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Square photo of a vegan chocolate cake
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5 from 3 votes

Vegan Chocolate Cake

Vegan chocolate cake, sweet, delicious, and chocolatey. It is rich, moist, and satisfying, and great for any birthday party.
Prep Time15 minutes
Cook Time30 minutes
Total Time45 minutes
Course: Dessert, Snack
Cuisine: American
Diet: Vegan
Servings: 16
Calories: 373kcal
Author: Iosune

Ingredients

For the vegan chocolate cake:

  • 1 and ½ cups unsweetened plant milk I used soy milk
  • 4 teaspoon apple cider vinegar or lemon juice
  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 and ½ cups granulated sugar
  • ¾ cups unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 1 and ½ teaspoon baking powder
  • 1 and ½ teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • ½ cup oil I used canola oil
  • ¾ cups applesauce
  • 1 tablespoon vanilla extract

For the vegan chocolate frosting:

For the topping (optional):

  • 0.5 oz dark chocolate grated

Instructions

For the vegan chocolate cake:

  • Preheat the oven to 350ºF or 180ºC. Grease two 9-inch (23 cm) cake pans. I also line the bottoms with a circle of parchment paper. Set aside.
  • Mix the plant milk and vinegar in a jar or bowl until well combined. Let the mixture rest at room temperature for at least 5 minutes. After this time, the milk will thicken and curdle.
  • In the meantime, add the dry ingredients to a large mixing bowl (flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt) and mix until combined.
  • Add the oil, applesauce, vanilla extract, and the plant milk and vinegar mixture. Stir until well combined.
  • Divide the batter evenly between the two cake pans. 
  • Bake for about 30 to 40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Baking time may vary depending on the oven.
  • Let it cool for 15 minutes before transferring it to a cooling rack and then let it cool completely before frosting. If you don’t have a cooling rack, just use a dish or what you have on hand.

For the vegan chocolate frosting:

  • Add all the frosting ingredients to an electric mixer bowl and beat until combined and fluffy. Mix starting on low, and turn to high. You could also use a regular large bowl and a hand mixer
  • If your frosting is too thick or crumbly, add a little bit of unsweetened plant milk (soy milk is my favorite one). If your frosting is too thin, just add more powdered sugar until thickens.
  • Frost the cake using an icing spatula or a butter knife, adding a thick layer between the top and bottom layers. 
  • Slice your vegan chocolate cake and serve. Ideally, refrigerate the cake for 30 minutes before serving, but this is optional.
  • Keep the leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for 3 to 5 days. You can also freeze the vegan cake for up to 1 month, but in that case, freeze the cake without the frosting and frost just before serving. 

Notes

  • You could also make cupcakes using this recipe. Just fill the liners ¾ of the way full and bake for about 20-25 minutes. 
  • Cut the recipe in half to make a 1 layer round cake. You can also omit the frosting for a healthier version.
  • If you don’t want thick layers of frosting, cut the frosting ingredients in half.
  • Feel free to use any type of plant milk, such as oat milk, rice milk, almond milk, or cashew milk, among others.
  • Use any kind of sugar, salt, and oil.
  • You could also use 3 flax eggs instead of the applesauce, but I think applesauce is the best choice.

Nutrition

Serving: 1serving | Calories: 373kcal | Carbohydrates: 43.1g | Protein: 4.3g | Fat: 21.9g | Saturated Fat: 5.2g | Sodium: 285mg | Fiber: 3.4g | Sugar: 24.4g