This Vegan Sweet Almond Cake is perfect for Spring. Layers of sweet almond cake, almond buttercream, flaked almonds and a gorgeous Easter bunny design. It’s the ultimate Easter celebration cake. Vegan, No-Egg, No-Dairy and easy to make.
This cake has been made in collaboration with Flora. All opinions expressed in this post are my own. (For more information along with affiliated links, check out my disclosure policy.)
Vegan Sweet Almond Cake
This vegan sweet almond cake is for everyone who loves the flavour of almond (and delicious cake of course). It may look like a plain vanilla cake, but the flavour is unique with almond extract both in the cake and buttercream frosting. It has three layers of soft and moist vegan sponges sandwiched with the most luscious whipped buttercream and toasted flaked almonds. Don’t even get me started on the decoration.. IT’S SO CUTE! The little bunnies wrap around the cake in the most gorgeous festive design, I’m in love!
Looking for more Easter recipes, check out my Vegan Carrot Cake Cream Horns, Vegan Easter Bunny Madeleines, Vegan Lemon Sheet Cake, Vegan Carrot Cake Cookie and Easter Basket Cookie Cups.
Why you’ll love this sweet almond cake:
- TASTE: This vegan almond cake is moist, fluffy, perfectly flavoured with almond extract, chopped and toasted almonds.
- VARIATIONS: The cake can be customised to suit your taste. For example, you could swap out the flaked almonds and add in a cookie butter / Biscoff filling or a caramel sauce or lemon curd for example.
- DIFFICULTY: The cake is really simple to prepare as all the ingredients are mixed in one bowl (with only the buttermilk in a jug). We’re also using a super easy whipped American style buttercream, with the addition of some almond extract for added flavour.
- STORAGE: The frosted cake keeps very well in the fridge and maintains it’s moist texture which means you can prepare the cake a few days in advance if needed. Just make sure it’s kept in an air tight / sealed container for optimum moistness!
- DECORATION: The easiest but most effective design has to be the piped bunnies. They are so easy to pipe on the sides of the cake and look super cute! You can make them as large or little as you prefer.
Ingredients + tools you’ll need:
This recipe is super easy, using ingredients that you may already have in your kitchen cupboards / pantry. If not, don’t worry… I’ve listed them below for you to jot down on your shopping list for your next shopping trip. You can find the quantities including the full method and ingredients list in the recipe card at the bottom of the page.
- Dairy-free milk : This is for making a vegan buttermilk. Soya milk works best, but you can use any dairy-free milk including almond, oat and cashew.
- Apple cider vinegar.
- Self Raising Flour.
- Caster sugar : Use a fine, white sugar.
- Almond extract: Use a high quality almond flavour / extract for optimal flavour.
- Chopped almonds.
- Raising agents : Baking powder and bicarbonate of soda.
- Sunflower oil : Make sure to use a neutral flavoured oil.
- Dairy-free butter : Use a dairy-free block butter for best results (Flora Plant Butter is my go-to)!
- Icing sugar : Sieve before use to remove any clumps.
- Flaked Almonds : Use toasted for even more flavour.
- Food gel: You’ll need black and pink food gel for decoration, I’ve linked THE BEST vegan food gels here.
- Star tip piping nozzle.
- Round piping nozzle.
- 8” loose base cake tins
How to make a Vegan Sweet Almond Cake
This is the kind of cake that will have your friends and family questioning if you even made it, it’s THAT good! Serve it with a cup of coffee or a hot chocolate with an Easter film on the TV for the ultimate festive, cozy experience. You can find the full written recipe and ingredients in the recipe card at the bottom of the page.
- Cake / sponges
Mix together the milk and vinegar. Set aside for 5 minutes, this creates a vegan buttermilk. In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, sugar, baking powder and bicarbonate of soda. Add the oil and almond extract into the buttermilk. Add the wet into the dry ingredients and mix to combine. Fold in the chopped almonds.
