This decadent dessert is the perfect choice for all chocolate lovers, vegan and non-vegan alike!
Chocolate is one of the most beautiful ingredients in the world. Very little feels and tastes better than a fluffy, sweet, and rich chocolate cake for birthday parties, guests, casual desserts, or a special treat. The best part about this recipe isn’t that it’s good, for vegan food. It’s that it’s good, period, end of story!
An interesting factoid about vegan chocolate cake ingredients is that they weren’t necessarily developed to suit a vegan diet. In fact, they came about during The Great Depression when certain ingredients like milk, butter, and eggs became scarce, expensive luxuries unavailable to many people. They needed cheap and easy alternatives. And so, the vegan chocolate cake was born! Or at least, the fundamentals were put in place for modern-day vegans to build on and create vegan chocolate cake as we know it.
This recipe is great for its versatility. I personally find it to be an excellent fit for when I have a mixed assortment of diets to satisfy. In particular, it’s a hit with one of my good friends who has an allergy to eggs, another who is lactose intolerant, and yet another with an allergy to soy products (I use almond milk as my plant-based milk, which I personally like for its nutty and creamy flavor). Some of my most cherished memories are providing a good chocolate cake to a crowd. It’s almost better than eating the cake myself to be able to look around a birthday party and see friends and family indulging in the cake without worrying.
Cake Chemistry…
Something truly wonderful about this cake is how simple the ingredients are. In fact, there’s a decent chance you have everything you need already in place in your pantry! The most significant change from a non-vegan recipe is apple cider vinegar and baking soda, which are both easy staples to find in most kitchens or in the supermarket, no fancy and expensive egg substitutes necessary. You might be reminded of middle-school science fair volcanos when you think of baking soda and vinegar, and you’re right! That chemical reaction is exactly what gives this cake its fluffy feel without any need to rely on eggs.
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups soy milk or any plant-based milk
- 2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- 3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup vegetable oil
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 cup hot water
How to Make Vegan Chocolate Cake
Step 1: Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease two 9-inch round cake pans and line the bottoms with parchment paper.
Step 2: In a small bowl, whisk together the soy milk and apple cider vinegar. Set aside to curdle, creating a vegan buttermilk.
Step 3: In a large mixing bowl, sift together the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.
Step 4: Add the vegetable oil and vanilla extract to the vegan buttermilk, then pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients. Mix until just combined.
Step 5: Gradually stir in the hot water until the batter is smooth and well combined.
Step 6: Divide the batter evenly between the prepared cake pans.
Step 7: Bake for 30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cakes comes out clean.
Step 8: Allow the cakes to cool in the pans for 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely before frosting.
FAQs & Tips
How to Make Ahead and Store?
It’s important to keep your cake moist! If you’re storing the cake before applying the frosting, you can do this by wrapping cooled layers in plastic wrap, up to 24 hours before frosting. After you do the frosting, you can keep the cake out for no more than 3 days at room temperature, though do keep it covered on a cake stand or with an aluminum foil wrap. You can also keep the frosted cake in an airtight container in your fridge for up to a week.
Our Champion, Cocoa Powder
The quality of your cocoa powder will determine the flavor quality of your vegan chocolate cake. Natural, unsweetened cocoa powder will be your best friend in this pursuit. Mix it well and thoroughly with your other dry ingredients to keep the distribution even.
Saving Spray…
Always, always, always remember to spray the sides of your cake pan with a cooking spray and put wax paper or a similar material at the bottom to keep it from sticking and coming apart when you flip it over! I can’t begin to count how many times I’ve baked a cake and forgotten this vital step. You don’t want your cake to fall apart, trust me. Cooking spray and wax paper will save you every time!
Serving Suggestions
While the cake is extremely important, one should always top it with something delicious! Frosting is the go-to for many, and an Easy Vegan Cream Cheese Frosting or a Vegan Buttercream Frosting (Dairy-Free) will complement the vegan chocolate cake perfectly, but you can also serve it topped with fruits that pair well with chocolate, such as strawberry slices or raspberries. If you make two layers of the cake, a fruit or frosting layer in the middle can go a long way and make your cake the real star of the dessert table.
Vegan Chocolate Cake
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups soy milk or any plant-based milk
- 2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- 3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup vegetable oil
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 cup hot water
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease two 9-inch round cake pans and line the bottoms with parchment paper.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the soy milk and apple cider vinegar. Set aside to curdle, creating a vegan buttermilk.
- In a large mixing bowl, sift together the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.
- Add the vegetable oil and vanilla extract to the vegan buttermilk, then pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients. Mix until just combined.
- Gradually stir in the hot water until the batter is smooth and well combined.
- Divide the batter evenly between the prepared cake pans.
- Bake for 30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cakes comes out clean.
- Allow the cakes to cool in the pans for 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely before frosting.
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