Vegan Chocolate Cake Recipe: 3 Tips for Making Vegan Cake
Written by MasterClass
Last updated: Dec 19, 2021 • 3 min read
In the baking world, there’s more than one way to achieve a luxurious, rich texture and deep, fudgy chocolate flavor. Add this vegan chocolate cake to your repertoire, and it may just become your new favorite birthday cake.
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What Is Vegan Chocolate Cake?
Vegan chocolate cake is an egg- and dairy-free chocolate dessert that pairs plant-based ingredients like soy milk, oils (either coconut or vegetable oils like canola), and applesauce with rich cocoa powder and flour to create a moist, chocolatey crumb.
Like the best non-vegan chocolate cakes, you can bake vegan chocolate cake into various formats, whether a sheet cake, layer cake, or individual cupcakes.
3 Tips for Making Vegan Chocolate Cake
All it takes to make the best vegan chocolate cake is a few common pantry staples and a willingness to play with new ratios. Here’s what to know:
- 1. Finding the right texture: To achieve the right texture without traditional eggs or butter, you’ll need to find alternative ingredients to bind the vegan cake batter and trap moisture. Most vegan desserts use natural binding agents like flax eggs or chia eggs (a tablespoon of flaxseed meal or chia meal rehydrated with three tablespoons of water) or plant milk cut with a splash of vinegar to stand in for traditional buttermilk. Unsweetened applesauce adds moisture, which results in a springier structure.
- 2. Making it gluten-free or nut-free: Make a gluten-free cake by swapping the all-purpose flour, also known as AP flour, for a gluten-free flour blend, which you find at many grocery stores. To accommodate a nut allergy, use plant-based milk like oat milk, hemp milk, or soy milk instead of cashew or almond milk.
- 3. Choosing the toppings: Decorate your vegan chocolate cake with piped frosting designs, vegan dark chocolate chips, vegan-friendly sprinkles, chopped nuts like walnuts or pistachios, fresh fruit like sliced strawberries or whole raspberries (dusted with gold leaf for special occasions), or a simple layer of powdered sugar sifted over the top.
Simple Vegan Chocolate Cake Recipe
makes
One 9-inch cakeprep time
20 mintotal time
1 hrcook time
40 minIngredients
For the vegan buttercream frosting
For the cake
- 1
Make the vegan chocolate frosting. Combine the softened vegan butter and cocoa powder in the stand mixer bowl fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix on medium speed until well combined, 3 minutes. Add the powdered sugar, plant-based milk, and vanilla, and mix on low speed until incorporated, then increase the speed again and continue to beat until thick and fluffy. Season the frosting with salt and taste. Adjust the consistency with more powdered sugar or milk to your preference.
- 2
Transfer the frosting to a large bowl and cover. Store the bowl in the refrigerator until you’re ready to frost the cake. Wipe out the stand mixer bowl and replace it.
- 3
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Lightly grease two 9-inch round cake pans and line them with parchment paper.
- 4
Combine the soy milk and apple cider vinegar in the stand mixer bowl fitted with the paddle attachment. Let the mixture stand for 5 minutes.
- 5
Add the coconut oil, applesauce, and vanilla extract to the curdled milk. Beat on medium speed until well combined, 3–4 minutes.
- 6
Combine the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt in a large mixing bowl. Whisk to incorporate.
- 7
With the mixer on low, add the dry ingredients in increments and beat until no lumps remain. Carefully drizzle in the hot water or coffee, and mix until combined.
- 8
Divide the cake batter evenly between both prepared pans, and bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with a few moist crumbs still attached, about 35–40 minutes depending on your oven.
- 9
Remove the cake pans from the oven and place them on a wire cooling rack. Remove the frosting from the refrigerator. Frost once the cake has cooled completely.
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