Four years ago this month, John and I were just kids planning our wedding. We decided to give up sweets during our engagement to feel our best on our wedding day, and to more fully enjoy our dessert bar and wedding cake.
The big day finally arrived. We had been so good, not even having an ounce of sweets aside from honey and the occasional after-dinner mint. And you better believe we pigged out at the reception. I was in sweet tooth heaven.
Like most, our honeymoon was a time of sheer indulgence so when we got settled back into “real life” we hit the reset button on our diet. Sweets were out the door again.
That was, until we attended the wedding of some close friends in Portland where I met the chocolate cake that perhaps changed my life.
Yes, big words for a cake.
I’d resigned to give desserts up indefinitely. But then we show up at this wedding and it’s absolutely charming and the food is delicious and the ambience is perfect and the music is a local bluegrass band…and all at once they bring out this giant chocolate cake.
I wrangled our entire table into a discussion over whether or not this cake was worth breaking my fast for.
Unanimously, we agreed yes. I took one bite into this luxurious, velvety, rich chocolate cake, and amidst so many layers of mousse, cake and ganache my mind couldn’t comprehend what my taste buds were experiencing.
Was it worth it? Without a doubt, yes.
These days my sweet tooth still wins once in a while, but I keep it to the occasional indulgence. A donut here, a cookie there, almost always something on the healthier side of the spectrum. But especially in the last 6 months, always dairy free. And so, it was a given that I had to make my dream chocolate cake vegan style.
Friends, I’ve done just that.
As the title suggests, this cake is made in 1 bowl in under 1 hour! You can even make your buttercream frosting in the same bowl you used for the cake. Simplicity at its finest.
The ingredients are fairly simple and considerably “healthier” than most chocolate cakes.
Coconut oil replaces vegetable or canola
Oil is reduced with the addition of applesauce
Cane sugar replaces granulated sugar
And the only (vegan) “butter” is in the (vegan) “buttercream” frosting
So, what does it taste like? Just like chocolate cake should! It’s:
Tender
Fluffy
Chocolaty
Sweet
Moist
Decadent
Generously frosted
& Perfect with a glass of almond milk
If you’re like me, chocolate cake (or any cake, for that matter) deserves a giant scoop of ice cream beside it. Melty ice cream and a thick slice of heavily-frosted cake – does it get any better than that?
But for the modest cake eater, a glass of almond milk is really all you need to wash down this vegan chocolate dream. Enjoy!
Speaking of almond milk, this recipe marks the first of several recipes we’ll be sharing over the next few months featuring Blue Diamond Almond Breeze! I’ve been using Almond Breeze for years and am thrilled to bring you guys some tasty recipes featuring a product I adore so much. For more information about the integrity of this brand, see their FAQ page.
Now bring on the cake!
1-Bowl Vegan Chocolate Cake
Ingredients
CAKE
- 1 1/2 cups original unsweetened Almond Breeze Almond Milk
- 2 tsp white or apple cider vinegar
- 1 1/4 cups unsweetened applesauce*
- 1/2 cup strong brewed coffee (or sub more almond milk)
- 2/3 cup melted coconut oil (or sub avocado oil)
- 2 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 2 heaping cups whole-wheat pastry flour or unbleached all-purpose flour (heaping implies 1 cup + roughly 2 Tbsp)
- 1 1/3 cups organic cane sugar (or sub granulated sugar)
- 1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 2 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp salt
FROSTING
- 1 cup vegan butter (softened)
- 2 1/2 – 3 cups powdered sugar
- 2/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1/4 cup dairy-free semisweet chocolate (melted and slightly cooled)
- 2 tsp pure vanilla extract
- ~1/4 cup unsweetened original Almond Breeze Almond Milk
Instructions
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Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (176 C) and lightly spray 2 8-inch round cake pans or 1 large rectangular pan with nonstick spray (see notes for cooking times for different size pans // adjust number or size of pans if altering batch size). Dust with cocoa powder, shake out the excess and set aside.
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Mix the almond milk and vinegar in a large mixing bowl, and let set for a few minutes to activate. Add the oil, coffee, vanilla extract, and applesauce and beat until foamy. If coconut oil hardens, microwave the mixture in 10-15 second increments until melted.
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Add the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt to a sifter and slowly sift over the wet ingredients while mixing with a hand-held or standing mixer. If you don’t have a sifter, simply mix dry ingredients in another bowl and add to the wet mixture while beating. Beat until no large lumps remain. It should be creamy and pourable. Taste and adjust sweetness as needed, adding more sugar if desired (I found it plenty sweet).
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Divide batter evenly between your cake pans or rectangular pan.
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Bake 25-30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Let cool completely before frosting.
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While cooling, prepare frosting by beating together all ingredients until light and fluffy, adding the powdered sugar in small amounts until you reach your desired consistency and sweetness. If it becomes too thick, add more almond milk. If it’s too thin, add more cocoa powder or powdered sugar.
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Once the cake is cooled, frost generously with buttercream frosting, adding a thick layer between the top and bottom layers (if doing a 2-layer cake). Alternatively, omit the frosting and dust with cocoa powder.
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Serve with a scoop of dairy-free ice cream, a drizzle of chocolate, or caramel sauce, coconut whipped cream or a glass of almond milk!
Notes
*I tested butternut squash puree in the original recipe and it made it a bit too dense for my liking. Applesauce was perfect, which is why I highly recommend it over other purees.
*Double the recipe and use 4 pans for a 4-layer cake. Halve the recipe and use 1 pan for a 1-layer cake.
*Adapted from my Fudgy Vegan Beet Cupcakes
*Buttercream adapted from Martha Stewart
*Confused on how long to bake your cake when using different pans? Here’s a helpful guide.
*Nutrition information is a rough estimate.
Nutrition Per Serving (1 of 10 slices)
- Calories: 524
- Fat: 26g
- Saturated fat: 15g
- Carbohydrates: 74g
- Fiber: 5.1g
- Sugar: 51g
- Protein: 4.8g
Hi! I can’t wait to make this- if I don’t have vegan chocolate for the frosting, do you think it would work to sub a little extra cocoa powder and some coconut oil?
Thanks so much for your recipes!
Hi Sam, we haven’t tried that, but it might work. We aren’t sure whether it would impact the texture. Here’s another frosting option: https://minimalistbaker.com/date-sweetened-chocolate-frosting/
Followed this recipe exactly and good gracious it is AMAZING! The applesauce keeps the cake moist, coffee really bring out the flavor of the chocolate, it’s awesome!
Maddie my 11 year old and I made it this afternoon. Absolutely delicious! We’re excited to make it for our wider family to share vegan goodness and celebrate life once this time has passed. Just a small note on the frosting… it’s too sweet for us and the quantity was waaaay to much for the cake size so if using frosting we’d suggest half the amount next time. Thank you so much Dana for such a fab recipe!
Hi!
Anything I can substitute for apple sauce? Perhaps just swap it out for oil? Or would that be too much oil?
Don’t have anything to make apple sauce, and since we can’t go out I’m looking for a substitute.
Any suggestions?
Hi Anoop, maybe mashed banana or sweet potato? Let us know if you try it!
Absolutely delicious moist cake! These recipes keep me busy during this self-isolation period (though not official lockdown) in Montreal! I’m wondering when your next cookbook will come out?
Love how you make everything so inviting! Keep up the amazing work, it’s delicious and inspiring!
Hi Amanda, thanks so much for the lovely review! We don’t have plans for another cookbook at this time, unfortunately.
Hello! I have 4x cake pan set, 20.3cm (8in) will this recipe work with these? Thanks!
Hi Brittany, it should work if you just use 2 of the pans. Hope that helps!
Did it without the frosting yet it was stunning. I’m no vegan but always interested in vegan food/alternatives and my dad couldn’t believe that the cake was vegan (as if all vegan food taste like grass) I had to show him the recipe. Due to the difficult times that we’re going through with the lockdown, we don’t want to leave the house for groceries and your recipes are perfect!
Love from Paris, France x
We’re so glad you’re enjoying our recipes, Alicia! Sending big hugs! xo
This cake is amazingly scrumptious! It’s moist and flavorful, and gets gobbled up SO QUICKLY! I’ve made it several times and it’s been a major crowd pleaser on each occasion. One of my go-to recipes for special occasions. I love topping it with fresh mixed berries to balance out the richness of the chocolate-on-chocolate. Thanks for bringing such mindblowingly rad vegan recipes to the people, Dana! xoxo
Yay! We’re so glad you enjoy it, Anna! Thanks so much for your kind words and lovely review!
Hi Dana! This cake is my absolute fav. I make it all the time and it always gets rave reviews. It’s my husbands birthday in a couple of days and he has requested a marble cake. I’d love to use this recipe as the base because it’s so fluffy and moist. For the ‘Vanilla half’ would you recommend replacing what would be the cocoa with flour? And maybe a little extra milk to replace the melted chocolate? Thanks so much!!
oops! I mean milk for coffee – not melted chocolate!
Hi Karlie, we haven’t experimented with that and aren’t sure whether it would work! Perhaps modify from our vanilla cake and cupcake recipes? https://minimalistbaker.com/1-bowl-vegan-gluten-free-vanilla-cake/ and https://minimalistbaker.com/one-bowl-vegan-funfetti-cupcakes/
I forgot to say that we did not have applesauce so I used mashed garnet yams. Dense, rich, so good!! I have not had sugar in 30 days so this was the perfect indulgence!
My 14 year old just made this today as our quarantine cake…..it is outstanding! The frosting is a bit sweet for me so I left some on my plate but the cake was moist flavorful perfection!
Yay! So happy to see young ones in the kitchen! Thanks so much for sharing!
The Best Recipe ! I made this tonight. The cake part came out great, the frosting didn’t really, I tried to make vegan butter at home and after was done I didn’t let it harden in the fridge but used is right into the frosting. It came out very runny and didn’t harden at all. I am a bit.. well. It’s fine anyway. 😅
xoxo! Thanks for sharing!!
Its’s a great recipe- so soft and airy! I used ordinary milk instead of almond and 1/2 coconut oil, 1/2 olive oil, also I used 1/2 rye flour and 1/2 spelt flour- I had to improvise a bit due to lack of the written ingredients! Thank you Minimalist Baker!
Thanks so much for the lovely review, Dina. We are so glad you enjoyed it and were able to modify with what you had! Next time, would you mind leaving a rating with your review? It’s super helpful for us and other readers. Thanks so much! Xo
Thank you So much. I’ve do w this cake twice over period of a week and it is a winner In our home. I used greape seed Oil instead coconut Oil. In my first cake I used pumpkin puree that gave fudge very dense cake. The second time I used 2 mashed bananas more fluffy texture but still delicious. Very easy to make highly recommended to try this at home.
The cake was so dark and moist. I made it in a 9 by 13 inch pan. I used grape seed oil instead of coconut oil and a combination of soy and oat milk instead of almond. I opted for a different icing – I didn’t want it too sweet so I made my own recipe melting raw chocolate with coconut oil and added vanilla and maple syrup. I just spread a thin glaze over the cake. I’m not vegan and I bake a lot. I can honestly say people would never guess this is a vegan cake.
Whoop! We’re so glad you enjoyed it, Grace! Thanks for sharing!
Hi , thanks for the recipe, looks amazing! Just a question…how can I substitute the vegan butter in the frosting? I am planning to make this for a birthday this week!
