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).
Can I substitute the oil in the cake batter for vegan butter?
Yes, just melt it before using.
This is the best chocolate cake. I made for my nephew who has allergies to nuts, milk, and egg. So I had to tweak it to oat milk. It was AMAZING. This cake was requested by so many people in my family who have no allergies and just love the taste. I’d say taste better then next day so let it sit for at least a good 6 hours for best flavor. Just can’t get over with how good this is. Thank you!!!!!
I’m thrilled the cake was a hit with everyone! Thanks for sharing your wonderful feedback! I love to eat my piece of chocolate cake after it’s been in the refrigerator!
Hi! I really want to try and make this cake for my husband’s birthday. Should I double the recipe to make a three 8-inch layer cake?
Thanks,
Lisa
Hi Lisa. You would probably want to increase the recipe to at least 1.5. Happy cooking to you!
Can you use oat milk ?
Yes you can.
Hello 🙂
Can i make this cake in the morning, around 09:00. / 10:00 and put it in the refrigerator until 18h ?
Will it get cool down?
Thank you
It won’t take more than an hour or so to cool in the refrigerator, but don’t frost it until it’s totally cool.
Dear Miracle Vegan Lady, ? Thank you from the bottom of my sweet tooth to the happy place in my own and my guest’s tummies….I’ve made this fantastic cake more times than I can remember…..The first time was for my partner’s sweet and lovely Grandaughter who is vegan….No one could believe that it was in fact vegan…However, It just so happens as you know to be the best chocolate cake ever! The brownies just caught my eye and I’ll be making them next….after we devoure the cake I just finished icing for our dessert tonight for our fish fry…Grandaughter Izzy, is visiting from London…and once a year indulges in Pop Pa’s fry….She will be making Vegan grits and a wonderful Salad…Your cake now …after last year has become part of the ritual….Many Thanks from South Florida!
Hi Joanne. I really enjoyed your post! Your gatherings sound very fun! I’m thrilled you guys are all loving the cake! Thank you for sharing your fun and wonderful feedback and review! Wishing you many more happy gatherings with chocolate cake! Happy cooking!
Is the icing thick enough and quantity enough to ice the inside, and the whole outside of the cake too? Want to make this for my son’s 3d birthday! Thank u
Yes, there is plenty of frosting for the whole cake. Enjoy!
The best chocolate cake ever! This is the only recipe my sister and I use for birthday cakes. Thank you Nora!
Thank you so much, FINALLY I have found the recipe I have been dreaming of – a real chocolaty chocolate cake and I had practically all the ingredients already in my cupboard. I used gluten free flour and as I live in Europe a regular dairy free butter, it turned out absolutely delicious, perfectly moist and the buttercream is so velvety…and my husband agrees. It’s like one of those fancy chocolate cakes in a cake shop, but without the dairy and eggs.. amazing. Now I will check out some of your other recipes!
Hi Mariette. I’m thrilled that you and your husband loved the cake! Welcome to my site! Please do journey through my recipes, and reach out with any questions you may have! Enjoy your journey! Thank you for taking time to share your wonderful feedback and review! Wishing you lots of happy cooking!
Hiw do I make this gluten free without a strong humnus taste
Hi Jack. 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 made this for my husband’s birthday. He’s vegan and I finally was able to make him a good dessert that the kids liked too! I also am not the best at baking and this was easy to make. ??
I’m so glad your husband, and the kids, loved the birthday cake! Thanks for sharing your great feedback!
hi! thanks a lot for this recipe. how many days would you say i can keep it in the fridge before it turns bad? thanks!
You are welcome! I usually store the cake in the refrigerator. It will last for 3-5 days, longer if refrigerated. Enjoy the cake!
hi nora, trying this for the first time. ive read through a lot of comments to see if there was an answer to my question. For the frosting, can I use a mixture of earth balance and shortening? thank you
Sure, that will work. Enjoy!
How thick should the layers be? Mine came out really thin! Like maybe only 1/2” thick.
What size pans did you use? Any substitutions? No the layers should be much thicker than that, so something went wrong!
