The best vegan cakes to try in 2023
You don't need a special occasion to treat yourself. Read on for our pick of the best vegan cakes around
Whether it’s a post-dinner dessert, a birthday celebration or a weekend treat, there’s always a reason for cake. With vegan diets growing in popularity, many people are looking for the best vegan cakes to replace the classics. Whether avoiding ingredients such as egg and dairy or choosing a vegan lifestyle for environmental reasons, the good news is there are so many vegan cakes on the market, from dinner party centrepieces to individual desserts.
Better still, you can now find vegan cakes everywhere, no matter if you’re popping into your local supermarket or heading to a specialist bakery. We’ve taken on the task of tucking into a range of vegan cakes, to bring you some of the very best on the market. Below, you’ll find our buying guide, with some helpful questions on what to look out for when buying vegan cakes. Alternatively, you can continue scrolling for our top picks.
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At a glance: Best vegan cakes
- Best vegan cake for special occasions: Cutter and Squidge Vegan Summer Cake
- Best everyday vegan cake: Over the Spoon Lemon Cheesecake
- Best vegan cake for celebrations: Bakerdays at Yumbles Birthday Letterbox Cake
- Best vegan cake mix: LELE’S Banana Bread Mix
- Best vegan cake for your freezer: Apres Rich Chocolate and Raspberry Fudge Cake
- Best planet-friendly vegan cake: Oggs Zesty Lemon Cake
How to choose the best vegan cake for you
Are vegan cakes healthier?
Not always. If eating dairy or egg makes you feel unwell, eating a vegan cake will always be the best choice for your body. However, it’s important to remember that just because a cake is vegan doesn’t mean it contains less sugar or less fat than a regular cake.
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How do I know if a cake is vegan?
Most vegan cakes are clearly labelled on the packaging. Labels are important: It’s important to remember that just because something is vegan, it doesn’t mean that it is suitable for you if you are allergic to milk or egg, as some vegan foods can still contain traces. There are also additional vegan accreditations, such as those from The Vegan Society, which can provide an additional mark or reassurance.
How do they make vegan cakes without egg or dairy?
It seems strange to have a cake without egg or dairy but there are lots of ingredients that make vegan cakes taste just as delicious as their regular counterparts. Instead of egg, common replacers are Aquafaba (made from chickpea water), flaxseed or mashed bananas. For dairy, common replacers are dark chocolate, vegetable oil and dairy-free milk such as oat or almond.
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The best vegan cakes you can buy in 2023
1. Wheat-Free Vegan Summer Berry Cake: Best for special occasions
Price: £26 | Buy now from Cutter and Squidge
This fruity, delicate vegan cake from modern London bakery Cutter and Squidge is nothing short of a masterpiece. Both vegan and wheat-free (although note: it’s sadly not suitable for coeliacs), this cake looks so beautiful you almost don’t want to eat it – it’s great for making a statement at parties. The top layer of the cake is a smattering of the creamiest, dairy-free buttercream with summer notes of fruity lemon, freeze-dried strawberries and edible flower petals. Then there are two layers of a sweet, juicy lemon sponge sandwich, with even more of that amazing buttercream and berry jam.
This was one of the best cakes we’ve eaten – vegan or otherwise – and is a real treat for celebrations or just a “you deserve it” day. You can even choose to have it arrive in a bespoke cake tin.
2. Hazelnut Nutella Style Brownie: Best vegan brownie
Price: £19 | Buy now from Cake or Death
Everything at this East London bakery is vegan, so we were spoilt for choice when picking our favourite. Choose from brownies and brookies in flavours such as Nutella, Oreo, Biscoff and Salted Caramel; with many being available as gluten-free options too. We tried the brand’s surprise box, which contains a mix of flavours, with the Nutella-style being our absolute favourite.
