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).
Hi Nora
Thanks for the great recipe. My cake didn’t get so fluffy, but is almost like two pancakes. Can you tell what I did wrong?
will the earth’s balance butter not the sticks work ok I can’t find the sticks.
Yes, that should work. Just make sure the butter is not to soft, or melty.
Hello Nora! I have baked this cake a million times and absolutely love it. I was wondering if I can substitute the oat milk for amarula or baileys Irish cream and still use everything else? I plan to bake this as a birthday surprise tonight and if you are able to respond quickly would much appreciate it. Thanks for all your delicious recipes
I’ve never tried it but I bet it will work. Sounds amazing, enjoy!
Started baking this cake for my vegan granddaughter and now it’s the one everyone requests for all occasions.
This chocolate cake is amazing!! Look no further for the best vegan chocolate recipe ever. Vegans and non vegans alike absolutely love it!! Please keep coming up with recipes like this one 🙂 !!
My mother-in-law surprised me on my birthday with this cake and it was delicious! I thought it was so thoughtful for her to bake a vegan cake for me – the flavor was phenomenal and the icing was so, so rich (almost too sweet for me) but I enjoyed every bite since I don’t normally take part in sweets.
Hello!
I am all set to make the cake for my friend’s birthday I can’t wait it seems so delicious, however I have no choice but making it the day before, will it be still fine? Should I store it in the fridge once made and cooled down?
Thank you very much!
Yes, it will be just fine the next day. Hope they enjoy it!
This chocolate cake recipe is my absolute Favorite! Everyone loves it no matter what! I’ve already made it a handful of times:) Thank you so much for sharing this recipe!
Question, i didn’t see it on the blog but can I freeze the cake? Or will it lose the great texture?
I’m so glad you love it! Yes, it freezes well, I have frozen it many times, both whole and in slices. It doesn’t lose it’s texture. Thanks!
i’ve never commented on any recipes before but this was so genuinely so easy and SO GOOD!! i’ve never had good luck with vegan cakes in the past and this turned out amazing!! and my two carnivore parents loved it too. they couldn’t believe it was vegan
Thank you for taking time to share your great review and comments on my cake! I’m so glad it turned out great for you!
This recipe looks amazing. Can cashew milk be used instead of almond? I also like Dutch processed baking cocoa and refined coconut oil. Can those be substituted as well? Thank you.
Yes, all of those substitutions will work fine. Enjoy!
Nora!
Especially when your recipe has the name ‘The Best…’ is rightfully named. This chocolate cake taste like it came from an expensive bakery. It was rich and moist. My family loved it!
Thank you, Lisa! I’m thrilled that you and your family love the cake! Thank you for sharing your wonderful comments!
Thanks to this amazing recipe my daughter ate chocolate cake for the first time (allergic to dairy, nuts and eggs). I substituted the almond milk for oat milk and it was delicious! Making this cake again in a couple of days for another occasion, it was THAT GOOD!
I am thrilled your daughter got to eat chocolate cake! Thank you for sharing your wonderful review and comments! Enjoy all the chocolate cakes to come! Happy cooking!
Made it as a surprise for my sister’s bday and she loved it (she’s not vegan).
I have two questions:
1-Does the cake freeze well?
2-Is it normal that it only cooks up
about 1-1 1/2 inches thick in 2 x 9” pans?
Thanks for all the great recipes!
Dee
I’m glad she loved the cake! It freezes perfectly. I feel like it should be a bit taller than that, so I’m not sure there. Thanks!
Hi Nora!
I love your chocolate cake! I need to make a chocolate cake with blue frosting for my daughter’s Bluey birthday party. Could I use the buttercream frosting recipe and just omit the cocoa powder? What would you reccommend? Thanks in advance!
Hi there, I’m glad you love the cake! I would go make this frosting: Vanilla Vegan Frosting. Add blue dye and there you go!
This cake was amazing! I added less sugar and instant coffee to the water and it turned out super rich and delicious. Also didn’t have ingredients for the icing, so I used your Gamache recipe. Thanks so much!
Hi Isabel! Thank you for sharing your wonderful review and comments! I’m really glad you love the cake!
SO GOOD. I’ve made this cake for several birthdays and it’s always a hit.
I made this for a vegan colleague and it was a hit in the office! I’ll be making more of this for my non-vegan family because it’s just THAT good! I forgot to buy the apple sauce so mashed up some of my blueberries instead, and place the remaining blueberries in the middle layer and it was surprisingly good!
Thank you for sharing your great review and comments! The blueberries sound delicious! I’m glad the cake was a hit!
This recipe is a keeper! I made it for our daughter’s birthday and it was super moist and absolutely delicious!
Thank you for sharing your great review and comments! I’m glad you loved the cake, and happy birthday to your daughter!
Hi Nora,
I baked this for my daughter in-law’s birthday. Any recommendations on how best to adjust to high altitude. It fell, but alot of cakes do here at 6,300 ft. Still tasted delicious.
Hi Susan. I’m not sure as I’m not familiar with high altitude baking. Maybe general instructions for cooking at high altitude could be helpful. I haven’t tested it though! Sorry.
Thank you. I just covered it with frosting and it was delicious. It is worth experimenting. I will circle back when I get it right. Thank you!
Amazing recipe. I just made cupcakes for a bunch of vegans and non-vegans alike and we all loved them. They have the perfect cupcake texture and the taste is wonderfully rich without being too sweet. Thank you!
You are welcome! I’m glad the cupcakes were a hit! Thanks so much for taking time to share your great review and comments!
This is such a gorgeous chocolate cake recipe, the best I’ve made. I’m putting it down to the hot water at the end, it gives the finished cake such a decadent, fudgy taste while still being soft and fluffy. We left out the apple sauce because we didn’t have any. My 6 year old daughter made straight chocolate cupcakes and I added ginger to my batch (cupcakes coming out of our ears!). So delicious! Thank you so much for sharing.
I love that you guys made your own delicious, individual tasting cupcakes! If it’s like around my house, they will disappear! Thank you for sharing your fun and great comments! Happy cooking!
Hi Nora!
I’ve made this before and it’s DELICIOUS! If I want to make it in advance of a party (and not ice it yet), how would you recommend storing it? I want to make it the day before. Tightly wrapped in plastic wrap in the fridge? Thanks!
Hi Tory. Yes, it can be made a few days ahead, or the day before. I would store the cooked and cooled cakes in the refrigerator, wrapped up, then make the frosting the day of (or even the day before). Thank for sharing your great comments. I’m glad you love the cake!
This cake was definitely the best vegan cake I have made. I was a bit dubious about the recipe (especially the hot water) but it was fantastic.
The cake was gobbled up within a day!
My only slight issue was that it seemed a bit fragile when I was handling it.
I’m glad the cake was a hit! Thank you for sharing your review!
I’m so excited to make this for my 2 yr olds birthday on Sunday (Halloween) .. ✌️?️?️
I hope you enjoy the cake! Happy birthday to your child!
Does this cake need to be refrigerated?
I usually store the cake in the refrigerator, or it can be stored at room temperature. It will last for 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 individually wrapped slices if you don’t think you’ll get to it all within a few days. I hope this helps!