Last updated on September 24th, 2021 at 08:05 am
This vegan chocolate cake is everything. It is moist, rich, chocolatey with a delicious crumb. Plus it is so easy to make; no beaters, no mixer. Just you, a whisk, a spoon and some pantry ingredients.
Top it with my basic chocolate frosting or my vegan chocolate buttercream to take this cake to the next level.
Based on Hershey's "Perfectly Chocolate" Chocolate Cake recipe I made a few vegan tweaks, added a little wholemeal (wholewheat) flour (I think it gives this cake the best crumb), and played with the ratios a little and voila, a classic chocolate cake you are going to love. I have made hundreds of chocolate cakes in my time and this one takes the cake. Literally.
Reasons to Love This Vegan Chocolate Cake Recipe
This cake is a simple, classic chocolate cake. I've made nut-free, sugar-free and gluten-free desserts - if that's what you're after, try my raw chocolate cake - and they are great but sometimes you just want a traditional chocolate cake. This is it.
- It has a delicious and tender crumb.
- It is fantastically chocolatey without being overwhelming.
- The recipe is super basic - no beaters, no mixer. All you need is a whisk and a spoon.
- The finished cake keeps for up to 7 days in the fridge!
- It freezes beautifully
- It is perfect for kid's birthdays, desserts or
What You'll Need | Ingredients
Self-raising flour: Self-rising flour is used regularly here in Australia. If you can't find it, you can make your own. Sift 2 teaspoons of baking powder per cup of all-purpose flour.
Whole wheat |Wholemeal flour: wholemeal flour gives this cake a delicious crumb. You can use regular flour but it is worth it to try the wholemeal/whole wheat.
Oil: Use a neutral flavoured oil like sunflower, grapeseed or vegetable oil.
Cocoa Powder: Use regular cocoa powder here, you don't need Dutch processed just check the label to make sure your cocoa is vegan.
Buttermilk: Buttermilk helps make this cake tender and light. We are making our own buttercream using soy milk and apple cider vinegar.
Step-By-Step Instructions
The recipe for this cake is so simple. Are you ready? Here we go:
Step 1. Combine the vinegar and dairy-free milk in a jug or bowl to make a buttermilk.
Step 2. Whisk your dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl.
Step 3. Add the remaining wet ingredients to the buttermilk.
Step 4. Whisk the wet and dry ingredients together and add boiling water (the batter is thin, don't worry, it's supposed to be).
Step 5. Pour the batter in to lined cake tins and bake for some 20 + minutes
Step 6. Cool, frost, devour. Simples!
The Secret To This Super Moist Vegan Chocolate Cake
The original recipe and this vegan version work perfectly for two main reasons
No. 1. boiling water | the trick to this cake's gorgeous flavour is the boiling water. While some recipes call for adding espresso to highlight chocolate notes, this cake does the same by adding hot water. It blooms the cocoa making its flavour more intense. Clever, yes?
And No. 2. Oil | the cake is made super moist by using oil instead of butter. The bonus is that if there is no butter, there's no creaming.
Tips to Making The Best Vegan Chocolate Cake
- Don't over-mix you cake batter. When you over-mix cake batter the gluten in the flour forms elastic strands that result in rubbery cakes. Ew! Mix the wet ingredients in to the dry until they are just combined.
- Pre-heat your oven with an oven thermometer. Many a cake has failed due to a too hot or too cold oven.
- Make sure to use fresh baking powder. Baking powder is only at its peak for 3 months after opening. I know, right?
- Line you cake pans well with baking paper and a light spray of cooking spray. It sucks when a beautiful cake sticks to the pan - trust me, I know.
Different Cooking Times for Different Pan Sizes
One Pan Cake: Grease and flour 13x9x2-inch baking pan. Heat oven to 170° C or 338° F. Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake 35 to 40 minutes.
Three Layer Cake: Grease three 8-inch round baking pans. Heat oven to170° C or 338° F. Pour batter into prepared pans. Bake 30 to 35 minutes.
Bundt Cake: Grease and flour 12-cup fluted tube pan. Heat oven to 170° C or 338° F. Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake 50 to 55 minutes. Cool for 15-minutes before turning out.
Cupcakes: Line muffin cups (2-½ inches in diameter) with paper bake cups. 170° C or 338° F. Fill the cups two-thirds full with batter. Bake 20 to 22 minutes. Cool completely. Frost. About 30 cupcakes.
