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).
This really is the best chocolate cake! It’s perfect!
The best cake I’ve ever put my lips to, I made it for my mother and brother. Told them
It was vegan afterwards and they said there’s no way lol I’m making it next week. Ty
Amazing cake! Loved it!
One question, can I make it 2 days in advance?
Sure, 2 days in advance should be okay. Thanks!
Hi Nora! I made the cake and then our dinner guests cancelled so I wrapped the two un-frosted layers in plastic and a Ziploc bag and froze them for another time. They were great. Once I had a lot of frosting left over so I froze that and added to a half a batch and it was plenty.
Overall this was a great cake. I subbed flax egg for the applesauce and strong coffee for the hot water. The only issue I encountered was that my quarter sheet cake sunk in the middle. Maybe it was because of omitting the applesauce? The buttercream was fantastic. I took this to a work party, and it was a huge hit.
Love this recipe, I’ve made several times and always so moist and fluffy! My child has Milk and Egg allergies, and this is my go-to site for baking special treats.
@Nora – I’m using a special character pan for birthday this time and worried it is so fluffy it may not hold the shape well. Any ideas to make a little more dense or other suggestions to keep from crumbling with decorative frosting?
Thanks Kristy! To make it more dense and less fluffy, omit the boiling water. That will help and the cake will still be good, just not quite as moist and fluffy. It should be easier to work with. Enjoy!
Hi! Would it be the same measurements for a 9×13 sheet cake?
Hi Maria. You can use the same measurements to bake it in a 9×13. It will take longer to bake, perhaps around an hour. Happy cooking!
Can unsweetened coconut milk be used to substitute the soy milk for the batter and frosting? Thank you!
Yes, that should work fine as long as it’s not the canned full fat kind. That will weigh down the cake too much I’m afraid. But the lighter kind in a carton (like soy milk) works.
Could you use cacao instead of coco & coconut sugar instead of cane?
H Suzy, you can use coconut sugar and cacao. Cacao is a bit more earthy and bitter, so the cake will taste somewhat different. Happy baking!
Well, I just do not know what become wrong. I have made frosting exactly according recipe, until instruction “Add half of the powdered sugar”, then I tasted it. I found it unbearable sweet… Is it supposed to be 480 g powdered sugar in total? How?
Dang!!! So good!!! SOOOOO moist!! I halved the recipe for 12 cupcakes and halved the recipe for the icing. It was JUST enough icing for 12 cupcakes. :). AMAZING!!! I used Avocado oil, but otherwise everything else was the same! Thank you!
You bet, Catherine! Thank you for sharing your awesome review and feedback! I’m thrilled that you loved the cupcakes!
Hi Nora,
I didn’t realize I bought unsweetened vanilla almond milk. Can I still use that or will that make the cake taste different?
That will be just fine, enjoy!
Yes, it’s a winner! A vegan friend wanted a chocolate cake for his birthday, and I followed this recipe exactly. It was the moistest, tastiest cake we all had in a very long time.
When she says “Don’t worry that the batter looks runny at this point,” believe her. We thought we did something wrong, but went ahead with baking it and it was incredible.
Hi Raul. Good job on trusting the recipe! I’m so glad the cake turned out wonderful, and that everyone loved it! Happy birthday to your friend!
Excited to try your recipe next time I make Chocolate cake. Its a regular every couple of months for some special event. I appreciate the notes for all sizes, since I bake a variety from cupcakes to bundt. I found your recipes only recently and loving them so far ❤️.
Hi Vicky, and welcome to my site! I’m so glad you’ve discovered my recipes, and that you are loving them! I appreciate you taking time to share your stellar review! Please reach out with any questions you may have, and enjoy your journey through my recipes! Wishing you lots of happy cooking!
This recipe is excellent! So often recipes lack sufficient detail or are just disappointing in the results. Vegan cake is often too dry and chocolate cake is often not chocolatey enough. This recipe was perfect for my daughter’s birthday cake.
Hi Trina. Thank you for the specific feedback about the recipe having good detail! I put in a lot of work to make my recipes easy to follow, so it’s great to have that kind of feedback! Happy birthday to your daughter! I’m so glad that you guys loved the cake! Happy cooking to you!
I love this cake and have been told that it’s the best chocolate cake they have ever tasted. I also make it Gluten free. My problem is that it always sinks in the middle and looks wet in the middle even though it tests done. Any suggestions?
Have you tried this version: Gluten Free Vegan Chocolate Cake ? I’ve found that recipe works better to prevent sinking and it has an overall better texture.
Hi Nora – I’m baking this vegan choco cake for my birthday today and I have only avocado oil in my pantry, am I able to substitute this for canola or coconut oil? Looking forward to a successful bake!
Yes, avocado oil works well here. Enjoy!
Thank you, Nora for the response!
YES! The avocado oil worked. This recipe is sooooo fabulous! I agree, it is the most “real” chocolate cake despite it being vegan! One thing I messed up is the buttercream frosting – it’s not creamy and fluffy like yours and the milk sips out, spreadable but thick. Is it because I didn’t cream the cocoa powder and butter long enough before adding sugar and vanilla?
Great, glad it worked and you enjoyed it! If the frosting was too thick, perhaps you needed to add a bit more milk. Also, make sure the vegan butter is softened before you began, it’s possible it was too hard and cold so it wouldn’t cream correctly.
Hi Nora, I wonder if you are using a fan forced oven or not. I have just had 3 chocolatecakes crack their tops, while the base was still too goooey and undercooked, even though the recipe I used (not yours, though actually pretty similar) is a moist cake. I cannot use them so I am turning to you in hope! A lot of troubleshooting on the internet suggests “oven too hot” causes cracking, and so I wondered if it may have been the case that they were not using fan forced and I was. So I thought I would check with you what kind of oven you use. Thank you so much.
