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).
Can I use gluten free flour? Which gluten free flour would work best?
I have used Bob’s Red Mill 1:1 Baking Flour and it worked quite well. A good quality mix is your best bet.
I bought the Bob’s Red Mill GF baking flour & it worked perfectly! Thank you so much for that recommendation. This is definitely the best vegan chocolate cake I’ve ever had!
I’m so glad it worked out and it was delicious!
I’ve made this cake three times already. Thank you so much!
I do have one question: My baby is turning one and I’m going to use this as his smash cake.
I’m wondering if you have any tips/experience with reducing the granulated sugar a bit and/or using another substitute like banana or pure maple syrup?
Thank you!!
I’m so glad you are enjoying it! I haven’t tried reducing the sugar, but you could probably cut it in half I would imagine. It’s hard to say if you could sub mashed banana or maple syrup; other ingredients would likely need to be changed as well. You could use way less frosting or just serve it to your babe unfrosted. 🙂 That’s so sweet and I hope he has a wonderful birthday!
For leftovers, do you keep it in the fridge or room temp?
I’ve done both, though I prefer it in the refrigerator. It will last longer in the refrigerator.
My 11 year old son has been a vegan since the start of 2020 and he graduates elementary school tomorrow in the middle of a pandemic, a horrific divide in the country, and so many other things a kid shouldn’t have to face and he is going to love that I made this instead of buying it. He’s a HUGE fan of your recipes (as am I, a non-vegan). Thanks for making our week brighter with this baking break!
Wow, thanks so much for that wonderful comment! And congrats to your son!
I made this cake for my vegan friend and she loved it!! Its so good!! I used banana instead of apple sauce.
I’m so glad she loved it!!
Great recipe and worked the first time making it. Could you half the applesauce and add some melted chocolate to the mix?
It might work, I’m not sure. The cake make become more dense with melted chocolate though. Thank you, I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
This cake was an absolute hit with my family. I decided to bake a cake for my brother’s birthday last minute (instead of buying). I have never made a cake before and followed this recipe carefully and to a T. It cam out perfect and delicious. Thank you so much!
You’re so welcome! So glad you all loved it!
I have been vegan for 11 years, and this is the best cake I have ever made. It turns out perfectly every time. Thanks for a great recipe.
That’s such a great comment!! Thanks!!
I’m not vegan but my coworker is and I volunteered to make him a cake for his birthday! It’s in the oven now but it smells SO GOOD! I can’t wait to dig in!
I hope you love it!
This cake is absolutely gorgeous. Made it today for my little boy and he loved it! Used soya milk instead of almond and topped with vegan ganache and fresh fruit. Absolute winner!!
Thanks so much for this comment!!
Hm…do you think coconut milk would be too heavy?
Canned coconut milk would be too heavy, but the kind in the carton is fine.
Amazing! I followed the cake recipe just as written with the exception of using cacoa powder instead of cocoa. I may have added some dark chocolate chips as well! I did not do the frosting, although it looks amazing! I made a coconut cream whipped cream and topped with chopped shortbread cookie and Almond Roca pieces! I made a date caramel and drizzled over the top of the cake layers as well! Thank you for such a great recipe, will most definitely be making it again!
That sounds delicious!! So glad you enjoyed the cake!
I made this for my son’s birthday today. I have never had a chocolate cake that tastes so good! I had to use avocado oil and soy milk because that’s what I had on hand, but it was so moist and soooo yummy. Thank you so much for this recipe. I put my KitchenAid mixer to work today! 🙂
Thanks for the great comment! I’m so glad it was good!
I tried this recipe a while ago and loved it. I want to make it again but I want to do a marble cake. Can I just split the ingredients in half and add the half the cocoa powder to one of the batches?
I’m not sure that would work, only because I’ve tried to take out the cocoa powder in this cake before and the results were not great. I think it would make more sense to actually use a vanilla cake base, then add cocoa and water to some of the batter. I’m not totally sure though, I’d have to play with it. If you try it, let me know how it goes!
