Last updated on October 4th, 2020 at 09:23 am
Yup, it’s a big call – the best classic vegan chocolate cake? It’s a bold position but I’m confident. I have made this cake so many times and each time it knocks my wee socks off. My non-vegan people love it too, what’s more. Inspired by a Hershey’s chocolate cake recipe I came across BIWV (before I went vegan), this chocolate cake is moist, chocolatey and so simple.
I’ve eaten some cake in my time and this vegan chocolate cake is up there in my top 5. I am telling you, this cake is AWESOME.
- It has a delicious and tender crumb.
- It is fantastically chocolatey without being overwhelming.
- The recipe is super basic – no beaters, no mixer, just you, a whisk and a spoon.
- The finished cake keeps for up to 5 days so if you’ve made a three tiered cake just for the heck of it – not for a party – you are going to need a few days to polish it off.
Or not. No judgement.
Hershey Good
I created this recipe because I wanted to bake a plant-based chocolate cake that is just a simple, classic chocolate cake. I’ve made nut-free, sugar-free and gluten-free desserts and they are great but sometimes you just want a traditional chocolate cake. This is it.
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.
How to Make the Best Vegan Chocolate Cake
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!
Why this Cake Works
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.
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.
It’s perfect for birthdays and holidays but simple enough you can make it everyday. 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.
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The Best Vegan Chocolate Cake Recipe
Ingredients
For the Vegan Chocolate Cake
- 1 and ¼ cups / 310ml soy milk or dairy-free milk
- 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 1 cup / 150g self-rising flour
- ¾ cup / 120g wholemeal flour
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1 and ½ tsp baking soda
- ½ tsp fine sea salt
- ¾ cup / 75g cocoa powder
- 1 and ¼ cups / 275g raw sugar caster or fine
- ½ cup / 125ml sunflower oil
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- ¾ cup / 187ml boiling water
For the Chocolate Buttercream Frosting
- 3 cups / 480g confectioners sugar (Icing Sugar)
- 3-4 tbsp vegan buttery spread
- 3 tbsp cocoa powder
- pinch fine sea salt
- 3 tbsp dairy-free milk
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Instructions
For the Vegan Chocolate Cake
- Preheat oven to 165 degrees C (330 degrees F) fan-forced or 180 degrees C (355 degrees F) conventional and line 3 x 18cm (7-inch) cake pans or 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 3/4 of the pan height.
- Pop the pans in the oven and bake for 23 – 25 minutes for the 3 x 18 " pans or 28 – 30 mins for the 2 x 22 " pans 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.
Notes
Nutrition
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!
Can I skip the whole meal flour I don’t have any on me
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!
Hi there,
Just confirming measurements for dry ingredients, 1 cup flour:128g?
Thanks,
Jess
Also is the baking soda necessary?
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… Read more »
Amazing! Thanks so much Amanda! I look forward to making your recipe!
You’re so welcome, Jess. I hope you enjoy it.
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?
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