In this post we go over all the areas of cakes that need to be replaced and the options that you have, to replace them. Hopefully this will give you a better idea of not only what is needed to make a vegan cake but also what you can substitute when you don't have some of the illusive ingredients that vegan recipes so often call for. Don't worry we've all been in the same situation too many times.
Butter
Butter can be replaced with margarine but make sure that you check to see if its vegan friendly as not all are. Most health store will stock vegan options for you to pick up. Additionally you can try replace the butter partly with vegetable shortening in a 75% to 25% ratio.
Eggs
These are a very important part of you recipe as they can be the make or break of the structure of your cake. If you mess this up you'll either get a dry and stiff cake or a super moist almost pudding like consistency. One way to replace your eggs would be to use fruit mashes like bananas or apple sauce. Or alternatively you can purchase vegan egg replacements but they are know to have varying success.
Milk
When baking it is highly recommended that you substitute milk with soy or almond milk and use the exact same measurements. Other non dairy alternatives can like coconut milk can be used but it really depends on your preference and they can have a much stronger flavour and impact on the final product.
Cream
There are any plant based cream replacement that you can find now in most supermarkets, such as Elmea plant. If you want to try having a go at making you own you can using full fat coconut milk and simply treat it like you would normal cream.
Refined sugar
Some refined sugars can use animal products so make sure to check or have a look at the alternatives, such as cane sugar or date sugar. Or alternatively you can look at using sweeteners, but make sure you take note at how much you're adding as they can be a lot sweeter than your typical sugar and you'll need a lot less.