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).
Is the whole thing 500 calories?? Does that mean I can bake and eat this everyday? 😀
No…. one slice is. 🙂
Baked this for my vegan best friend! Our birthdays are very close, so we celebrated both together. Everyone loved the cake! Really made my 18th birthday special <3
That’s so great!
Truly the best cake I’ve ever made, vegan or otherwise. This is such a great recipe. I’m not a baker by any means but I’ve made this cake twice now and it never disappoints.
This looks delicious! I’m almost certain theres no cholesterol in any of the ingredients, so would that mean that the baked end result would be NO cholesterol as well. Thanks?
Nope, no cholesterol. Hope you enjoy it!
Made this for my mom-in-law’s bday, and it was legit – the best cake I’ve ever baked. And I’m not a vegan/nor do I bake vegan normally!
I think this will actually be my go-to recipe for cakes in the future. I did substitute canned pumpkin for the applesauce. And I added some dollops of peanut butter sweetened with powdered sugar throughout the batter as I layered it into the bundt pan. Then I coated the outside with same sweetened peanut butter, chilled it for a few hours, THEN topped it a chocolate buttercream frosting that used vegetable shortening as the base.
**AMAZING** everyone thought it was one of the best cakes they had ever had. Thank you!!!!!
You’re welcome!
Can I bake this in a sheet pan? (knowing the cooking time will be different).
You could, or you could just make my chocolate sheet cake. 🙂 It will only take about 20 minutes to cook.
Super delicious! loved by non vegans and vegans alike. It’s the staple celebratory cake in our house!
Thank you so much!
This is without a doubt the BEST chocolate cake I’ve ever made in my life! Vegan or otherwise…hands down, best chocolate cake ever!
Yay! So happy to hear that!
Dear Nora,
I have a daughter who has been vegan for the last three years and I have been searching recipes to prepare for her and her husband. This week was their anniversary and for the first time in thirty + years I decided to bake a cake for them. Your chocolate layer cake was a huge hit with everyone! It’s been a long time since any of us had a true made from “scratch” cake. I am really enjoying your recipes and leaning in the vegan direction myself!
Thanks for a delectable delight!
Best,
Pam
You’re so welcome! Thanks for the great comment!
Hi, I was so excited to try this recipe but using gluten free all purpose flour. Well, the frosting was delicious but the cake did not come out fluffy? It was very dense and combined with the frosting, very rich, and the cake had a fudge consistency. Where did I go wrong?
What kind of flour did you use? Many people have reported it turning out really well with gluten free flour, but it must be a quality blend. I would try a different flour blend, or maybe someone else will have good advice here, as I haven’t played with the gluten free version much.
I used Bob’s Red Mill One to One Gluten Free Flour. I did not substitute any other ingredients but I will try again, looks so good. Thank you
Hi. Made this to share at our weekly Dungeons and Dragons game. It was a massive hit with all, devoured in one sitting. Easy to make and delicious will be cooking this cake again. Thanks for sharing.
You’re welcome!!
Nice frosting consistency. I made half and it was still a LOT!
First time to use Earth Balance. I LOVE Mykonos but tried the EB. Frosting is a tad oily feeling in the mouth.
Thanks! Miyoko’s is great!
Hi! I am planning on making this cake today for a birthday tomorrow. Have you tried it with almond or oat flour or gluten-free flour? I have a few people with gluten sensitivity so I am trying to make it great for everyone
I would suggest a gluten free all purpose flour. Don’t use almond or oat flour, I don’t think those would turn out so well. Enjoy!
Amazing and delicious. Every time we make this it turns out perfectly. We’ve started using it as a base and adding other flavours and toppings like salted caramel popcorn, coffee, berries and liqueur. Thank you so much. ?
You’re welcome!
I made this for my own birthday yesterday since none of the bakeries around here had vegan cakes. The rest of my family isn’t vegan, but they LOVED this cake. My husband requested it next week for his birthday! Thank you so much for sharing your recipe! 🙂
You’re so welcome! And Happy Birthday!!
As a vegan I am always looking for an amazing chocolate cake that would replace the non-vegan one I enjoyed for many years from the Cheesecake Factory. Well today was my birthday and my non-vegan friend surprised me with a vegan dinner and this cake! Finally I found one! This truly lives up to its name. Thank you for making my 62nd bday so very sweet. This will be another Nora Cooks recipe added to my favorites
You’re welcome! And Happy Birthday!
This looks amazing, I want to make a smaller version using 7inch tins. Do you think halving the recipe would work or maybe using 2/3rds?
Also can I using cows milk? ( I’m not vegan just allergic to eggs!)
Thank you
Hmmm I’m not sure, I haven’t tried it but you might be able to cut it in half, or 2/3rds. Might get complicated! I made a triple layer version using 6 inch pans which worked very well. Using cows milk will not alter how it turns out. Thanks!
Hello! I’m excited to make your vegan chocolate cake for my boyfriend’s 30th birthday! One question though, I have to make the cake 6 days in advance. Will the cake itself hold its moisture if I freeze it and then defrost it the day before and will the buttercream be OK in the fridge for six days? Thanks!
That’s nice, I hope he loves it! I would freeze the cakes, wrapped well, then defrost the day before like you said. I think the frosting will be fine in the refrigerator for 6 days, just let it soften a bit at room temperature before using as it will be quite hard. Thanks!
Any possibility of substituting the almond milk for oat milk?
Yes, that will work!
I made this for a birthday cake at work, we have 2 vegans & this cake was loved by all
That’s so great to hear!
I made this during the summer for my birthday and it was exactly what I was dreaming of, literally perfect. I’m going to make it again tomorrow for my boyfriend’s birthday party and I can’t wait to eat it again.
The best chocolate cake ever.
Thanks so much!
I would love to make this cake but my husband is a strict vegan and does not use oil of any kind. Can I increase the amount of apple sauce? The last vegan cake I substituted the apple sauce for the oil and it was good but very dense. What do you suggest? Thanks for your help.
Andrea
I’m not sure it will come out very good by subbing all applesauce, but it might be pretty tasty. Of course the frosting would be out though. You might want to try my healthier chocolate cake recipe. Thanks!
This is the most amazing chocolate cake. Better than any non-vegan cakes. I add cherries between the layer and some of the cherry juice to the batter and the frosting. You have to find the right balance but it’s a really nice combination. Thank you very much for the recipe, it will be the birthday cake for my husband and my daughter’s first birthday! Amazing!
You’re so welcome!
Mine was quite rubbery. I tested it with a bamboo skewers that came out clean but the result was very fudgy. Like traditional non vegan brownies a bit but not as nice.
Wondering if I did anything wrong? I tried it as a whole cake and as cupcakes without the frosting. Maybe it’s the frosting that makes it special?
Oh no, that is not how it should be at all, and as you can see from the many comments, it’s not the usual result! It should be fluffy, tall, and light, not at all fudgy and rubbery. Did you make any substitutions? People have tried subbing almond flour and gotten the result you are talking about, so I wonder if you used a different flour? It sounds like you did not make it in two round pans, but one large pan, is that right? A 9×13 inch cake would work but you would need to bake it longer. The frosting is good but not what makes the cake, I like to eat this cake plain it’s so wonderfully fluffy and sweet on it’s own. Hope we can figure out what went wrong!
This was the best chocolate cake I’ve ever tasted. It was a big hit with the family. Thank you!
You’re welcome!