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).
Hi Noora, I am obsessed with this cake and was wondering if i can refrigerate the batter for 2 days in the fridge before baking the cake? Can the batter also be frozen? Thank you so much
I believe that will work okay, but I’m not totally sure it will rise as well. I’ve never frozen the batter either, so I’m not quite sure! I’m glad you love the cake. 🙂
Love this recipe it is a staple in our gatherings, I add in a step to bloom the cocoa powder with the water to add depth of flavor
Hi Kelly. Thanks for sharing your terrific review and recipe idea! I love that this cake is a part of your gatherings! Wishing you lots of happy cooking!
Hi Nora,
I love all your recipes and I’m about to embark on this cake for my daughter’s birthday. Will avocado oil work in place of canola? I’m not a cake baker so I’m hoping this cake makes me one! Thank you!
Yes, avocado oil works well in place of canola oil. I hope your daughter loves the cake for her birthday!
Really looking forward to baking this cake for my son’s birthday! Wondering how far in advance the frosting could be made? Thank you!
You could make the frosting up to a few days in advance and store, covered, in the refrigerator. When ready to use, you’ll need to let it sit at room temperature to soften for quite awhile before frosting the cake, as it will get very hard in the refrigerator. Hope he loves the cake!
Can this recipe be made gluten free?
Hi Peggy. This cake can be made gluten free by substituting a quality gluten free flour blend, such as King Arthur Measure for Measure flour. I have tried it, and it works well. I also have a fabulous gluten free recipe of this cake. Check it out: Gluten Free Vegan Chocolate Cake. Happy baking!
Love this cake I make it all the time! I just drizzle melted peanut butter on top so good. I am wondering if you ever made it with almond flour instead of regular flour?
Hi Lori. I’m so glad that you loved the cake! Sounds really good with the peanut butter topping! Almond flour won’t work in this recipe. Almond flour does not absorb liquid the same at all, so you will end up with a soupy cake. You can use a gluten free flour mix if you’d like, it works quite well. You may want to check out my gluten free chocolate cake! Happy cooking!
Been making this cake for year
Thank You Nóra!
But now it seems earth balance sticks are not available anywhere on the area.
Don’t know why
Any recommendation as to what to use instead?
The earth balance really does make the best frosting
Bummer! I can still find them in my area. But I often use another brand, such as Country Crock or Miyoko’s and I like them too. Glad you’ve been enjoying the cake!
Hi Nora,
Does this cake freeze well? If thawed and served within a few days of freezing will that compromise taste or texture?
Thank you!
It freezes really well actually. While it’s still a bit better served fresh, it’s still very delicious frozen and thawed. Thanks!
Hi Nora , a substitute for applesauce in this wonderful vegan cake ? I live in italy so some of your subs are not available to me .
Making for a 1 year olds birthday .
Thank you
You could use whipped aquafaba instead, a few flax eggs or dairy free yogurt instead of applesauce. I hope that helps!
Hello Nora, thanks for the recipe. How much aquafaba would be needed?
I’d use 2/3 cup whipped aquafaba, the same amount as the applesauce. Enjoy!
I used this recipe for my boyfriend’s birthday cake. The cake was incredibly moist even after refrigerating the layers in the fridge overnight before frosting the next day (I made two 8 inch layers- a beautifully tall cake!). We live on a tropical island and I’m always nervous about how homemade buttercream frostings will hold up in the heat. I experimented and used a vegan tubbed chocolate icing (Duncan Hines) and whipped it in my stand mixer to make it fluffier before icing the cake. It was perfect! This recipe will be my go to for chocolate cakes moving forward. <3
It really is the BEST chocolate cake ever…vegan or non-vegan!!!!! I made it for my son’s birthday and now I will make it for mine!! Thank you for this delicious recipe!!
Made this for my wife’s birthday and it came out delicious!! First time baking a vegan cake from scratch, and it was super easy! Would definitely recommend this recipe for anyone, even non-vegans
Looking forward to trying this! Would olive oil work instead of canola? Or maybe melted vegan butter? Just wondering if anyone has tried!
Thank you!
Hi Liz. I think olive oil would work, though you might be able to taste the olive oil. I have never tried it with olive oil. I hope you love the cake!
Thank you!!
I made this today and wow, is very, very yummy. I do not have a very sweet tooth so I only used 1 cup of sugar for the frost and more milk and it was perfect. Plus it was super easy to make which is exactly what I want. Thank you so much!!!!
