Five favorites :: vegan cakes

I love cake. Deeply.

Back in the days when we went to kid birthday parties I was always internally outraged if there was only cake for the kids and not the adults.

I like cake for special occasions and also just because.

During the pandemic, we started celebrating half birthdays in our family. Cameron and Zoë’s half birthdays are in April, and in April 2020 we needed some pick-me-ups. We’ve continued the tradition: half cakes for half birthdays.

Despite loving cake and loving baking, I’m not into precious cakes. I don’t have the patience for beautiful decorations (even though I love it when others do it!); I’m mostly about taste.

That said, here are five of my favorite recipes for easy, vegan cakes you can make for a holiday, or just because! I highly recommend you make one ASAP.

one. // Gluten-Free Zucchini Cake {Minimalist Baker} - I am not gluten free, but this is hands down my favorite zucchini cake/bread/muffin. I’ve made it as a cake, and also as muffins. It works well both ways. It’s actually not vegan as written, but I make flax eggs to substitute and it works great (1T flax meal mixed with 3T water = 1 egg). I also usually omit the frosting because I think the cake is sweet enough as is, and not dry at all thanks to the zucchini, but if you wanted to spruce it up for a festive occasion, I’m sure the frosting would be delightful. I often double or triple the recipe; muffins or cake pieces freeze well.

two. // Vegan Chocolate Olive Oil Cake {Mamalina} - I made this the other day for Zoë’s half birthday. It’s super easy to make (one bowl!) and works great even at high altitude. I usually use a mix of 1/2 whole wheat flour and 1/2 white and cut back the sugar a bit. As written, this recipe makes about 1.5 standard 9” cake pans so you can use smaller pans or make a few extra cupcakes.

three. // Vegan Coconut Cake {Nora Cooks} - I found this recipe after I bought a bunch of coconut flour with no real plan for what to do with it. Coconut flour can be a bit tricky to bake with, but if you follow this recipe exactly, you won’t be disappointed. I highly recommend the frosting, too: the cake is a bit dry without it.

four. // Vegan Coconut Cornmeal Cake {Bad Manners, formerly known as Thug Kitchen} - This recipe is from the Thug Kitchen cookbook. I love how simple this cake is, but it totally satisfies a cake craving. I recommend including the coconut frosting; remember to put your can of coconut milk in the fridge the night before!

five. // Vegan Banana Bread {The Simple Veganista} - Ok, I suppose technically this is banana “bread,” not “cake,” but honestly, where’s the line? It has sugar in it and it’s a sweet treat. Cake-ish in my book. I’ve tried dozens of banana bread recipes over the years and this is my favorite. Works well as muffins too.

Which will you make first? What’s your favorite kind of cake?