Vegan Chocolate Cake

3.50 from 8 votes

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This Vegan Chocolate Cake Recipe will become your new favorite dessert! No funky ingredients needed and it tastes amazing! Guaranteed. You will never need another vegan chocolate cake recipe again.

If you are looking for regular Chocolate Cake, you can find it here!

slice of vegan chocolate cake on white plate

A Vegan Chocolate Cake Recipe That Tastes as Good as Regular Chocolate Cake

If you are an avid reader of Lauren’s Latest, you will know that I am not Vegan, but I make, develop and share only the best recipes. This is one of those!! Even though this is a vegan recipe, it is like magic because it tastes just as good as any other chocolate cake out there, minus dairy and eggs.

I originally used this Chocolate Cake Recipe for some Vegan Cupcakes for a friend’s wedding. After experimenting a little more I’ve come up with the best chocolate cake whether you’re vegan or not!

Main Ingredients Needed

One of the greatest things about this recipe is that it uses really common ingredients. Here’s what you’ll need:

  • Almond Milk and Vinegar – Almond milk is used for moisture and the vinegar is used to help activate the baking soda for rising. (Yes, you can use regular milk to make this non-vegan)
  • Canola Oil – Vegetable oil also works just as well here.
  • Granulated Sugar – for sweetness.
  • Vanilla Extract – for flavor.
  • All-Purpose Flour – for the structure of the cake. I use unbleached.
  • Cocoa Powder – Unsweetened Hershey’s or Scharffen Berger is great.
  • Baking Soda and Baking Powder – these are our leavening agents!
  • Salt – to help bring out the other flavors in the cake.
  • Vegan Chocolate FrostingTry this recipe or use your own.
  • Vegan Mini Chocolate Chips – feel free to use semi-sweet, milk, or dark chocolate morsels.

No Eggs or Dairy?

That’s right! Vegan recipes don’t use animal products, including eggs, milk, butter, buttermilk, etc.. This chocolate cake is not supposed to have any eggs or milk in it, so I did not forget to add that in! I’ll say it again for the people in the back: NO EGGS OR DAIRY ARE IN THE RECIPE 🙂

vegan chocolate cake on cooling racks

How to Make My Vegan Chocolate Cake Recipe

This cake recipe is like all others out there, start with simple ingredients, make the batter, bake. Let it cool and then decorate how you like. For full recipe details, check out the recipe card below!

Step 1: Preheat Oven + Prepare Your Pans

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly spray your cake pans with nonstick cooking spray, then line with parchment paper. Lightly spray again and set aside.

Step 2: Make the Cake Batter

In a large bowl, whip oil and sugar together until combined. Stir in vanilla. In a measuring cup, stir almond milk and vinegar together. Set aside to curdle. In a different bowl, stir all dry ingredients together until evenly mixed. Alternate mixing in wet and dry ingredients to the batter starting and ending with dry. Be sure to scrape the sides and the bottom of the bowl to

Pour evenly into prepared pans and bake until a toothpick comes out with a few moist crumbs after being inserted. Cool, then remove cakes from warm pans to a cooling rack. Cool completely.

Step 3: Cool and Frost your Cakes

Stack your cakes together with a little frosting in the middle and then frost the entire outside of the cake too. And it doesn’t matter is the outside looks sloppy because you’re going to cover the edges with mini chocolate chips! I used these mini vegan chocolate chips which worked perfectly!

frosting vegan chocolate cake

Making + Storing Vegan Chocolate Cake Ahead

What else makes this the Best Chocolate Cake Recipe? Both the cake and the chocolate frosting can be made ahead of time!

Cake. Once the cake rounds cool completely, wrap them well in plastic wrap. Then place layers into a freezer-safe Ziploc bag (this double ensures that the cakes don’t get frostbite. Freeze for up to one month.

To thaw, transfer the cake layers to the fridge, allow them to thaw overnight. Unwrap and assemble your cake!

Leftovers? No Problem.

If you have any leftover chocolate cake, store at room temperature under a cake dome for up to 4 days. 

To make your cake last longer, store in the fridge, covered gently with plastic wrap for up to 1 week.

vegan Chocolate cake on white cake plate

Using Other Pans for Baking

The most popular question I get is “Can I turn this Vegan Chocolate Cake into cupcakes?” or “Can I cake this in a 9×13?” and of course the answer is yes! Here are the baking directions for both. Keep in mind that all ovens vary and these baking times are guides. When in doubt, start checking for doneness early.

9×13

To bake this Chocolate Cake Recipe in a 9×13 pan, spray glass pan with nonstick cooking spray and bake 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean once inserted. Cover top with frosting and sprinkle with mini chocolate chips.

Cupcakes

To bake chocolate cupcakes, line 24 muffin tins with paper liners, fill 2/3 of the way full and bake 15 minutes. Make a slightly stiffer frosting by using less milk. Pipe it on and sprinkle with mini chocolate chips.

More Chocolate Cake Recipes!

This vegan cake plus this perfectly creamy and light frosting pairs so perfectly together! Chances are you’ll love my other chocolate cake recipes too.

Print this recipe out, you guys!! It’s a serious keeper!

slice of chocolate cake on plate
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3.50 from 8 votes

The Best Vegan Cake Recipe

The BEST Chocolate Cake Recipe is easy to throw together, uses common everyday ingredients, and tastes amazing! You will never need another recipe again. Guaranteed.
servings 12 servings
Prep Time 3 hours
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 3 hours 20 minutes

Ingredients

for the cake-

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line 2 8-inch round cake pans with parchment paper. Lightly spray with nonstick cooking spray and set aside.
  • In a large bowl, whip oil and sugar together. Stir in vanilla. In a measuring cup, stir almond milk and vinegar together. Set aside to curdle. In a different bowl, stir all dry ingredients together until evenly mixed. Alternate mixing in wet and dry ingredients to the batter starting and ending with dry.
  • Pour evenly into prepared pans and bake 20 minutes or until a toothpick comes out with a few moist crumbs after being inserted. Cool 15 minutes, then remove cakes from warm pans to a cooling rack. Cool completely.
  • After cakes are cooled, assemble the cake by stacking baked cakes one on top of the other, filling with vegan frosting. Cover the entire outside and top of the cake. Cover the edges with mini chocolate chips and serve.

Notes

9×13 Pan. To bake in 9×13 pan, spray glass pan with nonstick cooking spray and bake 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean once inserted.
Chocolate Cupcakes. To bake cupcakes, line 24 muffin tins with paper liners, fill 2/3 of the way full, and bake 15 minutes.

Nutrition

Calories: 303kcal | Carbohydrates: 44g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 14g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 193mg | Potassium: 129mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 25g | Calcium: 74mg | Iron: 2mg
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Keyword: vegan chocolate cake, vegan chocolate cake recipe
3.50 from 8 votes (7 ratings without comment)

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3 Responses
  1. Janice

    5 stars
    Hi Lauren, could I omit the oil, the baking soda and the baking powder ? And use the self raising flour and the milk powder instead ? Thank you

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