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.
Sign-up to get new recipes by email and receive a FREE 5 Day Family Friendly Vegan Meal Plan! SUBSCRIBE NOW.
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).
I followed the recipe exactly as written, except I made two 8″ cakes and one 3″ cake with the leftover batter. I used the 8″ cake for my dads birthday and made the smaller one for myself to put in the freezer for when I wanted a treat…. except I couldnt wait that long and ate it for breakfast that same day. Lol. This is easily the best chocolate cake I’ve had – vegan or otherwise. Thanks so much for this recipe!!
You’re so welcome!
How do I make the cake the day before? Do I cover it in the fridge with plastic wrap?
If you frost the whole cake the day before, you can place it in the refrigerator or even counter until the next day, no need to cover it. That will mess up the frosting most likely.
My non-vegan husband asked if I can make this cake for every birthday… This cake is amazing!
That’s so great!
Hi! This cake looks amazing!
Can I put all of the batter in a 9 inch springform cake pan, and then cut it in half after the baking? Do I need to add baking time?
Thank you!
I have honestly never tried that and I’m really not sure if it would work or not. I’m a little afraid it won’t be able to cook all the way through and it may be too delicate to cut in half. But for sure it would take a lot longer to bake, more like an hour I’d guess.
I’m excited to try this cake for my vegan sister-in-law’s birthday! What are acceptable substitutes for almond milk as my nephew has an allergy?
Any non-dairy milk will work, such as soy or coconut.
I love this recipe! Made it for the first time. So simple to make esp for a non-baker like me. Thanks for sharing Nora!
I’m so glad you enjoyed the cake!
Thanks for the recipe on that vegan chocolate cake. I made a practice cake for my daughter today she is vegan. Her birthday is coming up, instead of buying one I decided to try your recipe and it is so good. My brother loved it then I told him is a vegan cake. He was surprised. Thank you.
You’re welcome!
It seems that I can pretty much cook anything, and it will turn out great. On the other hand I get any baking recipes right for nothing. Especially vegan. Well, glad to report I got this one right?! I felt like doing the happy dance.
Thank you for this amazing recipe.
Hi Nora,
Looks like a great recipe – excited to try it! Question – How well does the cake last? I’m looking at making it the day before – at least 24 hours before it will be eaten?
Thanks!
It’s fine to make it a day ahead of time. I would probably store it in the refrigerator until ready to serve, just in case its warm in your house, it will keep the frosting from melting at all and keep the cake fresher. But you could take it out a while before serving unless you want to serve it cold. Thanks!
Do you think this would work for a 4 layer cake?
Hi! Can I substitute all purpose flour for gluten free all purpose flour or other gluten free flour?
It works okay with a good gluten free flour mix instead of regular flour. I have used King Arthur and Bob’s Red Mill gluten free flours with pretty good success. Hope that helps!
Hi Nora,
We have a nut free family member. Have you tried this with oatmilk?
Yes, you could use oatmilk!
I love baking but literally every other
vegan cake I made was not as good as the non vegan ones and I had kinda given up on finding the perfect cake recipe. But then I tried this one and this is literally the most perfect vegan chocolate cake ever. I’m gonna swear by the recipe for the rest of my life. Thank you so much!?
You’re welcome!
A friend made this for my fortieth birthday party. It is literally the best cake and icing I’ve ever had in my forty years! I had it for desert and breakfast for a few days straight. I will attempt the recipe for my colleagues soon. I dare not leave it in my house. Hahaha
Hi,
What can I substitute the applesauce with?
Hi Nora
Looking to use this recipe to make a wedding cake with 1-8” 4 layer tier and 1-6” 4 layer tier. Is the cake “strong” enough to be layered this high?
I’ve never tried layering it with more than 2 layers. The cake is so moist and fluffy, it is rather delicate and not super sturdy, so I’m honestly just not sure it will hold up for 4 layers. I would do a test run for sure! You might be able to use 1/2 the amount of boiling water, that would make it a little stronger I think. Hope that helps and it works out!
I’m excited to try this for my daughter & her wife. I decorate cakes and I would use about 5 or 6 of the cake sticks you can buy at Michaels or maybe even Wal Mart. Put the cake on a cake board, the same size of the cake, and place it on top of the cake with the support sticks in it. I learned by sad experience you need those support sticks in the cake or it will be too heavy and will mess the cake up. Put 1 stick in the cake and mark it at the top of the cake. Then pull it out & Cut all of your sticks the same length so they don’t stick up higher than the cake level. Hope this makes sense.
Thank you! Thank you! Thank you, Nora. My family and I went plant base in January this year. My son was turning 7 on 9/7 and requested a chocolate cake. Did a quick search and your recipe peaked my interest. Let me tell you this the best chocolate cake I have ever tasted. It was so moist and soooo good. My son’s birthday was a success. He gave it two thumbs up. This will be my go to recipe for cakes and cupcakes.
That’s so great! Thanks for the comment!
This cake is fabulous! So moist and the chocolate flavor is excellent. I loved the chocolate buttercream, so light and fluffy. I live in Arizona and had made this in the morning, by the time I served it in the afternoon the frosting was getting a little too soft and the cake was shifting a bit. Next time I will refrigerate and take it out for half an hour before serving to allow it to soften up. So good though, thoroughly enjoyed it
Hi Nora,
I would love to try this cake but having some difficultly converting the recipe to metric – could you possibly post the metric recipe here too please?
Thanks!
There was something going on with the recipe card, but it’s all fixed now! Thanks!
Delicious, easy cake! I will definitely be making this again!
Hi! I have a question on the portions. When it says: 1 3/4 cups granulated sugar. What does that mean? How do I measure that?
Also, 1 1/2 cups earth balance vegan butter, softened
And, 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
I’m not sure I quite understand the question. It’s just basic measuring, so 1 3/4 cup you would measure 1 cup and 3/4 cup sugar. Same with the vegan butter and baking soda.
This cake is super delicious. I made this 3 times haha! First time it was perfect, second time in didn’t rise, third time, took forever for the inside to cook (and not entirely at the end. Just a question, if I want to put the cake in a round 1 layer 13 inch cake, how long do I cook it?
I’ve never made it in a pan like that, but I would probably guess about 40 minutes, maybe a bit longer. Glad you enjoy the recipe!
Hi Nora, Can i use self raising flour? Do I have to use baking soda if i use self raising flour or can i omit that step. Also can i use any kind of vegan butter?
I’ve never tried it so I’m not sure how it will turn out, but maybe. I would probably leave out the baking soda then, but I can’t guarantee the results. Any vegan butter that you like the flavor of, since it may come through in the frosting. Thanks!
I have made this cake so many times and it always come out perfect. I never made cakes before and now people ask if I’m bringing “the” cake all time. It’s easy and the best tasting cake ever.
This cake is amazing! My entire family enjoyed it and not everyone is vegan. 10 stars!!
Hi, can I use olive oil instead of canola/coconut oil?
It should work, though the olive oil flavor may come through the cake, I’m not sure.
Have you ever tried freezing the cake without icing on it?
Yes, the cakes freeze fine unfrosted OR frosted.