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.
Sign-up to get new recipes by email and receive a FREE 5 Day Family Friendly Vegan Meal Plan! SUBSCRIBE NOW.
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 cake is truly gorgeous and the best icing ever but after I assemble the cake within an hour the top layer starts to crack and break apart. I’ve made sure it’s completely cool before I ice it.
Any idea what I might be doing wrong?
I’m sorry to hear that! Cracking usually means the oven temperature was too high or the batter was over-mixed. Next time, try baking the cake at 325ºF and see if that helps!
The title of this cake is spot on! This is now my go-to chocolate cake recipe and everyone who has tried it has been floored and shocked it’s vegan (lol) and asked for the recipe! I’ve used this cake recipe to make a two-layer cake as well as cupcakes and it’s perfection either way. Thank you, Nora!!!
This is so great to hear, Kaycee! Thanks so much for using my recipe and for leaving a wonderful review!
This really is the best cake. We compare all other cakes to it.
Well, thank you! I’m so glad you love it! Thank you for sharing your wonderful feedback!
When i started to make this cake I was hesitant because it said to add boiling water then when I saw the note that said it was suppose to be watery …..after that, it came out the oven and I slapped that buttercream icing on it and I was like …she came out sexy.
Hi Gene! Thank you for your wonderful and fun feedback! I love it! I’m so glad you loved the cake!
I made this cake for my brother’s birthday. It was amazing! Moist and chocolately. Everyone liked it. Even my fussy hubby.
That’s wonderful to hear, Karen! Thanks for using my recipe and for leaving such a terrific review!
Hi Nora,
This recipe looks delicious! Can I use dairy milk instead of non-dairy milk, if not needing to make a vegan cake?
Yes, regular milk should work just fine!
This cake is the best. I have a daughter with a dairy allergy so this is my go to cake for any birthday celebrations
That’s wonderful to hear, Christa! Thank you for such a terrific review!
Can I switch out the almond milk for like full-fat coconut milk? Meaning like full fat coconut milk from a can that type.
Full fat coconut milk will probably weigh the cake down quite a bit, so I wouldn’t recommend it. It might work in a pinch.
The twins wanted to make a cake. I wanted chocolate and decided to try vegan. I didn’t have vegan butter for the icing so that’s regular butter. But this cake was phenomenal!! My husband couldn’t tell it was vegan. And he commented how light it was and not sickeningly sweet. Saving this one.
Incredible! It’s light but so moist and so delicious. I made it with a different frosting due to a soy allergy, but I absolutely loved the cake!
Hi Nora,
Thank you for sharing your recipes. I have tried the blueberry muffins recipe and I love it. Delicious, easy and it’s versatility makes my life easier.
I’m planning making the Best vegan chocolate cake. However, I would like to replace the all purpose flour to a gluten free flour and wondering which you would recommend. Thank you.
Hi there! I’m glad you enjoyed the muffins and I hope you like the cake! I like King Arthur Measure for Measure Flour or Bob’s Red Mill 1:1. You could also try my Gluten free Chocolate Cake, which I adapted to be gluten free.
This is actually the best chocolate cake ever. It’s so delicious- you’d never know it’s 86 animal byproducts!
I just tried the recipe and although the flavor was great I don’t know what I did wrong but the texture was way off. It was very rubbery and gluey. I made it in a bundt pan and although the directions say to bake for 45 minutes if using a bundt pan, I left it a lot longer (over an hour) bc the tooth pick wasn’t coming out clean. So I know it wasn’t undercooked but could I have overcooked it? It was still very moist but I couldn’t get passed the texture. Any ideas what may have caused this bc I would really love to make this again. Thanks!
Did you make any substitutions at all in the recipe? Make sure you are using fresh baking powder and soda. If it was gluey and dense it’s possible you either forgot those ingredients or yours did not work. The cake should be fluffy and moist, not dense or rubbery. Hope that helps!
Hi Nora! Thanks for replying. Yes, I used all the ingredients listed. I will try again this weekend!
You are welcome. I hope it goes well. Let me know!