We are veg, not vegan, but my daughter had a friend who was allergic to dairy and eggs at her birthday party last year and this cake was perfect. All the little ones an big ones loved it. It was such a hit that my daughter specifically requested it again for her birthday this year. I absolutely recommend this recipe!
Hi Kathy. I’m thrilled that the cake was a hit! Thank you for taking time to share your fabulous review and feedback! We often celebrate birthdays with this well loved cake! Wishing you happy cake baking!
made this cake before and now making it for a work lunch to show off! also your lemon cake and I have made vegan orange cake and a vegan lemon drizzle cake before! beautiful is not enough to describe this! so easy to make and really interesting to make.
Made this today for my daughter ‘s birthday cake. Everyone thought it was amazing. I used grape seeds oil instead of canola and it was fine.
Hi Catherine. Happy birthday to your daughter! I’m so glad the cake turned out wonderful! Thank you for sharing your fantastic review and feedback!
How long would you bake for cupcakes?
For cupcakes, fill liners half full and bake for 20-25 minutes. The whole recipe will yield approximately 24 cupcakes. Enjoy!
Hi Catherine,
This sounds amazing! I’ve got a vegan gluten-free to bake for. Any chance gluten-free all-purpose flour would work ok?
This cake can be made gluten free by substituting a quality gluten free flour blend, such as King Arthur Measure for Measure flour. I have tried it, and it works well. I also have a fabulous gluten free recipe of this cake. Check it out: Gluten Free Vegan Chocolate Cake. Happy baking!
How long does this cake keep and should it be refrigerated?
Hi Lisa. The cake will last about 4-6 days when stored in the refrigerator and about 3-4 days if left out on the counter. Either works. I love eating it after it has been cooled in the refrigerator! Happy baking! Enjoy the cake!
Simply the best chocolate cake recipe there is – vegan or non-vegan. Always turns out perfectly! Last time I made it, I was distracted and added twice as much oil as the recipe called for, and it still baked up beautifully (I did have to leave it in the oven a little longer lol). Such a forgiving recipe, and a huge hit with the eaters every time (who almost always ask for the recipe). It’s a winner!!
Hi Christine. Thank you for your glowing review and feedback! I’m thrilled everyone is loving the recipe! I appreciate you using my recipes!
This the the absolute BEST cake ever! I made this the other day for my twins’ birthday and everyone was blown away. Vegans and non vegans all loved it. Bonus – it tasted even better the next day. It’s super moist and full of flavor and the frosting was delicious. I will definitely be making this cake again. Note – I used avocado oil instead of canola and it was perfect.
So delicious and perfectly balanced!
How do I adjust baking time for a 6-inch baking tin? Would love tips on this! Baking this tomorrow as it’s my other half’s fave for his birthday.
You can make a 3 layer cake using 6-inch pans, and bake for around 25 minutes or so until done. Enjoy!
Hi, I’ve made this in the past and loved it, but my youngest is allergic to almond. Could I use oat milk as a substitute?
Yes, oat milk works just fine. Thanks!
Nora, have you ever tried to freeze this frosted cake? If so, what were the results upon thawing?
This is hands down the *best* chocolate cake I’ve ever eaten, better even than those recipes packed with butter, egg, and buttermilk.
I’ve made it many times and shared with hundreds of people. Today I’m making for a friend with a nut allergy, so first time with soy milk – I’m excited to sample it!
Yep, frozen and then thawed it tastes just as good really! Thanks so much, I’m glad you love the cake as much as I do. 🙂
Should I use regular cocoa powder? I only have dutch-process on hand and wondering if I can substitute that.
You can use dutch processed cocoa, no problem. Enjoy!
Hello Nora, this cake is delicious!! Can this be baked in a bundt pan instead of the 9′ rounds? If yes, would it be the 1x amount and approximately how long would you recommend baking? Thank you!
Hi Kelly Joe. Yes this can be baked in a bunt pan. It will take about 40-45 minutes to bake. You may be interested in my vegan bundt cake recipe, where I made this recipe into a bundt cake with ganache frosting. Enjoy!
Hi Nora,
Thank you for sharing this recipe. Would this recipe work with substituting the vegan butter with coconut oil?
I have coconut oil at home but would have to drive 30 miles to get those buttery sticks.
Hi there! I haven’t had the best luck using coconut oil in frosting, but you could try it. You could also make a vegan chocolate ganache instead, or sometimes I use this tofu chocolate mousse as frosting! It’s incredible and less sweet but really good.
Perfect cake