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 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 was so delicious. One thing is the the cakes took 10ish minutes longer to bake. I didn’t want to overbake but they were still a little underdone after that, so the cakes fell apart a bit when I took them out of the pans. They are still moist, fluffy, and I had no problems with sinking. Once stacked and frosted it worked out, but I’m just wondering what I could’ve done wrong here—because it’s 100% user error haha. Maybe I measured incorrectly somewhere and there was too much liquid?
Still, incredible recipe. This is the best cake I’ve ever had. Thank you for sharing!
Cake and frosting are absolutely delicious! Thank you, Nora for another successful and yummy recipe!!
I absolutely love this cake but sometimes it sinks significantly when I take it out of the oven. I tested it with a toothpick and came out clean though. Any idea why they sink and become dense?
Hi Jemma. I’m glad you are loving the cake! Thanks so much for using my recipe! There are several reasons why they could be sinking: overmixed batter, opening the oven door as they’re baking, expired baking soda/powder, or the oven temperature is too high. One of the most important things is not to overmix the batter because if the air is knocked out, then the cakes will fall instead of rise. I hope this helps for next time!
I’m not sure why but my cake didn’t rise : (
Hi Corinne. I’m sorry to hear that. Something went wrong, as the cakes should rise a lot, up to the top of the pan. I make it frequently and it rises well. Make sure you don’t over mix the batter, measure everything accurately, don’t make substitutions and ensure your baking powder and soda are fresh. I hope this helps.
I made this cake in my bundt pan – I used Monk sugar – the cake dropped once it came out – took a long time to bake as the knife keeps coming out wet. Not sure why it took a longer time and why it dropped.
Can this be frozen? Before frosting it. I have done this with non-vegan cakes before, but not with a vegan one.
Hi Laura. Yes, this cake freezes very well, with or without the frosting! Happy baking!
This cake is delicious and easy to prepare. Thank you so very much for sharing! This will be my go-to recipe for chocolate cake.
Hi Mary Anne. I’m thrilled this is your go-to chocolate cake recipe! Thanks for sharing your glowing 5 star review! Wishing you happy baking!
Probably the best chocolate cake I have ever eaten, including regular chocolate cake
I’m so glad you loved it! Thank you for sharing!
Hello, I’ve only got oat or soya milk, can i use that instead?
I prefer soy milk, but either of those will work.
Great thank you, can wait to try it
Absolutely the best ever Chocolate cake, could not believe vegan could be so delicious. I’ve got a fundraising event coming up and will definitely be making more of your vegan recipes. Thank you.
May I substitue gluten free flour in this recipe.
Where do I begin🤗. Every time I make this cake it gets glowing remarks. Thank you for this awesome recipe and a way I can enjoy a chocolate cake without dairy. This last time I used chocolate almond milk instead. Absolutely delicious.
Hi there, looking forward to making this, but just wondering if you can use normal white vinegar instead of apple cider?? TIA!
Sure, that will work fine. Enjoy!
I’ve been making this recipe in cake and cupcake form for a couple years now – so delicious and soft and moist. You cannot tell the difference between this and a non vegan cake – in fact, many non vegan friends and family prefer it!
Thanks for taking time to share your glowing review and feedback! I’m thrilled you are loving the cake! Wishing you happy baking!
Superb cake
Can this also be made with gluten free flour ?
Hi Maria. Thanks for your glowing review! I’m glad you are loving the cake! You can replace it with gluten free flour, however, I recommend this version: Gluten Free Vegan Chocolate Cake. Hope you enjoy!
What is the possible replacement for the applesauce souse? Thank you
Hi Mila. Any of the following can be used to replace the applesauce: 2 flax eggs (2 tbsp ground flax + 5 tbsp water), whipped aquafaba, or another egg replacer such as Bob’s Red Mill (2 eggs worth). Happy baking!
If you like chocolate this is the one!
Hi Guio. I appreciate your glowing review! Thank you for sharing!
Best vegan chocolate cake
oh. my. god. NORA!! i am so bad at making cakes and this turned out perfect. it’s super moist and delicious and not extremely rich, i love it so much.
Made this cake for a party this weekend
Can confirm it is the best vegan chocolate cake. One small change I made was I did not include apple cider vinegar because I didn’t have any but I can’t imagine it making much of a difference.
No one aside from me who had the cake was vegan and it received unanimous praise
I am now famous in my friend group for this cake!!!
This cake was a HUGE star with my family. The BEST chocolate cake I’ve ever cooked!!!!
Do you have a red velvet cake recipe that will be as moist? I would LOVE to have it.
Thanks Sandra, I’m glad to hear it! I do have a Red Velvet Cake that is very moist and delicious. I hope you love it too!
A disaster with my spring form cake pans as it’s such a runny mix! Leaking out and dripping whilst baking and burning on the bottom of the oven.
Perhaps a full parchment paper lining might help and a tray under the pans. I hope they turn out OK, if not a little smaller than they should be. The batter tastes nice but very sweet.
This is one of the best chocolate cakes I have made or eaten – and I am not vegan! It’s so moist and delicious, it really is the perfect chocolate cake 🙂
I found this recipe almost seven years ago when I was vegan and it was thee. best. I’m no longer vegan, but still use this recipe because it’s, still, by far, the best recipe. I do use regular milk, etc, but it’s still amazing.
Hi Amanda. Thanks for taking time to share your glowing review! This is a well loved cake in our home for sure! I’m thrilled to know you are loving the cake all these many years, and that it’s your go-to chocolate cake! Wishing you lots of happy cooking!
how would I use the recipe if I’m using 6” round cake pans?
Hi Holli. This recipe will work for three 6 inch pans. They will probably only need about 20 minutes in the oven, so watch them closely. I hope this helps, and happy cooking!
I just made three 6” round cakes at 350° and it took 50 minutes for them to bake, just wanted to share this information!
Hello can I make this cake recipe without the cocoa powder. So make it a yellow cake instead. I have seen your yellow cake recipe but I feel that the applesauce will make it moister?
Hi Marion. I’ve tried omitting the cocoa powder, and it just doesn’t work. I do have a vegan vanilla cake that is incredible, but the recipe is completely different.
Superb chocolate cake and frosting – better than any normal chocolate cake recipe I’ve tried. The cake is very moist and tasty, and the icing is smooth and delish. Thanks so much, Nora!
Thank you so much for your cake recipe! If I’m making 3x the amount which serves 48. What measurements should my Pans be?
Would that make one cake in total ?
I make this ALL the time. Everyone loves it. Everyone is amazed it’s vegan. It’s better than non vegan cake. People are always asking me for the recipe. Thank you!
You bet, Anne! This cake is a favorite at our house for sure! Thanks for your stellar review and feedback! Wishing you happy baking!