This Vegan Salted Caramel Chocolate Cake takes indulgent desserts to a new level! Featuring moist chocolate cake layers decorated with salted caramel buttercream and topped with drippy salted caramel sauce, it’s a chocolate and caramel lover’s dream.
I love baking vegan cakes and sharing them with you! These are just a few of my favorites I’d love for you to try: Vegan Hummingbird Cake, Vegan German Chocolate Cake, and Chocolate Peanut Butter Cake.
I don’t think I can wait until my next birthday to bake this Salted Caramel Chocolate Cake. It’s the queen of decadence, and I’m craving a slice right now!
You already know I love to drizzle my Vegan Salted Caramel Sauce on all kinds of treats, like stacks of waffles, apple crumble, and vegan cinnamon rolls. But nothing quite compares to this rich, decadent cake. I’m talking about two moist vegan chocolate cake layers decorated with caramel buttercream frosting and a thin layer of salted caramel sauce on top. Yum!
With perfect sweet, salty, and chocolate flavors, this is anything but your average birthday cake.
Why you’ll love this caramel chocolate cake
- Double the caramel – Not only did I add caramel to the vegan buttercream frosting, but I couldn’t resist drenching the decorated cake in more of my Vegan Salted Caramel Sauce. It glistens and drips beautifully!
- The best chocolate cake – The base of the cake is the same as my actually famous Vegan Chocolate Cake, so you know it’s going to be unforgettable 😉
- Just plain impressive – With its chocolatey layers and dripping caramel, this cake looks gourmet without needing any fancy ingredients or baking techniques.
How to make a vegan salted caramel chocolate cake
Find the complete recipe with measurements in the recipe card below.
First, make a batch of my Vegan Salted Caramel, or make my Easy Vegan Caramel with a pinch of salt.
Bake the cake layers next. Combine the soy milk and vinegar in a small bowl to make the vegan buttermilk. Next, whisk the dry ingredients together in a separate bowl. Add the wet ingredients to the bowl with the dry ingredients, then gently mix to combine.
While mixing on low speed, gently pour the boiling water or hot coffee into the bowl with the cake batter. Divide the cake batter between two cake pans, then bake until a toothpick inserted in the center of each comes out clean. Set them aside to cool.
Make the salted caramel frosting by beating the butter with 1 cup of powdered sugar at a time until combined. Mix in the vanilla and salted caramel.
To assemble and decorate, spread the frosting between, on the sides of, and on top of the cake layers.
Spread a thin layer of salted caramel on top, pushing it off the edges for those eye-catching drips.
Slice the cake and enjoy with a scoop of homemade Vegan Ice Cream on the side!
Chill the cake before serving
The fridge will keep the frosting stable and prevent the caramel from running. For the best texture, take the cake out of the fridge about 10 minutes before serving so it can soften slightly.
Frequently asked questions
An equal amount of mashed banana or 2 flax eggs (2 tablespoons of ground flax combined with 5 tablespoons of water) will work as substitutes.
You may substitute a quality gluten-free flour mix in the cake. Better yet, you could always bake my Gluten Free Vegan Chocolate Cake and decorate it with the caramel and frosting instead.
Yes, you should be okay to reduce the sugar to 1 cup if you’d prefer.
Sure! Bake the cake layers as normal, and once they’re fully cooled, wrap both layers in plastic wrap and refrigerate for up to 2 days.
You can also make the frosting and caramel in advance. Just store them in separate containers in the fridge until it’s time to decorate the cake.
Cover the leftover cake (either in a cake container or with plastic wrap) and refrigerate it for up to 5 days. It does tend to dry out a bit in the fridge, so I’d recommend eating it within 1 to 2 days if you can.
Vegan Salted Caramel Chocolate Cake
Ingredients
Salted Caramel
- 1 Recipe Vegan Salted Caramel
Chocolate Cake
- 1 cup unsweetened soy milk
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 3/4 cups granulated sugar
- 3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup vegetable oil
- 2/3 cup unsweetened applesauce
- 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 cup boiling water or hot coffee for a richer flavor
Salted Caramel Frosting
- 1 cup vegan butter softened to room temperature
- 3 cups powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1/4 cup cooled Salted Caramel
Instructions
Make the Salted Caramel
- Make a batch of Vegan Salted Caramel and let cool. Alternatively, make my Easy Vegan Caramel and add 1/2-1 teaspoon of salt, to taste. Let the caramel cool completely before using (I use my refrigerator to speed this up).
Bake the Cake Layers
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and grease two 8-inch cake pans. I also line them with parchment rounds for easy removal of the cakes later.
- Measure 1 cup unsweetened soy 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 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 invert the cakes onto a cooling rack and let cool completely.
Prepare the Frosting and Decorate Cake
- In the bowl of a stand mixer with a paddle attachment or in a large mixing bowl with an electric hand mixer, beat the butter until smooth, about 2 minutes.
- Gradually add the powdered sugar, about a cup at a time, and mix starting on low speed gradually increasing to medium, until all the powdered sugar is mixed in.
- Add the vanilla and 1/4 cup of the cooled salted caramel and beat on medium speed for 3-4 minutes, until everything is well combined. Scrape the bowl as needed.
- Spread the frosting evenly between the layers, on top and on the sides of the cake. Spread a thin layer of salted caramel sauce on top of the cake and use an offset spatula to push the caramel off the edges to create pretty drips.
- Keep the cake in the refrigerator until ready to serve. It will keep for 4-5 days in the refrigerator, but is best served within 1-2 days. It’s best to let it come to room temperature before serving.
Notes
- You may use almond, oat or another plant milk instead of soy milk.
- May substitute a gluten-free all-purpose flour if needed.
