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).
If I were to use a 9×13 pan instead how would that change the cooking time? I don’t have 9 inch pans and can’t find any at our local stores, only 8 inch. ?
I make it in two 8 inch pans all the time, it should be fine. If you choose to use a 9×13 pan, cook it longer. I would say for about 45 minutes. Hope this helps.
This is absolutely the best vegan chocolate cake I have ever made. This cake is very chocolatey moist yet dance everyone of my family loves it and they’re not even vegan.
Thank you for sharing your wonderful review! I’m glad the cake was a hit!
Hi! I was thinking about replacing the sugar for dates and blending them with the hot water. Do you think it would work? Thanks!
I’m not sure what would happen without the sugar, but you could experiment. 🙂
AMAZING!! There is NO way to tell that this is vegan. So delicious, soft and moist. I can’t reiterate enough, everyone needs to try this!
Thanks, Nicki, for your wonderful review! Glad you love the cake!
Hi Nora! I’m so excited to try this recipe for my husband’s birthday. He doesn’t like things too sweet, so I was actually thinking of doing an espresso buttercream instead of chocolate. Do you think that would go well with this recipe?
Yes, that sounds fabulous to me!
Do I need to double or x1.5 for a 3Layer 6inch round cake?
Thank you!
No, you do not need to double or anything, it works in three 6 inch round cakes.
Hi do u know if this cake can be stacked / tiered
Do I think it’s sturdy enough ? Or would it be too crumbly I need to make a 2 tier vegan cake ?
It stacks just fine, as you can see I always make it as a double layer cake. I’ve made it as a triple 6 inch layer cake as well.
This is the best chocolate cake I’ve ever eaten. I don’t even want to add “vegan chocolate cake” because it’s simply the best cake ever. Delicious, moist, and such an easy recipe! Every recipe Nora writes is a 10/10.
Thank you very much for your kind and wonderful review! I’m thrilled you are loving my recipes! Happy cooking!
Can this be used for a marble cake or is the batter to watery? How do we adjust to be able to use for marble cake?
I haven’t done this, but the vanilla version of this cake does not work, so I would probably use my vanilla cake recipe instead. But I would have to do some testing to know exactly what to tell you here, sorry!
It is an amazing cake!! I had no idea it was vegan until my friend who made it, said it was!
To make it gluten free, could I use equal parts gluten free flour instead of the AP flour?
Thanks! Yes, you can substitute a gluten free all purpose flour, or make my Gluten Free Chocolate Cake, which is almost just like this recipe.
Tastes good and the cake is firm enough to stack with other cakes!
Thank you for sharing! Glad you like the cake!
Thank you for this recipe! I’ve made it twice now – love it!
Simple easy-to-get ingredients, and the taste is on point!
Big thanks. Can’t wait to try your other recipes.
I’m glad you’re loving the chocolate cake! Enjoy your journey through my recipes! Let me know how they go for you, and happy cooking!
Can cake portion be frozen?
Yes, it freezes very well.
Nora, you’ve done it again. I don’t know why I bother to bake anything besides your recipes because yours are always amazing. I made this recipe more for fun than for anything else (also I’m pregnant and craving cake) and it is sooooo moist and delicious. I even accidentally poured all the cupcakes into my pan before realizing I had forgotten to add my soy milk/vinegar mixture — I poured each cupcake back into the bowl and added the milk in and it STILL turned out after this mishap!
Thank you for your recipes!!!
Hi Gina! Thank for sharing about your mishap! It made me giggle, and thrilled to know the cupcakes turned out great! I’m glad you love the cake! Thank you for taking your time to share your review! Sending you health and joy on the upcoming birth of your baby!
Looking forward to making this! How does the cake keep as I’m looking to make it and cover it with fondant for decorating
The cake will keep at room temperature for 3-4 days, maybe a day or two more in the refrigerator. Hope you love it!
THE best EASIEST cake to make turned out perfectly was loved by all will definitely make again!!<3
Thank you for sharing your review! I’m glad the cake was a hit!
This is the most requested cake by my family. ITS VEGAN!!!! Thank you Ms. Nora!
That’s so fantastic! Thank you for sharing!
Great ?
I recently started a vegan lifestyle. Your site is my go to whenever I am looking for something sweet to make. I want to make this chocolate cake, I don’t have almond milk, will coconut milk work with this recipe?
You can use any non-dairy milk here, including coconut milk. I actually use a variety of milks, depending on what I have on hand. I’m happy that you are enjoying Nora Cooks! Thank you!
I made this cake this past weekend instead of doing a layer cake I made it in a bundt pan. We are not vegetarian but wanted to try it. My family absolutely loved it! I never told them it was vegan!
Hi Belinda! I’m glad your family loved the cake! Thank you for sharing your review!
This recipe is fantastic! It was so easy to make and it was delicious! Everyone loved it! Amazing enough to help convert any non vegan!
Really glad you guys enjoyed the cake! Thank you for sharing your review!
Hi, this looks great, I’m excited to try it! I plan on making it for a birthday cake. I have a couple questions:
1- I only have a toaster oven so I would need to bake the batter one half at a time. If I put the 2nd portion of batter in the fridge while the 1st half bakes, will that mess up how the boiling water works in this recipe? (I guess in other words: does it matter if the batter goes into the oven cold?)
2- I live in Europe so don’t have access to Earth Balance. Do you have any guidance for choosing a vegan butter? E.g. are there certain ingredients I should look for or certain I should avoid to get the right consistency for the frosting?
Thanks a lot!
Hi Kate! Yes, you can bake one half at a time, I have done this before and didn’t have any issues. It’s probably best to bake them both right away, but like I said I tried it not long ago and it did work fine for me. As far as the butter goes, that’s okay you don’t have Earth Balance brand, I have used a variety and each one works well. I’m not sure what you should look for, other than don’t get one that has a low fat ratio or anything like that. Hope that helps!
This was SOOO good!! Thanks for your reply above and for this amazing recipe! Served to vegans and non-vegans. The non-vegans said that they wouldn’t have known it was vegan. I will definitely make again.
I ended up making half the recipe and baking in an 8×8 pan. I cut the baked cake in half and made a double-layer rectangular cake. Worked out very well!
I’m glad to hear that worked well, thanks so much! I’m happy everyone enjoyed the cake. 🙂
Hi Nora
My boyfriend made this for me for my birthday today and it was beyond delicious! I just wondered, is it suitable for freezing? There’s only 2 of us so would love to freeze half if poss to keep for another time
Hi Grace! Yes, the cake freezes very well. I often will freeze half of it, on a plate and wrapped very well. Works perfectly.
Nora loved the recipe, I of course bake them as cupcakes as it is easy to give it to my college aged daughter and her vegan roommates. It was a big hit with them. It was also great for my friend who has a severe egg allergy. Thanks for your great recipes, I love them.
You are welcome, Jay! Thank you for sharing your comments. I’m glad the cupcakes were a hit with everyone!
I messed up the glazing. Probably because I had to only soften the butter but I had melted it… I thought it had to be liquid.
So sad 🙁
Awesome…. I substituted hot coffee instead of the boiling water. You don’t taste the coffee, but it intensifies the chocolate flavor. Made it for a non vegan foodie, he was totally thrilled by the flavor and consistency.
Thank you for sharing your review, Leslie! I agree, using hot coffee in the cake is marvelous!
I swear this is the best chocolate cake ever! I’ve now made it six times and it’s always turned out fantastic. Except instead of the hot water I add hot coffee. What a difference!
Thanks for sharing your comments, Patrick! I’m glad you like the cake!