This Homemade Vegan Chocolate Cake Recipe is quick and easy to make in one-bowl – It’s as rich, moist, and chocolaty as the classic one but is egg-less, dairy-free, and can be made gluten-free and oil-free too! It is elegantly topped with a decadently rich chocolate frosting and embellished with blueberries and blackberries to add some tartness to balance out the sweetness. It is so good that nobody will know it’s vegan unless you tell them!
I hold this recipe near and dear to my heart as it is the very first homemade vegan chocolate cake recipe I posted on my blog. I am revamping it now because it really didn’t have much content when it was first published. All I had then was one photo only; it did not even contain any text, tips, or anything else! So, I took new photos, added the step by step instructions and a video tutorial to help everyone can make it flawlessly! Hope you enjoy it!
Easy One-bowl Vegan Chocolate Cake with Chocolate Frosting
Since ready-made good vegan cakes are few and far between, I always find it convenient to have an easy recipe in my back pocket for days when I am in a chocolate craze – which happens frequently, at any time of the day! It also comes in handy when I need a delicious dessert for an impromptu get-together with family and friends. This recipe is so easy, it’s a piece of cake (pun intended!). All you need is just 1 bowl, 12 simple plant-based ingredients, and an hour to whip it up.
Ultra-moist and fluffy One-bowl Chocolate Cake Recipe
I used applesauce to make this homemade cake very moist but still lighter compared to the customary chocolate cake that uses eggs. Because of the amount of moisture it adds to the cake, it will also make it stay fresh longer! Don’t worry; there is no flavor effect at all. Alternatively, you can also use 2 flaxseed eggs (2 tbsp of ground flaxseeds mixed with 6 tbsp of water) or banana or pumpkin puree. As a matter of fact, you can use any type of fruit puree you want for this recipe. Even those fruit purees in glass jars for babies will do.
I also used apple cider combined with baking powder to help the cake rise and become fluffier. The result is perfectly formed and delicious cake!
Make your Chocolate Cake the way you want it!
You don’t need a reason to enjoy chocolate cake, and it can come in all shapes, sizes, and designs! Either you can go minimalist with just the cake and frosting, or you can make it fancy and top it with your favorite fruits, berries, and nuts. You can be traditional and go for the circular or rectangle cake with several layers. Or be creative and even bake it in mugs or as muffins or cupcakes. Aside from that, you can also check my Best Vegan Double Chocolate Cake, Chocolate Raspberry Layer Cake, and Sheet Pan Chocolate Cake for more options.
How to make Vegan Chocolate Cake
As always, I recommend checking out the recipe video and this step-by-step instruction first. Then you’ll find the full recipe with exact measurements in the recipe card below!
Step 1: Prepare ingredients, oven, and baking pan
First of all, get your ingredients ready. Next, preheat the oven to 356°F (180°C). Then lightly grease an 8-inch springform pan and line the bottom with parchment paper. Set aside.
Step 2: Make the chocolate cake batter
Now let’s start making the batter. Start by whisking together the non-dairy milk, applesauce, apple cider vinegar, vanilla extract, and oil in a measuring jar. Set aside. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Then add the wet ingredients and mix briefly until just combined.
Step 3: Bake and cool
Pour the batter into the prepared baking pan and smooth it out. Bake in the preheated oven for about 50 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. Then remove from the oven and let it cool completely.
Step 4: Make the Frosting
To make the frosting, first heat the coconut milk in a saucepan until it just starts to boil.
Meanwhile, place the chopped chocolate in a heatproof bowl. Once the milk is hot, pour it over the chopped chocolate. Let stand briefly so that the chocolate melts. Then mix until a creamy ganache is formed. Leave to cool and refrigerate if necessary, so that the ganache becomes a spreadable frosting.
Step 5: Garnish
Finally, spread the frosting over your cake and garnish with blueberries and blackberries as desired. Slice and enjoy!
Can I make it gluten-free?
Yes, use a gluten-free flour blend 1:1. The rest of the ingredients are naturally gluten-free in their natural forms.
Can I make it oil-free?
You can sub it with more applesauce if you are trying to reduce oil in your diet. Keep in mind, however, that this will change the consistency and taste of the cake.
Make it chocolatier!
I get it; sometimes we can never have enough of these sweet treats! If you want it chocolatier, feel free to fold vegan chocolate chips into the cake batter before adding it to the prepared pan.
Reminder: Test your Cake
The baking time may vary, depending on the cake pan you use and your oven temperature. So please make sure to do a cake test! Stick a toothpick in the middle of the cake, if it comes out clean, you’re done baking.
