This vegan strawberry yogurt cake is packed full of fresh strawberries! Made with plant based yogurt to create light and fluffy sponge, this easy traybake is made in one bowl and with very simple ingredients. Perfect summer bake!
I do love easy vegan bakes and this seasonal and fresh strawberry yogurt cake is definitely one of them.
Early summer is filled to the brim with locally grown, sun-kissed strawberries and this is the time to make this cake (after you've enjoyed lots of fresh strawberries on their own as nature intended of course).
If you like the sound of this cake you might want to try my other easy vegan traybake - Raspberry Cake which is not only vegan but also gluten-free!
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✔️ Why you'll love this recipe!
- One bowl recipe made with simple ingredients.
- Egg, dairy and nut free.
- Super quick and easy to make.
- Traybake that’s easy to transport (picnics, potlucks, garden parties, BBQs etc.)
- The lightest and fluffiest vegan sponge ever!
- Perfect for making use of fresh, seasonal fruit.
- Can be adapted depending on the season and fruits that are available.
📝 Ingredients and substitutes
Here's what you will need to make this vegan Strawberry Yogurt Cake:
Self-Raising Flour - It gives this simple vegan sponge an extra lift. You can also use plain (all-purpose) flour with added baking powder - use 350g plain flour + 3.5 teaspoon baking powder (make sure they are level teaspoons).
Baking Soda - It will react with our plant based (in my case soya) yogurt to help with the raise and fluffiness of the sponge.
Plant Based Yogurt - I recommend soya yogurt as it’s neutral in flavour and works extremely well in this cake. I used Greek Style soya yogurt which is quite thick but regular plain soya will work as well.
Oil - Use any neutral oil here. I like using light olive oil but cold-pressed rapeseed or sunflower oil will work as well.
Caster (Fine) Sugar - You could use granulated sugar if you want to as well.
Vanilla Extract - For that lovely, subtle flavour in the sponge that goes so well with fresh strawberries.
Soya Milk (Unsweetened)- My preferred plant milk to use in baking. You could use other neutral plant milk like unsweetened oat or almond if you want to but soya gives the best and most consistent results when it comes to vegan baking.
Lemon Zest - Completely optional but will add that little bit of zing to the sponge and goes well with strawberries.
Salt - Just a pinch is all you need. You can of course leave it out but I do like how salt brings out all the other flavours in bakes.
Fresh Strawberries - I would recommend using only fresh strawberries in this cake and to make it when they’re at their best.
🔪 How to make Strawberry Yogurt Cake
Ingredient quantities & detailed instructions to be found in recipe card at the bottom of the post.
Start by preheating the oven to 180C/350F/Gas Mark 4 and prepare your tin by greasing it gently and lining the bottom with baking paper.
Hull (or simply cut off the leafy top) and halve your strawberries.
In a large bowl whisk (or sift) together self-raising flour, baking soda and salt (if using). If you’re making your own self-raising flour make sure to add both plain (all-purpose) flour and baking powder.
In a large jug mix together soya milk and yogurt, sugar, oil and vanilla extract until well combined and really smooth.
Next, pour your wet mixture into the dry and using a spatula and gentle folding motion mix it well until incorporated.
Try to be gentle and only mix until there are no visible signs of flour. The cake batter will be quite lumpy and pretty thick too.
Pour cake batter into prepared cake tin and arrange strawberry halves on top in any way you like. I mostly do it cut half down but if you fancy cut half up then go for it.
Bake in preheated oven for 35-40 minutes until the skewer inserted into centre comes out clean.
Let it cool in a tin for a bit before removing it onto the rack to cool completely.
Sprinkle some icing sugar on top, serve and enjoy!
🍽 Equipment
This vegan strawberry yogurt cake is super straightforward and you can easily make it without the need for any fancy mixers or food processors.
Large bowl, a jug, a whisk (or a sieve) and a spatula are all you need here.
I've used rectangular baking tin (28 x 18cm/11 x 7inch) lined with some baking paper.
I love this tin as it has spill-proof edge and is perfect for all my traybakes.
🥡 Storing
Vegan strawberry yogurt cake can be stored for up to 2 days in the airtight container.
During the hot weather I would keep it in the fridge to prevent strawberries from spoiling. I would then take it out of the fridge at least half an hour before serving to bring to room temperature.
I wouldn’t recommend freezing this vegan traybake as it’s just so much better eaten fresh and freezing will affect the texture of baked strawberries upon defrosting.
💭 Pro tips
Use kitchen scales and measure all the ingredients out on that instead of using cup measuring which is not very accurate.