Hi Eluney, maybe try our cashew buttercream instead: https://minimalistbaker.com/cashew-buttercream-frosting/. Or this one made with cashew butter: https://minimalistbaker.com/date-sweetened-chocolate-frosting/
I made this last night and it was great! I followed the recipe to the T (subbed granulated sugar, and added a little more sugar as it wasn’t sweet enough to my liking) and the cake rose beautifully and was a lovely, dark, molten-chocolate colour (I did forget to switch the two pans halfway, which I normally do so they rise the same, so I left the bottom pan a few mins longer after I took the top pan out). 25mins was a good amount of time for me. The frosting was glossy, rich and so delicious (I used a tiny bit more dairy-free choc to taste), and half the suggested amount was perfect.
The only change I’d make next time is to use 1 cup of applesauce instead of 1 1/4. That was a bit too much, but other than that, this is perfect! Thank you (ps- I’ve made your vegan chocolate silk pie in the past and that is divine too!!)
Thanks so much for the lovely review, Claudia! We’re so glad you enjoy both recipes!
Can I use mashed bananas instead of apple sauce
We haven’t tried it, but we think it would work. There may be a slight banana flavor. Let us know how it goes!
I baked this cake this weekend and followed the recipe with the exception of substituting oat milk for almond. Sadly I also ran into the moisture issue, and ended up under baking my cakes (despite keeping them in the oven for 40 minutes). This resulted in the centers collapsing and being wet, however the outer 2/3 of the cake was perfect. My solution? I cut out the centers, iced with the MB vegan buttercream icing with about a cup of crushed oreos mixed in and piled mini oreos in the center. It ended up being delightful. I rated the recipe 4 stars because I think the vague ‘heaping cups’ of flour might be the cause of some issues, but the parts that were cooked tasted 5 star. Would it be possible to edit in a weight measurement for the flour?
Carli – thanks for the feedback! We’ll double check the metric quantities and measurements!
I made this cake for my daughter’s bday. She and her vegan/vegetarian friends ALL loved it! It really is a great fudgy cake! So, I followed your recipe and the only things that I found were, I had to bake the cakes for almost 55 mins and there was nothing fluffy to this cake – but, it was more like a beautiful fudgy brownie, sooo can this really be a negative? lol The icing was fantastic too – go on and make this… you won’t be disappointed!
Thank you for sharing this recipe with us! 🙌 ( I have photos, I wish I could share.)
Whoop! Thanks for sharing, Christine!
I made this cake yesterday and it was a total disaster. I had to bake the cake for an hour because it was so wet, but even after an hour it wasn’t good. It had the texture of raw crepe. It was dense and wet. It was awful.
Oh no! So sorry to hear that was your experience, Stephanie! It definitely sounds like something went wrong. What kind of flour did you use? Did you use the cup or metric measurements? Did you make sure the cups of flour were “heaping” cups? Did you make any modifications? Would love to help troubleshoot, if possible.
Same here! It has been in the oven now for over 30 min and the center is completely wet. I followed the measurements exactly. Also, what is a heaping cup? Why not just use exact measurements if the risk is a soggy cake?
I just clarified today that a heaping cup is approximately 1 cup + 2 Tbsp. We’ll revisit this one to see if we can improve texture!
My daughter and i had alot of fun making this cake for her tenth birthday and enjoyed eating it even more! It was the first cake ive ever made and it was super easy to follow and i thought it turned out well. Everyone loved it.! I used vegan margerine for the icing becasue i didnt have butter. I didnt thi k there was a difference but according to my daughter there is. We only used about half the sugar in the icing and few more chocolate chips instead. I baked in rectangle pan then cut it in half and staked it. We will definitly be making this again! Possibly every weekend!
How fun! Thanks so much for the lovely review, Jake. We are so glad everyone enjoyed it! Next time, would you mind leaving a rating with your review? It’s super helpful for us and other readers. Thanks so much! Xo
What can I substitute for apple sauce ? It’s not sold where I live
Hi Hania, you can make it! Or you can sub another purée such as sweet potato or pumpkin.
I made this cake for a friend’s birthday. I followed the recipe exactly, making 2 round cakes for a layered cake. My husband and friends told me that it tasted just like “regular” cake after I told them it was vegan. They reported that is was moist and just plain delicious. I did not try it myself as I am sensitive to caffeine (coffee), but I am happy to share that it was loved by all I shared it with. Another amazing recipe from Minimalist Baker!
So glad to hear it! Thanks so much for sharing, Ash!
I made this tonight for the first time and followed the recipe exactly.
Firstly, the sponge. I thought the sponge itself is lovely and moist, my 2 layers turned out a bit bigger than I expected but that’s ok. It did need an hour in the oven though.
Secondly, the frosting. I found this to make way more than you need, I’ve only used half of what was made for in-between the layers and to cover the cake. Not sure if the remainder would freeze, it feels a bit of a waste to throw it out. I personally find it too sweet but my friend disagrees!!
Lovely cake and would definitely make again but with only a quarter of the frosting for in-between the layers
I have made this recipe four times over the last two years. It is a huge hit every time! People RAVE about this cake and can’t believe its vegan! I follow the recipe almost exactly but instead of coconut oil I use canola oil now because I had issues with the coconut oil hardening.
If you’re thinking about making this cake, just do it!! You won’t be disappointed!
I love Minimalist Baker, but unfortunately I did not have success with this recipe. I read many of the reviews and made the recipe exactly as stated with only the following two differences – I used Oat milk entirely (no coffee) and higher fact cocoa powder instead of the usual lower fat baking cocoa powder – and I baked it in two layers as stated in the recipe. After the recommended baking time the cake was nowhere near set – I eventually pulled it out of the oven after about 45 minutes, but despite lengthening the baking time, the cake was so moist, almost doughy, that I felt I could not serve it. Maybe if I was expecting a “fudge” type cake I may not have been so disappointed, but it also tasted a bit on the doughy side, and despite using a great quality cocoa powder that I have used before, the chocolate flavour really didn’t shine through in my taste test. I guess not every recipe can be perfect (although pretty close to it I must say Minimalist Baker!). Just thought I would add my real life comments from making it as I often don’t get around to it, but really appreciate it when others do.
Oh no! Sorry to hear that was your experience, Dara! It definitely sounds like there was too much moisture / not enough dry ingredients. Did you use heaping cups? Also, we wonder whether the higher fat cocoa powder could have contributed to more moisture?
I Live in Puebla, México and vegan butter is not so easy to find. Can I use vegan butter spread? Or do you have any other substitute for the fat of the frosting? I dont need it to be vegan I just need it to be dairy free.
We haven’t tried it, but that might work! Or maybe try cashew buttercream instead? https://minimalistbaker.com/cashew-buttercream-frosting/
Have made this for work and received rave reviews. In fact, I have been asked to make it as a special treat for a co-worker’s birthday. All of your recipes are reliable and turn out just great! Thanks for your hard work!
Aw, thanks so much for your kind words and lovely review! We’re so glad to hear it!
Can I use cacao power instead of cocoa powder (i.e. raw cacao powder instead of regular baking cocoa powder – and is it dutch processed by the way or does it matter?)? I generally use the raw cacao powder for baking but not sure if it would make a difference to the texture here or change the taste in a bad way … any advice would me most appreciated! On the same note, would it make a difference, if using cocoa powder, if the cocoa powder was the high fat kind as opposed the regular kind? I love higher fat cocoa powder if I am using cocoa.
Any of those should be fine!
Can I use Bob’s Red Mill 1:1 gluten free flour?
We would recommend this recipe for a gluten-free version: https://minimalistbaker.com/gluten-free-birthday-cake-vegan/
I’ve made this cake a couple of times now and it is oh-so-delicious. I haven’t done it as a layer cake, just as a pan cake, and have made it with soy milk rather than almond milk. It’s my go-to chocolate cake recipe now, and everyone I’ve fed it to has liked it. The non-vegans have not suspected that it’s vegan, either, which is always a positive.
Yum!! Can’t wait to try it. Do you think it would hold up as a 4 layer cake 6” diameter each?
Do you think I could freeze it with the frosting on it?
Thanks!
A 4 layer cake should work! We would recommend frosting just before serving. Not sure if it would freeze well with the frosting. Let us know how it goes!
Hey there! Would sunflower oil work for this recipe?
Whoops. I see someone else asked the same and you recommended olive oil. I’ll do that!
Hello,
I can’t wait to test this recipe! Can you tell me if this vegan chocolate cake recipe is sturdy for a 2 tier cake? I need to make a vegan chocolate cake for my friends wedding. I was thinking three 8in layers on bottom and two 6in layers on the top tier.
Thank you
I’d think so! Maybe do a trial run if it’s for a special event.
This recipe is absolutely delicous! The coconut oil did solidify once it was mixed with the other relatively cool ingredients so I had to reheat the entire mix in the microwave in another bowl which was a hassle. If I could give it a 4.5 stars I would because it was very time consuming and ingredient heavy. The “one bowl” gave the illusion it was simple but it was not. Nonetheless, in the end it earned 5 stars because it was so tasty! I will definitely keep the recipe, I’ll just have to adjust my expectations on time invested. (I followed the exact ingredients and it was fabulous!)
I made this and it is the BEST recipe I have found for a vegan chocolate cake. I used sweetened homemade applesauce, and the avocado oil is perfect for not adding any additional flavors. I bake it as a 13×9 and its a really nice full cake. Bigger and heavier in the best ways. I made the frosting with the myokos vegan butter and I dont think Ill ever change recipes after finding this one. Thanks!!!
Thanks so much for the lovely review, Kristin. We are so glad you enjoyed it! Next time, would you mind leaving a rating with your review? It’s super helpful for us and other readers. Thanks so much! Xo
beware if you’re planning to substitute oil for the applesauce like I just did. Tasted awful and crumbled to pieces when touched. Probably would have been good had I used applesauce.
I do have an issue with the flour measurement being two “heaping cups”- this is silly. If the measurement is an odd one, just give a weight instead.
Yeah we haven’t tested this oil-free. Thanks for sharing! A heaping cup is usually 1 cup + 2 Tbsp.
This was absolutely delicious! Doubled the recipe for a 4 layer cake for my son’s birthday party and guests raved and said I could “sell this stuff”. Well done Dana!!! Yet again, an utter success! Anything I try from you has always be wonderful. Thanks for all you do.
Aw, thanks so much for your kind words and lovely review, Rachael! xo
This cake is sooo yummy! Added a few tbsp of instant coffee to the cake and the icing. Will be making again and again.
Almond Breeze contains milk. This recipe is not safe for people with dairy allergies or sensitivities.
Shanna, thanks for the update. I believe that an isolated incident. However, to be safe you can purchase other dairy-free milk brands (or make your own).
I don’t think it was an isolated incident and I don’t think it was an accident. As an extremely dairy-sensitive person, I have had a reaction every time I’ve tried Almond Breeze. People are always telling me to try again, claiming the bad stuff was all recalled. Understandably, I don’t trust any almond milk now.
I made this a couple of weeks ago, stuck exactly to the recipe & it was a wild success! It was appreciated by young & old. Thanks for sharing the recipe details so clearly & with all your tips.
Do you have any recommendations for baking cupcakes with the same batter?
We’re so glad everyone enjoyed it! Yes- it should work great with cupcakes! Some other readers have done so with success. If you press “ctrl+f” on a PC or “command+f” on a mac, a find bar should pop up that allows you to search for “cupcakes” in the post and comments to see what others have done.
I’m about to try this recipe tomorrow, with the tweak being it will be about 20 slices. The page automatically adjusted the ingredient amounts accordingly but not the temperature and baking times.
