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).
Love this recipe so much. Made it many times and never fails! so simple and easy!! thank you!
Hi Rosa! I’m glad you love the cake! Thank you for taking your time to share you terrific review!
Seems nice, is there any substitute for applesauce?
You might be able to substitute a few flax eggs for the applesauce. 2 tablespoons ground flax plus 5 tablespoons water. Mashed banana may also work. Hope you enjoy it!
Can I add coffee? Either a shot of espresso or instant coffee?
You can substitute hot coffee for the boiling hot water, or add a little instant coffee. Thanks!
Love this recipe, and use it often! I am wondering how long these will keep, and the best method to store them? Making them a few days ahead for my son, because I’m due to have a baby any day ❤️
Hi Brittany. I’m glad you love the cake! I usually store the cake in the refrigerator, or just at room temperature. It will last for probably 3-5 days, longer if refrigerated. I just cover the open part with plastic wrap so it doesn’t dry out. You can also freeze individually wrapped slices if you don’t think you’ll get to it all within a few days. Thanks and enjoy! Congratulations on your new baby!
Hi! I’m not vegan but have dairy allergy, can I just use 2 eggs instead of applesauce? Asking in case other ingredients have been adjusted to not use eggs. Can’t wait to make it for my husbands birthday tomorrow!
It would probably be fine, but I haven’t tried it since I don’t eat eggs. Hope you enjoy it!
This is possibly the most unhealthy thing I’ve ever put in my body but damn is it worth it!
This was the first cake I’ve ever baked myself, let alone vegan cake. I’ve always been into cooking but only recently tried baking.
This was easy to make and tastes amazing. The only thing I’d say is that the toothpick test wasn’t working for me. I overran by 20 minutes and it was still not coming out clean but I had to remove from the oven as it was going to burn.
Other than that, great! Definitely will make again!
Hi Josh. I’m glad you tried the cake and loved it! Thank you!
OMG this cake is SO SO yummy thank you for sharing. My friend made some cupcakes for my birthday ? they were so good I made another batch a few days later. Non vegans would not even know the difference, I subbed a bit of coconut sugar instead of all white still delicious ?? Thanks again
I”m so glad you love the chocolate cake, Marianne. Thank you for sharing!
Best cake ever! My dear friend past away 5 months ago. She lost her battle to breast cancer. It was her birthday and spent all morning crying. I wanted to celebrate her birthday and her. I found this recipe and wow. My husband and two kids and I made this cake. We impatiently needed it to cool to ice it before my hubby went to work his night shift. We added the icing and this baby started to melt a little pool in the center of the donut shape. It was amazing. We set candles and blew them out wishing Cindy a happy heavenly birthday. Then we all took forks and ate the most amazing warm chocolate cake we had ever had. Dunking bites in the center pool of warm chocolate. This was our dinner. We laughed, we moaned and groaned. We liked chocolate from fingers palms and elbows. I want this to be our tradition every year for her birthday. Thank you for being a part of this new tradition. Truly is the best cake.
Hi Sarah! I’m so sorry to hear about your dear friend. This has really touched my heart, and I just want to thank you for sharing it with me! I’m so glad the cake helped you celebrate your friend today on her birthday, what a wonderful tradition to honor her. My thoughts and prayers are with you.
I made this cake for my daughter’s birthday. It turned out great. This is now my go to chocolate cake Previous comment should have had 5 stars
Hi Susan. I’m glad the cake turned out great for your daughter’s birthday! I’m thrilled that you have chosen this as your go to chocolate cake! Thank you for sharing!
I made this cake for my daughter’s birthday. It turned out great. This is now my go to chocolate cake
Hi there, I am planning to make this cake, but I was wondering if it’s possible to add some cherries or other berries inside/ in the batter. Would it change the consistency of the cake, because on your pictures it looks super fluffy!
Thanks and best wishes from Germany!
I bet you could, but I haven’t tried it. Hopefully it won’t change the texture, but it might make it extra moist since berries will add liquid. If you try it, let me know how it turns out!
This cake is so moist, delicious and easy to make!!!
Thanks Rosemary! I’m glad you love the cake!
This cake is so moist and full of wonderful chocolate flavour. Very easy to make – thank you!
Thanks Rosemary!
Absolutely amazing cake! My boyfriend and I are could not believe it’s actually vegan because it tastes so delicious. Thank you for this amazing recipe!
I’m thrilled you two love the cake, Bria! Thank you for using my recipe, and for sharing you kind comments!
Made this cake for all my non-vegan friends and they had no idea it was vegan until I told them. Thank you so much!!!❤️
I’m glad everyone loved the cake, Sofia! Thank you for sharing!
Super moist and chocolatey cake! I added some instant coffee to boost its flavor even more. But overall, excellent
I’m glad you loved the cake, Lena! Thank you for sharing!
Amazingly delicious!!
Thanks for sharing, Rachael. I’m glad you love the cake!
Hi Nora. I am making this for my son’s 31st birthday and would like to add frozen raspberries to the batter and add some raspberry essence along with the vanilla. If I dust the raspberries in cocoa powder do you think that would be ok? Do you think i would need to adjust the baking time? Love your recipes! Tx!
I think that should be okay, but I haven’t tested it with fruit. I think dusting the raspberries in cocoa is a good idea. You shouldn’t need to adjust the baking time. It sounds amazing, and I hope he loves it!
This cake was so good!!! I thought it actually tasted even better the next day. Thank you!
Hi Sonia. I also think this cake is magnificent tasting the 2nd day! Thank you for sharing!
thank you for the beautiful post! just wondering – would oat milk work here or does almond milk have something special to add? Thank you!
Thanks! You can use any non-dairy milk here, even oat milk. I actually use a variety depending on what I have on hand.
This ACTUALLY is the best chocolate cake recipe I have ever had PERIOD! It has all of the elements: crumble, moist, rich, decadent and SINFUL!!
I’m thrilled you love the cake, Cheryl! Thank you for sharing!
The title/description you use for this cake is so apt. “best vegan chocolate cake”!!
It’s the best I’ve tried, thank you so much!!
It’s the only one l’ll use now, it’s amazing, you clever cook.
Hi Julie. I’m thrilled this will be your chocolate cake of choice! Thank you for taking your time to share you kind review! Happy cooking1
Great recipe! Such a treat.
Thank you, Carol. I appreciate you taking your time to share your review!
Omigosh! This cake is amazing!!! So incredibly moist and flavorful. I will be making this again and again.
Thank you for your wonderful review, Erin. I’m glad you love the cake! I appreciate you taking your time to share!
Omg! This cake was AWESOME!! All my kids had an extra slice and I didn’t feel bad about it. I needed to make ours GF and instead of granulated sugar, I substituted coconut sugar (same amount). Other than that, I followed it to “T”.
Thank you so much! I’ll be making this again for sure!
Hi Marisa. I’m thrilled that your family loved the cake! Thank you for taking the time to leave your fun review! Happy cooking!