This BEST vegan chocolate cake recipe is quick and easy with no unusual ingredients. Hundreds of readers have loved this moist fluffy vegan chocolate cake. It's egg-free and dairy-free. So many readers love it regardless of it being a vegan cake.
When you think about vegan cake, you might think it will be dry, crumbly and somehow inferior to a typical chocolate cake filled with eggs and butter.
Well, you're wrong. Very wrong.
It might be an egg free and dairy free chocolate cake, but it is awesome!
So moist, so fluffy, so rich, so chocolatey - so amazing.
This vegan chocolate cake really is the BEST.
Jump to:
Why You'll Love It
Why will you LOVE this dairy free cake?
It's like a super-amazing, delicious, decadent chocolate cake that just happens to be vegan!
If you didn't mention that it's vegan, people would honestly never know.
It's rich, fluffy, moist and very easy to make.
Originally published January 2017. Republished 8 Feb 2019 with new photos.
Why it's the BEST
It's really quick and easy vegan choco cake.
This cake has a rich, chocolatey flavour.
No unusual ingredients - just pantry staples. And super easy too.
Light, moist and fluffy texture. Unbelievably a vegan cake!
It makes a great vegan birthday cake. In fact, many readers have kindly shared with me their lovely cakes on social media. I love that my recipe can be a part of your special day.
Nobody will guess that it’s vegan. It's so moist and rich!
Many readers have made it and love it. It's a recipe you can trust.
A moist eggless chocolate cake that's also dairy-free.
(Original photo from 2016)
Ingredients
I love making cakes, but I hate it when I need to seek out expensive unusual ingredients first.
So, this vegan cake doesn’t need any unusual egg or dairy substitutes like flax or chia eggs. And no banana either!
The most unusual ingredient is dairy free milk (almond, soy etc...), but you can pick that up at any shop.
Instead of butter, I've used a vegan spread (butter/margarine whatever you like to call it!).
It’s just a super-easy, light and fluffy chocolate cake that’s vegan that can be made with store cupboard ingredients.
You'll need:
Vegan Milk - try soy or almond etc...
Lemon juice - this will turn the milk into buttermilk.
Dairy free butter or margarine
Liquid sweetener - try maple syrup, corn syrup, agave etc... This adds extra sweetness and moisture.
Instant coffee powder / espresso powder - this is totally optional, but you can't taste it and it brings out the flavor of the chocolate.
Flour (all-purpose/plain flour) for structure and bulk.
Sugar - to sweeten the cake. I use granulated white sugar (double check that it's safe for vegan).
Cocoa powder - the unsweetened kind!
Baking powder & baking soda - to make the cake nice and fluffy.
For the chocolate frosting, you'll also need powdered icing sugar and cocoa powder.
Trust me, nobody will guess that it’s vegan. It's great as a vegan birthday cake, party cake or everyday cake!
Reader Testimonials
A few reader reviews:
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ "I made this vegan cake today (first attempt at vegan baking) and I was truly surprised! It was light fluffy and moist and despite the lack of eggs the rise was excellent and the taste was super. I will be wowing vegans everywhere with this." - Ollie
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ "I just made this! It is absolutely gorgeous, as a chocoholic myself, I didn’t think I could ever find a vegane chocolate cake that was as good as the real stuff. But this is so good, if not better!" - Isabella
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ "This is a delicious and moist vegan chocolate cake! And very simple to make, some vegan cakes require an awful lot of expensive ingredients. A* for taste, ease and texture!" - Natasha
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ "Best vegan cake recipe ever! I made mine into cupcakes and subbed the vegan butter for vegetable oil and it came out perfect! I also added some vegan chocolate chips and it made it extra good so I'll totally be making these again" - Lisa
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ "Hello, I use this recipe all of the time for vegans but also for non-vegans and nobody ever notices a thing, in fact people always praise it for its moistness!! It’s my absolute go to recipe and would never use any other chocolate cake recipe!" - Nikki
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ "It’s just perfect. I’ve gone through a few recipe’s now but never been happy with the results. Now I’ve found this I won’t be looking anymore. It’s now my forever chocolate cake recipe. Thank you." - Janet
Step by Step Tutorial
This really is an easy recipe. Follow these step-by-step photos and your cake should come out perfectly.
Scroll down to the recipe card at the bottom of the post for the full ingredients list and method.
1: Stir the lemon juice into the vegan milk. You can use soy, almond, hemp, cashew - they all work well.
>>Cook's tip: When you add the lemon juice it will slightly curdle - don't worry, that's what you want to happen! It's turning the plant milk into buttermilk.
2: Melt the vegan butter (a hard vegan butter or a non-dairy margarine all work, like Earth Balance) with the syrup.
>>Cook's tip: You can use any liquid sweetener: golden syrup, corn syrup, agave or maple syrup. Maple makes for a slightly less sweet cake, but it's still really nice.
3: Sift the dry ingredients into a bowl, then whisk to combine.
4: Mix the wet ingredients into the dry and stir to combine.
>>Cook's tip: don't overmix. You want it completely combined, but stir gently and don't beat it.
5: Pour the batter into the prepared pans and bake for 30-35 minutes or until an inserted skewer (or knife) comes out clean. Cool in the pans for a few minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack for the cake to cool completely.
Scroll down for the detailed recipe card and vegan frosting instructions
More Vegan Cake Recipes
Also be sure to try my light, fluffy and easy to make Vegan Vanilla Cake! No unusual ingredients and nobody will guess that it's vegan. It's also a perfect vegan birthday cake!
Also make my Vegan Chocolate Cupcakes - they're moist and soft.
Go for a classic with my Vegan Carrot Cake.
Want something zingy? Try my Vegan Lemon Cake.
Get bright! Try my Vegan Red Velvet Cupcakes.
Classic - try Vegan Banana Bread.
Make it small - Vegan Chocolate Cupcakes
If you're looking for a vanilla cake, try my Vegan Victoria Sponge cake. It's light, fluffy and delicious.
Tips
Don’t over-mix the batter when adding the wet ingredients to dry. Combine well, but don’t beat.
Add 1 teaspoon of cinnamon to the frosting for a wintery flavour.
Feel free to omit the coffee, it just enhances the flavour of the chocolate in this vegan cake.
Sugar: Note that in some countries (USA mainly) some sugar isn't vegan as it is filtered with bone char (why?????). In the USA organic sugar is usually vegan though. In most other countries all sugar is vegan. Pretty much all of it is vegan in the UK. Check your labels.
Cocoa Powder: Unsweetened cocoa powder should be vegan, but occasionally it could have a 'may contain milk' disclaimer so be sure to double-check.
Note: If anyone eating the cake has an allergy, be sure to check all ingredients. Food manufacturers sometimes change their recipes/formulas/processes so check that each one is suitable.
Cupcakes and Other Sizes
Turn this into vegan cupcakes by filling the cups of a lined muffin pan and bake for 15-20 mins.
Increase the ingredients by an extra 50% for a three layer cake
Storage and Freezing
This cake is freezable: you can freeze the un-frosted cakes for up to 1 month. Wrap each layer well and freeze them. Then let them defrost and add your favorite frosting.
The frosted cake is best stored on the kitchen counter for up to 5 days. You don't need to tightly wrap it, but a cake tin will ensure the cut edges don't dry out and keep it clean.
You can store un-frosted cake layers, well wrapped, on the kitchen counter for up to 5 days. If you need to keep them longer than that, freeze them. Perfect for a make-ahead vegan birthday cake recipe.
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Did you make this easy vegan chocolate cake recipe? Please let me know how it turned out for you!
Leave a comment and star rating below and share a picture with the hashtag #veggiedesserts. I love seeing your recreations of my vegetarian and vegan recipes and cakes.
📖 Recipe
The Best Vegan Chocolate Cake
Equipment
- Pot
- mixing bowl
- 2 x 20cm/8inch round baking pans
- Oven
- Fine Mesh Strainer
- Wooden spoon
Ingredients
- 1 ¼ cups (300ml) vegan milk (soy, almond etc...)
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice (or apple cider vinegar or white vinegar)
- ⅔ cup (150g) vegan butter
- 3 tablespoon golden syrup / corn syrup / agave/ maple syrup (use your favorite liquid sweetener (maple will make a slightly less sweet cake))
- 1 teaspoon instant coffee granules / espresso powder (OPTIONAL)
- 2 ¼ cups (275g) all-purpose flour (plain flour)
- ¾ cup (175g) sugar
- 4 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
- 3 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda (bicarb of soda)
For the vegan chocolate frosting (double to cover the sides as well)
- ⅓ cup (75g) vegan butter room temperature
- 1 ⅔ cups (200g) powdered icing sugar (confectioner's sugar)
- 4 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
- 2 tablespoons water
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C/ 160°C fan/ Gas mark 4). Lightly grease 2 x 20cm/8inch round baking pans.
- Stir the lemon juice (or vinegar) into the milk and set aside to thicken and 'curdle' slightly into buttermilk.
- In a pot over a medium heat, melt the butter, syrup and coffee (if using) together. Set aside to cool slightly.
- Sift the flour, cocoa, sugar, baking powder and baking soda into a large mixing bowl and whisk together.
- Pour the milk and melted margarine mixture over the flour mixture and stir well until it becomes a smooth batter.
- Divide the mixture between the two prepared pans and bake for 30-35 minutes or until an inserted skewer or toothpick comes out clean.
- Allow the cakes to cool in the tins for 5 minutes, then turn out onto a cooling rack to cool completely.
- Meanwhile, to make the icing beat together all ingredients until smooth.
- When the cakes are completely cold, sandwich together with half of the icing. Spread the remaining icing over the top of the cake.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
The nutritional information provided is approximate and can vary depending on several factors, so is not guaranteed to be accurate. Please see a registered dietician for special diet advice.
Margaret Stewart
Choc vegan recipe brilliant, substituted flour for gluten free and added 1 tsp xanthine gum.
Linda
This is my go to recipe for a special occasion cake. It's moist and loved by everyone who eats it. A word of warning though, don't over cook as the cake will fall to pieces and be difficult to ice.
Linda
I've made this cake on numerous occasions with great success. Just don't over cook it as it will fall to pieces and you will have to turn it into cake pops.
Jyothi Rao
It's easy, all the ingredients were already in my pantry, and required no specific equipment.
Both cupcakes and single layer cake turned out fluffy and moist
Susan Graff
I’ve made this for my grandson who has severe egg and dairy allergies. Thank you! It is a perfect chocolate cake.
Ruth
Hi, Would Soya Milk work in this recipe?
Kate Hackworthy
Absolutely!
