Rich and decadent vegan chocolate cake that is also so simple and easy to make! Moist, mega chocolatey and as totally divine as a chocolate cake can be!
This classic vegan chocolate cake is the bomb diggity!
Not only is it super easy to make, but I’m actually convinced it is flop proof! You’re going to love the simplicity of the ingredients and how well this cake comes out!
Now, there’s a particular word that I just have to use to describe it, but it’s a word that some people just hate, hahaha. That word is: moist.
Gosh, I use this word ALL the time, because cakes gotta be moist yo!
Yes, this cake is moist. There’s just no other way to say it, and honestly it’s fantastic. You will just love how moist it is!
This is due to the oil in the cake which you’re able to keep to a minimum in this recipe, while still reaching that perfect state of moistness, which actually…..is just exactly what you want in a cake.
A classic chocolate sponge cake
This is really a classic vegan chocolate cake in the sense that it’s light and fluffy and…well, spongey! In a delicious way.
It’s also rich, tall (two layers), dark and pretty damn handsome too! Not to mention velvety and chocolatey.
Paired with a velvety vegan chocolate frosting and drizzled with melted vegan chocolate and lots of vegan chocolate chips, this is a chocolate cake you’ll remember – and so will all your friends!
This is the easy route to popularity right here! Just whip up one of these babies for your friends and you’re it!
How to make this classic vegan chocolate cake
Did I mention how EASY it is to make?
There are no unnecessary extra steps involved in this vegan chocolate cake.
If you have flour, cocoa powder, sugar, baking soda and salt for your dry ingredients and some ground flaxseed meal (for making a flax egg), soy milk (or other non-dairy milk is fine too), some vanilla extract, vegetable oil and vinegar on hand, then you have all you need to make this delicious cake.
It’s just a case of throwing in all the dry ingredients to a mixing bowl, then adding in all the wet ingredients, and whisking them up together.
Then you just pour the batter out into greased and parchment lined 7 inch cake pans (see notes below for larger cake pan sizes) and bake for 30 minutes!
Frosting and Decorating
The frosting is just a mix of powdered sugar, cocoa powder, vegan butter, vanilla extract and soy milk (or other non-dairy milk of your choice).
As soon as the cakes are baked you just have to constrain your glee for a bit while they cool down, and then you get to do the super fun frosting part.
And then the even more fun part of throwing melted chocolate all over it in a messy, but gorgeous, fashion. And then add lots of chocolate chips on top of that. Because dessert. ?
Adapting for different cake sizes
This cake will easily adapt to 6-inch cake tins as well, it would just be a little taller. No other changes would be necessary.
However, if you want to make an 8-inch or 9-inch cake, then check out our vegan German chocolate cake.
The cake layers for that cake (not the filling and topping) are a direct adaptation of this cake and work great for both 8-inch and 9-inch cake pans with the same cooking time of 30 minutes.
We also have another chocolate cake, which we arrogantly called ‘the best’ which also can be made in either 8-inch or 9-inch cake pans but that recipe is different to this one and not a direct adaptation, but oh my is it good!
I recommend you make both! This classic vegan chocolate cake and the one I called the best chocolate cake.
Also check out our vegan chocolate fudge cake which is a 9-inch beauty as you’ll love that too not to mention our vegan chocolate sheet cake and vegan chocolate zucchini cake!
What about gluten-free?
If you want to adapt this cake to gluten-free then we’ve done all the heavy lifting for you already.
Check out our gluten-free vegan chocolate cake that adapts this recipe beautifully to create a perfectly moist and delicious gluten-free version.
You’ll love this vegan chocolate cake for so many reasons but particularly because it is:
- Ultra rich
- Moist
- Chocolatey
- Decadent
- Soooo easy
Keep it covered at room temperature where it will stay perfectly delightful for a couple of days, or covered in the fridge where it will stay good for up to a week, though it’s at its absolute best in the first couple of days when it’s ultra fresh.
Want more vegan cakes?
We’ve got the goods for you! Check out these awesome vegan cake recipes:
- Vegan Vanilla Cake
- Vegan Lemon Cake
- Vegan Carrot Cake
- Vegan Banana Cake
- Vegan Pound Cake
- Vegan Apple Cake
And heaps more!
So what do you think of this fabulous vegan chocolate cake? Please let us know in the comments and please do rate the recipe too as this is so helpful! Thank you!
