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.
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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).
Absolutely delicious yet easy to make cake. I used a Bundt pan and baked it for 40 minutes. I will definitely make it again. Thank you for the recipe.
You’re welcome!
Hello! I really love this recipe, everyone who tries it says they can’t believe it’s vegan hehe.
I was wondering if you could give the measurements in grams/ml? And also, do you use US cups or which ones? Thank you! 🙂
Oh good! Glad you love it. If you look below the ingredient list, there is a “metric” tab you can click on. I use US cups.
This cake was delicious! We used cacao but otherwise followed the recipe. It was amazingly moist. I have leftover frosting. Wondering if I should keep in fridge or freezer? Thanks!
If you have a lot leftover that you don’t think will get eaten within 3 days or so, you could freeze it. But it will keep in the refrigerator for 3-4 days no problem. Room temperature is fine for a few days as well. So glad you enjoyed it!
Thanks a bunch! I will be making more of your recipes! Happy I discovered your site?
Is it possible to make the frosting using an oil instead of vegan butter? My birthday is tomorrow and I’m dying for chocolate cake!!
Thank you!
Shoot, that is tricky! I’ve never had luck making it without vegan butter, though if you have vegetable shortening that will work. Or you could make my chocolate ganache instead which uses chocolate chips and coconut milk. It gets firm enough to become frosting after it cools. Happy birthday!
Thank you so much!!! I will try the ganache!!
I totally failed at this! Followed the recipe except I substituted the all purpose flour with almond flour. I am assuming that is where I went wrong. What other flour can be substituted??
Almond flour can not be subbed for regular flour in baking recipes. It just won’t work. Almond flour doesn’t absorb liquid the same way. If you need a gluten free cake, use a gluten free flour mix such as Bob’s Red Mill 1:1 Baking Flour or something similar. It will still be quite different than the white flour version, but it does work quite well. Thanks!
Hi! I am not sure what happened if you didn’t get my comment but would whole wheat flour be okay to use? And would coconut milk work too? Excited to try this 🙂
Sorry, I don’t think your previous comment went through as I haven’t seen it! You could use whole wheat flour, though it will definitely taste denser and more “whole-wheat-ish” if that makes sense. Coconut milk is just fine to use. Thanks!
Hi there, what can I use in place of ACV? Will lemon juice work?
Yes, lemon juice or white vinegar would work as well.
Hi. I just made cupcakes and I’m getting ready to frost them for tomorrow. Should I decorate them tonight and store them in the fridge overnight? I’m thinking the buttercream may melt if I leave them out overnight. I had to use Earth Balance in the tub, couldn’t get the baking sticks. Your thoughts?
The frosting shouldn’t melt your overnight, but you can store them in the refrigerator if you’d like. Or you can frost them tomorrow, either way is fine. Thanks!
can I skip applesauce completely? I do not have it
Yes, you could. It should still work out quite well. Or use 2 flax eggs instead (2 tbs ground flax + 5 tbs water).
Can i make my own applesauce? We don’t have applesauce in bottles/packages in South Africa.
You can, I don’t have a recipe but if you google “homemade applesauce” I’m sure you could find something easy. You could also sub a couple of flax eggs if you would rather. Thanks!
I am still in awe at how this cake is vegan! It’s moist, decadent, and delicious! This will be my go to chocolate cake recipe! One thing, and maybe you could help me out here….once I spread the frosting on the 1st half, and topped with the second half, the second half cracked into 4 parts. To save the cake, I removed the top layer. So the 2 layer cake didnt work out for me.
I’m so glad you love the cake. I’ve never had my cake crack like that, but I have a few tips. First, make sure the cakes have cooled completely. Second, you have to handle the cakes very carefully, as they are not super sturdy. When you go to spread frosting, do so very gently, not forcefully at all or I could see how the cake could break. Hope that helps!
Hi! Can I use a glass rectangle pan 9 by 13in…what baking time would you recommend? Thank you!
That should work, yes. I would say 40-50 minutes, but check with a toothpick in the middle to make sure it’s done.
I make this every year for my birthday with a layer of raspberries in the middle. With it coming up soon, I look forward to making this soon! Everyone needs this cake in their life. ?
Happy Birthday!
I’ve made this cake every year for the past three. Its a birthday cake for my daughter and today, being in isolation, I do not have applesauce. I’m going to scream and cry but thought I’d ask if you knew a substitute. ayiyiyiyi
I’m sorry I didn’t get to this sooner! Ok, so you can make it without applesauce. I would sub 2 flax eggs (2 tbs ground flax +5 tbs water). You could probably even just leave it out altogether and it would still be good! Hope that helps!
