Ridiculously MOIST Vegan Chocolate Cake Recipe- Keeps moist for 4 days!!
This ultra fudgy and rich vegan chocolate cake is the definition of decadence with a soft, beautifully tender moist crumb. Slathered in the creamiest chocolate fudge frosting, you won’t believe this vegan chocolate cake is made without eggs nor dairy- and it keeps moist for 4 days!!
What makes this the BEST vegan chocolate cake to exist:
After years of testing, experimenting with ratios, and finagling the perfect frostings, I give you the most perfect, moist, rich, and decadent vegan chocolate cake.
No more dry and crumbly chocolate cakes. In fact, it will become the only chocolate cake recipe you ever make.
It’s a bold statement that I’m fully prepared to back up.
Now, I’m a vanilla cake lover through and through, but after a bite of this cake, I feel like I’ve missed out for nearly 31 years of my life.
And I’ve tried a lot of cakes in my life (just check the chapter in my vegan cookbook dedicated to JUST vegan cakes).
We’re talking ultra moist and rich, decadent yet tender and light, and downright irresistible. This vegan cake tastes like the best chocolate cake you’ve ever had, vegan or not. Yet, because it’s dairy free, egg free, nut free, and soy free, everyone can enjoy it.
Plus, we’re layering those perfectly tender cakes with a creamy and dreamy fudge chocolate frosting (very similar to my vegan chocolate ganache which also works great here- or for classic cake lovers, this ridiculously good vegan chocolate buttercream frosting) that will make you want to just ditch the cake all together and just go for the frosting.
But trust me, it’s worth it to assemble the whole cake!
Don’t need that much cake? Try this super cute small chocolate cake that’s based off of this one! It’s only a single layer and 6″ in diameter. Or this super easy vegan flourless chocolate cake!
Learn how to bake *unbelievably* vegan desserts in 5 steps!
Want to make amazing vegan and gluten free desserts that no one will know are eggless and dairy free? Sign up for this free e-course to transform your vegan bakes!
What makes this vegan cake moist?
There are three key ingredients for making a vegan cake moist:
- Unsweetened dairy free yogurt: I prefer this to using applesauce. In fact, dairy free yogurt is one of my favorite vegan egg substitutes in general because it adds extra fat to the recipe (read: lush, soft crumb once baked), and provides some acidity to react with baking soda, giving this vegan chocolate cake its epic rise.
- Vegan buttermilk: The best way to get a vegan dairy free milk to curdle like a buttermilk is to use either soy milk or almond milk. It can be done with coconut milk; however, the milk will not thicken quite like soy milk and almond milk. Your cakes will still rise though! In addition to the dairy free milk, you’ll use an acid, such as apple cider vinegar, lemon juice, or white vinegar.
- Strong hot coffee: adding strong brewed hot coffee is not only the key to a better tasting chocolate cake recipe, but it also helps to keep this cake super moist and not dried out! If you need caffeine free, just make sure to use decaf coffee.
In addition to using these three key ingredients, I’ve found that using vegan butter instead of vegetable oil or canola oil actually adds not only moisture to the cake, but a much richer flavor.
Vegetable oil tends to be flavorless, while vegan butter will add that wonderful “buttery” flavor to the rich chocolate flavor.
You can use coconut oil in place of vegan butter, but I really do recommend vegan butter above all.
Overview: Step-by-Step how to make a vegan chocolate cake:
I really want to debunk this myth that vegan baking is hard, so let this be the recipe that shows you how easy a vegan chocolate cake can be. And if you want to make it a gluten free chocolate cake as well, we have that option!
To make a vegan chocolate cake, you can break it down into three basic steps:
- Make the batter: make sure you whisk together the dry ingredients thoroughly before adding in the room temperature wet ingredients. If you’re using salted vegan butter, you can omit the salt. Again, room temperature is key! You can make this chocolate cake either in a stand mixer or with a hand mixer. I made this cake recipe for years by hand before I got a stand mixer, and it’s definitely doable.
- Bake the cake: this part is so simple- just bake the cake! You can make a two or three layer 8″ cake, as I did, or a two layer 9″ cake. You can also make a three layer 6″ cake as well. Just check the recipe card down below for specific instructions.
