Eggless Vanilla Cake Recipe
This eggless vanilla cake recipe is moist with a soft crumb. It is made without condensed milk and tastes absolutely delicious. Great on its own with tea or dressed with frosting for an elegant celebration cake. It can also be used to carve as a novelty cake or tweaked to make many different flavors and combinations. Perfect for your next celebration.
It’s been a while since I perfected this eggless vanilla sponge cake recipe for my customers. I love how moist and tender the crumb is, but mostly how easy it is to make. And the best part is that I customize this same recipe to make many different flavors of a moist orange cake or lemon cake, etc. I will also share those with you in the near future.
Why make this eggless cake?
- This cake is moist and soft. It has a firm texture, yet light and airy, with a soft crumb.
- It is perfect to fill and frost for a celebration cake. And it can also be used to carve for sculpted or novelty cakes. It can also be used as a tiered wedding cake, as well as covered with fondant.
- And unlike most eggless cakes, this one has no condensed milk. (I do have a recipe for Eggless Sponge Cake using condensed milk, too.)
- The options for filling and frosting recipes that can complement this are endless.
- Today, I am using vanilla pastry cream, but you can use other fillings like eggless vanilla pastry cream, strawberry filling, blueberry filling, mango mousse, chocolate mousse, as long as you use a frosting dam!! You will find more than 30 buttercream frosting recipes to try. You can see my video tutorial on how to level, fill, and frost a cake.
Ingredients and substitutes
- All-Purpose Flour – You can use all-purpose flour, plain flour, or maida for this cake. Do not use cake flour. I find that cake flour tends to make the texture very crumbly.
- Oil – I find that oil works best to keep the cake moist and the texture just right. I have tried it with butter – it works, but oil gives me the best results in texture.
- Sugar – It is best to use fine-grain white sugar or caster sugar as it melts easily in the mixture. If you don’t have fine-grain sugar, just pulse the sugar in the food processor to ensure it’s fine and not too coarse.
- Yogurt – I used a plain store-bought natural yogurt. You can also use homemade yogurt. If your yogurt is not sour, you can add 1/4 tsp of apple cider vinegar or lemon juice to it.
- Water – You can substitute water with milk, orange juice or buttermilk, BUT do ensure that it’s warm, not cold.
Step-by-step: Eggless vanilla cake recipe
- Preheat the oven to 325°F / 165°C / Gas Mark 3
- Grease and line one 8-inch round baking pan or 2 x 6-inch round cake pans. You will need to double (2x) this recipe for 2 x 8-inch round cakes.
Eggless batter
- Combine dry ingredients in one bowl – Flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
Pro tip – In baking, sugar is considered a wet, not dry, ingredient because it melts when heated.
- Combine wet ingredients in another large mixing bowl – Yogurt, sugar, canola oil, and vanilla extract.
Pro tip – Use a whisk to ensure there are no lumps. If necessary, whip the yogurt with a whisk first to remove lumps. - Next, combine the wet and dry ingredients until smooth with no lumps.
Pro tip – Use a whisk to ensure you have no lumps, but do not overmix, as we do not want to activate the gluten in the flour. - Finally, add warm water or milk and stir well to combine.
Pro tip – This step must be immediately followed by baking, so ensure the oven is well preheated at this time.
Bake the cake
- Pour the batter into the baking pan or pans, lined with parchment paper, and immediately transfer to the preheated oven. Scrape the bowl with a spatula to remove all the batter.
- Bake for 30 to 40 minutes until a skewer (or a toothpick) inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool in the pan for 10 minutes. Then, invert onto a cooling rack and cool completely before decorating.
Pro tip – The cake must be completely cold before frosting, or the frosting will melt on warm cake.
Tips for making an eggless vanilla cake
- Don’t Overmix the Batter: Overmixing can lead to a tough cake. Mix the dry and wet ingredients until just combined to avoid overdeveloping the gluten in the flour.
- Sift the Dry Ingredients: Sifting the dry ingredients, including the flour, baking powder, and salt, helps to aerate them and ensure a smoother batter.
- Use Room Temperature Ingredients: Let the butter, milk, and any other liquid ingredients come to room temperature before using them. This will help the ingredients incorporate evenly and result in a more tender cake.
- Add Acidic Ingredient: Since eggs provide structure and tenderness, it’s essential to include an acidic ingredient, such as vinegar or lemon juice, to react with the baking powder and create lift in the cake.
- Adjust Baking Time: Eggless cakes may take slightly longer to bake than traditional cakes. Keep a close eye on the cake and use a toothpick or cake tester to check for doneness.
- Use Good-Quality Vanilla Extract: Since vanilla is the dominant flavor in a vanilla cake, using high-quality vanilla extract will enhance the taste of your eggless cake.
- Do Not Open the Oven Door Too Early: Avoid opening the oven door during the first half of the baking time, as this can cause the cake to sink or collapse.