Rebecca
Hi Kate
I love this recipe and have made it a number of times and it always goes down well. S
Kezia
I've now lost count of the number of times we have made this cake. We make it as a single cake, extra large cake, cupcakes, it always turns out fabulously and always receives lots of praise from vegans and non vegans. Can't thank you enough for this recipe!
Zara
Hi!
Have made it lots of times now. Our go-to vegan cake recipe.
Rebecca
I love this cake - have made it multiple times now and find the buttercream icing much less rich than usual icing so can actually eat it!
I have a question. When you go to print recipe option you can multiply the portion size from the default of 12 servings. However it doesn’t change tin size. Could you advise on ingredients multiples by different tin size? Would be useful to know if for a 9” or 10” tin you need to use half as much again of everything or double, etc.
Thanks
Rebecca
I made it as a traybake for a cake sale and it was so good. I added peanut butter frosting and it was so good.
Chrissie
Loved it - have made it a few times already!
Lolabelle
Loved it! I've made it so many times now and it always turns out perfectly.
Marika
Excellent recipe, thanks so much. Made it for a big celebration cake and a practice sponge layer cake beforehand. Both came out well, took them out 5 minutes earlier.
Christine McFerran
Can you tell me what kind of Baking powder you use. I have Royal, where I live.
Natasha
How to substitute liquid syrup as we are already adding sugar
Denise Small
You can't tell it's vegan! Rose well and was moist and delicious.
Ruth
A lovely cake I have used several times how for my egg intolerant daughter. Lovely flavour! For some reason I don't get the same level as rise as pictured. Will try SR flour next time
Linda
I've just made the vegan chocolate cake for my boss, it was very easy to make, but the only problem was when I took them out of the baking tins the cake all fell apart, I have bodged it together will the butter cream.
Kim
Definitely light and moist but the sponge is prone to cracking, my sponge split as soon as it came out of the baking tin and continued to disintegrate. My only thought is that maybe I should have mixed it less?
The icing is very sweet and creamy so maybe try a different recipe for a more “grown up” flavour. I also added raspberry jam in between to to juxtapose the sweet with some tartness.
Ashlie
Made this today for my friend’s 2yo who has dairy & soy allergies… it was easier to make aomething than try to navigate the “free from” section and find something free of even traces of allergens.
This cake was delicious!!!! So moist and chocolatey, and a delicious finale to a nice homecooked dinner.
Every little girl deserves chocolate cake and my goodness this was a great one!!!
Rebecca
Hi. I’ve made this in the past and it is always popular. If I want to make a double layer in a 9” tin how much should I scale up by? I only have one 9” tin so may make it larger and then cut in half. I assume will need longer to bake also.
Liz C
I needed a vegan AND gluten free cake for my Granddaughters birthday party. Your recipe for such great reviews I tried it and substituted the flour for GF plain flour and added 3/4 tsp of Xantham gum. I made cup cakes and they are absolutely delicious! Can’t tell they are GF at all! Thanks a lot I am really impressed!
I used almond milk and it didn’t thicken or go currdy with the lemon juice (I even put more lemon juice in) but it still worked fine.
JOX
absolutly the best ever vegan cake 🙂
easy to make
accessable ingriedients
so moist & tasty
A great hit in our village!
Jennifer
This recipe is an absolute delight! The rich, moist texture and intense chocolate flavor make it a perfect treat for any occasion. I love how it proves that you don't need eggs or dairy to create a truly scrumptious cake.
Fran7
Making this for son’s birthday as he’s decided to try a vegan diet. Straightforward recipe, rose really well. Taste tested first run by family, friends and work colleagues and very positive feedback! I’m not a chocolate cake fan but it was nice, not sickly and didn’t sit heavily on the stomach. Be prepared for the washing up!
One tip re the butter icing, I put the bowl of chopped up vegan butter, cocoa powder, water and icing sugar on our warm range to allow the butter to soften gradually which made that a lot easier and stopped cloud of icing sugar going everywhere. 👍
Stas
Made this cake so many times. Always get great feedback and everyone is always shocked it's vegan. Thanks so much for this.
Dave Hall
Hi Kate ,
I've been looking for a simple and quick vegan chocolate cake recipe for a long while so ......THANKS! I substituted 1/3 cup of sunflower oil for the vegan spread with no problem .Cake rose well ,its moist but not crumbling as others have commented....taste is great .Thank you !!!
Namrata Patel
Hey did you use sunflower oil in place of vegan butter?
Luz
Love this recipe! Have made it a few times as it'll be my wedding cake next month. I did find it was very crumbly so last time I added a tablespoon of flaxseed with the milk and this did the trick! Love it!
Jessica
Hello. I saw it a little brittle too, a bit fragile to withstand being a cake with layer fillings. Was it really better with flaxseed? I want to try it, but the recipe is incredible.
Jo
Yes, the best! Thank you a million for this recipe!
Rozzi
I love this cake!! Have made it a bunch of times. Now my go to chocolate cake recipe for birthdays etc. I don’t always do the frosting but the cake itself is PERFECT and so easy! Love that it’s not overly sweet too. Thanks for this winner!!
KM
I’ve made it with a double amount of frosting wow- all the prejudiced (to vegan) people in the house have no idea it’s vegan haha 😆
And it’s eaten all up! Just a winner! Perfect and thank you for this faultless recipe!
Joy
Fantastic recipe which I’ve made as both cupcakes and sponge cakes many times and each time I get lots of comments from people who can’t believe they’re vegan. Brilliant recipe which if you haven’t tried yet please try as super easy and great results
Amelia
When ever I make this cake it comes out dense could anyone tell me why please
Kelly Neale
I am the worst cook / baker ever, and I have managed to bake your cake and make it not only edible but also asked to bake it again. It has been said to taste better than previous dairy cakes and is now my Go To cake for every occasion.
Talya
You've taken me from disliking baking, the sifting of flour, the measuring of ingredients etc, to someone who thinks they could get used to this. I chose your delicious recipe to get over my baking fear, as I needed a cake for my son's 1st bday party. After rifling through the thousands of vegan cake recipes - I found this gem! Wow wow wow. Firstly I didn't even think I could possibly get this right, let alone watch the party guests go back for more, and then finish the whole cake!!! Everyone was astounded that it was vegan! I got a few bits wrong (the cakes split slightly in the oven, and the frosting was a little gritty - but no one seemed to mind!)
Thank you so very very much for providing me with a very idiot-proof recipe that I will certainly use again!
Kate Hackworthy
I'm so pleased! I hope you'll try out more vegan cakes and get to like baking even more!
Sue Cook
Absolutely love this recipe turns out great ever time. I don't make it solely for vegans everyone who has tried this cake loves it. I will only use this recipe for a chocolate cake.
K&K
This was our first attempt at a vegan cake and it came out beautifully. The cake itself is perfect in texture and taste- not overly sweet and very light. Really delicious!
We did run into a few issues which might be useful to share. We used almond milk and lemon juice and the mixture did not thicken! We even tried it with apple cider vinegar and the mixture was very thin. This didn’t seem to affect the end result (except the cake being quite crumbly- but this has been mentioned in other comments). Soy milk might be the better option.
We also halved the recipe for the icing and it’s the perfect amount to frost the top and insides. It would be way too sweet otherwise.
Great cake! Will make again 🙂
Ana-Maria
I don’t like it. I’m very annoyed as I expected more. I followed the recipe step by step, I prepared the ingredients in advance and I made sure I have everything ready. I live in uk so I used a Naturli vegan butter; I used all purpose white flour, and everything just like in the recipe. I measured everything and the result was terrible. My cake didn’t hold together and went in 3 pieces. (I make vegan cakes often -we are a vegan family -and I do know how to handle a cake); when I put it together it crumbled even more! Total disaster. It’s the worst thing when you are making a cake for guests! The icing was too hard…I added more water; the cake is dry.
Not for me.
Jess Layton
Hi, my first try crumbled to be pieces, but my oven is very quick, the second time I cooked it for far less time and it was much less dry and didn’t fall apart.
Julie
I make this recipie regularly for my grandchildren who have allergies and it's absolutely delicious. Moist delicious , keeps fresh for days and freezes well. The frosting is fab
Eleonora
I made this cake for my son’s birthday - a triumph! I made into a minion cake and it was holding up perfectly -my husband does not like cake, but he actually liked this one when I made it for my son and had more than one helping! It’s my husband’s birthday today and I’ve come back to this recipe because it taste fantastic and it’s easy to make. This time I intend to leave the decoration to my son 🙂 thank you for this great recipe!
GS
Delicious but very crumbly. Splits alread when taking out of the cake tin and even more when spreading the buttercream on. Definitely still needs something to replace the effect that eggs have. Tasted goog thoguh.
Alex
HI! I'm planning to make this recipe for 20 people. Do you think I should go 3 layers or 4? Thanks!!
Anne
Fabulous cake and so easy to make.
Lulu
I baked this cake using coconut sugar instead of white sugar. Thanks for the recipe!
Amy
The cake itself is amazing!! Abit crumbly but delicious.
The buttercream however is waaaay too sweet and sickly! I followed the recipe and tasted it, it didn’t taste of chocolate at all so I added more cocoa powder and put it on the cake. Not sure if it’s the butter I used (Vitalite), but it tasted too buttery and not chocolatey. When I make this again I may have to use a different buttercream/icing recipe.
Kate Hackworthy
Hi Amy, I'm glad you like the cake. There are a few buttercream recipes out there (I think recipetineats.com) that have a method of making buttercream less sweet using flour and heating it. I haven't tried it though. Another alternative to cut through the sweetness slightly is to add a little salt or tiny bit of vinegar.
What I would do though is to make a slightly tart fruit compote (blueberry, blackberry or raspberry would be great with chocolate cake - recipes all on my blog and take about 10 mins) and use that between the layers with just a very thin bit of buttercream frosting. That would cut through the sweetness with fresh fruity flavor.
Maddee
This had become our family’s go to birthday cake, after I made it for a friend’s 40th birthday, I use a buttercream icing that has chocolate in it as well as cocoa for a less sweet taste. I’m in the U.K. and use Green and Black’s Organic 85% which might not be strictly vegan, but doesn’t have any milk in it. If I have to lighten the buttercream for anyone (grandsprockets) I add in some vegan milk chocolate as well.
Karen
Love the taste and everything else about it!
Robyn Young
You have saved the day! Needed a gluten free vegan chocolate cake for my sons wedding. Tried lots of recipes with most of them turning out soft & squishy. So I doubled the quantity, used standard GF flour (dove) & added 1tsp of xanthan gum (so that would be 1/2 a tsp for standard recipe quantity). Divided between 3 x 9” cake tins at 160C for 43 mins & they are perfect!
