The Best Vegan Chocolate Cake- A quick and easy recipe, made in 1 bowl! This really is the best chocolate cake ever, vegan or otherwise. It’s super moist, rich and full of chocolate.
My birthday was a few weeks ago, so what did I do? I asked my mom to watch all 3 kids for a few hours so I could create and photograph the BEST EVER Vegan Chocolate Cake. Pretty great birthday if you ask me! 😉
For some reason, every time I get a vegan piece of cake out (such as at Whole Foods or elsewhere), I am disappointed. The frosting is usually yummy, but the cake part is either 1. strange tasting OR 2. super dry, not moist at all. Seriously disappointing.
I’ve also made a few of the vegan chocolate cake recipes out there, but even those weren’t quite moist enough or perfect enough for my taste. So I did a little thinking and experimenting and I finally came up with the best, most perfectly moist and delicious vegan chocolate cake recipe!
The frosting is a mouthwatering, ultra rich chocolate buttercream. I recommend using earth balance vegan buttery sticks, I haven’t found another brand that tastes quite as good.
If you are looking for a lighter alternative, check out this Chocolate Cake with Cashew Vanilla Frosting. There is nothing “light” about this Chocolate Cake! It is a full on indulgent recipe. And I’m okay with that.
What is the secret to a super moist vegan chocolate cake?
A couple of things make this cake super moist. The applesauce helps (don’t worry, you can’t taste it). But the BIG secret is to add a cup of boiling hot water to the cake batter right before baking. It makes such a difference!
The batter will appear runny when you add it, but don’t worry, that is completely correct and exactly what it should be like. It results in the most moist, delicious chocolate cake I’ve ever tasted!
If you are craving a chocolate fix about now, or are new to being vegan and miss good tasting cake, give this recipe a try! It’s easy to make and hard to mess it up.
OR if you are wanting to try something other than chocolate, give this Vegan Lemon Cake a go! It’s one of my most popular dessert recipes, and impresses people every time I make it.
Recipe inspired by Add A Pinch.
The Best Vegan Chocolate Cake
Ingredients
Chocolate Cake
- 1 cup unsweetened almond milk
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- 1 3/4 cups granulated sugar
- 3/4 cup cocoa powder
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup canola oil OR melted coconut oil
- 2/3 cup unsweetened applesauce
- 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 cup boiling water
Chocolate Buttercream Frosting
- 1 cup cocoa powder
- 1 1/2 cups vegan butter, softened baking sticks preferred
- 4-5 cups powdered sugar
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 1/4-1/2 cup unsweetened almond milk
Instructions
For the Chocolate Cake
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and grease two 9-inch cake pans. I also line them with parchment rounds and lightly flour for easy removal of the cakes later.
- Measure 1 cup unsweetened almond milk and add the tablespoon of vinegar to it. Stir slightly and set aside to curdle.
- In a large bowl, add the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Whisk well to combine.
- Now add the oil, applesauce, vanilla and almond milk/vinegar mixture. Mix on medium speed with a hand mixer (or stand mixer with the paddle attachment) until well combined.
- Lower the speed and carefully pour in the boiling water, continuing to mix into the cake batter until combined. The batter will seem very runny at this point; that is how it should be, trust me!
- Divide the batter evenly between your cake pans. Bake for 30-35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. After 10 minutes of cooling in the pan, carefully remove the cakes from the pans and let cool completely before frosting.
For the Chocolate Buttercream Frosting
- Add the cocoa powder to a large bowl (I just wipe out the cake bowl and use it for the frosting). Whisk well to remove any clumps.
- Add the softened vegan butter and mix with a hand mixer until creamed and well combined.
- Add half of the powdered sugar and half of the almond milk, and mix until combined. Add the rest of the powdered sugar and vanilla extract. Mix starting on low, and turn to high. Mix until fluffy and combined.
- If the frosting seems too dry, add more milk, a tablespoon or two at a time. If the frosting seems too wet and doesn't hold it's shape, add more powdered sugar until it thickens up.
- Frost the cake using an icing spatula or just a butter knife.
Video
Notes
- For cupcakes, fill liners half full and bake for 20-25 minutes. The whole recipe will yield approximately 24 cupcakes.
