This easy vegan sponge cake recipe will amaze you! Light, fluffy, and spongy layered with strawberries and cream, this cake will not disappoint!
Traditional sponge cakes are made with whipped egg whites, flour, and sugar. To make this vegan, I had to omit the eggs but still wanted to achieve a light and airy texture. I tested the recipe many times with various egg replacers and even whipped aquafaba, but the end result wasn’t spongy enough.
That’s when I remembered that you can use carbonated water in baking to replace eggs. I knew that it gave my easy vegan soda cake a great texture, so I used my basic vegan vanilla cake recipe and added sparkling water instead of plain water. The result was a vegan sponge cake with an amazingly light and fluffy texture.
Ingredients and Substitutions
- Flour – white flour or a white grain-based gluten-free flour mix work the best and will give you the whitest cake. (Add a tsp of xanthan gum if using gluten-free flour mix).
- Sugar – for sweetness. You can use any granulated sweetener that you wish, but the lighter the sugar the more white your cake will be.
- Baking Soda – to help the cake rise.
- Salt – for flavor.
- Carbonated Water – for aeration and lift in the cake.
- Oil – for a moist cake. Canola oil works best since it has a very neutral flavor, but you can use any neutral-flavored oil. (You can reduce it slightly or replace it with apple sauce if you need it to be oil-free, but the oil is important for a truly moist cake).
- White Vinegar – to interact with the baking soda and make the cake rise. (You can also use apple cider vinegar. Don’t worry, you won’t taste the vinegar after it bakes.)
- Vanilla Extract – for flavor. You can also use lemon extract for a lemon-flavored sponge cake.
- Buttercream Frosting – for the middle layer. You can check out my vegan buttercream recipe for just about any flavor of frosting you want or use my vegan whipped cream.
- Strawberries or Jam – to put between the layers of cake.
- Powdered Sugar – to sprinkle on top of the cake. Look for organic powdered sugar to be sure that it’s vegan.
How to make a vegan sponge cake
- Preheat your oven to 375° F (190° C). (You will turn it down to 350° F once you put the cake in, but this initial hotter temperature helps the cake to rise.)
- Prepare two round cake pans (8″- 9″ work well) by spraying them will oil and place a cutout circle of parchment paper at the bottom of the pan).
- Measure the dry ingredients into a large mixing bowl and give them a little stir with a whisk. (Be sure to spoon measure the flour.)
- Add the oil, vanilla, and 1/2 of the carbonated water to the dry ingredients and stir with a whisk until you have a smooth thick batter.
- Stir in the remaining carbonated water and the vinegar and stir again just enough to form a smooth batter. (Don’t over mix.)
- Pour into the prepared cake pans.
- Place the cakes in the oven, turn down the heat to 350° F (176° C), and bake for 30-35 minutes at 350° F until the top center appears dry and springs back up when touched.
- Allow it to cool for 30 minutes in the cake pan then invert them onto a plate in the refrigerator to cool completely before frosting.
Assemble the sponge cake
- Put your first cake top side down on your serving dish. (If you have a very round top, you may want to trim it so it’s flat on top.
- Arrange fresh sliced strawberries on top of the first layer, then put a thick layer of buttercream (or whipped cream) on top of the strawberries.
- Put your next layer on the top right side up.
- Sprinkle the top of the cake with a dusting of powdered sugar. (Put the powdered sugar in a wire mesh strainer and hold it over the cake tapping it lightly sprinkle the sugar on top.)
Pro Tips
- Spoon measure the flour. This simply means to fill the measuring cups with spoonfuls of flour and not pack the flour down when measuring. This will ensure you are measuring the correct amount of flour.
- Don’t over stir the cake batter. You don’t want to stir out the bubbles.
- Preheat the oven to 375° F (190° C) even though you are going to be baking it at 350° F (176° C). This initial hotter temperature helps the cake to rise. I do this trick will all of my muffin recipes too for a nice muffin top.
- If you are using vegan whipped cream, assemble the cake immediately before serving.
Easy vegan cakes you’ll love
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A light and airy sponge cake made without eggs.
- 3 cups flour
- 1 1/2 cup sugar
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 cups carbonated water
- 2/3 cup canola oil or any neutral-flavored oil
- 1 tablespoon white vinegar
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 1 1/2 cup vegan buttercream frosting or vegan whipped cream
- 2 cups strawberries sliced or 1/2 cup of strawberry jam
- 2 tablespoons powdered sugar
-
Preheat your oven to 375° F (190° C). (You will turn it down to 350° F once you put the cake in, but this initial hotter temperature helps the cake to rise.)
-
Prepare two round cake pans (8″- 9″ work well) by spraying them will oil and place a cutout circle of parchment paper at the bottom of the pan).
-
Measure the dry ingredients into a large mixing bowl and give them a little stir with a whisk. (Be sure to spoon measure the flour.)
-
Add the oil, vanilla, and 1/2 of the carbonated water to the dry ingredients and stir with a whisk until you have a smooth thick batter.
-
Stir in the remaining carbonated water and the vinegar and stir again just enough to form a smooth batter. (Don't over mix.)
-
Pour into the prepared cake pans.
-
Place the cakes in the oven, turn down the heat to 350° F, and bake for 30-35 minutes at 350° F until the top center appears dry and springs back up when touched.
-
Allow it to cool for 30 minutes in the cake pan then invert them onto a plate in the refrigerator to cool completely before frosting.
-
Put your first cake top side down on your serving dish. (If you have a very round top, you may want to trim it so it's flat on top.
-
Arrange fresh sliced strawberries on top of the first layer, then put a thick layer of buttercream (or whipped cream) on top of the strawberries.
-
Put your next layer on the top right side up.
-
Sprinkle the top of the cake with a dusting of powdered sugar. (Put the powdered sugar in a wire mesh strainer and hold it over the cake tapping it lightly sprinkle the sugar on top.)
- Spoon measure the flour. This simply means to fill the measuring cups with spoonfuls of flour and not pack the flour down when measuring. This will ensure you are measuring the correct amount of flour.
- Don't over stir the cake batter. You don't want to stir out the bubbles.
- Preheat the oven to 375° F (190° C) even though you are going to be baking it at 350° F (176°F). This initial hotter temperature helps the cake to rise. I do this trick will all of my muffin recipes too for a nice muffin top.
- If you are using vegan whipped cream, assemble the cake immediately before serving.
