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. 

slice of vegan chocolate cake on a plate

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!

vegan chocolate cake with a slice taken out of it

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.

 

 

vegan chocolate frosting in a bowl with a whisk

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!

vegan chocolate cake frosted close up

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.

slice of vegan chocolate cake with a fork taking a bite.

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Recipe inspired by Add A Pinch.

slice of vegan chocolate cake with a fork taking a bite.
4.96 stars (1679 ratings)

The Best Vegan Chocolate Cake

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. 
Prep: 20 minutes
Cook: 35 minutes
Total: 55 minutes
Servings: 16 servings

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

  1. For cupcakes, fill liners half full and bake for 20-25 minutes. The whole recipe will yield approximately 24 cupcakes.
  2. 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.
  3. Don't like a lot of frosting? Cut the frosting ingredients in half. The recipe as written makes enough for thick layers of frosting.
  4. Nut allergy? You may substitute soy milk or another milk for the almond milk, any non-dairy milk will work here.
  5. 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). 

Nutrition

Serving: 1serving | Calories: 496kcal | Carbohydrates: 71g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 25g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Sodium: 408mg | Potassium: 222mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 53g | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 59mg | Iron: 2mg
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Author: Nora Taylor
Did you make this recipe?Mention @nora_cooks_vegan_ or tag #noracooks!
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Comments

    1. No, the boiling water adds a ton of moisture. The key to making this the best chocolate cake ever! 🙂

  1. Hi Nora,
    This recipe looks amazing! Does this recipe work the same in a loaf pan as well or do I have to adjust it? ❤︎

  2. Hi Nora,
    I don’t have 2 9inch pans. Can I just use one and cut the cake in half? Do I have to change the baking time or temperature for that?

    1. I would not put it all in one 9 inch pan, but instead make 1 layer at a time. I think it will have trouble baking correctly all in one pan.

  3. Can you improvise with the ingredients like just regular milk and sticks of butter?
    Thank you very much

  4. Hello Nora!
    We LOVE this cake. (And so do the non vegan family) 
    I have made this a few times and each time a success. 

    But today I wanted to try it with gluten free flour. 

    I couldn’t find plain GF flour. 
    But have self rasinf GF flour. 
    How much baking soda & powder would I need instead? 

    I’ve been Googling and can’t find anything, hoping you have some wisdom

    1. Thank you, glad you enjoy it! So I’m not totally sure, but I would probably just cut both the baking powder and soda called for in half. Hope that works!

    1. No, it won’t work. Vegan butter is rather solid, using oil with result in a runny frosting unfortunately.

  5. Cake was flat though tasted alright. Had to cook for double the suggested time (took over an hour and is still undercooked). The cake got flatter in the oven. Way too much frosting – we had to chuck out over half and it tastes like pure butter. We had to take several trips to the shops since there was so much sugar and butter it was unbelievable. Overall doesn’t taste vegan but wouldn’t make it again.  The three stars are purely based on the taste of the cake and kindness (treat people with kindness). Not sure we could call this a cake… it was frosting with the additional of some crumbs on the bottom. It was satisfactory ? Thank you so much 

    1. Sounds like something went wrong here, as you can see from the many, many comments and reviews the cake is pretty well tested and it should not take that long to bake, or be flat. It’s moist, light and fluffy. Sorry it didn’t turn out for you, and I wonder if you made any substitutions at all and if you followed the recipe exactly?

    2. Jeffrey I’m sure you went wrong somewhere in the recipe. I’ve made this cake multiple times (making it again right now) and it is a HIT every time!!! It is loved by everyone regardless of diet!!!! 

      1. Hey Nora,
        If making a day in and dance- can we store in the fridge ? Planning to make this a full day before and decorate for an event the next day. 
        Thank you!
        Elena

    1. Other people have used flax eggs, non-dairy yogurt and other egg substitutes with good luck. I have not tried anything else.

  6. This recipe was loved by people all kinds of dietary restrictions! I also appreciated that this recipe had straight-forward ingredients. Some other chocolate cake recipes had ingredients I wasn’t sure I could get in my rural town. I will make this again!

  7. Can I say a big thank you. My son can’t have dairy now and I’ve been looking for some nice recipes for him and this one blew us all away.  I’m going to be trying all of the recipes.

  8. Hi! What would you recommend for vegan butter if I can’t find the sticks? I have earths balance, however it tastes salty.. would that work, or should I find something without salt? thanks

  9. Am I supposed to put the two cake forms in at the same time? I don’t have a convection oven. If not, is it ok for one batch to sit out there while the other is baking? Or half the recipe and do it one layer at a time? Thank you 

    1. Yes I put both pans in together. If you can’t, it does work to make the full recipe, bake one pan and then the other.

  10. The boiling water trick really does work! I made this cake for my husband as a father’s day treat and we also shared some with a friend. My friend liked it so much that she requested the recipe. My husband is firmly not vegan, so he is a harsh critic and he immediately commented that this cake is amazing!
    I do agree with all of the notes. I didn’t need the full frosting recipe but I will save the leftovers and use it on a half recipe of this cake next week probably.
    Thanks, Nora!!!

  11. Hello-  this is a wonderful cake! I made it before and it is delicious. Do you have any tips on how to store it so it does not dry out? 

    1. I would cover the cut part of the cake with plastic wrap so it doesn’t dry out. I usually keep it in the refrigerator, but you can keep it at room temperature as well for a few days. If you have a lot leftover, you can freeze it.

  12. I’ve made these cup cakes twice now and they are devoured everytime.  Amazing! I made a chocolate cake with eggs over the weekend and it’s not a patch on this vegan recipe. Finally… there are better alternatives ??

  13. Thanks so much for the recipe! I am a vegetarian and I have never found a cake that actually works! It is so good! I’m a ten-year-old and I love to bake, but some things I can’t have but, I love making this cake!

  14. It was delicious!! I think it could fool non-vegans! This will be my go-to cake recipe probably forever. 🙂

  15. This cake is perfect. It’s easy to make, no weird ingredients and it tastes amazing! I’ve made it four times just this month alone. June is full of birthdays in my family. It’s been a big hit every time.

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