Ultra Rich Paleo Chocolate Cake (Vegan + Gluten Free)
You won’t believe this decadent Paleo chocolate cake is entirely grain free, vegan, dairy free, and nut free! A healthier twist on classic chocolate cake that doesn’t even taste healthy!
I don’t know how it took me so long to get this up, but I’m so incredibly happy to say that this Paleo chocolate cake is finally here and it is one for the books.
I’m serious, after I put down the camera for shooting this cake, I had to have a slice. Didn’t cake– I mean care — that it was only 11:00 AM ha! It is just so incredibly decadent, rich, and moist.
So good in fact, that you’d never know it’s secretly Paleo and vegan!
Made with a secret Paleo vegan chocolate buttercream frosting, this chocolate cake is one to keep!
The ultimate healthy chocolate cake recipe
This healthier chocolate cake is so freaking rich and decadent that you’d hardly know that it is completely allergy friendly.
Yep, entirely grain free, gluten free, dairy free, egg free, nut free, and vegan. It’s mind boggling.
And when you slice the knife through it, oh my gosh. It’s so silky smooth and fudgy, basically Ghiradelli would be speechless.
This gluten free vegan chocolate cake is about to be your go to birthday and celebration cake!
How is this a Paleo and vegan chocolate cake?
What I love about this healthier chocolate cake is that yes, it is entirely vegan and Paleo! Not to mention nut free too 🙂
We’re not using any grains, any gluten, no dairy and absolutely no eggs. Yet, you get the most decadent and rich, ultra moist and fluffy chocolate cake.
How? Let’s go make it!
How to make the best Paleo chocolate cake
I promise that making a gluten free vegan chocolate cake is not difficult at all. Any skill level can make this cake.
The ingredients you’ll need for this cake are:
- Cassava flour: a wonderful grain free and nut free flour made from the cassava root
- Cacao powder: I recommend cacao over cocoa, as it’s not only a more nutrient rich powder, but it also just taste so much better. Cacao powder makes for the ultimate chocolatey Paleo vegan chocolate cake!
- Dairy free milk + yogurt: yes yogurt too! Now, you’ll need to make sure that your options are Paleo. I recommend coconut here, but if you can’t have coconut you can use a nut milk and yogurt, like cashew. Additionally, if you don’t need it to be Paleo, you can use oat milk or soy milk.
- Ground flaxseed: this will be used as a substitute for eggs, making this an entirely Paleo and vegan chocolate cake!
- Maple syrup: because cassava is such a drying flour, maple syrup helps to add back in some moisture.
- Coconut sugar: we’ll also be using this to make a Paleo powdered sugar.
- Paleo vegan chocolate: yes, chocolate goes into this cake, and it’s key!
- Vegan butter: I recommend using Forager Project or Miyoko’s- I’ve gotten the best results with either of those brands!
Making Paleo and vegan desserts really isn’t that complicated once you break down the ingredients and what you’re using them for. I’ll go over some more substitutions in the below sections, so stay tuned.
For now, let’s go over how to make a Paleo chocolate cake!
To start, combine all of the dry ingredients in a large bowl. Then fold in the wet ingredients (you’ll melt the chocolate here too and add it into the batter- it really makes this chocolate cake just phenomenally chocolatey!).
Pour the batter into three 6″ cake pans and place them into the oven to bake. Once they’re baked, allow the cakes to fully cool before you frost!
Making a Paleo vegan chocolate buttercream frosting
The trick to a creamy and delicious Paleo vegan chocolate buttercream frosting is in the powdered sugar. We’re not using actual powdered sugar, because that wouldn’t be Paleo.
However, we’re converting coconut sugar into a powdered sugar substitute! To do so, place the coconut sugar into a large food processor and pulse until it’s a fine powder.
Then use it as you would powdered sugar to make a Paleo vegan chocolate buttercream (steps listed in the actual recipe card below 😉 ).
Can I make the cake or vegan chocolate frosting ahead of time?
Absolutely! I personally recommend making the Paleo vegan chocolate cake ahead of time versus the chocolate frosting; however, you can definitely make either ahead and then just build the cake when you’re ready.
If you’re making the cake ahead of time, simply make the cake then store it covered at room temperature for up to a day head. Then make the frosting and frost the cake when you’re ready!
To make the frosting ahead of time, follow the steps to make the frosting, then cover the bowl and store in the fridge overnight. To use when ready, allow the frosting to come to room temperature, about 4-5 hours. Then use a hand mixer to beat it together for 30 seconds to rewhip it.
Substitutions for a grain free gluten free vegan chocolate cake
I highly recommend keeping the cake as is, but if you need to make some substitutions, here are some swaps that I’ve approved and can guarantee the result of:
- Cacao powder: you can use cocoa powder…I just recommend cacao instead!
- Coconut sugar: feel free to use can sugar if you’re not completely Paleo.
