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).
It’s my birthday!! I want cake!! How do you think it would turn out if I omitted the vanilla? I just really don’t care for vanilla.
Oh yeah, just leave it out! Happy birthday!!! Enjoy the cake.
You are simply brilliant. This recipe is a stunner, I tried it on a whim and every vegan, non vegan in the house unanimously clamored for seconds. I felt so proud of being able to finally execute a dish that had people ask for more and the recipe as well, all thanks to you Nora. Becoming a vegan was one of the most significant decisions I have made in my life and when you can celebrate that with a slice of this chocolate cake, just awesome.
We were stationed in Africa while my Dad was working in the Embassy and I remember a very sweet Dutch Grandma neigbor of ours who made a delectable chocolate cake for me and I would keep going back to the fridge to get several helpings of it. This cake bought me as close as possible to it minus the animal ingredients. Thanks again Nora for sharing this recipe with us. Win, win, win.
I’m so glad everyone loved the cake Kailynn! What a wonderful comment. I love creating vegan sweet recipes that bring joy and celebration to people’s lives! Thank you!
I have been vegan for nearly 3 years and I’m now wondering why I’ve not stumbled upon this recipe sooner. Forget this cakes vegan-ness, this is the BEST CAKE of any kind of cakes i’ve ever consumed. If you’re debating making this, DO IT NOW. It is quick and simple and doesn’t require any weird substitutes. The cake is so moist it melts in your mouth and it smells straight up like a brownie when it’s in the oven. I don’t even like cake and I think I could eat this everyday. This will definitely be in my back pocket for any upcoming holidays/birthdays. Thank you so much Nora for blessing the world with this recipe. I owe you my life.
The icing tastes exactly like regular icing! The cake was a bit dense but I used self rising flour and omitted the baking powder and baking soda. Would that make a difference? Should I use the regular all purpose flour and use the baking soda and powder?
Yes, I’m sure the problem was the flour and omitting the baking powder and baking soda. Self rising flour just won’t work here very well! Glad you liked the icing though, and hope it turns out better next time!
This cake is SERIOUSLY moist! Does not taste like any other vegan cake I have had. Tastes like regular rich, moist chocolate cake minus the eggy flavor.
Hi! This looks divine! Can I use oat milk instead of almond?
Thank you!!
Thank you! Yes, you can use oat milk.
I love all of your vegan recipes, but unfortunately have a tree-nut allergy! What is the best alternative milk products you would recommend for this recipe (that are not nut based!)
You can pretty much always substitute soy, coconut, hemp or any other non-dairy milk you like when I call for almond milk, especially in cake recipes. So any of those would work fine! Hope you enjoy it!
Thank you for sharing the recipe! I’m a vegan and I love healthy sweets! I can’t wait to try it. Can I add some nuts to it?
I don’t see why not! Thanks and enjoy!
Made this cake for my son’s 2nd birthday today! It turned out amazing! He LOVED it and the rest of my family and friends did also! Thanks!!
I have now used this recipe for my husband’s birthday, my son’s high school graduation cupcakes, and my sister’s birthday cupcakes. My sisters, who took 3 and 4 cupcakes respectively, asked for more later today-ha. I get rave reviews, and shocked comments that it is vegan. I have had success with the cake as well as cupcake recommendations; my oven bakes the cupcakes slightly faster than the recipe calls for. Also, I get about 30 cupcakes out of the recipe vs 24.
Thank you for this amazing recipe. Everyone loved the cake and couldn’t believe it was vegan.
I’m so glad, thank you!
I made the cake this weekend, and it turned out to bake amazingly delicious!
I made some adjustments to make it glutenfree and less sweet (in Denmark we aren’t used to very sweet cakes):
– I used the linked glutenfree flour (it consists of rice flour, potato starch and E 415)
https://www.amo.dk/produkter/glutenfri/glutenfrit-mel-til-sode-bagvark/
– I used a little more than a cup of sugar
– I used cacao powder and therefore I used a smaller amount
I baked it in a 9,5 (?) inch – 24 cm – spring pan for about 50-55 minutes the night before usage. I split it in two the day after baking.
– For the frosting I used about 1/2 cup cacao powder
– 1 1/2 cup (330g) Naturli’ Organic Vegan Block
– About 3 cups of powdered sugar
EVERYBODY loved it! Including my “bonus grandparents” who are about 80 – nobody would have guessed that it was vegan.
Oh shoot, one can’t eat almonds. Would rice or soy milk work instead of almond milk?
Yes, soymilk would work better than rice milk. Enjoy!
