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 you’ll love this eggless cake
- Soft and moist – It has a tender crumb while still being sturdy enough for filling and frosting.
- No condensed milk – This eggless vanilla cake uses yogurt and oil for moisture and texture.
- Great for layer cakes – Use it for birthdays, celebration cakes, or cakes covered with buttercream or fondant.
- Easy to customize – Pair it with your favorite frosting or filling to create different flavor combinations.
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
Prepare the pans
Preheat the oven to 325°F / 165°C / Gas Mark 3. Grease and line two 8-inch round cake pans with parchment paper.
Combine the dry ingredients
In a medium bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
Make the batter
In a large bowl, whisk together the yogurt and sugar until smooth. Add the oil and vanilla and whisk until well combined.
Add the dry ingredients to the yogurt mixture and mix gently until almost combined.
Gradually add the warm milk, mixing just until you have a smooth batter with no large pockets of dry flour. Do not overmix.
Fill the pans
Divide the batter evenly between the two prepared cake pans and smooth the tops.
Pro tip: Once the batter is mixed, bake it immediately. The baking soda begins reacting with the yogurt as soon as the ingredients are combined.
Bake
Bake for about 25 to 35 minutes, or until a skewer inserted into the center comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs.
Cool
Let the cakes cool in the pans for about 10 minutes, then carefully turn them onto a wire rack and remove the parchment paper. Cool completely before filling or frosting.
Here I have stacked this vanilla cake with alternating layers of my eggless chocolate cake recipe, my Eggless Vanilla Pastry cream filling, and an eggless chocolate mousse filling.
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
- 330 g (2½ cups) All purpose flour
- 2½ tsp Baking powder
- ¾ tsp Baking soda
- ¼ tsp Salt
- 180 g (¾ cup) Canola oil
- 300 g (1½ cups) Sugar
- 360 g (1½ cups) Yogurt
- 2 tsp Vanilla extract
- 360 ml (1½ cups) Warm milk or water
Method
- Prepare the pans – Preheat the oven to 325°F / 165°C / Gas Mark 3. Grease and line two 8-inch round cake pans with parchment paper.
- Combine the dry ingredients – In a medium bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
- Combine the wet ingredients – In a large bowl, whisk together the yogurt and sugar until smooth. Add the oil and vanilla and whisk until well combined.
- Make the batter – Add the dry ingredients to the yogurt mixture and mix gently until almost combined. Gradually add the warm milk, mixing just until you have a smooth batter with no large pockets of dry flour. Do not overmix.
- Fill the pans – Divide the batter evenly between the two prepared cake pans and smooth the tops. Pro tip: Once the batter is mixed, bake it immediately. The baking soda begins reacting with the yogurt as soon as the ingredients are combined.
- Bake – Bake for about 25 to 35 minutes, or until a skewer inserted into the center comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs.
- Cool – Let the cakes cool in the pans for about 10 minutes, then carefully turn them onto a wire rack and remove the parchment paper. Cool completely before filling or frosting.
Notes
- Yogurt: Use plain, full-fat yogurt for the best texture. Bring it to room temperature before mixing.
- Milk: Use warm, not hot, milk. Water can also be used, but milk gives the cake a richer flavor.
- Mixing: Once the flour is added, mix only until combined. Overmixing can make the cake dense or tough.
- Batter: This is a soft, pourable cake batter. Avoid adding extra flour to thicken it.
- Bake immediately: Divide the batter between the pans and bake as soon as it is mixed for the best rise.
- Pan size: This recipe makes two 8-inch round cake layers. Divide the batter evenly between the pans for even baking.
- Doneness: Start checking the cakes toward the lower end of the baking time. A skewer inserted in the center should come out clean or with a few moist crumbs.
- Make ahead: The cake layers can be baked a day ahead. Cool completely, wrap well in plastic wrap, and keep at room temperature overnight.
- Freezing: Wrap completely cooled cake layers well and freeze for up to one month. Thaw wrapped at room temperature before filling and frosting.
Equipment you will need
Nutrition
Tried this recipe?
Mention @veenaazmanov_kitchen or tag #veenaazmanovkitchen!Tips for Success
- Measure the flour accurately – Too much flour will make an eggless cake dry and dense.
- Use room-temperature yogurt – It combines more easily with the other ingredients and helps create a smooth batter.
- Don’t overmix – Once the wet and dry ingredients are combined, mix only until smooth.
- Use warm liquid – Add warm, not hot, milk or water as directed in the recipe.
- Bake immediately – Once the batter is mixed, transfer it to the prepared pan and bake right away.
- Don’t overbake – Check with a skewer toward the end of the baking time. It should come out clean or with a few moist crumbs.
- Cool completely before frosting – A warm cake will soften or melt your filling and frosting
more vanilla cakes
- 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
Troubleshooting
| Problem | Possible cause | Solution |
|---|---|---|
| Cake is dense or heavy | Batter was overmixed, too much flour was added, or it sat too long before baking | Measure the flour accurately, mix only until combined, and bake the batter immediately. |
| Cake is dry or hard | Cake was overbaked or oven temperature was too high | Start checking around 30 minutes and remove it as soon as a skewer comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs. |
| Cake is raw in the center | Oven was too hot or cake needed more baking time | Check your oven temperature and continue baking until the center is fully set. |
| Cake rises then sinks | Oven door was opened too early, cake was underbaked, or leavening was inaccurate | Measure the baking powder and soda carefully, avoid opening the oven early, and bake until the center is completely set. |
Frequently asked questions
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
more eggless recipes
- Eggless Chocolate Cake
- Eggless Strawberry Cupcakes
- BEST Eggless Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Eggless Chocolate Sugar Cookies
- Eggless Thumbprint Cookies
- Vanilla Pastry Cream • Eggless
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Hi, I’m Veena
I’m the recipe developer, baker, and food photographer behind Veena Azmanov Kitchen.
