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).
We made this amazing cake today for my birthday. We’re not vegan, but my little guy has an egg and milk allergy and I’ve found that it’s easier to look for vegan recipes than to figure out substitutions on my own. I’m pretty sure though, that even if he outgrows his allergies, this will be the only chocolate cake I ever make! The boiling water addition seemed a little strange, and I don’t know how you came up with the idea, but it made this cake come out better than any chocolate cake we’ve ever had (and all without eggs?!?!)!!! It came out JUST like the chocolate cake from Matilda, which is pretty much what all chocolate cake aspires to be. Thank you for your detailed instructions and this amazing recipe! We will be making it for other birthdays and checking out your other recipes!
I’m so glad you all enjoyed it!
Oh my gosh! This cake is AMAZING. I made it for a vegan friend’s birthday and everyone loved it. It was my first time attempting a vegan cake, and the texture and taste is exactly like a non-vegan cake! I made it exactly as the recipe stated (only difference is that applesauce here in England has chunks of apples which my friend actually loved). Thank you SO much for the recipe; it’s a life-saver!
You’re welcome! Glad it was good.
This truly is the BEST vegan cake that I’ve baked so far. I made this for a dinner and my guests really liked it.
I’ve got request to make this again.
Thank you, I’ll always stick to this recipe from now on.
Glad everyone liked it!
Ya’ll! I couldn’t BE more pleased!! This cake is moist and decadent! Exactly what we were looking for in a birthday cake. Here’s the kicker – I took most of the ingredients for this cake on a plane from TX to AZ and made it in the Airbnb we were staying!
If you want to travel by air with the ingredients for this cake, here’s what I did:
1. I took the dry ingredients of the cake recipe in 2 mason jars in my carry on. (Be prepared for extra time through security – they will most likely want to swab test your containers. For reference, I put the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt & cocoa powder in a larger one & the sugar in a smaller one.)
2. I put some vinegar in a TSA approved container (under 3 oz) and the vanilla extract container was already compliant. I simply put them both in the clear bag with my other liquid items.
3. I bought the non-dairy milk, oil, applesauce, a disposable 9×13 pan & a vegan frosting once we arrived. (I used this list to decide which frosting to buy while I was at the store: https://www.peta.org/living/food/vegan-frosting-sprinkles-non-dairy-baking/)
4. The Airbnb did not have a mixer so I did everything by hand. No problem with that!
5. Because I used a 9×13 pan instead of Nora’s 2 x 8” cake pans, I noticed the outside of the pan cooking faster than the middle. I remembered Alton Brown’s brownie recipe https://altonbrown.com/alton-brown-brownie-recipe/ and implemented the same technique. It worked! (Of course it did. It’s science!)
Wow, you are resourceful! I’m so glad you were able make the cake and that it turned out great!
Hi Kim, I’m about to do the same thing, so it’s fun to read your comments. I’m absolutely astonished that TSA allowed you to have glass in your carry-on luggage! You got very lucky.
Hi Nora,
This is the best chocolate cake ever! I finally mastered it and all my non-vegan family and friends really enjoy this cake when I make it. I sometimes add chocolate morsels! Thank you! My vegan son always compliments my baking!
I’m so glad you like it, and that even the non-vegans like it. 🙂
My husband doesn’t do chocolate so I tried using the equivalent amount of carob powder. It was way to caroby. Can you suggest what the ratio of cocoa powder is to carob powder? I want to make this again.
Well, I believe you can simply sub the same amount of carob for cocoa in recipes, so it’s probably just the carob taste you didn’t like. You can try using less carob, perhaps try 1/2 cup instead of 3/4 cup in the cake and maybe only 1/2 cup in the frosting. I’m not sure as I have never tried this, but that might help the taste not be so strong. Thank you!
Would it be ok to use a bunds cake form instead of 2 pans?
I haven’t tried this so I’m not sure, but it will likely work!
I just attempted to make this and the batter seemed to boil over the cake pans and make a mess on the bottom of my oven. Is there a way to avoid this?
You must be using either small or very shallow cake pans, as this never comes close to boiling over in the pans. What size pans are you using?
