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 totally forgot the boiling hot water and realized it after the cake pans had been in the oven a few minutes. I immediately thought to take them out and dispose of them but was convinced to leave them in and see. We thought maybe it would turn out like brownies, it didn’t. To my surprise, the cake still came out looking and tasting like chocolate cake!! I wish I would have put the entire mix in one pan but will definitely make it again and add the boiling water 🙂 Thank you so much for the recipe!
You’re so welcome!
Can I freeze the frosting ?
Thank you
Crystal
Yes, the frosting freezes well.
Thank you . Best cake ever. Can’t wait to make your pumpkin pie recipe
You’re so welcome! Hope you enjoy the pumpkin pie!
This is DEFINITELY the best vegan chocolate cake ever. My whole family loved it so much. The boiled water trick was a very good idea.
Thanks so much! I’m glad you liked it!
Agreed !
Hi Nora!! let me tell you something. I looked at the ingredients and saw apple cider vinegar and boiling water and was very sketched out. But once I whipped it out for mother’s day with a bunch of family friends (all non vegans) boy oh boy was it wild. Socks were blown off. Chaos ensued. I became Gordon Ramsey for a second. Even the rats in the walls were flung into the next century from the raw power emitted from this cake. It is just too good. This cake makes me believe in god again. Thank you for the recipe, it is now in my little green folder of 4 other vegan recipes good enough to make the cut.
Wow, thanks so much for such a great comment!! I’m glad you enjoyed it and that it was a big hit!
This is the best chocolate cake. My daughter made it for Mother’s Day dinner. It will be my go-to recipe from now on. It’s wonderfully chocolatey without being too sweet. The cake is spongelike and also a bit fudgy. Love the frosting too. All very good. Thank you!
I have a question. For the cake should we use natural or Dutch process?
I’m so glad you liked it! You can use either natural or Dutch. Either one works.
Hello!
I’m making this cake for tomorrow night, I’ve made the cakes but I’m not sure if I should make the frosting right away or do it tomorrow before serving. What do you think?
You could make the frosting ahead of time or the same day. Either should work.
This was my first time making a chocolate cake. I made it. They ate it! All!
“They” included only my mother (for Mother’s Day) and my female best friend. Those two women DEMOLISHED the ENTIRE cake! They were asking me to make another one just a few bites into this one.
I can safely assume that this cake recipe is better than delicious, although I didn’t even get a “real” slice. I guess I’ll have to wait until I make it again to see just how good it really is, that is, if those two are not around.
Anyway, thanks Nora. From my personal experience and the comments of others, this is a winner.
I searched online for a cake recipe, and found this one, rightfully titled, “The Best Vegan Chocolate Cake.” I’m actually leaving a comment, so it must be good!
Thanks so much for the wonderful comment!! Glad it was a hit!
Beautiful recipe. But I do not know why, it didn’t fluffed up at all. Did anyone has similar experience and find out reason why it happened.
Enjoy this cake
So good! I had my kids and husband make this for me for Mother’s Day and it is so chocolate and moist! Mmm! Our frosting separated a bit but maybe we let it sit out too long or it was too warm?? We’ll definitely be making it again!
I’m glad you enjoyed it! Yes, it sounds like it was too warm, or your vegan butter was too melty to begin with. Sticking it in the refrigerator will help it firm back up.
Hi Nora,
I just finished eating 2 slices of chocolate cake for Mother’s day. It was the highlight of my day. So moist and chocolately. My daughter made it for me and because of health reasons, I’m on a very limited diet. She made the cake vegan as described above as well as nut free by using coconut milk and gluten free flour instead of all purpose. I’m going to forward this recipe to all my friends.
Thank you for letting me enjoy my sweet tooth.
You’re so welcome! Thanks for the comment!
Oh no! I’ve made this cake before and loved it, so i decided to make it today for Mother’s Day. I just popped it in the oven and then 10 min later i realized i forgot the milk/vinegar mixture!! Do you think it’ll still turn out okay or should i restart?
Oh shoot! Well I’m not sure, but hopefully it will still turn out okay!
I made this for my daughter’s birthday and she recommended I open a vegan bakery! We are social distancing so I did not get to taste it, but she said it was absolutely delicious.
That’s so wonderful! I’m so glad it was good!
Hello!
Is it possible to substitute whole milk for almond milk? Thanks in advance!
It will probably work, but I’m not totally sure.
