This is now the third year that I’ve taken part in Veganuary, and each year I’ve found new and different ways to recreate vegan versions of all the dairy-laden foods I’ve been missing. Cakes and biscuits are, unfortunately, one of the things I find hardest to give up, and last weekend after a long, chilly and very muddy walk, I needed a cup of tea and a slice of cake.
I searched t’internet for some failsafe vegan cake recipes, but found that a very large proportion of them were both vegan and gluten-free. I know there’s a lot of people now following a vegan-gluten-free diet, (the Deliciously Ella effect!), but gluten-free baking is a whole different challenge. For people like me who are vegan but perfectly happy to eat some gluten now and again, here’s a classic British Victoria Sponge recipe that tastes almost identical to any egg- and butter-laden sponge I’ve tried.
If you’re looking for vegan cake recipes, you might like to take a look at my other vegan bakes:
The dairy replacements in this vegan victoria sponge cake are simply:
- Dairy-free margarine in place of butter, (my all-time favourite is Tomor, which tastes just like butter, or else Stork’s block margarine is also vegan), and
- Soya yoghurt and soya milk in place of the eggs.
Here are my top tips for making the ultimate Vegan Victoria Sponge Cake:
1. Get as much air into the margarine and sugar mixture as you can – eggs act as a raising agent as well as their binding properties, so by substituting them with soya yoghurt we just need to work a little harder to get plenty of air into the mixture for a really light sponge. Do this by beating the margarine and sugar in a food mixer for much much longer than you think you need to – 4 minutes seems like an absolute age, but it will make such a difference to the cake, I promise!
2. But don’t beat once you’ve added in the flour The flour will knock all the air out of the mixture, so just fold it in very slowly and gently by hand.
3. Get the cakes into the oven as quickly as you can once you’ve added the flour and baking powder Raising agents start to work as soon as they come into contact with liquid. so have your tins prepared in advance, oven at the right temperature, and work quickly to get the cakes baking as soon as you can.
4. Use good quality dairy-free margarine – if its all you have to hand, this cake will work perfectly well with any old dairy-free spread, but if you can get hold of Tomor or Stork block margarine it will really make a difference to that buttery taste.
5. Be generous with the fillings – you’ll see from my pictures that I don’t like skimping on the jam and buttercream! This is partly because when you serve someone a ‘vegan cake’ they are fully expecting it to be dry, tasteless and heavy. So if you serve them a light, moist and airy sponge slathered with lots of creamy buttercream and jam, they really won’t believe it’s vegan!
6. Get lots of air into the buttercream – similarly to no. 1 above – just beat, beat and beat again. I sometimes use a whisk attachment on my food mixer for this (rather than the beater). A really light buttercream filling is just so creamy, and adds to the lovely airy texture of the cake.
7. A controversial one…. don’t call it a Vegan cake! Just serve it up calling it a Victoria Sponge and I bet no one will guess it is ‘free-from’ anything at all. Tell them afterwards whilst basking in compliments!
Testimonials: The Ultimate Vegan Victoria Sponge
“It worked really well, one of the best free-from cakes I’ve made. Thanks for the great recipe!” Jo
“Turns out really similar to a victoria sponge my Mum makes – excellent job.” Robert
“So many vegan cakes recipes don’t work out but this is a great recipe. Great rise and tastes just like any other cake. Great work!” Josie
Don’t forget to pin the recipe for later, or to share with friends → → → → →
You might like to take a look at my Vegan Cakes Recipe Index for lots more great British bakes made vegan!
Do send me pictures of your very own vegan victoria sponge cakes on:
tagging me @thevegspace or with the hashtag #thevegspace to show me how you got on!
Vegan Victoria Sponge Cake: Equipment & Shopping List
You will need:
- 2 round cake tins (20cm or 22cm)
- Baking parchment or greaseproof paper
- Food mixer (or large bowl and electric whisk)
- Cooling rack
Shopping List:
- Dairy-free margarine
- Dairy-free yoghurt
- Dairy-free milk
- Caster sugar
- Vanilla extract
- Self-raising flour
- Baking powder
- Icing sugar
- Lemon
- Strawberry or raspberry jam
A light and fluffy vegan victoria sponge cake, sandwiched with buttercream and jam. So good no one will guess it is vegan!