- Let the Cake Cool Completely: Allow the cake to cool in the pan for a few minutes before transferring it to a wire rack. Let it cool completely before frosting or serving to prevent the frosting from melting.
- Experiment and Adjust: Baking eggless cakes can sometimes require a bit of experimentation to find the right combination of ingredients for your taste and texture preferences. Don’t be afraid to adjust the recipe and try different egg substitutes until you achieve the desired results.
Troubleshooting
- My cake became very hard.
This cake must be baked at the right temperature and time. Overbaking or high heat will dry out the cake and make it hard. - Cake became too dense.
This cake uses no eggs, so it has less leavening. Which is why you must bake the cake soon after you add the hot milk. This helps the hot air in the oven get the best out of the baking powder and soda. - The cake was raw in the center, but cooked outside.
- Sounds like the oven was too hot, so the outside was ready, but the inside still needed some time.
- Always bake for the right amount of time. That said, every oven works differently. So the baking times are just guidelines.
- In the case of cakes, a skewer inserted in the center is a great indication. If your cakes often bake too quickly or too slowly compared to the time given, it might be a good idea to check if your oven needs calibration.
- An oven thermometer is a great little gadget to help keep the oven temperature in check. All you need to do then is adjust the temperature accordingly.
Here I have stacked this vanilla cake with alternating layers of my eggless chocolate cake recipe with alternating layers of my Eggless Vanilla Pastry cream cake filling, and an eggless chocolate mousse filling.
- One bowl vanilla cake
- Light and fluffy vanilla cake
- Vanilla Cream cake using fresh cream in the batter
- White Wedding Cake Recipe
- See all vanilla cake recipes or see all layer cakes
Frequently asked questions
How long will this cake keep?
If properly stored, this eggless vanilla cake will last for 2 to 3 days at room temperature. It can be kept in the fridge for up to 5 or 6 days.
Can I add cocoa powder to make this a chocolate cake?
Yes, you can replace 2 tbsp of flour with 2 tbsp of cocoa powder, or you can use my tried and tested eggless chocolate cake recipe or eggless chocolate fudge cake recipe.
Can I use condensed milk instead of yogurt for this cake?
No, I have not tried replacing it with condensed milk. If you need a cake with condensed milk, my vanilla sponge cake recipe might be better.
What other baking pans can I use for this cake?
You can make 2 x 6 -inch round baking pans to make a two-layer cake, or pour this batter into a sheet cake – ‘eggless sheet cake’.
You can also pour the batter into a well-greased and dusted bundt pan for an ‘eggless vanilla bundt cake’.
This recipe can also be baked into 12 beautiful cupcakes.
Eggless Vanilla Cake (No-condensed milk)
This eggless vanilla cake recipe is moist with a soft crumb. It is made without condensed milk and tastes absolutely delicious. Great on its own with tea or dressed with frosting for an elegant celebration cake. It can also be used to carve as a novelty cake or tweaked to make many different flavors and combinations.
Ingredients
Makes 1 x 8 inch round OR 2 x 6-inch round cakes
Dry Ingredients
- 1 ¾ cup (220 g) All purpose flour
- 1 tsp Baking powder
- 1 ½ tsp Baking soda
- ¼ tsp Salt
Wet Ingredients
- ½ cup (120 ml) Canola oil
- 1 cup (200 g) Sugar
- 1 cup (240 ml) Yogurt
- 1 tsp Vanilla extract
Plus
- 1 cup (240 ml) Warm milk or water
Method
- Preheat the oven to 325°F/ 165°C/ Gas Mark 3
- Grease and line one 8" round baking pan or 2 x 6-inch round cake. You will need to double (2x) this recipe for 2 x 8-inch round cakes.
- Combine dry ingredients in one bowl – Flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Pro tip -in baking sugar is considered a wet not, dry ingredient because it melts when heated.
- Combine wet ingredients in another bowl – Yogurt, sugar, canola oil, and vanilla extract. Pro tip – use a whisk to ensure there are no lumps. If necessary whip the yogurt with a whisk first to remove lumps.
- Next, combine the wet and dry ingredients until smooth with no lumps. Pro tip– use a whisk to ensure you have no lumps but do not overmix as we do not want to activate the gluten in the flour.
- Finally, add warm water or milk and stir well to combine. Pro tip – this step must be immediately followed by baking so ensure the oven is well preheated at this time.
- Pour the batter into the baking pan or pans and immediately transfer to the preheated oven.
- Bake for 30 to 40 minutes until a skewer inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then, invert onto a cooling rack and cool completely before decorating.Pro tip – the cake must be completely cold before frosting or the frosting will melt on warm cake.
Equipment you will need
Nutrition
Tried this recipe?
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Kindly guide me for making eggless cake for 700 serving ie if each person gets 200 grams and the cake will be cooked in a bakeAnurag
Wow. That is a lot of servings. I have not tested this recipe with that many servings. Not sure what you mean by – if each person gets 200 grams.
