How to make a delicious and easy vegan chocolate cake recipe, with just a few basic ingredients. It’s perfect for any occasion!
The best vegan chocolate cake
This simple vegan cake is a great recipe to keep on hand for any time an occasion calls for you to make a chocolate cake.
With no crazy ingredients or flax eggs required, the recipe will never let you down. It can easily be customized to create many different flavors, and non-vegans love it too – so you know it must be good!
Also try these Black Bean Brownies – NO flour required
The cake works well at any of the following:
Birthdays
Barbecues
Potlucks
Graduations
Anniversaries
Baby Showers
Family Reunions
Sleepovers
Holiday Gatherings
Dinner Parties
It tastes like a classic chocolate cake because it is a classic chocolate cake!
Unlike many other vegan cake recipes, this one does not require a single ingredient not found in traditional chocolate cakes, such as flax or chia eggs, avocado, or black beans.
Baking soda helps it rise, and applesauce or banana or nondairy yogurt binds the cake without eggs, also keeping it delightfully light and fluffy. The recipe can be dairy free, egg free, whole grain, and even oil free.
No one ever suspects it’s healthier and vegan.
Single serving version: Chocolate Mug Cake
Above, watch the vegan chocolate cake recipe video
Chocolate cake flavors
Mounds Bar Cake: Frost with coconut cream or Vegan Chocolate Mousse, and top with more shredded coconut.
Nutella Chocolate Cake: Frost each cake layer with store bought chocolate hazelnut butter or my plant based Homemade Nutella Recipe.
German Chocolate Cake: Add a homemade or store bought caramel frosting, mixed with chopped pecans and toasted coconut.
Black Forest Vegan Chocolate Cake: Frost with Coconut Whipped Cream or cashew cream, and decorate with fresh cherries or cherry jam.
Mocha Cake: Add a small spoonful of instant coffee to your favorite vegan chocolate frosting or to my Chocolate Avocado Mousse.
Vegan Chocolate Peanut Butter Cake: Use peanut butter in place of the oil for an oil free cake. Frost with the vegan cream cheese frosting recipe from my Easy Cinnamon Rolls post, and beat a half cup of peanut butter into the frosting.
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How to make a vegan chocolate cake
Start by gathering all of the ingredients.
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit, and grease two 8-inch round or square pans, then set the pans aside.
In a large mixing bowl, stir together the flour, cocoa powder, salt, baking soda, sweetener, and optional chocolate chips until evenly mixed.
If using almond butter, gently warm it until soft and easily stir-able. Whisk the nut butter or oil, applesauce, yogurt, or banana, water, and pure vanilla extract in a new bowl. (If you want it to be a one bowl cake, it technically does work to just add all of the liquid ingredients into the dry mix instead.)
Pour the wet into the dry mixture and stir until just combined. Don’t over-mix. Smooth into the prepared 8-inch pans, dividing the batter evenly between the pans.
Bake on the oven’s center rack for 25 minutes, or until the cakes have risen and a toothpick inserted into the center of a cake comes out mostly clean.
Let cool before frosting. (It’s not required, but if you can wait, I recommend letting the cake sit overnight and not tasting until the next day, because the flavor is richer and sweeter after sitting a day.)
When ready to frost, go around the sides of the cake pans with a knife, then invert the chocolate cake onto two plates. Frost separately, then place one cake on top of the other. Add icing to the sides, then serve and enjoy. The cake can be frosted ahead of time if you prefer.
I like to store leftovers in the fridge for freshness (especially if iced with a perishable frosting) for up to a week, but you can store them covered at room temperature for a day or two if you wish. Cake slices can also be frozen.
Vegan cake frosting recipes
I recommend this shortening-free and vegan Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting.
Or feel free to use your favorite homemade frosting or one of the options listed above in the “chocolate cake flavors” section of this post.
Surprisingly, there are also many store brand frostings that are accidentally vegan, including some of the flavors from Duncan Hines, Pillsbury, Simple Mills, Miss Jones, and Betty Crocker. Look on the labels to see which flavors don’t contain milk products.
Vegan Chocolate Cake Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 cups spelt or white flour (for low carb, try this Keto Cake Recipe)
- 3/4 cup cocoa powder
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 cup mini chocolate chips, optional
- 1 1/2 cup sugar, or xylitol for sugar free
- 1/2 cup applesauce, banana, or yogurt of choice
- 1/2 cup oil, almond butter, or allergy-friendly sub
- 1 1/2 tbsp pure vanilla extract
- 1 1/2 cup water
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 F. Grease two 8-inch pans. Set aside. Stir together the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, salt, optional chips, and sweetener in a bowl. If using almond butter, gently warm it until soft and easily stir-able. In a new bowl, whisk the oil or nut butter, applesauce or yogurt, water, and vanilla. Pour wet into dry and stir until just combined (don’t over-mix). Pour into the pans.Bake on the center rack for 25 minutes or until batter has risen and a toothpick inserted into the center of the cakes comes out mostly clean. (I like to take them out when still a little undercooked, let cool, then set in the fridge overnight. This prevents overcooking, and the cakes firm up nicely as they sit.) If you can wait, I highly recommend not tasting until the next day… this cake is so much richer and sweeter after sitting for a day! When ready to frost, go around the sides with a knife, then invert each cake onto a large plate. Frost separately, then place one cake on top of the other if a double-layer cake is desired. At this point you can also frost the sides if you wish. I linked a few of my favorite frosting recipes earlier in this post.View Nutrition Facts
Notes
Have you made this recipe?
Tag @chocolatecoveredkatie on Instagram
More Vegan Dessert Recipes
Alex says
Vegan chocolate cake looks so amazing
Rose G says
It is AMAZING!!!! so moist and so good!! I made with apple sauce (homemade) and used avocado oil .. a must to try..
