Easy Vegan Chocolate Cake
This deeply rich chocolate single layer cake is so easy to make with very basic pantry ingredients which also just so happens to be a vegan cake. No fancy substitutions or flax eggs required just a simple chocolate cake recipe that requires no dairy and no need to to pull out the stand mixer or hand mixer. This is a classic recipe for a “wacky cake” or “depression cake/wartime cake (when fresh ingredients were meager)” - a spongy, cocoa-based cake unlike many pastries and desserts, made with no eggs, butter or milk used to make the simple cake batter and the whole thing is made in one bowl. Although simple to make and with minimal ingredients and no tricks, the flavor and texture of the cake is still rich with cocoa and irresistible! Serve it plain with a dusting of powdered sugar or use a simple glaze or fudgey ganache or even a thicker chocolate cream cheese frosting. It goes with just about any topping you like.
Why You Are Going To Love This Cake
- Easy to make - bowl and whisk
- Quick to make - once you have all your ingredients measured it comes together in no time
- Simple pantry ingredients required
- Versatile topping options
How does this cake work without eggs or butter or milk or flax eggs or any other vegan alternative? While there’s no milk, eggs, or butter in this cake, the baking soda and vinegar react during baking to create carbon dioxide, allowing the cake to rise! I promise this won’t taste like vinegar, but it is important to the process. The unsweetened cocoa powder is also key in this recipe for flavour and for the leavening process.
Easy Vegan Chocolate Cake Recipe Ingredients
- FLOUR: All purpose flour is what I always use for this cake - I have not tested this cake with a gluten free 1-1 all purpose flour
- COCOA POWDER: For this recipe I recommend Unsweetened cocoa powder. It is paired with baking soda (a base) since the acidic cocoa powder will react with it, causing bakes/cakes to rise.
- SUGAR: You will need both brown sugar and granulated sugar for this recipe - not only do they sweeten the cake batter but they help with keeping cake moist
- OIL: I like using either a very neutral vegetable oil like canola oil but if you want a richer flavor you can use olive oil which I often do use or you can use coconut oil too - just be aware that the cake will pick up the flavor of the oil
- VINEGAR: I use apple cider vinegar or white vinegar. When vinegar reacts with baking soda, it creates carbon dioxide bubbles, which act as leavening agents. So as the batter bakes, bubbles expand, causing the cake to rise and giving it that light, airy texture. You will not taste any of the vinegar in the batter or the cake
- COFFEE/WATER: The cake batter requires some liquid other than the oil and I use plain old water or coffee. The coffee comes through differently in the cake - it helps intensify the cocoa flavors. It’s subtle but it’s definitely there. I often dilute 1 teaspoon of instant espresso powder into the water for a mellow addition or go full throttle with brewed coffee from my coffee press or coffee machine - either way is fine. I would not recommend using 1 ½ cups of espresso though - that would be way too intense. Whether you use water or coffee make sure it’s room temperature. Technically you can use milk or a non-dairy milk for the liquid but the texture is pretty much the same whether you use a non dairy milk or water/coffee.
- VANILLA EXTRACT: Pure vanilla extract is what I add to the batter and it gives any baked goods a nice flavor
How To Make This Chocolate Vegan Cake
- WHISK together DRY INGREDIENTS
- WHISK the WET INGREDIENTS into DRY
- POUR or spoon batter into prepared 9-inch cake pan
- BAKE until toothpick or cake tester comes out mostly clean 30-35 min
- COOL in pan over rack for 10 min then invert directly on to rack to cool completely
- ENJOY serving it topped with a dusting of powdered sugar or a glaze or frosting of choice.