ANNIQUE SIMPSON
21/7/21 This is the ONLY recipe I use when making family birthday cakes as works beautifully and everyone raves about it-including non vegans. I decorate the chocolate frosting with fresh strawberries and raspberries and make it into 3 layers. Making it today for my precious granddaughter Beatrix's 3rd birthday tomorrow, which we always celebrate with a family picnic under our favourite large tree decorated with our bunting, at Hever Castle gardens in Kent, UK.
Cat3x2
Yum yum yum!! So easy and so delicious. Thanks!
Shaz
This is the best Vegan chocolate cake I’ve ever had. My husband who isn’t vegan says it’s favourite chocolate cake ever. I’m in the uk and I used a well known brand solid plant butter as a lot of vegan margarines are too sweet Such a simple recipe too you can’t go wrong This will be my go to choc cake from now on Thanks so much
Lizzi M
I’m not vegan. I wanted to make an all inclusive birthday cake for my son’s birthday party as some guests attending are vegan / dairy free. I gave this a practise run just now and it’s delicious, soft and moist (although the sides crumbled a bit when I was trying to pick it up). It tastes like any other regular dairy and egg filled cake, so I’m very happy. I’ll definitely make this for the party. And I’m a happy bunny for having two cakes to eat! 😀 Thank you for the awesome recipe and no awful flax egg situation!!
Isabella Oliver
To be honest, I was dreading this. My sons partner is vegan, and I’ve never cooked a vegan cake. Not a good recipe to start with. Add to that, that I’ve just come back from a real teaching Aboriginal kids in remote Australian places where there’s no mobile phone service , no doctor, no petrol station and I’ve had a 1.6m snake in my front yard. (I totally love my job; it is truly amazing). I thought I was fearless. I’m not. This scared me.
Mot ONLY do I love it but I’m nowmbakimg it for a THIRD time! Didn’t know vegan could TASTE so good. Thank you so much! So grateful for this recipe to begin my vegan journey. (Yes, I’ve eaten big, fat, lovely salads and thought that was vegan). Not any more. This is DELICIOUS! Thanks again!
JJ
Bravo on this wonderfully flawless and simple cake recipe. This is an all-round reliable cake that anyone would be happy to make or eat, vegan or not. I've made this twice; first time following the recipe, second time using coconut milk and substituting butter for oil. Both cakes baked perfectly, retaining bounce and a moist crumb.
Elliott
Wow,
I made these as cupcakes for a friend's daughter who was turning 11 years old and did my own version of frosting with banana, lemon and cinnamon. Everyone just went crazy for them and people kept asking how did you get them so moist? and that they were vegan on top just blew people away! This cake recipe is definitely a keeper so thanks!
SG
this was so good! i skipped the frosting all together since the cake was perfect without. I served it for Easter Sunday and they were all surprised that it was Vegan!
i do have one question - can i substitute Almond or Oat flour?
Jay
Made this cake about 4 or 5 times for kids parties and it always gets comments about how moist it is and better not even realising it is vegan.
Roshni Wallace
Hi, tried your recipe and it turned out moist, fluffy and extremely tasty. My first vegan cake. Thank you so much for sharing your recipe. Could you please let me know how to adjust the weights for the ingredients if I use a 2 x 9inch baking trays. Thank you
Roshni
Annie
Absolutely delicious and so easy to make! Everyone loved this cake, will be making again! Thankyou 😁
Jasmine
so good. perfect
Elo
Absolutely perfect! I used shop bought salted caramel icing. The texture of the sponge is amazing!
Anne-marie Andre
Wow. The best cake I have baked in a long time. Both my sons are vegan now. And this turned out to be a fantastic birthday cake. It looks good, tastes good.it is moist ,not too sweet. Perfect. Your instructions are excellent and it uses store cupboard ingredients.
Well done
Beth
First time I've ever made a vegan anything I think! The cake is amazing albeit quite crumbly, I managed to break it transferring it to my decorating base but the icing when doubled made plenty to try and hide that fact! And it's also the best chocolate icing I've ever tried: despite the fact I cannot normally stand icing, I did this in my processor and licked everything clean haha!
rina
Very nice, did some muffins. Were fluffy and soft. Thanks!
Lynn
I’ve spent over 20 years trying to perfect egg free cakes for my bloke who has an allergy. This is the first that really tastes like cake, but better!! I’ve also switched cocoa for coffee to make gorgeous coffee cake.
Aideen Summers
Brilliant chocolate cake!! Tastes amazing and perfect texture! Not just vegans love it!! I’m going to try the vanilla cake this week.
Sam
Oh my goodness! Just made this for my vegan housemate, I bake and cook a lot! But I can safely say THIS is THE BEST chocolate cake ever!!!! Yum!
Laura
Really great recipe! I have struggled with the texture of vegan cake, but this one was awesome!
One caveat: When I changed the number of servings when printing the recipe, only the imperial measurements changed, NOT the metric. The metric stayed the same. I was using metric measurements at first, and I'm glad I noticed before I totally messed up the cake. So if you change the number of servings, only use the cups measurements and not the grams.
Sally
Everyone loved it
Rebecca
The best vegan chocolate cake I have ever made!
I find using a block of vegan butter with a higher fat content works better than margarine and I also take out three table spoons of flour and add more cocoa to make it more chocolatey!!
ADELE
Terrific cake and so easy to make. This is the third time of making and I did 1.5 of recipe and made three layers!
Connie
I've made this for two christmases now and it's been a success both times, the instructions are just so easy to follow. This year I added some peanut butter to the frosting and it was even tastier. Thank you so much for this recipe!!
CharlotteJ
Hi, I’m really excited to make this! Would it work if I substituted lemon juice for lime juice by any chance?
Andrea
This is gorgeous, just made it for the second time - first time around I was looking for a Vegan recipe (I'm vegetarian) but it is now my go-to chocolate cake.
Sap B
I’ve been making this cake for years & everyone in my family loves it ❤️
Just wondering if I can turn this into a chocolate orange cake? Would just adding some orange zest work? Or do I substitute some milk for orange juice or extract?
Tia x
Sap B
So, I successfully made this into a chocolate orange cake. Just subbed 50 ml liquid for orange juice and added orange zest of one large orange. It was the BEST vegan chocolate orange cake ever.
Thank you for all your fab recipes 😊
Sarah
I think I have never eaten anything better... I make this all the time and even all my non-vegan friends love it and can't believe that it is vegan. Thank you so much for this!
Elise
Oh my god this really is the BEST vegan cake recipe. It was easy to follow and didn't require any confusing of complicated ingredients / techniques. Made it for my non vegan parents and they loved it so much they have asked me to make another already! I actually doubled the frosting recipe so that there was enough to spread around the entire cake haha. Thanks for this - I'll never need another chocolate cake recipe again! 🙂
Anella
I never ever comment on recipes and I’m 34.. I’ve been looking at online recipes for a long time.
Now this one deserves all the comments it gets! Every cake I’ve made since going vegan has been a little flat (except a carrot one I made)! However this one was so easy to follow, no messing about with chia seeds or worrying about egg replacers etc. I used Oatly Barista milk, the only one I have in and lemon juice. Worked perfect! Other half loved it too. I am printing this recipe and adding it to my folder of fame!
Thanks! I will definitely be googling other recipes by you!
Charlotte
Fooled all the non-vegans! Absolutely delicious chocolate cake - my go to recipe now
Emily
Hi,
I made this and it was really nice, I recommend. However mine tasted a bit like banana? I wasn’t sure why (I didn’t mind it was still nice) but was just wondering if anyone knew why?
Amelee
I promise this is the best chocolate cake in the world
Adrienne
So i just made this and i used organic unbleached all purpose flour and i a sugar replacement which could not be sifted in so i just folded it in and it came out a lot more dense than i expected...it wasnt what i was aiming for....i have tried alot of vegan recipes and they never failed me so i know it must have been something i did.... if it was my ingredients then maybe i should just use plain flour next time?? and use just regular granulated sugar?? We have diabetics at home so i use sugar replacements because even brown or coconut sugar wouldnt help much...any advice and tips would help me alot.....would like to perfect this! Thank you!
Lavleen
Hi, Loved this cake!!! It’s Super awesome! I was in search for a less sweet egglesss cake- and I have to admit this is THE BEST recipe!! I made it for my sons birthday party sandwiched with mint choco-chips ice cream- perfect combo.
Hayley
We absolutely love this cake. It is our go-to birthday cake and everyone loves it, including non-vegans. We usually make 1.5x the icing to have a good layer inside and a full smothering around the outside! Thank you for this gorgeous recipe ❤️
Umida
Made this in just an hour and it turned out very moist, light and simply delicious. We finished it in a day, so I'm making another one today.
Anna
Delicious cake. Made this for tea in the garden during lockdown. Easy to make and so light and fluffy. Everyone loved it.
Jane
Superb. Made it for a family celebration as my son is vegan. Simply sensational - super moist with a delicious flavour. I added the expresso and it really enhanced the chocolate flavour as recommended in the recipe. It rose beautifully and is better than a standard egg based cake. Thank you Kate so much for this wonderful recipe and all the very helpful tips. I am now going through all your other recipes for dinner.
Grace Conheady
Hello! I made this, and the taste is lovely, cake is moist and a good texture inside. There was a bit of a crust on mine though- I wonder why that is, how can I get it soft on the outside next time? (I baked it for the recommended 35 minutes, but maybe I overcooked it a little bit?)
Mike
My favourite vegan cake recipe, always comes out perfectly and taste fantastic!
Jacque
Made this chocolate cake for a friend at work who has food allergies, but all my work colleagues loved it and couldn't believe it was vegan. Have made it over and over again since always a success.
Jenny B
I made this with gluten free flower and chocolate soya milk. I wasn't expecting it to rise but it did. It rose and was moist. Gf flour tends to make cakes dry. I'm so impressed!!! Thank you so much for sharing. I'd have taken a photo but it's been gobbled up😊
Olivia
Wow, my first try at vegan baking and I was very nervous but WOW! Super duper light and moist so I would recommend letting them cool thoroughly before tucking in so that they hold their shape. Love that the ingredients are something you can find in any shop making it super accessible! Thanks for sharing 😊
Gillian Mowatt
Absolutely delish!! I thought I had the best recipe before finding this one....I am not vegan myself but this will be my go to recipe from now on. I am trying the vegan lemon cake next from this collection....I'm sure it will be just as gorgeous!
Annette
Perfect. The whole family loved it. Light and fluffy. This will definitely be my 'go to recipe' in the future.
Louise Southern
So tasty!!!