Lani Faulkner says
Hi! Do you think this cake would be freezeable if I were to use gluten free flour (Bobs Res Mill)?
Abigail says
Did you try GF flour? Love to know if it worked well!
Einav says
Works
Debra says
I love to use Maple Syrup as my sweetner. Is it possible to swap out the dry sweetener for syrup by increasing the flour?
Love, love your recipes, by the way!!
Debbie
Jason Sanford says
Hmm you will have to experiment as there’s no way to know unless it’s tried. Be sure to report back if you do try!
Debra says
Will do!
Amanda says
Debra, I would lessen the amount of watwr, not add more flour to compnsate for the maple syrup.
Debra says
Thanks for the tip!
Nicole says
Hi! I have vegan butter and also all purpose flour. Can I use these to make the cake?
CCK Media Team says
You can 🙂
Whitney says
I’m dying right now! That looked exactly like a glorious chocolate cake with buttercream frosting my mom used to make, which I loved before we went off sugar! I want it so badly right now.
Question: would it be possible to swap the oil/nut butter with Greek yogurt? Or maybe do 1/2 oil+1/2 yogurt?
Thanks again, Katie!
Jason Sanford says
She already did that in the recipe 😉
Kattee says
I am not vegan but I like to cook vegan for my daughters school so excuse the ignorance but wouldn’t yogurt disqualify it from being vegan?
Thanks!
Jason Sanford says
Hi, there are many brands of dairy free yogurt, such as almondmilk, coconutmilk, or soy . Look in whole foods or ask at your regular grocery store, as most grocery stores will carry at least one brand.
Tina says
Hello Kattee,
Your store should carry yogurt made with alt milk, such as soy or almond. This should work well in this recipe. (I realize you asked this question in 2018, hope it still helps 😉)
~Tina
Nancy Nurse says
Katie,
Your recipes are, by far, the MOST BEAUTIFUL I’ve ever seen…. now, for someone that can have ZERO OIL, ZERO FAT, if you could figure out a way to do that, then you’d really have a winner!!! (not that you’re not a winner already, because you ARE!)… but much too much fat in your gorgeous recipes for our family, but oh, how I want them!!
Do you think Applesauce alone or even Zucchini would work? I have made a chocolate cake with zucchini that was super moist… would love to figure out how much to use in your recipe?
Thanks Katie…
CCK Media Team says
Hi! Maybe this recipe would be good for what you’re looking for? It has an oil free option 🙂
https://chocolatecoveredkatie.com/chocolate-zucchini-bread-recipe/
Tereza says
The cake is amazing! Super easy, rich, and fudgy! I didn’t have two 8 inch pans so I used one 13×9 glass dish and cooked it at 325 for the same amount of time (25 min). So good. I want to eat the whole thing!
Annette says
Thanks for the tip! I also did it in a 9×13 pan but I cooked it at 350 for 30 minutes because I used a stoneware pan. In an effort to reduce added oil, I used applesauce instead of oil and some soured oatmilk in place of yogurt. I topped it with warmed chocolate sauce. I will definitely make this again.
Thank you, Katie for an excellent recipe!
CCK Media Team says
❤❤
Cassie Autumn Tran says
This looks incredible! I have to try making it very soon! I might replace the applesauce with pumpkin or butternut squash!
Maria Joseph says
Chocolate!! Now this my type of dessert as I am chocolate freak and i love frosted dessert but i am vegan as well.But this recipe is amazing idea for vegan chocolate freak. I am surely going to try this.What if i use white chocolate for layering in between?
Cynthia says
Do you have any alterations for someone who is gluten free?
Jason Sanford says
Try bob’s gf all purpose mix!
Asha says
Isn’t spelt – which is mentioned in the recipe – gluten free? I used that it did turn out fine.
Kay says
Hi, I didn’t see anyone answer your question.
No, Spelt is NOT gluten free. It is a type of wheat.
Thanks for asking. 🙂
deepika singh says
By the way, everyone likes cake, but i like something more. I have eaten a lot of cakes but it look very good and tasty. Today is my fast ,i’ll definitely try this tomorrow
Thank you
Erin says
I made this cake for my son’s birthday yesterday, Katie, and it tasted wonderful, even on the same day! I’ll definitely make it again. Thank you for the recipe!
TG says
This cake is absolutely delicious! Not paying close enough attention I added the mini chocolate chips but did not get vegan so I ruined the “vegan” in the cake. A note of warning might be helpful for those of us who are not sure. It didn’t stop the Vegan Birthday Boy from enjoy how delicious it was!
Steph says
Did anyone use a banana instead of applesauce or yogurt? I don’t know which is the best option to use! 🙂
Michelle Seebode says
I used three bananas
Ahisha says
Did it taste of banana ? X
Amanda says
Did you double the chocolate frosting shot recipe for this cake?
Jason Sanford says
Yes if doing a two layer cake, double the frosting shot recipe.
Karen says
I made this cake this weekend as a birthday cake for my vegan niece. Since I am gluten free, I used Bob’s Red Mill 1 to 1 gluten free flour. Yes, the cake was amazing and yes, all the non-vegans loved it! For the options I used-1 cup coconut palm sugar and 1/2 cup xylitol as the sweetener. Then I chose 1/2 cup unsweetened organic applesauce and 1/2 cup of coconut oil in the liquids. I used the kind of cooking coconut oil that stays liquid all the time. The cake was perfect! I will definitely make it again. I would say double the frosting recipe. I scraped by with the one recipe but there could have been more. Thank you for this great recipe!
Acid Angel says
Hi Katie,
I’m writing to you from Italy. Thank you for your amazing recipes, I’m not vegan but I love your blog (I discovered it because some of your recipes were in the credits of a BB Italian Blog! I’ talking about 2012 or so).
