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This vegan chocolate cake has NO eggs, NO butter, and NO milk and yet is the best and easiest vegan cake recipes you’ll ever make- Even non-vegans approve!
The Best Vegan Chocolate Cake
Everyone needs a staple cake in their repertoire.
If you are looking for a vegan chocolate cake recipe that tastes like an actual cake, you’ve come to the right place. Just like my vegan brownies and vegan chocolate chip cookies, this one tastes just like the real thing, if not better!
Why you’ll love this recipe
- One bowl. No fancy mixers and or gadgets needed- Just one mixing bowl. Seriously, you’ll love how the clean up afterward takes seconds.
- EASY ingredients. This vegan cake uses pantry staple ingredients, ones you probably have in your kitchen right now! No flax eggs, no egg substitutes, and NO vegan butter.
- 30 minutes. Seriously. You can have a cake prepared and made in under 30 minutes. There is no creaming of ingredients, no preparing dry or wet ingredients separately- NONE of that.
- Super moist and fluffy– This cake is extra moist and fluffy, something many assume is impossible with a vegan cake.
What I love about this cake is that it’s a huge hit amongst those who aren’t even vegan- I’ve had tons of friends request one for their celebrations (and they are massive carnivores!). The texture is super moist and fluffy in the middle, topped with creamy vegan frosting. It’s sweet and full of chocolate flavor, you’ll find it hard to stop at one slice.
What is vegan chocolate cake made of?
You will love the very basic ingredient list to make this recipe. It uses pantry staples, so you should have everything in your pantry as we speak! Here is what you’ll need:
- All-purpose flour. Also known as plain flour. Be sure to sift the flour very well, to ensure there are no clumps throughout.
- Sugar. Use raw white sugar, which is the best sugar to use on a vegan diet. White or brown sugar can often be made using bone marrow, so use the purest forms.
- Cocoa powder. Dutch processed and 100% unsweetened cocoa powder. For a richer flavor, you can use dark cocoa powder.
- Baking soda. The leavening agent used to give the cake some fluffiness and rise. It also reacts with the vinegar to replicate eggs.
- Salt. Balances out all the sweet ingredients.
- Apple cider vinegar. Or white vinegar. Reacts with the baking soda.
- Vanilla extract. A must for any delicious cake!
- Vegetable oil. Or any neutral flavored oil. Keeps the cake moist and fluffy in the middle.
- Water. To mix everything together. You can also use a plant based milk if you prefer.
- Chocolate frosting. What is a cake without a thick and rich chocolate frosting?
How to make it
Simple is an understatement for this recipe. Everything is made in one bowl and the entire baking time is less than 30 minutes! Ready to make a cake?
Step 1- Make the caker batter.
Start by adding the dry ingredients into a mixing bowl and mix until combined. Add the wet ingredients and whisk together until a smooth batter remains.
Step 2- Bake the cake
Next, transfer the cake batter into a greased cake pan and bake for 27-30 minutes or until a skewer comes out clean.
Step 3- Frost it
Now, remove the cakes from the oven and let them cool completely before frosting.
Tips to make the recipe
- This recipe makes a single layer cake with frosting. For a two layer or three layer cake, double/triple the ingredients.
- Do not over-bake the cake. Remember, the cake continues to bake while it is cooling in the pan.
- We must cool completely your cake before frosting it, otherwise, it will seep off the cake.
- The secret to a super moist vegan cake is using a neutral oil. For an oil-free or lower fat cake, make a healthy chocolate cake instead.
Storage instructions
Wondering what is the best way to store leftovers? Here are best practices for cake storage:
- To store: Chocolate cake will keep at room temperature for up to 5 days, covered. However, if you frost the cake, it should be stored in the fridge. If refrigerated, it will keep fresh for up to 2 weeks.
- To freeze: Place leftover slices in a shallow container and store in the freezer for up to 6 months.
More vegan cake recipes you’ll enjoy
Frequently Asked Questions
Although vegan cakes don’t use dairy or eggs, they still contain plenty of sugar and/or oil. Because of this, it doesn’t make it any healthier than a regular cake.