- Assemble the cake: making a vegan layered cake is also not scary or difficult! It really is simply just smearing frosting in between each layer, then frosting the outsides. You can use a bench scraper to make a pretty and clean look, or you can simply swirl your knife as I did. The major tip here is allow your cakes to fully cool before you assemble. Nobody wants a cake on the ground!
Easy Vegan Chocolate Fudge Frosting
Okay so I go back and forth: the cake is amazing, but so is the fudge frosting.
Honestly, I owe it all to the vegan butter and vegan heavy cream these days. We really have it good, guys. My personal favorite for vegan butter is Miyoko’s Creamery, and for vegan heavy cream, I use Silk. Honestly, the results are amazing.
Either way, the vegan butter these days acts just like regular butter. So to make a vegan chocolate buttercream frosting, you’re essentially just making a chocolate buttercream frosting!
For the chocolate buttercream, you’ll need:
- Vegan butter
- Vegan heavy cream
- Chocolate (a LOT of it)
- Cocoa powder
- Vegan sour cream
Basically, we mix everything together once hot and melted, then let it cool and stir in 10 minute intervals until it’s thick enough to frost (about an hour).
My Top Cake Tips & Tricks:
Sift the flour, cocoa powder, and the powdered sugar: a very much overlooked step for vegan baking, but very important, as this helps the dry ingredients be properly whisked together.
Use hot coffee: You don’t need to cool the coffee before integrating into your batter!
This chocolate cake will last for 4 days at room temperature IF wrapped properly: I allow the cake layers to FULLY cool before wrapping them tightly in plastic wrap. Then store them at room temperature or in the fridge.
My favorite gluten-free flour for this cake: I love using King Arthur Measure-for-Measure gluten free flour. I repeatedly make this cake for large groups of non-gluten-free eaters, and there is not a slice left with that flour blend. It’s amazing. Add in a tablespoon of cornstarch or arrowroot starch for texture!
You are just going to absolutely love this amazing vegan chocolate cake! It’s so good, you’d never know it’s eggless, dairy free, and refined sugar free! If you try it, be sure to give it a rating ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️in the comments section below, as well as letting us know how it went for you!
As always, I love to see your beautiful creations on Instagram and Pinterest, so be sure to tag me there!
Happy chocolate cake baking 🙂
Watch Vegan Chocolate Cake Video:
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If you make this recipe, please be sure to leave a comment and a rating ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ below. This helps others to find the recipes! As always, I absolutely love to see your beautiful creations on Instagram and Pinterest, so be sure to tag me there as well!
Print
MOIST Fudge Vegan Chocolate Cake Recipe
- Prep Time: 10
- Cook Time: 32
- Total Time: 42 minutes
- Yield: 16 1x
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Vegan
Description
This ultra fudgy and rich vegan chocolate cake is the definition of decadence with a soft, beautifully tender moist crumb. Slathered in the creamiest chocolate fudge frosting, you won’t believe this vegan chocolate cake is made without eggs nor dairy- and it keeps moist for 4 days!!
Ingredients
Vegan Chocolate Cake:
- 1 1/4 cup (300 mL) vegan buttermilk, room temperature
- 3 cups (375 g) all purpose flour or gluten free 1:1 baking flour, sifted
- 1 cup (95 g) Dutch-process cocoa powder, sifted
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp sea salt
- 1 3/4 cups (350 g) granulated sugar
- 1/3 cup (110 g) brown sugar
- 1/2 cup (113 g) unsalted vegan butter*, melted and cooled to room temperature
- 1 cup (220 g) dairy free yogurt, room temperature
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 cup (240 mL) hot water + 1 tsp dissolvable espresso powder (or 1 cup (240 mL) brewed coffee, decaf if desired)
Vegan Fudge Frosting (adapted from Scientifically Sweet):
- 2 cups (480 mL) vegan heavy cream
- 3 tablespoon (45 mL) maple syrup
- 1/2 cup (113 g) vegan salted butter
- ⅛ teaspoon sea salt
- 24 oz (680 g) vegan dark chocolate
- 1/2 cup (50 g) Dutch-process cocoa powder
- 1 cup (240 g) dairy-free sour cream
- ½ tsp vanilla extract
Alternatively, you can use my Vegan Chocolate Buttercream Frosting or my Vegan Chocolate Ganache Frosting
Instructions
- Be sure to read all instructions before beginning. Measure out all ingredients for the cake.
