Vanilla Caramel Cake

Hey Christina, we wouldn’t recommend using homemade cashew cream instead of coconut cream for the caramel sauce. Coconut cream has a higher fat content, which helps make the sauce rich and smooth. Cashew cream will likely not thicken properly or have the same texture. If you’re looking for a substitute, a full-fat non-dairy cream would work better :)

Thanks so much!

Hey LP, it's hard to say how store-bought caramel would work considering they each have such different consistencies. Some can be too thin and runny, others perhaps too thick. If you know a particular brand you're confident could work, go for it. Otherwise, we hope we've shared the recipe in a way that's easy to make and achieves positive results. Normal caramel flavour vs. salted caramel is a personal preference - both delicious, though we prefer the slightly richer taste of salted caramel. I hope this helps for now, and happy baking! 💛

Dear PUL team,
Thank you for the reply. I ended up making your caramel sauce, and it turned out absolutely amazing—perfect consistency and all! However, had an issue - I followed the recipe to the letter, even weighing ingredients in grams where specified. The only deviation I made was using unrefined coconut oil instead of refined, but I used the exact amount stated (145g).
The result was a cake that didn’t rise much, despite using fresh baking soda and baking powder. It also took an additional 30 minutes to bake and turned out quite oily and dense as it cooled. Given that baking is such a precise science, I’d love to understand what might have gone wrong. I’ve read that excess fat can sometimes lead to these issues. Taste-wise it was a bit coconuty - which i expected cos of my choice of oil, still loved the flavor!

Thank you for your thoughtful message, LP! We're so glad you enjoyed the caramel sauce. It’s interesting that the cake took an extra 30 minutes to bake and didn’t rise much. Small differences between ovens can slightly affect baking time, but a 30-minute increase is quite significant. The only difference the unrefined coconut oil would make is to the taste, as you said making it taste more coconut-y, but it shouldn't affect the final texture or cooking time. My first thought was perhaps the baking powder was old, but you mentioned you used a fresh one. So the only other thing I can think of is if oven temperature variance could be the culprit. If your oven runs cooler than displayed, it might take longer for the cake to bake and set. Using an oven thermometer to verify the actual temperature could be helpful. One other small thought: did you use a pan size that was the same as ours? A different pan size or type (such as glass vs. metal) can also alter bake times and texture.

*commenting to save this tip*

Hi Shub! We haven’t doubled this recipe ourselves, but that sounds like a great starting point. For your tiers, we recommend splitting about 50% of the batter for the 10-inch pan, 30% for the 8-inch, and 20% for the 6-inch. Keep a close eye on the cakes, as baking times will vary: start checking the 6-inch pan at 25–30 minutes, the 8-inch at 30–35 minutes, and the 10-inch at 35–40 minutes. Use a toothpick inserted into the center to check for doneness. You’ll also want to double or triple the frosting recipe to ensure you have enough for layering and decorating. Let us know how it turns out! 🤗

Thank you so, so much for your helpful reply!!
I ended up doing something very similar to this, except I didn't actually vary the bake times for the different pan sizes.🙈 Fortunately, the cakes turned out amazing!! I was able to create the tiered cake and everyone loved it! I wish I could show you a pic. ☺️ Thank you all so much for yet another amazing recipe!!

Hi Barbs, aw thanks for considering to include in the birthday celebrations! We've added berries like raspberries to the middle frosting layer when assembling the cake before which worked wonderfully. We imagine you could add berries to the batter itself too, but we'd recommend fresh raspberries rather than frozen ones to reduce extra moisture and colour streaking 😊

Thanks so much for the advice and such a quick response<3 I’ll let you know how it turned out;))

Thank you dearest, Jeffrey! We're glad that the cake and other other content is being enjoyed. Hugs to Miami 🤗

I'm really glad to hear it's been helpful, Adalina! Just a heads up about scaling baking recipes: baking requires more precision than cooking, and adjusting quantities isn't always straightforward or advisable. For example, when you scale a recipe up or down, the amount of baking powder should not always be adjusted proportionally. Too much or too little can dramatically alter the texture and rise of your baked goods. While it's generally fine to adjust quantities for meals, snacks, or drinks, scaling baking recipes—especially those involving leavening agents like baking powder and baking soda—is something we typically recommend doing with caution 🤓

Hey Angela! Oh so glad you've enjoyed the chocolate cake! For sure, adding strawberry lemon shortcake to our idea list right away - thanks so much for the suggestion! <3

Thank you!

