Easy! Vegan Blueberry Sheet Cake

This vegan blueberry sheet cake is moist, fluffy, and packed with juicy blueberries throughout, topped with vegan blueberry buttercream, which is creamy, smooth, rich, and the most gorgeous shade of purple you have ever seen on a dessert! Completely dairy-free, egg-free, and made with just 12 simple ingredients. This recipe you are going to want to make for every celebration from now on.

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This vegan blueberry sheet cake is everything – the sponge is soft, fluffy, and moist, with blueberries folded through the batter, and the frosting is my vegan blueberry buttercream, creamy and smooth and deeply flavoured with real blueberries. It is stunning, tastes incredible, and it’s so much easier to make than it looks. Trust me! My baking recipes are all easy to make yet look effortlessly gorgeous. 

This cake is perfect for anyone who loves blueberry muffins. I mean, who doesn’t LOVE blueberry muffins, am I correct? It’s like you are eating moist, soft and fluffy blueberry muffins from your fancy local bakery. Only it tastes better, and you make it in your own kitchen! If you have a home party coming up, this would be a fantastic cake to bake and bring over. I’m sure it will steal everyone’s attention and stomach!  

Main ingredients and substitutions

*Use room temperature ingredients unless otherwise instructed.

Plain flour: Plain flour is the base of this vegan blueberry sheet cake, like for most of my other recipes, which gives the cake that soft, tender, perfectly structured crumb. Standard all-purpose plain flour is exactly what you need if you are in the US. For a gluten-free version, swap for a 1:1 gluten-free flour blend and you’ll still get a wonderfully fluffy, moist cake.

Caster sugar: Caster sugar is my go-to sugar for baking because it dissolves quickly and evenly into the batter, giving the cake a delicate sweetness that lets the blueberry flavour shine in the cake. Coconut sugar can be used as a less refined alternative, though it will give the cake a slightly deeper, caramel-tinged flavour and a slightly darker crumb.

Vegan butter: Vegan butter adds richness and flavour to the cake batter that oil alone doesn’t quite give you. Use a good-quality block-style vegan butter rather than a spreadable variety. I love using Flora. 

Soy milk: Soy milk is combined with apple cider vinegar to create a vegan buttermilk, which is key to the light, fluffy texture of this cake. Soy milk curdles most effectively with the vinegar because of its higher protein content, but any other unsweetened plant milk works as a substitute in a pinch or if you don’t want to use soy milk.

Vegan Greek yoghurt: Vegan Greek yoghurt is one of the things that makes this cake so wonderfully moist and tender! It adds richness and moisture that keeps the sponge soft for days. Plain, unsweetened vegan Greek-style yoghurt is what you want. Coconut or soy-based ones both work brilliantly. Avoid anything flavoured as it will affect the overall taste of the cake.

Blueberries: Fresh blueberries are folded through the batter so every slice of this cake is packed with juicy, jammy blueberries! Use the plumpest, most flavourful blueberries you can find. Frozen blueberries work well as a substitute. Add them straight from frozen without thawing first and toss them lightly in a small amount of cornflour before folding in to stop them sinking to the bottom and to prevent the colour bleeding too much into the batter.

Vegetable oil: A splash of vegetable oil alongside the vegan butter keeps this cake extra moist and gives it that beautiful tender crumb that stays soft even after a day or two. Any neutral oil works, sunflower or rapeseed oil are both perfect choices.

Other ingredients: Cornflour, baking powder, baking soda, apple cider vinegar, and vanilla extract.

Note: Substitution may change the final taste and texture of this recipe.

*I use bone char-free sugars for all of my recipes. I cover the topic in my article Vegan Baking 101. Go to the “Is sugar vegan?” section to learn more!

Recommended equipment for this recipe

20 x 30cm baking tray: A 20 x 30cm rectangular baking tray is the best size for this vegan blueberry sheet cake, it gives you an even depth throughout the cake. Line it with baking parchment and leave an overhang on the sides so you can lift the whole cake out cleanly once it has cooled.

Large mixing bowl: A large mixing bowl is a must for combining your dry ingredients and then bringing the full cake batter together. Go for a wide, stable bowl that gives you plenty of room to fold in the blueberries without them spilling over the sides.

Measuring jug: A measuring jug is perfect for making the vegan buttermilk and mixing together all the wet ingredients. The spout makes pouring the wet mixture into the dry ingredients easy, I love my Pyrex measuring jug for this.

