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).
Like many others I was trying this for the first time… and it will not be the last! The fussy kids loved it and im making it again a week later, too easy!
The first time I made this cake it was amazing. The best cake I’ve had, vegan or otherwise. For some reason the other two times I made it, it came out super dense and fudgey. Any idea what I’m doing wrong?
I’m not sure? I’m guessing that perhaps you over mixed the batter the second and third times you made it, which could make it come out dense. OR you have a bad batch of baking powder, so it’s not rising properly.
Made this for my daughter in her birthday. It was absolutely the best chocolate cake I have ever made…vegan or not. Thanks for sharing
You’re welcome!
This is like the 10th time I’ve made it and it is just quite simply the best chocolate cake out there.
Needing some advice though on decorating. I cooled the cakes overnight but they are so moist that they fall apart once I start frosting them.
The frosting was not too stiff either. Anybody out there have any suggestions?
Thank you
I’m so glad you like it! So the trick here is just to frost it gently. It is quite moist and fluffy, so you just have to be a bit careful. I usually put a large amount on top of a cake, then gently move it around with a frosting spatula, in slow motions. And make sure your frosting is not too hard and stiff, or it will absolutely cause the cakes to break. Just takes a little practice. 🙂
My favorite chocolate cake recipe, and I’m not even vegan…! I also just use melted dark chocolate chips mixed with melted butter and milk to make a chocolate glaze instead–just an idea–the toppings are limitless!
I stumbled upon this recipe while looking for dairy free chocolate cake. I assume I can replace applesauce with eggs as I don’t have any applesauce ?. I am not vegan and just avoiding dairy.
Fantastic recipe! Very tasty. Used only half of the icing but froze the rest. Made a gravtity cake using this recipe – went down a treat.
WOWZER!
Honestly, I was really nervous to try this recipe because I’d never baked vegan treats before, but my best friend is vegan and it was their birthday…. DELICIOUS RESULTS!!!!!!!!!! It was a hit. We put raspberries in the center with the frosting in between cakes to make it a chocolate raspberry cake. And we decorated the top with rose petals and threw some ginger into the frosting. It was so yummy and I was really proud!!!! I would definitely, definitely recommend. I can’t wait to make this recipe again. A real crowd-pleaser for sure.
This recipe is WONDERFUL! I used So Delicious vanilla coconut milk which worked well. And I may have made my icing a little too thin…BUT the cake was delicious! Definitely will be making again!
This truly is the best vegan chocolate cake! Very good and moist. I frosted it with a nutella-style buttercream and it was absolutely delicious.
I made this cake for my niece while she was fighting cancer and she loved it. Her father asked for it on his birthday so I happily made it again. The third time was for an office pot luck. No one guessed it was vegan and it IS the best chocolate cake – moist, chocolatey and no-fail. I will make it for Christmas dinner this year. You will not regret trying this recipe. It will become a regular in your collection of dessert recipes.
That’s so wonderful to hear!
It is so light and fluffy but has delicious rich chocolate flavor! Its definitely a family favorite!
This cake is OUTSTANDING, and this is coming from a non-vegan. I made this cake to accommodate a vegan guest to a decidedly non-vegan Thanksgiving dinner (plenty of delicious plant based side dishes to make a full vegan meal!). Everyone raved about the cake – vegan and non-vegan guests! I followed the recipe nearly exactly. Two slight changes: 1) I added 1 tsp of instant espresso powder to the boiling water for the cake batter; 2) for the icing, I used half vegetable shortening and half earth balance vegan butter. Didn’t realize I bought salted vegan butter and didn’t want the icing to be salty. I think the veg shortening may have made the icing slightly stiffer which actually worked well! This has become my go to recipe for chocolate cake. It’s easy to make, absolutely delicious with the added bonus of being vegan. Thank you for this recipe 🙂
You’re welcome!
Hi Nora,
My sister, a non-vegan, made this cake for my b-day. Oh my gosh! It was delish!! She was so pleased with herself and everyone at the party LOVE it (all non-vegans, lol).
When I asked her where she got the recipe, well… the rest is history and I’m a fan forever.
ps- your chocolate cookies are great too!.
It’s the best chocolate cake vegan or not! Make this.
This was amazing! I could not tell it was vegan!
Hello! Love the cake recipe have been using it for years. If I was to make a naked cake and bake the layers day before then frost the following day, should I add syrup to the cake?;
Thank you! I’ve never tried it, but I think you probably should like other naked cake recipes call for, so the edges don’t dry out (that won’t be covered in frosting). Best of luck!
The best
This makes a great cake and so easy too. Your adjustments in baking times for a layer cake vs cupcakes was super helpful as I made one layer and 12 cupcakes. I also appreciated that you included alternate ingredients (canola oil or coconut oil) and the various milk substitutes. I used oat milk and canola oil. The non vegans were not deterred. Turns out to be a very moist cake that holds together well. I had no problem icing it. I used a different icing for my daughter’s preference so I can’t speak to that part of it.
Do you know how much batter this cake makes? TIA
I’m not sure exactly, I haven’t measuring it in cups or anything. But enough for 2 8 or 9 inch cakes, or one 9×13. Or a larger, thin sheet cake. It probably makes somewhere around 5-6 cups.
Absolutely amazing!!! The cake was unbelievably moist and has changed my ideas on what vegan cakes can be like. It was hard not to think that it was going to be a disaster with how loose the batter was – but goodness…did it deliver! Thank you for sharing.
You’re welcome!
Do you know if this cake can be rolled? I was trying to make a vegan Chocolate Swiss roll.
That sounds so fun! I really have no idea as I haven’t tested it, but I think I’ll have to soon.
I made it and it was a big hit. Thank you so much.
You’re welcome!
Should I put this cake in the frig over night or leave it out?
It can stay at room temperature unless your home is super warm.