Since I’ve never been too much confident with conversion charts, could you please give me the metric equivalents for the ingredients (just to know if my conversions would be right) in this recipe?
Thank you in advance 🙂
Acid Angel says
*I’m talking
Sorry, I wrote quickly!
Jason Sanford says
120g is about 1 cup of flour, and 5g is 1 tbsp of cocoa powder. 100 grams is about a 1/2 cup sugar. Hope that helps!
Mary Mathews says
1/2 cup sugar is 100gms? So we’re adding 300 gms of sugar here? My 1/2 cup sugar is 110gms and my 1cup flour is 150gms.
So which measurement shld I take?
Wendy says
What are the differences between this recipe and the 100 Calorie Chocolate Cake recipe? I can’t figure out why this one is that much higher in calories.
Jason Sanford says
This one is a double layer cake and the other is a single layer cake.
Maria says
Holy moly I made this and I substituted the oil with more applesauce it came out so moist so chocolatey thank you so much?
Mallika says
Did you do equal amounts extra applesauce to replace the oil? I.e one cup of applesauce, no oil? Or different proportions?
Kelly says
I love to bake but cakes I have trouble with. I’m also not vegan, but a dear friend is and I made this for her birthday. I made cupcakes (so I could taste first) and they were amazing! Neither of us could believe it was vegan (especially me)! This is now my go to cake recipe. Thank you!!!!!
Lucy says
Do you know that chocolate chips have milk or any other ingredients that comes from dairy products?! That choice it’s not vegan at all! Have a nice day!
Jason Sanford says
There are many, many brands of vegan chocolate chips.
Rachel says
Lucy. Did you have to be so snippy??!! ?♀️
shan says
This may not be the case here but sometimes people can come across as sounding snippy when English is not their first language.
Jessie Furman says
Trader Joe’s sells dairy-free chocolate chips and chunks!
Asha says
there are a number of brands that do dairy free chocolate chips. This has been the case for a number of years now. In 2018 one could find at least Sweet Williams, and these days there is Pana as well. But there are more out there. Online and in grocery stores. Check health food section as well as cooking section.
Inge says
This recipe is amazing! I made it yesterday for a mixed group of vegans and veggie-phobes and they all loved it. I topped it with your peanut butter chocolate frosting, absolute bliss! Thanks so much!
Harriet says
I think that I will use this recipe as one of the desserts for a dinner party I am having this weekend.
Tiffany Cora Raborn says
I made this today, and it was great! Thanks!
Valentina says
Such a great recipe! I made this cake for my sister’s birthday and she loved it! it was delicious.
I used coconut sugar, banana, and coconut oil
I topped it off with the chocolate frosting – amazing.
Thank you so much
Jason Sanford says
That picture is so beautiful!
Christine says
How did you make the frosting?
SnakPak says
I tried this recipe and ended up adding hulled hemp seeds, walnuts, and chia seeds after combining powder & liquid. This made it into a super good dessert that doesn’t feel guilty! Thanks so much
Mehreen says
This is the second time I’m making this cake because I got fantastic feedback the first time – truly non-vegan approved! I was wondering if you need to cover the cake before refrigerating it overnight or not?
Marilyn says
I made this cake for my friends birthday. It was so good she almost cried. Are used frosting made from sweet potatoes and cocoa powder for the top and chocolate avocado frosting for the middle Amazing!! Even the non-vegans who tasted it loved it.
Jason Sanford says
That’s so gorgeous!
Nichola Ling says
Brilliant recipe. Very tasty moist fudgy cake.
I used coconut yogurt, dark choc chips and oil and this will now be my go to celebration cake.
Thanks!
Soraya says
Is there a difference between white flour and all-purpose flour?
Laurel says
I’ve always thought they were the same thing. Bread flour is higher protein, but general white flour is considered all purpose from what I’ve been taught.
Laurel says
SO GOOD–just out of the oven and cooled. Not even iced! My vegan teen just made these for a family wedding as mini cupcakes (baked about 13-14 min.) She made as written with the following option choices: All Purpose White Flour, cocoa powder, mini dairy-free cc, sugar (organic cane sugar,) coconut milk yogurt (plain,) coconut oil. We’ll let you know how they go over at the wedding filled with non-vegans, but so far we’ve all agreed this is a keeper recipe. THANK YOU!
Laurel says
I forgot to reply last year– these turned out wonderfully for the wedding (full of non-vegans who had no idea.) Thank you!
Julie says
A M A Z I N G. Super chocolatey but also not too sweet. Really moist and crumbly. Definitely would get a non vegan’s approval !
Shelby says
Curious to know what icing you used on yours?!
Mary Mathews says
What is spelt ? What kind of white flour can e use? Plain flour, self raising flour, cake flour etc?
What kind of oil? Olive, vegetable etc?
Jason Sanford says
Plain all purpose flour works (the kind sold in regular grocery stores). And either vegetable oil or melted coconut oil. Or canola works.
Mary Mathews says
What abt the sugar? I don’t hv unrefined sugar.. will fine sugar work just as well ?
Jason Sanford says
Yes it says unrefined if desired. So regular sugar is ok too.
Mary Mathews says
Cut down the quantity? What’s the difference between unrefined sugar and normal fine sugar?
Jason Sanford says
Just use regular sugar. Same amount as listed. It works that way.
Elizabeth says
I used an 8inch recipient to bake it,but had to put all the batter or it would have come out a real thin cake even rhough I followed the recipe thoroughly. So I doubled the recipe(baking it in two different recipients).
It came out reaally good, soft and humid. I’ll definitely doing it again
Ria says
Amazing – made this yesterday and it is delicious – thank you!
I made chocolate frosting (for the top part only) using maple syrup, almond butter, vanilla and cocoa powder. Thanks again for this recipe, I will be making it again for sure!
