Vegan Red Velvet Cake

This show-stopping Vegan Red Velvet Cake is so rich and flavorful, no would guess it’s entirely plant based. Moist, chocolatey cake is layered with a decadent vegan cream cheese frosting. Yum!

Red velvet cake has always been one of my favorites, and now that I’ve vegan-ized it, it’s become my go-to dessert to impress guests.

The deep red coloring, which comes from beetroot, is rather festive and the double layer of chocolate cake makes it feel totally indulgent.

The rich vegan cream cheese frosting perfectly compliments the chocolatey cake, ensuring every bite is a delicious blend of acidity and sweetness. The recipe might be a little bit of work, but you will taste every second of effort you’ve put in!

Ingredients and Substitutions

This gluten-free vegan red velvet cake contains a few unusual ingredients but don’t worry, I’ll talk you through them:

• Buckwheat flour.
• Rice flour. This is a fairly dense flour that helps the cake hold its structure.
• Sugar.
• Xanthan gum. This is vital in gluten-free baking, as it helps to bind the cake together. Even though you may have never heard of it, it’s actually stocked in most large supermarkets!
• Baking powder.
• Salt.
• Dark chocolate. Dark chocolate is often naturally vegan, but make sure you still check the label.
• Plant based milk. My favourite is oat, but you can use any.
• Olive oil.
• Flax eggs. You can make the 4 flax eggs needed for this recipe by stirring together 4 tbsp ground flaxseed and 8 tbsp water, then setting it aside for 5 minutes.
• Lemon juice.
• Cooked beetroot. You can either cook your own beetroot by boiling, or buy it pre-cooked from the supermarket. Some recipes use red food colouring but beetroot is much more natural and adds a rich flavor to the sponge.

Make the Cake (Step by Step)

Firstly, preheat the oven to 180 degrees C (350 degrees F).

Then, in a large mixing bowl, whisk together the buckwheat flour, rice flour, sugar, xanthan gum, baking powder and salt.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the dark chocolate, plant based milk, olive oil, flax eggs, lemon juice and cooked beetroot.

Next, add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix until they’re thoroughly combined. 

Transfer the batter to a 10-inch cake tin and bake in the preheated oven for 40 minutes. To test if your sponges are cooked, insert a toothpick into the centre and see if it comes out clean. If it does then your sponges are ready, if not then give it another 5 minutes in the oven.

Now you’re ready for the frosting!

Vegan Cream Cheese Frosting

You only need three simple ingredients to make this vegan cream cheese frosting:

• Vegan cream cheese. I like the one from Miyoko’s.
• Vegan butter. A block or stick works better than vegan butter from a tub. It helps if the vegan butter is slightly softened before using. I like the one frmo Earth Balance.
• Icing sugar.

How to Make the Frosting

If you want to save time, you can make this icing while the cake is in the oven.

In a large mixing bowl, use an electric mixer to whisk together the vegan cream cheese and the softened butter.

Then, slowly sift in the icing sugar – around ½ cup at a time – and whisk it using the electric mixer. Add more icing sugar if the frosting is too moist.

Leave the frosting in the freezer for around 20 minutes to cool. 

Assembling the Cake

Make sure that the cake layers cool down fully before assembling and adding the frosting. 

Use a large chef’s knife to carefully slice the cake sponge in half. 

Apply a thick layer of the frosting on top of one of the sponges. Then, add the other cake sponge and add another frosting layer on top of the cake. For an even more decadent treat, you can also add it around the sides.

Tips & Tricks

I can’t stress this enough: make sure that the cake is fully cool before attempting to ice it! Skipping this step always ends in disaster – trust me, I’m super impatient but have learnt the hard way.

Melting occurs because vegan cream cheese often contains coconut oil, which melts more easily. Try to keep your cakes in the fridge as much as you can because when the cream cheese gets to room temperature it can become a slippery mess.

If you find it easier, then you can use two cake tins and make two cake layers rather than one larger sponge.

If you somehow manage not to demolish the entire cake in one sitting, then you can store it in the fridge for 3-4 days in an airtight container. The cream cheese frosting can be made a day in advance, as long as it’s refrigerated.

More Vegan Cake Recipes

If you love this Vegan Red Velvet Cake, be sure to check out these other delicious vegan cake recipes: