The Best Vegan Strawberry Cake

Name: The Best Vegan Strawberry Cake
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 45 min
Ingredients: 1 and 1/2 cups strawberry puree (from 3 cups sliced strawberries (see note #1)); 3 cups all-purpose flour; 1 cup organic white sugar; 2 teaspoons baking soda; 1 teaspoon salt; 3/4 cup canola or olive oil; ½ cup non-dairy milk (such as soy or almond milk); 2 teaspoon almond extract; 3 flax eggs (1 egg= 1 tablespoon ground flaxseed + 3 tablespoons water); 3 cups powdered sugar; 2 tablespoons vegan butter (room temperature); 3-4 tablespoons strawberry puree (from 1/2 cup sliced strawberries); 1/4 teaspoon almond extract

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This strawberry vegan cake is deliciously sweet, moist, and dripping with a vegan buttercream strawberry frosting. It's easy to make for birthdays and celebrations!

Side view of slice of double layered strawberry cake with pink frosting

This fuss-free vegan cake is perfect for birthdays, celebrations, or when you just want something a little sweet. It uses traditional cake ingredients with a few easy swaps to make it dairy-free and egg-free.

Table of Contents hide

1 Recipe features

2 What you'll need

3 Step by step instructions

4 Recipe FAQ and expert tips

5 Looking for more vegan desserts?

6 The Best Vegan Strawberry Cake

Recipe features

Diet-friendly: vegan, vegetarian and nut-free/soy-free optional (just choose a nut/soy-free non-dairy milk)
Soft, moist and tender texture
Can be made into a layer cake, sheet cake or cupcakes
Made with a smooth, spreadable strawberry "buttercream" frosting

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What you'll need

Labeled ingredients used to make strawberry cake

Like many of my popular recipes (I'm thinking vegan gingerbread loaf and zucchini bread) this recipe uses mostly traditional ingredients.

Fresh strawberries are pureed and used in the cake and frosting. See below for tips on using frozen strawberries.
Flax eggs are used in place of eggs. The ground flax seeds combine with water to add moisture and act as a binding agent. You can also use chia seeds.
Non-dairy milk: I usually go for soy milk but you can also use almond milk, oat milk or coconut milk beverage (not canned coconut milk). Choose an unsweetened, unflavored milk.
Canola oil or olive oil are used as the fat in this cake recipe. This yields a dense and ultra-moist end result.
Vegan butter is used for the buttercream. Room temperature vegan butter gives you creamy, spreadable frosting.

Step by step instructions

1. Make the strawberry puree. About 3 cups of sliced strawberries will yield 1 and ½ cups of strawberry puree. Puree the sliced strawberries in a blender or food processor until completely pureed.

Steps 2 through 5 to make strawberry cake

2. Stir together the dry ingredients. We'll use all-purpose flour, salt, baking soda and organic white sugar.

3. Mix in the wet ingredients. Using a stand or hand mixer, slowly mix the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients. You'll beat this mixture until a uniform cake batter forms.

4. Divide batter between two 9" cake rounds.

5. Bake in the oven for 25-30 minutes at 350 F. The cake is ready when toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Remove from the oven and let cool completely before frosting.

6. Make the frosting. The frosting is made by mixing together room temperature vegan butter with powdered sugar, strawberry puree, and almond extract. Add extra strawberry puree or soy milk as needed to thin to spreadable consistency.

Recipe FAQ and expert tips

Flour: Spoon and level flour into a measuring cup for most accurate measuring. To this, spoon flour into the measuring cup until overflowing. Use the back of a knife to wipe off excess flour. Don’t shake or pat flour down.

Can I use frozen strawberries?

Fresh or frozen strawberries will work in this recipe. If using frozen, first thaw them to room temperature in the fridge or in the microwave. This will ensure that the cold strawberries don't affect the baking time.

How long does this cake last?

For best quality, keep cake refrigerated in a closed container for up to 5 days. You can also cover and store at room temp for 1-2 days.

Can I freeze cake?

Yes! Place in an airtight container (either the whole cake or sliced) and freeze for up to 3 months. Let thaw overnight in the fridge or heat up individual slices in the microwave until thawed.

Can I make cupcakes?

Yes! Two round 9" inch cake pans make about 24 cupcakes. Fill each tin about ⅘ full with batter. Bake cupcakes at 350 degrees F for about 15 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Can I make a sheet cake instead?

Yes! Two 9 inch cake rounds of cake batter should fill one 9x13 inch sheet cake. You may need to adjust the bake time by a few minutes. Check the center of the cake for doneness before removing from the oven to cool.

Can I use gluten free flour?

You can try using a 1:1 substitution of all-purpose gluten free flour blend for white wheat flour, but do note that I have not tested this method.

Close up of inside crumb of strawberry cake

Looking for more vegan desserts?

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