The recipe card below has a serving conversion – this recipe is for 8 servings if you change that number 8 to 700 servings – it will convert the recipe for you.
It also gives you measures in cups or grams if you use the Metric /Us customary features –
You will, of course, bake these in many different pans so the baking time will depend on the size of the pan
For example, an 8- inch pan takes about 30 to 40 minutes – a 10-inch pan will take about 40 to 50 minutes and so on.
I hope that makes sense.
Made this recipe twice and we loved it. Once I made it just with vanilla flavor for tea and the second time I added crushed strawberry and cream in the middle. Both winners. Thank you for sharing mam.
Thank you so much, Livali. So happy to hear you had success with this recipe twice and loved it so much. Strawberry and cream is my favorite too. Thanks so much for coming back to write this feedback. Have a wonderful week.
Tried this recipe and we loved it. Made it for a few friends and they asked for your blog name too. Thanks for sharing.
Thank you so much, Agness. So happy to hear you had success with this recipe and loved it so much. Thanks so much for coming back to write this feedback and sharing my blog with your friends. Have a wonderful week.
Hi Veena,
I understand that this recipe is for an 8″ round pan, do you know what the recipe measurements would be for a 12″ square pan? Thanks
I have not made it in a 12 inch pan yet. Also, this is not a tall cake – and I made only one layer which I divided into two. That’s just about 2 inches tall. So I’m thinking if you need an 8 inch round that’s 4 inch tall you will need to double that recipe. Then multiply by 3 to get a 12-inch cake.
Would it be okay if I used a vegan yogurt?
I’m not sure Katie. I think someone did perhaps check in the comments. I have not tried it so not sure yet.
Hi Veena,
Tried this cake with exact same measurements. I however replaced yogurt with buttermilk. It is the best eggless cake i have ever made. No soggy centers, beautiful texture and taste. I wish I could paste a photo of my cake here but there doesn’t seem to have an option fr that here.
Thanks again.
Thank you so much, Supriya. So happy to hear you had great success with this recipe. Yes, we do love this cake as well. You can tag me on Facebook @veenaazmanov or on Instagram #veenaazmanov when you share so I can see it. Thank you so much for coming back to write this feedback. Have a wonderful day
Hi veena..
Are the measurements for 1kg cake or half kg??
Hey Disha. I know in India you weigh the cakes but here we don’t – sorry, I cannot tell you how much this cake will weigh. I can only tell you what size it will become. The sizes are mentioned in each recipe
I tried this today but it While slicing and assembling it was falling apart.
Using full 1cup warm l milk is necessary or we have to use as much as required for dropping consistency batter? My batter I felt was too much liquidy.
Hey Sri. That does not make sense. If you see the images in my post. My batter is not liquidy. In fact, I baked it in removal bottom pan too. So my batter is definitely not liquid. Did you use all the flour mentioned?
Yes, I did use full 2 cups. I went through the recipe again. I did two mistakes, I mixed sugar with dry ingredients instead of wet and my curd was little cold and not room temp. I shall try this recipe again once. Thank you.
Ah!! sorry to hear that.. Did you bake it? How was it? Sounds like it must have taken forever to bake too. Sorry, this happened. Yeah baking can be unforgiving when it comes to measurements.
Hi veena, Iam looking for an eggless marble cake. Tried many, but didn’t like them. I was wondering whether I can change this recipe into a marble cake. If so, can u plz tell me how much coco powder to be taken and mixed with milk/warm water for this recipe. Can u plz guide me. Thanks in advance.
Hey Nimmy. Yes, you can make this an Eggless Chocolate Marble Cake. I suggest keep it simple.
Make the batter as is – then working quickly
Divide the batter into 2 approximately. Add 2 tbsp cocoa powder to one
Then put the two batters in a baking pan and marble them.
let me know how it goes.
Thnq veena.. will try for sure and let you know.. ?
Tried this cake today… It was easy to make, rose evenly and had a good moist texture. But I felt was a bit lacking in taste when eaten plain. Maybe added flavour or icing/filling would help.
Ramya. That’s strange because most people love eating it on its own. And the general feedback I get that it is delicious on its own. I do often add frosting but love this one myself on its own. Flavors, fillings and frostings are always a great addition but it also depends on what your preference is.
Can we half this recipe? Pls let me know
This is already a small recipe Rashmi. I have not tried making half. I have doubled it and works well.
Hello Veena
Everytime I try eggless, it turns out to be very dense and inner side doesn’t bake well even after 50+ min, n outer side starts to get crispy
I hate to make sheet cake.
Will 8″ square/9″ round pans make difference in cooking time?
Will try this and see how it turns out.
Hey Alice. Sounds like your oven is too hot. Try using an oven thermometer to check your actual oven temperature. Sometimes calibrating the oven helps.