthday Cake Recipe Ingredients:
So let’s get ready to bake! This recipe is pretty straightforward. Here’s what you’ll need:
- CAKE FLOUR: Just a heads up, this vegan birthday cake recipe is NOT gluten-free and I have not tested the recipe with gluten-free flour. But if you do, make sure to leave me a comment and let me know how it worked out!
- BAKING POWDER & SODA
- SALT: Don’t skip the salt in this recipe. This cake needs salt to help balance the flavors.
- SUGAR
- VEGAN BUTTER: I used Miyoko’s European-style butter in both the cake batter and the frosting.
- UNSWEETENED APPLE SAUCE: The apple sauce is used to replace the eggs used in non-vegan cakes. And it helps to keep the cake moist. But you can’t taste it in the baked cake.
- PURE VANILLA EXTRACT
- COCONUT EXTRACT
- ALMOND EXTRACT: I have made this cake with and without then almond extract. And I think the almond extract helps give the cake a hint of a buttery flavor. But you can leave it out if you prefer.
- UNSWEETENED CANNED COCONUT MILK: Use full-fat canned coconut milk in this recipe, not coconut water.
- APPLE CIDER VINEGAR: Vinegar helps give the cake a fluffy, tender crumb. The tanginess also helps balance the flavors.
- SHREDDED COCONUT
- VEGAN CREAM CHEESE: I used Violife vegan cream cheese for this frosting recipe.
- CONFECTIONERS’ SUGAR: AKA powdered sugar.
- SPRINKLES: The sprinkles are optional, of course. But they make the cake look so festive! I used vegan sprinkles for this recipe.
Step-By-Step Recipe Instructions
Here’s what you need to do to make this vegan birthday cake.
- PREP: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease two 9-inch baking pans (I use spray coconut baking oil), then add a parchment paper circle to the bottom of the pans and grease again.
- SIFT TOGETHER DRY INGREDIENTS: In a large bowl, sift together the cake flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
- BEAT TOGETHER VEGAN BUTTER AND SUGAR: In a stand mixer (or with a handheld mixer), beat together the vegan butter and sugar until fully combined and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes.
- ADD IN APPLESAUCE & EXTRACTS: Slowly mix the applesauce and extracts into the sugar mixture. The batter might will look curdled. But that’s ok!
- COMBINE COCONUT MILK & VINEGAR: In a small bowl, whisk together the coconut milk and vinegar. Set aside.
- MIX TOGETHER DRY AND WET: With the mixer on a low speed, add the dry ingredients to the sugar and butter mixture in two or three additions, alternating with the coconut milk and apple cider vinegar mixture, and beginning and ending with the dry ingredients. Stir until just combined. You don’t want to overmix the batter.
- MIX IN THE SHREDDED COCONUT: Gently mix in the shredded coconut.
- BAKE: Pour the batter evenly into the prepared pans. Bake until the cakes are cooked through, pulling away from the sides of the pan, and golden brown on top, about 45-50 minutes. You don’t want to underbake this cake or it will be dense.
- COOL: Let the cake cool in the pans on a wire cooling rack for about 15 minutes. Then remove the cake layers from their pans and let them continue to cool on the wire racks. Make sure to cool completely before frosting or the frosting will slide off the cake.
- MAKE THE FROSTING: Beat the vegan cream cheese, vegan butter, powdered sugar, vanilla, and salt together in a stand mixer (or using a handheld mixer) on medium speed until fully combined. Set aside until ready to frost the cake. You might want to refrigerate if it’s a hot day. Vegan frosting melts much faster than traditional frosting.
- DECORATE: When the cake is cool, frost your cake and decorate as desired.
SHOP THE POST
A Few More Recipe Tips:
- LET THE CAKE COOL BEFORE FROSTING: This is always important but especially when using vegan frosting. If the cakes aren’t fully cooled and/or the frosting is too warm, the frosting will melt and slide right off the cake. If you’re worried about this, you can refrigerate the cake layers until you’re ready to frost.
- PAN SIZE SUBSTITUTIONS: If you want to make a 6-inch vegan birthday cake, this recipe will make four 6-inch cake layers. Just fill the pans up 2/3 way full. You will also have to adjust the bake time to about 35 minutes.
- LEFT-OVERS & STORAGE: This cake will last stored in an air-tight container in the refrigerator for 3-4 days.
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The Best Coconut Vegan Birthday Cake
- Total Time: 55 minutes
- Yield: 16–22 servings 1x
- Diet: Vegan
Description
This vegan birthday cake with cream cheese frosting will give you a reason to celebrate. It’s so yummy, even non-vegans will love it!
Ingredients
Units
Scale
FOR THE CAKE:
- 3 cups cake flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 2 cups sugar
- 3/4 cup vegan butter (1 1/2 sticks) I used Miyoko’s European-style butter.