To make this an oil-free chocolate cake, sub out the oil for unsweetened applesauce or mashed banana.
Swap out the all purpose flour for a gluten free blend (with added xanthan gum) for this cake to be suitable for celiacs.
Vegan Chocolate Cake | Easy One Bowl Recipe
Video
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour use gluten-free, if needed
- 1 cup sugar
- 1/4 cup cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 6 tablespoon vegetable oil * See notes
- 1 cup water
- 1 cup chocolate frosting
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 180C/350F. Line an 8-inch springform pan or cake pan with parchment paper and set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, add your dry ingredients and mix well. Add the wet ingredients and mix until a smooth batter remains.
- Transfer to the lined pan and bake for 25-30 minutes, or until a skewer comes out just clean.
- Allow to cool in the pan for 10 minutes, before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely. Once cooled, frost the cake.
I’ve made this cake several times and we love it. I highly recommend trying it.
needing to make for someone with milk allergies,, was a little reluctant since the easy vanilla cake seemed doughy and didn’t care for, but this is close to the best chocolate cake ever made! I did dissolve 1 1/2 heaping teaspoon instant expresso in water and used avocado oil! With the Dairy Free Frosting (1/2 recipe for 12 cupcakes)
Can this recipe be used for cupcakes?
Yes it can!
Amazing!!! I added 1.5 teaspoons of instant espresso powder to the water before adding it to the mix, and it ended up tasting so fudgy / chocolatey!
I didn’t tell anyone it was vegan or gluten free until after they tried it – none of them could tell! It tasted like a normal, wonderful, chocolatey cake!
I used a different frosting recipe because I was looking for vegan vanilla buttercream but I look forward to trying the chocolate frosting recipe soon!
The best vegan chocolate cake I’ve ever made.
Can I use Almond Flour for this recipe? I am on Keto and the Flour your using has alot of carbs. Will I get the same results?
Haven’t tried, feel free to experiiment and see.
I really liked the glossy appearance after baking. I made this for coworkers, the cake was delicious. I hope to try the strawberry one as well!
Would I need to double the recipe for a 9×13 sheet cake, Arman? Is the water room temperature or is warm/hot better? I have used another recipe that uses hot water previously. Looking forward to giving it a go. Thankyou 😊
Excellent. Easy to make. A keeper recipe
Super easy. Loved it!
Incredibly moist, chocolaty and delicious. I made this cake for my husband’s birthday yesterday. My husband couldn’t stop himself from eating his birthday cake.
Hi there recipe looks good…but oil not a good food to many vegans (considered a junk food to many). Can you provide a healthier version? Thanks
Incredibly moist, chocolaty and delicious. I made this cake for my husband’s birthday yesterday. He couldn’t stop himself from eating this cake.
Hi there recipe looks good…but oil not a good foood to many vegans (considered a junk food to many). Can you provide a healthier version? Thanks
The best chocolate cake I ever made.
Easy, moist. I added orange extract. And omitted the bi carb. Used self raising gf flour. Winner!
Hi Arnman,
I made this for a dinner party for non-vegans. They loved it!
One question . .
How did you make the chocolate shavings around the sides of the cake?
Thanks for posting!
I made this yesterday for my son’s birthday, he is Vegan. Very light and moist cake. The only thing I did differently was added a shot of coffee in the water quantity.
It was delicious and easy and will make this again.
This was the best chocolate I’ve ever made! I made this for dessert when we had vegan friends over. There was not a single crumb left! Not a single person could tell it was vegan. We ALL loved it. I did make a different frosting than this recipe used, but this cake was absolutely amazing and easy to make!
any way to make it without the apple cider?
use lemon juice 🙂
I forgot to rate it
Hello Arman this cake looks delicious and I am going to make this for my birthday
I love it
The cake is moist and fluffy and even tho is so easy
This was sooo easy and as advertised I had all the ingredients for the cake 😀
I used 3/4 of the sugar and it was fine, I may half it next time. I tried it with the banana instead of oil substitute as I had bananas to use and it was lovely and not too bananary! I had some dark chocolate so added small pieces to melt over the top as it was cooling. As I didn’t have the frosting ingredients I mashed banana really smooth and mixed with cocoa powder and as we couldn’t wait to try it we had some warm cake with ‘frosting’ on the side – it worked really well with the cake which was indeed fudgy and chocolatey 🙂 Delicious and easy thank you!!
