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! Thank you so much for this delicious recipe, me and my family have truly enjoyed it. I was wondering if the recipe will change a lot if I use Almond Flour in order to have a gluten free recipe.
Hi there! Sorry, almond flour won’t work in this recipe. Almond flour does not absorb liquid the same at all, so you will end up with a soupy cake. You can use a gluten free flour mix if you’d like, it works quite well. Hope that helps!
Thank you! I didn’t have idea that such a blend existed. I will try it and hopefully it’s equally delicious as the original recipe!
You are welcome!
Hi! Do I need to bake both batters at the same time? I only have one cake pan. So can I bake one half first and then the other half afterwards?
That should work just fine, I’ve done it before with no problems. Enjoy!
Can this be made in a bundt pan?
Yes, just bake the cake for 45 minutes instead.
Awesome cake recipe! My husband says this is his new favorite cake of all time. I don’t have an electric mixer, so everything was done by hand and it still came out fine. Also, I used different types of milk than the ones listed because that was what I had on hand. Easy to follow and relatively quick. This was a big hit!
Thanks, Nora!
I’m thrilled the cake was a hit for your family! Thank you for sharing your wonderful feedback! Happy cooking!
Have made this twice and it is hands down the BEST chocolate cake I’ve had in my life! Even before I became vegan – no other cake compares! You have a loyal follower here and I’m always looking for more of your recipes to try. You are so talented!! Thank you 🙂
Hi Alli. I am thrilled you are loving the cake! Thank you for your wonderful feedback and positive words! I appreciate you using my recipes, and I hope you enjoy your journey through them! Happy cooking!
This was an AMAZING recipe! My boyfriend and I are only a couple months into veganism and we haven’t quite found a chocolate that we like. But when I made this, I was absolutely blown away by how moist and delicious it was!! I would give you 20000 stars if I could! ❤️
Thank you, Chelsea! I’m glad you guys loved the cake! We love this one at our house as well! I hope you enjoy your journey through my recipes! Happy cooking!
Made this for my mom today, it’s so moist and delicious! Definitely will be my new go to. Also browsed your website and am excited to try your other recipes. Two questions- if I want to make an orange chocolate cake would it work to use orange juice instead of milk, or should I try orange zest,? What do you think?
And do you have a sugar free cake recipe? My son turns one in April and I’m have a hard time finding a good smash cake recipe that isn’t basically banana bread. Thanks!
I meant to put five stars on my initial comment!
Hi Jennifer, I’m so glad you enjoyed the cake! I think I would try adding orange juice and zest, but I’ve never tried it so its hard to say. Sounds good! I don’t have a sugar free cake recipe, but you might be able to make one of my cakes sugar free. I haven’t tried it to know if it would work. Hope that helps!
I make this cake ALL the time and everyone can’t believe it’s vegan! Thank you for this! Have you tried making a gluten free version? I really don’t want to search for a chocolate, vegan gluten free desert when I’m obsessed with this cake. If not, is the frosting gluten free?I think it is, but I wanted to double check.
This was the most insane cake I’ve ever had in my entire life. Thank you and god bless you for coming up with this recipe.
I made it for my wife’s birthday, and if she wasn’t already my wife, this cake would have sealed the deal.
Wow, what a wonderful thing to hear about my cake recipe! Thank you for sharing your fantastic review and feedback! Happy birthday to your wife!
I made these as cupcakes for an office birthday party as one of our team is vegan and it was a huge hit with everyone! I halved the frosting and that was plenty for all 24 (not super thick layer) with a little leftover. Crazy good and will definitely make this again! Nora’s recipes are always on point. Thank you!
Thank you for your wonderful feedback! I’m so glad the cake was a hit!
Would adding 100g of melted .vegan chocolate make this cake a little more dense and chocolatey? Thanks
It should make the cake extra chocolatey and a little dense. If you’d rather, you can substitute the boiling water for freshly brewed coffee (or 1/2 cup espresso) to enhance the chocolate flavor.
I made 2x the recipe for 2 12inch cake tins.. I added applesauce and avocado with 200gr melted Whittaker’s NZ chocolate, then froze the cake for a week . Just used one load of icing and it came out so well, giving about 24 pieces of cake for a big birthday party. Not too sponge like and not too dense. Thanks, this is now our go to chocolate cake recipe for our vegan family.
Just pulled this from the oven. It smells amazing! But it sank a little in the center (9×13). I live at 7,000 ft… do you think this an elevation thing? Or could it be the crappy grocery store recyclable pan I used? I also found some thicker batter at the well in the bottom of my kitchenaid mixer bowl and tried to blend that in. That’s probably it- maybe I over mixed it or else didn’t get it incorporated well enough?
Hi Jane. The higher elevation could definitely contribute to the cake sinking, but so can underbaking and overmixing. There are a bunch of reasons why it could have happened! Next time, mix the ingredients together only until they all JUST come together so you don’t knock the air out.