I have made this for my daughter twice on her birthday as she is vegan. My first time was in 2020. The whole family LOVES it. She is the only vegan.
Thank you for coming up with flavorful recipes.
You are welcome! Thank you for your positive feedback and review! I’m so glad you guys love the cake!
Hi
I’m dying to give this recipe a go!
Is it ok to use oat milk instead of almond milk?
Yes, you can definitely use oat milk instead. Happy baking!
I made this once with no issues. The second time around, I am having issues getting my milk to curdle. Any advice?
It should still work fine even if it doesn’t curdle a whole lot. I find that soy milk works well for vegan buttermilk, but I’ve used all kinds with no problems.
Vegan or not – this is delicious!
Thank you so much for sharing your great feedback!
I loved this cake a few years ago before I went oil free. Is there any way to make this oil free? Maybe a runnier nut butter instead or all applesauce? Also, could I make it sugar free? Perhaps with date sugar or a maple syrup/date sugar combo? Thanks for the feedback!
Hi Magy. Although I haven’t tested this recipe without oil, you could try using applesauce instead of the oil or a mix of applesauce and half of a mashed banana. As for the sugar, substituting a liquid sweetener is difficult here and I haven’t tried it so I’m not sure it will work. Try to use a granulated sweetener if possible.
Made this chocolate cake it was spectacular!!!! Everyone loved it! Thankx Nora!
You are welcome! I’m glad the cake was a hit! Thank you for sharing your great feedback!
Hey, thanks for your recpei. I have 2 questions: 1- can I use egg and how many? 2- The sugar amount is 4-5 cups for frosting? Isn’t it too sweet?
Thanks ?
I haven’t made it with eggs but likely two. It makes a lot of frosting and no it’s not too sweet, but you can of course use less if you want. Hope that helps!
Oh Nora, how many ways do I love thee? Let me count the ways. For every time I make your fluffy pancakes for breakfast, it’slike fallinginloveforthe first time, every time; for every year when my birthday rolls around and I double the above recipe and bake myself a glorious 4 layer chocolate cake that I cut and eat for breakfast; or for every bake sale that I have raised money for charity selling your butter tarts; or every time my nephew says that I am the best aunt, EVER, because I baked him your brownies and chocolate chip cookies! There’s just too many reason why I love you, Nora! My family and I thank you for introducing me to vegan baking but my growing waist line doesn’t! ? ❤️
I love your wonderful and fun feedback! Thank you for sharing! I’m so glad that you are enjoying my recipes, and using them in such uplifting and wonderful ways! Thank you for bringing smiles to me today! I appreciate you, Kay! Happy cooking to you!
Can I substitute the flour for gluten free flour and get the same results?
Cheers
Hi Kate, I’d suggest using my gluten free chocolate cake recipe instead for more accurate measurements. Hope this helps!
I made this for my son’s girlfriend’s birthday last year. She’s vegan and I wanted to make something special for her. It came out absolutely incredible! I thought it might have been beginner’s luck but I made it for her again this year and it’s just as spectacular! Everyone, vegan or not, loves it!
Alright! Happy birthday to her! I’m thrilled the cake was loved by all! Thank you for sharing your wonderful feedback! Wishing you lots of happy cooking!
I was looking to bake my sister a birthday cake and was curious about making it vegan just for fun… This was probably easier than a nonvegetarian cake and really really good! Super flavorful, chocolatey- just delicious. I did not have a cake pan or cupcake sleeves so I used olive oil in the cupcake tin and made half the recipe. It worked great- done in about 20 minutes.
Thanks for sharing your great feedback and ideas! I’m glad you loved the cake! Happy birthday to your sister!
I don’t think I’ve ever left a rating on a recipe or commented before but this was delicious. I made it for my daughter’s graduation and everyone who took a bite was transported to ‘heaven’ for a nano-second and I was feeling kind of proud. 🙂 Thanks!!
Hi Michelle. Congratulations to your daughter! I’m so glad the cake was a hit! Thank you for sharing your very fun and fantastic feedback!