Mary Mathews says
This vegan cake turned out delicious.. I made the avocado chocolate frosting to go with it .. and it was delicious.
Only thing is, I followed the metric measurements rather than the cup measurements.. the batter was a bit runny though (not like the video).. but the baked product was ok..
Sally says
Has anyone tried doing this in an Instant pot? If so do you just put it in springform pan and cover with foil? And cook for about 40 minutes? New to the whole new instant pot. With it being hot this summer, trying not to use the stove or the oven. 😉
Tabitha says
I made this yesterday for my son’s 1st bday. Half my family is gluten free and I always have GF s’mores bars but wanted something else. I knew this was it when I saw the pic on Instagram. I was nervous because GF doesn’t always turn out so good. I held my breath as my sister took the first bite and she liked it… I was like whewwww. I used Pillsbuy GF all purpose flour and the applesauce option. I frosted it with Cherrybrook Farms chocolate frosting. Even my brother who makes fun of our food choices opted for this cake over the regular cakes that were available. They said it tasted like a yodel or the hostess ho ho cakes we used to eat when we were younger. Thanks Katie!!!!
Chocolate Covered Katie says
Aw this makes me so happy! 🙂
Theresa Thornsberry says
My niece is vegan. I made this cake Thursday for her birthday party Saturday. To say it was a hit with the carnivores in our family is an understatement! This is, by far, the BEST chocolate cake I have ever eaten. I went to a link for the vegan chocolate frosting as well. I couldn’t find a decent can of coconut cream, however I found cream of coconut and improvised. I wasn’t able to pipe it, but it was amazing. My husband said you should put it on the market. I cannot say enough great things about this cake and frosting recipe. I will be making it again and again!
Jayla says
I made this cake yesterday and it was absolutely AMAZING!! I couldn’t get over how moist and rich it was AND that it was vegan!!! I am not vegan, but my daughter is, so I’ve been trying a lot of different vegan recipes. I even used one of your delicious frosting recipes for it and my family LOVED it! So much so, that it is almost gone! Katie, I’m going to try some more of your recipes and have no doubt we’ll be very pleased! Thank- you!
katelyn costa says
my non vegan mom tried this cake and said that it was a really good cake. i then said “you know that’s a vegan cake, right?” and she said she didn’t know. So basically for a sec, she had no idea she was talking good about a vegan dessert. The best part was after she found out she said “i’m going to have this cake tomorrow with my coffee” XD
katelyn costa says
also, i forgot to mention that i made the cake into a cinnamon cake instead of a chocolate cake but my nonvegan mom still loved it XD
Katie says
How did you turn it into a cinnamon cake??
Faris Halteh says
OMG… this was soo delicious. I made it for my friends birthday and everybody loved it! Even the people who are super against vegan food. It was easy to make and so chocolate-y. I’m gna do it again! For sure ? I replaced the water with soy milk, not sure if it makes a big difference though!
Caroline says
This cake is amazing! I literally mixed it up in less than 10 minutes. Topped it with homemade Nutella. I treated my coworkers with it and everyone at my work absolutely loved it. I wrote a small note saying “it’s vegan ;)” and that caused people coming to me to exclamate “oh my gosh that cake!!!”. I have baked it for the second time and this time I top it up with lemon curd and chocolate ganache, I will treat another group of coworkers and I’ll be waiting for the compliments later ♥ Thank you ♥
Pooja says
Hi.i don’t have apple sauce. Can I add one full banana. Do I need to add yogurt also.
Breana Swann says
Best VEGAN CAKE I EVER HAD
Sona says
Thank you so much for this amazing recipe. I used it to make a chocolate orange cake – using orange juice instead of water and orange extract instead of vanilla extract. It was delicious
Jason Sanford says
That sounds amazing!
Valerie says
Do you think adding blended dates in place the oil and sugar would work?
Fernanda says
Would it be OK to use almond flour instead?
Jason Sanford says
We haven’t tried it so honestly can’t say! Be sure to report back if you try!
Jason (media relations)
Shavon Forrest says
I learned this the HARD way. At first my cake was flat due to using Almond milk (1 cup) instead of water and Almond flour (2 cups) instead of white flour. I had to add a tablespoon of baking powder to get the thing to rise and cook all the way through but “oh what a feeling” once it rose and stayed up! YUM
Karen says
Hi . The cakes looks great .Can i use oatmeal flour instead of spelt or white flour .
Jason Sanford says
Unfortunately we have never tried. Be sure to report back if you experiment!
Ella says
Thanks a lot for the recipe! It worked like a charm and the cake tastes lovely!
I made it with rapeseed oil and water, but no chocolate chips.
Baked it in muffin forms – yielded 24 exactly.
Erin says
Hi! I need to make a large slab cake & im hoping that this fits a 9×13 rectangular pan? And pointers?
Jason Sanford says
I’ve done it!
Laura says
I just made one, it’s really good! And my sister thinks the same, I’m sure the rest of my family with enjoy this vegan cake too!
I was too impatient on waiting 24 hours, instead it was 4 hours haha xD
I’m not vegan but I like to look at vegan recipes, this one was simple so I thought I’d give it a try 🙂
Kelsy says
My daughter and I are chocolate lovers. I have been in search of a cake that is delicious and rich to make for her birthday. I had compiled a few different vegan recipes. I made a different one that was oily and not deep in flavor. Tried this one, and my search is ended! It is perfectly moist and rich and not too oily.
Katelyn says
I changed the flavor of the cake to cinnamon because I was out of cocoa powder, and I had my mom try this because she’s very honest, (I wrote a note next to the cake that said “please eat me” or “eat me please” kind of like Alice in Wonderland style) and then she had a bite of the cake and said it was so good that she wanted to have it with her cofee the next morning. I didn’t even tell her it was vegan, but when I did, she said she had no idea.