- Bake
Divide the batter equally into three lined baking tins and bake the cakes until golden brown, risen and a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean and the cakes are springy to the touch. Allow them to cool fully before filling and frosting.
- Stacking and frosting
In a bowl, whisk the butter until pale and creamy. Add in the icing sugar and almond extract. Whip until light and fluffy. Remove a few tablespoons of buttercream and add into a separate bowl. Colour the remaining buttercream with pink food gel. Once the cakes are cold, stack and fill the cakes with the pink buttercream, sprinkling flaked almonds in-between the layers. Repeat until the cake is stacked, then, crumb coat and chill until firm. Once chilled, give the cake a final coat of buttercream. Pipe a swirl of pink buttercream around the top edge border of the cake.
- Decoration
Pipe bulbs of white buttercream around the sides of the cake, adding in the ‘bunny ears’. Pipe the nose and ears with some pink and two dots of the eyes. Add some chopped almonds around the cake and on top.
- Serve
Slice with a sharp knife, serve and enjoy!!
How to make THE BEST Vegan Buttercream
You’re after a thick, whippy, smooth and creamy buttercream? Then you’ve come to the right place! This is the ultimate soft, airy buttercream frosting which is perfect in taste and texture. I prefer to use Flora Plant Block Butter as it never fails and is the perfect butter for making buttercream.
To prep: whip the Flora butter for at least 5 minutes on high speed using a stand mixer with balloon whisk attachment or electric hand whisk until it becomes really light and airy, then add in the icing sugar almond extract and splash of dairy-free milk until it’s the perfect light and creamy consistency, then add the colour. This buttercream will be used for stacking the cakes, crumb coat, final coat, swirl on top and bunny decoration.
Speaking of the bunnies, any left over buttercream can be piped on the sides of the cake transferred into a piping bag fitted with a round top nozzle and piped into shapes around the sides of the cake. I then use some of the white buttercream for the details. It’s such a simple yet effective design!
Tips for stacking and decorating the cake
If you want the cakes to be even and each slice to have the perfect layers; pipe the buttercream then use an off-set spatula to spread it flat. This will ensure a even base for the next layer of cake.
I decorated my cake in a super fun, Easter style with a pastel pink coloured buttercream and piped bunnies on the side. The baby / pastel pink buttercream background contrasts against the white bunnies making them stand out beautifully.
The cake is topped with a swirl of buttercream and flaked almonds. Other great alternative topping ideas include:
- Crushed Biscoff biscuits: As the cakes are stacked with almond buttercream and flaked flmonds, Biscoff is a delicious addition. The flavours compliment so well together.
- A caramel drizzle : Go all out and add a sweet caramel drizzle to the top of the cake. You can use my vegan 3 ingredient caramel sauce for this.
- Candied oranges : The addition of citrus / zesty oranges alongside the toasty almond cake and nuttiness is delicious, and makes for a really yummy flavour explosion! It also pairs well with the Spring theme!
If you make, and love this recipe, please leave a ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ rating below. Thank you & happy baking! Make sure to tag me in your photos on Instagram , TikTok and Facebook! And if you want to pin this recipe for later, you can use the button on the recipe card, above or below this post, or on any of the photos. Happy baking all!
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Vegan Sweet Almond Cake
- Total Time: Overnight
- Yield: 8–10 1x
- Diet: Vegan
Description
Make the BEST Vegan Almond Cake – Layers of sweet almond sponge, almond buttercream decorated with Bunnies for Easter – SO CUTE!
