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).
This cake was so delicious!! I made this for my chocolate loving 4 year old’s birthday! Everyone loved it! Thank you for your recipes – I always feel confident trying a new recipe when it’s coming from you!
Thanks so much!!
So delicious!! Everyone loved it so much!!!!!
WOW!! The best cake I have ever made. My boyfriend loved it! Thank you
You’re welcome!!
This is the first cake I’ve ever made and I made it for my mom’s birthday! So easy to follow and delicious!!!
This recipe was so easy to follow and so delicious. I’ll use it again
That’s great to hear!
I came back to make sure I gave 5 stars!
I made this cake today for my nieces birthday who is vegan. I bake cakes often but never vegan. So I was a little worried. But it turned out Amazing and Delicious! Super moist and the frosting was on point. I doubled the recipe and was able to make a 3 three layer cake 8 inch round cake and 14 cupcakes. Thank you!! I’m trying your vanilla next!
That’s so great to hear!!
Amazing.
I made it for my husband birthday it was amazing. He was surprised how I baked it in home. thankyou very much.
Excellent recipe!!
Thanks!!
Truly the easiest and most delicious chocolate cake recipe!!! I’ve made it 3 times already and you can’t tell the difference from the classic, non-vegan one.
That’s so great to hear! Thanks for the comment!!
Oh, I forgot! I used unsweetened Milkadamia since that is the easiest for us to digest!
I made this recipe as a birthday present for one of my best friends. The only change I made was to use spelt flour because wheat has been bothering him lately. I only remember eating one cake in my life that was better than this — and that was from a professional bakery. I told my friend I am not a baker. He said that I am now! I also opted for a runnier frosting to reduce the sugar — a wee bit less than two cups for the half recipe. I made the cake in a glass dish for the minimum amount of time and it was PERFECT! Nora, THANK YOU!
You’re so welcome!! Thanks for the comment!
I did it! Best ever recipe to make a wonderful chocolate cake. Follow your every step and finally, it’s tasty! Thank you much for sharing!
You’re welcome!!!
I made this cake for my daughter’s 2nd birthday. She isn’t vegan (although she doesn’t seem to like meat) but she looovvveees chocolate and her non vegan father suggested I make a vegan cake so I could help them eat it haha. Anywho, the cake was absolute perfection. So delicious and perfectly moist. You can’t tell that it’s vegan. It held up to the frosting and additional decorations beautifully. Will definitely be making again. Thank you!!!
You’re so welcome!! Thanks for the great comment!
The best chocolate cake ever , vegan or not…never fail totally decadent….Thanks…
A friend of mine made this today for a birthday celebration and it was one of the best chocolate cakes I’ve ever had. I’m wondering if it would be just as good with gluten-free all purpose flour or another gluten free flour?
It will be slightly different but it does work with a gluten free all purpose flour. Still very delicious!
Hi! I only have vanilla essence, do you know if the quantity is the same? Thanks!
I would use the same quantity, should work well!
Supurb cake.
Thanks!!
I’ve made this numerous times and it is the best cake I’ve ever had! Everyone raves about it, vegan or not vegan! I was wondering is you could use the 1:1 gluten free flour for this cake? My mother is on a gluten free diet and I want to make her this cake if possible… Do you think a different flour would work?
Thank you, I’m so glad to hear it! Yes, you can use gluten free flour here, it works quite well! Hope that helps and she enjoys it!
This cake is truly the best. I made it for some friends this weekend and they said it was as good as their wedding cake! It’s amazing.
I substituted the 2tsp vanilla extract in the frosting for 1 tsp almond extract and it gave it a great distinct flavor. I also swap the 2/3 C of applesauce for 2/3 C mashed banana and it still have a perfect flavor and texture (you could only taste the banana a tiny bit before adding the frosting and not at all with the frosting added.
Thank you so much for this incredible recipe!
That sounds wonderful Leah! Thank you for sharing!
is there anything you can substitute applesauce for, i keep going to the store with the intention of getting some but i keep forgetting
Some have suggested mashed banana works well. Perhaps a few flax eggs would work, or even non-dairy yogurt if you have it.
For the yogurt substitution ( I don’t have any applesauce), do you recommend a straight substitution or does the amount have to be adjusted? Alternatively, I do have a few fresh apples on hand so maybe I should make a quick homemade applesauce?
I would use the exact same amount as applesauce. You could make a quick applesauce if you wanted, but non-dairy yogurt works well. So either is fine. Hope that helps!
Oh my goodness this was so easy to make and THE best chocolate cake I’ve ever had ?? I can’t believe it’s vegan. Thank you for sharing your recipe! If I’m saving some for the next day, would you recommend leaving it out at room temperature or storing it in the fridge?
I often leave it at room temperature for a few days and it’s just fine, just cover it lightly, especially the cut parts so they stay moist. Thank you!
My non-vegan boyfriend, who has never baked in his life, made this for my birthday back in April. It is just DIVINE! We still talk about it months later and if we make bets/challenges, the loser has to bake a “birthday cake. ” It’s probably the best chocolate cake I’ve ever had
Wow can’t wait to try this and your vanilla cupcake recipe for my daughters 4th birthday who has a milk allergy.
Just one question, can I make the cake and cupcakes in advance and frost before serving? Thanks
Yes, you can make them ahead of time, maybe a day or two ahead. Or longer, but then I would freeze them. Frost before serving and you are good to go!
Fantastic recipe — everyone loved it! We substituted brown sugar for the processed granulated sugar and split the flour quantity between almond flour and all-purpose flour. The cake was decadent, moist and light.