This easy vegan chocolate cake is made using super simple ingredients that you probably already have in your kitchen!
This simple vegan chocolate cake is a staple for me when I need to throw something together for a birthday or other cake emergency. It’s so easy. Just throw it all together and bake for a perfect “fresh-baked” smell that invites guests into your home. No one will know this cake is vegan for those non-vegan guests.
Related Recipe: Vegan Chocolate Peanut Butter Cookies
VEGAN CHOCOLATE CAKE
VEGAN CHOCOLATE CAKEDAIRY-FREE | EGG-FREE | GLUTEN-FREE OPTION
A slice of this cake is a slice of heaven. The rich chocolate flavour is heightened by the coffee and the apple sauce is a secret ingredient that leaves the final product moist and smooth. This chocolate cake recipe can also be made into cupcakes.
INGREDIENTS FOR VEGAN CHOCOLATE CAKE:
INGREDIENTS FOR VEGAN CHOCOLATE CAKE:- All-Purpose Flour (Want Gluten-free chocolate cake? Use Gluten-Free flour)
- White Sugar
- Cocoa Powder
- Instant Coffee or Espresso Powder
- Baking Soda
- Baking Powder
- Salt
- Vanilla Extract
- Coconut Oil or Oil of choice
- Apple Sauce, Avocado or Banana
- Apple Cider Vinegar or White Vinegar
- Plant-Based Milk of choice
- Store-Bought Chocolate Frosting
KITCHEN EQUIPMENT I USED:
- 2¼ cups all-purpose flour, sifted
- 1¾ cup white sugar
- 1 cup cocoa powder, sifted
- 1 tbsp instant coffee
- 2 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp salt
- 1 tbsp vanilla extract
- ⅓ cup coconut oil, melted or oil of choice
- ⅔ cup apple sauce, mashed avocado or mashed banana
- 1 tbsp apple cider or white vinegar
- 2 cups plant-based milk of choice
- Frosting of choice
- Preheat the oven to 350F, and grease and line 2 9-inch cake pans.
- In a large bowl, whisk together; flour, sugar, cocoa powder, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.
- In another bowl, combine; vanilla, oil, apple sauce, vinegar, and plant-based milk of choice.
- Gently, whisk together the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients, being careful not to overmix.
- Evenly pour the cake batter into lined cake pans.
- Bake for roughly 30 mins, or until a toothpick comes out clean.
- Allow to cool in the pan for 10-15 mins, and then carefully place onto a greased wire cooling rack.
- To make cupcakes: bake for 22-24 mins.
- Allow your cakes, or cupcakes to cool completely before frosting.
- Many store-bought, pre-made frostings are accidentally vegan.
Hey, I’m Candice aka The Edgy Veg – I veganize popular food recipes for vegans, plant-based diets, eco-conscious eaters & people who are trying to eat more plants over… y’know animals or their by-products. I hope you enjoy this tasty vegan recipe!
Looking For More Vegan Dessert Recipes?
- Vegan Portuguese Custard Tarts
- Biscoff Banana Bread
- Vegan Dairy Queen Blizzard
- Chocolate Peanut Butter Cookies
- Easy Creamsicle Cake
Made this recipe? Let me know what you think by leaving a 
star rating & comment below. It truly helps me & I really appreciate any support! Feel free to share your food photos on social and tag me @edgyveg so I don’t miss it!
This cake is ridiculously good! I’m an avid baker and this recipe is now my go to for chocolate cake. I’ve used dozens of overly complicated time consuming cake recipes that haven’t turned out nearly as good. Knocking it out of the park per usual, this is why your cook book is my favorite!
The absolute easiest, most tasty chocolate cake! I’ve made this recipe twice and it has been a hit each time. Everyone is floored when I tell them it’s homemade…and..VEGAN. This will be my go to chocolate cake recipe from now on. Thank you Candice for such an easy to follow, amazing recipe!
Made your cake this week. One half of recipe in deep 7″pan was deep enough for two layer cake with mixed fruit jam with chocolate vegan ermine buttercream. Nice firm cake that didn’t fall apart when sliced. Much, much enjoyed by all. Thankyou for making me look good yet again.
Oh I am soooooo saving this recipe for my birthday! I love how easy it is
I made your cake yesterday , it literally took me 10 minutes ! So easy to bake the result is phenomenal! The greatest cake ever , I made half the recipe just to see if I was going g to like it yum , yum and yum ….I decreased the sugar probably by 1/4 of a cup . I will make this again in cupcakes , next time I will use full fat can of coconut milk and decrease the oil by 2 table spoon . I found this wonderful vegan coconut icing from minimalist baker it’s out of this world so to compliment the icing I will use coconut milk. Thank you very much for this great recipe !
Sorry the icing is chocolate coconut milk icing !
Oh my chocolate addition…can’t believe how easy this was! The coffee addition is a nice touch too
This cake is so moist and decadent! I topped it with a espresso buttercream.
You’re absolutely right about working quickly when you add the liquid ingredients because it activates the baking soda and baking powder. You should have the oven preheated for that reason so after it’s mixed it goes right in. But there is another reason, even more important not to overmix. That is because you also activate the gluten in the flour. OIvermixing will make for a chewy cake. great for bread (especially the crust you want to be chewy) but NOT for a cake. Of course, that is not an issue if the cake is gluten-free since… no gluten to activate.
Totally making this in cupcake form for my kids Halloween get together! You rock!