Should they remain the same or also be adjusted since the cake will be a bit bigger?
Hi Angie, You will likely need to adjust the baking time to be longer. Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Hope that helps!
Can this be made with your GF flour blend?
Hi Tasie, we recommend this recipe for a gluten-free version: https://minimalistbaker.com/1-bowl-chocolate-hazelnut-cake-vegan-gf/. Hope that helps!
The cake is wonderful! I used oat milk and accidentally used 1/4 cup too much applesauce but it still came out wonderfully. I baked for 30 min in a 13×9 tin cake pan. I skipped the frosting altogether as it’s a treat as-is, but I may have to try the frosting if I make it for friends sometime! Thanks so much!
Can I sub live oil for coconut oil, and soy milk for almond milk?
Soy milk should work fine! Olive oil will probably work, but expect it to definitely have a bit of an olive oil flavor. If you’re okay with that, we would say go ahead! If you give it a try, we would love to hear how it goes!
I ended up making homemade almond milk and went with the olive oil. The final product was delicious but definitely more “fudgy” than the fluffy cake-y flavor I expected. Perhaps more baking powder next time?
Thanks for sharing this recipe, I love your blog!
Thanks for letting us know! Baking powder might work, or it may have just needed longer to bake?
I made this cake for my vegan girlfriend for her birthday. I followed the recipe to a T and the cake turned out…not like cake. It was super dense, almost pudding-like–not light and fluffy like you would hope a cake would be. I also found it really bitter, which I suspect is because of the coffee. After trying a slice, my girlfriend (who is much more knowledgeable about baking than I am) was flabbergasted by the amount of applesauce in the recipe. She suspected that the applesauce was responsible for the density and really could have been omitted. I think a simpler recipe with fewer ingredients would have made a far better cake. Super disappointed.
Conor – sorry you had trouble with this recipe! We’ll revisit the quantities to see if we can make improvements. In the meantime, this is our new go-to chocolate cake recipe.
Wonderful recipe!!! We were all impressed how fluffy it turned out. Mine didnt taste much coffee so I might change that for the next time. Even if I am the person who always say “this is too sweet”, I found 1 1/3cup of sugar not enough (I used brown sugar) when I tasted the batter, so I added 1 1/2 cups in total. Still thought it could be a bit more sweet. Just an impressive delicious cake that one maybe wont believe it is plant based. Now I am looking for the perfect frosting and filling :)
Thanks for sharing your experience, Sue! We’re so glad you enjoyed it!
This cake is a-maz-ing! Thank you for this recipe!
I did have to bake it about 50 minutes, as I saw a few other posters did. Totally worth the extra few minutes’ wait :)
Hello
I’m really excited about making this cake. Do you think it would be okay if I use coconut sugar instead of cane sugar?
I’ll post once I make it.
Cristina
We think that should work! Let us know if you give it a try!
This recipe is absolutely delicious. I have made several different vegan cake recipes and this one is by far the best. The cake does not contain ground flax which is often used for an egg replacement, but often makes things taste really “healthy.”
The cake is very moist and doesn’t feel heavy at all. It definitely does not taste like a vegan cake, which for me is a win. Thanks for putting together so many delicious recipes. Your site is a goldmine of awesome recipes.
Thanks so much for the lovely review, Jeremy! We’re so glad you enjoyed it!
Made this cake and used the ganache from Easy Raw Vegan Brownies (https://minimalistbaker.com/no-bake-vegan-brownies-with-chocolate-ganache/).
BIG hit with the whole family! They didn’t even know it was vegan, and it had way less sugar than they thought. They’ve already asked me to make it again! Definitely adding this one to my collection of staple recipes.
Yay! Thanks for sharing, Chloe!
This cake was amazing! Made it for a holiday bake-off, added some fresh fruit to the top, and everyone loved it!
Two comments–another reviewer mentioned getting raw coconut oil chunks in her cake since they solidified. I started to notice coconut oil chunks solidifying in my batter, so I heated the batter over some boiling water (making a double boiler) which melted the coconut oil again before I put the batter in the oven.
Second thing–my frosting turned out darker than the picture even though I used the same ingredients. Not a problem at all (it was still delicious!) but just a heads up since I was worried I did something wrong. Thank you for this awesome recipe, it will be a staple for all celebrations now haha :)
Yay! Thanks for sharing, Meeka!!
Made this using the Date-Sweetened frosting! OMG FUDGY GOODNESS!!! You are my spirit animal! Thank you for your amazing content I go to you for almost every meal! I’m thinking of trying to make this with no refined sugar Question-Do you think combining dates with the apple sauce would be too much? Probably would back off on the other liquid. Do you have an expert opinion on this one?
Hi there! I’m not sure on that. It will likely make the cake too fudgy and dense. But if you try it let us know how it goes!
The consitency of this cake was super dense and not very enjoyable and I also had to bake it at least 60 minutes. Wouldn’t recommend it to anybody.
Oh no! So sorry to hear that was your experience, Jojo. Did you make any modifications?
This was my first time making food for my vegan friends, and I was nervous, but it came out absolutely amazing! They went home with the recipe and massive leftover slices. I used almond milk in place of the coffee, and self-raising flour with half a teaspoon of baking soda – it came out incredibly fluffy and moist. My default chocolate cake for sure going forward :)
Whoop! We’re so glad you and your friends enjoyed it, Lena! Thanks for sharing!
Made this for my uncle’s birthday cake, and as dessert for our vegan thanksgiving. It was a hit! So fudgey and decadent. Made with 1 cup whole wheat flour, 1 cup oat flour. Had to bake for ~40 min, then left out overnight. Frosted the next day and the consistency was perfect. Also used extra almond milk instead of coffee and it was still rich and delicious. 1000/10
What a great niece! We’re so glad you enjoyed it, Haley. Thanks so much for sharing!
can i use cake flour instead of all purpose flour?
I think that should work well! Let us know how it goes.
Hello! Can I use persimmon puree instead of applesauce? I have loads of persimmons at the moment and i’ve done some baking with them, hasn’t been bad but I don’t want to mess up this cake because i’ll be giving it as a bday present…
Hi Valentina, We haven’t baked with persimmon puree and aren’t sure. Let us know if you give it a try!
Delicious! I used vegetable oil instead of coconut/avocado oil, did not add the extra 1/3 cup of sugar, and used almond milk instead of coffee. Next time i’ll probably use a higher fat non dairy milk like cashew or soy.
Thanks for sharing your experience! We’re so glad you enjoyed it!
I’ve been making this cake every year for my birthday since I went vegan 3 years ago. My birthday is always right around Thanksgiving so I usually make it for our family dinner. Even my mom who won’t eat anything vegan loves this cake! It’s just so good!
Whoop! We’re so glad you enjoy it, Emmett! Thanks for the lovely review!
Hi Dana. I can’t wait to make this cake for my partners birthday. Quick question! The party is Saturday so I was going to bake this Friday evening. Do you suggest I put the cakes in the fridge over night and then frost them on Saturday? (Very newbie baker here)
Thx so much!
I’d say leave it at room temperature!
Do you think this would be good as cupcakes? I’d like to make for my son’s birthday.
Yes! Some other readers have done so with success. If you press “ctrl+f” on a PC or “command+f” on a mac, a find bar should pop up that allows you to search for “cupcakes” in the post and comments to see what others have done.
If I want to make cupcakes how long would I bake them and at what temp please? Should I keep the cake recipe the same?
Hi Sam, we would recommend using Use this or this as a guide. Hope that helps!
Super moist! I would add balsamic vinegar as my vinegar; it adds a little something special. Other than that it’s a perfectly moist not overly sweet treat! I didn’t even frost it; it was perfect as is. If I wanted to up the presentation I would have dusted confectioners sugar on it and garnished with a strawberry!
We’re so glad you enjoyed it, Annmarie! Thanks for sharing! xo
Hi there! I’ll be trying this recipe tonight and I have a few questions, what’s the recommended pan size? Can I do it all in one pan without halving the recipe? Last question if you’d recommend any sort of chocolate ganache instead of frosting?
Thank you so much :)
Ganache frosting here!
As for the pan size, I’d suggest 2 8-9″ pans, or 3 6″ pans, or 1 9×13″ pan.
man oh man oh man oh man, this is truly the most perfect cake I’ve ever baked from scratch, vegan or otherwise. I used organic cold-brew from Trader Joe’s, apple cider vinegar, and avocado oil, whole wheat pastry flour, and also added a few drops of almond extract on a hunch. 30 minutes was perfect in my oven, and I wanted to pair with peanut butter, so frosted with your ‘vegan peanut butter mousse,’ which was so unbelievably yummy, I need more friends so I can have more excuses to make. Didn’t have quite enough of the peanut butter topping to fill between layers, so I used fig jam I had on hand, instead, and found the fruit balances the richness of the chocolate and peanut butter so nicely, it’s basically the best thing I’ve ever done. I can’t thank you enough for putting this out there in the world! xoxo
Yay! Thanks for sharing, Kate! xo
Can I use a mix of avocado and coconut oil used for cooking instead of melted oil?
Thank you!
That should work!
I’m not sure if I’ve reviewed this before, since I’ve made it many times, but I need to leave this new review. In my family this has become known as “Ari’s chocolate cake,” (apologies to Dana as the originator!) and the reason that’s relevant is that Ari is my 11-year-old son. He makes this cake regularly, and everybody who tastes it adores it. He’s made it with many different icings (his favorite is vanilla buttercream). He’s made for guests, for friends.
Point being: not only is this cake the most delicious vegan chocolate cake, it’s easy enough for an 11-year-old to make unsupervised. I really couldn’t recommend it more!
Love this! Thanks so much for sharing! xo
Hi, thank you for this great cake recipe. I’ve made it round and now square. It’s fantastic!
Thanks so much for the lovely review, Alicia. We are so glad you enjoyed it! Next time, would you mind leaving a rating with your review? It’s super helpful for us and other readers. Thanks so much! Xo
Hi!
If I’m replacing the coffee with additional almond milk, how much almond milk should I add?
I’d say the exact amount as the coffee. Hope that helps!
Hi!
I have yet to try this recipe however I noted that some of the advertising on this page involving reptiles, makes it very difficult for me to look at this page and bake. I have a terrible fear of these legless reptiles! Is there a way to remove such content from the page?
Thank you and I look forward to making this cake! I have made your vegan raw brownies and they have been a hit from children to adults! I have made peanut sauce from your recipe and it was almost licked from the bowl by my guests!
Thank you!
Hi Anu! So sorry to hear you’ve had an odd experience. Those ads are generally populated based on searches / purchases made on your computer. I know this sounds odd, but they’re often personalized and have nothing to do with anything we’ve selected to be shown.
Hope you love the cake!
I’ve been making this cake every year for my brother’s birthday for at least 5 years now. It is now a regular request, not only from my vegan brother but from other non-vegan family members as well! Absolutely delicious and there are never any leftovers. I do use regular vegetable oil instead of coconut oil, and regular sugar instead of cane sugar. I also decorate with strawberries or raspberries on the top.
Wonderful! Thanks for sharing, Mary!
Do you have a suggestion for making frosting w out butter? I’ve been searching for a recipe that doesn’t require butter / coconut cream
Hi Amanda, we have several frosting recipes. If avoiding vegan butter as well, this date-sweetened frosting might be your best bet! Hope that helps!
