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. First attempt at this cake and it is DELICIOUS. Tips based on things I could improve upon for next time: Don’t make the buttermilk frosting until the cake is 100% cooled down. I made the frosting as soon as the cake came out of the oven. I waited until the cake was 90% cooled but I was anxious to get the frosting on so I frosted it maybe 10 minutes too soon. The cake slid around a little and the middle layer lost its creamy look and the top layer slid around a little. My fault 100%. I know better for next time. But the cake is so tasty it doesn’t even matter! 

  2. This recipe and cake was INSANE!! Better then any store bought cake or chocolate cake I’ve ever had…all my company loved it…it’s DEADLY!!! Thank you for it. Question – did you ever substitute almond or gluten free flour instead of all purpose? If so can you advise to measurements you used? Thanks again!!

    1. I’m so glad everyone loved it! Almond flour will not work, but a gluten free flour mix does. It will come out a little different, but it works. Just replace the all purpose flour 1:1 with a quality gluten free mix. Thanks!

  3. I am not Vegan or Vegetarian but my brother is. It was his birthday today and I decided to try and make him this for his party. This was so delicious! Vegan or not, this is my new go to cake! Perfectly moist cake and perfectly creamy frosting. Yumm.

  4. This was delicious! Very rich chocolate flavor. Easy to make and no obscure ingredients. Liked by vegans and non-vegans alike! Thanks for a great recipe! 🙂

  5. Made this for my vegan son’s graduation and it was a huge hit! Making it for my non-vegan husbands bday upon his request! Wondering if i make it a day in advance should i store in fridge or on the counter protected on a cake plate with cover? Thank you! Love all your recipes!

    1. The counter is fine, unless it’s really warm in your house. I often store it in the refrigerator as well. Thank you so much!

  6. Our entire family is raving about this cake! My son has been in Vienna for 6 months and has become Vegan. I’m a heavy dairy and meat chef so started reviewing recipes to make something to welcome him home. I thought I’d give this a try and can’t say enough fantastic things about how moist and flavorful this recipe is. I’d choose this over any other recipe every time!! I made about 1/3 of the frosting. Used “Melt Organic” vegan butter in the frosting. This is soooooooo fantastic I woke up and had some cake for breakfast :-)! Thank you!!

    1. I don’t think that would work. If you only have one pan, I would cook each one separately, one after the other.

  7. My almond milk is sweetened. Can I still use it in this recipe? Should I reduce the amount of sugar?

    1. I would just use it anyhow, I do it all the time without changing the amount of sugar and it’s totally fine. Enjoy!

  8. The best chocolate cake!! Literally, this cake convinced me that vegan baking is indeed possible! Can highly recommend it for everyone! Keep rocking this blog Nora, your recipes are lovely!

  9. We made this chocolate cake for Father’s Day for my husband and oh boy did he love this cake (and the rest of the family did too 😉 One of my son’s had it for breakfast the next day. Easy to make and it lives up to its name!

    1. That depends on if you plan on making one or two 6 inch cakes. Even cutting the recipe in half might not work for one cake, but I’m not sure as I haven’t tested it. It would probably need to bake for longer though since it would be tall.

  10. This recipe is delicious! The cake rose very high and was fluffy and chocolaty. The frosting is also very tasty! It was a huge hit with my family and I will definitely be using this recipe again. Thanks Nora!

  11. Nora Nora Nora. This is indeed THEE BEST vegan chocolate cake recipe!! Folks couldn’t believe it’s vegan. Thank you so much! I absolutely LOVE this website. Keep ’em coming!

  12. If you’re reading this, MAKE THE DARN CAKE! Lol ? 

    Bakery was booked so I found your recipe and omg it was a hit! My most picky son + other kids favored it over the cold stone ice cream cake! It was THAT good! 

    I used dark cocoa  powder and it was bombdiggity! ??

    Stored leftovers in the fridge and it was even better the next day!! 

    So thankful I found your recipe ?

  13. Super easy to make and it truly is the best chocolate cake I’ve ever had. I’ll definitely make this again and totally recommend it!

  14. Would Dutch cocoa powder make a big difference? I need to use it up, but last time I used it to make brownies they were not very sweet ?. 

    1. I use dutch cocoa powder in the cake pretty often, and I think it works great. The outcome is slightly different, darker, but very good. Hope that helps!

  15. This is the BEST chocolate cake I have ever made! It is my go to for celebrations and birthdays!!! Everyone loves it – vegans and omni… I sub lemon juice for the vinegar. Just a personal preference. Thank you for this amazing recipe ? 

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