We loved the bright leopard print packaging – these brownies are made for Instagram – and after one bite, we were hooked. They are incredibly gooey, caramel-esque, sweet and indulgent, providing a great contrast to smattering of crunchy hazelnuts. You’d never believe they were vegan and free from dairy and egg.
3. LELE’s Banana Bread Mix: Best vegan cake mix
Price: £3.90 | Buy now from LELE’s
Want to bake your own vegan cakes instead? London bakery LELE’s have introduced at-home baking kits, for those who want to get creative in their own kitchen. This banana bread mix is free from both gluten and nut, as well as being vegan.
It’s super simple to use: just add banana, your favourite plant-based milk and oil; then mix, pop in a loaf tin and place in the oven for 50 minutes. We were proud of just how well our banana bread came out, with the result being a sweet, moist and delicious loaf that we couldn’t resist having seconds of.
4. Oggs Vegan Zesty Lemon Cake: Best for sustainable packing
Price: £5.25 | Buy now from Ocado
Oggs is on a mission to create great cakes that also help the planet. All the packaging used is recyclable and home compostable, with the plastic trays being biodegradable. The brand only uses sustainable palm oil and also plants 250 new trees every single month to offset its carbon footprint.
Now let’s talk about the cake. Every cake in the OGGS range uses Aquafaba, a super healthy liquid egg alternative that’s made from chickpea water. But don’t worry, this cake tastes nothing like hummus. The icing was a big hit with our testers – it was the perfect combo of sweet and creamy, although it didn’t taste quite as lemony as we would have liked.
5. Happy Birthday Letterbox Cake: Best personalised vegan cake
Price: from £15 | Buy now from Bakerdays at Yumbles
Bakerdays takes postal cake delivery to the next level. With handmade, letterbox-friendly cakes available for all kinds of greetings, including personalised photo cakes. Any of Bakerdays cakes can be made with a vegan sponge and you can choose from a letterbox five-inch cake with two to four servings or a small party cake, which feeds up to 12.
These are the perfect birthday option for the vegan in your life. The sponge and icing were delicious and the customisation is such a fab touch.
6. Over the Spoon Lemon Cheesecake: Best vegan cheesecake
Price: £2 | Buy now from Tesco
Vegan cheesecake? Yes, you read that right and this one is gluten-free and soya-free too. A mix of sweet and zesty lemon curd, creamy vanilla mouse (thanks to coconut milk) and a crumbly biscuit base made from gluten-free oats, this one really hits the spot.
Its reasonable price means it’s a great option for a midweek treat or when you’ve got friends round for a movie night. Better still, as they come in packs of two single-serving pots, there’s no need to worry about sharing.
7. Organic rich chocolate and raspberry fudge cake: Best frozen vegan cake
Price: £9 | Buy now from Après
Après is home to organic food developed by Nutritionist Catherine Sharman.
All its products are gluten-free and refined sugar-free, with an emphasis on organic ingredients such as pink Himalayan salt.
This rich fudge cake uses gluten-free oat milk, ground almonds and fresh raspberries to provide a fresh and delicious chocolate cake, which can be kept in the freezer, and even cooked from frozen, for those sweet-tooth emergencies. Purchase alone or build a box of other dishes for home delivery. Oh, and the packaging is 100% recyclable too.
8. Banana and Chocolate Loaf Cake: Best vegan loaf cake
Price: £7.50 | Buy now from Ginger Bakes
Lake District-based Ginger Bakes recently received green certification and is on a mission to reduce its food miles, as well as using local suppliers. The brand also partners with Growing Well, a mental health charity and organic farm.
Unlike some cakes, there’s minimal outer packaging and inside is a recipe to make one of the Ginger Bakes at home. As well as being vegan, this loaf is low in sugar and fat. The smooth dark chocolate is slathered across the entire loaf and there are also sizeable chunks of Belgian chocolate throughout. The loaf itself isn’t super sweet, since there’s little sugar, but the contrast between the light banana and the dark chocolate works perfectly together.