Jason Sanford says
Cinnamon sounds amazing!
Lorie says
Can this be turned into cupcakes?
Jason Sanford says
https://chocolatecoveredkatie.com/2018/03/26/vegan-chocolate-cupcakes-recipe/ 🙂
Lorie says
I’ll give these a try! But could the cake be turned into cupcakes anyway or does the recipe not turn into that? Thank you
Jason Sanford says
Sorry have never tried it!
Judy says
“Pour”? batter into pans? Mine is like a very thick fudge. What did I do wrong? Should I add Almond milk or water to thin it out or is it supposed to be this way?
Jason Sanford says
Hmm, it should definitely be normal cake batter consistency. What flour, oil, sugar, etc did you use?
Tena says
I don’t usually comment on blogs, but I have to say this. The cake is amazing, I don’t make any kind of frosting, I poke holes and pour puding over it, everyone loves it and cant believe its vegan
Jason Sanford says
Oh my word, that sounds so good! Need to try it that way!
Isobelle Harvey says
Absolutely delicious! Tested the recipe on my work mates who all thought vegan cakes were dry and tasteless. This showed them the light! I’ve passed the recipe on and I’m already making another to take to a party this weekend. Absolutely delicious chocolatey goodness and so moist!
Jan says
Hi, just wanted to say this cake is really great! I’ve been trying out all sorts of vegan cake recipes for years and I almost gave up until I found your website. I made the “lemon loaf” as well, which is my favorite. Thank you for publishing these! I’m glad they are so easy to make and use “normal” ingredients. I made the lemon loaf twice so far, and it came out exactly the same both times. I’ll try to make a marble cake with this chocolate one and the lemon one next!
Gem says
I made this with peanut butter rather than oil and banana rather than apple sauce. The result was very claggy and rich.
Sweety says
This recipe is amazing. I think i will use recipe as one of the desserts on raksha bandhan for my brother and little cute sister.
Nurit Philip says
The cake looks delicious’ can I replace the buttermilk with applesauce?
K says
There’s no buttermilk in this recipe.
Velma says
Can I use almond flour?
Bonnie says
Thanks for this recipe, I just made it in my bread-maker and it turned out really well. My bread maker has a cake setting but I fined it tends to over-mix, so I just put the ingredients in, set pressed the cake button, left it to mix until everything was just incorporated and then I switched to the bake function and baked it for 1 hour and 20 minutes (about the same time it takes to bake a similar sized loaf of bread). I might try just leaving it on the cake cycle to see if it turns out as well completely unattended, I could even set it over night and have cake for breakfast 😀
Morag says
I made this cake for my son’s third birthday, and it was absolutely incredible. It was moist, tender, and fudgy. I used a layer of raspberry jam in the middle and a basic chocolate frosting for the top and sides – the raspberry really added a beautiful depth of flavour. This is my new go-to chocolate cake!
leslie says
Recipe was a success! I used olive oil for the oil, regular flour, regular sugar, pumpkin spice apple sauce from whole foods, and about 1/2 tbsp less vanilla since I ran out. I have the cake chilling in the fridge and will frost later but am happy that this recipe was easy and worked
Samta says
I am super excited about making this as a surprise birthday cake! I am a little nervous that the coconut based frosting might melt, or will it hold? And do you use that between layers and over the top as well? This is my first proper cake, and I want to get it right! Thanks for the inspiration!
Jason Sanford says
You can put it both places, but it definitely should be frosted just before serving if using the coconut frosting. Or you can use any storebought or homemade frosting 🙂
Danielle says
For the frosting how much do i need to make? I was going with the classic chocolate frosting you linked. Do i need to double it? Thanks so much
Henry says
I would also like to know about how much frosting is needed (how many cups). I’ll probably try your Greek yogurt frosting!
Ashley says
I made this with Trader Joe’s regular sized chocolate chips. Unfortunately, they all sunk to the bottom and then stuck to the pan, even though I liberally sprayed the pans.
Amanda says
I love baking and I’m pretty confident in every area except birthday cakes – probably the pressure I put on myself to make sure I get it perfect for my kiddos. Because of this I usually veganize a boxed cake. I did this yesterday and it just didn’t work- it didn’t hold like I wanted to. I was making 2 different cakes. So I quickly pulled up my pins for homemade cakes and found this one. I whipped it up, stuck it in the oven and 25 min later PERFECTION. So, I whipped up another one for the second cake. This recipe is not only SUPER quick and easy, the moisture, texture, and taste of the cake is absolutely amazing !! Thank you for saving my birthday cakes ! I’ll never do a box cake again! ??
Karolina says
I have only one 8 inch pan. Should I bake half of the batter first and keep the reamining dough in the fridge, or rather bake everythink at once and cut it in a half after ?
Jason Sanford says
Hi! Just make this one: https://chocolatecoveredkatie.com/2014/09/08/100-calorie-chocolate-cake/
🙂
Anne says
I also only had one 8-inch pan. I simply halved the recipe. It worked out fine.
Olivia Stanford says
What can I substitute for oil trying to make it oil free?
Jason Sanford says
https://chocolatecoveredkatie.com/2014/09/08/100-calorie-chocolate-cake/ 🙂
Danae says
This cake is delicious. I used raw cacao, coconut sugar, banana and coconut oil.
I am not vegan but my son is allergic to egg, so often look at vegan recipes. Pleasantly surprised!
Chloe says
How much calories for one piece of cake ?
Christine says
This was actually really good. I made the recipe for my dad’s birthday tomorrow but I made it twice and I’m going to put the two cakes on top of each other. With both recipes I added almond milk instead of water, and instead of using the banana I used two eggs in each recipe. I’m just wondering how to make the frosting? Do you have a recommendation on the frosting?
