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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!
41 people are discussing this recipe. Join in
Great recipe! Can I make cupcakes and if so how long is baking time and at what temp? Thank you Jeanne
Hey Jeanna! I haven’t made them into cupcakes but I would do the same temp I think and around 12-14 minutes but monitor them with a toothpick!
Isn’t the coconut flavor from the oil too strong in the cake? I usually find it overpowering in baked goods… I would love to hear your thoughts before swapping for a different ingredient..
Sounds amazing tho, can’t wait to try it
Hey Ana, thanks for your question. The coconut oil is not too strong in this recipe. I would have called it a coconut chocolate cake if it was too overpowering. I have not tested this recipe with any other oils so please consider that if you do swap it!
I love simple great and quick recipes 🌷
Thank you so much, Janine!!!!
I made this last night using all the ingredients you listed in this recipe.
Wow! I couldn’t even tell that this was a VEGAN chocolate cake!
I’ll make more today.
That makes me so happy! Thank you!!!
Such an amazing vegan chocolate cake.rnrnMade it over the weekend and everyone loved it! We didn’t have blueberries so I topped it off with strawberries instead. Still delicious, thank you!
Such an amazing vegan chocolate cake.
Made it over the weekend and everyone loved it! We didn’t have blueberries so I topped it off with strawberries instead. Still delicious, thank you!
Amazing! Thanks for the love, Talia! Can’t wait to hear what you make next and please leave us a star review next time! You’re the best!!!
Amazing! Thanks for the love, Talia! Can’t wait to hear what you make next and please leave us a star review next time! You’re the best!!!
This cake!!! So tasty and moist. Though I follow Maria on IG, I actually came across this cake because a non-vegan friend cooked it for my bday! It was sooo good that I kept the recipe and tried it yesterday. Easy to make, with common pantry staples and the result is all I was craving for: Chocolate goodness 🤎
YESSSSSS THANK YOU SO MUCH PAULA!!!!
Would this work if I layered it? So another layer of cake on top of the frosting and double the recipe? Or would it not hold?
I would half the recipe into two cake tins then do your plan!
Hi! Can i cut the cake in to layers if I made this in slightly smaller tin and the height increased?I am thinking of making this cake but need to know this.
That should work perfectly fine!!
Hiya Maria! Thank you so much for this recipe – it really is wonderful. I’ve made it twice but wasn’t sure about the oven setting (I’m in Australia and we use celsius) is it 350F fan forced? Or standard? Thank you!
Wow! The texture is amazing, so moist and pleasant… this cake is an absolute game changer!
An extra point for the not too overwhelming chocolate-y taste, it’s just perfect. Thanks for this recipe Maria!
You’re so welcome!!! Thank you!!!
I think standard!!!!!
100%% would be perfect for that!
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!