I made this as a 3 layer cake with salted caramel and chocolate buttercream. It was a hit! Thanks for the recipe!
I want to make it into cupcakes, think it will work?
Quick, easy, and super moist. Great when you don’t have alot of ingredients on hand. Turned out super moist and so delicious. Made as cupcakes thhe second time and worked well too. My 9yr old soon made all by himself.
Superb. 10/10 and that is a rare rating for me. I didn’t do the frosting. For anyone in UK it is plain flour and baking powder. Ou terminology is a little difference. I weighed the ingredients also for anyone without cups and used 8 oz flour and 6 oz sugar.
Made It, Loved It! Served to husband and 2 neighbors. When the gals finished and said it was great, then I told them it was vegan with unsweetened applesauce instead of oil.
They both said they couldn’t tell.
Thank you.
Oh my heaven! You’re not exaggerating when you say this is the BEST chocolate cake! I used GF flour and coconut palm sugar. The BEST! Couldn’t believe the texture for a GF cake. I just found your website so I’m late to the party. But I’m so excited to have this recipe and excited to try more. THANK YOU, Arman! Your hard work and creativity is a blessing beyond measure!
I made this lastnight and omg THE BEST CAKE EVERRRR! However mine didn’t rise. 🥹
I followed to a T and all my baking recipes turn out flat 🤣🤣🤣 kinda proof I can’t cook.
This was a hit but I’m disappointed in myself 😅
I would love to try this chocolate cake but with less sugar and can l use maple syrup instead of sugar
Thank you
Feel free to experiment and see
A super simple and healthy recipe!!!! Thanks for posting!
Can i make cupcakes with this same receipe?
Yes you can.
can you make this recipe into cupcakes? I would guess a slightly shorter cook time???
May I substitute applesauce for the oil?
You can try! 🙂
Hello! I love you recipes! You had a recipe (I printed it luckily) on your site with zucchini, coconut flour, coconut sugar, Baking soda & Powder, coconut oil, hot liquid of choice and maybe something else that I can’t seem to find Has it changed names?
Do you think this recipe would turn out okay if I replaced the water with vegan buttermilk?
Not sure- I’ve only tried it as written but I’ve made a similar cake with milk instead of water and it was fine
Omg! I have seen similar recipe- thought I will finally try it! Will be my go to as healthy alternative! And any time! So moist and flavorful! All loved it and made 27 cupcakes with a peanut butter frosting! Thank you!
Omg thank you for this recipe, we have made it multiple times and it is so good!
Our rice cooker has a cake setting. We gave it a go since the oven was being used, and it came out great!
We also did a vegan marshmallow and enjoy chocolate chip mix with your recipe, again in the rice cooker… and it just needs slightly more cook time, because of the added moisture.
You are an absolute genius Arman! 💚🌱
1 cup coffee instead of 1 cup water… deeelish!
Made this the other day. Big hit with the family. No one knew it was vegan and gluten free. So moist and sweet. Will definitely make again!!
This looks a lot like the chocolate cake that I grew up with in Alaska. A vinegar add in to a mass of chocolate was in all of the “Homesteader” cookbooks. so many memories.
Hi Arman,
Is it possible for you to provide your recipe measurements in metric ? Easier this way on the weighing scale. Thanks.
We will be looking into it moving forward! Thanks!
Can applesauce be used instead of oil?
Yes, or you can make my healthy chocolate cake.
