Vegan Merry Christmas Cake Recipe

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This Vegan Merry Christmas Cake Recipe is the perfect centrepiece for your Christmas party dessert table or as a fun alternative to a tradition Christmas pudding or fruit cake. With a vanilla sponge and icing it is a definite crowdpleaser!

TL;DR

• Soft and fluffy two layer vegan vanilla Christmas cake.

• 100% vegan and dairy-free.

• Filled and covered with festive green vanilla buttercream.

• Great for making ahead and decorating before serving.

• The perfect centrepiece for Christmas parties and family celebrations

Vegan Merry Christmas Cake Recipe

Ingredients

For the Vanilla Sponge

• 400g self-raising flour
• 250g caster sugar
• 1⅓ teaspoons bicarbonate of soda
• 75g golden syrup
• 110ml vegetable oil
• 400ml soya milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

For the Buttercream Decoration

• 500g vegan butter block, softened
• 1kg icing sugar, sifted
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• Green gel food colouring
• Snowflake sprinkles
• Silver edible glitter

How to Make Vegan Merry Christmas Cake Recipe

Step 1: Bake the Sponge Layers

Preheat your oven to 160°C (320°F) and grease and line two 8-inch round cake tins.

In a large mixing bowl, combine the self-raising flour, caster sugar and bicarbonate of soda.

In a separate jug, whisk together the golden syrup, vegetable oil, vanilla extract and soya milk until well combined. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix until you have a smooth cake batter.

Divide the mixture evenly between the prepared cake tins and bake for around 30 minutes, or until the cakes are lightly golden and spring back when gently pressed.

Allow the cakes to cool in their tins for a few minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.

Step 2: Prepare the Buttercream

Beat the softened vegan butter together with the vanilla extract until pale, light and creamy.

Gradually sift in the icing sugar, mixing until smooth and fluffy.

Set aside a few tablespoons of the buttercream to use later for the Christmas message. Add green gel food colouring to the remaining buttercream a little at a time until you reach your preferred festive shade.

Step 3: Assemble the Cake

Trim the tops of both sponge cakes if needed so they are level.

Place one sponge onto your serving plate or cake board, securing it with a small amount of buttercream underneath.

Spread an even layer of green buttercream over the top before placing the second sponge on top.

Apply a thin crumb coat of buttercream over the entire cake and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes. This helps create a smooth finish when applying the final layer of icing.

Step 4: Decorate Your Cake

Cover the chilled cake with a thicker layer of green buttercream and smooth the sides using a palette knife or cake scraper.

Transfer any remaining green buttercream to a piping bag fitted with a large open star nozzle and pipe a decorative border around the edge of the cake.

Place the reserved white buttercream into a piping bag fitted with a small round nozzle and carefully pipe “Merry Christmas” across the centre of the cake. If you’re not confident piping freehand, try writing the words on paper first so you can copy the spacing and lettering.

Finish by scattering over festive snowflake sprinkles and dusting lightly with edible silver glitter for a sparkling Christmas finish.

Top Tips

• Make sure the sponge cakes are completely cool before icing.
• Chilling the crumb coat makes it much easier to achieve a smooth finish.
• Add the food colouring gradually until you reach your desired shade of green.
• Practise piping your Christmas message on paper before decorating the cake.

Storage

Store the cake in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days, or refrigerate for up to 5 days. Bring it back to room temperature before serving for the softest sponge and creamiest buttercream.

FAQs

Recipes Similar to Vegan Merry Christmas Cake Recipe

• Christmas Wreath Cake
• Christmas Iced Brownies
• Christmas Pudding Cookies

Vegan Merry Christmas Cake

Difficulty: Medium

Servings

12

servings

Prep time

1

hour 

Cooking time

30

minutes

Total time

1

hour 

30

minutes

Ingredients

• For the Sponge

• 400g Self Rising Flour

• 250g Caster Sugar

• 1 1/3 tsp Bicarbonate of Soda

• 75g Golden Syrup

• 110ml Vegetable Oil

• 400ml Soya Milk

• 1 tsp Vanilla Extract

• For the Decoration

• 500g Vegan Butter Block at room temp

• 1kg Icing Sugar

• 1 tsp Vanilla Extract

• Green Gel Food Colouring

• Snowflake Spinkles

• Silver Edible Glitter

Directions

• For the Sponge
• Preheat the oven to 160ºc/320ºf and grease and line two 8 inch round cake tins.
• Mix the self raising flour, caster sugar and bicarbonate of soda in a large mixing bowl or stand mixer.
• In a large jug mix the golden syrup, vegetable oil, vanilla extract and soya milk.
• Pour this mixture into the dry ingredients and mix until a smooth batter forms.
• Divide evenly between the two baking tins and bake for 30 minutes or until golden. The sponge should spring back when lightly pressed. Allow to cool completely.
• For the Decoration
• Beat the vegan butter block and vanilla extract with a stand or hand mixer until pale and smooth.
• Sieve in the icing sugar and mix until well combined.
• Put a few tablespoons of the icing aside to use for the writing. Add a little bit of green gel food colouring at a time to the rest of the icing and mix, adding more until you get your desired colour.
• Trim the tops off both layers of sponge to level them out. To assemble the cake, use a blob of icing to stick the first layer to your cake board or plate that the cake will sit on.
• Spread a layer of green icing over the first layer and place the second layer on top. Cover the whole cake with a thin layer of icing and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
• Cover the cake with another thicker layer of icing and smooth using a cake smoother.
• put the remaining green icing into a piping bag with a large open star tip nozzle and pipe a border around your cake.
• Put the 2 tablespoons of white icing into a piping bag with a small round piping tip and write Merry Christmas in the middle of the cake. I find it helpful to write it on a piece of paper first sonI can copy it onto the cake.
• Finally decorate with the snowflake sprinkles and dust with silver glitter.

Comments

Did you make this vegan merry Christmas cake recipe? Leave a comment below and let me know how it turned out!