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.
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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).
The chocolate cake was the first vegan food that I have ever made. I found this recipe online and I made it for my son’s girlfriends birthday. I was very unsure of the taste because I am not vegan. I followed the recipe exactly except that I wasn’t able to find Earth Balance vegan butter sticks so I just got the tub. It was so easy to make and it tasted so good. It was very moist and sweet. Everyone loved it. My son said, ‘it tastes better than a real cake’. LOL. I am very impressed and so was my whole family. Thank you.
Wonderful! I’m thrilled the cake was a hit for you and the family 🙂 Thank you for your review!
Wow I just made a double batch for my daughter’s birthday tomorrow and I’m so glad I did because I ate 3 nice and warm!!! They are soooo soft and fluffy and super moist and light!!! Wow, my go to chocolate cake/ cupcake recipe!!! Thank you so much for creating such wonderful cruelty free recipes. I know we will all be having one for dessert tonight as well!😆
Smart move making the double batch! Thank you so much for the fantastic review and feedback! I’m thrilled you loved the cake so much 🙂
Can you use soy milk instead of almond milk??
Absolutely!
Could I use brown sugar instead of white sugar?
I have never made this cake with brown sugar, however, others have and shared that the cake turned out great. Let me know how it works for you if you use brown sugar! Happy baking!
please i need a simple cake recipe for a one year old birthday. just something simple please
I first printed this recipe out in 2019 and have been making it several times a year since from that copy since. Came back today just to figure out where it’s from. I made it first for a vegan neighbor’s party, and loved it so much its become a celebration staple and my favorite version of chocolate cake, vegan or otherwise.
I usually make cupcakes with this recipe and just adjust the cook time. Occasionally I’ll make adjustments like swapping in a darker cocoa powder, reducing the powdered sugar in the icing, adding shaved coconut, adding sprinkles etc.
After making this many times, my experience it that this recipe is fabulous just as it’s written!
How fabulous to hear about your experience with my cake recipe! I’m so glad you are loving it! Thanks for taking time to share your fabulous review and feedback!
Hiya! I’ve made this cake and frosting before and it is perfect.😘
Question: I’m making a cake and cupcakes for a birthday party. Could this recipe make a 3 layer cake using 6 inch pans? How much should I fill the cake pans? Would there be any batter leftover for cupcakes?
Love your recipes times a million!
Thanks Maria! I actually think the layers will be rather thin making 3 6 inch cakes with the recipe as written. If you want to have some cupcakes too, you could double the recipe and fill the cake pans about 1/3 of the way full, and use the rest for cupcakes. Thanks for loving my recipes!
My only addition was 1/4 tsp of almond extract in the frosting. Cake and frosting were SO good. TY Nora!
You’re so welcome! Thank you for your wonderful review!
Should this be refrigerated ?
No, it does not need to be refrigerated. It can be, if you prefer it cold but I generally don’t refrigerate it.
Oh whoops! I just found the pan of water that I was supposed to add to the batter at the end. 😞 I wonder if the cake is ok as is or if I’ll be remaking it tomorrow?
I’ve done that before and it actually turned out quite good anyhow, just not as moist.
The batter tasted delicious but I’m in a panic! The middle of each 9” cake is sunken tremendously ie didn’t rise and looks a bit darker in color than the outer part of the cakes. My experience tells me it’s raw in the middle but the toothpick comes out dry as a bone! I don’t know what to think. And I’m making this for my son and girlfriend’s move across the country going away party tomorrow so I am worried. Has anyone else had this happen to their cakes??
This happened to me too – experienced baker here, bottom layer didn’t rise and quite gummy, checked my baking powder and it was still active.
No idea why
Eek, forgot the rating..here you go..!
My cousins came over a few weeks ago, and they told me how they’ve been obsessed with the idea of baking a chocolate cake. And so, I’d told them I could help them whip up one (so long as it was a vegan chocolate cake, of course), and I stumbled across raving reviews for this recipe on multiple forums – so I knew I had to try this out.
This was the first dessert I’d baked in the oven, even before your delicious blueberry muffins, so I was quite anxious about how it’d turn out – but it was absolutely incredible, and worth the cost of the hand mixer, vegan butter, and apple sauce I had to purchase last minute. It’s super chocolate forward and all of the descriptions you promised – truly the best vegan chocolate cake I could’ve imagined. My only gripe was the buttercream frosting – though rich and luscious, it was WAY too sweet for our taste (Despite having weighed the sugar and adding just as much as you recommended), so I’ll likely cut down on that the next time (and I just know there’ll be one!).
Even despite its flaws, thank you so much for giving us such a fun time in the kitchen with this incredible recipe!
Thank you SO much for your wonderful feedback and review! I’m thrilled you loved the cake 🙂 I prefer the frosting to be on the sweeter side but you can use 3 to 4 cups of powdered sugar next time if you’d like it to be less sweet. Happy baking!