Jason Sanford says
She lists some frosting options in her post. This one is my personal favorite! https://chocolatecoveredkatie.com/basic-chocolate-cream-cheese-frosting/
Emily Schlangen says
This cake was wonderful! I will definitely be using the recipe in the future!
Hilary says
I can’t find a working link to any of the frosting recipes. Can you point me to where I can find some of the frosting recipes?
Thanks,
Hilary
Jason Sanford says
Hi we are so sorry, the site crashed yesterday due to a traffic surge and was down until after midnight but we finally were able to get it back up. Here’s the frosting Katie used on this cake, and sorry again for the trouble before! https://chocolatecoveredkatie.com/basic-chocolate-cream-cheese-frosting/
Jason (media relations)
Stacey says
I’m planning to bake this cake next week for my husband’s birthday:) Just wondering why it seems to be the same as the vegan chocolate cupcake recipe but doesn’t ask for vinegar. I’ve never baked a vegan cake without vinegar and just wanted to check that this is correct.
Jess says
literally the best vegan cake i have ever made- the applesauce/ yoghurt is a game changer! Love it 👍
Harmeet B says
Made this for my daughter’s birthday a couple of days ago. This is the best recipe I’ve ever tried. I used coconut yoghurt resulting in a delicious, moist cake. Never fails to disappoint and was even better with peanut butter frosting!
Karla Lars says
It would be really helpful to everyone outside America if you published your fabulous recipes in metric measurements instead of cups. For example, in the US when a recipe tells you to add 1 cup of flour, 1 cup of brown sugar and 1 cup of oats, this equates to 120g of flour, 180g of brown sugar and 90g of oats. And that’s for just three ingredients. Referring to a general US cups conversion chart it shows there are at least 17 different baking food stuffs with different weights for each one cup reference. Canada, South Africa and Australia also have their different weights for cup measurements to make baking even more precarious.
We all speak English so why start talking a different language when sharing a recipe?
Why would you want to be continuously referring to a conversion table throughout making a recipe? It’s crazy! This could also explain feedback I’ve read you’ve received from people who have had recipe failures – it could be they used a single cup measure as standard across all different ingredients.
Laine Wehn says
You have got to see this…
Tara says
I must of used this recipe over 10 times and I thought its about time I leave a review! Honestly the best cake recipe there is 🙂
Liza says
This is it! THIS is the chocolate cake recipe I’ve been looking for. It’s moist and delicious! You don’t have to tell anyone it’s vegan. I used vegan chocolate chips and a tiny bit of instant espresso powder. It really does not even need frosting but I used one from another site that has only 5 ingredients and it was perfect. I can’t wait to make cupcakes with this recipe. I’m not sure who could wait a day to taste it!
Kim says
This is hands down the best gluten free vegan cake I’ve ever tried! I’ve made quite a few, and this is the only one that didn’t have that typical gf/vegan taste or texture. We used half Bob’s Red Mill GF flour and half white rice flour, and the texture was just right- fudgy without being dense. It was so nice to have real cake again! Thank you, Katie
CCK Media Team says
Thank you so much for making it!
Mindee says
Absolutely delicious!!! Made it for a vegan friend, but keeping some for myself. 😁😂
CCK Media Team says
Thank you so much for making it!
Lori says
This is my go to cake. Make it at least 4 times a year for family birthdays. Thanks for the great recipe.
Lisa says
I tried this recipe using bobs 1:1 gluten free flour blend. Loved the flavor and moisture content but it did come out a bit gummy. Does anyone know what I could do to eliminate the gummy texture?
Naomi Pongo says
This recipe is phenomenal! My family doesn’t eat vegan but my best friend’s little boy needs to so I made this for a birthday party and now it’s the only chocolate cake recipe I use. It is so good!
Siobhan Healy says
Hello, am thinking of trying this recipe for my daughter’s birthday next week – I was going to use coconut sugar and wondered would I get away with one cup of same. Thank you for posting your recipes.
CCK Media Team says
Coconut sugar is usually fine to use in place of regular sugar – just pack it in well because it’s usually lighter than regular sugar so a cup of coconut sugar would need to be packed to offer the same sweetness as a cup of regular 🙂
Jessie says
I made this originally for my daughter’s first birthday. She has a milk allergy, so I looked for a vegan recipe, and so glad this is the one I stumbled upon! It was amazing. Fast-forward three months later, I’m sitting around pregnant as a whale and randomly go, “I really could go for some of my daughter’s birthday cake right now.” So now I’m baking a cake at three in the morning because pregnancy cravings. I love this cake! All the recipes I’ve followed online, and none of yours have ever let me down. You rock, Katie!
ELIZABETH says
This cake is OUT OF THIS WORLD. I stumbled across the recipe when trying to find cake recipes with no egg since I ran out and didn’t want to go to the store for just eggs during COVD lockdwn. I never imagined a cake without all the traditional ingredients would be as good as a regular cake, let alone EVEN BETTER! Tastes even more delicious when put in the fridge for a day… yummm! Also, I made a cream cheese frosting for it-not vegan of course, but it was a nice combo with the chocolate.
CCK Media Team says
Thank you so much for trying it!
Nancy says
There is no baking powder nor vinegar or acid to activate baking soda. Is this correct?
Thanks!
Sats says
Hi Katie,
I love your recipes. Could I use honey instead?what do I need to substitute?
Thanks
Anne says
I substituted with honey and used 2/3 the recommended amount of sweetener. Was very good but still too sweet so I might use even less next time.
Harpreet Wadhwa says
Hi! I’m looking for a cake with xylitol or erythritol as my parents can’t have sugar, and this looks great! They are ok with eggs and butter though. Should I substitute the half cup applesauce for two eggs (we don’t get applesauce easily in my neighborhood)? Can I substitute the water for coffee or milk? Also how much butter can I substitute for the oil? Thank you so much!