Just so everyone knows… this recipe does NOT work with almond flour lol. I have made this with using canola oil and coconut oil; they both taste the same! I prefer the coconut oil since I try to avoid canola oil when I can. Thanks Nora for this recipe!
My favorite chocolate cake. End of sentence. End of discussion. Finally a dessert all sides can agree on. Whew.
LOL! I love it! Thank you!
Can’t wait to try this, I’ll come back and rate it when I do. I plan to make this for my vegan daughter at my son’s birthday celebration since his cake will be provided by his wife, and not vegan. I want my daughter to be able to enjoy cake, too! Also, assuming all goes well, I plan to serve the rest of this cake at her birthday in May unless I decide to also try the “lighter version” recipe you’ve shared. Thank you for sharing, and also for the added bake times for cupcakes, 1 layer cake, bundt…love to have options, and will probably divide up the batter and make a few cupcakes and then use the rest for a small 6″ three layer cake 🙂
I have made this once before and it was the first vegan cake i have made that i really loved. It is so moist and delicious. I was wondering what the best way to store it would be, I am making it this weekend for my daughter’s birthday party. I wanted to know if I should just leave it out or cover and put in fridge. Would this work to stack two 9×13 sheets on top of each other? would that yield too think of a cake? Thank you for another amazing recipe!
Hi Christina, I’m so happy you loved the cake and have decided to make it again! Try to cover the cake before storing it in the fridge. And as long as you aren’t filling the 9×13 sheet pans more than halfway full with cake batter, the layers shouldn’t turn out too thick.
What if I do not have apple cider vinegar? Will the cake be ok without it or is there a substitute I could use?
White vinegar or lemon juice can be used instead. Don’t leave it out or else the “buttermilk” mixture won’t curdle.
Literally the best chocolate cake ever, sooooo moist and rich!! Will make agin and again!
Thank you for your great feedback!
haven’t made it yet, just wondering if you can use vegan butter substitutes other than earth balance sticks? i can’t find it available in my country. will anything work w/ tweaked measurements? thanks
Absolutely! Any vegan butter will work if you can find one. Or perhaps shortening for the frosting, but it won’t taste the same.
Thank you fir your response… btw.. these were amazing! We had company and my husband and daughter are not happily vegan… but when the cupcakes came out they were the first to rave over them??
You are welcome! I’m glad the cupcakes are a hit with your family! Thank you!
Have you tried using cake flour instead of all purpose flour? Just wondering what the difference would be. Supposedly cake flour produces a lighter result.
I would not use cake flour for this recipe, because it’s too light. Typically I use it in other cake recipes, just not this one. Hope that helps and you can have success, it’s a very well loved cake!
I just made the cupcakes and am working on the frosting. These are for dessert tonight… can I leave them out all day?
Afterwards should I refrigerate the extras?
Kindly advise. Thank you ?
Hi Kim. Yes, the cupcakes can be left out on the counter. I usually refrigerate my leftover cakes. It will last for 3-5 days, longer if refrigerated. Hope this helps!
Hi Nora
Love your recipes. Do you think this would stand up to being stacked in 3 layers, or is the cake too soft?
Thank you!
Hi Jessica. I’ve made it into a triple layer cake before and it worked well! You do have to handle the cakes very gently though. You could also add a little less hot water to make the cakes sturdier, maybe only 1/2 cup instead of the full cup. The cakes won’t be quite as moist but they will be easier to handle. Hope that helps, glad you enjoy the recipe!
Is there a way to do the cake refine sugar free? I don’t have enough coconut sugar to do the full amount but I do have agave. I did make this cake exactly as the recipe says and it’s amazing
I’m so happy you loved the cake! Substituting a liquid sweetener is difficult here, and I haven’t tried it so I’m not sure it will work. Granulated sugar is always best.
Best chocolate cake ever! Thank you for the recipe. If I divide the batter into 6 inch pans how long would I bake them for?
Sorry my first comment/question accidentally omitted the amount of pans.
Best chocolate cake ever! Thank you for the recipe. If I divide the batter into 3-6 inch pans how long would I bake them for?
Hi Amy, the cakes should only need to bake for about 20-25 minutes in 6-inch pans. Check them after 20 minutes just in case!