The best vegan chocolate cake topped with the richest silkiest vegan chocolate buttercream frosting. Perfectly moist and totally decadent.
I can’t get enough of vegan chocolate cake. It’s definitely a favorite.
And I got all arrogant with this one and called it ‘the best vegan chocolate cake’ you know, as you do.
It’s mega-chocolatey, wonderfully moist, and supremely simple using ingredients you probably already have in your pantry. Crazy simple with a spectacular outcome.
And the frosting – oh my word – the frosting.
It’s the silkiest creamiest vegan buttercream I have ever made. And paired with this two-layer decadent dream cake and topped with chocolate shavings you’ll make every chocolate lover a very happy camper with this cake.
I have already tested this cake on some non-vegans who had no idea that it was a vegan cake and they were freaking out over it. Now that’s what I like to see.
Cake Pan Sizes
What I love about this cake is that it’s a 9 inch two layer beauty that can also be made in 8 inch pans.
And since I get a lot of questions from readers asking for different size cake recipes, I was thrilled to discover that this is an either/or situation for 8 or 9 inch pans with absolutely no other adjustments.
If you make it in 9-inch cake pans, as we did for this photoshoot, it is totally gorgeous. If you make it in 8-inch cake pans, it’s just taller but every bit as gorgeous.
How To Make the Best Vegan Chocolate Cake
You will find full instructions and measurements in the recipe card at the bottom of the post. This is a summary of the process to go along with the process photos.
- This is a simple 10-ingredient recipe that takes very little time to prepare.
- Sift the all purpose flour and cocoa powder (unsweetened) into a mixing bowl. Add the sugar, baking soda and salt.
- Make up some vegan buttermilk by adding some lemon juice to a measuring jug and then pouring in soy milk, or almond milk, and letting it curdle into vegan buttermilk.
- Add the vegan buttermilk to the mixing bowl and some vanilla, vegetable oil, vinegar and applesauce and mix in. Use a hand whisk briefly to get rid of any big lumps.
- Spray two 9-inch (or you can use 8-inch) baking pans with non-stick spray and then line the bottoms with circles of parchment paper.
- Divide the batter evenly between the cake pans and then bake for 30-minutes. Let the cakes cool for a few minutes in the cake pans and then transfer them to a wire cooling rack to cool completely before frosting.
That Vegan Chocolate Buttercream!
The frosting is an ultra rich vegan chocolate buttercream. It’s only 6-ingredients and ridiculously simple to make, but it’s extremely impressive.
You can just add all the ingredients – vegan butter, powdered sugar, cocoa powder, salt, vanilla and non-dairy milk to a mixing bowl and then use your stand mixer to whisk it into a smooth and creamy vegan chocolate buttercream.
It makes quite a lot of frosting, but as you can see from the photos, probably the perfect amount really.
Unless of course you’re not a fan of frosting in which case, I don’t even know what to do with you?
Only joking. If you’re not a frosting fan, this is a cake that can be served plain or with just a sprinkle of powdered sugar or with some vegan whipped cream.
When the cakes are completely cool, spread on the frosting.
And decorate with vegan chocolate shavings.
Just a note that if you’re making this as an 8-inch layer cake, then it’s almost too much frosting. So you might want to reduce a little bit, or just have it on extra thick, which is what I did when I tested this for 8-inch pans.
Ingredient Tips
Vegan buttermilk. This creates a super moist and tender crumb. It’s a little more moist than the average sponge cake, but not overly so. It’s rich and decadent and exactly how you want it to be. I prefer soy milk for making vegan buttermilk because it’s thicker and richer. Almond milk is more watery, but you can use almond milk if you can’t use soy.
Take a look at our vegan buttermilk post which also features a video where you can see the difference in texture between vegan buttermilk made with soy milk vs almond milk. Coconut milk won’t curdle but can be used in a pinch.
Canola oil. I use oil rather than vegan butter in most of my cakes and I really love the result. For this cake I used canola oil, but I have also tested this with my other, rather unusual favorite, which is extra virgin olive oil. You can also use vegetable oil. If you want to use coconut oil then make sure it’s melted first.