Source: Hersheyland
Recipe FAQ's
In this recipe the boiling water and sunflower oil ensure the cake is super moist and will keep that way for days. Yay.
Technically you can use most dairy-free milks to make buttermilk but I find soy works best. It creates a thicker buttermilk.
I have made this cake over and over and over and one of the things I love about it is that it keeps really well. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to a week.
After baking the cake and turning it out on to a cooling rack, allow it to cool completely. Once completely cool, wrap it in foil and pop it in a freezer-proof container. Store it flat in your freezer for up to 3-months. To thaw your chocolate cake, remove it from the freezer to thaw at room temperature. Once thawed, you can frost it to serve.
You can! Just reduce the cooking time down to 20-22 minutes or try my vegan chocolate cupcake recipe.
Whether you want to swathe your chocolate cake in swirls of my Basic Chocolate Frosting | Vegan or simply dust it with icing sugar, it will work perfectly. Dress it up, dress it down, the choice is yours.
I am going to call it - this is the only vegan chocolate cake recipe you will need. Enjoy, x.
If you are after a nut-free dessert, try the [Loved Up] Nut-Free Raw Chocolate Cake. If it's sugar-free you're after check out my easy Avocado Chocolate Mousse or for gluten-free try my Wicked Vegan Chocolate Beetroot Cakes.
Want something a little smaller? Try my Vegan Chocolate Cupcake Recipe.
Hungry for More Plant-Based Goodness? Subscribe to my newsletter and follow along on Facebook, Pinterest and Instagram for all the latest news and updates. If you like this recipe, please check out my cookbook. Great Vegan Meals for the Carnivorous Family is full of simple, carnivore-approved family recipes.
The Best Vegan Chocolate Cake Recipe
Ingredients
For the Vegan Chocolate Cake
- 1 ¼ cups soy milk or dairy-free milk
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- 1 cup self-rising flour
- ¾ cup wholemeal flour
- 2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
- ¾ cup cocoa powder
- 1 ¼ cups raw sugar caster or fine
- ½ cup sunflower oil
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¾ cup boiling water
For the Chocolate Buttercream Frosting
- 3 cups confectioners sugar (Icing Sugar)
- 3-4 tablespoon vegan buttery spread
- 3 tablespoon cocoa powder
- pinch fine sea salt
- 3 tablespoon dairy-free milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
For the Vegan Chocolate Cake
- Preheat oven to 170°C (338°F) and line 2 x 22 cm (9-inch) pans with grease-proof or baking paper.
- Combine the milk and apple cider vinegar in a mixing bowl and set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl mix together the flours, baking soda, baking powder, sea salt, cocoa powder and sugar.
- Gently whisk the sunflower oil and vanilla extract in to the milk/vinegar (buttermilk) mixture.
- Add wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and lightly whisk before adding the boiling water and whisking gently until combined. Be careful whisking the boiling water.
- The batter is thin so I pour it in to a large pouring jug and distribute it evenly between the cake pans - up to around ¾ of the pan height.
- Pop the pans in the oven and bake for 25-30 mins or until a skewer comes away from the centre cleanly.
- Remove from the oven and sit the cakes for 10 minutes before turning them out to cool completely.
- Place one cake, flat side up, and top with your favourite frosting. Place another cake on top, add more frosting followed by the last cake and - you guessed it - more frosting. Decorate with fresh fruit to serve.
For the Chocolate Buttercream Frosting
- Add the icing sugar, vegan butter, cocoa and sea salt to a large mixing bowl.
- Using a hand-held beater set to low, beat the ingredients together on a low until combined to a rough sand consistency.
- Add the dairy-free milk and vanilla and beat until well-combined and fluffy. Add a touch more milk if needed.
- Use immediately or cover and store in the fridge for up to 2 days. If refrigerating, give the frosting a quick stir before use.
GAIL ARIAS says
HI Amanda, I love the vegan chocolate cake recipe, but noted the conversions on multiple batch (2x,3x) in the weights are not multiplying in the recipe.
Amanda says
Hi Gail, I am so happy you like the recipe. Thank you for letting me know about the conversions - I will look into it with the recipe card designer. Thank you!
Amanda says
Hi Gail,
I think I have that all fixed up now. You can convert between cups (AUS) and metric now. Cheers!
Kat Varcoe-Cocks says
I am not vegan and had everything in my cupboard ready to cook this cake. Thanks Amanda- I already had a go to mud cake recipe and now i have a go to light and delicious chocolate cake whenever I want to bake one! And the frosting is amazing. Yum!