Hey you!!!! This cake by far is the BEST vegan chocolate cake I have ever made and tasted. It was so good yesterday that I made a second one today (double batch). Ummm so this was like better than boxed cake and most from scratch cakes. It was so easy to make that it should be taught in home economics, or “Cake Making for Dummies”. I used sunflower oil and half raw cane and dark brown sugar. I am going to play with other variations. Hands down, superb!
Thank you so much, Akeala!
Wonderful recipe! Have you had anyone try to cover this cake with fondant? I think if I were to use cake flour it would be more sturdy to hold the weight of it? Anyways, just wondering if you or knew of someone attempted this with success. Thank you!
Has anyone used this recipe for cupcakes? And if so how long and at what temp should I bake them for?
Here you go :). https://thebigmansworld.com/vegan-chocolate-cupcakes/
My family is now in love with this recipe…thank you so much
Thank you, Nisha!
I was wondering if this cake can soak up a flavored simple syrup.
I haven’t tried but feel free to experiment and see!
Like both cakes and candy
Can I substitute the sugar with apple sauce?
Nope!
It’s my grandmother’s birthday tomorrow and I tried making a Japanese style cake, which failed spectacularly. So here I am at 7:30 at night and I need to drop off a cake by 10 in the morning, not to mention I also ran out of butter and milk.
I was a little hesitant to try this recipe since I’ve never made a vegan dessert before. Needless to say this turned out great! I’ll definitely be making this again, thank you for saving my grandma’s birthday!
Happy Birthday to your grandma, Nikki x
Made it into cupcakes, super delicious!
Thank you, Sue!
Can the oil be substituted for butter? We are eggfree but not vegan and some of us are less fond of the taste of oil in baked goods.
Sure I don’t see why not!
Hi Arman! Want to try out your vegan recipe. Just wanted to know whether this turns out dark. All the chocolate cake recipes I have baked have cocoa powder quantities which are half or slightly less than half the measure of flour. Would it affect the outcome if I increased the cocoa powder to half or two thirds cup instead of one fourth?
I haven’t tried this recipe with different proportions.
Just made this. Exceptional! My edits: I used only 2/3 the sweetener (and half of what I used was stevia). I also used whole wheat pastry flour. It was great – thank you Arman!
Oops, forgot I had already raved over this cake–sorry, feel free to delete duplicate comments!
Hhaha no worries!
Butter and milk is really expensive in our grocery delivery service, so I don’t always have either on hand. This recipe was the answer! We were both amazed at the rich, moist cake that resulted and my husband asked that I make it again for Christmas! So easy and so yummy; thank you!
I’m not much of a baker, and I rarely eat cake. No butter or milk in the house (both expensive via our grocery service). So I tried this recipe–let me tell you, I got some *major* points from husband! He and I LOVED this rich, moist cake. Improvised some “frosting” by whisking peanut butter with a bit of coconut milk to thin it out a bit, added cocoa powder. Wlrked well enough as a frosting. This cake was a huge hit! Already have a request to make it again for Christmas, and I will! Thank you for a great recipe!
You are so welcome, Laura!
I’m always a little apprehensive when I see “THE BEST” in any recipes, but man this one delivered! Truly the best vegan chocolate cake I’ve had! The texture is on point and overall delicious!!! Thank you for bringing this into my life!
You are a gem.
Is this a moist cake? Most are so dry.
Was this baked with an 8 by 8 inch square pan or an 8 inch round cake pan?
Round cake pan.
Do you think I could make cupcakes with this recipe? Would I need to change the cooking time?
Sure can! Check out my vegan chocolate cupcakes recipe
I’m so excited to make this! One question – can I sub in butter for the oil?
Thanks so much!
I haven’t tried but I don’t see why not!
I used gluten free self raising flour and sunflower oil out it in my bundt tin and it’s fantastic! Thankyou 🙏 left a photo and comment on pinterest
Fabulous! 🙂
Love this sooo easy cake! It’s now my only chocolate cake I make! Is this also called the depression cake?
YES 😀
Hi. Can I use self-raising flour and omit the baking soda and salt?
Not that I’ve tried!
