Vegan Espresso Vanilla Cake

Sep 1, 2026 · By VanillaGoods

Baking Cakes cupcakes Origin: Ugandan Vanilla: Beans Medium

Vegan espresso vanilla layer cake made with Indonesian vanilla

Vegan espresso cake flavored with a whole vanilla bean. An intermediate recipe: 30 minutes of prep and 30 minutes of cooking; serves 10. Best vanilla for this: Ugandan (bold, chocolatey, smoky), or Mexican (spiced, warm, woodsy). Any pure vanilla works.

Prep 30 min

Cook 30 min

Total 1 hr

Servings 10

Diet Vegan

Ingredients

Adjust yield

servings

2.0 cups (240.0 g)all-purpose flour
1 ½ cups (300.0 g)granulated sugar
¾ cup (170.0 g)vegan butter, softened
3.0flax eggs (1 tbsp ground flaxseed + 3 tbsp water each)
1.0 cup (240.0 ml)oat milk
2.0 tsp (8.0 g)baking powder
½ tspfine sea salt
1.0vanilla bean, split and scraped
1.0 tsp (2.0 g)espresso powder

Make it at home

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Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease and flour two 8-inch round cake pans.
Make the flax eggs: stir 3 tablespoons of ground flaxseed with 9 tablespoons of water and let it sit for 5 minutes, until thick and gel-like.
Cream the softened butter and sugar with a mixer until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes, then beat in the vanilla.
Dissolve the espresso powder in 1 teaspoon of warm water, then beat it into the butter mixture.
Add the flax eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition so the batter stays smooth.
Whisk the flour, baking powder, and salt together, then add to the batter in three additions, alternating with the milk and mixing just until combined.
Divide the batter between the prepared pans and bake at 350°F (175°C) for 28 to 32 minutes, until the tops spring back when lightly pressed and a tester comes out clean.
Cool in the pans for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a rack to cool completely before frosting.

Tips

Espresso powder deepens vanilla without making it taste like coffee; add more only if you want a true coffee flavor.
Don't toss the scraped pods: tuck them into a jar of sugar for homemade vanilla sugar.
No vanilla bean? Use 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract, 1 tablespoon vanilla bean paste or 1 teaspoon vanilla powder instead. Add it where the recipe adds the seeds; if the bean is steeped in hot milk or cream, stir the swap in after cooking, off the heat.
Choosing vanilla: Ugandan vanilla (bold, chocolatey, smoky) suits this recipe best; Mexican (spiced, warm, woodsy) is a great alternative, and any pure vanilla works.

Recipe FAQ

How long does it take to make vanilla cake?

Plan on 30 minutes of prep and 30 minutes of cooking. The recipe makes 10 servings.

How should I store vanilla cake?

Store unfrosted layers wrapped at room temperature for 2 days or frozen for up to 2 months; refrigerate a frosted cake.

Can I use a different form of vanilla?

Yes. This version uses 1 split vanilla bean. You can swap in 2 teaspoons of vanilla extract, 1 tablespoon of vanilla bean paste, or 1 teaspoon of vanilla powder instead; they're interchangeable at these amounts. Beans give the most visible specks and the fullest aroma.

What makes this recipe vegan?

It uses plant-based swaps for every animal ingredient: vegan butter, softened, flax eggs (1 tbsp ground flaxseed + 3 tbsp water each), oat milk. Check that your plant butter and other packaged ingredients are certified vegan.

Estimated · per serving

Nutrition

Per serving = 1 of 10 servings this recipe makes.

349 Calories / serving

15.3g Fat

50.8g Carbs

3.3g Protein

31.1g Sugar

Whole recipe (10 servings): ~3490 cal · 153g fat · 508g carbs · 33g protein · 311g sugar

Estimated values per serving, calculated from standard ingredient data. Not verified Nutrition Facts; actual values vary with brands, measurements, and preparation.

Per serving · 349 calories

What it takes to burn one serving

Brisk walking 66 min·3.9 mi·~7700 steps
Walking uphill or incline treadmill 47 min·2.4 mi·~4700 steps
Moderate cycling 35 min·7.0 mi
Swimming laps 49 min
Jogging 34 min·2.8 mi·~5450 steps
Stair climbing 32 min·~2900 steps
Dancing 57 min
Bodyweight circuit training 35 min
Cleaning, errands, or playing with the dog 81 min

Rough estimates for one serving, based on standard MET values at about 155 lb. Your own burn depends on body size, effort, and fitness. Shown for context only — food is not something you have to earn.