Our vegan chocolate cake recipe has the perfect crumb. It's exactly like the cake that we made before we went vegan, only now it's egg and dairy-free. It's also simple to make!
This vegan chocolate cake with cacao powder is my pride and joy. In our home, it’s a tradition.
Ever xince my kids were old enough to eat chocolate, I’ve baked this cake for their birthdays. When I went vegan I knew that I’d have to make this cake recipe vegan, and I wouldn’t settle for anything but a taste and texture that was an equivalent of the original.
Well, I’m happy to announce, I did it!! It’s as good, if not better, than the original. Actually, it is better, because it’s a dairy-free and egg-free chocolate cake. Yay!!!
HOW TO MAKE VEGAN CHOCOLATE CAKE FROM SCRATCH
It's easier than you think. Skip the boxed cake and whip our recipe up in a jiffy.
FIRST
Whisk the dry ingredients in a medium bowl until they're completely combined.
SECOND
Add the sugar, egg replacer and oil to a large mixing bowl and beat on a high setting until it's thick and creamy.
THIRD
Add 1/3 of the dry mixture to the sugar mixture and blend at a low speed until the flour begins to become incorporated with the sugar and oil. Now add 1/3 of the milk and blend. Repeat until the flour and milk are almost combined. Add the boiling water and blend on a low setting until mostly combined.
FOURTH
Stir the batter to ensure that it's smooth and velvety. The batter will be thin, not thick.
FIFTH
Pour the batter into the prepared cake pan. If you're using two 8-inch round pans, divide evenly.
SIXTH
Bake for approximately 30 to 40 minutes, or until a wooden toothpick comes out clean when inserted. Cool for 10 minutes in the pan then remove from the pan and cool completely on cooling racks.
SEVENTH
Frost as you like and enjoy!
HOW TO MAKE VEGAN CAKE FROSTING
We like to make our own frosting, but you can buy vegan frosting in the grocery store if you like. It's totally up to you.
This is how we make our homemade dairy-free buttercream frosting.
FIRST
Bring the vegan butter to room temperature.
SECOND
In a mixing bowl, beat the butter, vanilla, almond milk, powdered sugar, and cacao powder (if you want chocolate frosting) until smooth and creamy.
NOTE: Add the milk slowly. Depending on the amount of moisture in the sugar, you may need less than what's stated in the ingredients.
HOW LONG DOES VEGAN CHOCOLATE CAKE LAST?
Cover the cake and store in the refrigerator for up to four days. You can also freeze the cake (without frosting) in a freezer safe container for up to three months.
THE BEST VEGAN CHOCOLATE CAKE WITH FROSTING
Our vegan chocolate cake with vanilla frosting is amazing, if we do say so ourselves. It has a lovely crumb, it's moist, it's not too sweet, and it's chocolate. A total winner!
We frosted between the two cakes and put a thin layer of frosting on top, then dusted a layer of cacao powder over the top.
NOTE: You can use cocoa powder if you don't have cacao powder. It won't change the taste of the recipe at all.
Make thisr homemade vegan chocolate cake and let us know what you think. We love to hear from you! And, don’t forget to take a picture of your gorgeous creation and tag us @veganosity on Instagram.
Let’s connect! Hop on over to our Facebook page and give it a like, and follow us on Instagram and Twitter, and follow us and share this and other Veganosity recipes on Pinterest. We'd be so grateful if you did. If you like this recipe and can't wait to see what we're going to share next, subscribe to Veganosity. Just fill in the subscription box above our picture in the top right corner of the page. And, Alex and I love hearing from you, please leave a comment and let us know what you think of our recipes.
The above links are affiliate links. Any Amazon purchases made through these links help support Veganosity.com at no additional cost to you.
VEGAN CHOCOLATE CAKE TO DIE FOR
Ingredients
Dry Ingredients
- 1 ¾ cups all-purpose flour
- ¾ cups cacao or cocoa powder
- 1 ½ tsp baking powder
- 1 ½ tsp baking soda
- ¼ tsp finely ground salt
Remaining Ingredients
- 3/4 cup vegan sugar
- 3 tbs egg replacer + 6 tbsp. warm water we use Bob’s Red Mill brand
- ½ cup canola oil
- 2 tsp. vanilla extract
- 1 cup almond milk
- 1 cup boiling water
Vanilla Frosting
- 8 tbsp vegan butter room temperature
- ¼ cup vanilla almond milk more if necessary (see note)
- 1 tbsp vanilla extract
- 3 cups powder sugar
- 3 tbsp cacao or cocoa powder if you want to make chocolate frosting
Instructions
- Heat oven to 350° F.(176 C) Lightly grease and flour two 8-inch (20 cm) cake pans or a 11 x 15 (28 x 38) sheet cake pan
- In a medium mixing bowl, whisk the dry ingredients until fully combined and set aside.
- In a small bowl, stir the egg replacer and water together until thick and creamy.
- In a large mixing bowl, add the egg replacer, vanilla, oil, and sugar beat on medium-high speed for 2 minutes, or until thick and creamy.
- Add one third of the flour mixture to the sugar mixture and then one third of the milk and beat on a low setting until they begin to blend together. Continue adding the flour and milk in thirds until totally combined. The mixture will be very dry and dense. Reduce the speed of the mixer and slowly add the boiling water and blend until just combined. Stir with a spoon to ensure that the batter is fully combined. The batter will be thin and watery.
- Dive the batter evenly into the pans and bake for 30-35 minutes, or until a wooden toothpick comes out clean when inserted.
- Cool in pans for 10 minutes and then remove from pans and cool on wire racks. Do not frost until completely cool.
Vanilla Frosting
- In a large mixing bowl, add the butter, powdered sugar, vanilla, and half of the almond milk and begin mixing on a low speed, add more milk until you get the desired thickness that you’re looking for.
- Finish mixing with a spatula to ensure that the ingredients at the bottom of the bowl are completely combined.
NOTE: If you want chocolate frosting, add 3 tbsp of cacao or cocoa powder to the mixing bowl.
- Spread the frosting on the cake as desired.
- Enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
Trish says
I so want chocolate cake in my life right now!! Hate to be one who alters recipes, but any chance this would work with apple sauce instead of the oil?
Linda Meyer says
Hi Trish, I haven't tried using apple sauce as an oil replacement. I think it would work, but the texture won't be the same. Please let us know if you try it with apple sauce. Best, Linda
Sophia says
Hi! This looks good! Will it work with gluten free flour?
Linda Meyer says
Hi Sophia, you can use an all-purpose gf flour. The texture will be slightly different, but still good. We recommend King Arthur flour. It has the best texture for cake.
Alyssa says
Hello!
This looks amazing! Is it possible to use oat milk instead of almond?
Linda Meyer says
Hi Alyssa, yes, you can use any plant based milk. Even coconut milk works for this, because chocolate and a hint of coconut is delicious! 🙂
Jenni says
Is it possible to replace the egg replacer with two flax eggs? I am going to make this cake for my birthday!
Linda Meyer says
Hi Jenni, that should work out just fine. The cake might be a bit denser in texture.
Christina Joly says
Can this be made as cupcakes?
Linda Meyer says
Yes, absolutely!