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).
I’ve made this cake a few times. For the first try, I substituted Forager Project Cashew milk for the almond milk. This milk thickened very slightly but did not curdle when I added the apple cider vinegar. And so my cake didn’t rise as much as I’d have liked. However, I made the cake again, as directed with the almond milk, and it was great! So, if you try a plant-based milk other than almond milk and it does not curdle when you add the vinegar, try a different milk that does. Incidentally, I also substituted rum for the water the third time I made this cake and it made a fantastic chocolate rum cake. Thanks, Nora, for a great versatile recipe!
You are welcome, Andie! I appreciate you sharing your cake baking experience and tips! Also, rum cake!!! 😍 Sounds amazing! Thanks for your stellar review! Wishing you lots of happy cooking!
Can the vegan butter that comes in a tub be substituted for the sticks of butter?
Hi Mary Ann. The baking sticks tend to yield a stiffer icing. I do not recommend the butter in a tub, as it is greasy and softer, and will not result in an icing that holds up well. I hope this helps! Happy baking!
I have made this recipe twice for my daughter’s birthdays and everyone comments on how delicious it is. I have had several people ask for the recipe! Could I take out the cocoa powder to make this a vanilla buttercream? Are there any additions required? Thanks!
Hi Bridee. I’m so glad you are all loving the cake! This recipe will not work as a vanilla cake, however, I do have a recipe for a vanilla cake this is fantastic! Check it out! Thanks for your fabulous review, and happy baking!
I made this cake 4 years ago for thanksgiving and my sister n law still talks about it. Hands down the best chocolate cake recipes and everyone loves it! It stays in rotation annually during the holiday season. I’m not a big review writer but I’m here to say don’t hesitate… go make this cake!!! 🙌🏾
Hi Beryl. Your glowing feedback makes my day! Thank you so much for this fabulous review! We love this cake in our house for sure! Happy baking!
Best chocolate cake ever!
I’m so glad you loved it! Thanks for your glowing 5 star review!
Hi Nora! Thank you for sharing this recipe, it is truly delightful and has become my go-to chocolate recipe! I plan to bake it for my Christmas lunch at my job this Friday and share it with my colleagues, and would love to make it a double layered 10 inch cake. Should I double the recipe? How about the baking time? Thank you in advance!
Now this is awesome! My cake came out moist and ten times better than a cake with cows milk and eggs! I thank you so much for sharing. I cut the sugar in half for the frosting because I am trying to cut back with my sugar intake. I didn’t want to make it so sweet. But the measurements and the ingredients are awesome! I also love the fact that you can use coconut oil because I do not like any other oil than coconut oil!
A big ‘Thank you! for your encouraging feedback and glowing review! I’m thrilled you loved the cake!
This is my favorite cake to ever exist. I’m not even vegan and I’ll make this for everyone’s birthdays it’s that good!!! Super moist and amazing chocolate flavor.
Hi Meghan. One of our favorite birthday cakes as well! I’m so glad you love the cake! Thanks for taking time to share your glowing review and feedback!
I have been making this cake for years any time a cake is required this is my go to recipe.
Everyone that tries this cake says it’s the best cake they have ever had.
This cake is fabulous! Easy to make, simple ingredients. And absolutely delicious 😋
Hi Nora, I was wondering, could I replace the All Purpose flour for gluten free flour in this recipe?
If you have any tips for baking vegan and gluten free, let me know, since I’m new to baking!
You can replace it with gluten free flour, but better to go make this version: Gluten Free Vegan Chocolate Cake. Hope you enjoy!
I made this cake for my son’s birthday party. One of the kids commented it was the best cake he’s ever had!
So yummy!
We all loved this cake and the icing! Very moist and delicious. We used the flax egg option. This will be a yearly favorite for birthdays!
Hi Nora
I would like to bake this in a 9×13 pan, would doubling the batter be sufficient?
You don’t need to double it, you can bake it in a 9×13 but it will take longer, perhaps around an hour to bake.
Hi Nora, I made this recipe for the first time and instead of getting a sponge I got a very Jelly-like texture. I was also still getting a wet skewer despite over 1h30m of baking. Not sure where I went wrong. Please help. PS. The icing was amazing.
Oh that doesn’t sound right at all. Did you make any substitutions, like a different flour perhaps? Or leave anything out? Sounds like what happens when you replace the flour with almond flour or something. Hopefully I can help!
I’ve made this many times for birthdays and am wondering if this recipe would work for a Xmas Yule log ? Thoughts !?? Thanks !
Hi Jen. I’m glad you’re loving the cake! I have never tried to make this as a sheet cake. This cake is moist and delicate, so I’m not sure that it would work to make a Yule log. I have received a couple of comments where bakers did have success making a yule log out of this cake, however, they indicated that it was delicate and did crack a bit. They just covered it with icing! If you try it, let me know how it works for you! Happy holiday baking!