Hi Nora, I also live at high elevation. 5,000 ft. And baked the cakes for about 38 minutes, slightly over baked because the centers were not up. They never did rise and I don’t think I over mixed the recipe. Do you know if this recipe needs any changes for high elevation baking? Thanks.
I’ve never tried baking it at high altitude so I’m really not sure, sorry!
Hi Nora
Can I freeze this cake before frosting it?
Yes, you can.
I’m making this at my work, bc I need space, bc my kitchen at home is too small, anyway the only oven is a conventional oven. I’ve had problems with some bake goods baking too fast, do you have any suggestions on time or what to do? I’m doing this for a friend that’s vegan and I’m hoping I don’t screw this up. My plan is to freeze it till I need it this weekend.
I make this cake ALL the time and everyone can’t believe it’s vegan! Thank you for this! Have you tried making a gluten free version? I really don’t want to search for a chocolate, vegan gluten free desert when I’m obsessed with this cake. If not, is the frosting gluten free?I think it is, but I wanted to double check.
Hi Danielle. I’m so glad you are loving the cake! Yes, I do have a gluten free version of the chocolate cake. Check it out!
This was hands down, one of the best chocolate cake recipes I have ever tried. I made it a week ago for a birthday and we are still talking about it!
Absolutely fantastic.
Hi Joan. I’m glad the cake was a hit! Thank you for your wonderful feedback!
Hi Nora!
I’m new to this- if I’m to make it for gluten free people, do I just sub the flour for gluten free? Was looking at King Arthur gluten free flour. But then got to thinking- is there anything else in this cake that would have gluten?
Hi Sara. A gluten free flour mix will work well instead of the AP flour. I also have a gluten free chocolate cake recipe you may want to check out. Enjoy!
Can this cake be stored overnight in the refrigerator? This will be my first time making a vegan cake.
Hi Amber. I usually store the cake in the refrigerator. It will last for 3-5 days, longer if refrigerated. Enjoy the cake!
First time making a vegan dessert for an office birthday celebration. This cake was better than my usual, non-vegan chocolate cake recipe (which is badass). I got rave reviews, everyone loved it! I made double the recipe for a three layered, 10” cake. The cake was super moist, and handled stacking weight well. The frosting was delicious, and easy to pipe and spread. Will be my go-to!
Hi Nora ,
I made the cake in two 9inch pans as directed but one half cracked into three pieces as it cooled, what did I do wrong?
Sheila
Hi Sheila. I’m not sure why it fell apart, though you definitely have to handle this cake very gently as this one is quite moist, tender and light. I’ve made it countless times, and it has never broken on me, other than maybe a few cracks when I wasn’t very careful. My best suggestion would be to handle it very gently and slowly. Don’t lift it from the sides only, but get a good hold of the bottom as well. I hope this helps!
Hi Nora! This cake is soooo delicious. I wanted to try to marble it and was wondering if you had any suggestions on how to do that? Thank you!
That sounds delicious! I’d suggest making my yellow cake instead and layering the batter with chocolate ganache. Hope that helps!
I didn’t have applesauce so used two flax eggs as recommended in the notes. Used melted coconut oil. I used a 9×13 pan and baked for 35 minutes. This cake was perfection- so delicious!! Thank you for the recipe!
You are welcome, Tonya! I’m so glad you loved the cake! Thank you for your wonderful feedback!
Best chocolate cake. Super moist and delicious frosting. Hard to say it’s vegan. Thank you for the recipe
You are welcome! I’m so glad you are loving the cake! Thank you for sharing your wonderful feedback!
Thank you Nora! This is the best vegan chocolate cake ever. It came out of the pan beautifully and behaved perfectly while being iced! Oh and my grandson who is 4 absolutely loved this cake. I used homemade unsweetened soy milk instead of almond milk and all was delicious!
I’m so glad you and your grandson loved the cake! Thank you so much for sharing your review and feedback!
Hi Nora!
I want to ask how I can tweak the recipe to make it less sweet? I plan to use Lakanto sugar or coconut sugar. Will cutting down the portion of sugar affect the moisture or texture of the cake?
I plan to make this for my 2 year old sons birthday!
Using less sugar could make the cake more moist so try not to omit too much. Coconut sugar is my substitute of choice, although it can change the overall flavor and color slightly.
Hands down our new favorite vegan cake. You know its good when the non vegans have 2nds!!! We made 2 in a week as my daughter made it for my birthday with a healthy no sugar icing and then i made it again for my husbands birthday but used your icing. Holy sweet!!! But for the cake we swapped the sugar for coconut sugar and it was fabulous!!! Thank you so much!!
I’m so glad you love the cake! Thanks for using my recipe, and for sharing your review and feedback! Happy cooking!
Hi Nora!
If I want to bake these in 2-3 6inch cake pans how long will I cook it for?
How much do I fill the 6inch cake pan?
I am thinking of making a 2-3 layer cake 6″ pan.
Thank you
Christina
Hi Christina. The cakes will need to bake for a few minutes less, probably around 20-25 minutes. Just make sure to check them with a toothpick to be sure!