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).
This was the BEST VEGAN CAKE EVER! I made for my dad’s birthday, and he loved it so much! Can’t wait to make this amazing recipe again!
Hi BabaLou. I’m glad your dad loved his birthday cake! Thank you for sharing!
Hi Nora! I have two 6 inch round cake pans. Would I follow the same temp/cook time? Looking to make a two layer cake. Thank you!
I’m afraid the batter will be too much for two 6 inch cake pans. You could make a third, or make a few cupcakes with the leftover batter. I’m not sure about the time, you may need to increase the baking time. They are done when a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Hope that helps!
I made this as a birthday cake for my son and he said it’s the best chocolate cake he’s ever eaten. Everyone at the party was completely blown away with how delicious this cake is. I halved the frosting recipe and it was more than enough for a round layer cake. I used whey free Imperial brand vegetable oil spread as the vegan “butter” and it worked perfect. I didn’t need more than a teaspoon or two of almond milk in the frosting.
Hi Lorrie. I’m glad your son loved his birthday cake! Thank you for taking the time to share your comments!
My husband who is not vegan and I love this cake so much. Question, I have some left over coffee, would it work in place of the boiling hot water in this recipe? I seem to remember using coffee in non-vegan recipes and it gave the cake depth.
Hi Dawn, I’m so glad you and your husband love the cake, thank you! Yes, you can use coffee, but I would recommend using hot coffee. It does add a nice depth to the cake.
Hi
This is a wonderful recipe. We love it. Definitely doen’t taste vegan. Can I use vanilla almond milk instead of unsweetened?
Yes, that’s fine. It will add a bit of sweetness, so decrease the sugar a bit if you like, but I have used sweetened milk before with the listed amount of sugar and didn’t think it was too sweet. Thank you, glad you love it!
Great recipe ! My daughter is vegan . She’s raving about this cake. I recently made it for her 25th birthday. Purchased vegan cakes are incredibly overpriced . I’ve gotten amazing feedback each time l make this one for work colleagues. It’s so moist better than other recipes l have used. That aren’t vegan! Thank you!
Hi Lisa. I’m so glad you love my cake recipe! Thank you for sharing your comments, and the cake!
I just made this cake with the frosting and I was in chocolate heaven! It was perfect 🙂 Instead of hot water I used a cup of coffee instead. Cake is finger licking good!
Hi Lori. I’m so glad the cake turned out perfect! Thank you for sharing!
Recently made this for my dads birthday. I don’t like chocolate cake (weird I know), I just never have. This was absolutely delicious. I will never try a different recipe, and will be making this every time! My dad (who is a chocolate cake fanatic) said this was THE BEST chocolate cake he has ever had in his life!
Hi Sam. I’m thrilled that you guys loved the cake! What fun! Thank you for sharing!
Hey Nora my son has nut allergies – can I use soy milk curdled? Thanks! So excited to try this!
Yes, soy milk works great here. Enjoy!
Hi Nora! It’s going to be my birthday on Thursday and i wanted to make this delicious cake to celebrate. Though, I live in Italy and we unfortunately don’t have vegan butter available in stores. I was wondering, could I use coconut oil to make this instead? If not, is there any alternatives to butter?
Thank you in advance,
Cecilia.
Hi Cecilia – and happy birthday! Luckily the cake itself doesn’t require vegan butter, just the frosting. You could use vegetable shortening instead if that is available there. Coconut oil might work okay, but frosting made with it tend to be quite melty. I did find this frosting using coconut oil, sounds like it might work! Or you could make my chocolate ganache for a different type of frosting, no vegan butter required. Thank you, and I hope you LOVE the cake.
I just made this cake today and I loved it it is a hit with the family!!!
Only thing is I was wondering can I freeze any cake left over? Or how long does it last in the fridge for? Please let me know, I really would like to preserve the left overs of this cake if it is possible. Also I can not have orange or lemon or lime or kiwis or anything like that so what other flavors would be rally good with this cake?
I’m so glad you enjoyed the cake and that it was a hit! Yes, the leftover cake freezes very well, I do it all the time. It will last in the refrigerator for about 4-5 days, room temperature for 2-3 days if you cover the cut part (so it doesn’t dry out). You could be creative with the flavors, some people put a layer of raspberry in the middle, or you could add a little peppermint extract, replace the hot water with hot coffee, etc. Thank you!
