Vegan Blueberry Cake
This vegan blueberry cake is super easy to make and uses just a handful of simple ingredients. It’s fluffy yet moist, and topped with delicious dairy-free lemon cream cheese frosting.
If there’s one thing I love just as much as chocolate treats, it is fruity desserts! Apple pies, banana bread, strawberry tarts and raspberry cheesecake are just some of my favourites. But aside from my eggless blueberry muffins, I noticed that I really haven’t done much baking with blueberries on the blog yet! That had to change.
I’m coming at you today with this brand new recipe for a tasty eggless blueberry cake. It’s an 8×10-inch sponge cake with fresh blueberries throughout, and is topped with decadent lemon cream cheese frosting. You can totally make vanilla cream cheese frosting instead though so don’t worry if you don’t like lemon!
Ingredients and equipment you will need to make this recipe
Wet
- Soy milk. I recommend using unsweetened soy milk for best results. The extra sugar in sweetened soy milk tends to mess with the texture of some vegan bakes.
- Apple cider vinegar. This acts as the acid in the recipe, to react with the raising agents and create a chemical reaction. This chemical reaction helps to a create tall, fluffy cake.
- Caster sugar. Yes, sugar is a wet ingredient! I find caster sugar produces the best texture in baked goods- it makes sure there is no grittiness!
- Oil or melted vegan margarine. I either use vegetable oil or melted dairy-free margarine in my cakes. This time, I used sunflower oil for ease. Make sure to use a neutral tasting oil, as something like coconut oil or olive oil would be too overpowering for this cake.
- Vanilla extract. For extra flavour.
- Cream cheese frosting. You can make your own frosting from scratch using the recipe provided. But if you’re rushed for time or don’t want to spend extra money on ingredients, you can use ready-made frosting. There are a few dairy-free frostings in the supermarkets these days but I typically tend to use Betty Crocker.
- Lemon extract. This is optional but I think the lemon flavour goes nicely with vegan blueberry cake. I add just a teaspoon to my cream cheese frosting. If you don’t like lemon, you can use vanilla extract instead or just leave the frosting as it is.
Dry
- Self-raising flour. Not to be confused with plain or all-purpose flour, self-raising flour has the raising agents already added. If you can’t find self-raising, you can use plain flour but note that you’ll need to add in the extra baking powder/soda. You’ll need to add 1+1/2 teaspoons of baking powder plus 1/4 teaspoon of baking soda, in addition to the amount the recipe calls for.
- Baking soda. As above, to help create a light and fluffy texture. This is also known as bicarbonate of soda.
- Fresh blueberries. I have not yet tested this recipe with frozen blueberries so I can only recommend using fresh.
Equipment
- 8×10-inch rectangular cake tin. The cake tin size is important! If it’s too large, the cake will be thin and overcooked and if it’s too small, the cake will be probably burn on top before it cooks in the middle. You can adjust the ingredient quantities to match your tin size if needed.
Related post: 30 Vegan Blueberry Desserts
How to make vegan blueberry cake
Step 1:
Preheat your oven to 180°C/350°F (or 160°C/325°F if you’re using a fan or convection oven).
Line an 8×10-inch tin with baking paper. Please note that if you use a different sized tin, the ingredient quantities will need to be adjusted to ensure the oven temperature/baking time remains correct.
Step 2:
In a small bowl or mug, mix together 250ml of unsweetened soy milk and 2 teaspoons of apple cider vinegar. Let it sit for 5 minutes or so until it becomes thicker and slightly curdled then give it another quick mix.
If you don’t have any apple cider vinegar to hand, you can use lemon juice or white vinegar instead.
Step 3:
In a large bowl, mix together 230g of self-raising flour, 1/2 teaspoon of bicarbonate of soda and 180g of caster sugar.
Step 4:
Measure out 95ml of oil (or melted dairy-free margarine) and add it to the bowl along with your soy milk mixture and 2 teaspoons of vanilla extract. Mix everything together to make a smooth cake batter.
Step 5:
Place 150g of fresh (washed and patted dry) blueberries into a small bowl. Add 1/2 a tablespoon of self-raising flour and gently mix so that the blueberries become coated in flour. This will prevent them from sinking to the bottom of the cake or causing the batter to become too wet.
