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Oh baby! I think I truly outdid myself with this Easy Vegan Chocolate Cake recipe. I’m telling you, this will NOT last in your house for very long – it’s that good! Rich, moist, and decadently chocolatey, this plant-based dessert proves that vegan baking can be both simple and absolutely incredible.
Why You’ll Love This Vegan Chocolate Cake
- Quick: You can make it in under an hour. Who has time to bake for anymore than that?
- Plant-Based: It’s completely vegan, but even your non-vegan friends will beg for seconds.
- Amazing Frosting: The cashew-based frosting is so damn creamy and delicious – seriously one of the highlights.
Ingredients
Cocoa Powder – The star ingredient that makes this vegan chocolate cake so irresistible. Beyond its rich flavor, cocoa powder is packed with theobromine which helps reduce inflammation and can protect you from diseases. It’s actually low in fat and sugar too, making it a surprisingly healthful ingredient in this decadent dessert.
Maria Koutsogiannia
Maria is the creator of FoodByMaria and your go-to Greek food expert for cozy, flavor-packed recipes. Inspired by her Mediterranean roots, she brings traditional Greek flavors, feel-good ingredients, and a whole lot of joy to everyday cooking.
Cashews – The secret to creating the creamiest vegan frosting without a drop of dairy. Cashews are a nutritional powerhouse – low in sugar and rich in fiber, healthy fats, and plant protein. When blended, they transform into a silky base that rivals any traditional frosting, proving that vegan desserts don’t require compromise.
How to Make This Vegan Chocolate Cake
1. Lightly grease a 9-inch baking tin with vegan or non-vegan butter and set aside.
2. Preheat your oven to 350F.
3. To a small bowl, add your apple cider vinegar and plant-based milk. Stir to combine and set aside. Do not worry about the curdling, this is meant to happen. It is essentially cream!
4. To a large bowl, add your brown sugar, flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Whisk till well combined and there are no lumps.
5. To the bowl, add the coconut oil, vanilla and milk mixture. Using a hand mixer or whisk, begin whisking for around 1-2 minutes or until combined. The mixture should be lumpy. Gently add in the boiling water and whisk for another 30 seconds.
6. Transfer mixture to the baking tin and bake for 32-35 minutes. Remove from the oven and let the cake cool completely in the baking tin.
7. For the frosting, simply add all your ingredients into a high-speed blender and blend for 1 minute and 30 seconds. Place the frosting in the fridge for 10 minutes before frosting the cake.
8. Enjoy with fresh berries or some vanilla ice cream or both!
Tips and Tricks
- Plant Milk: Any plant-based milk works, but neutral flavors like almond or oat complement chocolate best.
- Boiling Water: Don’t skip this step – it blooms the cocoa powder, intensifying the chocolate flavor.
- Frosting: Ensure cashews are properly soaked for the creamiest frosting texture.
- Decoration: Fresh berries add color and flavor contrast and make the cake look professional.
Substitutions
Missing a few key ingredients? Try these easy substitutions:
- Sugar: If you don’t have brown sugar, white sugar will work just fine.
- Oil: Melted vegan butter makes a perfect substitute if you’re out of coconut oil.
- Milk Options: Any plant-based milk works – almond, oat, soy, or coconut will all yield delicious results.
- Non-Vegan Version: If you are not vegan, you can use regular milk and butter, but the plant-based version is equally delicious.
Best served with
- No-Churn Chocolate Ice Cream Recipe
- No Churn Vanilla Ice Cream with Pink Salt + Olive Oil
- Pistachio Ice Cream (with feta)
How to Store Leftovers
This vegan chocolate cake will last up to 1 week in a tightly sealed container on the counter at room temperature. Any leftover icing will last up to 1 week in a sealed container in the fridge.
Common Questions
The vinegar reacts with the plant milk to create a vegan buttermilk substitute, which helps create a tender crumb and helps the cake rise properly.
The most common issue is not soaking the cashews long enough. For the creamiest frosting, soak cashews in hot water for at least 1-2 hours, or in room temperature water overnight. A high-powered blender is also important for achieving that silky texture.
Yes! You can simply substitute the all-purpose flour with a 1:1 gluten-free flour blend designed for baking. The texture may be slightly different, but it is still delicious.
You can bake the cake 1-2 days ahead and store it (unfrosted) in an airtight container. The frosting can also be made a day ahead and refrigerated. Assemble just before serving for the freshest result.
The cake itself can be kept at room temperature for up to a week, but if your kitchen is very warm or your frosting seems soft, refrigeration is recommended.
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Ingredients
For the cake:
- 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 1 ¼ cups almond milk, any vegan milk will work
- 2 cups brown sugar*
- 2 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
- ½ + 1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 ½ tablespoon baking powder
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- large pinch of salt
- ½ cup melted coconut oil**
- 1 tbsp. vanilla
- 1 cup boiling water
Chocolate Frosting
- 2 cups raw cashews, soaked in cold water for a least 1 hour then strain and rinse
- ½ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- ¼ cup icing sugar
- ¼ cup + 1 tbsp. if needed almond milk
- 1 tsp. vanilla
- pinch of salt
Instructions
Start Cooking- Lightly grease a 9-inch baking tin with vegan or non-vegan butter and set aside.
- Preheat your oven to 350F.
- To a small bowl, add your apple cider vinegar and plant-based milk. Stir to combine and set aside. Do not worry about the curdling, this is meant to happen. It is essentially cream!
- To a large bowl, add your brown sugar, flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Whisk till well combined and there are no lumps.
- To the bowl, add the coconut oil, vanilla and milk mixture. Using a hand mixer or whisk, begin whisking for around 1-2 minutes or until combined. The mixture should be lumpy. Gently add in the boiling water and whisk for another 30 seconds.
- Transfer mixture to the baking tin and bake for 32-35 minutes. Remove from the oven and let the cake cool completely in the baking tin.
- For the frosting, simply add all your ingredients into a high-speed blender and blend for 1 minute and 30 seconds. Place the frosting in the fridge for 10 minutes before frosting the cake.
- Enjoy with fresh berries or some vanilla ice cream or both!
43 people are discussing this recipe. Join in
This is my new favourite chocolate cake!! So easy and so delicious!
We made it three times to celebrate my birthday week!
Oh my gosh, this makes me so happy!! Thank you so much for the love hun!
can you use stevia brown sugar?
You could try! I didn’t test it that way. Just keep it might stevia is much sweeter tasting so it might come out tasting slightly different.
I haven’t had a chocolate cake this moist in awhile.
Thank you so much, Whitney!!!!
can i replace the apple vinegar with regular vinegar?
Yes, white vinegar or lemon will work just fine!
No one knew this was vegan! Such a huge hit!
Cake is delish 😋
I was wondering would I have to double the batter for a sheet cake that’s in a 11 x8 tray?
That’s a good question! I haven’t made it that way before but I think if you did double it would work like that! Just make sure you watch the batter as it cookes to prevent overcooking or even undercooking! Please let me know how this goes!
This makes me so happy!!!
This was so easy to make and so so moist… I followed the recipe exactly- This recipe is definitely a keeper! Fed it to non vegan friends and they were none the wiser!
YESSS!! This makes me so happy!!! Thanks, Laura!
This is amazing! My two girls made it all by themselves and then couldn’t eat it fast enough! Sooo good!
YesS!!! This seriously makes me so happy!
Any substitutes for cashews for the icing?
I didn’t test it this way but I have heard tofu might word! Or you could use butter!