How to store?
You can place the homemade chocolate cake in a cake box or container with a cover and keep it for up to 7 days in the fridge or unfrosted (without the frosting) at room temperature for 2-3 days.
This One-bowl Vegan Chocolate Cake is:
- Egg-free
- Dairy-free
- Highly customizable
- Can be designed perfectly for Valentine’s Day, Birthdays, Mother’s, etc.
- Can be made oil-free
- Super fluffy
- Can be made gluten-free
- Ultra-soft and moist
- So, so chocolaty
- Perfect for all ages and occasions!
More Vegan Chocolate Cake Recipes to try
- Chocolate Zucchini Bread
- Best Vegan Chocolate Cake
- Best Vegan Chocolate Banana Bread
- Chocolate Peanut Butter Vegan Snickers Cake
- Vegan Mole Cake with Bananas and Cherries
- Easy Vegan Chocolate Sheet Cake
- Chocolate Raspberry Cake
- Vegan Chocolate Banana Pancakes
- Best Vegan Brownies
- Vegan Zucchini Brownies
- Chocolate Mousse Pie
- Vegan Marble Cake
If you try this easy vegan one-bowl chocolate cake recipe, please leave me a comment and a review because I always love to hear your feedback! And if you take a photo of your beautiful cake and share it on Instagram, please tag me @biancazapatka and use the hashtag #biancazapatka to make sure I don’t miss your post! Happy baking!
Vegan Chocolate Cake
Author:Ingredients
Chocolate cake
- 1 cup non-dairy milk e.g. soy, oat, or almond milk
- ⅓ cup + 1 tbsp applesauce unsweetened (100 g)
- 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 1 ½ tsp vanilla extract
- ⅓ cup + 1 tbsp oil 100 ml, e.g. canola oil or melted coconut oil or vegan butter*
- 1 ⅔ cup all-purpose or spelt flour or gluten-free flour*
- ½ cup cocoa powder
- ¾ cup sugar white or brown or coconut sugar or mixed
- 2 ½ tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp salt
Frosting
- 1 cup coconut milk canned or other non-dairy creams
- 7 oz dark chocolate 70% chopped
Instructions
*Note: Be sure to watch the recipe video + step-by-step photos in the blog post above. Also, I recommend using metric measurements.
Chocolate cake
- Preheat the oven to 356°F (180°C). Lightly grease an 8-inch springform pan and line the bottom with parchment paper.
- Whisk together the non-dairy milk, applesauce, apple cider vinegar, vanilla extract, and oil in a measuring jar. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Then add the wet ingredients and mix briefly until just combined.
- Pour the batter into the prepared baking pan and smooth it out. Bake in the preheated oven for about 50 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. Then remove from the oven and let it cool completely.
Frosting
- Heat the coconut milk in a saucepan until it just starts to boil.
- Place the chopped chocolate in a heatproof bowl and pour the hot coconut milk over it. Let stand briefly so that the chocolate melts. Then mix until a creamy ganache is formed.
- Leave to cool and refrigerate if necessary, so that the ganache becomes a spreadable frosting. Spread the frosting over your cake and garnish with blueberries and blackberries as desired.
- Slice and enjoy!
Notes
- Flour: Instead of all-purpose flour, you can use spelt flour or a gluten-free flour blend 1:1. A mixture of light flour and whole wheat flour works well too! I wouldn’t use whole wheat flour alone, otherwise, the cake might be too dense.
- Applesauce: Instead of applesauce, you can also use banana or pumpkin puree or 2 flaxseed eggs (2 tbsp of ground flaxseeds mixed with 6 tbsp of water).
- Oil-free: You can sub it with more applesauce if you are trying to reduce oil in your diet.
- Sugar: I used a mixture of raw cane sugar and coconut blossom sugar to make the cake healthier. However, you can use any sugar.
- Want more chocolate? If you want the cake to be more chocolatey, you can stir some chocolate chips into the batter last.
- Please read my blog post for additional information on this recipe!
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Hi! if I want to try this recipe as cupcakes instead, how long should I bake for?
About 25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cupcakes comes out clean.
My daughter has dairy allergy and she has never taken chocolate before. But thanks to this recipe, I could try to cook with her and enjoy the chocolate cake so much! I used banana instead of apple sauce so we could taste a bit of banana which was also good! Thank you so much and I will try other stuff definitely!!
Yay, that’s great!
So glad your daughter loved this cake too! ❤
Thanks for your feedback! 🙂