Could you beore special fuc amount measurements and tines? How long does the vid egar sit in the milk? How much is a healing cupful of flour? My batter was thin and the cupcakes didnt rise much.
I don’t fully understand your question, but you only need to let the vinegar sit in the milk for 5-10 minutes. And 1 heaping cup of flour is equivalent to 1 cup + about 2 Tbsp.
Were your leavening ingredients fresh? Sounds like you needed more flour.
I made this cake last night, substituted half a cup of flour for toasted almond meal, used canola oil, soy milk and baked it in a bundt tin (took about an hour).. it was soo amazing, so moist and incredibly rich, really one of the best chocolate cakes I’ve had, let alone baked. It reminds me of a chocolate mud cake you’d buy from your favourite bakery. I am vegetarian trying to convert and this cake amazed me, thank you
Yay! Thanks for sharing, Court!
Can one use GF all purpose flour to make this cake? Thank you.
Hi Amy, Check out the previous comments for gluten-free options! We’ve previously recommended (and this is a loose recommendation because we have not tested this particular recipe with these substitutes) using a mix of almond meal or flour, oats or oat flour, and a gluten free flour blend with a little xanthan gum for binding! We also have recommendations for substituting gluten-free flour in our Recipe FAQ’s. Let us know how it goes if you try it!
How would canola it vegetable oil wok instead of coconut oil? Thanks!
Hi Sharon, that should work. Let us know if you give it a try!
This cake was easy to make and DELICIOUS! I used oat milk instead of almond milk. The texture was still a little runny so I added a little more flour. It baked wonderfully! Unfortunately my toddler wanted pink frosting so I used your dairy free buttercream recipe. I will have to make the chocolate frosting another time!
Yay! Thanks for sharing, Yolanda!
Any suggestions on substitutes for the almond milk? Would coconut or oat milk work? Thanks!
Both should work! Let us know if you give it a try!
Such a delicious chocolate cake!! I have made this for birthdays, work parties, anniversaries, just because, whatever reason. It is so easy and so freaking good. I haven’t made the frosting because I usually buy one, or make a vegan cream cheese frosting to pair with it. I sub almond milk instead of using brewed coffee (probably just laziness on my part). I also don’t use coconut oil, I use canola. I used coconut oil once and struggled to stop it from solidifying. We sliced into a cake with coconut oil clumps, which just looked gross. Probably laziness again but I’d rather use canola and be sure I’m not getting white solids in my cake :) It’s the greatest chocolate cake recipe to date though!
Thanks for sharing!!
Loved the simplicity of the recipe. Tried it yesterday and my daughter said this – loveliest vegan cake ever. I substituted a few ingredients as I am from Bangalore, India and don’t get them here. I subbed peanut milk for almond milk + brewed coffee, put jaggery instead of sugar as I believe the former is healthier, skipped apple sauce as I don’t get apple sauce and didn’t have any other fruit also at home. Made up with extra peanut milk. Rest same as what was advised in your recipe. Looking forward to doing two cakes and putting dark chocolate filling next time as my daughter wants something with fluid chocolate in the middle of the cake :)
Thanks so much for the lovely review, Deepa. We are so glad you and your daughter enjoyed it! Next time, would you mind leaving a rating with your review? It’s super helpful for us and other readers. Thanks so much! xo
I am writing this from India. Thanks for the easy recipe. I am stuck with what unsweetened Applesauce is and I don’t think I will get anything to substitute it. Please suggest an alternative.
Hi Deepa, we would recommend trying mashed banana in place of the applesauce. Hope that helps!
A hit! Made this for my daughter’s vegan friend for their sleepover, and she gobbled down a huge slice and happily took home the leftovers. My daughter said she had never seen her friend eat a whole serving of any dessert before, even pre-vegan. My other daughter, who tends to pooh-pooh anything vegan, loved it as well. In fact, she was really sad to find out that I had given away the leftovers! Thank you so much!
Yay, thanks Lynn!
I’m not a huge chocolate cake person as a rule, but had a hankering and need to find something to satisfy. This recipe did not disappoint! As I was doing this on the fly I didn’t have a few of the ingredients but substituted as follows: I didn’t have applesauce to hand so used 2 ripe bananas instead. and subbed in almond unsweetened dark chocolate milk with 1/2 cup unsweetened oat milk instead of coffee and milk. I also subbed coconut sugar instead of granulated and use the avo oil substitute. Baked 350 for 25 mins… omgosh THE most decadent delicious chocolate cake I’ve ever had. A little crumbly when still warm so let cool completely [my one layer wasn’t quite cooled enough so ended up being a “must eat now” – I served up with strawberries no frosting – mmmmm]. The left over tier I’m on the fence about frosting now as I don’t think it needs it but I already made it up… I’ll let you know how it goes but this has officially become my go to recipe.
Do these cakes freeze well if I wanted to make ahead?
Thanks for sharing!!
I think they would freeze beautifully!
Hi, I would like to use up the gluten-free as well as hazelnut flour that I bought for your one bowl carrot cake (which was amazing btw) thoughts on using them, and the ratios for this? Thanks!
Hi Kate, this recipe might be a better fit. You could try replacing the almond meal with hazelnut flour, perhaps? If you give it a try, we would love to hear how it goes!
Hi – could this be made as a red velvet cake if I just add food colouring?
I think so but we haven’t tried it and aren’t sure! Let us know if you do.
Turned out absolutely fantastic!
I put in a cup of sugar plus sweetened cashew milk. I actually think that a cup and a quarter would have been closer to the original recipe, but I prefer things less sweet in general (I also added extra coffee extract). Anyway, it turned out rich and delicious. If anyone is trying to sub in a sweetened milk, just check the grams per serving (I can’t believe I didn’t think of this before), and compare it to the amount of sugar in grams in the recipe. I think this is 266 grams, but I’m guesstimating – I couldn’t find it on the website. The cashew milk I added only had 22 grams total (plus that coffee extract) so the cake has the chocolate taste of a 90% cacao chocolate bar – pow! Husband approved!
Anyway, thank you for making baking less scary. I hate repeating things, but I may even make this cake again (very high compliment).
?
Thanks so much for the lovely review, Molly! We are so glad you enjoyed it!
Hi! I would like to make this delicious looking cake tomorrow and wanted to know if I could bake all of the batter at once in one pan and than just cut the cake in two layers when cold. If it’s possible, how do you think would it change the baking time?
Another less important question, could I substitute maple syrup for the sugar?
I’m not sure how maple syrup will react in place of sugar as baking can be quite a delicate dance. Let us know if you try it. As for baking it all in one pan, that should be fine assuming the pan is large enough to accommodate the batter (at least a couple inches room for it to rise). Bake time may be a little longer, so adjust as needed.
This sounds so delicious. I have sweetened cashew milk in the fridge, do you think I could sub it in, and take it a cup of sugar. Or would that throw off the wet/ dry ratio?
Thank you so much!
Hi Molly, we haven’t tried that and aren’t sure, but we think it will be okay. Let us know if you give it a try!
Well, the batter tastes great ;)
I was wondering if Oatly oatmilk can be used instead of the almond milk? I have a nut allergy):
That should work!
I made this but ir came out very wet. I even cooked it an extra 20 min. Any advice? Or more dry cake recipes? Thanks
Hmm, did you alter any of the ingredients?
Amazing. I made this for the first time for my daughter’s birthday party. It was a huge hit. Tons of compliments ( from non vegans who of course didn’t realize it was even vegan!). Came together beautifully. No modifications necessary! Will be making again and again. I see it as a staple for holidays, special events and for the everyday event of needing chocolate cake. Thank you!
I baked this cake yesterday for sharing today—very excited to eat it—and I ran into a small issue while preparing the batter. I believe that because my applesauce had been refrigerated, when all the wet ingredients were combined, the coconut oil began to solidify. I was able to save it by microwaving the liquid components, but I wonder if this recipe could be updated to state that the liquid ingredients should all be at room temperature?
Hi Carl, thanks for the suggestion! We will take a look and make modifications as needed.
Best vegan chocolate cake!! Soo moist and tasty. My whole family loved and asked for the recipe!
My dad made this for my 19th birthday! Was the best chocolate cake I’ve ever had. (Compared to all Vegan and non vegan chocolate cakes) love love love this recipe! Thank you!
Thanks, Leah!!
Another excellent recipe, thank you! This was easy to make and was so yummy. Everyone loved it.
Thanks for sharing!!
I’ve been making this cake for years and even non-vegans love it!
I’ve made this at least three times and it always comes out perfectly!
Holy moly this cake is obscenely good! I’ve made it for several birthdays and I’ve gotten overwhelming praise for it. I can’t believe I’ve only just now reviewed it! The only change I made is replacing the coconut oil with canola, which cuts down on the saturated fat significantly. The addition of melted chocolate chips to the buttercream is genius–it makes a huge difference! I’m sure we’ll be eating this for years to come. It makes birthdays that much better. Thank you Dana!
So glad you enjoy this recipe, Mia! xo
I baked this cake for my boyfriend’s birthday and shared it with all of his non-vegan friends / family. Everyone loved it and were surprised that it was vegan. A friend said it was as good as any cake you would get from a cake shop (we live in Italy, so this is a high compliment) and my boyfriend even said it is the best cake he has ever eaten. Thanks for this recipe!
Yay! Thanks!
Was wondering if this could also make a 3 layer 6 inch cake or if I’d have to alter the batch amount/cooking time!
That should work! Just reduce cooking time.
Is olive oil an adequate substitute for avocado or coconut oil? I tried to browse through the comments to see if anyone else had tried this substitution but have not seen any. I haven’t had luck baking with coconut oil and avocado oil is quite expensive!
Update: just made 24 cupcakes using this recipe, subbed the olive oil for the coconut and used a scant amount of brown sugar due to running out of cane. Baked for 23 minutes. They are delicious! And yes, this grown woman just had a cupcake for breakfast. Ill blame that decision on needing a quick bite while nursing my 6 week old
Hi Kristy, it will probably work, but expect it to definitely have a bit of an olive oil flavor. If you’re okay with that, we would say go ahead! If you give it a try, we would love to hear how it goes!
This cake turned out perfect! So rich and moist without being overly sweet. I used almond extract instead of vanilla, AMAZING.
I make this over and over, it turns out perfect EVERY time. Also the perfect quantity to make 24 cupcakes which I sent to my son’s childcare for his 5th birthday – nut, egg & dairy free! (I subbed the almond milk and coffee for soy milk). Love this recipe.
So glad to hear it, Jo! Thanks for sharing! xo
I have made this cake so many times over the years. It is always a huge hit! I’ve done cupcakes, too. Seriously the best.
I brought a big piece of this to the hospital to eat after giving birth to my daughter and I’ve brought it to a charity cake auction, too. It’s such a crowd pleaser and I always pass it along when someone asks for my favourite vegan recipe. The icing is also THE BEST.
Aw, we’re so glad to hear it, Anna! Thanks so much for the lovely review!
Hey Dana! I was wondering if I could use your gluten free flour mix in place of the flour on this one?
Check out the previous comments for gluten-free options! We’ve previously recommended (and this is a loose recommendation because we have not tested this particular recipe with these substitutes) using a mix of almond meal or flour, oats or oat flour, and a gluten free flour blend with a little xanthan gum for binding! We also have recommendations for substituting gluten-free flour in our Recipe FAQ’s. Let us know how it goes if you try it!
PERFECT!!! Have made this twice with flawless results and I’m not vegan ;) Deep, decadent, extremely moist without being overly sweet…. INCREDIBLY DELICIOUS!
