Vegan Pound Cake: Easy Egg-Free Loaf

Vegan pound cake swaps eggs and dairy for vegan butter and plant milk soured with a little apple cider vinegar. It bakes in a standard loaf tin at 180 C for about an hour and comes out buttery and close-grained, the way a pound cake should be, with a soft crumb rather than the heavy, wet texture eggless cakes often end up with.

It takes about ten minutes to put together and uses ingredients most people already have in the cupboard. There is no creaming stage to get wrong and no egg replacer to buy.

Why the batter behaves the way it does

A traditional pound cake gets its structure from eggs and from air beaten into butter. Take the eggs out and both props disappear, so this version leans on two other things.

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The first is acid. Apple cider vinegar stirred into soy milk curdles it slightly and drops the pH of the batter, which reacts with the baking powder as soon as the wet and dry ingredients meet. That is why the batter looks bubbly and why it needs to go straight into the oven rather than sitting on the bench.

The second is restraint. Without eggs, flour is doing most of the structural work, and the more you mix wheat flour with liquid the more gluten develops. A little gluten stops the loaf collapsing. Too much turns it rubbery and puts tunnels through the crumb. Fold until you no longer see dry flour, then stop.

Tips for preparing vegan pound cake

Should you fold or beat the batter?

Fold. Whisking the vegan butter and sugar together at the start is fine, and with an electric mixer medium-high for 3 to 7 minutes is about right for that stage. Once the flour goes in, switch to a spatula or a low speed and work gently until the batter is just smooth. Beating at that point is what makes an eggless loaf tough.

How long does it keep?

The vegan pound cake can be stored at room temperature for up to 5 days. To keep it moist, wrap it in plastic wrap or store it in a closed container. It also freezes well: slice it first, wrap the slices, and they will keep for about 3 months. Thaw at room temperature or warm a slice in the toaster.

What tin size should I use and how long does it bake?

The recipe is written for a 9 x 5-inch loaf tin (23 x 13 cm), which bakes in about 60 minutes at 180 C (350 F). Other tins change the timing:

8.5 x 4.5-inch tin (21 x 11 cm): the loaf sits taller, so allow 65 to 70 minutes and cover the top loosely with foil once it is deep golden.
Two mini loaf tins (about 15 x 8 cm each): 30 to 35 minutes.
20 cm round tin: 40 to 45 minutes.
12-hole muffin tin: 20 to 25 minutes.

Start checking with a skewer 10 minutes before the time is up. The batter is thick, so the centre is the last part to set.

Why is my pound cake dense or gummy?

Usually one of four things:

Overmixing after the flour went in. Fold, do not beat.
Old baking powder. Drop half a teaspoon into hot water, and if it does not fizz hard, replace it.
Cutting it warm. The crumb keeps setting as it cools. Let it sit in the tin for 15 minutes, then finish cooling on a rack.
Too much flour from scooping the cup. Spoon it in and level it off instead.

Serving variations for Pound Cake

Add Icing

The pound cake can either be sprinkled with powdered sugar or topped with icing or glaze.

To make a simple glaze, whisk together one cup of confectioners’ sugar (icing sugar, about 120 g) and one tablespoon of dairy-free milk. You might also add a drop or two of flavour extracts, such as lemon or orange. You have your icing ready.

Serve With Fruit & Cream

The cake tastes great on its own, but you can also serve it with fresh fruit and dairy-free whipped cream.

Ingredients

1/2 cup vegan butter or coconut oil (about 115 g)
1 cup brown sugar (about 200 g)
2 cups all-purpose flour (plain flour, about 250 g)
3 tsp baking powder
1 cup soy milk or other plant-based milk (250 ml)
1 tsp apple cider vinegar
powdered sugar (icing sugar, optional for topping)

How to Make Vegan Pound Cake

Preheat the oven to 180 C / 350 F. Grease a 9 x 5-inch loaf pan (23 x 13 cm).

Pour the soy milk into a small bowl and gradually mix in the apple cider vinegar. Leave it for a couple of minutes while you get on with the rest.

In a small bowl, whisk together the vegan butter and brown sugar.

In a large mixing bowl, add the flour and baking powder. Mix well.

Proceed to mix the dry ingredients with butter mixture and then add the soy milk mixture. Fold together until you get a smooth batter.

Pour batter into a loaf pan and place into the oven to bake for about 60 minutes. It’s ready when a toothpick inserted into the centre of the cake comes out clean.

Let your vegan pound cake cool down before removing it from the loaf pan. Sprinkle powdered sugar over the cake before serving.

FAQ

Which plant milk works best?

Soy milk, because it has the most protein, so it curdles properly with the vinegar and browns well. Oat milk is next best and gives a slightly sweeter, softer loaf. Almond and rice milk work but are thinner, so the crumb comes out more open. Use unsweetened, unflavoured versions of any of them.

Why did my loaf sink in the middle?

Almost always because the oven door was opened before the centre set, or the cake came out a few minutes early. The crust firms up well before the middle does, so it can look done on top while the centre is still liquid. Leave it alone for the first 45 minutes, then check with a skewer.

Can I use oil instead of vegan butter?

Yes. Use 120 ml of a neutral oil such as sunflower in place of the 1/2 cup of vegan butter. The loaf will be a touch moister and keep slightly longer, but you lose the buttery flavour that gives a pound cake its character.

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