Sign up to our email list as well while you’re here, you’ll get a free awesome recipe ebook as well as being the first to know whenever a new recipe is posted to the blog!
Classic Vegan Chocolate Cake
- Prep Time: 15 mins
- Cook Time: 30 mins
- Total Time: 45 mins
- Yield: 10
Description
Ultra rich and decadent vegan chocolate cake that is also so simple and easy to make! Moist, mega chocolatey and as totally divine as a chocolate cake can be!
Ingredients
For the Vegan Chocolate Cake:
- 1 and 1/2 cups (190g) All-Purpose Flour
- 1/2 cup (42g) Cocoa Powder (Unsweetened)
- 1 cup (200g) White Sugar
- 1 tsp Baking Soda
- 1/2 tsp Salt
- 1 cup (240ml) Soy Milk (or Almond Milk)*
- 2 tsp Vanilla Extract
- 1/3 cup (80ml) Extra Virgin Olive Oil*
- 1 Tbsp White Vinegar (or Apple Cider Vinegar)
- 1 Flax Egg*
For the Chocolate Frosting:
- 3 and 3/4 cups (450g) Powdered Sugar
- 4 Tbsp Cocoa Powder (Unsweetened)
- 3 Tbsp (45g) Vegan Butter
- 1 tsp Vanilla Extract
- 5 Tbsp Soy Milk (or Almond Milk)*
For Decoration:
- Vegan Chocolate (Melted)
- Vegan Chocolate Chips
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350°F (180°C). Spray two 7-inch cake pans with non-stick spray (or grease them with coconut oil) and then line the bottoms with circles of parchment paper. Set aside.
- Sift the flour and cocoa powder into a mixing bowl.
- Add the sugar, baking soda and salt.
- Prepare your flax egg by mixing one tablespoon of flaxseed meal with 3 tablespoons of hot water and leave to sit for a minute or so to become gloopy.
- Add your soy milk (or other non-dairy milk), vanilla extract, oil, vinegar and flax egg to the mixing bowl.
- Whisk with a hand whisk until well combined, but be careful not to overmix, just mix until large lumps are gone, small lumps are fine.
- Divide the batter evenly between the prepared cake tins.
- Place into the oven to bake for 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of one of the cakes comes out clean.
- Transfer to a wire cooling rack to cool completely before frosting.
- Prepare your frosting by adding the powdered sugar, cocoa powder, vegan butter, vanilla extract and half of the soy milk to the bowl of an electric mixer.
- Start at low speed and then gradually increase speed. Add more soy milk as needed until you reach the right consistency. Depending on the brand of vegan butter that you use, you may need less soy milk than I used (I used the full 5 Tbsp) or you may even need a small amount more.
- If your frosting still turns out too thin, add a little more powdered sugar, if it is too thick, add soy milk a drop at a time until you reach the right consistency. It should be very thick but still spreadable.
- Frost the cake and then decorate with drizzles of melted chocolate and chocolate chips (optional).
Notes
*I have tested this recipe with soy milk and almond milk. I think coconut milk would also work perfectly. I have not tested coconut milk with this cake but I have tested it in other cakes. I am pretty sure that any non-dairy milk would work fine here.
*You can use any vegetable oil in this recipe. Canola oil also works great. If you want to use coconut oil then make sure it’s melted first.
*You can substitute 3 Tbsp applesauce for the flax egg if you prefer.
*The cake tins used in this recipe are 7 inches round. If you want to adapt this recipe to different cake sizes then see my notes about this in the blog post above.
*Weigh your flour for the most accurate results as this is usually a tricky measure to get exactly right without weighing.
*Chocolate Frosting is from this recipe.
*Nutrition information includes frosting but excludes melted chocolate decorations.
*Recipe inspired by Vegan Baking
*This recipe was updated – the original version contained whipped coconut cream in the center, but the cake recipe is identical. If you want to make it the way it was originally, all you need to do is use whipped coconut cream in the center, and make only half of the chocolate frosting recipe to use on top. Decorate the cake with fresh blueberries and dollops of whipped cream.