How long will the cake keep for? And can I freeze the cake and then frost so I can make a crumb coat?
The cake will keep at room temperature for 2-3 days, the refrigerator for more like 4-5 days. Yes, you can freeze the cake.
I just made this as cupcakes and they are perfect! I added about a half tablespoon of coffee grounds to the boiling water to boost the cocoa even more and its delicious! Thank you 🙂
Sounds delicious with coffee!! Glad you enjoyed them!!
Hello there. I can’t get applesauce, can I make my own or use an alternative please?
Thank you
I give a few options if you don’t have applesauce in the Notes section of the recipe.
This is literally the best cake I’ve ever had and I’m not even vegan.
Thanks so much! I love hearing that!!
Delicious!!! I used chickpea flour, hemp milk, the flax “egg” option and a 1/4 cup less sugar. Turned out perfect. Thank you!
I’m so glad it was delicious!
Am throwing a kids birthday party so I would really like to make a vegan sugar free cake. Any advice for the sugar free part? Will also try to make your lemon cake, same question there: any advice on how to make it sugar free? Many thanks in advance! 🙂
I’m sorry I do not know how to make this cake or the lemon cake sugar free! I’m not familiar with sugar substitutes, so if you know of one that tastes good you could probably use it. You need some sort of powdered type sugar for the frostings to work.
Monk fruit sweetener is really good. It’s more sweet than regular sugar so you use a less volume wise. Not sure if that makes a big difference in the cake. I use it instead of sugar in banana bread and it’s great. If you want a natural sweetener that is a 1:1 replacement for sugar than xylitol is good. It does have a bit of an after taste I find if I use it to replace all the sugar in a recipe. When I bake with xylitol I usually replace half the sugar with it.
Hi! I have one 9-inch cake pan. Do you think if I make the full recipe and bake half of the cake batter then bake the rest it would be okay?
Thanks,
Jackie M.
Sometimes leaving the batter to sit for too long before baking can lead to a cake that doesn’t rise properly, but I did this recently to make a triple layer chocolate cake and it actually worked fine. So hopefully it will for you, too!
This recipe looks awesome and I can’t wait to try it! I’m planning on dividing the mixture into three 4-inch springform pans. Should I make any adjustments to the baking temperature and length of time in the oven? Thanks for your help!
You probably will have to adjust the baking time, yes, as the cakes will be a bit taller and take longer to cook in the middle. I would just do the toothpick check in the middle to make sure the cakes are done.
Do you think this would work for three six inch cake pans? It’s all I have. Looks delicious!
Yes, that will work great!
Do you think I should then lower the baking time to 25-30 minutes? I’m going for it today!
I’m also at a slightly higher altitude (2,000 ft) so we’ll see what happens.
I’m not exactly sure how long it will take, but I would guess somewhere around 30 minutes. Do the toothpick check in the middle to ensure there is no wet batter left. Enjoy!
Looks good! What would the bake times be for an 8- inch pan???
Probably 35-45 minutes, depending on your oven. Do the toothpick check in the middle to make sure the cakes are done. I would check at 35 minutes. Thanks!
This cake is amazing! We used the left over frosting to dip strawberries in! Should the cake be stored in the fridge or is on the counter fine?
I’m so glad you enjoyed the cake!! The counter should be fine, but it will last a bit longer if you refrigerate it. I personally love the way it tastes right out of the fridge!
What cooking instructions would change if you wanted to make a taller cake? In a 7” tin for example? I’d like to do a two tier but with thicker layers.
I have made it multiple times and it is the best cake ever! Thanks Nora
You could probably do the cake in 2 7-inch layers, but I haven’t tried it. You would mainly need to bake them for longer, since they will be taller. Probably 45 minutes or so, I’m not sure, but check with a toothpick until it comes out clean in the middle of the cakes.