This Vegan Chocolate Cake is perfectly moist, fluffy, and so chocolatey! It’s made with a vegan egg substitute, diary-free butter, and cashew-based yogurt. It’s easy to make and perfect for your next birthday party or special occasion.
It’s finally February, and Valentine’s Day is just around the corner. I’ll admit that we don’t really do much in celebration of Valentine’s Day, but I do always love an excuse to eat chocolate cake 🙂 Today, I’m sharing the BEST Vegan Chocolate Cake Recipe with you! This chocolate cake is light and fluffy, fudge-y and perfect.
This vegan chocolate cake recipe is adapted from my favorite gluten-free chocolate cake, and I always get amazing reviews of it. People repeatedly say no one could tell that it was gluten-free, and I assure you, no one will be able to tell this cake is vegan, either.
Vegan Chocolate Cake Recipe Ingredients
- Flour – I use organic all-purpose flour for this recipe. I’ve also tested it with Bob’s Red Mill 1:1 Gluten Free Baking Flour, and it works perfectly!
- Cocoa Powder – I use regular unsweetened cocoa powder. I assume that Dutch process cocoa powder will also work, but I haven’t used it myself.
- Baking powder, baking soda, and salt
- Dairy-Free Butter – I like to use the Earth Balance brand sticks of butter for baking, but you can use whatever dairy-free butter alternative you feel comfortable with; just let it soften to room temperature. Softened coconut oil also works; just make sure to use the refined kind if you don’t want it to taste like coconut.
- Sugar and Vanilla Extract – I use a mixture of cane and light brown sugar. This vegan chocolate cake is not low in sugar, but sometimes, it’s nice to treat yourself! Coconut sugar can be subbed for brown. I also add vanilla extract.
- Vegan Egg Substitute – I used two Bob’s Red Mill Vegan Egg Replacer servings. It’s my favorite vegan egg substitute because it’s light in color and mild in flavor. It works well in everything I’ve used it in so far. You can also use ground flax or chia seeds to make your vegan egg substitute.
- Dairy-Free Yogurt – I think any plain, dairy-free yogurt will work in this recipe. I used Forager cashew-based yogurt. I used non-fat Greek yogurt in my non-vegan version of this cake, so the thicker, the better.
- Dairy-Free Milk – I used plain, unsweetened almond milk because that’s what I usually have on hand, but any plain, dairy-free milk will work.
Frosting Your Chocolate Cake
I love topping my chocolate cake with chocolate frosting; chocolate on chocolate is perfect! Vanilla, cream cheese, or even strawberry frosting are also great; go with anything you like. I’ve included a vegan chocolate buttercream recipe in the recipe card, but feel free to use something different.
This vegan chocolate cake is so good that I honestly don’t even think it needs frosting!
How To Make The Best Vegan Chocolate Cake
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. In a medium-sized bowl, mix together the flour, cocoa powder, salt, baking soda, and baking powder.
- In a large bowl, cream together the vegan butter and sugars. Add the egg substitute, and then add the vanilla and mix again. Finally, add the almond milk and mix it one last time. The wet mixture might look a little strange at this point, but that is OK!
- Add the flour mixture and the yogurt to the wet mixture, one half at a time, alternating between the two, starting with the flour. Give the batter one last mix until everything is combined.
- Grease three 8-inch cake pans and equally distribute the batter into the pans. Bake cakes for about 30 minutes or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean. Let the cake cool inside the pan for 20 minutes, then transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely. Cakes will need a little more time if you bake more than one at a time.
- Once the cakes are cool completely, transfer them to a plate or cake stand and stack them on top of each other, frosting between them. Frost the top and sides of the cake, smoothing out with a knife if necessary. Cake can be served immediately or refrigerated until ready to eat.
- To make the frosting: Add the butter to a large bowl and beat with an electric mixer until creamed. Add the powdered sugar, cocoa powder, vanilla extract, and salt and beat again until the frosting is smooth and creamy. If you want the frosting to be less thick, add a few Tablespoons of almond milk. Frosting spreads easiest when used immediately.
Tips For Making The Best Chocolate Cake
- Make sure to follow the recipe exactly. Baking is much more scientific than other recipes, and a simple ingredient swap or measurement change can affect things. Feel free to ask me if you have questions about changing things up.
