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.
Recipe inspired by Add A Pinch.
The Best Vegan Chocolate Cake
Ingredients
Chocolate Cake
- 1 cup unsweetened soy milk or almond
- 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, not the tub
- 4-5 cups powdered sugar
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 1/4-1/2 cup unsweetened soy milk or almond
Instructions
For the Chocolate Cake
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and grease two 8 or 9-inch cake pans (8 inch pans will result in taller cakes). I also line them with parchment rounds for easy removal of the cakes later.
- Measure 1 cup unsweetened 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 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 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.
- 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 use coconut milk
I would not use canned coconut milk, but you can use the thinner kind in a carton (like almond/soy milk comes in).
Hi. I am baking the cake but for serving on Thursday’s celebration. I am planning to do the frosting tomorrow (time constraints). Is it okay to put the cake for now in the fridge or freezer for frosting later?
Thanks
Hi Maria. It would be best to freeze the cakes. Let the cakes cool completely, wrap well and then freeze. Thaw on the counter overnight when you’re ready to frost and serve. Enjoy!
Thanks.
I did the frosting and put it on the cake just now.
Can I just store the cake with frosting in the fridge or freezer?
Yes, you can store the cake in the fridge (or freezer), if you’d like. I would just let it sit at room temperature for a few hours before serving, if possible. When it’s cold, it tastes rather dry instead of moist.
Can I make this ahead and freeze it? Without the icing, of course. Hoping to do some Christmas baking soon.
I mean, do I even need to add to this comment section? It’s our favorite cake, vegan or otherwise. Our daughter is gluten free and vegan. The rest of us are vegan. She typically doesn’t eat cake so we make it with regular flour, but maybe I should try it gluten free in case she wants a piece someday. Is it equally as good? I usually do not like the texture of gluten free cake. Bravo once again on this recipe. I think it’s been everyone’s birthday cake choice since we started making it a few years ago.
Can’t wait to make this, specially with all the awesome reviews! What about switching cacao for the cocoa. Would it be an even exchange? Or what do you suggest?
Thanks in advance 😃
You could use cacao instead of cocoa if you want. It will taste a bit different, but yes it’s a 1:1 swap. Hope you enjoy the cake!
Does the frosted cake need to be refrigerated? I want to make it the day ahead of a party and the fridge is going to be tight for space.
No, it does not need to be refrigerated, and in fact, the cake does tend to dry out in the fridge so you’re better off keeping it at room temperature. Hope that helps!
This is fantastic. It’s my favorite chocolate cake recipe and I’m not vegan. My husband was vegan a couple years ago and found this and we’ve been using this recipe ever since!
Today I made it gluten free as well, I used 1:1 King Arthur Gluten-Free flour. It turned out just as good! I couldn’t tell a difference. This is a win for a dairy and gluten free sweets lover!
Hi Nicole. I’m so glad that you and your husband discovered my chocolate cake recipe! It is well loved by many for sure! I appreciate you reaching out to share your recipe experience and your glowing review! I’m thrilled that the two of you are loving the cake recipe! Wishing you lots of happy cooking!
This is the best cake I have ever eaten. It was so simple to make! I recently purchased Nora’s cookbook and have not been disappointed by one recipe!
Just made this with two 8” pans and had to increase bake time quite a bit cause it’s such a moist recipe. I think they’re still a little fudgey in the center but we can work with that!
Has anyone tried making this with real milk and butter? Does it still work?
Excited to try this recipe! How long will it be ok at room temp, unfrosted and wrapped? Thank you!
Hi May. You are going to love this cake! The cake will last about 3-4 days when left out on the counter. Enjoy!
Hi, can I use this recipe for a 9 inch cake tin that’s quite tall and cut it through the middle? Do I need to adjust the backing time?
I don’t know if the cake will ever cook enough in the middle for this, and I would suggest using two pans instead. The outside will probably overcook and get crusty, and the middle will be too fudgy if you cook it all in one tall pan. You can try it, but I don’t know it will go well!
Amazing once again! I decorated it with fresh raspberries and berry colored macaroons…chef’s kiss!
Is dutch processed or natural cocoa powder better in this recipe?
I prefer natural cocoa powder, but dutch processed works too.
Second time of making… husband passed by in the kitchen and saw the recipe and said oh good… I love that cake! It is now cooling on a rack before we eat it tonight. I just make frosting and keep it in the fridge and then put a dollop on a piece of cake. Rest of cake gets frozen for later rather than making a cake with it.
Heyy I love this cake so much! I was wondering, is it possible to substitute soy milk for oat milk or is the flavour too strong? Cheers!
You can substitute oat milk, no problem. Enjoy!
Can you use gluten free flour?
Yes, you can use a quality gluten-free flour, like King Arthur’s Measure for Measure. For even better results, go make my Vegan Gluten Free Chocolate Cake.
What vegan butter is recommended. My frosting separated a bit.
My favorite brand of vegan butter to use for the frosting is Earth Balance sticks, but I often use Country Crock as well, just because I can find it near me and it’s often less expensive. I hope this helps!
I’ve never had this happen before but it just broke up when taken out of tin. I think it maybe too moist. No idea why I followed recipe.
How did you remove it from the tin? You do need to be very careful when removing cakes from pans (especially very moist cakes like this one!), or they can break. I always put a round of parchment on the bottom of the pan, and grease the pan very well before pouring in the batter. After about 10 minutes of cooling in the pan, swiftly, in one quick motion, flip the pan over so the cake pops out, upside down, onto a large cooling rack or even parchment paper. You could also arrange parchment paper strips so you can carefully lift the cake out after cooking/cooling.
Agreed- best chocolate cake ever! Non-vegans love it, and can’t believe it’s vegan- it’s a great advert for vegan baking- thank you x
This is truly the best chocolate cake I’ve ever made in my life. I brought it a my family friends’ dinner, and although none of them are vegan, they were all obsessed with it too! Wow.
Hi Billie. I’m so glad that you decided to try this well loved chocolate cake recipe! I’m thrilled that it was a hit at the dinner! Thank you for taking time to share your wonderful review! Wishing you happy cooking!