What to Top Your Vegan Chocolate Cake With
Traditionally, this cake can be coated with powdered sugar, iced with a vanilla buttercream frosting, or served plain. I usually don’t use any frosting on the cake because I don’t want to use butter or milk to make it. Instead, I usually either dusted with some powdered sugar to keep the lightness of the cake or do a simple glaze or ganache with simply chocolate and water - keep it as thin and pour-able as you prefer or I like it thicker and more spreadable and fudgy. This is a chocolate cake and can be decorated just like any other cake though! If you’re a family that loves chocolate, cover it with a vegan chocolate frosting store bought or the cream cheese frosting I have included in the recipe below. Need a pop of color for a party? Add sprinkles or fresh sliced fruit or use some chocolate sprinkles or cocoa nibs or keep it simple with a little flaky sea salt.
Vegan Chocolate Cake Storage & Freezing
- STORAGE: Leftovers can be stored up to 3 days in an air-tight container on your kitchen counter. Any longer and it should be stored covered tightly in the fridge for up to a week.
- FREEZING: If you want to freeze your cake, make sure the cake has cooled completely before covering it with freezer-safe wrap. This can last up to 3 months in the freezer. If freezing, do not frost the cake or add any toppings until completely thawed.
More Chocolate Desserts You Will Love
Recipe
Ingredients
- 1½ cups of all purpose flour
- ¾ cup unsweetened good quality cocoa powder
- 1½ teaspoons baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- ¾ cup brown sugar or coconut sugar
- ½ cup vegetable oil (olive oil or canola oil)
- 1½ cups coffee or water (I always use coffee), room temperature
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar or white vinegar
For the Water Ganache (optional)
- 200 g Dark Chocolate, finely chopped (or you can do half Milk chocolate half dark chocolate)
- 90 ml Hot Water (approx ⅓ cup)
Directions
For the Cake
- Preheat oven to 350°F and grease or line bottom of 9 inch round cake pan with parchment paper liner.
- In a large bowl whisk together the dry ingredients: flour, baking soda, cocoa powder, salt and sugars until well combined.
- Then whisk in the wet ingredients: olive oil, coffee/water, vanilla and vinegar and whisk until smooth
- Pour into prepared pan and bake for 30-35 minutes until the top is springy and a tester comes out mostly clean. A few sticky crumbs is ok.
- Remove from oven and allow to cool in pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes then loosen edges with a knife and flip cake out onto a cooling rack to cool completely
- Once cool flip cake onto a plate or cake platter * If not frosting it the same day I wrap the cake in plastic wrap and store in the fridge until ready to frost.
- Serve cake as is with a dusting of powdered sugar or make the water ganache or the chocolate cream cheese frosting or your own frosting, top with it then slice, serve and enjoy!
For the Ganache
- To make the ganache, place the finely chopped chocolate in a bowl. Pour the hot water on top and whisk together quickly until all the chocolate has melted. If you still have lumps of un-melted chocolate, place the bowl in the microwave for 5 seconds bursts until melted.
- Leave the ganache to sit at room temp for a few minutes if needed or until it thickens to a spreadable consistency.
- Spread the ganache on top of the cooled cake and decorate with whatever you have on hand - flakey sea salt, sprinkles, berries etc.
For Chocolate Cream Cheese Icing (alternate topping)
Ingredients
- 5 ounces cream cheese at room temperature (vegan cream cheese)
- 5 tablespoons unsalted butter at room temperature (vegan butter)
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- Pinch salt
- 2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
Directions
- In the bowl of a stand-up mixer with the paddle attachment (or a medium bowl using an electric hand mixer), add the cream cheese and beat it until smooth. Add the butter and beat it until smooth, about 15 seconds.
- Add the powdered sugar, salt, and vanilla extract. Beat for a full 2 minutes to ensure fluffy, delicious frosting.
- In the bowl of a stand-up mixer with the paddle attachment (or a medium bowl using an electric hand mixer), add the cream cheese and beat it until smooth. I like to do this or else the cream cheese frosting will have little clumps of cream cheese. Next, add the butter and beat it until smooth, about 15 seconds.
- Add the powdered sugar, salt, and vanilla extract. Beat for a full 2 minutes to ensure fluffy, delicious frosting.
Cake adapted from Smittenkitchen