- Let the cakes cool in the pan for at least 20 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely. This chocolate cake recipe is light and delicate, and it’s important to be careful when making cakes.
- Let cakes cool completely before frosting. You don’t want warm cakes to melt the frosting. You can put them outside or refrigerate them if needed.
- Don’t overbake the cakes. I always have trouble figuring out exactly when chocolate cake is done because you can’t tell if the edges are turning brown. Bake the cake until it’s firm to the touch and an inserted toothpick or fork comes out clean.
- This cake is delicate and tender, which is great because it makes it super light and fluffy, but you want to be extra careful when transferring the cakes out of the pan and onto your cake stand.
Recipe Frequently Asked Questions
- Can I also make this cake gluten-free? Yes! I have tested it with Bob’s Red Mill 1:1 Gluten Free Baking Flour, and it works perfectly. I have not used any other kind of GF flour to test this recipe.
- Can I make this into a two-layer cake instead of three? Yes, just cut the recipe by 1/3, and you will get enough batter for two round cakes or one large rectangular cake.
- Can I make cupcakes instead of a cake? Scoop about 1/4 cup of batter into a muffin pan and halve the baking time.
- Can this cake be frozen? Yes, make sure to cool the cakes completely and then wrap each individually in an airtight freezer-friendly material. Freeze cake for up to six months. Thaw in the refrigerator or on the counter before using.
- Can I cut the amount of sugar down? I wouldn’t change the measurements too much since it’s a baking recipe, but you could probably cut it down a little without seeing much of a difference.
Have another question? Ask me in the comment section below, and I will try my best to answer it!
The BEST Vegan Chocolate Cake
- Total Time: 1 hour 10 minutes
- Yield: 10-12 1x
- Diet: Vegan
Description
This Vegan Chocolate Cake is has a light and fluffy texture and is perfect for any special occasion!
Ingredients
Scale
- 2 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons all purpose flour
- 1 1/2 cup cocoa powder, sifted
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- 2 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 1/2 cup vegan butter, softened
- 1 1/4 cup cane sugar
- 1 cup packed brown sugar
- 2 servings of vegan egg substitute*
- 3 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 1/4 cup plain, unsweetened almond milk
- 1 1/2 cup plain dairy free yogurt
- Vegan Chocolate Buttercream Frosting:
- 2 cups vegan butter, softened
- 2 1/2 cups powdered sugar
- 1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 pinch salt
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. In a medium sized bowl, mix together the flour, cocoa power, salt, baking soda and baking powder.
- In a large bowl, cream together the vegan butter and sugars. Add the egg substitute and then add the vanilla and mix again. Finally add the almond milk and mix one last time. The wet mixture might look a little strange at this point, but that is ok!
- Add the flour mixture and the yogurt to the wet mixture, one half at a time alternating between the two, starting with the flour. Give the batter one last mix until everything is combined.
- Grease three 8 inch cake pans and equally distribute the batter into the pans. Bake cakes for about 30 minutes or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean. Let the cake cool inside the pan for 20 minutes and then transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely. Cakes will need a little more time if you bake more than one at a time.
- Once the cakes are completely cooled, transfer to a plate or cake stand and stack the cakes on top of eachother, frosting in between each one. Frost the top and sides of the cake, smoothing out with a knife if necessary. Cake can be served immediately or refrigeratored until ready to eat.
- To make the frosting: add the butter to a large bowl and beat with an electric mixer until creamed. Add the powdered sugar, cocoa powder, vanilla extract and salt and beat again until frosting is smooth and creamy. If you want frosting to be less thick you can add a few tablespoons of almond milk. Frosting spreads easiest when used immediately.
Notes
*Reccomended options for an egg replacer:
Chia seeds – Two tablespoons ground chia seeds mixed with 6 tablespoons water, let sit for about 1 minute.
Flax seeds – Two tablespoons ground flax seeds mixed with 6 tablesoons water, let sit for 1-2 minutes.
Bob’s Red Mill Egg Replacer (my favorite option) – 2 tablespoons egg replacer mixed with 4 tablespoons water, let sit for 1-2 minutes.
- Prep Time: 30 mins
- Cook Time: 40 mins
- Category: Dessert, Vegan
- Method: Oven
- Cuisine: American
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