Ingredients
Ingredients for the cake
- 480ml of dairy-free milk (soya milk works best)
- 2 teaspoons of apple cider vinegar
- 420g of self raising flour
- 300g of caster sugar
- 50g of chopped almonds (plus extra for decoration)
- 1 teaspoon of baking powder
- 1 teaspoon of bicarbonate of soda
- 120ml of sunflower oil
- 2 teaspoons of almond extract / flavouring
Ingredients for the buttercream
- 530g of dairy-free butter (I used Flora Plant block butter)
- 500g of icing sugar
- 2 teaspoons of almond extract / flavouring
- Dairy-free milk (if needed)
- Pink food gel
- Black food gel
Ingredients for decoration
- 80g of flaked almonds (for layering and decorating)
Instructions
Method (cakes)
- Preheat your oven to 180°C fan and line three 8 inch loose base / push up cake tins with greaseproof paper. If you don’t have 3 cake tins you will have to bake the cakes separately. Just cover the unused batter with a damp tea towel until you’re ready to use it.
- In a bowl, combine the dairy-free milk with the apple cider vinegar and whisk until fully combined. Set aside for 10 minutes to curdle. This creates a vegan ‘buttermilk’.
- In a large mixing bowl, sift the flour, sugar, chopped almonds, baking powder and bicarbonate of soda. Mix well to combine.
- Add the oil into the ‘buttermilk’ along with the almond extract and whisk to combine.
- Add the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix.
- Pour equal amounts of batter into the lined cake tins. Make sure to tap the tins on the worktop to remove any air bubbles.
- Pop the cakes into the centre of the preheated oven and bake for around 25-30 minutes. You will know they are done when you put a knife or skewer in to the centre of the cake and it comes out clean and they are springy to the touch.
- Place the cakes on a cooling rack and allow to cool slightly before removing them from the tins. Leave the cakes to cool fully on the cooling rack. Once cool, pop them into a sealed container to keep them fresh before frosting.
Method (buttercream)
- In a large mixing bowl, add in the dairy-free butter, whip until creamy. I use a stand mixer with a balloon whisk attachment, a hand mixer will work great too.
- Sift in the icing sugar and add in the almond extract. Whip on high speed for around 5-8 minutes to incorporate it. Add a splash of dairy-free milk if needed. If the frosting is too thick, add some more chunks of butter. if it’s too soft, add more icing sugar. You want it smooth, creamy and airy.
- Remove a few tablespoons of buttercream and place into a separate bowl. Colour the large portion of the buttercream with a drop of pink food gel. Whip to combine, you want a pastel pink colour.
- Transfer some of the plain white buttercream into a piping bag fitted with a medium round tip nozzle, set aside. Colour a small amount of buttercream (approximately 1-2 teaspoons worth with black food gel, transfer into a disposable piping bag and snip off a tiny tip, set aside. You can also add some pink buttercream into another piping bag, snip off the tip. This will be for the bunnies ears and nose details so you only need a tiny amount.
- Place one of the cakes on a serving plate or cake stand. Dollop or pipe some of the pink buttercream on top and spread out until even using an off-set spatula or pallet knife.
- Sprinkle flaked almonds over the top of the buttercream, then place the second cake layer on top. Press it down gently so it sticks, repeat for the third cake. Coat the whole cake with a thin layer of pink buttercream. This creates a crumb coat.
- Place the cake into the fridge to set for 15-20 minutes. You want the frosting to be firm, this will make the final coat and applying the decorations easier.
- Remove the cake from the fridge and apply a second/final coat, this time making it thicker, then using a cake scraper to make the edges of cake smooth.
- Transfer any left over pink buttercream in a piping bag fitted with a star tip nozzle and pipe a swirl around the top edge of the cake.
- Use the white buttercream to pipe small bunny shapes all around the sides of the cake.
- Pipe on two black dots for the eyes. Use more of the pink buttercream for the nose and ears. Refer to video for visual reference.
- Sprinkle flaked almonds to the top of the cake, and press chopped almonds to the sides of the cake for added flavour and texture.
- Slice and enjoy!
Notes
To store: Store this cake in a sealed container in the fridge. Best eaten within 3 days of making.
Remove from the fridge and leave at room temperature for 15 minutes before serving.
Un-iced cakes can be stored in a sealed container at room temperature for 2 days.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 25-30 minutes
- Category: Cakes and layer cakes
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
