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).
Will bob’s red mill 1 to 1 flour work well with this recipe?
It works quite well, but I prefer making my Gluten Free Chocolate Cake. I adapted it to be just perfect gf.
Can the granulated sugar be substituted with coconut sugar or something similar? The cake looks sooo good!
It probably could be subbed with coconut sugar but I haven’t tried it. Won’t work in the frosting though, you need powdered sugar there.
This truly is a very delicious cake. I am not vegan but made for my vegan son and family. My husband (asks I not vegan) said it was the best cake he has ever had. I will definitely make this again.
Can this be made in a 9 X 13 pan?
Sure! It will need to bake for 35-40 minutes.
BEST CAKE EVER!! Seriously, my whole family is non vegan and this is our favorite cake of all time. So delicious!
One thing I do to adjust the recipe a little is use like 1/4 – 1/3 less sugar in both the cake and frosting, but thats just a personal preference for slightly less sweet things.
Overall, amazing recipe- thank you so much!
amazing cake! This will be my new go-to for chocolate cakes! Thank you so much for sharing the recipe.
Thank you!
I know you already have a bunch of five-star reviews, but why not add one more? I made this for my non-vegan father’s 70th birthday, and he LOVED it. He couldn’t believe it was vegan. I added some homemade rhubarb syrup between the layers and on top of the frosting for an extra tart element and it worked amazingly. Thanks for helping to make the day special!
My son is allergic to quite a bit of food and this cake was perfection! It was THE BEST CAKE WE HAVE EVER HAD!
Could I sun gluten free 1:1 baking flour? Thanks so much.
You could, or go make my Gluten Free Chocolate Cake, which is very similar but made perfect gluten free. 🙂
Excited to try this recipe! Is there any substitute for the apple cider vinegar?
White vinegar or lemon juice works. Hope you love it!
the only chocolate cake i’ll ever make from now on, it’s so good
Thrilled you loved the cake! Thanks for sharing!
I am making my fifth cake right now! I have shared a piece of this cake with many people who agree it is THE BEST cake! Thanks for the recipe!!
I love it, and you are welcome! Thanks for sharing your wonderful review, and the cake with so many!
Wow! This cake is seriously good and not even by “vegan cake” standards.
I followed the recipe exactly and it’s still delicious 3 days later.
Thanks for sharing your review! I’m glad you love the cake!
I made this cake with my 3yo nephew and it turned out amazing! Seriously, our family has been raving about this cake for weeks now. They even said it was better than some of the non-vegan cakes I have made. I will definitely be keeping this recipe in my standard dessert rotation!
Thank you for sharing your great review, Bethany! I love that you and your nephew made it together! I’m glad the cake was a hit!
I’ve made this now 5 times! The most deliciously moist cake I’ve ever tasted!! The boiling water works miracles! Wondering can you use this trick with other vegan cakes?
Thanks! Unfortunately, it does not work well in non-chocolate cakes. Trust me, I’ve tried! 🙂
Hi Nora, what measurements and baking time would I need for two 12inch pans? It would be to feed 30 people.
Hi Kate! Hmm I’ve never tested it using 12 inch pans so I’m not sure. I would probably increase the recipe by 1.5 times. And just watch closely for when the cakes are done, by checking with a toothpick in the middle. I imagine they will take a few minutes longer to cook, maybe an extra 10-15.
Is it meant to taste and have the consistency of la chocolate brownie? That’s how mine turned out.
Thanks a lot for the recipe my other half loved it!
Nope, it should be fluffy, light but moist chocolate cake. It should never be dense or brownie like. Did you make any substitutions?
Have made this cake a few times and everyone loves it!! I am wanting to make a smaller cake though how would I cut the recipe to make a 2 layer 6 inch cake? and what would be the baking time etc ? 🙂
Thanks so much !!
I’m not totally sure, but I bet you could cut the recipe in half and make a small double 6 inch layer cake. They will probably only need about 20 minutes in the oven, so watch them closely. Thanks!
I have made this vegan chocolate cake a few times and again today for my vegan husband’s birthday. It is absolutely the most delicious, perfect chocolate cake (vegan or non) that we have ever had. And I agree, even the Whole Foods vegan cakes do not compare. They are dry and pasty. Your recipe is AMAZING!!! Thank you!
Happy birthday to your husband! Thanks for sharing your wonderful review on my chocolate cake! I am thrilled that you guys love the cake and make it often!
With peace and love, by far this is the best vegan cake recipe i’ll ever come across! It is my go to cake to make whenever I get a craving, and my family loves it as much as I do. 🙂 Thank you so much for this!!!
I am so thrilled this is your go to cake! Thank you for sharing your kind and wonderful review. It means a lot! Happy cooking!
Is this cake best the day it’s made, or would it be okay to make it a day ahead?
Whoops, I checked the comments yesterday to see if anyone else already asked this question, but apparently just missed the comment below! Sorry for the duplicate questions!
This cake is amazing. My go to for every birthday. I’m sure I’m the only person who didn’t intuitively know to use unsalted butter for the frosting but may be worth noting. It was still pretty delicious but mind-blowing when I used unsalted butter. ?
Thanks for sharing! I actually don’t like the frosting with unsalted vegan butter lol, but that’s probably just my personal taste. 🙂
Hi Nora! I am making this cake for my best friend’s birthday – would you say the day of is best for baking, or is it okay to bake the day before and then frost the day of?
How nice of you! I like it best the day of, but there is no problem making it the day before. If it’s easier to make it a day in advance, go for it. Thanks!
Would I be able to freeze the baked cake rounds?
Yes, they freeze well.
Would this would if I omitted the cocoa make a vanilla cake? This came out amazing. Don’t let the liquid consistency in the batter alarm you. This was the most moist airy cake I’ve ever baked. Thanks for sharing!
I’ve tried it vanilla and unfortunately it turned out very weird, not good! I’m so glad you love the chocolate cake!
I am not a vegan, but made this for my son’s friend who is. This cake was AMAZING!! The vegans and non-vegans loved it. I will absolutely make this again.
I’m so thrilled to hear the cake was a hit and everyone loved it! Thank you for sharing your wonderful comments, Michele!
My daughters are vegan and it’s so hard to find a good birthday cake recipe. This is absolutely the best ever! I make this for every occasion and people can’t believe its “vegan”. Thank you so much for sharing!
This is a favorite birthday cake at my house as well! I’m thrilled you are loving and using my cake recipe for your special birthday occasions! Thank you for sharing your wonderful review!
Can I use cake flour instead of all purpose flour? Is it the same amount ?Thank you
Hi Annie. I would not use cake flour here, because it’s too light. Typically I use it in other cake recipes, just not this one. Hope that helps!