Amanda
Made this on the morning of my daughters birthday after reading all the 5 star reviews. I’ve made vegan cakes for the past few years now and I can honestly say that this is the best, and easiest chocolate cake by far. The sponge is so light and fluffy and makes a decent sized delicious cake. This will be my go to cake recipe from now on. Can’t wait to try out your other recipes Kate. Thank you so much for sharing!
Michelle
I've been trying out different vegan chocolate cake recipes for years and now the search is over. This is by far the best! so light and fluffy! and the best part is it only uses ingredients I can easily find in my corner shop.
RitaBurn
Have made this cake before and it was amazing, I’m making it again today but using the veggie buttercream frosting
Kim
Amazing delicious easy to make nobody knew it was vegan and they all loved it . No unusual ingredients
Emma
I've tried lots of vegan chocolate cakes but they never have the right texture. Made this last night and took into work today. All of my colleagues are non vegans and they were amazed it was vegan. Asking for the recipe! I can honestly say this was the best cake I have made since going vegan. So easy and so yummy. I make the vegan icing using half trex half vegan margarine.
You won't be disappointed so give it a go
Lauren
Absolute best chocolate cake. I am not vegan, but I made this cake for my vegan best friends birthday. This is the BEST chocolate cake recipe full stop! This is now my regular go to recipe. I just used the Betty Crocker chocolate fudge frosting (vegan in UK) instead of making the frosting. OMG this is the best chocolate fudge cake ever!!! A must try!! Thanks for the recipe 🙂
laura
Delicious cake, I made this for a friend and she said she would actually pay me to make her another one. 🙂
Carolina
This cake was a success. I baked it for Mother’s Day and OMG 😱 no one (even me) expect it to be this good! Thank you so so sooooo much for sharing this recipe! 🥰
Flory
absolutely gorgeous, it is indeed the best vegan chocolate cake . thanks for sharing
Vicky Munday
Omg thank you so much 😊 on lock down and
Just made this for a birthday cake and it was flipping lovely x
Can’t thank you enough for sharing x
Who needs the shops
Elie Mironidou
I just made this cake and it is delicious! I have tried many vegan cakes and this one is fluffy and light.
Paula
Such an awesome chocolate cake, really tasty and light! Easy to follow recipe using store cupboard ingredients making it a Fabulous go to recipe for that chocolate fix!
Ellie
Absolutely delicious. This is my go-to recipe for chocolate cake.
Amelie
I made this for my family on sister's birthday. She said it was the best chocolate cake she's had and isn't vegan. The ingredients were also really simple. Thanks for the great recipe 🙂
Derek-Leigh Vocea
It was my husbands birthday today and him being vegan I decided to make him a cake even though he said he was fine. I usually bake his vegan birthday cakes as they’re hard to find etc. He said this was the best cake I’ve made by far and he could tell the difference with all the other cakes he’s tasted. It was fluffy and light and flavoursome. My brother in law had some as well and couldn’t stop commenting on how great it all tasted. My 3 year old daughter helped make it and also scoffed her piece down. Found a new keeper! Thanks for sharing 🙂
Jo
Made this for my friend, he and his boys loved it!
Adrienne
I made a test batch, it baked perfectly in one single pan on 160°C under half an hour approximately. However, cutting it in half is a nightmare, so for the birthday party I'll buy a second cake form. Thanks for the recipe!
Harmony
What kind of vegan spread works best?? soya/ olive/ sunflower/ flora etc?? Thanks!
Kate Hackworthy
Hi, I usually use Flora or Vitalite. Both work perfectly. Soya or sunflower would be better than olive as it may have a slightly stronger taste.
Angie J
Fabulous!
East instructions, simple process and amazing cake. It rose evenly.
I topped and filled with Oreo cookies (vegan In the UK) in addition to the frosting!
No doubt that I will make this again, thanks x
Mattea
This is such a great recipe! I made it with rice milk and apple cider vinegar and it turned out absolutely delicious. I would definitely recommend doubling the frosting if you like frosting. I accidentally bought margarine with milk protein in it so it didn't turn out 100% vegan, but the main reason I made this was that it didn’t contain any eggs as I made this for my class and my teacher can't eat eggs. All of my classmates loved it! I made and frosted it Wednesday night and served it Friday morning and it still tasted really good. Really great recipe!
Catherine Marsh
Can I use normal ingredients ie semi skimmed milk etc. All I’m after is a egg free cake but this looks good but don’t want to have to buy all different sugars and flours etc
Kate Hackworthy
Absolutely! It will still work perfectly fine.
Ariana
Hi. I love this cake, made it multiple time. It is such a great recipe and I'm wondering how would I turn this into a vanilla sponge? If I remove cocao and coffee, should I increase the flour quantity? If so by how much? Have you had a chance to test this perhaps? Thanks 😀
Kate Hackworthy
Hi, I have a similar vanilla cake recipe! Just search vegan vanilla cake on my search bar.
Emma
Absolutely delicious, I make it instead of standard chocolate cake and brownies, no-one would know it was vegan
Dawn
Made as cupcakes. Amazing cakes, so light!
This is the first vegan baking I’ve done, told everyone I was trying a new recipe for my cupcakes - everyone stated that these were by far the best chocolate cupcakes I’ve made ( and I’ve made loads!) and I have to agree! No-one knows that they are vegan! Looking forward to trying more recipes.
Thank you!
Wendy
I'm doing Veganuary and I'm missing chocolate. I made this with Hershey's 100% cacao powder and it is OMG ! It is easy to prepare and bakes nicely. I will definitely be going back to this recipe.
Freya
A 10/10 success. Baked it twice this week 🙈!
Skipped the syrup, still a wonder. Used a plant based margarine and once lemon juice another white vinegar ! Both worked really well.
Definitely THE chocolate cake recipe to come back to.
Thank you!! ☺️
Cheryll Rijger
This recipe is just perfect, my cake tastes even better then the regular chocolate cakes. Everyone loves it!
I used almond milk and speltflour, also melted a bar of pure dark chocolate with the agave and butter mix.
Thank you so much for this recipe! Will be Trying other recipes soon!
Gmmm
The BEST vegan chocolate cake ever. No exaggeration. I am wondering what is the best way to preserve the sponge? Do I store it in the fridge overnight and do icing tomorrow? Or do the icing now, store at room temperature... ?
eileen jones
Hi, this is THE BEST CAKE I have ever eaten, thank you so much for the recipe. Please could I ask, if I want to make it into a 3 layer cake using 6” cake tins would I need to adjust the quantities and cooking time or do I just divide the mixture by 3? Thanks in advance.
Emma
Sorry this about a month late but hopefully still helps:
I prefer 3 layers in 6-in pans so have to adjust recipes pretty often. You’ll need to make the batter using 3/4 of each ingredient. Unfortunately I’m pretty terrible at doing math in my head so I have to figure out what half of each measurement is, then what half of THAT is (to get a quarter) and then add the half and the quarter together.
If you don’t feel like doing math just make the whole recipe and after filling your pans (2/3 full) use leftover batter for a small batch of cupcakes. Most batter is fine to refrigerate for a short time while your cake layers bake, AND cold batter is easier to scoop cleanly into cupcake tins.
Hope that helps
Anna
Hi,
Great recipe, thanks! Can you tell me how many cupcakes these quantities make approximately? I’m wanting to make 27 (!) in the morning.
Thank you!
Kate Hackworthy
Hi, each batch makes 15 cupcakes. Enjoy! Also, check out my vegan chocolate cupcakes recipe.
Lucilla
I’m used to bake. I do know lots of vegan recipe. This is THE one. The easiest yet the most balanced and yummy, it’s unbelievable thank you so much 🖤
Jenine
Hi! I would like to thank you for this awesome recipe! By the way it was my first time to bake when I did this and your “Best Vegan Chocolate Cake” was my first ever cake I made! It was perfect and my family and friends love it! My family wants to me to do it again and one of my friends who tried it even asked me to make again and he will pay this time! I can’t believe that I just made my first ever cake and it was deliciously perfect! Thank you!🥰
I will try to make your red velvet cupcakes and the lemon cake this weekend! I’ll let you know the result!🥰
Sarah
Absolutely amazing. First vegan bake I have tried. Couldn't tell it was vegan. Will definitely make again, and try the other recipes. Thank you!
Jane
This is a lovely recipe. The cake rises well.
The first time I made it I used soya milk and it came out really well. Second and third time I tried almond milk and it cracked really badly. Managed to patch it up and it tasted delicious. Will go back to soya milk next time.
Thank you
Patty
I ran out of margarine so used coconut oil instead and it came out fine!
Gina
I made this cake for my mother - very tasty.
Added 300 grams of hazelnut meal for that beautiful nutella taste and also made a chocolate ganache using dark chocolate and coconut cream 🙂 Served with strawberries. Quite rich and moist, a small piece is all that's needed.
Jacquelyn
Yes this is the best chocolate cake I have made and tasted, everyone says so too. Made for a friend who is dairy intolerant, will definitely make this cake again
Amy
Hi. I’m going to give this recipe a go as my one year old can’t tolerate egg. However, I’m just wondering if I could use cows milk? Will this work? Thanks in advance
Kate Hackworthy
Hi Amy, cow's milk is fine to use! All the best, Kate
Jane
Hi Kate,
Tried this recipe and it turned out super delicious. My kids loved it!
The cake had a slightly sticky feel when eating and I seem to have this issue with all the vegan cakes I try. I use ingredients at room temperature and also make sure to weight all of them. I am pretty sure the cakes are not under cooked too.
Are the vegan cakes supposed to have this texture or am I doing something wrong? Hope you could help me troubleshoot.
Gino
Made this cake today and was very impressed with the outcome! I didn't use the coffee and it came out fine. I will be making this again. I covered it completely in the frosting. When I was mixing the frosting I put a tea spoon of olive oil in it and it gave it a lovely velvety smooth finish and taste.
Jane
Really works and is delicious
Asma Mahmood
This cake was delicious, and turned out really well - lovely and fluffy and light. My niece is allergic to eggs, and finding a recipe that everyone loves is so hard. I made it for my niece’s birthday, and all the kids wanted 2nd helpings! Thanks so much for the recipe.
Shareena Merzi
Hi,
Looking forward to making this recipe but any suggestions for making it refined sugar free? Would just using maple syrup be ok?
Thanks
Shareena
Corinne
Hi!
I made this last Christmas and it was a big hit. I’d love to make it ahead this year and freeze yo reduce the stress on the day. Have you frozen the cooked cake before? Thank you!!!!
courtney
never leave comments, but this recipe was such a hit, i had to!
was really quick and simple to make. cooked exactly to the recipe. rose really well, and was delicious. i don't have much of a sweet tooth so was worried that the butter icing was a bit to sweet, but everyone at work thought it was perfect. didn't taste 'vegan' was a hit with the whole team, even die hard dairy and cake fans.
will definitely make again
Elaine Dykes
We love this cake. It’s so rich and chocolatey. I swop the castor sugar for dark brown soft cane sugar, which gives it a toffy flavour. I also add chocolate chips! This cake is my grandsons favourite, he has an egg intolerance so we have tried several mixes and find this one the best.
