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. Hi! My cake was so cool at first.  Now I refrigerated it. In a cake holder. The frosting is so hard. 🙁 Any advice? 

    1. No worries, just take it out of the fridge and let it sit at room temperature for several minutes. It will soften up. It just hardens in the fridge, it is not a problem.

      1. I did leave it out for a whole day but it didn’t get all light and whippy like when I first made it. Any advice? 

  2. Hi Nora. My granddaughter is a vegan and I feel so bad that she doesn’t eat nanny’s desserts. I was wondering if the cake can be frozen as I am making a lot of desserts for thanksgiving.   I would wrap it in Saran Wrap then foil.   What do you think. ?  Or should I wait til the day before   

    1. Well that is so kind of you to want to make her a vegan cake, I think she will love it! Yes, you can freeze it ahead of time, then thaw it before serving, it freezes very well. Enjoy!

  3. This recipe is amazing. I did make one tweek to the frosting that makes it even better. Use Country Crock Plant Butter made with almond oil (vegan)for the frosting instead of earth balance vegan butter, it is so creamy and delicious. Definitely one of the best chocolate cakes I’ve eaten, and I’m a chocoholic and not a vegan.

  4. Hi, I made this cake today but did not ice as yet. I increased with half cup flour and 2 thirds milk & water mixed as I didn’t have applesauce or the substitute. Cake rose fine and spongy. It deserves the 5 star rating

  5. I really love this cake. I use Guittard rouge cocoa and always and atad extra.  It is so decadent. I recently have had to change my diet , lower sugar intake and gluten.

    Have you tried coconut sugar?
    what about for the frosting? How can I make it less sweet, but the same consistency? 

    Is there a gluten free flour combination that would work? 

    I still would like it to be vegan. 

    1. Hi there! I’m so glad you love the cake. I haven’t tried coconut sugar, but it will probably work and you could use a bit less in the cake than called for. For the frosting, you could use way less of it (just a thin layer all over the cake). If you want to use less sugar in the frosting, it may work to add less milk and powdered sugar, to taste. Or find another healthier frosting recipe and use it instead. A gluten free flour mix works pretty well here. Hope that helps!

  6. This is seriously the most delicious cake I have ever had, and I am not vegan! I sought this recipe out for my dairy free son, and he loved it too! I will make this every time I need a cake! I prefer brownies over cake, and I feel like this cake is almost a mix between cake and brownie. Absolutely delicious. Thank you!

  7. First off I have to tell you that I can’t bake. But. It was my daughter’s birthday and I wanted to surprise her.it turns out that we were all surprised.it was moist and tasted like a regular chocolate cake. The best she has had. Thank you so much. I can’t wait to surprise her again at Thanksgiving with a new vegan treat

  8. This chocolate cake is divine!! Thank you so much! I made it for my best friend’s 50th birthday and added “healthy”M&Ms, scrumptious!???

  9. Such a yummy cake and so easy to make! I love it! I accidentally made way too much frosting and was wondering if I could freeze it to use for an upcoming birthday in a couple of weeks? Thank you x

  10. I made this for a micro birthday celebration and everyone said it was the best chocolate cake they’ve ever had! I’m going to make this again and again.

  11. This was my first attempt making a vegan cake and I was quite scared of how it would taste without the egg or any dairy. I haven’t made the frosting yet (that will be tonight) but so far so good! This has exceeded mine and my husband’s expectations. He insisted on not having apple sauce in the recipe bc he doesn’t like it but I convinced him the recipe needed it for moisture. He didn’t even notice the taste of it in the cake! He said he even preferred this to regular cake! So chocolatey and moist! Yum! I did cut the sugar in half as we’re not big on too much sugar and it was still absolutely delicious!

  12. OMG!!! This truly is the best chocolate cake. I made it for my daughters birthday and she and her wife went crazy over this. I’ve been a cake decorator for 44 years and this frosting is sooo good, and I can add a tish more powder sugar and decorate with it. My husband is not vegan and doesn’t care for cake in general. He even loved this. If I could rate this higher it would be a 20!! I like rich chocolate so I did add 1 T. of instant espresso to the cake and 1 tsp to the frosting. It brings out the chocolate more. Thank you for sharing your recipe. Well done, So YUMMY!

  13. This cake was BEYOND incredible. So addictive and delicious. Do you have a diabetes friendly version? I want to make one for someone.

    1. Thank you so much! I don’t have a sugar free or low sugar version, but you might be able to use a sugar substitute in both the cake and the frosting, but I’m sure it will change the flavors and possibly the texture of the cake as well.

  14. Good Morning Nora

    I followed the recipe to a T and YAAASSSS hontee this chocolate cake is delish. My home was smelling like and Birthday and Christmas. Viewers yes I have already had a piece of this chocolaty delight and I do not care that when I smile there is brown stuff in my teeth. Don’t hate me because this cake is soooo good blame Nora. LOL. : ) Recipe was easy to make. I will be doubling the recipe next time and make a triple layer. The more the merrier….
    I am thinking about the song by The Monkees
    Then I taste and the cake, now I’m a believer
    Not a trace of doubt in my mind
    I’m in love
    I’m a believer ….

  15. I absolutely LOVE this recipe, it’s my favourite chocolate cake or actually any cake? I have also replaced apples with bananas and it works pretty well!

  16. Planning to make this for my sister in law for her birthday, it sounds delicious!! Just wondering if I make it the night before, could I put the frosting on the day of or should I put it on the day I make it so it doesn’t dry out? And where should I store it? 
    Thanks!!

  17. Hello Nora,

    I love this recipe. I’ve made it before and it’s such a moist, delicious cake that keeps so well.

    I’m hoping to make a three-layered cake this time, to give it a bit more height and feed more people! I was wondering if you think baking it in 7-inch tins would give the layers more height? Or affect baking time?

    Cheers,

    Claudia

    1. Thank you so much. I think that will work, yes but I haven’t tried it. The cakes will likely be thinner, unless you are doubling the recipe. In that case they may need a little less time to bake in the oven, I’m not sure.

  18. Hi Nora

    I am so exited about this cake I can hardly contain myself. Yes I am at work and will be baking this cake tonight after exercising. I read the reviews and I am so pumped up to make this cake. Chocolate Cake is my favorite and like most of the commenters I totally LOOOOVVVVVEEEEEEE chocolate cake for breakfast. I will let you know how it turns out. I am sure it will be delish.

  19. This is my go-to vegan chocolate cake recipe – well, for the sponges (I use a different recipe for the icing; I’m sure this one is great, I just don’t typically have as much vegan butter on hand as this recipe calls for). The sponges are 11/10, better than perfect, so moist it’s almost unbelievable. My non-vegan friends remain shocked that I’m serving them vegan cake. And as a chocolate fiend who’s mostly vegan, I live for serving my friends chocolate and vegan delights, so this is just the dream. Nora, between this and your vegan lasagna/mozz recipes, I think you’re a genius. How do you come up with this stuff??

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