- 200 g dairy-free margarine (Stork block margarine or Tomor are excellent)
- 300 g caster sugar
- 200 g dairy-free yoghurt (I used Alpro soya yoghurt)
- 200 g dairy-free milk (which is equal to 200ml - I weigh mine in with the yoghurt but some prefer to measure in a jug!)
- 3 tsp vanilla extract
- 400 g self-raising flour
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 150 g dairy-free margarine
- 200 g icing sugar
- zest of half a lemon
- strawberry or raspberry jam
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Preheat the oven to 180C / 350F / Gas Mark 4. Grease and line two 20cm or 22cm cake tins.
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In a food mixer, beat the margarine and sugar together for 3-4 minutes, (yes, really!), until pale and fluffy.
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Add the yoghurt, soya milk, and the vanilla extract, then add them to the mixer and beat. (If the mixture looks 'curdled' just add a few tablespoons of the flour to the mix and beat again).
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Add the flour and baking powder, (the remainder if you have added some already), and slowly fold it into the mixture, until fully combined.
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Divide the mixture between the two tins, and bake for 20-22 minutes until an inserted skewer or knife comes out clean. Then remove from the oven and turn out onto a cooling rack.
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To make the buttercream, just beat the margarine, icing sugar and lemon zest in a food mixer for 3-4 minutes until very light and fluffy.
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When the cakes are completely cool, (a few hours at least), smother the top of one with plenty of jam, then smother the buttercream over the bottom of the other cake. Carefully sandwich them together, then sprinkle the top of the cake liberally with icing sugar.
There are plenty of similarly quick and easy recipes in my new book, ‘Vegan in 15‘*. Hop over to Amazon for a look. Thanks for your support!
*Affiliate links
And if you haven’t yet signed up, you can get a monthly roundup of all my recipes and giveaways delivered to your inbox absolutely free – just click here to subscribe to The Veg Space monthly newsletter.
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For more vegan baking inspiration check out these recipes from blogger friends:
- Jac’s Triple Chocolate Donuts with Sprinkles from Tinned Tomatoes
- Helen’s Easy Ginger Cake from Fuss Free Flavours
- Sus’ Sugar Free Blood Orange Cake from Rough Measures
- Elizabeth’s Chocolate Cupcakes with Avocado Frosting from Elizabeth’s Kitchen Diary
- Camilla’s Vegan Banana Cake from Fab Food 4 All
- Nadia’s Vegan Gluten-Free Chocolate Mug Cake from Nadia’s Healthy Kitchen
- Jac’s Vegan Carrot Cake from Tinned Tomatoes
- Rebecca’s Peanut Butter & Banana Bread from Munchies & Munchkins
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Emily says
January 22, 2016 at 1:17 pmAmaazing! Saving this for my vegan friend’s birthday cake xx
Camilla @FabFood4All says
January 22, 2016 at 1:17 pmWhat a fabulous looking Victoria Sponge and such clever substitutions:-) Thanks for featuring my Banana Cake:-)
Camilla @FabFood4All recently posted…Comment on Win the Joseph Joseph Nest 100 Compact Food Preparation Set rrp £100 by George Williamson
Roz says
January 22, 2016 at 1:33 pmthis looks great – I’ve got friend who’s just gone vegan who’s big on cakes – will try this on her!
Roz recently posted…Scallop & Chorizo Paella
Munchies and Munchkins says
January 22, 2016 at 2:11 pmThis looks great! Just as good as any other victoria sponge I’ve seen! My daughter can’t have dairy but also can’t have gluten or soya which is a real nightmare as gluten free being is HARD. We are using the new Flora dairy free spread here too which is quite good. I never knew stork was vegan. Thanks for adding my PB cake XX
Munchies and Munchkins says
January 22, 2016 at 2:12 pmI meant baking above not being!
Munchies and Munchkins recently posted…Healthy Sweet Potato Pancakes
Helen @ Fuss Free Flavours says
January 25, 2016 at 11:45 amThis looks fab Kate, and great tip on the Tomor which I’ve never heard of. I’ll need to try it.
