Name: Best Vegan Chocolate Cake Recipe
Prep time: 1 h
Cook time: 25 min
Total time: 1 h 25 min
Cuisine: Dessert
Ingredients: Vegan Chocolate Cake; • 2 cups (320g) all-purpose flour; • 2 cups (384g) granulated sugar; • 1 cup (80g) cocoa powder; • 2 tsp baking powder; • 1 ½ tsp baking soda; • 1 tsp fine sea salt; • 2 cups (500ml) vegan milk, hot; • 1 cup (250ml) all-vegetable oil; • 1 tsp pure vanilla extract; Vegan Chocolate Buttercream; • 1 cup (240g) vegan salted butter, room temperature; • 1 cup (240g) all-vegetable shortening; • 5 cups (600g) powdered sugar; • ½ cup (40g) cocoa powder; • 1 tsp. fine sea salt; • 1 tsp. vanilla extract; • optional: vegan chocolate squares for decor

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Hi everyone! I am so excited to be teaming up with Caked By Katie on a guest blog post for this holiday season! She has a great vegan recipe to share with you all for the best vegan chocolate cake. It makes a perfect vegan birthday cake for a loved one or yourself for a special occasion!

Vegan Chocolate Cake

Chocolate cake. Two words go straight to my heart. And not just any chocolate cake. Like really really really good chocolate cake. Like really really really good vegan chocolate cake. Wait…hold the door. Vegan?! Yep, this decadent chocolate cake is fully vegan and fully delicious.

Rich vegan chocolate cake layers baked to moist fudgy perfection. Stacked high with a decadent and delicious whipped chocolate buttercream frosting. One can never have enough chocolate and this cake certainly proves that saying true. Your kitchen will smell like heaven as the layers bake, tastebuds will jump for joy at each bite, and jaws will hit the floor when you tell everyone that this deeply rich chocolate cake is 100% vegan.

This chocolate cake recipe is quite literally the best chocolate cake you’ll ever eat and the only chocolate cake recipe you’ll need from now on. It starts with combining all the dry ingredients into a large bowl.

The next step is to add in the wet ingredients. I love to bake this vegan layer cake with unsweetened almond milk. That said, you can easily swap in whatever type of milk such as soy milk or oat milk you prefer.

After you’ve added in the wet ingredients, grab a whisk and whisk to combine. Mix the cake batter until a smooth velvety texture is achieved. Split the batter evenly between the prepared pans and you are ready to bake these vegan cake layers up!

Now it’s time to take this cake from amazing to OMG astronomical! Let’s whip up some vegan chocolate buttercream frosting. This recipe calls for vegan butter and all-vegetable shortening. I love using shortening in my buttercream as it helps with stability (vegan buttercream is notoriously soft) and cuts down on the sweetness. You can certainly use all vegan butter if you desire just note that you might need to chill the frosting before and during as you stack and frost the cake.

In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the vegan butter and all-vegetable shortening and with the paddle attachment and beat on high for approximately 10 minutes. When it has been whipped properly it will be fluffy and have lightened in color. Next, sift in the powdered (icing) sugar, cocoa powder, and salt and mix on low until combined. Add in the vanilla and again, mix on low until combined.

Scrape down the edges of the bowl with a spatula to make sure everything is mixed in and turn that mixer up to high and let it beat for another 5 minutes. You should now have a fluffy vegan chocolate buttercream that tastes like a chocolate-lovers dream.

There you have it folks, a vegan chocolate cake that will knock your proverbial socks off. It’s rich, it’s moist, it fudgy, and it’s delicious. The best part, it’s totally vegan!

Cocoa Powder Tip

A quick note on cocoa powder, I highly recommend using dutch processed vegan cocoa powder. It’s not necessary for an amazing chocolate cake, but it does give a beautiful depth to the rich chocolate flavor.

Best Vegan Chocolate Cake Recipe

Print Recipe

A decadent chocolate cake is fully vegan and fully

delicious.

Total Time: 1 hour 25 minutes
Yield: 10-12 servings

Ingredients

Vegan Chocolate Cake

• 2 cups (320g) all-purpose flour

• 2 cups (384g) granulated sugar

• 1 cup (80g) cocoa powder

• 2 tsp baking powder

• 1 ½ tsp baking soda

• 1 tsp fine sea salt

• 2 cups (500ml) vegan milk, hot

• 1 cup (250ml) all-vegetable oil

• 1 tsp pure vanilla extract

Vegan Chocolate Buttercream

• 1 cup (240g) vegan salted butter, room temperature

• 1 cup (240g) all-vegetable shortening

• 5 cups (600g) powdered sugar

• ½ cup (40g) cocoa powder

• 1 tsp. fine sea salt

• 1 tsp. vanilla extract

• optional: vegan chocolate squares for decor

Instructions

Vegan Chocolate Cake Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and spray four 6-inch round cake pans with non-stick baking spray.

2. In the bowl of the stand mixer or a large mixing bowl, combine all the dry ingredients and whisk together.

3. Add in the wet ingredients, making sure the vegan milk is hot, and combine until just incorporated.

4. Divide the batter equally into the four prepared cake pans and bake for approximately 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out with a few moist crumbs on it.

5. Allow the cake layers to cool in the pans for 10 minutes and then invert to a cooling rack to fully cool.

Vegan Chocolate Frosting

1. In the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment cream the vegan butter and shortening on high speed until light and fluffy. This should take approximately 10 minutes.

2. Sift in the icing sugar, cocoa powder, and salt and mix on low until combined. 3. Add in the vanilla extract and mix on low until combined.

4. Turn the mixer up to high and let mix for 5 minutes until smooth and creamy. Scrape the sides of the bowl when necessary.

Cake Assembly

1. Level each fully cooled vegan chocolate cake layer with a cake leveler or knife if needed.

2. Place one levelled layer of cake on a cake board, plate, and/or cake turntable and top with approximately 1½ cups of chocolate buttercream.

3. Repeat with the remaining layers and apply a thin coat of buttercream all over the cake. Refrigerate for 20 minutes.

4. Cover the cake with another layer of buttercream and smooth the sides with a cake smoother.

5. Decorate the cake as you please. I used the tip of an offset spatula to create horizontal lines around the cake and three diagonal lines on the front. With a Wilton 1m piping tip, I piped swirls on top of the cake and placed a vegan chocolate square between each swirl. Enjoy.

6. Store leftover cake in an airtight container or wrap it in plastic wrap in the fridge for up to 7 days.

Author: Caked By Katie
Prep Time: 60 Minutes
Cook Time: 25 Minutes
Category: Cake
Cuisine: Dessert
Diet: Vegan

Keywords: vegan chocolate cakle

Thank you so much, Katie, for a great recipe! I might swap out my regular chocolate cake with a moist vegan chocolate cake for my birthday! Make sure to check out more gluten-free, vegan, and dairy-free recipes on her website if you do some vegan baking. Also, check out her recent cake decorator interview here and follow her on her Instagram!