CCK Media Team says
Hi maybe use this one? https://chocolatecoveredkatie.com/keto-cake-recipe/
Ash says
Hey Katie
How does the cake freeze well?
I want to make the layers in advance 🙂
Amazing recipe I have used Multiple times before 🙂
Kay Manley says
I love everything about this chocolate cake recipe. I’ve made it a couple of times, and it came out moist, rich, and delicious. You wouldn’t even know its vegan.
Joan says
I made this recipe for my daughter’s bday on the 31st. She’s not a big dessert lover, but does like chocolate cake. WINNER! I made and served same day, and it received good reviews all around. I know my baking soda is ok, and as I used 1/2 spelt/1/2 white flours…I’m wondering if that could be why it didn’t rise as much as I’d have liked? Recipe definitely going in the ‘to keep’ file. Next time I will add cherries for Black Forest Cake…my daughter would have just picked those out!!
Jane says
Hi! Is it possible to swap the sugar for honey and not have as much water?
Thank you!!
CCK Media Team says
This is an older post, but it’s a recipe for refined sugar free chocolate cake: https://chocolatecoveredkatie.com/refined-sugar-free-chocolate-cake/
Hana says
How much aquafaba would you use inst ad of applesauce?
Mary says
Any advice about making cupcakes using this recipe?
Chocolate Covered Katie says
Sure thing! https://chocolatecoveredkatie.com/vegan-chocolate-cupcakes-recipe/
Raye says
Could I use regular flour instead of the spelt?
CCK Media Team says
Yes 🙂
Jenna says
Can I use brown sugar instead of regular sugar?
Sarah says
Would it work to double this recipe to make a two-layer sheet cake? How much would the cook time increase?
Jess says
My daughter has allergies and I make this cake for every birthday. I always get compliments. I also freeze it in slices to take to parties so she has a cake to enjoy. I use apple sauce and coconut oil. It’s so easy. It always turns out perfectly and I change it up with different frostings. The coconut one is lovely.
Dee says
Can Dutch-processed cocoa be used? Thank you!
CCK Media Team says
It can! Use this modified recipe for dutch cocoa: https://chocolatecoveredkatie.com/dark-chocolate-eclipse-cake/
John says
Made this cake earlier today outdoors in a dutch oven for an Ice Age Trail work crew near Madison, WI. It was a hit!
Danielle says
This is by far the best chocolate cake I ever made. Thanks!
Kim Johannsen says
I’ve made this cake 100 times (well, close to) and its divine every time.
Jennifer says
This is the best chocolate cake ever, vegan or no. I used banana and melted some vegan butter substitute (which is mostly veg oil). Amazing light and fluffy texture, and rich creamy chocolate taste. So easy to make, and everyone who tried it loved it. I’ll be making this cake forever, it’s a keeper!
CCK Media Team says
Thank you for trying it!
Lorene says
I am 44 and I can’t remember ever having a homemade chocolate cake for my birthday. I am diabetic and made the single layer and used whipped cream and strawberries instead of frosting. It was great and my picky family members gobbled it down as well. Thank you for making my birthday special.
CCK Media Team says
Aw happy birthday!!
Diana says
Can you provide nutritional information for the Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting? I ‘m making the Keto Chocolate Cake for a diabetic and I want to be very careful. Thank you, in advance, for any help you can provide.
KareninStLouis says
This cake is excellent. Received many compliments. Rose beautifully, and the layers maintained their shape and height. I kept them refrigerated in the pan overnight and easily released them in the morning by pressing a knife against the edges and pulling up against the side to release the bottom of the cake. Soooo easy to frost. The frosting amount was wonderfully generous, which I loved. I used Katie’s Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting, which she had recommended.
CCK Media Team says
❤❤❤
Peggy Behar says
I have been making this vegan chocolate cake for my grandson’s birthday since he turned two. He is allergic to dairy, eggs, and peanuts. This year he will be six, and he wants this cake again. It is so delicious, moist, and “chocolatey”, I get rave reviews from everyone. Thank you, Katie!
Mia W says
I made this tonight after work for my friend who was visiting me for the first time since started. She’s vegan so I knew I needed to make a vegan dessert on a whim. After reviewing a few other bloggers, I knew I could Not go wrong with trying this in high altitude (Denver) since Katie’s 100 calorie recipe is one of my faves & also works well in Denver. This vegan chocolate cake was incredibly delicious. My friend took half of it home for her and her boyfriend. I even Put candles on it since we didn’t get to celebrate her birthday due to restrictions. I used The Peanut butter Chocolate vegan frosting recipe by Katie which worked incredibly well in combination with this cake. It also helped that I had Home made unsweetened apple sauce on hand. Thank you so much for saving the day & helping me make my friend feel so special.
CCK Media Team says
This made us so happy to read 🙂
Hannah says
This has been my favorite chocolate cake recipe for years. I’ve made it at least two dozen times and the carnivores and vegans can never get enough! Thank you for this recipe!!!
Mallory says
I’d give the recipe ten stars if it let me. We made the cake for my daughter’s birthday (she helped) and everyone loved it. It was the first vegan chocolate cake we found and only one we now need 🙂
Mina says
This is the cake recipe I was looking for all my life, and I didn’t even know it. So moist, so rich, so chocolaty, so delicious that I am still dreaming about it! Thank you so much for creating this delicious cake!
Donna says
We made this for our daughter’s 16th birthday party and everyone was raving about it! Even the boys at the party were eating it, and no one could believe when my daughter revealed that it was vegan!