- Prep: Preheat the oven to 350F, and prepare three 8″ cake pans. You can use 6″ cake pans if you’d like. Grease the bottoms and sides of the pans and line the bottoms with parchment paper. Set aside. Prepare the vegan buttermilk by mixing together the dairy-free milk and apple cider vinegar in a small bowl and set aside for 5-7 minutes to curdle. You can prepare the batter while the buttermilk is forming.
- Make the batter: In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and sea salt. Set aside. In a large bowl and a whisk, whisk the vegan butter, sugar, and brown sugar until integrated. Then add in the dairy free yogurt and vanilla extract, and whisk again until combined. To the mixture, add in about half of the flour mixture, along with half of the buttermilk. Whisk gently until the flour starts to combine with the wet. Add in the remaining flour mixture and buttermilk, and whisk again just before there are no more dry streaks. Slowly pour in the hot coffee, and whisk gently until the coffee has just mixed into the batter.
- Bake the cakes: Pour the batter into the three cake pans evenly. Place the cakes into the oven and bake for 33-35 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. If using three 6″ cake pans, the cakes will bake a bit longer. Remove the cakes from the oven and allow them to cool in their pans for 10 minutes. Then carefully transfer them to a cooling rack to cool completely, about 45 minutes.
- Prepare the chocolate fudge frosting: The frosting will need about an hour to set before it’s ready to assemble. You’ll start by heating the vegan heavy cream and vegan butter together in a microwave safe bowl until melted and hot, about 1 minute and 30 seconds all together (heated in 30 second intervals). Once hot, stir then add in the chocolate. Let the chocolate sit for a minute or two to melt, then whisk until the chocolate is melted and integrated with the vegan heavy cream and butter. Then add in the maple syrup, cocoa powder, salt, cocoa powder, and vegan sour cream. Stir to combine. Once smooth, place the bowl in the fridge to begin the chilling process. Stir the mixture every 10 minutes for 1 hour, or until the frosting is thick enough to hold cake layers and frost. If you notice clumps, don’t worry- just use a hand mixer and mix on low until the clumps smooth out.
- Assemble the cake: place the bottom layer onto a cake plate and adding about 1/2 cup of frosting to the top of the cake. Spread it just to the edges, then add the second layer and repeat. Top with the third layer and frost with the remaining frosting. Decorate as you’d like, and enjoy!
- Storage: Store any leftovers covered at room temperature for up to 2 days or sliced in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.
Notes
Vegan buttermilk: The best result will be combining soy milk or almond milk with the apple cider vinegar. However, the cake will still rise wonderfully using oat milk or coconut milk.
Vegan butter: If you’re using salted vegan butter, omit the salt in the dry mixture.
To make this vegan chocolate cake gluten free: use gluten free 1:1 baking flour. Please ensure that the mixture contains xanthan gum.
For an entirely gluten free vegan chocolate cake made with just oat flour, check out this oat flour vegan chocolate cake here.
To make a three-layered 6″ cake: bake the cakes for 25-27 minutes, but check with a toothpick towards the end of the baking time.
To make a two-layered 9″ cake: bake the cakes for 32-37 minutes, but check with a toothpick towards the end of the baking time.
Check out more vegan cake recipes here! I also have an entire round up of our best vegan cake recipes.
Storage: I recommend storing the cake as a whole, covered and on the countertop for up to 2 days. Alternatively, you can slice it and place the slices in an airtight container or wrap them and store in the fridge for up to 5 days.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 slice
- Calories: 413
- Sugar: 49 g
- Sodium: 330.4 mg
- Fat: 13.2 g
- Saturated Fat: 2.9 g
- Carbohydrates: 75.3 g
- Fiber: 4 g
- Protein: 5 g
- Cholesterol: 0 mg
hi! im planning to make this at the weekend for my sister’s birthday and i just have a question about the flour. i notice you use all-purpose flour (which i think is the same as plain flour); does the added baking soda/baking powder make up for it not being self raising flour? i’ve only ever used self raising flour for cakes, and plain for brownies/biscuits, so i just wanted to check that i’m understanding it right – especially because i always struggle to get vegan cakes to rise well! thank you in advance!! 🙂
Hi Rosie! How sweet 🙂 Yes, all purpose flour is the same as plain flour- so we’re adding back in the baking soda and baking powder, yes! But because I haven’t tested this recipe with self-raising flour, and I don’t know how different the ratios are, I would stick to using plain flour and adding in the baking soda and baking powder! I think that might help you 🙂 Can’t wait to hear what you think of it!!
