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 you specify exactly what type/brand of cocoa powder should be used?
Hi Tess. I use either Hersey’s brand, Trader Joe’s or any other version as long as it’s natural, unsweetened cocoa powder. Enjoy!
I made a gluten free version and it is really great!
For the 2 Cups of regular flour, I subtituted:
95g light buckwheat flour
95g brown rice flour
137g potato starch
26g tapioca start
Hi, Nora: I just wanted to congratulate you on the article about you and this cake in the New York Times. I am a HUGE fan of your lemon cake and many of your other recipes and you deserve all the praise and love. Thanks so much on behalf of vegans everyone. You help us to change people’s minds.
Thanks Julie, I appreciate your support! I am craving lemon cake now. 🙂 I’m so happy you are enjoying my recipes.
Hi,
I’m planning to make this for a family party this weekend. Does it need to be refrigerated? I also read the article in the NY Times. I’ve made many of your recipes before, but never this cake – the timing was perfect!
Hi Barbara, I hope everyone loves the cake! The cake does not need to be refrigerated, in fact it will taste better if you do not refrigerate it, in my opinion. I’m glad you’ve enjoyed other recipes of mind and you saw the article, thanks and happy baking!
Thank you for sharing all this information
Can you make some suggestions for baking this cake at high altitude?
I don’t have experience personally baking this at high altitude, so I don’t have exact advice. I did find this helpful resource for High Altitude Baking, but I don’t know how it will apply to this cake recipe exactly.
I am going to make this for a friend’s birthday in June. She loves moist and wonderful chocolate cake and I love the vegan lifestyle to which I recently adopted. Win-win.
That sounds wonderful, I hope you both enjoy the cake for the birthday!
Adjustments for high altitude? We live at 7000 feet.
I don’t have experience personally baking this at high altitude, so I don’t have exact advice. I did find this helpful resource for High Altitude Baking, but I don’t know how it will apply to this cake recipe exactly.
Have you ever tried to make it gluten free with Bobs red mill 1:1? My daughter has celiac but I would love to try to make this cake
Yes, it works pretty well with Bob’s Red Mill 1:1. The texture will be a little different for sure, but it works. I hope she enjoys the cake!
This cake is basically the same recipe as a cake I have been making for 20+ years. It is called “crazy cake” and was made without milk, butter, or eggs because these staples were hard to come by during the Depression. My friend’s great grandmother gave her the recipe, and she passed it on to me.
What kind of cocoa powder? Dutch process or regular?
Hi Jeanne. I use either Hersey’s brand, Trader Joe’s or any other version as long as it’s natural, unsweetened cocoa powder. I have used dutch processed cocoa before, and it works fine for the cake as well. Enjoy!
i have a soy allergy and don’t love almond milk – have you tried or suggest an amount of unsweetened oat milk?
Hi Megan. Oat milk will work great. Use the same amount called for in the recipe. Enjoy and happy baking!
Can this recipe be made gluten free?
It can simply be swapped with a gluten free flour mix, but your best bet would be to make my Gluten Free Vegan Chocolate Cake which is almost identical, but ends up with a better result.
Will this cake be successful with gluten-free flour?
Thanks!
It can simply be swapped with a gluten free flour mix, but your best bet would be to make my Gluten Free Vegan Chocolate Cake which is almost identical, but ends up with a better result.
I’m a long-time follower who knows how great your recipes are, but was happy to see you get the NYT treatment–congratulations! And I just decided this is what I need to make for Father’s Day. Congrats again!
Thanks Beth! I appreciate you’re support so much!
I would guess I could make this a single layer cake in a 13×9 pan. Any idea how long the cook time would be?
You can! About 35-40 minutes.
I really want to make this cake, but I’m concerned it won’t turn out right here in Colorado at altitude. Any tips?
Hi Tracy. I’m not familiar with high altitude baking. Maybe finding some general instructions for cooking at high altitude may be helpful. I haven’t tested it though! Sorry.