Sarah says
Thank you for sharing this recipe, we enjoyed making it. We are in the UK and I used plain flour and although it tastes nice, it’s quite flat and doesn’t look as airy as yours. Do you know if I can use self-raising flour? I used greek yoghurt to bind. Thanks so much, these recipes are great for my son with allergies 😊
CCK Media Team says
Hmm interesting! It might be a difference in either climate or one of the specific ingredients available in the US vs UK? Glad it tasted good in any case! We have never tried self raising flour, but be sure to report back if you do try. Also, did you use an 8-inch pan?
Sethu says
This is the perfect eggless cake recipe! the taste and texture are really authentic and we really cannot tell the difference between this cake and the one made using eggs.
The cake is generous sized and delicious even without icing it.
Can we halve the recipe for a smaller cake? Will the recipe proportions work?
Once again, thanks for this recipe!
CCK Media Team says
Thank you for making it, and yes you can! (Or if you want single serving, there’s this vegan mug cake: https://chocolatecoveredkatie.com/one-minute-chocolate-cake/)
Florentina Hill says
Hi, Katie! I tried your vegan chocolate cupcakes and they where the best cupcakes I ve had my entire life!!😅 I noticed the only difference between those and this cake is that you add vinegar to the cupcakes. I am planning to try your cake this time, and I have just one question: why did u add vinegar to the cupcakes but not to this cake? I am just hoping it s not a mistake in the recipe lol. Thank you!!!
Vanessa says
This is amazing!!! It’s so moist and fudgy!
Jess says
I just make this with tahini and it’s a giant halvah cake and it’s divine. Thank you.
CCK Media Team says
Your idea sounds fantastic!
Ayea says
Oh man this cake was so good. It doesn’t taste vegan and doesn’t even need frosting!
Carmen says
Dice papas fritas no lo lleva en la receta
Shelly says
This vegan chocolate cake melts in your mouth! I used the cream cheese chocolate frosting from your blog (vegan of course).
Sara says
This is absolutely the best vegan chocolate cake recipe I have ever tasted. Thank you for making our holidays brighter with this gem of a dessert.
Erin says
This chocolate cake was so yummy :). Spread raspberry jam in between the layers and chocolate ganache on top.
Fiona says
While hubby and I aren’t vegan, we’re gradually going dairy free as we’re lactose intolerant but also finding non-lactose dairy is affecting us adversely. I made this last week and it was so good I have another baking right now! I have put 4 T of instant coffee into this one at hubby’s suggestion, and I’ll make a vegan salted mocha buttercream icing to finish it off.
Joy says
Absolutely love this recipe! I have made it several times. I subbed GF 1 to 1 flour each time and have done vegan PB frosting, chocolate cream cheese frosting and Oreo buttercream for some frosting ideas. Just the best! It works great as a GF cake.
CCK Media Team says
Thank you so much for making it and trying it out with GF flour 🙂
cyndi says
Looks fantastic. Can’t wait to try it. Where is the recipe for the icing?
Chocolate Covered Katie says
Hi! It’s the “vegan chocolate cream cheese frosting” recipe linked in the post, above the recipe box 🙂
Marissa says
Dangggg!
This cake is so good! It is fudgy yet somehow fluffy at the same time. For reference, I’m not vegan. This cake is equal to, and better than, plenty of non-vegan chocolate cakes.(Chocolate cake is a favorite in my house, so we have lots of different chocolate cake recipes) This particular cake reminds me of the Hershey’s Perfectly Chocolate Cake recipe, but I like this one better; it has a more distinct chocolate taste and is a bit fudgier.
CCK Media Team says
This made me so happy. Thank you so much!
(Katie)
Celina says
How do you make the frosting it’s not on in the directions or ingredient list. 🤷♀️??
CCK Media Team says
Hi Celina, the frosting options are listed above the recipe box in the post, because there are a few different options you can use 🙂
Ruth says
I made the chocolate cake in a mug.
It was wonderful easy and fast❤️
Kelly Barcroft says
I made this cake over the weekend for my sons birthday party. He can’t have any dairy so I thought I would try it and he loved it! Only thing different was I used a vanilla frosting made from Earth Balance vegan butter sticks. So good! Thank you!
CCK Media Team says
This makes us so happy. Happy birthday to him 🙂
Dawn MIlford says
Why not use carob instead of cocoa powder?
Chef Keon says
This vegan chocolate cake recipe is amazing! I’ve been looking for a base line for the fluffy texture that you find in regular cake and cupcakes. I am officially obsessed. Thank you for sharing! I made some yummy cupcakes with a banana peanut butter frosting.
Elfi says
I made this cake for our once a month meeting, I let everyone start eating the cake then told them it was vegan. They could not believe how enjoyable it tasted! I did make vegan coffee buttercream instead of the cream cheese. Great, thank you!
Olga says
I’ve made this cake several times and it cames out fantastic each time! My kids love it! It’s light and just perfect amount of sweetness and chocolate!
It’s good with any cream but also really delicious with just some strawberries on top!!
I follow the recipe exactly, using spelt, coconut oil, apple sauce.
For icing , I tried coconut icing, also made my own with coco-apple sauce-ground hazelnuts.
CCK Media Team says
Thank you so much for trying the recipe 🙂
Katherine says
I was surprised by this cake. I was happy it didn’t need vinegar, it leaves a weird taste for me, and this was delicious.
Susie says
This is by far the best chocolate cake recipe. I used 2 smashed bananas instead of applesauce as I did not have any applesauce. I used regular sugar, but added a bit less. I did use regular oil, too. It’s so moist that it practically melts in your mouth! I made your vegan chocolate mouse recipe as a frosting.
Sarah says
For anyone who has tried gluten-free flour, I was thinking I might also add egg replacer to help the gluten free flour have some structure. Has anyone tried that or have other gf tips?
Monica says
Love this cake and have made it many times with GF all purpose flour. Just wondering if it would work with rice flour? Thank you for all the great recipes!