Vegan Chocolate Cake
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This vegan chocolate cake recipe features a moist, fluffy cake with dark chocolate flavor, all beneath a thick and creamy chocolate frosting. It’s easy to make, uses pantry staples, and no one would guess it’s vegan.
Everyone needs a staple cake in their repertoire. Yes, even those who follow a vegan diet. If you’re looking for a foolproof chocolate cake recipe that satisfies the vegans in your family but doesn’t taste like anything’s missing, my recipe is exactly what you’re looking for.
I tested this recipe over thirty times to make sure it tasted like any chocolate cake would- rich, moist, and full of chocolate flavor. Because I don’t personally follow a vegan diet, I also made sure that the cake didn’t need any niche ingredients or substitutes. Best of all, it comes together in around 30 minutes.
Why I love this vegan chocolate cake recipe
- Made in one bowl. We’ve got cake-making down to a science!
- Simple ingredients. No flax eggs, no vegan butter, and no niche or hard-to-find substitutions.
- Bakes in under 30 minutes. Then, once it’s cool, just frost, slice, and serve.
- The perfect flavor and texture. Trust me, even the vegan skeptics in your group will find it hard to believe there’s no dairy or eggs in this cake.
Key Ingredients
Find the printable recipe with measurements below.
- All-purpose 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, I sometimes use dark or black cocoa powder.
- Baking soda and apple cider vinegar. Gives some rise to the cake and also reacts together to provide structure to the cake (what eggs would typically do).
- Salt. Balances out all the sweet ingredients.
- Vanilla extract. A must for any delicious cake!
- Vegetable oil. Or any neutral-flavored oil. Keeps the cake moist and fluffy in the middle. Please don’t waste your money on expensive vegan butter. I tested one using it and it made no difference (except to my wallet!).
- Water. To mix everything. You can also use plant-based milk if you prefer.
- Vegan chocolate frosting. What is a vegan cake without some of my dairy free frosting? You can also use a store-bought frosting. Fun fact- Betty Crocker frosting is accidentally vegan!
How to make vegan chocolate cake
Step 1- Mix the dry. In a large bowl, combine the dry ingredients.
Step 2- Make the cake batter. Add the wet ingredients and whisk until a smooth batter remains.
Step 3- Bake. Pour the batter into the lined pan and bake for 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick comes out just clean.
Step 4- Frost. Allow to cool in the pan for 10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely. Once cooled, frost the cake.
★★★★★ REVIEW
“I’ve made this cake several times, and we love it. I highly recommend trying it.” – Morgan
Arman’s recipe tips
- Want a double or triple-layer cake? As pictured, I made a double-layer cake by doubling all the ingredients and baking them in two cake pans. If you want a triple-layer cake (like in the recipe video), triple the ingredients (you can use the toggle in the recipe card to increase the amounts quickly!).
- Don’t overbake the cake. The cake continues to bake while it is cooling in the pan, so remove it from the oven as soon as a toothpick inserted is ‘just’ clean.
- Let the cake cool completely before frosting. Otherwise, it’ll slip right off the cake.
- Add more chocolate flavor. Swap two tablespoons of water for freshly brewed coffee or a shot of espresso. No one will be able to taste the coffee, but it’ll enhance the chocolate flavor (a neat tip I picked up in culinary school).
Storage instructions
To store: Leftover cake can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for 2-3 days or in the fridge for up to two weeks.
To freeze: Place leftover cake slices in a shallow container and freeze for up to 6 months.
Frequently asked questions
You can, but I’d be careful with how you go about it. I tested replacing the oil with equal parts unsweetened applesauce and mashed banana, and the applesauce yielded a rich and moist cake. I don’t recommend the banana because it made the cake gummy, which is often what happens when you bake without some form of oil or butter.
Yes, you can. To make this cake suitable for celiacs, swap out the all-purpose flour for a gluten-free blend that has added xanthan gum. This is super important because the gum gives the cake its structure. If you use a gluten-free flour without it, the cake batter will be like cement. Trust me on that!
More vegan cake recipes
- Vegan strawberry cake
- Vegan ice cream cake
- Vegan German chocolate cake
- Snickers cake
- Vegan birthday cake
- Vegan lemon cake
- Vegan black forest cake
If you tried this Vegan Chocolate Cake recipe, please leave a star rating and comment. It helps others thinking of making this.
Vegan Chocolate Cake
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 the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, salt, and baking soda, and mix well. Add the vanilla extract, oil, apple cider vinegar, and water, 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.
Your recipe sounded familiar to me so I dug through my recipes as I had a hunch. My mom’s “Crazy Cake” recipe uses the same ingredients! Imagine my surprise in discovering I’ve been eating vegan cake my whole life-66 years! So happy it’s out there for the world to enjoy😊
Best I’ve ever tasted.
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!
This recipe is an absolute delight! The rich, moist texture and intense chocolate flavor make it a perfect treat for any occasion. I love how it proves that you don’t need eggs or dairy to create a truly scrumptious cake.
Thanks so much, Jennifer!
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!!
Hey there! Is it ok to use raw brown sugar if you don’t have granulated sugar?
Yes!
Super easy and delicious!
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.