Silicone spatula: A silicone spatula is indispensable. Use it to fold the wet and dry ingredients together gently, to fold the blueberries into the batter without crushing them, and to scrape batter into the tin. You will also need it for scraping down the sides of the bowl when making the frosting.

Palette knife or offset spatula: Use a palette knife or offset spatula to create a beautiful, smooth, finish on top of the cake when you spread the blueberry frosting. 

*The ingredient list and measurement for this recipe can be found in the recipe card at the bottom.

How to make vegan blueberry sheet cake

Make the frosting first following my vegan blueberry buttercream frosting recipe and set aside in the fridge.

Step 1: Preheat the oven and make the vegan buttermilk

Let’s start baking! Preheat your oven to 180°C (350°F) and line your 20 x 30cm baking tray with baking parchment. In your measuring jug, combine the soy milk and apple cider vinegar, give it a stir, and set it aside for a couple of minutes until it curdles and thickens. This is your vegan buttermilk, and it’s working hard behind the scenes to give this cake its light, tender, beautifully fluffy crumb. Let it sit there for a minute and do its thing before moving on.

Step 2: Mix the dry ingredients

In your large mixing bowl, whisk together the plain flour, caster sugar, cornflour, baking powder, and baking soda until everything is fully combined and completely lump-free. Getting this step right means your raising agents are evenly spread through the batter, which gives you a consistently risen, even cake from one end of the tray to the other.

Step 3: Combine the wet ingredients and make the batter

To the jug of vegan buttermilk, add the melted vegan butter, vegetable oil, vegan Greek yoghurt, and vanilla extract. Mix everything together until smooth and well combined. Pour the wet mixture into the bowl of dry ingredients and fold together gently with your silicone spatula until just combined. 

As soon as you can no longer see streaks of dry flour, stop. Do not overmix. Overmixing is the enemy of a fluffy cake, and we are not letting that happen to our blueberry cake. Gently fold the blueberries through the batter, being careful not to crush them, then pour the batter into your prepared tin and smooth the top evenly.

Step 4: Bake and cool completely

Place the tray in the centre of the preheated oven and bake for 35 to 40 minutes, until the cake is golden, well risen, and a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. If it comes out with wet batter, bake for another 5-10 mins and test again.

Remove from the oven and leave to cool in the tin for 10 minutes before lifting onto a wire cooling rack to cool completely. And I do mean completely. Frosting a warm cake is a one-way ticket to a melted, sliding, very sad-looking cake, if it can be called cake. Be patient, let it cool fully, and the end result will be so worth it.

Step 5: Frost the cake and serve

Take the blueberry frosting out of the fridge and give it a quick beat with your electric mixer to cream it slightly to the perfect spreading consistency. Spoon it generously over the completely cooled cake and spread it across the top using a palette knife or offset spatula in long, smooth strokes. Add swirls with the back of a spoon for a more textured, bakery-style look if you fancy it. Finish with a handful of fresh blueberries scattered on top, step back, and genuinely marvel at what you have just made. Enjoy!

Serving tips and ideas

• Serve at a summer birthday party in place of a traditional layer cake! The naturally purple frosting makes it look like a proper celebration cake with a fraction of the effort.
• Cut into neat squares and arrange on a cake stand for an afternoon tea spread that will genuinely have everyone talking
• If you don’t fancy buttercream frosting, serve a slice with a scoop of vegan vanilla ice cream on top for an indulgent dessert.
• Or, some sweet whipped cream would be a lovely choice to replace the buttercream too.

Expert tips and tricks

Do not overmix the batter

I say this every time and I will keep saying it sorry because it really is that important to me so automatically to you too. Once the wet and dry ingredients come together, fold gently with your silicone spatula and stop the moment the flour streaks disappear. Little small lumps of flour are totally fine, don’t worry too much! It will all be baked nicely in the oven. Overmixing develops the gluten and gives you a tough, dense cake rather than the light, fluffy, moist one we are going for. This is THE most important thing I swear by that my baker aunt taught me.

Toss the blueberries in flour

Before folding the blueberries into the batter, give them a quick toss in a small amount of flour. This does two useful things. It helps stop them from sinking to the bottom of the cake during baking, and it helps to stop the colour bleeding into the surrounding batter if that is not your cup of tea.