Jackie says
Can I skip the whole meal flour I don’t have any on me
Amanda says
Hey Jackie, the original Hershey's recipe doesn't use whole four so go for it. I like the crumb of the mixed flours but it will still work with regular flour. Enjoy!
Jess says
Hi there,
Just confirming measurements for dry ingredients, 1 cup flour:128g?
Thanks,
Jess
Jess says
Also is the baking soda necessary?
Amanda says
Hi Jess,
How are you doing? I am based in Australia so I use AUS cups. I have filled in all the measurements in grams in the recipe now. Having said that, I've had a stack of readers in the States make the cake using their own cup measures and it's worked out perfectly.
The short answer to using baking soda is this - ideally you use baking soda if the recipe requires it BUT if you're stuck and don't have any, you can swap it for baking powder. Baking soda is more powerful than baking powder so to swap it you will need around 2 tsp of baking powder for 1 teaspoon of baking soda. For this recipe I would try 1 tbsp of baking powder, total. I say this because you don't want to taste the baking powder but need the lift. I hope that helps 🙂 Let me know how you go!
Jess says
Amazing! Thanks so much Amanda! I look forward to making your recipe!
Amanda says
You're so welcome, Jess. I hope you enjoy it.
Melina Torno says
I am baking the cake right at the moment. So excited for it to be finished.
I only had one pan with 25cm... how long would you recommend baking it?
Amanda says
Hi Melina,
How did it go?! If all the batter is going in to a single pan, I would bake for around 45-50 minutes. If you can see through your oven door you will see the sides of the cake pulling away from the cake pan. That's a good indication that the cake is almost ready. The cake is totally done when a skewer comes out from the centre clean. I hope it worked out for you! x
Margie says
This recipe is absolutely the BEST chocolate cake recipe I’ve tried! I made a 7” two layer cake and 6 cupcakes. I could not believe how moist, light and fluffy the cake was ....so delicious! Thank you for this❤️
Amanda says
Oh, Margie. That's fantastic - you've made my day. I am so happy you love the cake and thank you for letting me know. x
Michelle says
I don't have any raw sugar... would plain white granulated work? And should I add the same amount or...?
Amanda says
Yes and yes, Michelle. White will be fine it will be sweeter is all. 🙂
Satvinder says
Can I just double the recipe & get the same results?
Amanda says
Hi Satvinder,
I haven't doubled the recipe myself but theoretically you can double most of the ingredients as long as you bake the batter in 2 of the size pans indicated in the recipe. However, you can't just double baking powder and soda. I would only use 2 and 3/4 tsp of baking soda and 1 tbsp of baking powder for the double recipe.
I hope that's helpful
A
Cindy Wall says
So good! And easy! 🙂 Perfectly moist. Perfect crumb. I did double the frosting.
Amanda says
Thanks so much for taking the time to let me know, Cindy. I am so happy you liked the cake and good to know about the frosting. I will make a note on the recipe that you may need more than one batch. Thank you! Have a great day.
Erin Walsh says
Hi, Do you grease or flour the pans at all?
Amanda says
Hi Erin!
Yes. I wrote to line the pans but didn't say what with! Sorry about that. I line my cake pans with baking paper (greaseproof paper) even if the pans are non-stick. Better safe than sorry.
Thanks for stopping by. 🙂
Debra Murphy says
I have made a few vegan chocolate cakes and none come to this one. It is the perfect balance of moistness, sweetness and decadence. By FAR the best recipe I have tried. Brilliant!
Amanda says
I am smiling from ear to ear, Debra. Thanks so much for the feedback. x
Curt says
Is it Dutch Process cocoa?
Thanks
Amanda says
Hi Curt, I am in Australia and use a vegan cocoa from my local supermarket. Nothing fancy at all. The boiling water will bring out the chocolate flavour for you. 🙂
Maddy says
Wow! A chocolate cake for any celebration or day of the week. Made this for my partner and he is still raving about it. So glad I’ve found your blog!
Suzanne Lyons says
I’m in Boston USA. What is ‘wholemeal’ flour. Really want to make this cake. Thx. Hello to you and Australia!
Amanda says
G'day Suzanne! Wholemeal flour is wholewheat in the US. Thanks for pointing that out. I'll add a note to the recipe. I hope you love it.
My husband and I visited Boston a few years - great city!