Oh wonderful! Thank you so much sounds great. I will have to try those flavors you suggested.
Hi! I just made this for my friend who’s vegan and I never bake. V proud of myself. Is it okay to put in the fridge? (Asking Bc I put strawberries on it.) 🙂
Hi Kristen, glad you enjoyed the recipe! Yes, it’s fine to put it in the refrigerator.
I’ve made this recipe 3 times now!! Most amazing vegan cake, even for non vegans. My husband is dairy free so I’ve been making it for him but sharing it with regular foodie friends and we all LOVE it. One of my friends even asked me to make this recipe for her daughters birthday party! Definitely a chocolate lovers DREAM vegan or not!
My one question is how long to let the cake stand and soak up the cream before cutting into it??
Thanks so much for creating this delicious art!
Hi Diana. I’m so glad you love the cake! You don’t have to let it sit at all, you can dig in right after frosting! The frosting doesn’t really soak into the cake, it’s just frosting on top and in the middle. Hope that helps!
Hi Nora – I tried this cake out today and it was delicious but very rich, do you have any suggestions on how i could adjust the recipe to make it less chocolaty/rich ? (I am making it for a friend who doesn’t enjoy her cake to dark)
You could probably add a little less cocoa powder if you don’t want it very chocolatey, maybe down to 1/2 cup. I’m not sure as I haven’t tried it though. You could also use a different frosting, like vanilla, if you prefer it. Thanks!
Hi, do I need to double the recipe to make a 9×13 cake? I didn’t quite understand the last note. Thank you!!! Can’t wait to try this!!
Nope, no need to double it for a 9×13 inch cake. Enjoy!
I made this for my birthday with half the icing / filling and everyone raved about it. Some went back for seconds and thirds! The best vegan chocolate cake ever!
Hi Sandra. Happy Birthday! I’m glad the cake was loved by all! Thank you!
Made for dads birthday on Jan 1. Absolutely amazing. Was skeptical on adding so much sugar in the icing and used 3 and 1/2 cup icing sugar.
By far best vegan cake with icing.
Hi Rajeev. I’m so glad the cake was great for your dad’s birthday! Thank you for sharing!
Hi Nora – I only have 10 inch cake pans. How much should I scale up the recipe and how long should I cook for? Thank- I’m excited to make this for my boyfriend’s birthday!!!!
I’m not 100% sure as I’ve never tried it. You could make 1.5 times the recipe, that would likely work, or bake it as is and have thinner layers. Hard to say how long it will need to bake, a little longer if you 1.5 times the recipe, I’d watch it closely and take it out as soon as a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Thanks, hope you both enjoy it!
Best chocolate cake ever, vegan or otherwise! Im asked for the recipe every time, thx Nora!
Thank you, Deb! Thank you for sharing your comments, and the recipe!
This cake is so darn good! Ultra moist… better than any chocolate cake I’ve ever eaten.
I’m glad you like it! Thank you!
my Sister in Law made this for a family birthday. She’s not vegan but we are. this turned out so amazing I requested the recipe for my daughters birthday. I am excited to make it. i love to bake but am always skeptical when it comes to using vegan alternatives in new recipes. I’m so happy to have found a reliable recipe with great flavour. Thank you so much for sharing
Hi Brittany. Have fun with the recipe! Let me know how it turns out for you. Thank you for using my recipe!
This cake was AMAZING! So moist and chocolatey and delicious. Will definitely make again!
I’m so glad you loved the cake, Michelle! Thank you for sharing!
I used oat milk instead of almond milk and it didn’t curdle with the ACV. Everything still came out great! I halved the recipe and made 12 cupcakes. This was my first time making a cake recipe! I don’t even own a mixer, everything was hand mixed 🙂
Hi Madison. I’m glad the cake recipe came out great for you! Cupcakes are always fun to make! Thank you for sharing!
Excited to try
Hi Ruby. Enjoy! Let me know how it works out for you!
Can we sub the oil for something else.
I haven’t tried it, but it might work with more applesauce or vegan yogurt.