I was really excited about this cake and followed the recipe exactly for my moms bday tonight. Unfortunately it came out a strange texture, it was almost chewy and rubbery. Bummed :\ Curious to know what you think happened?
Hi Kelly, Sorry to hear the cake didn’t turn out as expected! Our best guess would be that the batter was over-mixed. Hope that helps!
OK, thanks! I thought heaping was a lot more than that, so I easily used 2 1/4 or more cups. It came out good, we thought. Next time!
This is the BEST! I always use coffee when it’s called for in a chocolate recipe – just deepens the flavour. This is so good – the cake is not too sweet and the icing then acts as the sweetener to this rich cake. The consistency is just perfect – moist and mmmmm! I’ve made this many times as it’s an easy one and it’s a crowd pleaser every time! This and the cinnamon rolls from minimalist baker have become staples and friends and family eagerly await them when I say I’m bringing dessert. Thanks Dana!
Thanks so much for the lovely review and sharing your modification- sounds wonderful! xo
Hi Dana
Thank you so much for the recipe, the cake turned out great!!
I have a question about the buttercream frosting though.
I used Vegan butter but the frosting would just not give stiff peaks and I could not pipe with this ratio. However, it spreads really well. Is there something I am doing wrong or something I can do to improve the frosting for it to attain piping consistency?
Thank you :)
Hi Akila, thanks for the lovely review! We just updated our post on How to Make Vegan Buttercream Frosting and think that should help!
The first time I made the frosting I used 1/4 cup milk and it was quite loose. Subsequent times I use a splash of milk, say 1 tablespoon, and I am able to pipe with stiff peaks.
I wanted to ask if you ever made this red velvet? :)
Thank you for this delicious and easy recipe!
I prepared the cake last night as it’s my boyfriend’s birthday today and we just had a slice for breakfast ;-)
It turned out as creamy and moist as promised, it has a rich chocolate taste with a hint of coconut due to the oil used. Awesome!
I also had trouble with the frosting being runny but I just used four long and thin wooden toothpicks to hold the layers in place and overnight it “dried up” enough and turned out as it was supposed to!
Thumbs up, I highly recommend it! :-)
Hi Adriana, thanks so much for the lovely review and for sharing your tip! We are so glad you enjoyed this! Next time, would you mind leaving a rating with your review? It’s super helpful for us and other readers. Thanks so much! xo
I had a pretty major problem with this recipe that’s my fault but thought I’d put it out there so other people can learn from my mistakes!
I keep my almond milk in the refrigerator and so when I mixed my melted coconut oil in my cold almond milk it solidified into weird little clumps.
Hi ! Can I do it without a beater ?
You can whisk it (a lot), but you will probably be feeling it in your arm muscles!
Thank you ! I just saw that beaters can be pretty cheap so maybe I’ll by one :D
We made this recipe and it was a total fail. We halved it, but followed the instructions precisely, only exception that we measured a level cup of ap flour instead of heaping and used a different variety of almond milk called “malk”. We used a stainless steel 9 inch pan, gas oven. We baked well past the 30 min mark because the cake wouldn’t cook through in the center. About an hour later, the outside was crispy, the inside was still goopy, and we were super over it. I find it frustrating that the author pretty much only responds to the successes, it would be so wonderful to know what we did wrong. I did read similar reviews to our experience in comments. A friend of mine gave me this recipe at my request- their cake turned out fantastic! I would love to know what the difference was, and why our cake flopped??
P.S. Frosting had pretty good flavor but took a ton of powdered sugar to get to correct consistency, so was overly sweet, and regular Earth balance made it quite salty as well. Is there unsalted we should have used?
Sorry to hear this didn’t turn out as your friend’s did! We do our best to respond to as many comments as possible, but do miss some. It sounds like your cake may have been too wet and needed more flour. The heaping versus level cup can make a surprising difference! The batter should be creamy, but pourable. As for the frosting, buttercream classically does have a lot of powdered sugar, but it could have also been the Earth Balance. Earth Balance has been reformulated and we find it is less reliable now. We prefer Miyokos at this time and just updated our post on How to Make Vegan Buttercream Frosting with additional tips. We hope that helps and that you have better luck next time!
I love the cake recipe, I come back to this over and over, it’s just that I’ve always had problems making the frosting. Depending on the “butter” brand it just can never come together if it’s softened and is a runny mess. I’ve usually had to keep it quite cold because if it gets to room temp I’m done for.
Earth balance seems to hold up the best. This last time I tried “I can’t believe it’s not butter vegan!”, I went through a whole bag and still couldn’t get it past a runny batter.
That “I can’t belive it’s not butter vegan” bakes terribly in everything! It’s not made with the right stuff for baking, or really anything other than topping bread. I’ve made this cake atleast 10 times in the last few years and tried most of her suggestions and substitution variations. It’s best with Earth Balance baking squares , but pretty amazing with Miyoko’s Vegan Butter as well. I’ve also tried pumpkin instead of apple sauce and it was delicious but really dense and moist. Applesauce is definitely best. My second favorite variation was banana purée, made by putting them in the food processor as blending completely. Use vegan sugars and it makes it even better!! Keep the frosting ingredients cold to room temperature and it will come out the perfect consistency, keeping in mind your oven will heat up your ingredients & work area! Love this cake. It’s my go to favorite.
This is amazing and we have made it twice now (today for my loves birthday).
My buddy who is very picky said it was the best chocolate cake he has ever had!
I can’t give it enough praises?
Thank you soooooooo much!
Thank you so much for the lovely review, Jamie! xo
Could you substitute Almond Breeze chocolate almond milk?
Hi Liz, we haven’t tried that, but think it might work. You may want to start with less cane sugar if the Almond Breeze is sweetened. Let us know if you give it a try!
Hi! I was wondering if you can make this gluten free? Thanks!
Hi! We would recommend subbing the all purpose with a mix of almond meal or flour, oats or oat flour, and a gluten free flour blend + a little xanthan gum for binding. Hope that helps!
First time cake baker. Tried this recipe today, and the cake came out great. But, it strikes me as odd that with ingredient measurements down to the precise teaspoon, the recipe calls for “two heaping cups” of flour. Why not just state 2 1/4 cups or 2 1/2 cups, or whatever?
Hi Warren, two heaping cups would be about two cups plus 1 Tbsp, but there isn’t a way to indicate this with our recipe plugin and 2 1/4 cup would be too much. Hope that clears up the confusion!
Great recipe but how about going metric and just using grams?
Far more accurate and used the world over
Hi Andrew, we include metric measurements for all recipes as well. Below the “ingredients” header, you will see an option to switch to metric.
Hello,
Can I use almond flour instead of whole wheat flour? My friend is vegan and gluten free! If so, would it be the same amount of flour? Thanks!
Hi Candice! I wouldn’t recommend using all almond flour, but potentially a mix. This is just a loose recommendation, but I’d sub the all purpose with a mix of almond meal or flour, oats or oat flour, and a gluten free flour blend + a little xanthan gum for binding. Hope that helps!
Do you use Dutch processsd cocoa?
Yes, that should work! See comments above for more info!
I have made this 3 times following the recipe to a ‘T’, and every time it comes out heavy, wet and dense. I haven’t had this issue with other recipes, but I liked this one because it seemed so easy and quick.
Same here, although to be fair I only tried it once. The taste of the cake is really good and the moisture is great in general, but I aimed to make the cake in a bigger pan and cut it in half as I didn’t have two equal-sized smaller pans. It was in the oven for at least 60 minutes and still wet in the middle after that, so it was near impossible to cut without it falling to pieces as it was quite hard on the outside. Still great taste, but definitely better to bake in two smaller sized pans.
LOVE THIS RECIPE!
It’s super easy to make and Delicious! We have made this several times for family events. Getting ready to start today for Mother In Laws Birthday Bash!
It’s great for our family with members with dairy & egg allergies, a great find!
I love this recipe and it came delicious.
I’m just disappointed that the frosting didn’t come out in the light brown color as shown in the picture but rather with the same color as the cake. Did I miss something?
It will all depend on the brand of your cocoa powder! As long as it tastes good, the color doesn’t matter!
Oh my! this has become the only cake I make! I first tried it because my daughter in law cannot eat eggs or dairy. It rose up so beautifully, and the frosting was ultra delicious even without the choc chips as I couldnt find vegan ones. Since then I had a church do and made cupcakes using this recipe, they were also marvellous. thank you so much – this is such a great recipe.
Just made this cake for my son’s birthday- the family loved it! Baking doesn’t come easy to me, but this cake was easy to make. I left out the coffee,made it in a springform pan, and made the frosting w/regular butter. These were my altercations but the cake was a super hit! Thank you!
Can I sub date sugar instead of granulated sugar? Or maple syrup?
We haven’t tried it, but scan the comments to see if anyone’s had success with that. Best of luck, Jess!
this cake has become a family favorite. I like to put strained raspberry jam on the top of each layer while it is still warm from the oven – that way the jam soaks into the cake. I also put a tablespoon or two in the frosting. If it makes the frosting too soft, just add a little more until it gets to the right consistency again.
This is a fantastic chocolate cake! Yesterday was my third time making it, for my twins 4th year birthday. I suspect my son has been reacting poorly to dairy, and I’ve been trying to stir myself towards a more plant based diet. This cake was moist and delicious. Everyone loved it. Thank you!
I must tell you, I found your recipe through my vegan cousin. She said your recipes works and always delicious. Little did she know, I was trying to ask her which recipe she used to make chocolate cake.
I’ve made this for her surprise birthday party. All my family members loved this and raved how it was better than the restaurant’s (vegan) chocolate cake. They loved how moist and good it tasted! My aunts who doesn’t do dairy, devoured them.
I only had a small slice and wanted more ?. So I’ve made another cake for myself, and shared with friends who are vegetarians.. they alllll loved it!
Thank you! I’m very picky about certain dessert recipes. This is a keeper!
Only thing diff was I used: Oat-ly brand oat milk (Gray/blue-ish carton). It did give it a more creamier texture instead of almond milk.
So good! I have made my husband a German chocolate cake. We cut out diary, eggs etc about 5 months ago so I was concerned about the cake. His birthday is today so last week I made another recipe (different site) and it was not good. Then I realized you had this cake so I baked it yesterday. I used almond milk, I used avocado oil for the coconut oil, I added the coffee, I used half whole wheat pastry flour and half unbleached all purpose because I had both, and I’m not a baker and couldn’t decide which would be better lol. The batter was amazing! I checked at 25 min, then 30, ended up baking for 50 min and it was pure perfection. So anyone who gets nervous about bake time, just keep baking until that toothpick is clean!
I didn’t do the frosting because I made this into a German chocolate cake but the cake was perfect. Thank you for this!
Thanks for sharing, Jenny! I am sure this will be helpful for a lot of readers :)
Hi , I just want to know what changes I would have to make for high elevation cooking ?
Hi Jenny! We don’t have much experience baking at high elevations, but you may find some useful tips here!
