This Vegan Take on Reese Witherspoon’s Southern Cake Deserves an Oscar

While Reese Witherspoon might be known for her iconic performances in Legally Blonde, Wild, and Walk the Line (where she starred alongside vegan activist and actor Joaquin Phoenix), her Southern-style cooking has made a name for itself over recent years. The acclaimed actress released her cookbook Whiskey in a Teacup in 2018, in which she shared many recipes inspired by her upbringing, including her grandmother’s sour cream cake recipe. 

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While traditional sour cream cake calls for, of course, sour cream, there are many dairy-free alternatives that can easily be substituted in to achieve that same subtle tang. This recipe also calls for heavy cream and eggs, and while we’ve found that liquid vegan egg works best as the substitute in this recipe, feel free to try other egg alternatives such as flax eggs or a store-bought egg replacer. As for the heavy cream, there are a number of brands making dairy-free versions. 

Since this recipe involves a cooked frosting, keep in mind that the frosting will set much more quickly than a buttercream frosting, so it’s best to make sure the cakes are fully cooled. Be ready to frost the cakes quickly. 

Strap on your apron, stream your favorite Witherspoon flick on TV, and welcome some Southern charm into your kitchen with this nostalgic recipe. 

Reese Witherspoon’s Sour Cream Cake, Veganized

What You Need: 

For the cake:
¾ cup unsalted vegan butter, slightly softened, plus more for greasing
3 cups cake flour, plus more for flouring pans
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
1¼ cups vegan sour cream
4 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cups sugar
Egg replacer for 6 eggs (or liquid vegan egg such as Just Egg)

For the frosting:
½ cup unsalted vegan butter, slightly softened
½ cup lightly packed dark brown sugar
½ cup vegan heavy cream
3¾ cups powdered sugar, sifted
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

What You Do:

1. For the cake, preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease two 9-inch cake pans and place a round piece of parchment paper at bottom of each.
2. Into a medium bowl, sift flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside. In a small bowl, combine sour cream and vanilla.
3. In bowl of a stand mixer, or a large mixing bowl with a hand mixer, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Mix in egg replacer a little at a time.
4. Mix in dry ingredients, alternating with sour cream mixture about three times. Mix batter until just combined.
5. Between prepared cake pans, divide batter and bake 30 to 35 minutes until toothpick inserted in middle comes out clean. Once baked, cool completely.
6. For the frosting, in a saucepan over medium heat, melt butter. Stir in brown sugar and cream and bring to a boil. Transfer to a heat-safe bowl on a stand mixer and beat on low with paddle attachment. Gradually mix in powdered sugar and vanilla.
7. Onto a cake stand, place bottom cake layer. Top with ¾ cup of frosting and spread until smooth. Top with second cake layer and frost entirely.