Whether you’re following a vegan diet or have simply run out of eggs, you’ll fall head over heels for this luscious Vegan Chocolate Cake. Two layers of egg-free chocolate cake with a creamy vegan frosting.
Meet my new favourite cake 🙌🏻
A gorgeous Vegan Chocolate Cake featuring two layers of soft chocolate cake, all covered in a melt-in-your-mouth chocolate frosting.
You won’t believe this cake has NO butter, NO eggs and NO milk and yet tastes AMAZING! 💙
Just over a year ago, I posted a recipe for an Eggless Chocolate Cake. It’s now become a reader favourite and it’s not hard to see why.
It produces a really tender cake without the traditional chocolate cake ingredients. In fact, it uses regular pantry items – most of which you probably have sitting in your cupboard right now. #justsayin
So I wanted to take that cake and make it into a beautiful two layer Vegan Chocolate Cake that could be made for special occasions, birthdays and the like!
Not only is it vegan, but it’s great if you just happen to run out of eggs or butter and need a chocolate cake stat.
And don’t even get me started on that frosting. Made using vegan butter, it comes together in minutes but pairs perfectly with the cocoa-laden cake.
How to make Vegan Chocolate Cake
- This Vegan Chocolate Cake is so easy to make. You don’t even need an electric mixer for the cake itself – just a bowl and spoon.
- Start by measuring out your plain flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, brown sugar and caster sugar.
- If you don’t have caster sugar, you can use granulated sugar instead. Read more about caster sugar here.
- Next, measure out your wet ingredients – just water, vegetable oil and vanilla.
- Add your wet ingredients to your dry ingredients and mix together until a chocolate cake batter forms.
- Divide the cake batter into two 8-inch cake tins and then bake for around 25-30 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the centre of the cakes comes out clean.
- Leave cakes to cool completely before frosting.
How to make Vegan Chocolate Frosting
- I’ve paired this cake with an easy vegan chocolate buttercream. I used a store bought vegan butter (Naturli Organic Vegan Butter) when testing this recipe.
- Note that vegan butters can vary greatly across the world so you might just have to find which vegan butter works best for you.
- Once you have mixed the butter with an electric beater so it’s smooth and creamy, you can add the sugar, cocoa and a little bit of almond milk.
- You can use any milk substitute here, like soy or oat milk as well.
- Frosting should be thick and creamy! Frost the middle, top and sides of your cake and serve.
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Let’s Bake
Vegan Chocolate Cake
A delicious Vegan Chocolate Layer Cake made without eggs, butter or milk.
Ingredients
Vegan chocolate cake
- 280 grams (2 cups) plain flour or all purpose flour
- 60 grams (3/4 cup) cocoa powder
- 1 and 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 200 grams (1 cup) caster sugar or granulated sugar
- 90 grams (1/2 cup) brown sugar
- 300 ml (1 and 1/2 cups) water
- 180 ml (3/4 cup) vegetable oil
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Vegan chocolate frosting
- 230 grams (1 cup or 2 sticks) vegan butter*, room temperature
- 315 grams (2 and 1/2 cups) icing sugar or powdered sugar, sifted
- 40 grams (1/2 cup) cocoa powder, sifted
- 2–3 tablespoons almond milk*
Instructions
- Chocolate cake
Preheat the oven to 180 C (350 F) standard / 160 C (320 F) fan-forced. Grease two 8-inch round cake pans with oil spray and line with baking or parchment paper. - In a large mixing bowl, add flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, salt and sugars and stir briefly.
- In a separate mixing bowl, add water, oil and vanilla. Add water mixture to dry ingredients and stir to combine. Pour into prepared cake tins and bake for 25-30 minutes or until a skewer inserted in the middle comes out clean.
- Leave cakes to cool in cake tin before carefully transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Chocolate frosting
Place butter in a large mixing bowl and beat with an electric mixer on medium speed until smooth and creamy. - Add sugar, cocoa and 2 tablespoons of milk and then beat on medium speed again for a further minute or two until frosting is smooth and creamy. Scrape down the sides as needed.
- If the frosting is too thick, add an extra tablespoon of milk. Use a small spatula to frost sides, middle and top of cakes.
Notes
*Vegan butter: I used Naturli Organic Vegan Butter when testing this frosting recipe.
*Almond milk: You can use any milk substitute here.
Anna says
Hi I use your vegan recipes and can’t use baking powder so they are ideal with just baking soda! However sometimes the cakes crack, would you know why?! Many thanks
Jessica Holmes says
I’m so glad you like them Anna! Sometimes cakes can crack when the oven is too hot causing the cake to quickly rise and dome. Or if you use a different sized pan – if there’s too much batter, the outside can cook faster causing the cake to form a crust. I would suggest maybe getting an oven thermometer just to make sure your oven isn’t running too hot.
Bhupinder says
I made this cake for my daughters birthday best chocolate vegan cake we have tasted. Thank you for this recipe
★★★★★
Jessica Holmes says
Yay! I’m so happy to hear that!
Cathy says
Easy, moist and delicious.
★★★★★
Jessica Holmes says
Love that!
Aria says
I am so happy that I found a vegan cake recipie without vinegar; You have saved my life. Thank you so much, I can’t wait to make it.
★★★★★
Jessica Holmes says
I hope you love it Aria!