Part 2 ;)

I also sprinkled some roasted walnuts on top, which was really lovely. Putting some in the batter could be interesting as well.

Now, for the gluten-free version: I am honestly quite impressed, as this is the first gluten-free anything I made, which turned out the way it was supposed to! I followed the strategy described above (adding in rhubarb again) and reduced the coconut oil this time by 10ml, which worked perfectly. I simply replaced the flour with a gluten-free one. As I live in the UK I used freees´ self-raising flour and just used half the baking powder suggested. I made cupcakes again. This time I used the fan setting on my oven and turned down the heat to 160° Celsius, which meant they were done after 15 min, although they could have used 2 minutes longer. Oh, and in both cases I reduced the sugar from about 120g to around 70-80g, which was sweet enough for me, as I don´t have a massive sweet tooth. Right, that's it from me. As with every recipe on this website, it is truly amazing and makes living vegan a whole lot easier ;)

Aww we're so honoured to hear the cake was enjoyed as part of the festivities 🥰 thanks for sharing your experience with it, Terhi, and happy belated Mother's Day 🫶✨

Hey Claire, thanks a bunch for taking the time to share the update and your experience with the vanilla cake! It means a lot that it was enjoyed by everyone 🫶✨

Hey Claire, we believe vegan margarine would work in place of the coconut oil. It will likely impart a bit of a margarine taste to the cake, compared to refined coconut oil which is more neutral in flavour though 😊

Hey there, Jen, aw thanks so much for taking the time to share this! Your kind words and support mean so much 💛 for the vegan margarine, it can help to choose a brand that isn't spreadable, but rather the kind that comes in a block, resembling butter. Cooling the margarine down, as you did, is a great idea too. We're so thrilled that you love the app as well - we're excited to continue our culinary journey together! ✨

Hey Freya! The vegan butter we use most often is Flora 😊

Happiest of birthdays to your mother-in-law! Thank YOU, Dr. Bear 🥰

Thanks for the request, Freya, we've noted it down 😊

Hey Lima, we'd love to hear it!

Hey Lima, we've heard positive reviews with gluten-free flour. A mix of gluten-free flours typically works best :)

Oh, Alex, happiest of birthdays to your mom 🥳 we're so incredibly honoured the cake was part of the festivities! It means so much 💛

Hey Stine, we've added berries to the middle frosting layer when assembling the cake before which worked wonderfully. That would be the safest bet. We imagine you could add berries to the batter itself too, but we'd recommend fresh blueberries rather than frozen ones to reduce extra moisture and colour streaking. We haven't tested out the cake with other types of sugar so can't say with certainty. If experiment with it we'd love to hear how it goes 🙂

Hey Ava, we're so thrilled the cake and other PUL recipes are being enjoyed! It means so much. Thank YOU for the kind words and letting PUL be part of your journey with plants 🌱

Hey there, Shara, we suspect the caramel sauce could work with butter although haven't tested it out so are not certain. If you're finding it's consistently too thick that may be the culprit. You can consider stirring in a splash more coconut cream to thin out the sauce if that butter is the most accessible 🙂

Mmm sounds delicious, Victoria, thank you for sharing your experience with it!

Hey there, Kristin, a lovely idea to try cupcakes! We sometimes get sticky baked goods due to a reaction between sugar and water that may be in the air. Did you measure using the gram and mL amounts listed, or using the cup and Tbsp amounts?

In case you use cup measurements, perhaps it might help to ensure that the sugar isn't too packed in the cup, but rather, gently spooned into the measuring cup and levelled. This will ensure that not too much sugar is added if you give the recipe another try. Allowing the cupcakes to cool completely before storing can also help since it reduces the amount of steam or water that may be trapped in the storage container. We hope this helps for now, Kristin, and do let us know if you experiment more with it 🙂

Hi it worked perfectly with less sugar and letting it cool completely before taking the cupcakes out of the baking pan. 👍

Wow we're so honoured the cake was part of the special day, Sherri! Happiest of birthdays to your mom 💚

Thanks for the request, Zewa, we've noted it down! In the meantime, if you're interested and haven't already seen, you can find all of our dessert recipes here: pickuplimes.com/recipe/?sb=&a… ☺️

Hey Sofi! We haven't tried either ourselves so we can't say with absolute certainty. Cake flour generally has a lower protein amount than all-purpose with the addition of corn starch. You'll likely need more cake flour, such as approximately 1/3 cup total, and the texture will likely be more fluffy.