- Category: Dessert, Baking
- Method: Bake
- Cuisine: Vegan
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 slice (of 10)
- Calories: 436
- Sugar: 64.2g
- Sodium: 310mg
- Fat: 11g
- Saturated Fat: 2g
- Carbohydrates: 84.4g
- Fiber: 3.1g
- Protein: 4.3g
Keywords: vegan chocolate cake
I made this for Father’s Day today and it turned out great! Thanks for sharing your amazing vegan baking recipes!!!
Hi Alison I tried with egg replacer powder n turned out so perfect thanks for sharing this recipe to your blog
Hi Alison! Thank you for this fantastic recipe! I made this for my birthday (it was my first time baking!!) and it came out great! 😀
Awesome! So happy to hear that, and happy birthday! 🙂
Hi Alison,
My Mom taught me to always sift flour before measuring it with dry measuring cups, and then be gentle with it afterward.
I don’t see recipes even mentioning sifting flour any more.
It seems like sifting it and then using a measuring cup will result in a totally different amount of flour than if I sift it and weigh it.
Your thoughts?
Thanks!
-Lisa
Las Vegas, NV
Hi Lisa! Yes, I think that could make the flour settle more and therefore more would fit into the cup. So I think if you’re not weighing it then it could cause you to use too much of it. I usually do sift flour for cakes but always after measuring it. 🙂
Hey Alison,
If I put the cake in the fridge would it still be moist and soft when we eat it? Also would the icing be soft as well?
As long as it’s kept covered it will still be perfectly moist. The frosting does get firm, but in a good way!
Would a net cover do? I do not have anything else unfortunately
It might be best to keep it at room temp in that case!
Hi Alison,
Hope your well!
What can I use instead of Flax eggs?
You can use 3 Tbsp of applesauce instead. 🙂
Hi! Could I use a regular egg in place of the flax egg? Been looking for a dairy-free cake for my sister and this looks great!
Sure! 🙂
Hi there,
This cake looks amazing! You think I can make it ahead and freeze it? Have you tried that yet?
Hi Jennifer, yes you can freeze it!
Oil free alternative with a can of soda –
Just substitute the soya / almond milk and oil for a single can of cola, similar to the well known Betty Crocker cake mix + coke hack.
Less ingredients, less fat/calories.
If you don’t have powdered (icing sugar) then put regular in the blender with 1 tbpsn of corn starch (corn flour in the UK).
Thanks for the recipe!
Can I use regular milk? I don’t have vanilla extract and vinegar. Can I skip them? Thanks!
Hi Anusha, you can use any milk and you could skip the vanilla but the vinegar is crucial in this recipe as it reacts with the baking soda and causes the cake to rise. You could try using lemon juice instead of vinegar though if that is easier.
If I half the recipe how much flax egg (one or half) should I use? I mean how to adjust the flax egg
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You would use a half flax egg, which is 1/2 Tbsp of ground flaxseed meal mixed with 1 and 1/2 Tbsp hot water. All the best!
Thank You. I made this cake and it was good.
I decorated with whipped cream only 🙂
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Awesome! Thanks for sharing! 🙂
Alison, we discovered your blog (all the way from Italy!) after my son became lactose intolerant. Your recipes are fabulous. This chocolate cake is particularly scrumptious, but I would recommend replacing the frosting with a Chocolate Ganache Frosting (dark chocolate and coconut milk and a bit of vegan butter) just to avoid having so much sugar in the frosting.
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So glad you like it! Thanks for the great review Ivana!
Fabulous recipe! I only had 9″ tins, so made double the quantity and baked for 35 mins, resulting in a gorgeous big cake! Also made half the quantity of buttercream icing for the filling, and used dark chocolate melted with a knob of vegan spread for the top. Excited to try your other cake recipes now!
So glad you enjoyed it Nicki! Nothing better than a nice big chocolate cake! Thanks for sharing! 🙂
Made this today subbing water for soy milk because I didn’t have any on hand, and using chickpea flour instead of flaxseed – still came out perfect! Just the chocolate cake I’ve been craving for. Next time I’ll try it with soy milk and the icing too. Thank you!
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Awesome! Thanks for sharing Amanda!
I love so much your cakes:) Thank you!!!
Thank you so much! xo
I made this cake for my b-day and it was a hit, amazingly moist and delicious! Thank you
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Fantastic! Thanks so much Tanya! 🙂
This is the best chocolate cake recipe I have ever made. I have made it so many times and everyone always loves it 🙂
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Awesome! Thanks so much Haley! 🙂