amazing, thankyou so much for your quick reply!! i cant wait to make this cake, i’ll be sure to let you know how it goes 🙂
Absolutely!! Can’t wait 🙂 Enjoy!
the cake has been both made and eaten and i am so impressed!! it rose really well and had a great structure, it wasn’t super dense like other vegans cakes i’ve made and it was still moist and so tasty! i’ll be making it again for sure! 🙂
So happy to hear this 🙂 Thanks so much for the review!! Enjoy!!
Ok so I am not vegan but this recipe looks bomb. Anything that is vegan, would it be ok to switch to normal. For example, just using normal buttermilk and butter….thank you so much.
Aw thank you!! And so technically, yes, but I can’t guarantee results as I haven’t tried it! I know a ton of my readers who aren’t fully vegan will swap in the dairy counterparts and it’s successful- I just can’t speak to the results because haven’t made it nor tasted it that way 🤣 I hope you try it though!!
I want to make this today but was wondering if I would use the same measurements for a 9×13 baking pan? I don’t own more than one round pan unfortunately. 🙁
Hi Ingrid!! Absolutely, you can bake it as a 9×13 sheet cake! It’ll bake for about 40-45 minutes, but check on it around the 38 minute mark to see how it does!
Best chocolate cake ever. I made this for my great granddaughters’ birthday and no one could tell it was vegan. Got rave reviews so much so that my granddaughter-in law asked for the recipe so she could make it. Can you make this in a 8 1/2 X 11 pan? How would that change the baking time?
This is so wonderful!! I’m so happy to hear it! And I would recommend 9×13 if you can, but that will also work! It should bake for about 40-45 minutes, but I’d check with the oven light on how it’s doing around the 35 minute mark!
I’m wondering how long I would bake these if I wanted to make 🧁 cupcakes?! Thank you!
Hi Nikki! This will make close to 24 cupcakes, and they’ll need about 18-24 minutes- I would start checking the cupcakes on how they’re doing around the 15 minute mark using the oven light 🙂 And make sure to not fill the cupcake liners up too high- about 2/3 of the way is good!
can I use dark chocolate for buttercream? will it change the texture because of its cocoa butter?
Hi Nancy! You absolutely can! You just need to allow the chocolate to cool once melted before using in your buttercream 🙂
Honestly one of the best cakes I have ever had, and by far the the best and most moist vegan cake I have ever tried. Have been making this cake for birthdays on request from non vegans because it’s an absolute hit!
This is so wonderful!! Ah I’m so happy to hear it 🙂 Thanks so much for coming back to review!
I’m from the UK and hoping to make this for my sons bday
Our gf flour doesn’t contain any xanthan gum so I would need to add it
Would u do how much this recipe would require
Thanks
Hi Aine! I would recommend 1 tsp of xanthan gum, and also still include the arrowroot starch or cornstarch! 🙂
I can’t mind reading about arrowroot starch or cornstarch in this recipe would that be the choc oat cake recipe maybe?
I have cornstarch in the house though so if u think it’s needed will I use 1tsp.
That’s perfect! You can add in a teaspoon of cornstarch to also help 🙂
Brit,
OMG!!! You are a Legend!
Every year I stress so much trying to find the right recipe for my sons bday cake, he’s anaphylactic to wheat,eggs,nuts and few more to add to the list.
So I followed your recipe and used our uk gf plain flour added the extras above mentioned and rise on these beauties are amazing. Can’t wait to try it but for now once cooled they’ll be wrapped and decorated tomorrow.
Thanks again
Aine
Omgsh I’m so happy to hear this 🥺ENJOY!! SO excited to hear how it comes out!! And happy birthday to your son! 🙂
I made this cake as cupcakes…
Yes it made ALOT but I needed that ..