Chantelle
First vegan cake for a vegan colleague celebrating 5 years at our company. Very well received by all. Thanks for the great recipe. Also a dream to bake - well balanced flavours. Next time, I will use a little less icing sugar as a touch sweet for me.
Christina
First time I bake a vegan cake and it was a hit! Everyone loved it and had multiple slices of it. I put everything in one tray (so just one layer) and no frosting. It was all fluffy and moist, and quite filling, which is good if you don't want to have a big slice and still feel hungry 10 min later. Thanks a lot Kate!!
Christina
First time I bake a vegan cake and it was a hit! Everyone loved it and had multiple slices of it. Used soy milk, put everything in one tray (so just one layer) and no frosting. It was all fluffy and moist, and quite filling, which is good if you don't want to have a big slice and still feel hungry 10 min later. Thanks a lot Kate!!
Arya Jones
I am wondering, does this recipe for the cake make one or two 8" cakes? I want to make two layers, but wondering if I need to double the recipe or not
Kate Hackworthy
Hi Arya
The recipe makes two layers. Happy baking!
Yara
If I could give it more that 5 starts, I would.
By the way, I used coconut oil instead of maragarine, and it came out perfect!
Thank you for the recipe. 🙂
Kayleigh Corby
Love this chocolate cake so much have made it gluten free before but can't find how I did it. Do I just change the flour to gluten free?
Kate Hackworthy
Hi, yes use gluten free flour and check that your baking powder is gluten free too!
Kayleigh Corby
Thank you for your reply, made last night changing plain flour to gluten free plain flour however the cake was very flat. Any other ideas would be great.
Louisa
This is my go-to chocolate cake recipe for gluten free baking. I just swap out the plain flour for gluten free self-raising flour and don't add the raising agents (bicarb & baking powder). Works every time for me. Otherwise try adding 1 extra teaspoon of baking powder to the original recipe.
Kayleigh Corby
Thank you Louisa this is how I have made it in the past as remember using gf self raising & taking out the raising agents 😁
Megan
The best vegan cake I've made and eaten!
So moist and soft compared to any other recipie I've followed!
I made mine as a single layer cake, and made a little extra frosting to spread over the top. Added a tiny bit more water / milk to mine and it is the smoothest silkiest frosting I've made!
Only needed 20 minutes to bake in the pan size I used.
Just asking how you best reccomend to keep it? I've left the cake in the pan and covered it with foil and leaving it out on the counter, that's how my mom always left non vegan cake so I would assume this one is safe unrefrigerated ?
Thanks again!
Love it. Will try your other recipies!
Kate Hackworthy
I'm so pleased you like it! Yes, wrapped on the counter is the best way to store it.
Claire
Great recipe but beware, some of the measurements (generally the bits in the brackets) do not adjust when changing the portion size!!! I leanerd this the hard way!! That will teach me to print something out in a hurry....
Aga
The best and super fluffy
Lindsey
Delicious every time, so easy to make and the whole family demolishes it 😁
Erin
Just made it and it tastes amazing! Thank you <3
I was wondering if any one knew how best to store the cake? The fridge or leave it at room temperature? I'm worried about the icing drying out.
Paul Carey
I have been baking since I was 10, and a professional baker for 57 years, and I was asked to make a Vegan Chocolate cake this week for a colleague at work.
I chose this recipe at random because I liked the look of the recipe and also the pictures, which are hard to take at times.
I have been given nothing but praise for the cake I produced and some even said it was the best chocolate cake they had ever tried so I would like to thank you for developing this recipe and I will certainly be trying some of your other recipes if this one is any reflection on the others on this site
Alyson Saunders
Made this for my daughter’s birthday. Used maple syrup as didn’t want it too sweet, with Flora Dairy Free, self-raising flour & semi-skimmed oat milk. Was very careful not to mix too much as was worried it wouldn’t cook properly. Rose really well & It was absolutely delicious; lovely & moist !! Didn’t tell anyone it was a vegan recipe just to see what they thought!! My Dad loved it, said it was the best cake I had ever made & a winner with everyone else; especially my daughter. She was quite touched that I had gone to the trouble of making a vegan cake for her! Will definitely make again, also made some lemon cupcakes using your Lemon Cake recipe, also a big hit. Would have posted a photo but there is not much left of either! Great recipe !
Miss Charlene Nelson
Thank you so much, I was losing the will to bake again due to several failures. Your recipe was easy to follow and delicious. I even made it a chilli chocolate cake and it came out soooo well. Thank you!!
Megan
Loved it so much!
Astrid
Omg! You're a life saver!
I wanted to make brownies for my son's birthday, but the recipe I used failed miserably... (even broke my special plastic brownie knife, trying to get it out of the pan... )
So I had to make something else on a Saturday night at 10 o'clock with what I had n hand.
I came across this recipe, luckily all simple ingredients like you said, so I had everything in my cupboard!
Since I've got only one 8" pan (with high sides) I didn't divide it in two, so I kept it in the oven a little longer and it came out perfectly! Like everyone says; moist and delicious! Why didn't I found this earlier.... 😉
A very happy 9 year old!
Thank you from Holland!
Jo-Anne Farber
The best texture and flavour and so easy!
Jules
Hi Kate, I am planning to make this cake for a friend’s bday and was wondering if I could make the frosting without the cocoa powder? I want to be able to colour it.
Many thanks
Kate Hackworthy
Absolutely. Just adjust the amount of icing sugar if necessary!
Cbell
Hello! Thank you for this recipe. I made this GF by subbing 1:1 with plain GF flour (used Doves farm) I also added an eigth/quarter of a TSP of Xantham gum.
The cake rose well and was very light and I will definitely make the recipe again!
If anyone is looking to make it GF I would say the method I used worked but maybe would need a little more XG as it was a little crumbly so maybe 1/4-1/2 TSP next time. (I don't like to add too much as don't want it chewy!)
I also had a lot of other variables playing -i ran out of normal sugar so had to add light brown sugar for half the amount. I also used a barista split pea milk (and a little coconut milk) which has a bit of additives in (to make it steamable for coffee) and I think this may have contributed to the slightly strange aftertaste. I also used a cocoa powder which doesn't look as dark as yours so I may need to add more of my one next time I do it to get a more intense chocolate flavour, or add melted chocolate.
I didn't make the icing.
Sorry for the essay but thought I would put this here incase people don't have the correct sugar/milk/wanted GF but weren't sure if it would work.
Overall I think it worked and I will definitely do it again (with proper ingredients, but GF) too see how it comes out next time, but I can see it being my go to sponge cake recipe as is easy, quick, uncomplicated and with simple ingredients for a vegan (and GF) cake.
Well done and thanks 🙂
Pace
This is the best vegan cake recipe! I do a lot of vegan baking and find most vegan cakes to he dense and pretty dry. Not this one! I followed the recipe exactly and it was amazing. Even the non vegans agreed it was awesome.
Angie
A fabulous cake
Sarah Kenwrick-moore
Can I use xanthan gum?
Kate Hackworthy
Hi Sarah
I haven't tried it with that. If you regularly use it, perhaps you could try it and use the amount you normally do for a layer cake? Sorry not to be more helpful!
Tora
Very yummy and went down well with everyone.
Karen
I have made this cake twice now and its turned out perfect both times. I am not much of a cook but the recipe is so easy and so quick anyone could make it. It really is true to its name the Best vegan chocolate cake ever !
Nurr
Yumm yummmm yummmm better than any cake out there
Darren
Nice cake but take out the bi-carb.
Helen
Amazing. Better than my normal cake! Always goes down a treat and everyone always asks for the recipe
Lyn Kruger
Hi Kate my daughter is posting on Instagram pictures of the chocolate and orange poppy seed (your lemon cake recipe)adapted with orange zest, a few drops of orange oil concentrate and poppy seeds layered "Naked Wedding Cake" that was mentioned here in April. The cakes were a great success and enjoyed by all. One mix gave a 9" and a 6" cake that only needed a small amount of trimming for layering. I'm so glad we found your site!
Kate Hackworthy
I spotted it on Instagram! So pretty!! It's amazing to see my recipes turned into something so special 🙂
Namratha
Made this cake for a lunch get-together with friends and was a big hit! I just substituted vegan butter with normal butter as we all were okay with it. Came out great. My 4 year old was sad it got over in a jiffy!
Will surely be making it again... And again and again.
Thank you 🙂
Anastasija
Hi,
I am gonna bake this cake for my guests and was wondering if I can make it gluten-free.
Has anyone already tried it and can give me some suggestions?
Leanne
Hello
Can u tell me pls why my cakes cracked?
I will make these babies into cake pops today but in the meantime, what did i do wrong. I tried to be gentle with the batter.
thank you
gabriella penitente
Just finished baking this cake. It looks amazing. Can I cover with icing sugar paste for a birthday?
Anu
This was great! I made a keto version using almond flour instead of regular, and added 1 tbsp of arrowroot starch and 1/2 tsp of xanthan gum instead. I also used erythritol instead of sugar and added 1/4 tsp each of monk fruit sweetener and Stevia. For the frosting I used this recipe (for fudge frosting from chocolate covered Katie) with almond butter and yacon syrup, which is what I used in this recipe as well. I baked for longer than 30 minutes, covering it with tin foil in the end to prevent the almond flour from burning. The cakes rose well but collapsed a bit after. No matter, it was still delicious. Thanks! 🙂
Dannie
Hi
I am gluten intolerant can this cake be made with GF flour?
Kate Hackworthy
Absolutely! Also ensure your baking powder is gluten free too. Happy baking!
Carol
I have been baking cakes for all my adult life and someone talked me into making a vegan cake. I thought why not,I'm willing to give most things a go.i was so surprised when my husband told me that this chocolate cake was the best i had ever made, so from now on I shall stick to this recipe, maybe changing main ingredient occasionally for other flavours.
Kate Hackworthy
Oh wow! This is such a lovely comment! I'm so pleased you all loved the recipe.
Delfin
Yummy!!
Andromeda
Thank you so much for this recipe! It is the best chocolate cake I have ever made and I have made a lot. So far I’ve made it for my son’s birthday with a “Nutella” type filling, dark chocolate ganache and crushed hazelnuts and for my mum’s 70th with a pistachio filling and a ganache topping. I’m going to make another one today with a peanut butter buttercream. Vegan baking had just gone up a level in our home. Thanks again!!!