Hi Jenny I have made this cake 10 times- and 3 times at my new place which is in the mountains at 6,000 feet. I keep the recipe the same at my new elevation, except I make sure to use applesauce and almond milk, as it comes out best that way. I’ve tried pumpkin purée (the canned variety) at high elevation and it came out better than when I lived at a flat lander place, haha. Really rich and moist and super decadent. But not light and fluffy if that’s what you’re going for. Make sure to oil your pans well, I find everything sticks more up here. Also, you will have to bake it longer, depending on your oven, the last time I clocked it at 45 minutes with two round cake pans in the center rack of my oven. Just make sure the took pick test works, and is completely clean (use a new end of the took pick every time, and wait atleast 25-30 minutes before you start testing them so the oven retains proper heat for a long enough period of time.) I think it’s also more important to use baking racks at higher elevations, once it comes out of the oven pop them on top of baking racks to cool until you’re ready to frost. I found cheap baking racks at the dollar store that are made of thin metal but work great. Also make sure to use a good vegan butter, Earth Balance squares or Miyoko’s vegan butter are my faves.
I’ve made this cake twice now and it’s the very best chocolate cake ever!!! I made it once for family and once for a big birthday party, and being the only vegan, I was happy to see everyone devouring this cake. I haven’t made it with the coffee yet, but I know I’ll be making this again so I can’t wait to try it. After frosting, I topped it with raspberries and sprinkled a bit of powdered sugar on top, I wish I could include a photo since it looked beautiful! Some people wondered how a cake could taste so amazing without eggs. Someone asked for the recipe and I happily e-mailed them a link with my notes. My brother who is a picky eater and notoriously dislikes cakes even said it was the best cake he’s ever eaten. This cake does not last long as people are more than happy to eat it all up! It makes me so happy to be able to make a yummy dessert for everyone and show them how fantastic vegan baking is! Thank you for this wonderful recipe, Dana!
I baked this cake for my birthday party and served it to all my non vegan friends/family. Everyone LOVED it. It was so decadent and yummy and moist. Legit the most perfect chocolate cake i have ever tasted. This is a type of cake you would buy at a fancy bakery!! Everyone was amazed when i told them it was vegan!
Thank you SO much for this recipe. I will definitely be baking it tons in the future.
Yay! Thanks for sharing, Breanna!
This cake was a hit tonight for my husband’s51st birthday! My 8 year old daughter said it was the best vegan cake ever ! Thank you for this recipe for this delicious moist cake!
Yay! Thanks for sharing, Rebecca!
I have to say I am in love with this cake. It’s very delicious and tasty. As we have lots of intolerances on daily ingredients, I had to adjust it a bit. I used GLUTEN FREE flours and 1tbs of ground chia seeds as a replacement for xanthan gum, half part of cacao butter instead of half coconut oil and rapadura/coconut sugar. Very satisfied
Thank You very much for sharing your recipes, wish you all the luck ?
I love this cake! I make it whenever I need a chocolate cake or cupcakes. My daughter has dairy and egg allergies so I was thrilled to find a cake that tasted so great.
I just recently doubled the recipe because I needed a lot of cake and it worked out well.
I find that I always end up with extra batter so I make those in to cupcakes to pull out for friends’ birthday parties. I have used almond and oat milk; they both work great. I also add more sugar than called for. Everyone who has tried it, loves it and can’t tell that it is vegan. Even people who can eat dairy and eggs, request this cake because it is so good.
Thanks Dana for the great recipe.
Lovely! Thanks for sharing, Tina!
Could I use applesauce to replace oil in the cake? Eating WFPBNO.
Yes that should work!
I’m hoping to make this soon for my daughter who is vegan. Can you clarify what you mean by vegan butter? I looked online and found things like almond butter, I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter, etc. Is there a product you recommend? If it didn’t cost a fortune that would be such a bonus! Thank you!
Hi JoAnn! We like a brand called Earth Balance which you can find in most grocery stores!
Hi, I had a quick question could I substitute soy milk for the almond milk?
Thanks :)
Yes that should work!
Thank you, can’t wait to try this recipe out ❤❤.
Made this for a vegan birthday. Everyone loved it! My only sub was the frosting, I used coconut oil in place of the vegan butter- gave the flavors a lovely blend. Delicious My non-vegan friends said they wanted this for their birthday as well.
Whoop! Thanks for sharing, Stacey!
Hi! Im going to attempt to make this cake for my partners birthday. For the frosting Can I substitute vegan butter for coconut oil? If anyone has done this how did it turn out? If so, what’s the recommendation amount to replace the vegan butter? Cheers!
I haven’t tried it myself, but let me know if you decide to try it! It will melt more easily than regular frosting, so just know that if it’s hot, it will probably slide off :(
Hi There, I am going to be making this cake in order to make an ice cream cake, and I was wondering if you can make it gluten free? I typically use King Arthurs GF mix. Thanks!
Hi Kristin! Check out the previous comments for gluten-free options! We’ve previously recommended (and this is a loose recommendation because we have not tested this particular recipe with these substitutes) using a mix of almond meal or flour, oats or oat flour, and a gluten free flour blend with a little xanthan gum for binding! We also have recommendations for substituting gluten-free flour in our Recipe FAQ’s. Let us know how it goes if you try it!
Hi! I am planning on making this cake today but I need gluten free flour. Would there be any measurement adjustments I should make? Would a certain GF flour work better then others? Please help!
Hey Dana-
This recipe rocks! But I desperately NEED it to be vanilla!! Help! I tried the V/GF vanilla cake on your site but I’d prefer to use regular AP instead of almond flour etc…
I’m imagining swapping the coffee for almond milk, and pulling the cocoa powder. Do I need to increase the AP? And by how much? Thanks!
Hi Liz! That may work, but we have also had people use our funfetti recipe to turn into cakes! Perhaps try a variation on that? I think people have even baked it in 9×13 and round pans, so look for tips there!
I just made this cake and had to dump two batches of frosting in the trash, it really did not work for me. I followed the recipe to a T the first time, and everything separated. The second time around, everything was going well but it was really dry and bitter, I added almond milk and it separated again!! Everyone is commenting that it’s great, what am I doing wrong?
Very odd texture and the cake was super dense. Despite putting more sugar in the dough, it was still not sweet enough. I did substitute coconut milk instead of almond milk. Perhaps that was the issue?
The frosting was good though.
This cake is amazing! Due to lack of ingredients at our house, I substituted the following- olive oil for coconut oil, tapioca flour for regular flour, and blended banana with a tiny bit of fruit juice to get an applesauce consistency puree. I also refrigerated the batter for a few hours before baking (out of necessity, not by choice!) Anyway all worked out great! The Tapioca flour gave it a little bit of a gummy tapioca consistency, but not in a dense way. It’s probably even more awesome with regular flour :) I also really appreciated not having to make any flax or chia egg substitutes.
Highly recommend!
Thanks for sharing, Emily!
Hi! :) I just baked the cake for my brother’s birthday today and it looks like it’s going to taste amazing! Didn’t leave any batter leftovers ?… The only thing worrying me a bit is the buttercream. Mine is much darker, heavier and not fluffy at all. And kinda liquid. I added more powdered sugar and cocoa powder, but it didn’t help much. I would prefer to not keep adding sugar or cocoa, cause it’s already pretty sweet and chocolaty. What else could I do to make the buttercream lighter and fluffier? Quick answers appreciated, since I’m going to be seving the cake in 3 hours :)
Hmm did you happen to change anything in the recipe, Fanika?
I need to make 3 10 in cakes
How Do I have to double up or triple this recipe to accommodate 3 10in cakes.
And what about 12×18 in sheet cake
I’m allergic to apples and was wondering if you could substitute this with just more sugar or eliminate it all together without using butternut squash puree or something?
Thanks,
Teju!
I’d recommend using mashed banana in place of applesauce, Teju!
I just made this cake for my son’s birthday. It was easy to make and came out amazingly moist and delicious. I had to bake it for about 10 minutes longer that it said to but it still came out great. Thanks so much for this recipe!
This cake has seriously never ever failed me. Not only does it turn out great every time, it also has this special festive vibe – at least for me. It has become my go-to birthday and special occasion recipe. I have made it in one and in two pans, with and without filling/frosting. Friends and family refer to it as “the best chocolate cake ever”, vegan or not.
Yay! Thanks for sharing, Juliana!
Just made this AWESOME cake for my Best Friend’s Birthday and brought it over to her parents house. It was a Major Hit!!! Thanks so much:) Everyone raved about it. Best cake ever, let alone plant based:) Added sliced bananas around the base and blueberry ring round the top and blueberries in the middle. Drizzle with melted chocolate and chocolate chips all organic. Had help decorating and baking from our little one, really Fun Time! Thanks Very Much Dana:)
wow! your decorative touch sounds amazing, I am going to try it! Any pictures would be so appreciated!
Followed the recipe to a tee, only difference being that I increased recipe size to make three rather than two cakes. It turned out less than satisfactory, to say the least. First it stuck to the bottom of the pan, meaning I lost a bit less than half of each of my cakes (and I sprayed each of the pans with a generous amount of nonstick spray, and brushed them with cocoa powder), then they fell apart whenever I tried to move them. Very upsetting, considering this was going to be my birthday cake. :(
First time to make this, came out dense and rubbery despite rising OK and looking cooked on outside. Wondered if I should have used less liquid than recipe. Used canola oil.
Found the frosting to be too sweet also.
Hi Mark! Sorry to hear this recipe didn’t work out for you. Did you change anything else besides the oil? What kind of pan did you cook it in? Perhaps it was overmixed…
I did a few variations including subbing half of regular flour with almond flour and adding almond extract to frosting as well as reducing powdered sugar and compensating the density loss with a small amount of corn starch. It turned out incredibly moist and slightly heavier (in a satisfying way) than it probably would have been otherwise. It was sublime!
Glad to hear it, Julie! :D
Delicious! All the “non vegans” in our household claim it is better than “normal” chocolate cake, and I agree! I followed the recipe exactly… and it was perfect! YUM
Yay!
This cake is absolutely amazing!!! It’s actually my first time making a cake from scratch and I’m really happy with the results. I decorated it with fresh berries and everyone found it delicious. Thank you for the recipe!!
I feel flabbergasted by this recipe. I have made it twice, and both times cooked for over an hour but the middle was still completely raw. The flavor was delicious, but it was a dense goopy mess. I feel like I am reading incorrectly – can there possibly be almost three cups of liquid, plus the applesauce, to just oveer 2 cups flour? Seems extremely dense to begin with. * I make my icing using monkfruit in the raw w/ tapioca starch for half the powdered sugar, 2 T nutella and 1 package vegan cream cheese, with extra cacao. Yum!
I made this in a 13 x 9 instead. Loved the texture and the firmness. My only complaint is the overpowered flavor of the coconut oil. I wonder if i could use a different oil or maybe the earth balance butter?? Frosting was really good.
Earth balance should work!
I just made this today for my boyfriend’s family’s father’s day dinner. His dad is vegan but everyone else is not. This was an awesome cake to satisfy everyone!
Between the cake and the frosting, I think the frosting tasted a little better, BUT the cake was also very good. I didn’t have coconut oil or canola oil on hand, so I substituted for vegetable oil which seemed to work just fine. I also used bob’s red mill unbleached fine pastry flour. The cake itself wasn’t overwhelmingly chocolatey and was fluffy with even small crumbs. I mixed the cake a few stirs past just-combined so I was left with a few small specks of white flour in my cake but it didn’t bother anyone.!
The frosting is DELICIOUS. Arguably better than non-vegan chocolate buttercream frosting. EVERYONE was fooled.
All in all this is a great recipe for special occasions that will please a mixed-diet crowd. :D
Oh, one last thing. I halved the cake recipe and but not the frosting recipe. It yielded 5 5-inch layers with enough frosting for layers, crumb coat and outside frosting, and a upper and lower borders.
Thanks so much for this recipe!
Can I make this raw by not not baking it?