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Helen at Casa Costello says
February 2, 2016 at 11:54 pmI would absolutely love to conduct a taste test with this to see if people can tell? I didn’t realise that Stork was vegan (I should have been able to work it out though but never thought) – I find Stork ok for simple sponges but anything heavier it seems to struggle with. Well done on another month of veganism. Thanks loads for joining in with #Bakeoftheweek
Helen at Casa Costello recently posted…January Reads 2016
Eb Gargano says
February 18, 2016 at 4:49 pmGreat cake! You’d never guess it is vegan…pinning! Eb x
Eb Gargano recently posted…Tomato and Red Lentil Soup (Vegan)
thevegspace says
February 20, 2016 at 11:06 amThanks Eb! I know – I totally fooled my father in law…. haha!
Robert says
March 2, 2016 at 1:11 amExcellent job! Turns out really similar to a victoria sponge cake my mom made. Can see it on my site ^^
Hannah says
June 19, 2016 at 9:39 amGreat recipe! I’m just wondering if I am able to substitute the butter for oil?
thevegspace says
June 19, 2016 at 2:22 pmHi Hannah, to be honest I’ve never tried it with oil so couldn’t tell you how it would turn out – sorry! Definitely worth a try though and let me know how it goes. Kate
Stephanie says
August 15, 2016 at 10:24 amHiya – I tried your recipe and whilst it tastes absolutely great, the texture is a little bit stodgy and it really didn’t rise much. I forgot to ‘fold’ the flour in slowly and just added it into the food processor and whizzed it up. Could this have been the problem?
Any advice you can offer would be great. I am trying to find the ultimate recipe so that I can make an eggless, dairy free wedding cake!! : )
Many thanks , Steph
thevegspace says
August 17, 2016 at 8:20 pmHi Stephanie, yes its really important to be super-careful folding in the flour, or else all the hard work you did beating the marg & sugar for AGES to get lots of air in is completely wasted, as the air will be knocked straight out by whisking in the flour. I often don’t even use a mixer for the flour, just do it by hand with a spatula really slowly, and stop stirring the minute it is all combined. If it isn’t rising much there’s a chance your raising agent isn’t working properly – self-raising flour has a surprisingly short shelf-life as the baking powder in it loses its active power quite quickly, so if it has been lurking in the cupboard for a while try a brand new bag, or add an extra half teaaspoon of baking powder in there too. Hope that helps and good luck with the cake! Kate
Stephanie says
August 18, 2016 at 9:36 amThank you very much! I will give it another go. Steph
Rachel says
October 29, 2016 at 5:12 amJust wondering how much xantham gum would be substituted for as there’s no amount specified for that. I’m not a big fan of chia seed grit and i’d liek to try a seed free cake. Thanks.x
thevegspace says
October 30, 2016 at 3:38 pmHi Rachel, sorry about that – the xantham gum replacement PER EGG is a quarter of a teaspoon xantham mixed into 60ml water. I haven’t tried it in this recipe as I use flax or chia so sorry I can’t comment from first hand experience, but do let me know how you get on! Kate
jo says
November 30, 2017 at 10:09 pmI made this cake today had to do a vegan and gluten free one so I replaced the flour with gluten free self raising and 1/2 tsp of xanthum gum. It worked really well one of the best free from everything cakes I’ve made. thanks for the great recipe.
thevegspace says
December 4, 2017 at 2:21 pmOh that’s great to hear Jo, what a good idea re the xantham gum. I’ve never tried a gluten-free version before so its good to know that can be done!
Mel says
December 9, 2017 at 10:38 amHi! First of, that looks amazing, I was looking for a vegan victoria sponge for Xmas and I was just wondering if the cake (just the sponge) could be made the day before maybe, if they could keep quite fresh? And then just have to do the sandwiching filling bit just before serving it? If anyone has any experience making that recipe in advance, I’d appreciate any advice 🙂
Thanks,
Mel
thevegspace says
December 11, 2017 at 6:33 pmHi Mel, Yes absolutely, as long as it is kept in an airtight tin it would be absolutely fine the next day. If you’re sandwiching it just before serving you could add some sliced fresh strawberries in the middle too – totally delicious but you can’t do it if you’re making the cake in advance as the juice runs into the sponge! Enjoy!
