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).
My second year making this for my daughter’s birthday. Everyone loved it…even the vegan skeptics.
Hi Beth,
I want to make this into a chocolate orange cake, any suggestions on how to adapt the recipe for this please? It’s for my boyfriends birthday on Saturday
Thanks!
Hi! Great recipe! Any suggestions for making it in two 6in tins? I gave it a go but after baking for an hour it was still uncooked in the middle. Maybe the recipe doesn’t quite work for a narrower deeper bake?
I have made it with 8in tins and thats worked well – though took a bit longer to bake in my oven.
Yeah, that’s just too much batter for only two 6-inch pans, it won’t bake up properly. You could try using less batter in each pan, and then make a few cupcakes or a third layer instead.
Hi am about to make this but I would like to use 2 10inch cake pans and would like the layers to be thick…. do you think I should double the recipe by half to pull that off, or totally double it?
Thank You!!
I haven’t tried it so it’s hard for me to say for sure, but I would probably 1.5 times the recipe. I’m not sure quite how long they will take to bake, so check often with a toothpick.
Thank you Nora! As a Greek Orthodox Christian, vegan recipes are essential for our many fasting days of the year.
I have used and loved this recipie before for church dinners . I plan to bake a few of these again for this coming Sunday.
Question :
For the 9x 13 sheet pan option : are the proportions the same as the main recipe here or should I double?
Thanks again
Can’t wait to try others of yours ( like Lemon !)
I’m happy to hear it! You don’t need to double for a 9×13 inch pan. Enjoy!
I made this yesterday and it’s the nicest chocolate cake I’ve made. I often find cake a bit heavy on the stomach, but this is very light. It’s also still very fresh today – I’m having a slice for breakfast! This is going to replace my usual chocolate cake recipe.
I made this cake for my son’s 10th birthday party. (He can’t have dairy.)
Oh my!! This was so moist and delicious!! A BIG HIT for sure! I will make it again!! Thank you Nora! Best chocolate cake EVER!
Ive made this twice now for family birthdays and everyone loves it.
Question – Can you freeze the cake (unfrosted of course?) I had family cancel at last minute due to illness and only used one layer of cake
Yes, the cake freezes very well, even frosted it does well! I’m so glad everyone loves the cake, thank you. 🙂
Can this choc cake bEee made GF?
Yes, it can be made gluten free by substituting a quality gluten free flour blend, such as King Arthur Measure for Measure flour. Better yet, make my Gluten Free Vegan Chocolate Cake.
I made this cake as cupcakes, for a friend’s 80th birthday party. We both agreed that it really is the best chocolate cake ever, and the frosting is great but the cake is even better. Thanks Nora! I used your recipe for vegan butter before making the frosting, and that worked out just great. I will definitely make this cake again.
I accidentally used sweetened applesauce (which was probably made no difference honestly) but to compensate, I cut the sugar in the frosting by about 25% and everyone absolutely raved. Vegans and non-vegans.
Hi Eileen. I’m so glad you loved the recipe! Thanks for sharing your awesome review!
Would raw sugar work in place of granulated?
It should, yes.
What changes do you need to make to the recipe if you want to make this non-vegan?
Seriously don’t bother. The recipe is perfect and omnivores will not know the difference.
Hello! I saw in a comment that you said it would be ok to freeze? I want to make the cake a head of time, how do you suggest I freeze the cake? And how long should I let it defrost before frosting it?
Thank you so much!
Yes, you can freeze it. It’s a little tricky to freeze a whole cake and still have it look as pretty once defrosted, because you do need to wrap it well to freeze it. It would be best to make the cake layers, let them cool completely, then wrap well and freeze. Let them thaw at room temperature for a few hours, then make the frosting and frost the cake.
Looks amazing! Any experience with using a GF flour mix?
Hi Anne. I have tried it gluten free, and it works pretty well. I also altered the recipe slightly to make an incredible gluten free version: Gluten Free Vegan Chocolate Cake. Check it out! Enjoy!
Nora’s recipes are so good! If deliciousness is the point, it shouldn’t matter if it’s vegan. You should try it. I bring vegan baked goods to gathering regularly and people always want more. ❤️
Thank you for sharing your support, Angela! I’m really glad that you are loving the cake! Wishing you happy cooking!
Favorite chocolate cake recipe ever! I have made this more than I can count, and it is always a winner! I generally half the amount of oil and add a tablespoon more applesauce, or else it’s a little too moist and oily for me. Amazing recipe!
This THE BEST vegan chocolate cake I have ever made. I make it every year for my birthday!
Hell to the yes. This recipe absolutely rocks. Thank you.
OK so this really can be called the ‘best’ chocolate cake! Amazing. And thank you for writing the recipe with enough frosting to fill and frost the cake. I feel like so many recipes fall short on this and you end up with a super thin layer of frosting. I made this chocolate cake for my daughters birthday and many people came back for seconds! I think this will be the only chocolate cake I make in the future. You don’t need anything else. I did use a dark cocoa powder for the frosting as a preference and it worked very well.
My daughter made this recently for a family birthday party for her Dad. It was amazing, one of the best chocolate cakes I have ever eaten and everyone in attendance agreed. It will be making it into my favourites for sure!
This is the best dessert according to my family. My daughter requests it for her bday and my 11 year old granddaughter, who does not have dietary issues tells me it her favorite dessert ever.
Hi there! Wondering if I could substitute maple syrup for the sugar?
I’ve never tried it so I’m not sure how it will turn out. I’d probably try decreasing the liquid somewhere else if you add maple syrup.
Beautiful chocolate cake, moist and tasty.. everyone loved it vegan and non vegan
Fantastic recipe. Perfect can’t fault it. Thank you.
You are welcome! Thank you for your glowing review and feedback!
Best chocolate cake I’ve ever had. Easy to make and delicious. Thank you!
You bet, Christine! I’m so glad you love the cake! I appreciate your stellar review and feedback!
Loved this recipe! The whole family enjoyed it – for the calorie information though do you know how many grams is in the noted serving?
I made this cake for my husband’s birthday and we had people over so I doubled the cake recipe. The icing made enough to cover even though it was 4 layers. It was a big hit with everyone. Delicious.
BEST CAKE EVER!! Texture is so soft and moist.. Nora I don’t know how you do it but THANK YOU. Thank you for giving those of us with food allergens recipes to not just make but to LOVE.
Excellent and moist cake. I made this for my husband’s birthday. I am fond of baking but this was my first time baking a vegan cake. I used two 9 inch pans and the cake did not rise too much but when I layered them the two together were perfect. I skipped the frosting and reduced the sugar in the cake by about half- was great!