- Vegan butter: to make this nut free, use a coconut oil based vegan butter. Those might not be entirely Paleo (the only Paleo vegan butter I’ve seen on the market is by Miyoko’s and now Forager Project).
- Dairy-free milk + yogurt: use whichever dairy-free milk and yogurt you prefer.
- Chocolate: to make this Paleo and vegan, I use Pascha Chocolate (100% cacao). However, you can use your favorite Paleo and vegan chocolate, like Enjoy Life, Lily’s Sweets, etc.
- Flaxseed: you can also swap in applesauce here if you don’t have flaxseed.
I hope you love this Paleo vegan chocolate cake as much as I do! If you give it a go, let me know down below in the comments section.
As always, I absolutely love to see your beautiful creations, so be sure to tag me on Instagram and Pinterest.
Happy Chocolate Cake Baking!
More Healthy Paleo and Vegan Desserts
Paleo Vegan Millionaire’s Shortbread
Ultra Rich Paleo Vegan Brownies
Flourless Vegan Chickpea Brownies
The Best Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies
Flourless Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies
Want to save this recipe for later? Add it to your favorite recipe board on Pinterest!
Ultra Rich Paleo Chocolate Cake (Vegan + Gluten Free)
- Prep Time: 15
- Cook Time: 35
- Total Time: 50 minutes
- Yield: 16 1x
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Vegan
Description
You won’t believe this decadent Paleo chocolate cake is entirely grain free, vegan, dairy free, and nut free! A healthier twist on classic chocolate cake that doesn’t even taste healthy!
Ingredients
Paleo Chocolate Cake:
- 3 cups cassava flour
- 1 cup raw cacao powder
- 1 cup coconut sugar
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- 3¼ cups dairy-free milk
- 1/2 cup maple syrup
- 2/3 cup dairy-free yogurt (plain, unsweetened)
- 4 Flaxseed Eggs (see Note)
- 1½ tablespoons Paleo Baking Powder or 1 tbsp baking powder (see Note)
- 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup chocolate chips, to be melted
Paleo Vegan Chocolate Buttercream Frosting:
- 1 cup vegan butter, softened
- 3 cups coconut sugar
- 1 cup cacao powder
- 3–4 tbsp dairy-free milk
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350F and line three 6″ cake tins with parchment paper.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the cassava flour, cacao powder, coconut sugar, and baking soda.(If using regular baking powder instead of the Paleo Baking Powder mixture mentioned in the notes, add it in here).
- Add in the dairy-free milk, maple syrup, dairy-free yogurt, flaxseed eggs, Paleo Baking Powder mixture, and pure vanilla extract. Mix together until there are no more clumps of dry batter.
- In a small bowl, melt the chocolate chips. Add the melted chocolate to the batter and stir to combine.
- Divide the batter into the three cake pans, and place the cake pans into the oven to bake for 35-40 minutes, or until the toothpick comes out clean.
- Remove from the oven and let cool completely before you begin frosting.
- When ready to frost, pulse the coconut sugar in a large food processor until it’s a fine powder. Essentially we’re making a Paleo powdered sugar. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, beat the vegan butter until it’s whipped and creamy.
- Sift in the coconut sugar in increments of 1 cup as you continue to beat the frosting. Continue until all the sugar is combined.
- Then sift in the cacao powder as you beat the buttercream frosting and beat the frosting until it’s fluffy. Add in 1 tbsp at a time of dairy-free milk if you need to get the frosting to be more consistent and soft.
- When ready to frost, frost your cake and serve!
Notes
- To make 1 single flaxseed “egg,” combine 1 tbsp ground flaxseed with 3 tbsp water. Let the mixture sit for 5-7 minutes until it coagulates. To make 4 flaxseed “eggs,” you’ll need 4 tbsp ground flaxseed combined with 3/4 cup water.
- To make Paleo Baking Powder, combine 1 tbsp baking soda with 2 tsp apple cider vinegar. Let the mixture foam and then add it into the batter.
Nutrition
- Serving Size:
- Calories: 392
- Sugar: 55 g
- Sodium: 352.4 mg
- Fat: 10 g
- Saturated Fat: 2.6 g
- Carbohydrates: 78.5 g
- Fiber: 5.5 g
- Protein: 3.7 g
- Cholesterol: 0 mg
Keywords: paleo chocolate cake, vegan chocolate cake, paleo vegan chocolate cake, gluten free vegan chocolate cake
Ein Veganer Schokoladen- Traum!!!
Bitte bitte stell deine tollen Rezepte auch in Gramm ein, ich würde mich sooo sehr darüber freuen und viele andere bestimmt auch.
Viele Grüße,
Jesse-Gabriel
★★★★★
Wow I didn’t think it was possible for a paleo and vegan chocolate cake to taste THIS amazing but here we are 🙂 So decadent – like a Ghirardelli brownie!
★★★★★
Aw thank you so so much!! Enjoy!! 🙂