Try to be gentle when mixing cake batter (folding motion) and only mix it until combined and there is no visible signs of any leftover dry mix.
Get to know your oven! I highly recommend using oven thermometer for consistent baking results as oven thermostats temperature vary so much!
Baking time is approximately 35-40 minutes at 180C in fan oven but if you use different size tin you might need to adjust timing accordingly. Skewer test for doneness really is invaluable.
🍴 Serving suggestions
The simpler the better as far as I’m concerned.
Dusting of icing sugar is all this cake needs especially when served with a nice cup of tea in the afternoon.
Some extra fresh strawberries on the side and I'm super happy!
If you’d like to make it more of a dessert, a drizzle of plant based cream or generous scoop of vegan ice cream will most definitely do the trick!
Oh and let's not forget vegan custard!
❓ FAQs
I have never made this cake using frozen strawberries and would highly recommend using fresh ones only when in season for maximum flavour.
Of course. You can easily adapt this cake and use any berries you want.
This cake will also work nicely with fruits like plums, peaches, apricots, nectarines, apples and pears.
I don't see why not! I have only ever made it using regular flour but feel free to use your favourite gluten-free flour to adapt it to your needs.
Also ensure that raising agents you're using are certified gluten-free.
Have you tried my Strawberry Yogurt Cake?
Please consider giving it ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating in recipe card below and share your views or tips in the comments.
😋 More strawberry recipes you might enjoy!
📋 Recipe
Strawberry Yogurt Cake (Vegan)
Equipment
Ingredients
- 350 g self-raising flour see notes
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- pinch of salt optional
- 250 g plain soya yogurt see notes
- 150 ml unsweetened soya milk see notes
- 90 ml neutral oil light olive oil, cold-pressed rapeseed or sunflower oil
- 160 g caster (fine) sugar or granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 350-400 g fresh strawberries green leaves removed and halved lengthwise
- zest of a lemon optional
- Icing sugar to serve
Instructions
- Start by preheating the oven to 180C/350F/Gas Mark 4 and prepare your tin by greasing it gently and lining the bottom with baking paper.
- Hull (or simply cut off the leafy top) and halve your strawberries.
- In a large bowl whisk (or sift) together self-raising flour, baking soda and salt (if using). If you’re making your own self-raising flour make sure to add both plain (all-purpose) flour and baking powder.
- In a large jug mix together soya milk and yogurt, sugar, oil and vanilla extract until well combined and really smooth.
- Try to be gentle and only mix until there are no visible signs of flour. The cake batter will be quite lumpy and pretty thick too.
- Pour cake batter into prepared cake tin and arrange strawberry halves on top in any way you like. I mostly do it cut half down but if you fancy cut half up then go for it.
- Bake in preheated oven for 35-40 minutes until the skewer inserted into centre comes out clean.
- Let it cool in a tin for a bit before removing it onto the rack to cool completely.
- Sprinkle some icing sugar on top, serve and enjoy!
Notes
- Nutritional information is approximate, per serving (based on 8 servings) and should be treated as a rough guideline only.
- If you don't have self-raising flour you can make your own by whisking together 350g (12.3oz) of plain (all-purpose) flour and 3.5 teaspoon baking powder.
- Feel free to use any neutral tasting plant based yogurt here.
- I recommend using soya milk in baking but you could use any other unsweetened and neutral tasting plant milk like oat or almond.
- Store your cake in the airtight container for up to 2 days or if the weather is really hot, keep it in the fridge. Take it out half an hour before serving to bring to room temperature.
Tiziana says
Hi, this looks delicious, can't wait to make it! Do you think stevia would work instead of sugar? Thanks, Tiziana
joskitchenlarder says
Hi Tiziana, I'm afraid I don't have any experience baking with stevia, sorry.
Lou | Crumbs & Corkscrews says
Oooo this looks a perfectly light and fluffy cake; and so tempting with the strawberries 🙂 I also make my own vanilla sugar, it's so simple and adds that little extra vanilla to recipes. I also love your cake forks!
joskitchenlarder says
Thanks Lou! 🙂 I absolutely adore these little forks too. Present from my grandma years ago.