Applesauce. This creates moisture without needing to use more oil and is also an ‘egg replacement’ of sorts.
Flour. Regular all purpose flour is my flour of choice for this cake. I recommend you weigh it for the best accuracy. Flour measures are tricky, and even for experienced bakers using the spoon and level method (the correct method when using cup measures for flour) it is possible to get it a bit wrong. And baking is very precise and can be a little unforgiving in that respect.
Cocoa Powder. I use natural unsweetened cocoa powder. This works great in the cake and the frosting.
Recipe FAQ
Applesauce! But I don’t find ‘egg replacements’ to be crucial in vegan baking, though I do use them for flavor/moisture. Really it’s more the vinegar/baking soda combination that is crucial in this cake. The applesauce is more for moisture than anything else.
You can use 1 ½ flax eggs. So you would mix 1 ½ Tablespoons of ground flaxseed meal with 4 ½ Tablespoons hot water and let that sit until it becomes thick and gloopy.
The vinegar reacts with the baking soda and helps the cake to rise. I used distilled white vinegar, but you can use apple cider vinegar too, they are interchangeable.
Sure, you can try this with a gluten-free all purpose flour blend, in the same quantity as the regular flour.
This recipe as is will make 18-24 cupcakes. If you want to make a perfect batch of 12 cupcakes though then check out our classic vegan chocolate cupcakes recipe.
Storing and Freezing
This cake will keep covered at room temperature for 3-4 days and in the fridge for up to 7 days. It is definitely at its best in terms of taste and texture the day of baking and the following day.
Unfortunately, you can’t make the batter in advance and let that sit in the fridge for a few days as that can cause the cake to not rise. It’s a make and bake immediately situation but the cake itself does last a fair while.
You can also freeze this cake, either frosted or unfrosted, for up to 3 months. Let it thaw overnight in the fridge when you’re ready for it.
This Is The Best Vegan Chocolate Cake Because:
- It’s wonderfully moist! Yes, I keep saying it but it really is.
- It’s extremely chocolatey. The chocolate flavor really pops.
- It’s so rich and decadent. You’ll be super satisfied after a slice of this.
- It’s really quick and easy. The hardest part about this cake is having the patience to wait for the layers to cool so you can frost it and eat it!
- Vegans and non-vegans are mad about this cake! Tried and tested and definitely true.
- It can be made in 8-inch or 9-inch pans! I have tried it both ways and it worked great. The photos are of the 9-inch cake, but 8-inch works perfectly as well the cake is just taller.
- The vegan chocolate buttercream is totally divine. It’s really the perfect topping for this cake, oh and don’t forget the chocolate shavings!
More Vegan Cakes
- Vegan Lemon Cake
- Vegan Vanilla Cake
- Vegan White Cake
- Vegan Carrot Cake
- Vegan Apple Cake
- Vegan Red Velvet Cake
Did you make this recipe? Be sure to leave a comment and rating below!
The Best Vegan Chocolate Cake
Ingredients
For the Chocolate Cake:
- 2 ¼ cups All Purpose Flour (281g)
- ¾ cup Cocoa Powder (63g) Unsweetened
- 1 ½ cups White Granulated Sugar (300g)
- 1 ½ teaspoons Baking Soda
- ¾ teaspoon Salt
- 1 ½ cups Vegan Buttermilk (360ml) 1 ½ Tablespoons lemon juice + soy milk up to the 1 ½ cup line*
- 3 teaspoons Vanilla Extract
- ½ cup Canola Oil or Vegetable Oil
- 1 ½ Tablespoons Distilled White Vinegar or Apple Cider Vinegar
- 5 Tablespoons Applesauce
For the Vegan Chocolate Buttercream:
- 1 ¼ cups Vegan Butter (284g)
- 3 ½ cups Powdered Sugar (420g)
- ¾ cup Cocoa Powder (63g) Unsweetened
- ¼ teaspoon Salt
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
- 1-2 Tablespoons Soy Milk or other non-dairy milk*
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C). Spray two 9-inch* baking pans with non-stick spray and line the bottoms with a circle of parchment paper. Set aside.