This recipe is absolutely amazing! My husband licked his plate clean he enjoyed it that much. You couldn’t even tell that the cake was vegan, if anything, it’s better than versions with dairy. This is now my new go to chocolate cake recipe ☺️
Wonderful, I’m thrilled you and your husband loved the cake! Thank you so much for your review!
I made this cake for my son’s birthday today and after it was mostly baked I realized I had left out the buttermilk. It turned out like a mix between a brownie and a cake and it was fantastic! My only other modification was replacing the boiling water with boiling coffee. Thank you for a very forgiving recipe!
Hi nora,I baked this cake 3 weeks ago, I did leave a review, don’t see it though. Absolutely the best cake I have ever made!!!just wanted to ask the icing made slot how long will it keep in the fridge?(made July 29)
Wonderful, I’m so glad you enjoyed the cake! I like to use the frosting within 1 to 2 days, although the extras freeze well for up to 3 months.
I have made your Best Ever Chocolate Cake, it was so easy and out of this world.
I now have to make it at least once a week.
Today I made cupcakes. I use lemon juice instead of Applecider Vinegar.
I use olive oil instead of what your recipe calls for.
They really are The Best. I also use your vanilla cake recipe.
Thank you for your hard work.
I’m 77 and been baking and cake decorating for over 60 years. I was a cake decorator for Basken Robins Icecream parlor.
Hi Sharon. I’m thrilled you are loving the cake recipes! You have a lot of cake experience! Thank you for your awesome review, and for sharing fun stuff about your life! Wishing you happy baking!
The most amazing chocolate cake. I’m a terrible Baker, but it came out incredible.
I’m thrilled you loved the cake! Thanks for your awesome review and feedback!
Chocoholics Unite! I made this for my son’s 15th birthday back in 2019 and we’ve continued it every year since. It was the same year he went 100% Vegan. He’s really picky but I wish you could have seen the smile on his face when we sang him Happy Birthday. And the look on his face as he licked the plate clean. He’s a college freshman now and he looks forward to this cake every year. It’s become a tradition in our house.
I’ve made this with Bob’s 1:1 GF flour (so I can eat it too!) and the Bob’s egg replacement (instead of applesauce). I also add about half a teaspoon of powdered espresso to the batter (it really elevates the chocolate flavor without any aftertaste). It comes out light and fluffy.
For the frosting, I tried a different butter and switched from Earth Balance (canola based) to Miyoko’s European Style vegan butter (Coconut based). I personally like it better. I’m going to try and add a pinch of espresso to the frosting this year.
This recipe has earned a place in our kitchen year after year. Thank you, Nora. I’m not a cook but you make it easy to provide my teen and college kids with healthy plant based and vegan foods.
Hi Kimberly. I am so honored that my cake recipe has earned this place in your kitchen! Also, Miyoko’s European Style vegan butter is my favorite! Thanks for your stellar review and feedback! It was so fun to read! Happy baking!
This is actually the best chocolate cake ever! As a chocoholic giving up chocolate was the most difficult part of being vegan as I don’t like any of the alternatives.
However, life is worth living again! Thank you Nora!
Hi Nora,
Can I use unsweetened oat milk instead of almond milk for this recipe?
Also do you think the cake will go well with a vegan orange buttercream frosting instead?
Thanks
Yes, oat milk works! And yes, chocolate and orange is a delicious combo 🙂
This is the best cake, bar none, I have made. I have some GF and vegan people in my family. Prepared it with whipped coconut topping and it got rave reviews!
Hey there Nora, going to try this recipe. Sure it will be great like the others. What’s the best way to store it? If I bake it today to bring to work tomorrow, should I refrigerate over night?
Thanks!
Hi Jenn. I think you’ll love this cake! It can be stored on the counter or in the refrigerator. My favorite way to store it is in the refrigerator. It will last a bit longer that way. Happy baking!
Can I freeze this cake
Hi Jo. This cake freezes really well, before or after being frosted. If freezing unfrosted, bring to room temperature before frosting. Enjoy!
This was the first thing I have EVER baked. I made this for my wife’s 40th birthday and have now found myself in the position of being in charge of all future birthday cakes (argh – unintended consequences!). This cake was truly decadent. The instructions were easy to follow and the results were fantastic. THANK YOU!
Hi Fred. You are welcome! I love that you made a birthday cake for your wife. Happy birthday to her! This cake is a favorite at our home! Thanks for sharing your awesome feedback and review! Wishing you lots of happy cake baking!
Can I use spelt flour? Thanks!
I’ve never tried making this with spelt flour, but it should work. It may affect the flavor of the cake, though.
Has anyone tried this with a gluten free flour? If so which kind did you use and was it still fluffy?
In my gluten free version of this cake, I use King Arthur Gluten Free Flour (no xanthan gum added). The results are always fluffy! 🙂
Thanks Nora!