Kokeilijavegaani
Great recipe!
Rosaleen
I’ve just made this cake this morning. The batter looked amazing. The cake mix didn’t look much for the tin size. I used two teaspoons of baking powder as some reviews said that the three teaspoons that the recipe said gave the cake an over powering taste of baking powder. The cake did rise but not as much as I’d hoped. I might it in a smaller tin next time (7 inch tin?) This is possibly why the recipe called for three teaspoons of baking powder. The cake looks amazing, dark and full of chocolate. Had a bit of a hard time turning the cake out and it split on the side. I’m really excited to try this cake this evening as it looks very good!
Carol
I used 3 teaspoons of baking powder and it did not overpower my cake. The cocoa and syrup flavours the cake nicely. Try 3 as it makes a bigger cake, I wouldn't downsize.
Hannah
This is delicious. However, for the first time I followed the recipe and the baking powder taste was overpowering. I made again with only two tsp of baking powder and it was much better.
Beautiful raise and fluffiness... let’s hope my guests like it too 🙂
V
Amazing cake but mine did not raise very much. What did I do wrong. Tastes amazing
Betty Moxon
A fabulous chocolate cake! I made it for the first time for vegan son’s birthday. Recipe worked perfectly, cake was moist and like a beautiful classic sponge. I added a little vanilla essence to the icing and topped it with raspberries. Cake was very very popular! I will do it again ( and again). Thanks for a great recipe!
Arti
Hi I'm from the UK and we don't really have "white vinegar". Can I use apple cider vinegar?
Kate Hackworthy
Hi, I'm in the UK too. Apple cider vinegar will work perfectly. I often have white vinegar to hand for cleaning, but it works here for the cake too. Happy baking!
yasmine davey
U can buy it at aldi
Anita
Thank you so much for the recipe I made cup cakes from the recipe for my non vegan family nobody knew it was vegan but they devoured the lot
Kate Hunter
Superb recipe. I make it every week for a café and always for my cake stalls! I ask people to try it just to see that dairy free can also mean delicious! It comes out perfectly every single time and is so moist and decadent that it’s one of my go-to recipes now. I make the buttercream with dark rich cocoa from Aldi and it’s so chocolatey everyone loves it. I’ve used Pure and Vitalite spreads with equal success. Give it a go - you’ll love it!
Julie Johns
I made two of these cakes for a charity bake sale and they sold out! Everyone was talking about them and I’ve been asked to include them next time.
I’ve been sending your recipe link to lots of people, it really is the best chocolate cake, not just vegan!
Thanks for sharing it.
Mary Butterfill
I made this cake for my granddaughter. Probably the best chocolate cake I have ever made or eaten, I was a bit sceptical as to how it would bind together but it did perfectly, I used SR flour and almond milk. It was a total success and enjoyed by the whole family. Sadly I never thought to take a photo but it looked as good as it tasted'
Jane Harrison
This chocolate cake is gorgeous. It's so moist and you wouldn't know that it is vegan. Used the recipe for a child's birthday cake. I tried several different cakes and was pretty much in despair. I then found this and was amazed at just how lovely it is. A massive thank you.
Syntia
Hi, did anyone tried to bake it with coconut milk? Wonder if it still taste good...
Courtney
I just made this with Coconut milk and it tastes amazing! Great recipe
Heather Ratcliff
Absolutely delicious and easy to make even non vegans couldn’t believe it
Mariella
I made this cake for my sons' birthday, to be honest with some misgiving. But I was pleasantly surprised how well and evenly the cakes rose and also the texture of the cake, moist and holding its shape well. I can really say it's a delicious vegan cake. And it keeps well too. Will try all the other cakes as well.
Kate
Hi, just wondered how long this cake will last once I’ve made it and what the best way to store it would be?
Thank you! X
Kate Hackworthy
Hi, it should last for about 3 days in an airtight container. Hope you enjoy it!
Steff Danby
From experience there's never enough left to store! I'm not a baker and even mine was delicious!
Adrian Ganderton
I am passionate about creating cake art but with cake that is moist and a taste sensation as well.
After finding an awesome vegan Christmas and fruit cake recipe, I set out in search of other vegan recipes. I tried this recipe and oh my word it is one of the nicest chocolate cakes I have ever tasted. I took some as samples to a wedding fayre and visitors could
not believe it was vegan. It’s now in my recipe collection permanently. Now for the vanilla cake and lemon cake recipes.
Claire
Omg, I had literally given up on making a decent chocolate cake now i am vegan. This Is delicious! I made a four section chocolate cake with raspberry buttercream. I added raspberry truffle chocolate powder to the mix and raspberry filling. So so good.
Daphnée
Hi, just tried this recipe and I love it! This might become my go-to chocolate cake recipe. It's delicious.
But, for some reason, and I might be doing something wrong, the icing seems to separate a little, that is, after mixing it, a white film forms. It always comes back to the same thing after remixing it. I'm using vegan margarine. Maybe I should try a different brand? I also tried using a little less water, and it does the same thing. The water is always room temperature/lukewarm.
Thank you in advance!
Daniella
Hi, just wondering if I could use chocolate flavoured soy milk for this? Or does it need to be unflavoured? Not sure why it would make a difference but wanted to check incase I messed the whole thing up unnecessarily! Just because I have some cartons in so will save buying. Thanks!
Kate Hackworthy
Hi Daniella
It should still work fine. Perhaps every so slightly chocolatier and sweet but I can't imagine it would make much difference. Let me know how it goes!
Lyn
An amazing cake in taste and looks, who would know it's vegan! This cake will form part of a 'naked wedding cake' for a friend. The other part is to be orange and poppy seed cake, so are going to try your lemon cake and swap juices and add poppy seeds. Do you think we may need to adjust any ingredients with the addition of poppy seeds?
Kate Hackworthy
Hi Lynn That sounds like an incredible cake! Please send me a picture on here or social media! You should be fine to just add in the poppy seeds without adjusting anything else. Happy baking!
Lyn
Hi Kate I am now bakng the orange and poppy seed version trial cake! So will keep you posted. The said wedding isn't until June but will certainly post a picture after the event. Thank you for your great recipes and I am going to try the carrot cake on your site too.
James
Be aware it is only vegan if you use vegan sugar, most shop brought sugar comes from sugar cane and is bleached with beef bones.
Kate Hackworthy
Hi James,
I'm in the UK and our sugar definitely is vegan and doesn't use bone char. Such a shame that they do that in the USA as it's totally unnecessary! I'll add in a note for US readers.
Jan O’Donnell
Really is best chocolate cake ever and super easy to make!
Claire
I'm not sure I've ever commented publicly on anything but this cake recipe needed to be an exception. I've baked this cake about five times for vegans and non-vegans and it ALWAYS goes down an absolute storm. It's my personal favourite ever cake and I'm pretty sure I'll use this recipe as my go-to chocolate cake until the end of time. It is truly amazing (oh and the non-vegans can't believe it when I tell them it doesn't have dairy in once they've eaten it!)
Eheliya
Finally a delicious vegan chocolate cake for the family!!! Thank you so much!!!!
Maddee
I’m always wary of things that call themselves ‘Best Ever’, but this cake really is. It even bakes in the stated amount of time😊
I made double the quantity - using a gluten free flour and a different butter cream - as the top layer of a cake for a friend’s 40th birthday party, where there were a LOT of vegans present. And woke up next morning to 3 of them demanding the recipe!
Donna
Hi Maddee,
Did the GF version work ok? Keen to try but don’t have time to experiment at the moment, what did you use?
Donna
Sara Benjamin
This recipe is amazing. I've never tasted such an amazing home made vegan cake. I love it
Michaela
Hi Kate! I’m new in the vegan baking so i would like to ask you with what kind of butter should i change the normal one and could the sunflower oil do the same job as the non dairy butter? Thank you I advance! Can’t wait for your response and to try the cake!
Mic x
Emily
This is definitely the BEST vegan chocolate cake EVER!!!!
Delicious, light and fluffy, no one would ever know it was vegan either.
Deliah
I am having a vegan child to my son’s birthday party and would like to make this in cupcake form for him so he has something yummy to eat at cake time. How long do they keep? Just trying to make things ahead of time. Thanks!
Kate Hackworthy
HI Deliah, that's so kind of you to make special cupcakes for the vegan guest! They should last up to two days, unfrosted. You could also freeze the unfrosted cupcakes, wrapped well, then let them defrost and frost them before serving.
Sue Williams
I made this for may daughter's birthday. I doubled the quantity and made it in two 10" pans - it made the most gorgeous, moist cake. I made the buttercream but only used 3 tablespoons of water, not four and that made it perfect. No one could believe it was vegan. I will be sharing this recipe far and wide. Thanks again 🙂
Jennie
Hi Kate, WoW just Wow I've been vegan for almost two years now and loved baking before but have not found any that i can get right my husband is a meat eater and loved my cakes before and this is the first one he actually said he liked so im well happy, i did add peanut butter on one side and the chocolate cream on the other 🙂
I have tagged you on instagram.
Will try you victoria sponge next as this is his favourite.......i refuse to use dairy or eggs for him lol so will be well happy if it turns out just as good.
So glad i found your blog
Jennie
Laura
Hi there, can I use self raising flour instead of plain? I’ve run out of plain and am making for a friends birthday tonight!!!! Thanks
Kate Hackworthy
Hi, that will be fine, just leave out the baking powder. Happy baking!
Charlotte
Amazing!!! Not my first time making a vegan cake - but this is 100% the best. Made it and took it to work, non vegan colleagues were very impressed! The texture is lovely, the butter cream is just right. I used golden syrup, I have a sweet tooth and it was perfect. Lovely and moist.
Sammie
I’ve made this cake since I became vegan and it’s soooo good.
My question is, how do I stop my cake rising in the middle and becoming a dome? Xx
Kate Hackworthy
Hi Sammie
I'm so pleased you like the recipe! It could be that your oven is running a little hot, so try turning down the heat slightly. It could also be the pans. I bought some round Oxo Good Grips Non Stick Pro cake pans that are heavy duty metal with straight sides and found that my cakes are much flatter. They must conduct the heat more evenly.
Melissq
I am attempting to bake for the first time period, so excuse the dumb question. I only have 9 inch pans, do I have to increase the amount of ingredients? if so by how much?
Kate Hackworthy
Hi, since it's just 1 inch larger, ideally you would increase all the quantities of ingredients by 25%. Or.... you could just use the recipe as it is, but the cake won't have quite such thick layers but should still be tasty. I hope you enjoy them!