JOsie says
December 19, 2017 at 3:29 pmSo many vegan cake recipes don;t work out. I have just made this and it truly is a great recipe! Great rise and tastes just like any other cake – good work! I will definitely using it as a base for my vegan trifle recipe and will give you a mention on my site when I share it this week. Thanks!
Nadia says
January 8, 2018 at 6:58 pmHi there I was wondering if you could use plain flour instead? Im in Denmark and can’t seem to find Self raising flour, the danes don’t really use it. Any suggestions on getting a good rise without SRF?
Thanks so much!
thevegspace says
January 8, 2018 at 8:53 pmHi Nadia, absolutely – you can easily make self-raising flour from plain by adding 2tsp baking powder per 150g flour. Hope it turns out well! Kate x
Nasima says
January 19, 2018 at 8:47 amHi,
Can you use a sweetener such as Stevia instead of the caster sugar, or would that impact the cake?
Thanks
thevegspace says
January 19, 2018 at 9:51 amHi Nasima, I’ve never tried using a sweetener so really don’t know how it would turn out – if you Google instructions for substituting sugar with stevia (to get the quantities right) I can’t see a reason not to, but having never tried I can’t guarantee how it would turn out!
Leanne McAteer says
January 24, 2018 at 7:30 amHi
My daughter cant have soya as well as dairy and eggs. Do you know how I could replace the yogurt in this? Would egg replacer be any good or Oatly cream/creme fraiche? Thanks
thevegspace says
January 24, 2018 at 1:47 pmHi Leanne, yes I think oatly creme fraiche would be your best bet, or else coconut yoghurt would also work well, most supermarkets stock it these days. Hope it turns out well! Kate x
Carol Faccini says
January 31, 2018 at 4:22 pmHi Kate,
just found your wonderful site and not from US! where names of ingredients, measures and oven temps can be different to GB. With your Victoria sponge recipe, would it work do you think with replacing the yoghurt with vegan creme fraiche please?
Thank you, Carol
thevegspace says
February 1, 2018 at 12:11 pmGood to hear from you Carol, yes that would work really well. Enjoy!
Louise says
March 3, 2018 at 2:49 pmThank you for this recipe! It turned out amazing. I’ve been vegan for over 2 years and this is the best Victoria sponge recipe I’ve found. I did have to leave mine in the oven for 30 mins before it was cooked though. ????????????
Michelle-Louise says
March 9, 2018 at 1:36 pmI made this but it turned out stodgy despite hand mixing the butter and sugar, very carefully folding in the flour and having the oven at the right temp 🙁
thevegspace says
March 20, 2018 at 11:25 amHi Michelle, sorry to hear this – I’m not really sure what to suggest as it always turns out well for me, and I’ve had lots of other comments from people who have really enjoyed it. Sorry – hope it turns out better next time x
Claire Keating says
March 16, 2018 at 10:59 amIs the temperature for an electric oven based on conventional or fan? I’ve got mine in at 160 fab, just done 20 mins and the top is still wobbly
thevegspace says
March 20, 2018 at 11:23 amHi Claire, the recipe is for a fan oven – ovens are all different and I go on how long it takes to cook in mine – just leave it in until it is cooked through. Hope it turns out well. Kx
Rebecca says
March 16, 2018 at 9:33 pmThis was delicious! I’d like to make it again , does anyone know if the unfilled sponges freeze okay? I know you can freeze regular sponge cakes, I’m just not sure as this one contains soya yogurt.
thevegspace says
March 20, 2018 at 11:22 amHi Rebecca, glad you liked the recipe! Yes I freeze these all the time with no problem at all – the yoghurt is cooked into the sponge so not a problem. Kate x
Shivani says
March 25, 2018 at 4:21 pmThank you SO MUCH For this! I cannot wait to try it X
thevegspace says
March 26, 2018 at 9:50 amOoh lovely – let me know how it goes!! x
libby says
March 27, 2018 at 5:12 pmHi I’m looking to make a vegan wedding cake for my sister in law. Do you know if this cale would be suitable to ice with fondant icing? Also would the recipe work if I doubled the ingredients to make a larger cake?