It’s a bit late for this year but I made this as a Yule log today. It’s our favourite cake so thought I would give it a try. I used 2/3 of the cake mixture and cooked it in a Swiss roll tin for around 45 minutes. When completely cold I tipped it onto greaseproof paper covered in icing sugar. I cut a bit off the end for a branch and used the whole amount of the icing as in the recipe to cover it. I used about a quarter for the filling. Then I rolled it from the long end having made a slit close to the edge to help with the rolling. Roll it as tightly as you can, using the paper to help you. Yes it cracked but so do non vegan ones. Just patch it together. Cover in the buttercream and use a fork to make ‘bark’. Then dust with icing sugar and you’d never know any imperfections. Merry Christmas. 🎅🎄😋
That’s so cool, thanks for sharing! I’ve tried this before and it worked, but yes it cracked a bit. Just repaired with frosting! 🙂
Hi Nora, would canned coconut milk work as a substitute for the almond milk? Thanks.
Canned coconut milk would be too heavy, but the kind in the carton is fine. I hope this helps!
I just baked this to make 3 9” round layer cakes and doubled the recipe and the cakes inside are like mush but tooth pick is coming out dry? I followed the recipe put it in for 35 mins
Did you make any substitutions or changes to the recipe? I’m not sure how long they will need to bake if you doubled and are using 9 inch pans, they may need more time.
I’ve made this cake three times before and had no problems (5 out of 5). I now attempted a doubled recipe in 9 inch pans for my son’s birthday party tomorrow and had toothpicks come clean at 40 minutes. I think toothpick check is not a good one for this cake. We had completely soggy bottoms on the cakes after cooling with no substitutes. It would be super helpful for us if you had cook times for the #x options, as well as removed the measurements in the directions since they are specific to the 1x.
My husband & I are detoxing from mold spores that you couldn’t see or smell. We can’t have any type of sugar while detoxing. Can this cake be made with just stevia? If so how much?
I don’t know if it will work with stevia, as I’ve never tried it. Sorry!
I absolutelly recommend this recipe!
My son asked for this cake on his birthday and he just loved it!
Moist and delicious.
Thanks for sharing your terrific review and feedback! I’m thrilled you all loved the cake! I hope your son’s birthday was great!
I’m looking to make this into a 4 layer 6” cake! I’m guessing adjusting the ingredients x1.5 should be enough batter, any idea what the baking time should be? Thank you!
Hi there! I think 1.5 times the batter should be enough for a 4 layer 6 inch cake. I’m guessing a bit less time but I’m not sure, perhaps check often after 20 minutes or so until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.
Have you had any success making this gluten free?
Yes I have: Gluten Free Vegan Chocolate Cake.
I make this cake once a year for my partner’s birthday. This year my non-vegan Mother In Law wanted to make it for Thanksgiving and it was the most popular dish of the day for all! Sorry Nora, everyone calls it my chocolate cake recipe. 😉
Made this for thanksgiving and everyone loved it. Super moist, fluffy frosting and not too sweet. This will be my go to recipe for chocolate cake. And very easy to make too. Thank you.
You are welcome, Maria! I’m thrilled you loved the cake! Thanks for your fabulous review and feedback! Happy cooking!
This is a fabulous cake! It is moist, wonderfully chocolatey, easy to make without any “special” ingredients that most vegan recipes seem to require, and my Thanksgiving guests absolutely loved it. They couldn’t believe it was vegan!
Thank you for this great recipe – it’s a keeper and I know I’ll make it again and again! So yummy!
You are welcome! We love this cake at our place! I’m so glad it was a it with your guests! Thanks for your awesome review and feedback! Happy cooking!
INCREDIBLE. I made this for a party and everyone, vegans and non vegans alike, LOVED it.
Note: I reduced the sugar by about 30g and used sweetened applesauce. I also used a whipped ganache instead of buttercream!
I’m thrilled you loved the cake and that it came out wonderful with your adjustments! Thanks for sharing your great review and baking experience! Happy cooking!
This recipe is wonderful! Both the cake and cupcakes turned out great. I was wondering if you had a suggestion for a gluten-free flour to use for this? Thanks.
Hi Cliff. I am glad you are lo king the cake! Thanks for your awesome review! You can simply substitute a quality gluten free flour like Better Batter or King Arthur Measure for Measure. For gluten free, I prefer to make my Gluten Free Vegan Chocolate Cake, which is almost identical, but gluten free. Happy baking!
I use a cup of Yogi’s Turmeric Honey Chai instead of the water. The comments I have received have been nothing short of “the best” comments for any cake I have made. Thanks for this recipe.
You are welcome, Chris! Your addition sounds amazing! Thanks for sharing this idea! Glad the cake was a hit!
This is absolutely the most amazing chocolate cake ever.
My granddaughter is learning to be a vegan baker and I keep throwing your recipes at her.
This cake is the one that I make and take pieces to my family, who are not vegans, and they rave over it. It is so dense, moist and yet fluffy and keeping it in the fridge just makes it even more delicious. Thanks for all of your amazing recipes.