Vanessa
Hi Kate, your recipe looks lovely and the reviews make me extremely excited about giving it a go tomorrow. I’m making it for some friends of mine as it’s their anniversary but he’s gluten free. Would I simply need swap the plain flour in the recipe for gluten free plain flour?? I tried reading a few comments to see if anyone had already asked the question so you wouldn’t have to assert again but I couldn’t find it. Sorry.
Thanks
Vanessa
Kate Hackworthy
Hi Vanessa
Yes, just swap to a gluten free plain flour, but also double check that the baking powder is also gluten free. Occasionally it isn't. If you're not sure, use a GF self raising flour and omit the baking powder. I hope you enjoy the cake!
Jo
Ahh this is exactly the question I was looking for- been asked to make a wedding cake so will that needs to be gluten and diary free so rhank you!
Michelle
Sorry if this has been asked already but can it be made gluten free with gluten free flour do you know? Thanks!
Kate Hackworthy
Hi Michelle,
Absolutely. Just use gluten free plain flour and double check that the baking powder is gluten free too. I hope you enjoy it!
Nikki Morris
Hello, I use this recipe all of the time for vegans but also for non-vegans and nobody ever notices a thing, in fact people always praise it for its moistness!! It’s my absolute go to recipe and would never use any other chocolate cake recipe!
I was just wondering if it was possible to substitute the vegan margarine/ butter with vegetable oil?
Thank you!
Kate Hackworthy
Hi! I'm so pleased you like the recipe. I haven't tested this one using oil instead of margarine. But you could try my vegan carrot cake. That one has oil instead of butter.
Paula
Kate
This cake is amazing! I make a lot of cakes and I can honestly say that I could not taste the difference. I am so glad I found your website!
Can I just ask- is it best to store it just in an airtight container? I was just thinking about the icing as it’s really soft?
Thank you again for this recipe🙂I will definitely be trying others!
Kate Hackworthy
Hi! I'm so pleased you like it 🙂 Yes, an airtight container is best.
Paula
Thank you!
Annissa
This vegan cake is so moist and delicious! No wonder this recipe is so well loved.
Denise
Chocolaty and moist! Such a decadent treat I love it.
Catherine Brown
"Really quick" and "rich and chocolately" I'm all over this one! Love that you added espresso to the mix too. 🙂
Eden | Sweet Tea and Thyme
Now I know what cake to bake for my best friend's birthday! It looks amazing!
Kelly Anthony
Your vegan chocolate cake looks so moist and fluffy. I have never made or had a vegan chocolate cake but your pictures really have me wanting to give this a shot.
Priya
Hello!!! Wanting to make this cake as it looks fabulous! I’ve got all the ingredients but haven’t got any lemon - is this a big problem??
[email protected]
The best vegan chocolate cake ever, so moist & light, nothing like the dry shop bought ones. Everyone loved . Definitely worth 5 stars.
Priya
This is perfect every time I make it! Can you confirm what serving size you are using to state the nutritional value please? Want to make this tomorrow but counting calories! X
anna
I made this cake for a dinner party and it was absolutely lovely, so light and tasty. I did notice you have a typo in the recipe: 150g of margarine is not 1/3 cup, it is 2/3 cup. I'm looking forward to trying more of your cake recipes!
Ursina
I made this chocolate for my sister‘s birthday. My sister is the only vegan in our family but we ALL loved it!!! Will definitely be my stadard receipe for a vegan chocolate cake from now on! Thank you so much!!! Best wishes from Switzerland
Diane Blackburn
I have made this chocolate cake many times and I have to say people love it whether they are vegan or not. When my family were confronted with two chocolate cakes, this one and a none vegan one, they all preferred mine. I have made it for lots of different people and I have never had anyone say they don't like it. I don't normally bake so that is another thing about this cake it is so easy. I love it.
Tom Murphy
I made the mistake of making this for my vegan girlfriends birthday, she absolutely loved it! Now I'm baking another one for Christmas, hard times for me! Haha. Thanks for the great recipe
Sheila McDougall
First time I have made a vegan cake and boy was it good. It went down a treat at my husbands work and lots of praise given. I am now off to make the lemon cake as have some almond milk left and hate to waste it. Thanks for a wonderful recipe.
Bridget Hart
I made this cake and it went down a treat ..people preferred this to my normal chocolate cake! Making a 9" one today ...1 x recipe in 1 9" deep tin ....any idea roughly how long in a fan oven at 160? Thanks
Tiggy
This is a fantastic recipe and so easy. I can’t wait to try sone of the others .. Next stop , the Victoria sponge 😃
Rosemary Robinson
I have made these chocolate cakes several times they are really yummy. I'm allergic to eggs, So this recipe is on my favourite list. Oh & when I cook 2 cakes i freeze one because there's too much there for one cake. Brilliant thank you!!
Rumar
Loved this cake. So easy to make. I think I will use this as my go to chocolate cake recipe as it’s so soft but not sickly sweet. Next stop the Victoria sponge 😃
Tiggy
Love it. Made this as a treat for my daughter, who is vegan. So easy . No fuss. I think I will actually use it as my standard recipe as it also isn’t sickly sweet.
Jon West
Not sure what I did wrong but I put the cakes on the cooling racks they split into 3. Does anyone have any ideas as to why this would happen?
The cake still tasted really good and everyone enjoyed!
Barbara
Hi Jon, did you leave to cool in the tins a little while first? No expert but that might have been it.
Mike Collins
One of mine split as well. Not a problem though. In a traditional sponge cake the egg acts as a raising and binding agent and holds the cake together. In this recipe the self raising flour and butter milk generate carbon dioxide to raise the cake but there is no binding agent so it will be a bit more fragile. Its a truly good recipe!!
Barbara
This is the best cake I have ever made, you wouldn't know it's vegan and it is rich, moist and very addictive!
Alice
Omg that is the best choc cake I've made & I feel really ill I've eaten too much. Thank you for sharing the recipe x
Liz
Hi, instead of lemon juice, would apple cider vinegar work?
Kate Hackworthy
Hi Liz, yes, it absolutely would! Just use the same quantity as the lemon juice.
anisha parekh
best cake ever, made it 3 times now going to make it for a birthday along with the vanilla one, what inch baking tins did you use ?
kemala hayati
can this be non vegan please? i mean i wanna make it using dairy product. is it fine?
Kate Hackworthy
Hi, it should be fine with cow's milk and normal butter!
kemala hayati
thanks so much
and this recipe don't need to use mixer? just whisk and spatula?
how if make 2 recipe at once? i still not need using mixer?
Kate Hackworthy
Hi, you could use either an electric mixer, or a whisk and spatula. Whatever you have should be fine - just more effort with the non-electric! 🙂
Ruby
Hi I made this cake for my sister, and found the mixture really thick not like the pictures! I triple checked I’d used all the correct measurements and after reading through the vanilla version I noticed that the volume of dairy spread on that recipe is twice as much as the chocolate recipe! Maybe this could be why mine wasmuch thicker? Anyway looks good and I don’t think my sister will mind at all!
Kate Hackworthy
Hi Ruby
Thanks for letting me know. Are you using cup measures or weight? I'll look into my conversions! I hope it still works for you.
Sarah
This cake is delicious. It's not too sweet but beautifully chocolatey and moist. It proves that there is absolutely no need for dairy or eggs in baking. Thank you!! A+++++++ 😀
Kate
Well, I'm not vegan, and I normally find vegan cakes have a slightly strange taste, I've always thought it was because of the soya milk and cider vinegar. But I made this when I ran out of eggs. And wow, I'm so glad I did! What an absolutely gorgeous tasting cake, it went down a treat with the family, who've said this is the only recipe they want me to use in future! I did use chocolate milk instead of plain. Thanks for this fab recipe!
Rhona Smith
First time making a vegan cake and it worked perfectly, best cake I've ever made!
James
Added 50% for a three layered cake, was amazed by the result. It was by a long mile the best vegan cake I’ve made.
Kristyn
I want to make this cake in 2 x 10 inch cake tins, should I double up the receipe?
Kate Hackworthy
Hi Kristyn
Doubling it should make for nice big layers. Cook it for a little bit longer and test for doneness with a skewer or knife inserted in the centre. I hope it goes well.
Krystal
This looks delicious ! I really want to make this for my brothers birthday. Do I double the recipe if want two layers of cake ? Thank you
Kate Hackworthy
Hi, the recipe makes two layers of cake as it is 🙂 I hope you enjoy it.
M
I've made this cake a couple of times, it is perfect. I made it as cupcakes (baked for 10-15 mins) and they were probably the best I've ever made. Thank you so much for this recipe!
Angela
Wonderful moist and delicious chocolate cake. Everyone really enjoyed it and wanted more! Mine split a little on cooling but all of this was hidden by the butter icing😀
Will definately be making again.
Sonia
I’ve tried coconut milk. Was absolutely fine.
Helen
This is the best chocolate cake I have ever made. I cannot believe it is vegan. It is delicious 😋
Rubal
I made this cake twice and it tasted absolutely amazing. I followed the receipe to a T. However is it normal for the top layer to crack?
Kate Hackworthy
I'm so pleased that you like the cake!
The top cracking is usually due to the oven running a little hot. Perhaps turn it down a few degrees next time and that might help. 🙂
Lisa Holroyd
Just baked this for a friend and it looks that delicious I'm finding bits to nibble whilst icing. For aesthetics of course. I had to use orange juice instead of lemon but it looks brilliant.
Hil
I never leave comments on Internet sites but having just made this cake I wanted to say THANK YOU! I needed to make a vegan birthday cake for my daughter and have tried other recipes with really horrible results. I can't believe how easy, moist and delicious this is and don't believe anyone would know it was vegan! Definitely 5*
Clare
My first ever vegan cake-and I bake a lot!😃-this was delicious, as my guinea pigs (family) will confirm.
Jane Brown
Just made this to take to work for no particular reason other than that I fancied baking. I substituted the water in the frosting with Tia Maria. ????????????????
Rosemary
Hi I also found the cake very crumbly , but the taste of the cake is lovely , I have made it for my daughters birthday so hope she likes it
Cindy
This cake is delish, vegan or not!!
Amber Sparks
Hi! Just wanted to say this is my go-to favourite cake recipe, I make it all the time now! Everyone loves it, vegan or not, and most people don't realise its vegan (and don't believe me when I tell them)! It's moistand fluffy, rich and chocolatey (and not too sweet) - and best of all it's super easy, with ingredients anyone would have on hand!
If have any dark chocolate vegan chips on hand, I loosely mix them in the batter before baking to have some extra-gooey moist bits inside 🙂 thanks so much for sharing!