I do not, I use a regular (not fan-forced or convection) oven. Fan-forced ovens tend to cook everything faster and hotter, so you might actually need to lower the temperature and bake cakes and other things for less time. That’s probably why your cakes are cracking. I’d try lowering the heat by 25 or even 50 degrees. Especially if the base was undercooked. Also, bake in the center rack of the oven for best results.
I’m glad I wasn’t the only one. I just made mine last night and it did the same thing. I used this recipe though, not a different one. I left it in there for way longer than 35 minutes because it was still gooey in the middle. This is only my second attempt at baking homemade vegan cake. Im thinking I should try the flax egg instead of the applesauce next time. Idk if that will make much of a difference or not🤷🏾♀️. Im determine to perfect this recipe
Made this in July as my birthday cake. Absolutely delicious. I did the flax seed swap for apple sauce as per notes. It was amazing. Your recipes are always so good, thank you so much!
Hi Nora! Time to try this one now 😀
I dont have cocunut oil, can i use vegan butter instead? Is the same I used in the blueberry muffins and orange muffins (they were perfect!!!).
Thank you in advance.
Yes, melted butter will work. Enjoy!
This recipe sounds amazing and is my first try at baking a cake from scratch! Crazy, I know! I plan to make the cake today (birthday is tomorrow). Should I wait until tomorrow to make the frosting or is it ok to do that today as well?
Oh how fun, good luck! I’m sure it will go well. You can frost it today as well, but make sure the cake layers are completely cool before frosting, or the cake will slip and possibly break. Hope it’s a total success!
If Nora puts out a recipe you know it will be good. I made this cake for my husband’s Halloween/birthday party this year. Doubled the recipe and made a 2 layer 8 inch cake, a single layer 10 inch cake, and about 20+ cupcakes. Then I used her peanut butter mousse recipe as icing. It was absolutely perfect. Everyone LOVED it. If anyone ever asks for the vegan recipes I use, I just point them to Nora 😅
Hi Sarah. I appreciate your awesome support and words of encouragement! Means a lot to me that you trust my recipes! Happy birthday to your husband! Excellent choice of cake! It sounds delicious with the peanut butter mousse frosting! Thank you for taking time to share your stellar review and feedback! Wishing you lots of happy cooking!
Can I bake it 4 days before adding the frosting?
The cake won’t be as good if you make it 4 days ahead of time – it will start to dry out and get stale. Up to 2 days ahead is okay, but if you need to make it 3 days or more ahead, I’d let the cakes cool completely, wrap well and then freeze. Thaw when you’re ready to frost and serve.
Firstly I never ever review things, despite always reading them! I have been using Noracooks website since we became a vegan family 5 years ago. This has to be hands down the best vegan cake we have ever tried – and trust me, we have tried a lot! The mixture is very, very watery when it goes into the oven, and it ran out of my cake pan, but we put both cake pans onto an oven tray to help keep the spillage contained. However, if this is done quickly and put into the oven, the oven cooks it, preventing all the liquid from running out of the cake tins. But I do suggest cooking this recipe with a silicone baking round vs the springform tin (with a removable bottom). But if it’s all you have, trust me when I say it’s worth the extra cleanup!
We have cooked this twice within a week’s period, which is unheard of for us. But vegans and non-vegans loved it so much!
Thanks Megan, for leaving a review! I’m so happy you’ve been enjoying my recipes for years, that is wonderful to hear. 🙂 I’ve never had the issue of the cake batter going up and over my pans; what size are your pans? And are they shallow by chance? They should be at least 2 inches high. I usually use 8-inch round cake pans for this recipe and never have issues like you describe, so my guess is it’s something to do with your pan size. Anyhow, glad you found a solution, but I’d love to help you prevent that from happening in the first place. Thanks again!
Prior to migrating to a vegan diet I made a non-vegan version of this cake and I was so incredibly happy to find this recipe. I made it today in under 20 min prep for a 9-13 cake. It took 40-45 min to bake and the taste never fails. Delicious without the frosting. Enjoyed with some ice cream for desert and it was great!!
This recipe is truly outstanding! I tried it for both cakes and cupcakes, and it was an enormous hit with everyone. I definitely plan to use this recipe again and again. Thank you so much for sharing this fantastic recipe with us!
I tested this to make a cake for a birthday party in a couple weeks. I halved the recipe and used a 9″ pan, baked for close to 40 mins and the toothpick seemed clean. I left it to cool and had to run out. Home a few hours later it seems way too moist throughout, not a cake texture. Can I put it back in the oven to bake more, so I can share this version and not waste it?
Next time I suppose I need to bake longer, or any other suggestions? Maybe in the halving I wasn’t precise enough.
Can’t wait to make this for my son’s birthday! For the frosting, I was going to cut the recipe in half, and was wondering if I could omit the cocoa powder and add crushed Oreos (they’re technically vegan)? Or is that too sweet?
Sure! You might need to add a little more powdered sugar if the frosting is too runny, if you omit the cocoa powder. Enjoy!
I make this cake all the time and I love adding espresso powder to the boiling water! It really intensifies the chocolate flavor of the cake.
I’m making this recipe as cupcakes today and I’m realizing I’m going to have more than I need this week. Do you think they would be okay frozen for a week or two?
Hi Whitney. I’m so glad that you’re loving the cake! Yes, the cake and cupcakes freeze very well, even frosted!