Question, if I make the cake a few days before I want to ice it should I freeze it or just put in fridge?
It should be fine for a couple days in the fridge prior to freezing!
This cake is a winner! Super moist, not too sweet, rich and soft. Vegan cakes can turn out too dense, and this one is NOT, yet the flavor is all there! We loved it. I played around with the frosting though. I added 8 oz of Kite Hill vegan cream cheese, and adjusted the powdered sugar (less) and chocolate chips (more + some coconut oil while melting the chips). It turned out DIVINE.
I have made LOTS of vegan chocolate cakes, and this one really does hit it out of the park! I like it better than non-vegan chocolate cake. And for those who think vegan cakes are not satisfying for non-vegans, make this one for your mixed gathering and no one will be unsatisfied!
Thank you for ALL of your recipes. You are my go-to for so many of the delicious foods I make. Your pesto is a staple in my house, as are many of your other recipes. XOXO! Shell
This has been my go-to cake recipe for the last two years, and it is PERFECT every. single. time. It also makes awesome cupcakes – just bake for 18 minutes. And, the frosting is absolutely delicious. I did find that if I didn’t allow my melted chocolate to cool enough before adding it, it melted my butter and made my frosting a weird texture (even after refrigerating and re-whipping). But that’s my lack of patience. ;)
Thank you, Dana for creating such an easy and delicious chocolate cake recipe!
Made my spouse this cake since he requested chocolate cake. Bought a regular decorated cake for the a large group who, I thought, wouldn’t want vegan cake. Was I wrong! Everyone ate the chocolate cake and the yellow cake was mostly left uneaten. This cake is amazing and delicious and I am so glad to have this recipe. Thanks. BTW, after the party, my spouse continued to scarf up the leftover crumbs, he liked it so much.
Could you make this with all purpose GF flour?
Yes! Check the comments above for suggestions.
Hi There Minimalist Baker Team!
You are my absolute favorite baker, so talented! I just wanna say that I made your oats, almonds & dates granola bar and adapted the recipe according to our taste. They turned out amazing! I have a food blog and I want to share the adapted version of your recipe, I want to mention you and Tag you ” that blue thingy” that people will click and see the original version of the recipe and land directly on Minimalist Bakers page. Please tell me how do I do that…I am totally new to blogging, just started 1 month back, I am learning and building my blog as I go. Thank you so much for your fab recipes! – Much Love Meghna.
I made the cake portion for my husband’s birthday, and he said it was the best cake I’ve made yet!
I substituted a substituted version of your DIY GF Flour Blend. My husband can’t have potato, so I substitute tapioca starch. It was super moist and rich.
Wooooowza!!!! I have made this cake at least 5 times so far…2 using the regular ingredients and the other times using gluten free ingredients…EVERY time I’ve made it people cannot believe it was vegan! And each time I’ve had non-chocolate fans (GASP) state that this is chocolate cake has been the BEST one they’ve ever had…I few people even said this was their favorite cake EVER! Thanks again for taking the time to create & share such amazing recipes!! Your 1 bowl vanilla cake is awesome too…can’t wait to try another one of your cakes!!!
Yay! So glad to hear it, Philip! We may be biased but you should try this one next :D
Too funny! That WAS the next recipe on my list to try…hahaha…I’ll let you know how it turns out!
I am not a vegan, but my son-in-law is lactose intolerant, and it was his birthday. I modified the recipe by adding a strawberry filling and using dark chocolate chips with soy milk for the frosting. I was shocked at how chocolately wonderful and moist the cake was. Everyone raved how delicious it was, and had seconds, and my daughter now wants it for her birthday. It was by far the best cake I have ever made.
One year ago I had my first vegan birthday and had no idea what to bake. I had invited loads of sceptical friends over and was anxious that their first impressions of veganism would be ruined by a dry or tasteless cake. To my absolute delight, this cake turned out to be the most delicious, fudgy, rich cake I’d eaten in years (and I didn’t even like chocolate cake at that point; I just thought it would be the most ‘normal’). Thank you for being a part of my own journey towards vegan cooking. I now run a blog full of the yummy food I have been able to make and this was the cake that set me on that path. Now, one year later, my Mum is so behind my veganism that she has offered to make this cake herself. Fingers crossed! I’m excited to show her how easy and delicious vegan cooking can be. Thanks again, Frances
Oh Frances, we’re so glad to be able to be a helpful resource for you in the kitchen! Thank you for leaving such a kind comment and we are glad you enjoyed this cake!
This is the best chocolate cake I’ve ever made. It’s so rich yet moist and really satisfies that chocolate craving. I made the mixture as one round cake and a few cupcakes. I am definitely making this again!
Yay! We’re glad to hear it, Shivani!
Has anyone tried freezing this, frosted or unfrosted?
Thanks!
It should freeze up to 1 month, unfrosted!
This cake has restored my faith in vegan baking. I have recently turned vegan and tried numerous efforts to get that perfect texture for the cake, but all in vain until, I stumbled upon this recipe. The cake is just perfect and sooooo much better than the cakes containing eggs and butter. Thank you so much for this recipe. Look forward to trying many more of your recipes :) I am from India so it is a little difficult to procure vegan butter here. It would be nice if you will share some recipes for preparing vegan butter. Thanks again!
We’re so glad you enjoyed this recipe, Gauri!
Just made it for my daughter’s birthday. Used DIY gluten-free flour (American Tatste Kitchen blend) and safflower oil instead of coconut oil. Used springform (did not have two cake pans) and baked it for 50 min, then sliced horizontally to put filling Between layers. Yes, amazing texture! Who would have thought, vegan AND gluten free!!! This recipe is a keeper!!! Thank you!
I hardly ever write comments but want to support this website so it never ever goes away! This vegan chocolate cake is the best chocolate cake I have ever made. It is officially my “go to” cake for any event. I am not a frosting person but this frosting is delicious and creamy and surprisingly not overly sweet. One thing I would suggest is to refrigerate the frosting prior to putting on the cake to make it a bit stiffer.
Thanks so much for the kind words, Zoe! We’re so glad you enjoyed this recipe!
In the end I used the recipe for the dough from your Glutenfree Birthday Cake recipe, replacing almond meal with 1/2 oat meal and 1/2 glutenfree blend (from your glutenfree flour recipe) and replacing almond milk for soy (the cake had to be almond-free). But the frosting I made from this recipe. It came out absolutely perfect – a huge fluffy and moist death-by-chocolate glutenfree, nutfree, vegan perfection! Can’t wait to see the surprise on my brothers’ faces. They are not used to being able to get such treats with all their allergies! Thank you so much!!
I hope they love it! Thanks for sharing your recipe changes :D
I just commented on your pumpkin pie, asking if I could replace Bob Mill`s flour for your DIY gluten free flour and I have the same question here! Would it be ok if I used that instead in a 1:1 ratio, add some oat flour (30-50g?) and an egg yolk or 2? What do you think? I am planning on making both the cake and the pie tomorrow for my brothers` birthday. I will let you know how it turned out with the substitutions!
I think that would work! Report back if you give it a try!
looks yummy….
Hope you love the recipe!
I wish I was eating this for lunch today – it looks so healthy and delicious!
Hi! I just found this recipe and I’m super excited! Quick question: do you think this recipe would work with cupcakes? I absolutely love you blog and all of your amazing recipes! Thanks for your time!
This recipe looks amazing! Would it work as cupcakes too?
Hi Abby! I had the same question and just found a comment that Dana replied to saying yes, this can be cupcakes! :)
Tried this recipe as cupcakes and they turned out great! Baked for about 18 minutes. I piped the icing on and then shaved chocolate curls on top. So so good. Will definitely make again.
Glad to hear it, Shelby!
Just a quick question. How many days in advance can I bake this cake and still be good?
Thanks in advance!
DEE-licious!!!! Love how little sugar I had to use for this. Followed the recipe exactly, except I used almond-cashew milk for the frosting. It really does help to have an electric mixer (I used my good ol’ Kitchen Aid Standing Mixer and used the paddle to whip that frosting until nice and fluffy!). The cake turned out so moist and rich—decadent just as chocolate cake should be. Can’t wait to make it again!!
Hi.
This cake looks amazing (I’ve been making the pumpkin chocolate loaf cake on Forks over Knives) but would love to shake it up a bit! (it’s sad when you know that recipe by heart).
QUESTION: I’m WFPB (health reason) so NO OIL! The other cake uses applesauce and almond butter (I buy one that only has almonds in it). I know the almond butter is oily-is that a substitute for the coconut oil? I know it’s not much but I have SLE, RA, and other gnarly auto immune diseases and I see a HUGE inc in my pain if I add oil to my diet.
I know this may be an older post-so if anyone has any suggestions to tweak it (I need GF-but that’s easy switch w/flour) but for those of us WFPB let me know (I scanned some of the comments-tbh didn’t get through ALL of them bc you are SO popular and recipe so good it was a lot of comments)
Hi! Just wondering if it would be alright for me to sub the cane sugar with coconut sugar? My family hasn’t been so keen with consuming regular sugar lately but I really want to try this recipe for them though! Thanks so much for sharing :)
Yes, that should work!
Just curious…sounds awfully high in everything… calories, fats, carbs… is this healthy?
It is a healthier option than other cake recipes, yes! While we wouldn’t recommend eating it as a meal, in moderation, it is a healthier option than other desserts!
So good! Never made vegan cake before, I’m pleasantly surprised! Thank you so much for sharing your recipe!
Hi! Hopefully to see this, I’m making this as a surprise birthday cake for my mom. i don’t be have cocoa powder but I have have cacao is that okay?
We haven’t tried that, but I think it would work! Let me know if you give it a try, Alana:D
This cake is outstanding!!! Best cake I’ve ever made. Huge hit for vegans and non vegans alike!!! Thank you for such a decadent and delicious recipe.
Can anyone help me with the frosting? Mine has the consistency of melted chocolate. Doesn’t look fluffy like on the pictures.
Using an electric mixer helps! I beat the ingredients for at least 3 minutes. I think it takes at least that much time to get it really fluffy. Hope this helps.
Wowwwwwww. This cake turned out AMAZING! Exactly as described and shown, but tasted even better than I imagined. I was so excited about how it turned out I immediately packed some slices up and dropped them off to loved ones. Dangerously easy too. Huge win!
I made this cake and waiting for it to cool. Batter tasted good and the cake rose in the oven. All it well. However, that coconut oil thing was very frustrating. Rather than hairdryers and heated bowls, try changing the order of operation. With a traditional egg and butter cake, the sugar gets creamed with butter and then the eggs are added. With this cake, cream the coconut oil (melted) and sugar before adding the other ingredients. You might need more than one bowl as you can have the non-dairy milk and vinegar activating on the side.
Also, don’t try to double this recipe unless you own a very large mixing bowl. At least 8qt.
What if I replace the coconut oil for peanut butter will it work? I run out of coconut oil.
Hmm I’m not totally sure how that would work, but if you give it a try, report back on how it goes!
I haven’t tried it yet. But I’m kind of thinking how can to replace coconut oil with a nice nut butter.
FYI the reply link is not showing as an hyperlink on my Gmail. I had to copy and paste in order to reply.
IM SO SORRY TYPO ERROR, I meant to say THIS IS EXACTLY
This isn’t exactly what I’ve been looking for, my best is a vegan and I want to bake this cake for her birthday next week. Where do i buy vegan butter ? Which brand of vegan butter have you used for this particular recipe.
Thank you for a such an amazing one bowl chocolate cake recipe. ???