thevegspace says
March 28, 2018 at 1:17 pmHi Libby, yes its just like a ‘classic’ victoria sponge so would be fine covered in fondant, though it doesn’t keep for more than a few days so I would try to ice it as late as possible if you can. And certainly double the ingredients, the only thing that would be affected is the cooking time. Might be better to make three thinner layers than two really thick ones – a trial run might be a good idea! Hope that helps and do let me know how it goes, would love to see the finished cake! Kate x
Sara says
April 17, 2018 at 4:32 pmI notice you have the soya milk given in grams (recipe states 200 g). That isn’t a usual fluid measure so seems a bit odd to me, so thought I would check if that was right? Appreciate your response.
thevegspace says
April 17, 2018 at 9:06 pmHi Sara, I use grams there because of how I tend to weigh things – I put my bowl on the scales and weigh the yoghurt then add the milk in and find it easier than getting a separate measuring jug out. But 100ml soya milk weighs about 102g so if you prefer to measure in a jug 200ml will work absolutely fine too. Hope that helps! Kate
Pipilota says
May 18, 2018 at 1:45 pmHey!
I’m very eager to try the cake, as a vegan I usually get to eat only chocolate cake and I wanted something with real cream 🙂
But since I don’t have 2 small cake forms, do you think I could do with muffin forms and just cut them afterwards for filling them?
How would the cooking time change?
Thanks very much in advance!
thevegspace says
May 20, 2018 at 9:02 pmYes absolutely! I’ve done this before and they are so lovely. I would start checking from about 15 minutes – just stick a toothpick/cocktail stick into one of the cakes and if it comes out clean they are ready to come out the oven. Hope they turn out well!
Pipilota says
May 27, 2018 at 7:58 amHey!
My little muffins just came out of the oven and they are really tasty 🙂
I reduced the sugar a little bit, next time maybe even a little more, as the cakes are quite sweet 😀
Haven’t tried the creme yet, but the cakes really turned out well! Thanks for this great recipe!
All the best,
Pipilota
Lorna says
May 23, 2018 at 2:54 pmI’m about to try this recipe as all others I’ve found to be soggy/dense can I ask tho the 200g of soya is that meant to be g or mls? Also is Oat milk an acceptable alternative?
thevegspace says
May 23, 2018 at 6:10 pmHi Lorna, 1g = 1ml of milk so either grams or ml is fine – I measured it in g as I weigh mine in with the yoghurt when I make this, but either way will work fine! I’ve never tried it with oat milk but can’t imagine it would cause any problems as its really creamy just like soya. Let me know how it goes!
Amy says
May 28, 2018 at 4:37 pmHi, do you think this would work as well with non-soy plant based milk/yoghurt such as oat milk etc? Thanks!
thevegspace says
May 29, 2018 at 7:26 pmHi Amy, yes definitely – any dairy-free milk/yoghurt would work fine. I tend to use soya or oat as they are creamy and don’t have a strong flavour, but any you can find would work fine. Kate x
Rebecca Williams says
September 12, 2018 at 4:08 pmHello, I was wondering would this cake be ok to be covered with sugar fondant and decorated? I’m vegan and making a cake for my nan’s birthday her favorite is Victoria sponge but i wanted to cover it and do a golf themed cake.
Many thanks
Kate Ford says
September 13, 2018 at 1:31 pmYes absolutely, a lot of people have tried this and it has worked really well. Hope it goes well!
Laura says
September 19, 2018 at 3:29 pmI’ve made this cake several times now and its fabulous! I reduced the sugar to 200g as it was a bit sweet for me but the sponge is delicious. Best cake recipe I’ve come across since becoming vegan.
Kate Ford says
September 20, 2018 at 1:07 pmThat’s so great to hear – thanks Laura!