Michal con delight says
Nowadays there is almost fruit of all kinds out of season, and the magic of waiting for fruit on its time has gone, so I'm trying as well to eat the fruit on its season as much as possible, although there are some fruit that we love so much that we can consume almost every time (avocado for instance). Your yogurt strawberry cake looks so good.
joskitchenlarder says
Thank you Michal! I remember times as a kid when certain fruit and veg were only eaten when in season as they were simply not available at any other time of year. Sometimes I'm quite nostalgic for those times but hey... 🙂 Still, I try and stick to seasonal eating as much as I can and strawberries are definitely the best to be enjoyed in a small window of June and early July (at least here in the UK)!
Toni says
This was so good! Everyone at my house loved it!
joskitchenlarder says
Fantastic to hear! 🙂 I'm really pleased!
Terri says
What a great way to make the most of strawberry season! I love how pretty this cake is (and healthier) and totally showcases the strawberries. I want to give this a try!
joskitchenlarder says
Thank you Teri! We can never get enough of this cake when strawberry season is here! I hope you like it!
Raia says
This sounds SO easy! Anything with strawberries is always a hit with my kids. I can't wait to try this for them, they're going to love it!
joskitchenlarder says
Thanks Raia! 🙂 My kids love this cake and usually some of it is gone before it even cools down 🙂
Lisa says
Gorgeous cake, I wish I had a slice of it right now to go with a cup of coffee. A great dessert for summer.
joskitchenlarder says
Thank you Lisa! It does go well with a nice cup of coffee! 🙂
Kelly Anthony says
This strawberry yogurt cake is a great recipe to use with all the fresh strawberries that are in season. This will sure to be a bit hit at our house.
joskitchenlarder says
Thank you Kelly! 🙂 It is a huge hit in our house and every time I make it, it disappears in seconds! 🙂
Bry Jaimea says
This looks amazing! Already planning when I can make it xx
joskitchenlarder says
Thank you lovely 🙂 x
Helen Costello says
What a wonderful summery recipe - Would go down great at a getogether with friends. Thanks for the tip to make sure all the ingredients are room temp first. Thanks once again for joining in with #BakeoftheWeek. New roundup now open x
Julie McPherson says
Such a delicate and summery cake. Great for enjoying whilst watching the tennis. Commenting as BritMums Baking Round-up Editor. 🙂 x
joskitchenlarder says
Thank you Julie! Definitely perfect accompaniment for watching Wimbledon action! x
Katie Bryson says
This just screams Summer to me - how perfect!!!! Thanks so much for joining in with Simple and in Season this month. xxx
joskitchenlarder says
Thank you Katie! Don't you just love strawberry season! x
Jenny Paulin says
I love how easy this cake is to make and yet it looks like you have spent hours making it! This would be perfect for a school fete (which I am baking for today!). Hmmm I might see ifs I have time to make this for that, as I think it would sell well lol! I will say as seen at Jo's Kitchen Larder! Thank you for linking to #bakeoftheweek x
joskitchenlarder says
Thanks Jenny. It is one of those Summery bakes which you can whip up pretty much last minute if you fancy a pud after Sunday lunch. I suspect it would do alright at the bake sale (it cuts well too) 🙂 Hope the school fete was super fun and your cakes sold well! x
Angela / Only Crumbs Remain says
This looks absolutely gorgeous Jo, I'm a huge fan of strawberry cakes - they smell absolutely amazing when they come out of the oven as well as tasting heavenly! Thankyou too for mentioning my strawberry upside-down cake too 🙂
Angela x
joskitchenlarder says
Thank you Angela and you are very welcome! 🙂 Oh tell me about the smell... and taste... You know it's Summer when cake recipes feature strawberries 🙂 x
Sam - Stressy Mama says
Oooh this looks and sounds lovely. I think I'll have to try it for myself #Brilliantblogposts
joskitchenlarder says
Thank you for your kind comment. I hope you like it 🙂 x
Monika Dabrowski says
This is a fabulous cake recipe - no fuss, very few ingredients and it's bound to taste great with all those strawberries in it! Thank you for bringing this lovely recipe to #CookBlogShare:)
joskitchenlarder says
Thank you Monika for your lovely comment! 🙂 Simplicity is what Summer cooking and baking is all about! x
Lesley@lostinfood says
I love the look of this cake, this might have to be baked over the weekend!
joskitchenlarder says
Thank you Lesley! Please do let me know what you think if you make it. x
Corina says
What a gorgeous cake Jo! It looks to have a lovely fluffy texture and I really love the extra moist bits around the strawberries. Thank you so much for mentioning my muffins too and thanks for sharing with #CookOnceEatTwice x
joskitchenlarder says
Thank you and you're very welcome! I like those bits as well and always get extras as one of my boys eats only the bottom of the cake (not a fan of strawberries). Kids... x