- Sift the flour and the cocoa powder into a mixing bowl. Add the sugar, baking soda and salt.
- Prepare the vegan buttermilk by adding 1 ½ Tablespoons lemon juice to a measuring jug and then adding soy milk up to the 1 ½ cup (360ml) line. Leave it for a minute to curdle.
- Add the vegan buttermilk, vanilla, oil, vinegar and applesauce and mix in. Use a hand whisk briefly to remove any large lumps. Don't overmix.
- Divide the batter between the two prepared cake pans.
- Bake for 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of one of the cakes comes out clean.
- Let the cake layers cool for a few minutes and then remove them from the cake pans and transfer to wire cooling racks to cool completely before frosting.
- Prepare your frosting by adding your vegan butter, powdered sugar, cocoa powder, salt, vanilla and 1 Tablespoon soy milk to the bowl your stand mixer. Start off at slow speed and gradually increase speed until your frosting is thick and smooth. If it's too thick, add the remaining soy milk until it reaches a spreadable consistency.
- Frost the cooled cakes and decorate with chocolate shavings.
Video
Notes
- You can also use almond milk to make vegan buttermilk.
- This cake works in both 9-inch pans (as in these photos) or 8-inch pans. If you use 8-inch pans you just get a taller cake, everything else remains the same for the cake.
- If you make this cake for 8-inch pans then the frosting may be too much. You could reduce the frosting recipe slightly, or just have it as a thicker frosting than what you see in these photos. Leftover frosting can also be frozen.
- This cake will keep covered at room temperature for 3-4 days and in the fridge for up to 7 days.
- Nutritional information includes everything, frosting, chocolate shavings, all of it!
This cake is amazing! I have made it for many occasions. Wondering if you would have a suggestion on how to bake this in a 3D silicon mold? My son has requested a car cake for his upcoming birthday, and while I’m really excited to try the cake in this kind of mold, I am worried that it would collapse on itself (this has happened in the past before I was baking plant based/Vegan). Thanks for any recommendations/suggestions Alison!
Hi Rob, so happy to hear you love this cake! Sorry I don’t have any advice to give about baking it in a 3D mold, but the cake is pretty sturdy so I think it should be fine. But it would definitely be good to test it out first. All the best and hope it goes well! 🙂
Hi. Is there any substitution for the applesauce? Thanks.
Hi Rosa, yes you can use flax eggs. Full info in the post under ‘what can I use instead of applesauce’. All the best!
Used this recipe so many times even without the vegan family members joining. It’s delicious! I’m in Norway so there isn’t so much apple sauce for sale but I use unsweetened apple jam which is pretty similar ☺️
Awesome Melissa! Thanks so much for sharing and the wonderful review.
Okay to use Swerve icing sugar replacement for the buttercream icing? Thanks.
Hi Robin, I would assume so if it’s usually a 1:1 replacement, it’s not something I’ve used before.
Hi there!! This is one of my FAVORITE recipes!! This might be a silly question, but I was just wondering if I could make this in a 9×13 pan instead of two rounds?
Hi Amanda, so happy the recipe is a favorite! Yes you can make it as a 9×13, the baking time will just be longer, in the region of 35-45 minutes, just keep an eye on it.
Really easy cake to bake has turned out perfect every time so fudgy and moist.
Fantastic! Thanks so much Lindsey!
Best ever and so easy to make. It satisfies my creative urge to bake. I have some questions:
1) Can it be baked in a single 20cm x 20cm x 5cm square pan? Baking time? I have difficulty judging the size of slices in a round cake and a square cake would be much easier to calculate.
2) My daughter wants it to taste more chocolatey, so by how much can I increase the quantity of cocoa powder, and is there a corresponding decrease in the flour quantity? I am using the LIDL brand of cocoa powder. Maybe this is not a great quality cocoa powder? If this is the case, could you suggest a different brand?