- Double the recipe to make a 4 layer cake, or cut in half to make a 1 layer round cake. You can also make a bundt cake, simply bake for 45 minutes. Or a 9 x 13 inch cake, baking for about 35-40 minutes.
- Don't like a lot of frosting? Cut the frosting ingredients in half. The recipe as written makes enough for thick layers of frosting.
- Nut allergy? You may substitute soy milk or another milk for the almond milk, any non-dairy milk will work here.
- No applesauce? Substitute 2 flax eggs (2 tbs ground flax + 5 tbs water), whipped aquafaba or another egg replacer such as Bob's Red Mill (2 eggs worth).
Hi Nora,
I was thinking of using this recipe for a half sheet cake. Would doubling the recipe work for this? And if so, how long should I bake it? Thank you in advance for your help!
I don’t think you’d need to double it unless you are going for a really thick sheet cake. You can see how I make a sheet cake here – Vegan Sheet Cake.
I make this every birthday for my son with milk and egg allergies. This is hands down the BEST chocolate cake ever, vegan or not. Never leftovers!
Thank you for your awesome review and feedback, Brandy! This makes a fantastic birthday cake, and I’m glad your son is loving it! Happy baking!
I love this cake and make it often! I usually make cupcakes and they are always a hit. Can leftover cupcakes be frozen?
Hi Susan. I’m so glad you are loving the cake recipe! Yes, these cupcake freeze well! Happy baking!
If I’m using sweetened apple sauce, do I need to reduce the sugar in the recipe?
Hi Angie. You could reduce the sugar just a little, however, it’s not necessary. Enjoy!
Hi. Thanks for the recipe. May I know what will be quantity measurement for flex egg for this recipe?
Thanks
I made this cake for my nephew and it was a big hit! The cake is moist, absolutely delicious!! If you are searching for the perfect vegan chocolate cake recipe, the search is over. I’m so happy I found this. I have already made this 6 times!! Love it!! ( I’m not vegan) thank you for sharing this with us!
The recipe is really good, as long as you use the cup measurements 😉 the gram measurements are off and I had to bake the cake twice because the first one was just completely off 🙁 second one turned out amazing though!
Confused. Why are comments mentioning eggs and flax substitutes? It is not mentioned in ingredients and instructions.
Hi Birgitta. Sometimes bakers do not have applesauce, or prefer not to use applesauce. In that situation: Substitute 2 flax eggs (2 tbs ground flax + 5 tbs water), whipped aquafaba or another egg replacer such as Bob’s Red Mill (2 eggs worth).
This is a really good recipe.
Confession- I really wanted an eggless cake since my son is allergic to eggs so I tweaked the recipe a bit. I used regular milk, flax eggs and I also added coffee to the boiling water. Absolutely delicious tasting cake. My frosting wasn’t a hit though … not sure what I did wrong but the cake more than made up for it. Thanks Nora!
As a NON-Vegan I’m always tasked with making my grandson’s birthday cake who’s family IS Vegan. This is the recipe I’ve used and EVERYONE loves it. Including me. It’s pretty easy to make (though I don’t normally keep flax seed) but if you’re Vegan, you will have all the ingredients in your pantry. THIS IS the best Vegan chocolate cake.
I love this recipe! I am not Vegan, but have a grown son who is, so I am always looking for recipes that have the usual staples I have on hand already. This cake tastes wonderful!
I made this and I think it is a wonderful recipe! Thank you.
You are welcome, Mary. I’m thrilled you loved the cake! Thanks for your glowing review! Happy cooking!
Can I use sweetened applesauce or do I have to reduce the sugar in the recipe?
You could reduce the sugar a little if you want, but you don’t have to. It won’t make a huge difference.
Is 2:5 flax:water for one egg or 2?
That is for 2 flax eggs. Enjoy!
How would I use this recipe for an 8“ cake tin?
Yes, just bake the cakes a few more minutes if needed.
I tried this recipe for my daughter in law who was vegan, now it is the only chocolate cake I make. I substitute GF flour for AP flour and it becomes GF as well. Best cake ever!!
Thank you for posting about using gf flour. I’m going to try this today.
This is the best receipe ever! It has become my family favourite! Even baked it for an occasion at our temple and it was a big hit!!!