Step 6:
Add the flour-coated blueberries to the bowl of cake batter and gently fold them in, then transfer the cake mix to your lined tin and spread it out evenly.
Step 7:
Bake for 22-25 minutes, until a toothpick through the middle comes out clean.
Let it cool in the tin for 10 minutes before carefully flipping it out onto a wire rack. Gently remove the baking paper and leave the cake to cool completely.
Lemon cream cheese frosting
While the cake is cooling, prepare your cream cheese frosting by mixing together the following:
- 60g of dairy-free cream cheese (I highly recommend Violife for flavour and texture)
- 30g of vegan margarine
- 225g of icing sugar (powdered sugar)
- 1 Teaspoon of lemon extract
Step 8:
When the cake has cooled, put the lemon cream cheese frosting on the top and spread it out evenly.
Let it sit at room temperature until the frosting hardens then cut into slices and enjoy!
FAQ:
If stored appropriately in an airtight container, it can be kept in the fridge for up to 2 days. Because of the fresh fruit inside, it has to be eaten fairly quickly before it gets soggy! I recommend keeping it in the fridge to prevent the cream cheese frosting from melting.
Yes! Pop the slices into airtight containers and freeze for up to 2 months. If you prefer to freeze the whole cake, put it in the freezer on a lined baking tray for 2-3 hours. Once it’s completely frozen, you can wrap it tightly in cling film or tin foil and return it to the freezer.
To defrost, unwrap/unbox the cake and place it on a wire rack or plate and leave it at room temperature for 1-2 hours until thawed. Do not refreeze.
More vegan cake recipes
I hope you enjoy this eggless blueberry cake recipe. If you make it yourself, please let me know how you get on by leaving a rating or comment below. Happy baking! xo
Vegan Blueberry Cake
Light, fluffy blueberry sheet cake with dairy-free cream cheese frosting.
Ingredients
- 250 ml Unsweetened soy milk (1 cup)
- 2 Teaspoons Apple cider vinegar (or lemon juice)
- 230 g Self-raising flour (1+¾ cups)
- ½ Teaspoon Bicarbonate of soda (baking soda)
- 180 g Caster sugar (¾ Cup + 2 tablespoons)
- 95 ml Oil (⅓ Cup + 1 tablespoon) I used sunflower oil
- 2 Teaspoons Vanilla extract
- 150 g Fresh blueberries, coated in ½ tablespoon of flour (1 cup) the flour stops the blueberries from sinking to the bottom of the cake
For the cream cheese frosting
- 60 g Dairy-free cream cheese (4 tablespoons) I recommend Violife for best texture and flavour
- 30 g Vegan margarine (2 tablespoons)
- 225 g Icing sugar (1+¾ cups)
- 1 Teaspoon Lemon extract (can omit or substitute for vanilla if you prefer)
Instructions
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Preheat your oven to 180°C/350°F (160°C/325°F for fan and convection ovens). Line an 8×10-inch tin with baking paper.
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In a small bowl, mix together the soy milk and apple cider vinegar. Set it aside for 5 minutes to curdle, then mix again briefly. This will act as your vegan buttermilk.
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In a large bowl, mix together the flour, bicarbonate of soda and caster sugar. Add your buttermilk along with the oil and vanilla extract. Mix well to make a smooth batter.
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Gently fold in the flour-coated blueberries.
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Transfer your cake batter to the lined tin and spread it out evenly. Bake for 22-25 minutes, or until a toothpick through the middle comes out clean.
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Let the cake cool in the tin for 10 minutes or so then carefully flip it out onto a wire rack and leave to cool completely.
For the cream cheese frosting
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In a large bowl, gently mix all of the ingredients together until smooth. If it's too thick, add a splash of plant-based milk to loosen it. If it's too soft, add some more icing sugar or pop it in the fridge for a while to stiffen.
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Spread a generous layer of the frosting over the top of your cooled cake. Let the icing set then cut into 12 squares and enjoy!
Recipe Notes
- Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 48 hours.