- 1 heaping cup of unsweetened applesauce
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon coconut extract
- 1 teaspoon almond extract
- 1 13.5 fluid-ounce can full-fat canned coconut milk
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar or white vinegar
- 1/2 cup shredded coconut (sweetened)
- Garnish: sprinkles, shredded coconut, or decoration of your choice
FOR THE FROSTING:
- 1 8–ounce container of vegan cream cheese (I used Violife vegan cream cheese)
- 1/2 cup vegan butter (1 stick)
- 3–5 cups of confectioners’ sugar (powdered sugar)
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- A pinch of salt
Instructions
- PREP: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease two 9-inch baking pans (I use spray coconut baking oil), then add parchment paper circle to the bottom of the pan and grease again.
- SIFT TOGETHER DRY INGREDIENTS: In a large bowl, sift together the cake flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
- BEAT TOGETHER VEGAN BUTTER AND SUGAR: In a stand mixer (or with a handheld mixer), beat together the vegan butter and sugar until fully combined and fluffy.
- ADD IN APPLESAUCE & EXTRACTS: Slowly mix the applesauce and extracts into the sugar mixture. The mixture will look curdled. That’s ok.
- COMBINE COCONUT MILK & VINEGAR: In a small bowl, whisk together the coconut milk and vinegar. Set aside.
- MIX DRY AND WET: With the mixer on low speed, add the dry ingredients to the sugar and butter mixture in two or three additions, alternating with the coconut milk and apple cider vinegar mixture, beginning and ending with the dry ingredients. Mix until just combined after each addition.
- MIX IN THE SHREDDED COCONUT: Gently stir in the shredded coconut.
- BAKE: Pour the batter evenly into the prepared pans. Bake until the cakes are cooked through, pulling away from the sides of the pan, and golden brown on top, about 45-50 minutes. You don’t want to underbake this cake, or it will be dense.
- COOL: Let the cake cool in the pans on a wire cooling rack for about 20 minutes. Then remove the cake layers from their pans and let them continue to cool on the wire racks. Make sure to cool completely before frosting, or the frosting will slide off the cake.
- MAKE THE FROSTING: Beat the vegan cream cheese, vegan butter, powdered sugar, and salt together in a stand mixer (or with a handheld mixer) on medium speed until thoroughly combined. Keep adding confectioner’s sugar until you have a thick consistency. Set aside until ready to frost the cake. You might want to refrigerate if it’s a hot day. Vegan frosting melts much faster than traditional frosting.
- FROST & DECORATE:
- PREP: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease two 9-inch baking pans (I use spray coconut baking oil), then add parchment paper circle to the bottom of the pans and grease again.
- SIFT TOGETHER DRY INGREDIENTS: In a large bowl, sift together the cake flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
- BEAT TOGETHER VEGAN BUTTER AND SUGAR: In a stand mixer (or with a handheld mixer), beat together the vegan butter and sugar until fully combined and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes.
- ADD IN APPLESAUCE & EXTRACTS: Slowly mix the applesauce and extracts into the sugar mixture. The batter might will look curdled. But that’s ok!
- COMBINE COCONUT MILK & VINEGAR: In a small bowl, whisk together the coconut milk and vinegar. Set aside.
- MIX TOGETHER DRY AND WET: With the mixer on a low speed, add the dry ingredients to the sugar and butter mixture in two or three additions, alternating with the coconut milk and apple cider vinegar mixture, and beginning and ending with the dry ingredients. Stir until just combined. You don’t want to overmix the batter.
- MIX IN THE SHREDDED COCONUT: Gently mix in the shredded coconut.
- BAKE: Pour the batter evenly into the prepared pans. Bake until the cakes are cooked through, pulling away from the sides of the pan, and golden brown on top, about 45-50 minutes. You don’t want to underbake this cake, or it will be dense.
- COOL: Let the cake cool in the pans on a wire cooling rack for about 15 minutes. Then remove the cake layers from their pans and let them continue to cool on the wire racks. Make sure to cool completely before frosting, or the frosting will slide off the cake.
- MAKE THE FROSTING: Beat the vegan cream cheese, vegan butter, powdered sugar, vanilla, and salt together in a stand mixer (or using a handheld mixer) on medium speed until thoroughly combined. Set aside until ready to frost the cake. You might want to refrigerate if it’s a hot day. Vegan frosting melts much faster than traditional frosting.
- FROST & DECORATE: When the cake is cool, frost your cake and decorate as desired.
Notes
LET THE CAKE COOL BEFORE FROSTING: This is always important but especially when using vegan frosting. If the cakes aren’t fully cooled and/or the frosting is too warm, the frosting will melt and slide right off the cake. If you’re worried about this, you can refrigerate the cake layers until you’re ready to frost.
PAN SIZE SUBSTITUTIONS: If you want to use 6-inch pans, this recipe will make four 6-inch cake layers. Just fill the pans up 2/3 way full. You will also have to adjust the bake time to about 35 minutes.
STORAGE: This cake will last stored in an air-tight container in the refrigerator for 3-4 days.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 40 minutes
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Bake
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