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:
Want to save this recipe for later? Add it to your favorite recipe board on Pinterest!
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
I love this recipe—I have made it a few times and people always come back for seconds! I have noticed that the frosting sometimes comes out lumpy—it doesn’t affect the taste at all just wondering your thoughts! Thank you!
Hi Lacey! That is AMAZING to hear!! Make sure that all of your ingredients are at room temperature. It’s a small step that will make a huge difference!
This chocolate cake is seriously dangerous. I can say with confidence that this is the best chocolate cake I have ever had in my life. Thank you!
I LOVE IT!! WOW! Thank you so much for the kind review!! Enjoy 🙂
Hi , I want to make this cake on the weekend , is it best to measure in cups or grams please . , need help 🙏🏻
Hi there! You can use either – both are listed in the recipe!
Hello, I would like to make this for my son’s birthday but here in the Uk I can’t find vegan sour cream, can it be replaced it with something else? Thanks😊
Try my 4 Ingredient Easy Vegan Chocolate Frosting Recipe instead!!
I am so grateful for this blog! I started a cottage bakery to generate some extra income and starting cake recipe testing with this recipe. Sent it to my in-laws’ with my husband for Thanksgiving and multiple people reached out to me saying how good it was! My husband said it was the best cake he’d ever had. Can’t wait to try more recipes!
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Aw wow!! Thank you so so much!! I so appreciate it 🙂 This is amazing!! ENJOY! And good luck with your cottage bakery, that sounds AMAZING!! Always my dream to open up a bakery 🙂
I made for my son’s third birthday and it was honestly as good as the one we bought for my daughter ‘s from the bakery. Unbelievable! I reduced the amount to 2/3 to make two 20cm layers and only used 250ml of cream to make less frosting and it was honesty amazing, everybody loved it! I will certainly make it again, possibly alternating the a vanilla base with the chocolate fudge frosting or the chocolate cake with a ‘white’ frosting. Anyway, I highly recommend it! Thank you so much, your recipes never disappoint!
This is AMAZING!! MY GOODNESS!!! Wow I’m just so happy you all loved it!! And absolutely stunning design! Thank you for the review!! And enjoy!
HOLY YUM!!! This is THE chocolate cake guys!!! She is the moment, she is the icon, she is the legend. ✨
I made this for my 3-year old son’s birthday today – everyone was commenting on how rich the chocolate flavor was, and they all got seconds. My kiddo asked for a chocolate cake for his birthday and he also LOVES Oreos, so I made him a Chocolate Oreo crumble cake using this as the base recipe. It turned out GREAT.
I was looking through so many vegan chocolate cake recipes, and loved yours because of the use of the vegan yogurt and the hot coffee! Thank you so much Britt! Your recipes are amazing!! This will be my go-to chocolate cake recipe for ever from here on ❤️
Hello,
I would like to try to make it. Do you think I can use 2- 9 inch pans for this recipe?
Hey Marion! You should be able to use 2 pans for the cake. Just adjust the bake time accordingly!
I just made this cake tonight and it’s the best chocolate cake recipe I’ve ever tried amongst the other recipes I’ve tried before without eggs. Love the taste and the texture! I used regular ingredients and it’s still great! I would say the chocolate ganache (from scientifically sweet) is a little bitter for our taste (as per my husband) and I wanted to make it for our niece who is allergic to eggs. I would try to use your buttercream recipe next time but overall very happy with the result! I used the 9 inch pans I got and baked it for 35 mins and it was perfect!
Oh my goodness! This is AWESOME!! And it looks just gorgeous 🙂 Thank you so so much for sharing, Marion! Fantastic cake!! Well done!
I have made five different vegan chocolate cake recipes in the past month, looking for a great cake for my daughter’s wedding. I am not a vegan baker, but I’ve taken this on because it’s what they want. This is the best cake I have made. It’s the most like a non-vegan cake, which is the standard I’m using. Thank you!
Oh my goodness look at that cake!! It looks SO good. Sending the best to the happy couple!
This is my go to birthday cake for my dairy and egg allergy kiddos!! It’s soooo good. Just a heads up, I think your brown sugar weight is off. I weighed mine at 1/3 cup and it was 74 g, and when I looked it up it says 73 g everywhere, but your recipe says 110 g! 🙂
Oh my goodness- it’s JAW-DROPPINGLY gorgeous!! Look at that crumb! Thank you so much for sharing!! ENJOY!
My first question, will it work if I use applesauce in place of the yogurt?
My second question, if I don’t need it to be vegan can I use sour cream instead?
Hi Ashley! Yes, it’ll work with applesauce! I prefer the df yogurt, but it definitely can 🙂 If you don’t need to be vegan, sour cream will work as well!
Hey Britt! Thanks for this incredible recipe, the taste and texture are just perfect 🥹 It worked beautifully also for cupcakes! Love, Fede
This is AMAZING!! Oh I love it, Fede!! Thank you so much for the review! ENJOY!
Hi Britt, soo excited to try this cake recipe. Once it is made and frosted, how should
it be stored and for how long? I ask because the people I’m making it for are traveling, so I’ll make it on Sunday, wrap it, then frost it on Monday which is when I will take it to my friends, but they then will only travel on Tuesday.
Hi Tumi! I would store the cake and the frosting separately until you get to your location for easy transport. This way the cake won’t get soggy as well. When you are done, store it in an airtight container with any leftovers!
I’m so confused. Your video says to use an all natural cocoa powder and NOT Dutch processed but your ingredients list for this recipe calls for Dutch processed cocoa. Could you clarify?
Hi JP! So sorry for the confusion! The recipe was further adapted so the video is out of date- but we’re actually filming a new one for this process, so I will make sure it’s updated stat! The recipe card is always the most up to date! So sorry for the confusion!
Hi, and thank you so much for this recipe! I love this kind of chocolate cake and i was a bit skeptic trying a vegan recipe. Turns out it was way better! The cake is super moist and the frosting is easily spreadable and tasty. Also thank you for using grams in the recipe, makes it so much easier.
Anu, Finland
Hi Anu, thanks for sharing! I’m so glad it turned out well for you. Vegan is always a great choice!!
I don’t normally comment on recipes but I had to for this one. I was looking for a vegan chocolate cake recipe for my niece’s wedding cake. I am not vegan. In fact when I tried a vegan diet with my husband I literally cried as I hated it so much. So I was hesitant to find a vegan cake recipe. Then on top of it your recipe contained espresso. I hate anything with the slightest taste of coffee! In the end I decided to try it since it is for my niece’s wedding cake. The cake smelled great and looked wonderful but I was afraid to taste it thinking it would taste of coffee. To my surprise it did not! It is one of the best chocolate cakes I have ever made! Vegan or non vegan! My husband and son were quite surprised when I said this is going to become my new go to chocolate cake recipe! You have convinced me!
I could cry!! This is so beautiful!! My goodness, I’m so honored you used the recipe for your niece’s wedding cake as well! Thank you so much!! So excited to see what you try next 🙂