I’ve spent years developing and testing recipes, from everyday meals and homemade breads to cakes and desserts.
I share the practical tips and little details I’ve learned along the way so you can get great results in your own kitchen.
Thanx for the prompt reply… One more ques… In cups should the flour be 2 cups or 1.76(as your converter says)
Di I say – 2 cups? Where? Sorry. it’s either 220 grams or 1.76 as the convert says. Thanks
Oh… It was mentioned in one of the previous comments… Thanx but☺
Gonna try it today
In wat mode I shd keep in otg bottom rod or both rods?
We always use both rods for baking cakes. But if I remember correctly, in the ovens in India – they used bottom rod for cooking cakes.
Is it 1.5 tsp baking soda
Hey Chilly, You can reduce the Baking Soda to one tsp. Thanks
Made an eggless vanilla cake with whipped Cream frosting. Delivered the cake the day before (wasn’t told it was for the following day), obviously told the customer to refrigerate the cake because of the whipped Cream frosting. When spoke to the customer they were very dissatisfied with the cake because it was a bit hard. I now that refrcrigeration dries out a cake and don’t know how long they out the cake prior to serving. Help!! What do could have been done differently?
Hey Cristina. If you overcook the cake it will become hard – that’s mostly because there are no eggs in this recipe.
Whipped cream the following day will work if you stabilize the whipped cream. Did you stabilize it?
Refrigeration dries the cake if you leave it open. When wrapped properly it should be ok.
Also, it is very important to simple syrup all cakes – just as I have shown in most of my decorating videos
See my video Strawberry Cream Cake.
I hope this helps.
in convection microwave the upper layer of cake is hard why
Hey, Vidula. Are you using top and bottom heat? Usually, for baking, I’d say use only bottom. If you use the top the cake will be dry out and burn/hard
Please can you tell the measurement of oil in grams?? it is in 1/2 cup so that should be 125 ml or 100 ml???
Yes, Veer, 1/2 cup oil is 120 ml. I think the ml is also mentioned in the recipe card. But I will check again. Thanks for bringing it to my attention.
What a stunning thought! ? It looks delightful and no doubt the taste is great, as well!
Thank you, Kervin
thank you so much to Eggless Vanilla Cake and your blog are very informative for me.
Thank you, Ronny. Happy you find my blog useful.
Am making the cake for my niece and she wants the egg cake but she is intolerant to butter or margarine, oil cake as of now she hasnt face any such problems, i’m interested with this recipe, but is there a way i can indulge eggs in it please, can you help??? Was just browsing your recipes and have seen most of the egg cakes have butter, please help, her birthday is on next week
Not all my cakes have butter Veer. I have some oil based cakes too. Like the Red velvet cake, the strawberry cake is oil based. As well as the latest pumpkins cakes. You can also make crustless cheesecakes.
Hello Veena,
Thank you for the reply, she was interested in vanilla cakes, it would be great if you can post a recipe for the eggless chocolate cake, that would really be helpful. Looking forward to it.
It is on my wishlist Veer and I’m hoping to get thru this list in 2019. Stay tuned.
Hi Veena, I’ve been asked to make an eggless 3 tiered wedding cake and have come across your recipe which sounds great. I haven’t made it yet as only discovered your recipe a day ago. Want to know if it freezes well as I usually make cakes a little bit ahead of time and pull them out closer to the day to decorate. Will be making it today to see how it turns out. Just curious if it freezes well. Thank you.
Hey Dafni. I’ve made this cake many many times and very successfully. However, as you can see from the comments there are some who can’t stove raving about the recipe and then there are some who have not had a great success. Since you plan to use it for a three-tier cake,
I would highly recommend you make it and test the recipe. See if this is what you want and like. I would hate to see you stressed if my recipe didn’t work for you.
Now to answer your question – yes, it does freeze well. I kept it up to 2 weeks. I would recommend adding sugar syrup when frosting.
Ah, I just read you plan to test it. Great.
Let me know how it worked for you.
THank your Veena. My problem will be if this recipe isn’t going to be quite how I need it to be for the wedding cake then I would need to try another recipe from elsewhere. It will need to hold well given the wedding cake is going to be three tiered with four layers per tier. I’m reading comments that the cake turns out dense for some so it might work but need to ensure it’s not crumbly either. The test will be tonight when it’s made. I’ll post results. Stay tuned.
I have just tried it, it is too dense, and the texture is ok but the inside colour after cooking turned into brownish , please help what is the cause, is it baking soda?
Sorry to hear that Upendo. Sounds like too much baking soda or that baking soda was not activated. This is not a dense cake as you can see in the pictures below it’s really light and fluffy. The baking soda gives it that volume. I will be making a video for this soon.I hope that will help.