Description
This Vegan Chocolate Cake is ultra-moist, deeply chocolaty, and completely dairy-free and egg-free. Made with simple pantry ingredients, brewed coffee, and a luscious vegan chocolate frosting, it rivals any traditional chocolate cake. Perfect for birthdays, celebrations, or whenever chocolate cravings strike.
Ingredients
Scale
For the Cake:
- 1¾ cups all-purpose flour
- ¾ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1½ tsp baking soda
- ½ tsp salt
- 1½ cups granulated sugar
- ½ cup neutral oil (sunflower or canola)
- 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 1 tbsp vanilla extract
- 1½ cups almond milk (or other plant milk)
- ½ cup hot coffee or hot water
For the Vegan Chocolate Frosting:
- ½ cup vegan butter, softened
- 2½ cups powdered sugar
- ½ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 2–3 tbsp almond milk (as needed)
Instructions
- Prep the Pans: Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease and line two 8-inch round cake pans with parchment.
- Mix Dry Ingredients: In a large bowl, whisk flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and sugar.
- Add Wet Ingredients: Add oil, almond milk, vanilla, and vinegar. Stir until mostly combined.
- Add Hot Coffee: Pour in the hot coffee and whisk until batter is smooth and pourable.
- Bake: Divide batter into pans. Bake 30–35 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.
- Cool: Cool cakes in pans 10 minutes, then fully on a rack.
- Make Frosting: Beat vegan butter, cocoa, and vanilla. Add powdered sugar gradually, adding almond milk as needed for smoothness.
- Assemble: Frost one layer, stack the second, then frost top and sides.
Notes
- Use hot coffee or water to bloom the cocoa for richer chocolate flavor.
- Do not overmix the batter—stop once smooth.
- Cool cakes completely before frosting to prevent melting.
- For cupcakes: bake 18–20 minutes at 350°F.
- Freeze unfrosted cake layers for up to 2 months.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 35 minutes
- Category: Dessert, Cake, Vegan Baking
- Method: Baked
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 slice
- Calories: 360
- Sugar: 42g
- Sodium: 330mg
- Fat: 14g
- Saturated Fat: 3g
- Unsaturated Fat: 11g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 58g
- Fiber: 4g
- Protein: 4g
- Cholesterol: 0mg