A mixture of 48 medium size and mini..
I did use country crock vegan plant butter I have an issue with soy in Earth Balance AND I use Califa Almond milk creamer to make the vegan buttermilk and in the frosting..
I also used regular applesauce not unsweetened ..
I followed everything to a T in the recipe for the cupcakes besides those substitutions And in the frosting just added a little vanilla extract to it..
And I think to pipe better I probably should have chilled it..
But all in all..
EVERYONE loved them including the Birthday Girl..
You Rock Britt..
This is just so beyond wonderful, thank you so so much for sharing this, Michelle!! I’m so grateful for all of your notes (so helpful for other readers!!) and so happy that everyone loved them 🙂 Thank YOU for sharing this, and enjoy!!
Can I freeze the unfrosted sponge cake?
Yes, absolutely! Make sure that you wrap the cake layers (once cooled) tightly in plastic wrap. Then transfer them to the fridge the night before to thaw!
Hi Britt!
I made this cake for my birthday and it was absolutely DELICIOUS! Will definitely be making it again! Also, thank you for providing measurements in grams. Whenever I use cup measurements the results are terrible, measuring out the ingredients by weight is so much better!
Have lovely day!
Debbie
Oh my goodness! This is so wonderful!! Thank you so much for leaving this review, and happy belated birthday 🙂 It’s one of my favorite cakes to make for any birthday celebration!! Enjoy!
Holy yummy! I made this cake for myself for my
birthday because I’m breastfeeding and working out food allergies for my son. This was such a delicious cake and the icing was so even better! I was intimidated by the recipe because I haven’t ever made anything vegan baking wise but the recipe and ingredients I had one hand already! 10/10
Oh my goodness!! I’m so happy to hear this!! ENJOY! Thank you for such a sweet review!
Thank you for an amazing recipe I’ve never made a vegan chocolate cake only vanilla but someone asked me to do one and this tastes fantastic. I just want to ask the best way to store this I want to keep the sponge until I’m ready to decorate which will be Wednesday so 5 days. I’ve wrapped in cling film and put in fridge but would you recommend freezing this until then, will it still taste as nice and be as moist thanks?
Oh I’m so happy to hear you love it, thank you for the review! For storing it, I would wrap it tightly in cling wrap (maybe 2 times just to be safe!), then freeze it actually! The night/day before, simply transfer the sponges from the freezer to the fridge, and let them thaw overnight 🙂 Enjoy!!
How would you change the cooking temperature and time if using a single deep spring-form pan, which will then cut into 2 layers?
Hi Zoe! You’ll keep the temperature the same, but how big is the pan? That will determine how long to bake!
I am trying this for a vegan wedding cake and am very confused about the liquid. Your recipe says 2 cups hot water with espresso powder or only 1 cup brewed coffee. Any reason for a whole 1 cup difference in liquid? My regular cake doesnt even use milk, just eggs so converting is hard for me to see why so much liquid is needed with the milk and yogurt. Thanks!
Hi Heather! I’m not sure where you’re reading the 1 cup hot water with espresso? It should be just 1 cup of brewed coffee OR you can swap in 1 cup hot water with espresso powder or decaf, etc. Does that make sense? I hope that helps! Then the vegan buttermilk is 1 1/4 cups, so you get just over 2 cups in liquid overall, but there isn’t 2 cups of hot water!
Hi hi! I have a question about the all natural cocoa powder! I usually buy my cocoa at the bulk food store and get this really nice “red cacao” powder which has a higher fat and iron content and is so so tasty. What is all natural cocoa powder and where do I buy it?
Hi Laura! Yes, so cacao powder has lower acidity in it, which means your cakes won’t rise as much as the cake in the photos- which is totally fine if that doesn’t matter to you (especially if you like the taste so much!). But if you want your cakes to rise really tall, definitely use all natural cocoa powder, which has a higher level of acidity that reacts with the baking soda, causing our cakes to rise tall! I recommend the organic baking cocoa powder by Equal Exchange (in the purple tin!); Ghirardelli, Valhrona, and Rodelle all have wonderful baking cocoa powders as well!