I made one tier as we’re on lockdown so it’s only my husband and I eating it, for his birthday today. I used one egg in place of applesauce, the only substitution I made. My cake has come out really flat! It’s actually hilarious, and is perfectly fine for the two of us. It tastes great, I’m just not sure what I did wrong!
Interesting! Maybe it was the egg. I have never tried it with eggs since I don’t eat them, and I created the recipe without them, so I’m guessing that could be it. Glad it was still tasty though!
Is this best made then eaten, or is it ok to make the night before? Thank You!
It’s totally fine to make it the night before, it will be just as good the next day.
My cake is in the oven and I just finished making the frosting. I loved the simplicity – one bowl approach! We were out of applesauce so I peeled and sliced an apple and threw it in my blender, which made perfect applesauce! 🙂 I can’t wait to put this cake together once it’s cooled. Thank you!
You’re welcome!
Hi! Planning on baking this for my birthday this weekend — I don’t have applesauce on hand, and I’m not vegan but have a dairy allergy. How many eggs is the applesauce replacing? Thanks!
I haven’t tried it, but I’d say 2 eggs should do it.
Thanks so much for the beautiful recipe!
I don’t usually comment but this one sure deserves it. Made it for my love’s birthday and it’s the best bday cake he’s ever had!
We are on lockdown here in South Africa and I only had a small amount of cocoa powder in my pantry so I melted some vegan dark chocolate (about 150g) in the microwave and mixed it in with the wet ingredients in addition to the small amount of cocoa. I also only used about half of the boiling water as the batter was already very runny, then baked in a single cake pan for about 50 minutes.
It came out beautiful! Sifted some icing sugar on top and enjoyed it with coconut whipped cream. Mmmm.
So glad it came out great for you!
I know this is going to sound odd, but is this cake able to be shaped?does it hold up well?
Much thanks in advance.
I’ve never tried to make it into any other shape, do you mean cutting it once it’s baked and cooled? I think that should work pretty well, but it is a little fragile so be careful.
Another winner from Nora – thank you, thank you! I made it with oat milk, and I only had 3 cups of powdered sugar in my cupboard but the frosting was still awesome. Will definitely be making this again, it’s seriously good!
So glad to hear it!
Just made the recipe, only difference I made was using gluten free flour with a 1 to 1 ratio and my batter was extremely thick and gummy. Uncertain what happened
Gluten free flours can vary greatly. I’ve heard people having success with Bob’s Red Mill 1:1 Flour, but I haven’t personally tested it with any gluten free flour so I can’t guarantee the results.
Thanks so much for your recipe! I baked it today for my birthday and it came out amazing! Literally the best chocolate cake I’ve ever baked.
I baked it in a bundt pan, so it needed about 50 minutes. I also didn’t use a mixer and just mixed it by hand.
Thanks again! 😀
You’re welcome, and Happy Birthday!
I’ve made this cake a few times now. It truly is the best. Even non-vegans are requesting I make it for them!
That’s fantastic!
Hi,
Can I use Dutch processed cocoa in this recipe?
Yes, it works fine, you will just have a darker cake and frosting.
Hi Nora,
I made half the recipe amount and used Lakanto Monk Fruit sweetener instead of granulated sugar. It came out looking really nice but the cake sank and had the consistency of a brownie. I made it again using the granulated sugar and it came out as expected, a cake consistency. Either way, the cake is delicious! My wife is a vegan so she especially likes it. Thank you for sharing your recipe!
Dear Nora,
This cake sounds amazing, and the perfect chocolate cake to try for my husband’s birthday! Can you please advise me? We don’t use processed sugar, so could I use coconut sugar, date sugar, or something like that for the cake, and should I use the same amount as in the recipe? Alternatively, is it possible to use a liquid sweetener like agave, maple syrup, or brown rice syrup, for the cake, and if so, how much would I use, and would I need to make adjustments to the other ingredients?
And which of these sweeteners might be the best substitute for the powdered sugar in the frosting?
I’d be so grateful for any advice you could give me, please.
With thanks and all best wishes,
Clarinda
Hi there! A liquid sweetener wouldn’t work here, as it would add too much liquid to the recipe. Coconut sugar, maybe date sugar, should work ok. It will change the taste of the cake somewhat. I would use the same amount, yes. I’m not sure about the frosting, but maybe you could blend some coconut sugar with a little cornstarch in a blender until it becomes powdery, then use that. I’m really not sure it will work though, as I have never tested it!
hi! can I use soy milk instead?
Yes you can.