Nora –
I want to make this for the last day at school for the children I teach. I think it will be perfect as one or two are lactose intolerant and can’t eat eggs. If I make it can I put the frosting on the day before and will it hold up and not thin out or be absorbed in the cake?
Yes, it can be made a day before without any problems. You can keep it at room temperature frosted, or keep it in the refrigerator, either way is fine. Thanks, and I hope the kids enjoy the cake!
How long would you bake it for if using 8inch pans? I don’t have nine 9inch!
I make it in 8 inch pans all the time now, actually, and it’s fine! It might take an extra 5-10 minutes, but that’s it. Thanks!
Hi Nora,
Fabulous recipe! I added instant coffee to the cake batter and frosting and did the dutch process cocoa thing. My husband will be sharing it with his vegan co-workers tomorrow. You’re making me look good. Thank you!
This cake is the BEST CAKE I have ever eaten! All of my friends and family are so happy when I make this and can’t believe its vegan. Thank you Nora for this recipe!!
Thank you, Emma! That’s so good to hear!
This. IS. absolutely. the. BEST. ever!!! Followed the recipe exactly and used Hershey’s Special Edition Dark Chocolate Cocoa powder for the cake and icing. Also, we always use Earth Balance vegan butter and finally, I used Canola oil instead of coconut oil. We have a long-time favorite cake at a local restaurant and our grandkids and we both agreed that this recipe was far better. One important thing, too, is that this cake sat very well digestion and other wise for all of us 🙂 including the young and the oldest “young!” among us! Thanks again for sharing – will be a family tradition for special events from here on and no doubt, lots of times in between!
This was the best chocolate cake ever! The cake is so moist and the frosting is so creamy! Can’t thank you enough for sharing. Also, it was pretty easy to make, will definitely be my new go to recipe! Keep up the great work!
Thank you so much! I’m glad you enjoyed the cake.
Wow. I was hesitant to even try after baking what has been know to my friends and family as the BEST CHOCOLATE CAKE EVER made with eggs, cream…you know…NOT vegan.
But, my hubby and I became full vegan this past February for the animals, environment and general health and have found it’s a very good time to be vegan. This cake. This cake. THIS CAKE! Thank you Nora so much for this recipe. I almost cried when I tasted it. Moist, creamy, not too sweet – just the perfect amount of everything. Super stoked.
Congrats on going vegan and I’m SO happy you enjoyed the cake! My goal is to create recipes that will help fill the void on the non-vegan comforting and celebratory foods you used to enjoy. Thank you!
I have made quite a few vegan cakes over the years, and this was BY FAR the most DELICIOUS! The cake is so moist and flavorful— it was a huge hit with my (non-vegan) family. The chocolate buttercream icing is perfection. They were raving about it! I’ll definitely be making this again. Five stars!
INSANE!!! Such a good chocolate cake recipe – better than most non-vegan cakes!!!! I used Camino cocoa powder which is definitely a cut above, I used unsweetened oat milk and I replaced the coconut oil with half a cup of Miyoko’s vegan butter melted (it’s cultured cashew butter that bakes incredibly well – can find it at Trader Joe’s). Thank you for this recipe! Even the batter was incredible – I could eat it by the spoonful.
A friend of mine has developed allergies to both dairy and eggs, seriously cramping her (and her hubbie’s) love of sweets. I made this cake (single layer) and frosting, and we all just loved it. No one would have known it was vegan if I hadn’t told them. It was easy, very very good, and I’ll surely make it again! I added a tsp of espresso powder as I always do with chocolate desserts, but other than that I followed the recipe exactly. Yum!
This is the first (possibly second) time I’ve made a vegan chocolate cake. I had a feeling this would be good and it far exceeded my expectations holy cats. The only thing I subbed was regular flax milk for almond milk because that’s what I had. AMAZING. The is the best chocolate cake I’ve ever made or HAD!!!!!!! And the frosting – sooooooooooooo good!!!! Again I did use flax milk and not the unsweetened variety. I used to bake my son a chocolate cake every year using the Hershey recipe. But I am so over using animal products for others and have decided from now on only vegan baking. The only bad part is I can eat it so yeah:-P
Now I’m off to search for a vegan white cake recipe – I’ve yet to ever bake a decent white cake but hoping it will turn out like this one.
So glad you loved the cake! Vegan baking can be a lot of fun, I have totally fallen in love with it. I have a vegan vanilla cake you might like, too. Happy baking!
This cake is amazing. Thank you, Nora – I really love your recipes!