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 is by far the best chocolate cake recipe ever. I used Nocciolata instead of frosting, I decorated the cake with organic berries and ….wow!!!!! So moist, so perfect! Thanks Nora!!!!
Can I use regular almond milk instead of unsweetened?
Yes, but this means there will be extra sugar in the cake. If you’re worried about the cake tasting too sweet, you can reduce the granulated sugar by about 1/8 – 1/4 cup.
I love this cake! I want to use this recipe again but wanted to make cupcakes… how long do you suggest baking them for ? Thanks so much!
I am so glad you are enjoying the cake, Angela! To make cupcakes, bake for 18-22 minutes. Enjoy the cupcakes!
i had actually found a butter thats better than earth balance! its much more creamy and tastes as close to regular butter (without that strange butter taste) youll ever find. its called: Country Crock Avocado Oil Plant Butter. and i found it on accident!
Sounds great, Arielle! I’m sure it will be a great fit for this recipe 🙂
By far the BEST chocolate cake I’ve ever made and eaten! It’s my go to recipe for both vegan and non vegan friends and family. Thanks so much for sharing Nora!! It’s by far the easiest and most DELICIOUS chocolate cake ever!!
You are so welcome, Natasha! I’m thrilled you are loving the cake! Thank you for your wonderful feedback and review! Happy cooking!
Is it ok to use a gluten free flour blend instead of flour?
Thank you!
Hi Chris. You could try my Gluten free Chocolate Cake, which I adapted to be gluten free. You could also use gluten free King Arthur Measure for Measure Flour or Bob’s Red Mill 1:1. Happy cooking!
I think my comment was deleted or didn’t go through. Can I chill the cakes overnight and frost them the next day? Thanks!
I think it should be there Grace! Let me know if you still have questions! Thank you!
Can I chill cakes overnight, then first the next day?
*meant frost, sorry lol
I knew that! Thanks Grace!
Yes, that will work great! Make sure they are at room temperature before frosting them!
This cake was absolutely the out of this world for vegan and non-vegan!!! incredibly moist and so rich! I would put less powder sugar for the icing next time, but other than that, I would never search for another chocolate cake recipe! thank you so much for sharing this recipe!!
How long should I cook it if I don’t decide the batter so I can make a deeper cake. Like a 20inch
Can I substitute 1 cup hot coffee for the 1 cup boiling water? Thanks!
Yes, you can. It’s really yummy this way!
Is it ok to use normal apple sauce? Can’t find unsweetened anywhere! Thanks ?
Sure! Just leave out 1/4 cup of granulated sugar so the cake isn’t too sweet. Happy cooking!
Thank you so much! Made it for my sister’s birthday party this weekend and everyone absolutely loved it!
I’m so glad it was a hit! Thanks for sharing your great feedback!
If I want to use this recipe to make three 6 inch cakes, how would I do that? Thanks!
There should be enough batter and frosting to cover a three layer 6-inch cake. Just bake the layers for 18 to 20 minutes at 350ºF!
Hi Nora. Can you make this cake a day in advance or is it best made on the day?
This cake can definitely be made a day in advance! I like to store mine in the refrigerator. Hope this helps!
This had a lovely flavour but the texture ended up like brownie rather than cake! I’m from the uk so made some changes (plain flour; caster sugar as didn’t have granulated). I cooked it for 30 minutes at 160c in a fan oven. Any ideas where I had gone wrong? It’s my first vegan cake!
I plan to make this cake 5 days in advance and freeze. Can I make the frosting in advance and refrigerate until I assemble the day of the party? Thanks.
You can prepare the frosting and keep it in the refrigerator. Bring the frosting to room temperature prior to frosting. I hope this helps!
This cake is amazing!! Topped it with raspberries, strawberries and blueberries. Made it both using a sugar glaze and again using the buttercream frosting. Loved them both. Question, can you freeze the leftover buttercream frosting?
Your cake sounds delicious! Thanks for your feedback and ideas! Yes, you can freeze leftover frosting. It will last 2-3 months in an airtight container.
This is easily my favourite recipe for making chocolate cake (vegan or not)! I made a significant amount more icing than I needed. Can I freeze the remaining amount? If so, how would you recommend I defrost it to use again?
Thanks for your great feedback and review! I’m glad you love the cake! Yes, you can freeze the frosting for 2-3 months in an airtight container. Let it thaw at room temperature and stir well before using.
Just coming back to tell you that once again your cake was the hit of the birthday party. It is so incredibly easy to make and has wonderful flavor and texture. I’m enjoying a leftover cupcake with coffee as we speak–a perfect pair. Thanks again!
Thank you Ashley! You are welcome! I appreciate you!
Hi Nora. I’ve just made your chocolate cake for my friend’s birthday party today, and it’s not gone well! The cake took over 90mins to be anywhere near cooked in the middle and it’s come out very rubbery and flat. I’m in the UK, so followed your metric recipe, and followed it to the letter, including the oven temp. At the moment, I’m not a fan, but is there a reason for it coming out rubbery? I don’t feel like I did anything wrong! Thanks!
I’m sorry it didn’t work out for you, Laura! It’s possible that the cake turned out rubbery because the measurements were off and/or the batter was overmixed. As for the baking time, the cake can take longer to bake when there’s too much batter in the cake pans or because ovens vary in temperature. If you do try it again, try turning the temperature up to 375ºF. I hope this helps!
This Vegan chocolate cake recipe is AMAZING! I usually make regular chocolate cake – but it was a friends birthday and he’s vegan! We all were amazed!
I’m so glad the cake was a hit! Thank you for sharing your wonderful feedback!
This is the best chocolate cake I’ve ever had in my life! Even my 14-year-old son, who is incredibly picky about his chocolate cake said it was amazing! The recipe was surprisingly easy!
Thank you so much for your wonderful feedback! I’m so glad you and your son loved the cake!
Help! I’m in the middle of making this cake right now and before I even add the hot water my cake seems super runny so I know the boiling water will be like soup. I’m doubling the recipe so I keep thinking maybe I did not add enough flour and I’m just stuck. 2 cups of flour for a single recipe seems like so little and I substituted aqua fava for the applesauce so 2/3 cup of aqua fava which adds to the liquids. Because applesauce is not really liquid so I feel like I should add some flour.
No worries, Kim! The batter should be runny! If you’re still worried, only use half of the boiling water. The cakes may take a little longer to bake if there’s too much liquid but you can turn the oven up to 375ºF to help with that.
I would like to bear my testimony about the truth of this cake. It is a spiritual experience of decadence and flavor. Best cake EVER. I make it for every occasion I can think of. My non vegan friends even says it’s the best – more moist and flavorful than other traditional chocolate cakes.
Thank you for your fabulous feedback! These are wonderful things to read about my cake! Happy cooking!
WOW! This cake is AMAZING! It’s truly one of the best chocolate cakes I’ve ever had. I made it for a coworker on her last day of work and just kept my fingers crossed. Everybody loved it! I will definitely make again! Thank you for figuring this recipe out. It’s so good!
You are so welcome! I’m so glad you and your coworkers enjoyed the cake! Thank you for sharing your fun and wonderful feedback!
Can I use oat milk instead of almond?
Yes, you can!