Made this for my moms bday today. It was Soooo good. My cakes have a bad habit of turning out poorly, but I followed the recipe exactly and it was AMAZING! So moist and fluffy. This recipe is a keeper!! My non-vegan family loved it! Thank you Nora. ❤️
You’re so welcome! Glad it came out great!
I’ve made this recipe two times now and both times have turned out amazing! My non-vegan brother and father absolutely love it! My dad raves about it’s ‘better than normal cake’. And I’m not someone who is a fan of sweets or cake in general, but even I find myself having a slice from this cake! It’s just super good! I also quite enjoy how it’s a pretty simple cake to make and doesn’t have any of those expensive or hard to obtain ingredients, so I’m not spending half the time it takes making it looking for substitutes or spending an arm and leg to get ingredients that are gonna sit in my pantry forever afterwards. The only thing I sub is the water for coffee, but that’s just more of a personal preference :). This is just a super amazing recipe!! Thank you for sharing it and I will definitely be making this many, many, many more times in the future! I hope you’re doing well! 😀
Wow, thanks so much for the great comment! I’m so glad it you all enjoy the cake!
Hi Nora, just made this for the first time and it turned out amazing!
I do have on question, can you keep it in the fridge overnight to serve next day or is it better to be kept in the room/ colder room?
Thank you
I’m so glad you liked it! You can store it in the fridge or on the counter. I like to store in the fridge, because I like the way it tastes fresh out of the fridge!
Wow first cake my 19 year old daughter ever made! It was amazing!!!
I’m so glad to hear that!
Hey I’ve made this cake before and it was amazing! Is there any way I could make it vanilla cake just by excluding the coco powder?
I tried, and it doesn’t work, unfortunately. I would recommend making my vanilla vake: https://www.noracooks.com/vegan-vanilla-cake/
Hi Nora! I’m planning to make this cake today but want to try it with a peanut butter frosting. Do you think using your chocolate buttercream recipe as listed here would work, but subbing 1 cup peanut butter for the 1 cup cocoa powder? Or would that be too much/too little PB? Maybe I would need to use less Earth Balance?
That sounds amazing. I would try more like 3/4 cup peanut butter instead of a full cup, and leave out the cocoa. Or use a cup of peanut butter and 1 cup of earth balance. Hope you enjoy it!
Thank you so much Nora! I made it as described with 1 cup of peanut butter and 1 cup of earth balance and it turned out amazing. It was made for my own Nora for her birthday and she love love loved it!
You’re so welcome! I’m so glad she loved it!
I tried the chocolate cake receipe and something went wrong! It was like a very bad sponge cake!!!! Where did i go wrong??? Any suggestions!
It’s really difficult for me to know without more information or being with you in the kitchen! But something went wrong because as you can see many people have successfully made this cake. Did you make any substitutions, bake it in a different pan, etc?
Oh wow. Thank you Nora! Made this cake for my girlfriend birthday and everyone said it was the best chocolate cake they ever had. And my girlfriend knows a lot about chocolate cakes! And the fact that it’s vegan makes it even better. Thanks!
You’re so welcome! I’m so glad it came out great!
Attempted this for my gfs birthday. First cake I have ever made and quite happy with the result! Used less sugar and marg and the brands of the products were different. Added vegan chocolate buttons and chocolate to the top 🙂 Turned out quite moist and very chocolatey! Recipe was very easy to follow – thanks!
I’m so glad to hear that! Thanks so much.
I ran out to the grocery store for vegan butter and non-soy non-dairy “milk” , used flax seed eggs and after an hour of measuring, mixing with baked anticipation, the results are glued to & sliding around the inside of my mouth…gooey, smooth, chocolately…. it’s another keeper & planet saving recipe. A guilty reward for all my KETO efforts.
Glad to hear it’s a keeper!
Oh my gosh, this was the best vegan cake I have ever made, I will say I made the frosting wrong but it was still amazing. I highly recommend this recipe.
Thanks so much!
PHE.NOM.EN.AL. That’s it. It’s just that good.
That’s so great to hear! Thanks!
Desperate to make this but I only have 8 inch cake tins. How do you think it would work? Thanks!
It works just fine with 8 inch pans. Make sure to test it in the middle with a toothpick. It it comes out wet, it’s not done yet.
Can I sub something else for the apple cider vinegar?
Try lemon juice or white vinegar.