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.
This cake was sensational.
Can this recipe be used for cupcakes?
Yes it can!
Can i use regular vinegar if i dont have apple cider vinegar ?
Yes!
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!
This cake was astonishingly easy and good!! I needed to make a vegan dessert, but really wanted it to taste good (i.e., not vegan). I admit to being very skeptical of the reviews saying “my non-vegan friends even thought this cake was great!” – because I have been one of those non-vegan friends, saying, “yeah… this cake is, ummm, really great… totally tastes like the real thing…” when in my head I’m like, is anything even worth eating if it doesn’t have animal products?! I digress. This cake was truly amazing – chocolatey, moist, and really really delicious. Plus, I had all the ingredients on hand already! 5/5 for sure, and I would definitely make this cake again in lieu of boxed chocolate cakes in the future. I baked in a 9″ springform for about 30 minutes and it was perfect; it was quite flat on top so would actually layer better than most non-vegan boxed cake mixes I’ve made.
The linked frosting recipe was a 3/5 IMHO – definitely not quite like chocolate buttercream or other dairy-based frosting, but pretty good. Slight coconutty flavor, but not too noticeable. I would make again if I needed a vegan frosting (since it’s only two ingredients, which were easy to find at Target, and I refuse to buy things like vegan “butter”), but would probably use “real” frosting if I don’t need the cake to be vegan.