Nicola says
September 20, 2018 at 5:41 amCan I exchange soya yogurt with coconut yogurt do you think
Kate Ford says
September 20, 2018 at 1:07 pmYes absolutely. It might have a bit more of a background flavour as it tastes slightly stronger than soya yoghurt, but not an unpleasant taste at all. Enjoy! X
Gary says
September 23, 2018 at 4:42 pmHi I’ve been trying to make a good vegan lemon and poppy seed cake with limited success. Do you think that if I added the lemon into the wet ingredients and folded poppy seeds in with the flour that I could adapt the above recipe?
Thanks in advance:)
Kate Ford says
September 23, 2018 at 6:28 pmHi Gary, a better bet might be to add poppy seeds to my lemon cake recipe here: https://www.thevegspace.co.uk/recipe-easy-vegan-lemon-cake/ – if you add the drizzle syrup its really lemony, a lovely moist cake and would be perfect with poppy seeds! Hope that helps.
Caroline says
September 30, 2018 at 11:06 pmHi how would I make this as a chocolate cake? Thanks
Caroline says
September 30, 2018 at 11:08 pmHi, how could I turn this into a chocolate cake? Thanks
Kate Ford says
October 1, 2018 at 12:52 pmHi Caroline, just add cocoa powder in with the flour (check it is vegan) – about 4 tsbp. Enjoy!
LauraGrace says
October 13, 2018 at 4:26 pmAmazing! This recipe results in a tatsy, fluffy sponge which actually rises perfectly – very clever ingredients combination! Versatile and simple to make – can’t wait how to see my attempt at your vegan toffee apple cake goes 🙂 Thanks so mucb for the recipe!
Kate Ford says
October 14, 2018 at 1:59 pmThat’s great to hear, thanks so much Laura! Kx
Susan Lee says
October 27, 2018 at 11:49 amJust made your vegan Victoria sandwich cake , oh boy am I impressed. I have always struggled to make a “normal,” Victoria Sandwich but your recipe is fantastic. Thank you so much.
Kate Ford says
October 27, 2018 at 1:11 pmThat’s great to hear – thanks so much Susan! X
Nikhil says
December 8, 2018 at 8:48 amThis is a really good recipe! First time actually baking and it tasted as good as it looked!
If I was to make it less sweet for family who cannot have so much sugar, what would I do?
Kathryn says
December 18, 2018 at 8:58 amThe BEST Victoria sponge I have ever made, vegan or not! What an amazing recipe. I used the extra protein soya yoghurt which helped to give a brilliant rise.
Kate Ford says
December 18, 2018 at 8:18 pmThat’s fantastic to hear, thanks so much Kathryn! X
Hema says
January 17, 2019 at 12:41 amOMG! I made this heavenly cake just now!
So many vegan cake recipes and THIS IS THE BEST ONE BY FAR! Im from the UK and its nearly 1am, I’m baking last minute for a leaving do!
I am vegetarian and not a vegan but as we don’t eat eggs I always look for vegan recipes. This is my first ever review (after trying many many recipes) and you have won my vote for best vegan cake ever!
As opposed to some of the negative reviews- The cake does rise twice as much, it only requires 20 minutes to cook and even though the curdled look made me think it was going to be a big disaster it has been the best vegan cake I have made! Very close to the eggless bakery cakes we get. Follow her instructions carefully and you can’t go wrong! so many tips in the blog and also a lot of trouble shooting in the reviews, it’s hard to ruin this cake!!!
Thanks for sharing this amazing recipe! I can’t wait for peoples comments at work tomorrow. will def try more of your recipes.
Thanks
Kate Ford says
January 18, 2019 at 2:13 pmThat’s so great to hear – thanks for the review Hema! X
Erin says
January 24, 2019 at 3:33 pmCan I use all purpose flour? I dont usually have self rising.
Kate Ford says
January 25, 2019 at 2:25 pmYes that’s fine, just add 2tsp baking bowder for every 150g plain flour.
Emily says
February 12, 2019 at 7:17 pmThis recipe is gorgeous! I’ve tried so many vegan cake recipes over the past few years and have always been dissapointed, but this is by far the best cake recipe i’ve found. Thank you for sharing! 🙂
Kate Ford says
February 20, 2019 at 8:19 pmThat’s just brilliant to hear, thanks Emily!