Vegetable oil should work, but will likely result in a cake that is a bit more crumbly and less moist, perhaps also giving a nuttier taste if sunflower oil is used. If you do give it a try, let us know how you find it 😊 We also preferred coconut oil because the hardening of coconut oil at room temperature helps maintain the structure of the cake a bit more. We hope this helps for now!

So happy to hear, Magali, thank you!

Yes, you can :)

Hey, Petranka, and thanks for sharing, Saffron! Indeed lemon juice can be used. We hope you enjoy the cake 😊

So glad the cake was enjoyed! Wishing you the happiest of birthdays as well, Heleen 🥳❣️

Aw we're so honoured to hear, Faye - thank you 😃 Since we only use plant-based products here at PUL we haven't tested it out, but we hope you enjoy the cake if you're able to give it a try. Wishing you a very happy holidays as well 💚

Thank you for the reply. I meant vegan double cream. I'm based in the UK and we have such a variety of vegan alternatives.

Hey Faye, apologies for the confusion! So lovely to have access to various plant-based options 🙂 We haven't experimented with vegan double cream but believe it would work in the sauce. If you give it try and there's a stronger cream taste to the sauce than desired, adding a tad more syrup or sugar may help. We hope you enjoy the cake if you experiment with it 😃

Hi Mihi! Thanks for sharing the kind words with us, and so nice of you to make a cake for your boyfriend. We're so grateful you've been part of the PUL family for so long too 💚

We haven't doubled this cake recently, although it's possible! If you choose to double the recipe, you could either split the batter between two pans, or use a taller pan depending on the height of yours to begin with. The cake will take a bit longer to bake, so we'd recommend checking in 3-5 minute increments after the initial 35 and removing the cake when the edges are golden and a thin wooden skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean 🙂

Such a big compliment, Jane! Huge props for making it on your own as well 🤗

Hey there, Caitlen, so honoured a PUL recipe is being considered for the special occasion! How nice of you to make a cake too 😃 You can definitely make the cake in advance, and adding the icing ahead of time is no problem as well 😊 I'd personally recommend adding the caramel and/or fruit just before serving though so that it looks the nicest. Our chocolate cake tends to stay fresh for longer so that may be another option if you're interested: pickuplimes.com/recipe/easy-v…. Happiest of birthdays to your boyfriend 🥳

Hi Michelle, so kind of you to make a cake for your mum's birthday! We appreciate your kind words so much as well 😃

We believe butter would work in place of margarine in the caramel sauce for certain. As for the butter in the cake itself, I'm not 100% sure, but my intuition tells me that should work as well. It will likely, though, impart a bit of a buttery taste to the cake, compared to refined coconut oil which is more neutral in flavour. But if you like the taste of vegan butter, that should be fine. Do let us know if you give the cake a try 🤗 And happy bday to your mum 🥳

So glad the cake was enjoyed, Kayla! Thank you for taking the time to share :D

Hello, is anyone up for a little advise, I just want to know if I can use vegetable oil in place coconut oil???

Hey Ray, apologies that we couldn't answer your question right away. We haven't tried it ourselves so we can't say with 100% certainty, but we just chatted about it amongst the team and with our understanding of baking, we think vegetable oil should work, but will likely result in a cake that is a bit more crumbly and a bit less moist. If you do give it a try, let us know how you find it 😊 We also preferred coconut oil because the hardening of coconut oil at room temperature also helps maintain the structure of the cake a bit more. I hope this helps for now! 🍰

Really disappointed😔

Hello, Ariene, thank you for the question! Oat milk will work in place of the soy milk. Happy baking 🎂

Thank you for taking the time to share the review, Emily, and so happy the cake was enjoyed 🤗

We're so glad everyone enjoyed it, Kim!

This is so lovely to hear, Silvia! Thanks for sharing your review with us 🥰