I sandwich the layers with a thin layer of organic apricot jam, and pipe some whipped vegan cream on the top layer (using a disposable small freezer bag with a cut out zigzag corner to force the cream through) as this makes the slices much lighter and less sweet than using icing on top. I shave some vegan chocolate on top of the cream. It looks really classy.
Hi Gail, I would try halving the recipe for a single layer 8-inch square dish. You could try a different brand of cocoa powder but I don’t think that will make much difference, you may want to try our vegan chocolate fudge cake which has melted chocolate added in as well. Your decoration for the cakes sounds delish!
Hi Alison,
I would love to make this cake for my birthday but I am intolerant to refined sugar 🙁 Do you think it will work just as well with unrefined cane sugar or maple syrup? I’m not sure how much maple syrup to use though. I don’t think the buttercream would work with maple syrup so I might have to make powdered unrefined cane sugar for that too. I would love to make this work so it would be really helpful to hear your thoughts!
Hi Kay, unrefined cane sugar should work great! And for the frosting you could try our vegan chocolate ganache. 🙂
Hello!! Can I use this recipe for mini cupcakes?? Can’t wait!
Sure! 🙂
Following up to my question above!!!! Omg this recipe made AMAZING cupcakes and cake!! So happy I found this and gave it a try. Everyone at the birthday party loved both and if I hadn’t told them it was vegan, no one would have known. Super easy to make and doesn’t include overly complicated steps like some others out there. I ended up using a different frosting recipe because I wanted vanilla. Love love love! Thank you so much!
So pleased to hear that Nikki! Thanks so much for updating us!
This is definitely a 5 star chocolate cake! Very rich and moist. I did modify the frosting a bit as I don’t like it too sweet. I just followed Alison’s recipe, but added a block of drained tofu and it was perfect! The tofu cut the sweetness just right, and was still firm enough to spread.. Otherwise, it is the best vegan chocolate cake recipe I have tried!
Thanks so much Lesley!
This really is the best vegan chocolate cake, I’ve made this for birthdays and coworkers and it’s a huge hit every time. So deliciously moist and rich.
Thanks so much Laura!
Hi there,
My cakes never get really thick like in the photo, can I add baking powder for that extra lift?
Kind regards,
Ray
Hi Ray, I would check if your baking soda is still good, you can see how to do this in this article. And then the other thing that causes cakes to not rise well is if they are over-mixed. Mix the batter until just mixed and then stop mixing. Also don’t let the batter sit for any length of time after mixing it, divide between your cake pans and bake immediately. Also what size cake pans are you using? For really thick fat cake layers you can also bake this cake in two 8-inch cake pans. I don’t think there would be any harm in adding a teaspoon of baking powder, so you can add that if you like. But if the cake sinks in the middle then that will be why. If there is a bit too much leavening in a cake it can sink in the middle. I don’t think a teaspoon of baking powder would make that happen, but it’s not been tested so I’m not certain. All the best! 🙂
Deliciously! So gooey and moist. I used just a big cake tin instead of having the double layer and worked just as well. 10/10 recipe! I used flax seeds egg instead of apple sauce
Awesome Vickey! Thanks for the great review!
As the name suggests, this is THE BEST. Make it. I used a single tin and cooked for an extra 15 minutes and it worked a treat! Will definitely make again, thank you!
Thanks so much Courtney!
Hi Alison – I love all your recipes, especially your cake ones, and make them all the time. I was comparing this recipe to your 7 inch chocolate cake recipe and the main difference seems to be the use of regular milk versus buttermilk. Could I use buttermilk in the 7 inch recipe and have it turn out like this recipe? Thanks for your help.
Hi Kate, yes you can! The buttermilk makes the cake even more moist and rich. 🙂
My absolute go to recipe for chocolate cake. I’ve made this so many times as an 8inch cake and it never fails me. Can I make this as a 10inch square cake if I double the recipe? Tin is 3inch deep.
Thanks
Hi Jai, so glad you like the recipe! Are you thinking to make it a two layer 10-inch cake? In that case I probably would double the recipe. If it’s a single layer though it would probably work as is.