Cool the cake completely before frosting

I know waiting is boring. I know the cake smells incredible and you want to get to the eating part. But please, please let the cake cool fully before you even think about touching the frosting. A warm cake will melt the buttercream on contact, and you will end up with a puddle rather than a beautiful frosted cake. Give it at least an hour on the cooling rack, or pop it in the fridge for 20 minutes once it is room temperature to speed things up.

Use a digital scale to weigh ingredients

Always use a digital scale rather than measuring cups when you are baking. It’s so much more accurate and measuring correctly is very important to achieve the best result.

Recipe variations

• You can easily turn this cake into a lemon and blueberry sheet cake by adding the zest of a lemon to the cake batter and swapping the blueberry frosting for a zingy vegan lemon buttercream. Bright, fresh, and completely irresistible in summer.
• Fancy a blueberry and vanilla version? Add an extra teaspoon of vanilla paste to the batter alongside the vanilla extract for a deeper, creamier vanilla flavour like vanilla ice cream that pairs nicely with the blueberry frosting.
• Love chocolate? Make it a blueberry and white chocolate cake by folding dairy-free white chocolate chips into the batter alongside the blueberries! The creamy white chocolate and jammy blueberry combination is honestly a dream. Mmmm.
• Swap the blueberry frosting for a simple vanilla buttercream and pile the top with a generous blueberry compote instead for a different but equally stunning cake.

How to store

• Room temperature: Once frosted, this vegan blueberry sheet cake can be kept covered loosely at room temperature for up to 1 day in a cool environment. If your kitchen is warm, move it to the fridge straight away as the blueberry buttercream can soften quickly in the heat, and you want it to stay looking as beautiful as it does when it first goes on. If you live in a warm climate or are baking in the summer and your kitchen is hot, do not leave the sheet cake out at room temperature, as it can spoil quickly.

• Refrigerator: Store the frosted cake covered in the fridge for up to 2 to 3 days. The cold will firm up the frosting and the crumb, but it honestly tastes still incredible straight from the fridge, almost fudgier in texture, which is no bad thing at all. Bring individual slices to room temperature before serving for the best texture and flavour.

• Freezer: The cake freezes for up to 2 to 3 months. Once completely cooled, wrap the whole cake (if your freezer is big, mine can’t have a whole cake) or individual slices carefully in cling film and then a freezer-friendly bag or container, and freeze. Defrost fully at room temperature or overnight in the fridge before serving. 

*Although you can store this recipe in the fridge or freezer, it’s always best to consume it fresh and as soon as possible.

Q and A

Why did my blueberries all sink to the bottom?

Blueberries are dense and juicy so they love to sink in a batter, which I don’t mind to be honest. But if you want, there’s a trick. Toss them lightly in a small amount of flour before folding them in, which helps them grip the batter and stay suspended during baking. Also make sure your batter isn’t too thin or too loose, as a thicker batter holds the fruit in place much more effectively.

Can I make this cake ahead of time?

Absolutely, and it is actually a brilliant make-ahead recipe! Bake the cake a day ahead, let it cool completely, wrap it in cling film, and store in the fridge until you are ready to frost and serve. The blueberry frosting can also be made a day or two ahead and kept in the fridge. Just re-beat before using.

Why did my cake come out dense instead of fluffy?

A dense cake is almost always caused by overmixing the batter, which develops the gluten in the flour and creates a tight, heavy crumb. Fold the wet and dry ingredients together gently and stop as soon as the flour streaks have only just disappeared. Also make sure your baking powder and baking soda are fresh too. Old raising agents simply will not give the cake the lift it needs.

Want to master the basics of vegan baking?
Check out Vegan Baking 101 – the beginner’s guide to vegan baking for you to become an excellent vegan baker and familiar with the basics of vegan baking, ingredients, and techniques with useful tips!

You will LOVE this blueberry sheet cake because it is:

• super easy to make
• no egg, no dairy
• great summer bake
• full of juicy blueberry flavour

Want more recipes like this?

Try my other delicious cakes and dessert recipes you might enjoy!

• Strawberry Blueberry Pie
• Blueberry Cobbler
• Blueberry Coffee Cake
• Blueberry Lemon Muffins
• Lemon Blueberry Loaf Cake
• Peach Sheet Cake

Visit the cakes and cupcakes page and recipe page for more delicious recipes!

Please leave a comment and rate this recipe with 5 stars in the comment section below if you like the recipe! Let me know and tag me @thechestnutbakery on Instagram too. Thank you for making my recipe, friends!

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