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).
Hi! I love this recipe! I made it for my family and they couldn’t believe it wasn’t bought from a bakery!
I do have one question though – can I use the recipe to make the cakes in 2 – 6 inch pans instead?
I think there is too much batter for two 6-inch cakes, but you could divide it into 3 pans. Or the cakes will be very tall, and I’m not sure if they will cook correctly. I’m so glad you loved the cake!
I’ve made this recipe several times and it is ALWAYS a hit. I made it for one friend’s birthday a year or so ago and months later a friend (that was at that party) asked if I would make this for him for his birthday because he remembered how good it was! Coming back to this recipe now because I have ANOTHER request to make it for a friend’s birthday!! None of these people are vegan, but they swear its the best chocolate cake they’ve ever had 🙂 so quick and easy to make and always comes out as perfection. Thank you so much!
Hi Colin. Thank you for sharing your wonderful feedback and experiences with my chocolate cake! I’m so glad you and your friends are loving it! What a kind and wonderful friend you are to make birthday cakes for your friends! Wishing you happy cooking!
Made this for a birthday celebration tonight. No one could believe it wasn’t from a high end bakery…or that it was vegan. Absolutely fantastic!!
That’s so wonderful to hear! Thank you for sharing your fantastic review and comments!
I discovered this recipe about 3 years ago when I found out my daughter was allergic to dairy and it is now my family’s go to cake recipe. I share it with everyone and no one can believe it is vegan. Tonight I made the frosting for the first time and it is absolute perfection. I cannot fault this recipe at all and own 2 restaurants. I am still on a quest to find an equally amazing vanilla vegan cake, as I have yet to find anything close to this in vanilla. My only question is, can the leftover frosting be saved in the freezer for future use? I halved the frosting and still have too much but would hate to waste it ? Thanks Nora for coming up with this recipe. I actually think this may be my second review but couldn’t figure out how else to ask my question.
That means so much, Jamie. Thank you!! I’m so happy you and your family love the cake. To answer your question, yes, you can freeze the chocolate frosting. It will last for 2 or 3 months when kept in an airtight container.
Nora….. this really is THE BEST vegan chocolate cake!! I always made a regular chocolate cake similar to this recipe that my kids LOVED! So when some of the kids began eating vegan….i had to change my recipe. Your recipe was a perfect match! I have only one suggestion….. instead of the boiling water, add very hot strong cup of coffee! The coffee intensifies the chocolate flavor! Even those who don’t drink coffee will not notice it!
Thanks for this AWESOME recipe!
Hi Jennifer. I am so glad you guys are loving the cake! Hot coffee is wonderful in the cake! Thank you for sharing your wonderful feedback! Happy cooking!
Turned out great! Thanks for the recipe. I subbed cardamom extract for the vanilla in both the sponge and frosting, and swapped lavender tea for the hot water for a flavor twist. Will be making again!
Thank you for your wonderful ideas, Stephanie! I’m glad you loved the cake! Thank you for sharing your great feedback!
Hello! Can I use cacao in this recipe instead of course just cocoa? Thanks!
Yes, that will work just fine I think. Thanks!
Easy to make and so delicious
The most delicious chocolate cake I have made! Thank you for the recipe 🙂
You’re so welcome! Thank you for sharing your fantastic review!
What else can I substitute for the applesauce? I’m allergic to applesauce .
Hi Cheryl. You can substitute 2 tablespoons ground flax plus 5 tablespoons water. Other have also substituted mashed banana. Happy cooking!
Think I can make this without a mixer or whisk? Working with limited supplies!
Hi Stacy. I think a hand mixer or standing mixer is necessary to get a light texture on the cake. Others have mixed it by hand and commented that the cake itself turned out ok. The icing mixed by hand was lumpy. I hope this helps!
Can this cake be made with gluten free flour?
Yes, a quality gluten free flour mix works pretty well, but for best results go make this Gluten Free Chocolate Cake instead.
Oh noooo! The cakes been in the over 10 mins and I realized I forgot to add the water!!!!! ? does that mean I’m making a really dense brownie like cake? Eeeek
It’s actually still pretty good without the water added, but it’s not quite as moist. It shouldn’t come out like a brownie though. Hope you still enjoy it!
This is literally the BEST chocolate cake I’ve ever had. It’s hard to believe it’s vegan! I made it for my sisters (who is vegan) birthday and she loved it too. It has the thickness of a brownie so it’s very rich and very delicious!
I’m so glad you love the cake! Thanks for using my recipe, and for sharing your review and feedback! Happy cooking!
Made this cake for my non-vegan dad’s birthday and he swears it’s the best chocolate cake he’s ever had!! And I 1000% agree. Truly mind-blowing!! Thanks Nora 🙂
You are welcome! I’m glad it was hit! Happy birthday to your dad!
I halved this recipe and made it in to cupcakes (made 14 but probably could have made 12 more plump ones). I also cut the sugar in half. They were lovely. Thank you
Thank you for sharing your review and feedback! I’m thrilled the cupcakes turned out lovely for you!
Thank you for this recipe, the best vegan cake ever ? I added raspberry and it was really perfect!
That sounds delicious! I’m so glad you loved the cake! Thank you for sharing your review and feedback!
Delicious! Followed it exactly as given.
It is indeed one of the best vegan chocolate cakes I ever had .. so delicious .. no one could tell it was vegan.. kids , family and friends enjoyed.
Thank you for the wonderful recipe!!
You are welcome! I’m so glad the cake was a hit with everyone! Thank you for sharing your review and feedback!
I made this chocolate cake for Christmas. It was crazy good
Moist and delicious I made it exactly as recipe is with the exception of vegetable oil vs canola
Thank you for your recipes
I was thinking of making this in a loaf pan ?
I’m so happy you loved the cake! A loaf pan should work (have a second pan on standby if there’s too much batter) but will take a little longer to bake. Let me know how it works out!
Could it be baked in a bundt or 9×13 pan?
Yes, both of those pans will work. Bake the cake for 45 minutes in the bundt pan or for 35-40 minutes in the 9 x 13 inch pan.
Can I use Gluten free flour?
A gluten free flour mix will work well instead of the AP flour. I also have a gluten free chocolate cake recipe you may want to check out. Enjoy!
Yes, yes and yes…. this was amazing. My non vegan party goers were shocked when I said there was no eggs in this. They asked what made it so creamy and I said I had no idea! I highly recommend this delicious recipe. I mean how can professional places get it so wrong?? The only 3 things I did differently (only because of what I had on hand) is about half the sugar I used icing sugar because I ran out of regular, I used vanilla oat milk, and it was apple peach sauce, instead of just apple. So happy
I’m so glad you loved the cake, Susan, and that your substitutions worked out! Thanks for using my recipe, and for sharing your review and feedback! Happy cooking!
My vegan friend sent me this recipe and we loved it!
I’m so glad you and your friends loved the cake, Christine! I appreciate you leaving a review!
NORA, YOU ARE ROCKSTAR!
☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆
Not only is this THE BEST VEGAN CAKE, it is THE BEST CAKE & FROSTING ON PLANET EARTH!
This recipe is now a tradition in our family, made for all celebrations & holidays…they all LOVE IT ~ including my husband who despises anything labeled vegan & my daughter who doesn’t like cake or frosting period…except for yours of course. THANK YOU?❤?❤?❤?❤?❤?
Wow, I’m so glad you and your family love the chocolate cake! Thanks for using my recipe, Michelle, and for sharing your review and feedback! Happy cooking!