What size pan do it use if I don’t have an 8 inch spring form pan?
8 inch cake pan.
Can I use cake Flour?
I haven’t tried but I don’t see why not- cake flour lends a much better crumb on cakes traditionally. 🙂
This was absolutely delicious and wonderful! A super hit cake!!
I doubled the recipe, used apple-cider vinegar and canola oil. Baked in two round pans. I layered the cake and used store-bought chocolate icing (vegan)
Cake came out fluffy, moist and I was sincerely amazed by the rise and smell when it baked. Couldn’t tell it was any different from the umpteen “Regular” cakes I have baked over the years!
I made it for a friend’s birthday, And honestly no one could have known it was vegan unless I mentioned it.
I’m super excited with this recipe and am excited to now try and bake all the other recipes. 👍🏼😊🙏🏼
So glad to hear that 🙂
This is the first homemade cake I’ve ever made and it was great! So easy to make without any mixer. What a plus! I doubled the recipe and frosted it with chocolate frosting… it was devoured by some hungry and satisfied boys. Many thanks!!!
Would it work for me to double or triple the recipe?
Many thanks.
Of course!
Hi. Can you use only half the amount of sugar?
Not that I’ve tried.
I can’t believe this cake is so easy to make and eggless! It’s light, fluffy, and fudgy, not sure why I’ve slaved away on so many chocolate cake recipes before this. I used half coconut sugar and half white sugar, used some cacao because I ran out of Dutch cocoa and used coconut oil and avocado- honestly it was perfection. Doubled the recipe and used ganache as the frosting. If I hadn’t told my family it was eggless, no one would have been the wiser. Thank you for this terrific recipe, trying to make eggless things because my little nephew is allergic.
😀 Thanks for the feedback, Tara! 🙂
Just made this for my sons birthday, literally took the 30min it says here! Looks yummy, let’s see tomorrow how it tastes:-) I did a round cake with the original recipe and then second lot without cocoa (with a tiny bit more vanilla essence instead) for a tray of 12 cupcakes for his childminders group.
I love that!!
SO easy, taste and texture are excellent. I’d make this for non-vegans as well as it tastes better than any cake with eggs, milk, etc.
You mentioned water. Is it room temperature or boiled water? In many other recipes I have seen they ask you to add boiled water.. Please do reply as I want to try this easy version. Eggless too.
Hi there- room temperature is fine.
Made this cake for a family with a child that has lots of allergies (milk and egg being big ones). I did a double layer and added in a bit of instant decaf coffee to the water to add some richness. The only annoying thing is that it has tiny dots of coconut oil throughout! I used warm water so I don’t think that hardened it, but I guess I should have ensured it was 100% melted before adding it (as there were still some small floaty bits of unmelted oil). Hope they are ok with it as it still tasted moist and delicious when I sampled it!
Is this recipe for one tin? Do I need to double the recipe to make it a layer cake. Thank you
Yes, that is correct 🙂
Could I sub for oat flour in this recipe?
Not that I’ve tried, feel free to experiment and see.
Now THIS was a good recipe!
Thanks, Erik!
I ran out of vanilla extract 😞 will it still turn out good?
Sure will!
This was amazing!
😀 thank you, Faith!
I’m gonna cry – I just ate 2 servings of this! Please tell me your calorie estimate is not for sugar-free version~ This is absolutely chocolatey and fudgey ♡ Thanks for the recipe (and yes I like your version because using mixing bowl is really easier]
For sure! Glad to hear it 🙂
Could I sub almond flour for the “gluten free flour”?
Nope, not for this recipe
This is truly the most divine cake. Beautiful texture, beautiful flavour!
Fabulous- Thanks for the feedback, Candice!
If we don’t have apple cider vinegar what can we add instead of it ?
White vinegar or lemon juice
I made this cake recipe for my birthday yesterday and everyone loved it! Most of the are non vegan and they asked for the recipe! I made it with vegan butter cream filling and melted dark chocolate on top. Berries go really well together, I bet with vegan ice-cream too!