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).
Hello! I’m very excited to make this cake this afternoon! Does it need to be refrigerated after I frost it? Thank you!
No, it does not. If your frosting is melty or too soft for any reason though, I would. Thanks!
DO NOT FORGET TO ADD THE BAKING SODA!!!
I did it again after I didn’t use the baking soda and it came out perfectly<3
Used the recipe to bake a yule log (using the vanilla frosting and the chocolate ganache) and it was fantastic!
Thank you, for everything you do and your amazing recipes! This is my first time commenting here, and I rarely ever comment. I’ve tried many of your recipes after making this cake in October for my daughter’s birthday. I made it again today but as a sheet cake, then cut it into wide strips and layered and covered with ganache to make a chocolate yule log. It assembled so well, easy to handle with no cracking or crumbling!
I have also made your mayo, waffles, potato soup, marinated tofu, ganache, and I recommend them all, so easy and tasty. Am looking forward to so many others I’ve seen here, thank you again! Merry Christmas!
You’re so welcome! And Merry Christmas to you too!
Consistency turned out great, filled this cake with homemade sour cherry filling, but I have to say that although I added 250g of granulated sugar instead of the required 350g it still turned out way too sweet for our taste. I used unsweetened cocoa powder, unsweetened almond milk and substituted the apple sauce with sweet potato. But for to those who enjoy the bitter taste of chocolate I recommend adding a bit less sugar.
This chocolate cake will beat any others out there vegan or not!!! Only recipe I use for chocolate cake now!
I want to try this recipe, but can i use vegan margarine instead of the vegan butter sticks? love your other recipes!
Yes, it should work just fine. Thanks!
Yes! ? I have made this quite a few times, now. It is so easy! This time I am putting a black forest twist on it with dark cherries and kirsch. ?
Recommend, recommend!
I just want to thank you for sharing this recipe! My son (who’s allergic to dairy and nuts) felt so special having this for his bday cake!! This awesome goodness chocolate cake will forever be in his birthdays ?. I’m officially your fan and can’t wait to try out the rest of your recipes!
That’s so great to hear!
Is unsweetened cocoa powder what I should use for this recipe? I’ve confused myself. Thank you for your help.
Yes, that is correct. You can also use dark cocoa powder, also called dutch cocoa powder, for slightly different results. But I usually just use natural, unsweetened cocoa powder. Thanks!
Should the almond milk be at room temperature to get started? And how long does the curdling process take??
It can be cold. Curdling only takes 1-3 minutes, not long at all. Enjoy!
Moist and soft, turned out excellent for muffins and mini-cakes.
The best ever!!! I put cherry pie filling in the middle and use 1/2 the recipe for frosting. A favorite with vegans and non-vegans!
This cake is absolutely amazing, and honestly better than any non-vegan cake I have baked. I’m wondering if it is possible to use a gluten-free flour in this recipe, though?
Thanks so much! Yes, it can be made with a gluten free mix.
I’ve made this cake recipe SO MANY TIMES and it never fails, works perfectly as cake or cupcakes. Super moist and flavorful 🙂
Well, my daughter’s birthday is today and once again, I baked this special cake for her! We have both made it more than once and it is truly the best! Thank you, Nora, for sharing your perfectly magical chocolate cake recipe!!
You’re welcome!
Hello,
What type of cocoa powder do you you recommend using? Also does it have to be unsweetened?
Yes, unsweetened natural cocoa powder, though dutch cocoa powder also works.
Great recipe and so easy to make. I made cupcakes for my family and they loved them. I did have to bake them 10 min longer for a total of 40 minutes. Could be my stove though.
Hey Nora! Love your website btw! Great recipes! I am making the cake today and I am so excited! However, before I make the cake I want to know how to store the cake and how long will the cake last? Thank you in advance!
Thank you so much! I usually store the cake in the refrigerator, or just at room temperature. It will last for probably 3-5 days, longer if refrigerated. I just cover the open part with plastic wrap so it doesn’t dry out. You can also freeze it if you don’t think you’ll get to it all within a few days. Thanks and enjoy!
My grandsons are both allergic to eggs so I always bake a vegan cake. This is absolutely the BEST recipe. It is an easy recipe, most homes have all the ingredients on hand. I chose to make two 9×13 layers.
It was the biggest hit I ever baked for my older grandson’s 7th birthday. My daughter-in-law even asked for the recipe!
I have posted here previously about how wonderful this cake is but having made it again yesterday I just wanted to say yet again it is hands down the best chocolate cake ever, vegan or otherwise. Everyone who tastes it completely agrees and that is both vegan and non vegans. I have passed the recipe to so many friends and recommended your website and this recipe to several Facebook Vegan groups. Thank you, thank you, thank you once again!
I tried this cake for my sons 20th Birthday as he has gone Vegan. The look on his face as he took his bite was pure happiness to him and me. Thank for sharing this recipe.
You’re so welcome!
Hands down, BEST chocolate cake I’ve ever made, vegan or otherwise.
This will be our family cake recipe for years to come!
Thanks!
You’re welcome!
Do you have any idea how long this would keep for, and how best to store it? I am hoping to make it for my friend’s birthday a couple days in advance.
If you are going to make it longer than 2 days in advance I would freeze the cakes separately, prepare the frosting and keep it in the refrigerator, then thaw the cakes and frost the day of. Otherwise, it will start to get dry. Thanks!
Hi Nora
December 11 was my daughter’s birthday I tried the vegan cake.They loved and nobody knew it was vegan. Thank you ?
You’re welcome! Happy Birthday to your daughter!