Hi! I don’t have access to the earth balance vegan butter – anythine else I could use perhaps?
Looks so delicious xx
Do you have access to any sort of vegan butter or margarine? Vegetable shortening would work for the frosting if needed.
Absolutely the BEST chocolate cake I have ever made and eaten!!! Truly we have been making a non-dairy chocolate care for 25 plus years and Yours is better than that one. Thank you!!
What could I use in lieu of sugar? Maple syrup?
No, maple syrup will add way too much liquid for the recipe. I haven’t made it with anything but regular sugar, but your best bet would be a granulated sugar, such as coconut sugar, date sugar or some sort of fake sugar substitute (again, I’m honestly not familiar with fake sugars at all). Liquid won’t work though.
Omg! It really is
THE BEST VEGAN CHOCOLATE CAKE!!! Really… unbelievable… you could say it’s the best chocolate cake!
If I’m making the night before should i refridgerate the cake or leave it out
Either is really fine, but I tend to refrigerate it for freshness.
We have a nut allergy in our house, so can’t use almond milk. What would you recommend for a substitute? I was thinking Ripple (pea) or Soy, but wasn’t sure.
Ripple would be fine, or soy, coconut, oat milk. Anything should work just fine here. Thanks!
What would you recommend for greasing of the pans? I want to make sure I get it just right!
I usually just put a circle or parchment paper in the bottom of each pan, then spray them generously with oil.
Can I substitute the applesauce with vegan butter or oil?
I’m afraid it may make the cake way too greasy and moist. Applesauce works as an egg replacer here, so if you wanted you could likely replace it with 2 flax eggs (2 tablespoons flax + 5 tablespoons water, mix and let sit for a few minutes), or another egg replacer.
Hello Nora
Thank you so much for the recipe. May i ask what the 1cup is equivalent to in grams?
Thank you
If you look at the ingredients list, underneath it there is something that says “US Customary/ Metric”. You can click on the metric and see it will change the amounts. It’s 250g. Hope that helps, it’s there for all my recipes now!
Hi Nora!
If I use cacao powder on place of cocoa powder, are there any special adjustments I need to make?
Thanks!
No, it should work just fine. Thanks!
Oh my goodness! This is the beat chocolate cake EVER — vegan or not! I made it for my non-vegan husband’s birthday today and he loved it. I told him it was vegan after he took a bite and praised it. Thank you for this recipe! By the way, I used Country Crock’s new plant-based butter for the frosting and it worked beautifully!
I have never commented on a cooking blog before but feel compelled to; I baked this cake for a Halloween party last week and brought it to a party of ex-vegans. Every last piece was eaten up with their son (who says he hates vegan food) saying he couldn’t stop eating it! I told everyone it was Vegan after they ate it !!
Hi! Thanks so much for this recipe. It’s incredible! I’m thinking of trying to freeze some – have you done this before?
Yes, I have frozen slices of the cake and they freeze very well! Thank you!
Fabulous, thank you! Will give it a try.
Would it be alright to use gluten free flour or wiuld I need to adjust things? First vegan baking attempt 🙂
I haven’t personally tried it myself, but people have commented they use a gluten free flour with good results. I would go with a good gluten free flour, such as Bob’s Red Mill 1:1 flour. Hope that helps! No special adjustments needed, just replace it with the white flour.
Can’t wait to try. What flour would you recommend to make gluten free as well? Thanks!!
I would recommend Bob’s Red Mill Gluten Free 1:1 Baking Flour. I haven’t tried this cake gluten free, but many people have reported good results doing so! Good luck!
This truly IS the best chocolate cake ever, and I’ve been vegan for 30+ years!
Hello could I substitute the water for coffee??
Yes! People have done that with great success.
This recipe is inspired. When I first took a bite, I nearly fell over. All the superlatives in the comments are richly deserved. It is THE best chocolate cake I’ve ever had, vegan or not. I’m not vegan but threw a dinner party last night that included a vegan attendee. I made mini cupcakes, baked for about 11 minutes, and they came out flawlessly. Everyone wanted the recipe. Nora, you’re a genius!
Aw thank you so much Kate! I’m so glad you enjoyed it, mini-cupcakes sound so fun for a dinner party!