I made this chocolate cake without any frost for an early Valentine sweet and it turned out very nicely! Thank you so much for the amazing recipes you always create! My family is still saying no for Vegan but they seem amazed by the quality of the cake haha!
Is the nutritional info for the overall cake or per slice?
1 slice (of 10)! But we’re with you.. the whole cake is tempting ;)
I have made this cake twice now and both times, it has turned out to be the BEST hoemmade chocolate cake. People who have tried it can’t get over how richa and decadent it tastes and they all prefer this recipe over regular chocolatr cake. Thank you so much for sharing! Do you think this recipe would work for cupcakes? Hoe long do you think they would need to be in the oven?
Thanks, again!
Hi! Other readers have made these into cupcakes, so scan the comments for suggestions/results. However, I would say just reduce the cooking time by half and check every few minutes thereafter for doneness. Hope that helps and good luck!
Can you recommend a substitute for vegan butter?
Thank you!
Love this cake! It’s my GO-TO. Do you think I could make cupcakes and freeze them? Would they freeze well?
Hi Sarah! Other readers have made these into cupcakes, so scan the comments for suggestions/results. However, I would say just reduce the cooking time by half and check every few minutes thereafter for doneness. Hope that helps and good luck! Also, I think they will freeze!
Great cake. I used abricot purée it worked very well.
This cake is all you described! So yummy. Definitely making this again and again. Your recipies have helped me transition to a plant based whole food lifestyle and I visit Minimalist Baker when I don’t know what to cook or need to be inspired.
Thank you
I think this may be the most delicious cake I have ever made! Thank you for sharing this recipe,
This recipe is amazing! I made both cakes and instead of layering I brought one to work and kept one at home! BOTH disappeared within hours. I substituted the coffee for same measurement of almond milk. The cake was so moist and perfect chocolate flavor! I’ll post on my page Kansasveganchik on instagram! Thanks so much! All my family and coworkers couldn’t believe it was vegan! Educating people and filling their bellies warms my heart!!!!
Everything was delicious, but my cake was so dense. There was no fulff at all. Any suggestions?
THANK YOU for posting this!!!! I made this recipe for a Christmas dessert but substituted peppermint extract for the vanilla. I made a vanilla frosting with a marshmallow flavored icing. The cake was incredible and EVERYONE loved it. The non-vegans couldn’t believe it was a vegan cake. So rich, dense and flavorful.
Thank you again for posting this recipe!
I made this for Christmas and it was perfect! I used a rectangular pan and omitted the frosting…. sprinkled powdered sugar and cocoa on top as suggested. I also added fresh raspberries for festive presentation. It was a huge hit! Fudgy, moist and full of flavor! Thank you!!
I made this cake and frosting for my Vegan niece. It was the best chocolate cake I’ve had. I will use this recipe every time I want to make a rich, decadent chocolate cake with wonderful ‘buttercream’ frosting.
Love this! Have made it 3 times. Studded it with chocolate chips. :) It’s the best of several vegan chocolate cake recipes I’ve found via popular online blogs.
I’m allergic to almonds, never tried almond milk but assuming I am allergic, what’s the best substitute for it in this respire? Soy/oat/rice premade? Home made cashew milk?
Hi! Any other dairy free milk should work!
making this again for christmas because everybody loved it at thanksgiving! my suggestion to anyone making this for the first time; mix all the powder ingredients for the cake into one bowl, set aside, then do all the wet ingredients in another bowl, the coconut oil being last, mix it as fast as you can and mix in the powder. make sure the oven is preheated before you start on the wet ingredients so that as soon as you mix it all up you can put it in the oven before the coconut oil hardens!! my only problem with this cake has been that the coconut oil gets cold and hardens super fast and even after the cake has baked and cooled there’s chunks of dry coconut oil scattered in the cake? it delicious none the less!! but presentation is a big deal too!
I made this for my friends birthday and she isn’t even vegan and everybody has now asked for the recipe!!! It was absolutely delicious and super easy to make!! Loved it and will be making again! Thank you!
This cake is delicious! Moist, fudgy but light and decadent. I’ve tried quite a few vegan chocolate cake recipes and this is easily my favourite. I really appreciate the measurements being converted to grams as cups are sometimes trickier to work with in the UK. I found blitzing up tinned pears is a good substitute for apple sauce. My icing did not need any almond milk adding as the vegan butters here have a higher water content.
Can I use brown sugar in this recipe? I don’t mind if the cake will be dense.
Hi! Been following your blog for awhile but had yet to try any recipes until I came across this one, which I decided to try since I had a chocolate craving. It didn’t wind up being quite as simple as the title had me believe (wound up using ALL OF THE MEASURING THINGS lol), but the cake turned out well. I made it in a bundt pan (since I don’t have 2 cake pans), and since I noticed a few others also asked about using a bundt pan in the comments, I figured I’d come back to say that it worked for me! I did thoroughly spray my pan with an oil/flour spray, and it did take close to an hour of baking for the toothpick test to come out clean, but my cake came out with no issues at all! I halved the frosting recipe and had more than enough to frost the entire bundt.
I absolutely adore this cake and use it for all my cake decorating, because it is so versatile and easy to modify in terms of flavor.
I’ll be making an 11×15 sheet cake for this first time and wonder – will one recipe be enough for one pan? I was planning to just bake two layers instead of having to cut the cake in half, later.
Would appreciate it if you get the chance to let me know. :)
Hi There,
Is the taste of the coffee strong? as I am not a coffee drinker. is it necessary? I am making this a birthday cake for someone and I want get it right. Thanks!
I didn’t find the coffee taste strong at all, you can’t really taste it. You can easily leave it out and sub extra almond milk, as the recipe suggests, but the coffee does add a nice depth to chocolate cake, so I’d give it a shot. :)
This looks amazing!!
I’d love to try it as a 4 layer cake for a friend’s birthday but only have 1 cake tin. Is it possible to bake the 4 layers seperately one after another (if I don’t mind the time effort)? Or will the batter alter if it sits too long before being baked?
Thanks very much in advance – can’t wait to try it!
Hi Hannah! That should work as long as you don’t mind how long it will take to bake! Happy Baking!
This looks delicious!
Do you know if this recipe would work for a cake pop maker?
Hi Jojo! We haven’t tried it, but if you do let us know how it turns out!
i didnt wait to long to mix the other ingredients to make the icing as i cooked the vegan choc in the microwave with rice milk instead of almond milk.Turned out taking like a oreo choc moose soo yummy daughter wants to use icing for her bday cake this year ;) tasted 100 times better than with dairy milk which i used months ago when nonvegan :P
Thanks so much for sharing this recipe, Dana! I made this into cupcakes (yielded 24), and both my boyfriend and I thought they were a-MA-zing!
Per my style, I made a few modifications without altering the recipe too much, so I wanted to share in case anyone else might be interested.
Instead of unsweetened applesauce, I used pureed dates since I’d been swimming in dates ever since I came into nearly 50lbs of them thanks to a local produce distribution organization. Since they are naturally very sweet, I cut the sugar by 1/3 c, and they came out perfect for my and my boyfriend’s tastes. I also subbed out half the flour with ground steel cut oats. I was worried it would weigh down the cupcakes, but they still came out nice and fluffy. However, of course, this gave the cupcakes a “grain-y” or bran-like flavor, but I’m also a lover of multigrain breads and other whole grains and whole grain-based foods, so it was great. Additionally, I’m kind of obsessed with add-ins and their textures when it comes to desserts, so I threw in a cup each of chopped raw almonds and dried cherries.
The frosting was probably the most experimental of this recipe. I had no vegan butter, so instead, I used a can of coconut milk and mixed in a few tablespoons of chia seeds to gel. Conveniently, I actually already had this stashed in my fridge for any future use, so this worked out great. Typically, though, allowing to set over night ought to do the trick. The chia seeds gave the coconut milk a thick, pudding-like consistency. However, it still wasn’t stiff enough to use as frosting…yet. I omitted the almond milk, and after adding the powdered sugar and cocoa (plus a teaspoon of Chipotle chili powder for a bit of a kick) and the melted chocolate, the chia-coconut frosting came out perfect (plus so many added nutritional benefits!). Bear in mind, however, there will be a pretty strong coconut flavor, and I know that isn’t everyone’s cup of tea.
To top half of the cupcakes, I dusted them with Chipotle chili powder and sprinkled with cacao nibs. For the remaining cupcakes, I sprinkled with cacao nibs and added one or two dried cherries on top.
I was extremely pleased with the results. I definitely plan on making this again in the future–probably with some other modifications since after years of tampering with recipes, I still haven’t learned to write anything down, and I know I won’t remember. Plus, I try to make it a habit (or challenge?) to use only what I have in the house. It’ll just be another new adventure in baking! ^_^
Hey!
I want to make this cake for my 18th birthday and I would be very happy if I could get some help, because I can’t find two of the ingredients in my country. Can I use coconut oil for the frosting instead of vegan butter and would regular all-purpose flour work instead of unbleached one?
I baked this cake this weekend with my daughter to celebrate some of her recent successes. It was a fun mother/daughter project and the cake was delicious! I don’t eat apple sauce, so we subbed that out and replaced with a mix of pumpkin puree (since I already had some leftover) and a little pureed avocado. The cake was moist and has a great chocolate flavor. We also only made one layer and sliced that through the middle and added a raspberry jam filling, delicious. We will definitely make this again.
I want to make this cake for my daughter’s birthday as several guests are vegan! Have you tried making this cake with the grapeseed or canola oil? Does it taste just as good if I choose those oils instead of the coconut oil? Or does it come out best with the coconut oil? If it’s worth it, I’ll purchase coconut oil if needed.
Hi! You could try vegan butter?
I love this cake. I’m gluten free/dairy free so I’ve made it a few times with your gluten free flour blend and it works incredibly well. I recently made it for a friend who is grain free using this flour blend: http://acalculatedwhisk.com/paleo-321-flour-blend-gluten-free/
and this frosting:
http://paleospirit.com/2013/avocado-chocolate-frosting-paleo-and-vegan/
with a raspberry compote between layers. I think it was the best chocolate cake I’ve ever had.
Thank you!
Maybe I’m not doing something right but before I added flour – my mix was not fluffy – it looked like coconut oil started creating curds. What am I doing wrong?
This has happened to me when I’ve made this cake (which I’ve done multiple times now) and it still bakes up beautifully.
This turned out horrible! Waaaaaay too much fat (160ml oil & 225g butter?!??). The cake got extremely mushy and literally calls for stomach ache. Too bad I spent so much money on the ingredients :(
Well at least I don’t have to moisturize my hands anymore!
So sorry to see your recipes use sugar. Why not brown rice syrup? It’s the only healthy go of sweetnercausing no insulin spike or health issues and is nutritious as well. True veganism does morning use sugar, not agave, honey, cane sugar, turbine do sugar… none of it. Most sugars in granulated form use “char” in processing. Char is hooves of cows.
I did not know that about sugar, Serena; I’ll have to look into that. I’ve successfully dried and ground dates into a date sugar, which is also a great sweetener, but I’m not sure if it causes insulin spikes. I’ve seen date sugar available at my local Mediterranean market as well but not really at large chain grocery stores.
Also, for those that may not be aware, animal products are sometimes used in processing flour, so be sure to read labels and look at the details of the manufacturer if this may be of concern to you.
I tried dusting pan with coco… I always dust with flour. The coco ones stuck. Cake is so moist and almost fudgy … yum!