Laura
Gorgeous cake recipe. I have tried recipes upon recipes and have never tasted something as good as this recipe is. I completely demolished the cake. I ended up freezing parts of the cake but the buttercream and the overall cake was still decedent and moist. Will be making this again!
Kate
Hi!
I've made this twice now and it's absolutely delicious! I would say its better than any cake I've made using eggs and dairy.
Anyway, thought I'd comment to tell anyone who is considering making this to just do it! It's lovely and everyone will love it, Vegan or not.
xx
Eli
WOW!!!
this cake worked so well! making it for a friends birthday- she's not vegan, but I have just cut out all animal products from my diet for health reasons and I want to be able to have some cake at her birthday haha
just made the full cake and kept enough batter aside for a few cupcakes to check what it tasted like- and its so fluffy and light 🙂
thank you for sharing the recipe
christie
This cake is so lovely! Do you think I could freeze the cake once made and iced? thanks
Chrissy
Despite the persistent message that this cake would be moist and amazing, I still doubted the claims. Even after it was baked I was convinced it would be dry. My cake looked exactly like the picture although I sprinkled vegan choc chips on top. Now I turned vegan on January 1st so I have had no chocolate for nearly a month. When I bit into this cake I was literally the happiest I had felt all year! It's the BEST chocolate cake I have ever eaten and the frosting was fudgy and awesome. Unreal! Thank you!
Sue Wade
This cake is REALLY easy to make , all the ingredients were already in the cupboard, no one guessed it was vegan, thanks so much for the recipe, it’s the ‘go to’ birthday cake in our house now ! ????????
Sylvia Hale
I made this cake in 3 layers for my grandaughters 21st birthday it looked amazing and I used almond milk. She was absolutely delighted with it, thank you for the recipe.
Krystal
Did you triple the recipe for 3?
Kate Hackworthy
Hi Krystal,
To make three layers, add an extra 50% for each ingredient. Ie: 2 tbsp increased to 3 tbsp. I hope that helps!
Danielle
This cake was incredible.
I originally had issues with the lemon juice curdling the almond milk but i played around with the quantities and found the perfect balance.
So glad i persisted as this cake was so tasty & moist; came out a little fudgy even after cooking it for ten extra minutes but i liked it like that 🙂
Might try halving the sugar amount next time to as it was a little on the sweet side however I will definitely be making this again very soon.
Thank you for this recipe 🙂
Geeta
i've used this about 5 times and it's always been a crowd pleaser! i've tried it as both a cake and as cupcakes and it works both ways. Thanks for a simple recipe without all the weird flax egg/ chia seed stuff as i never tend to have those things handy!
Pavlina
Made it with coconut butter (cake and frosting) and it's got lovely flavour! I don't usually bake, let alone vegan cakes, however this was really nice recipe, soo easy to follow and gives great results! Thanks!
Sam Knackton
made this last night. it was seriously good.
Vicky
I made this yesterday for an 18th Birthday cake - very easy recipe, timed to perfection in my oven and despite the fact I would never use margarine or soya milk for anything normally, it was a huge hit! Beautifully moist and chocolatey. You would never know it was a vegan recipe. Fantastic!
Vicki
I made this cake for my daughter who has recently decided to eat vegan, but we all enjoyed it! It was delicious, simple and quick to make. No creaming butter and eggs was so much easier !
I’m thinking of using the recipe to make a Christmas Yule log, any tips?
Cat
Thank you for sharing this recipe! This was the first vegan cake I have tried and didn't really know what to expect. It by far exceeded my expectations. I tweaked the recipe and turned it into a chocolate orange loaf cake and chocolate orange gluten and vegan cupcakes and each were so delicious. Such a fantastic recipe x
Mel
I love this cake so so much! Everyone was so impressed with it at my son's 1st birthday (even the non-vegans!)
I would love to make it for my partner's birthday but he loves chocolate orange, any ideas on how to tweak it to make it orangy?
Thank you so much!
Libran Williamson
Myself and one of my daughters are vegans and the things we miss most are good desserts/cakes. I thought I would give this recipe a try and was not disappointed. Easy to make and absolutely delicious! Instead of making the two layers I made one and iced the top but it worked out perfectly. Very moist and moreish..
Cindy
Same result for me. Cake tasted amazing, but it was really crumbly and stuck to the cake pan - even though they were brand new and non-stick. I 'glued' it all back together with the frosting, though!
Sonia
Mine came out great from the oven but after turning it out the pan after 5 mins as suggested on to a wire wrack it started to crack. Managed to glue it back together with the icing though.
Will probably leave it a little longer in the baking pan a little longer next time. It still tasted gorgeous though.
Nene
Just wanted to say that I made this cake over the weekend and it was AMAZING. So delicious - light, fluffy, and moist. Not at all stodgy like some other chocolate cakes. I used Oatly oat milk instead of Soya and it worked a treat. I've recently gone vegan, and this is 100% better than any non-vegan chocolate cake I've ever made! Thank you so much!
Helen Tench
My friend just made me this cake for my birthday, he used almond milk - the cake was absolutely delicious.
Kristyn Wakeford
Made this cake last week and it was delicious! I took to work and it went down a treat. People never realised it was a vegan cake, so moist and light. Thank you
Leighann Butler
I've tried a few vegan chocolate cake recipes and this is the best by far, delicious! My daughter has a dairy and egg allergy and this is so simple and quick to make for her to enjoy. Thank you!
Martin
Lovely cake and easy to make best vegan chocolate cake
Natalie
I made this yesterday for my boyfriend's birthday and it was absolutely delicious, so light and fluffy! I omitted the coffee and it still tasted amazing.
Laurence Fava
I have just made that cake. I had never made a vegan cake before and I am so impressed by and happy with the result. It is moist and so spongy. Amazing.
Prerna
Hi Kate,
I loved how the cake tasted and it's gonna be my go to vegan choc cake for sure!
However, I baked it in a 7" deep pan and even after 60 mins in the oven at 160 Deg fan forced it came out gooey in the center but the upper crust hardened. I used regular full fat milk and butter.
Could you suggest what I did wrong? Also, do you hv more such vegan cake recipes?
Thanks, Prerna
Mildred
I am new to vegan lifestyle and baking, but this recipe is super easy. I made it last night and it is really delicious and moist. Can I make this as a basic non chocolate cake? I am really happy and excited about the way it turned out.
Millie
OMG! Made this today and I'm so so impressed. I've been baking most of my adult life and have recently become vegan and was concerned having never tasted a beautiful choc vegan cake that my life was seriously compromised. This is hands down THE best vegan cake I've had...and I've tried a lot! I substituted the water in the frosting recipe with almond milk and added a teaspoon of vanilla extract. Sheer perfection all in all! ???? x
Steve
Made this as a birthday cake but left out the coffee to make just a chocolate cake as it was for the kids. It was absolutely delicious. And so easy to make!
Then I had an idea. We love lemon drizzle cake but have only once found a vegan one in a tea shop in Wales. So I made this recipe again, only this time left out the chocolate and coffee, and replaced it with the zest of 1 lemon. Put all the mix in one deep tin and baked at 160 (fan-assisted) for 45 mins. For the drizzle, juice 1.5 lemons and mix with 85g caster sugar. Has a slightly gingery taste and smell because of the golden syrup, but it's pretty damn good!
Thanks for the recipe. I've never baked a vegan cake before and now we have two that our whole family enjoys.
Jodi
I used the ingredients last night to make coconut vanilla cupcakes. I added coconut to the batter mix. I made 18 cupcakes with frosting. I can't decide which I prefer the chocolate or vanilla both were very tasty and moist. All my friends loved both. It's also nice to find a recipe that shows metric measurements.
Christine Tyler
This really is the best vegan chocolate cake! My husband has egg intolerance and I've tried quite a few recipes, but this is by far and away the only one that ticks all the boxes. Brilliant!
Ebonie
Just made this cake! It's delicious! I must say, I was skeptical. I did add about a tsp of vanilla extract to cake mixture, I used "raw cane sugar" ground "espresso beans" from Wholefoods, & Almond milk. I also added "grated" cinnamon to the frosting. Topped with coconut & chocolate chips. My cake is lighter than yours. Is it because I used "almond milk" ?
Bintu | Recipes From A Pantry
I plan to drop everything to make this chocolate cake now. 🙂 Looks so lush
Janet
It's just perfect,. I've gone through a few recipe's now but never been happy with the results. Now I've found this I won't be looking anymore. It's now my forever chocolate cake recipe,. Thank you
Suzanne
Thank, you, this is an excellent recipe and better than some (non-vegan) cakes I have tasted. I made this gluten free by using gluten-free flour (and baking powder). I don't like the taste of baking soda in cakes so I omitted it completely. I used 2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder and 1/2 teaspoon xanthan gum with the gluten-free flour.
Leanne
Gluten free plain flour or gluten free self raising flour?
Kate Hackworthy
Hi Leanne,
Both should work fine. If you use GF self raising, then don't add the baking powder. If you use GF plain, then do add baking powder (check that it's GF - most is in the UK). Let me know how it goes!
Kate
Natasha Rogers
I made this recipe yesterday, after having some disappointing vegan cake results. This is a delicious and moist cake! And very simple to make, some vegan cakes require an awful lot of expensive ingredients. A* for taste, ease and texture!
Jenny
Hi Kate, I am not a vegan, but decided to try a vegan recipe (for the first time in my life). I made a mango chocolate version with your basic chocolate cake recipe. I was pleasantly surprised with how it worked out. Thanks for this recipe, which I only increaed a little for a 26cm tin. It was moist and delicious, thank you!
Lisa Aliamo
Best vegan cake recipe ever! I made mine into cupcakes and subbed the vegan butter for vegetable oil and it came out perfect! I also added some vegan chocolate chips and it made it extra good. I will totally be making these again
Lisa Aliamo
Same amount 2/3 cup
Helen
This cake is wonderful! I followed the recipe exactly as listed and used golden syrup. Made for friends with 2 young boys (none of whom are vegan) but, honestly, no one could believe it's a vegan cake. So light, and absolutely delicious. - everyone loved it. I'm about to make another one now, and know I will be making it again and again. Thank you so much for posting it, you have made me one happy vegan 🙂
AmyW
I'm so pleased that this worked out so well. I was desperate for cake but I'd run out of eggs, so this was just the kind of recipe I was looking for, I've been disappointed by vegan cakes in the past so I really wasn't expecting much, but it's really delicious! Thank you for sharing the recipe! 🙂
Isabella
I just made this! It is absolutely gorgeous, as a chocoholic myself, I didn't think I could ever find a vegan chocolate cake that was as good as the real stuff. But this is so good, of not better! I was wondering though, do I store this in the fridge or outside?
Morgan
I just made this recipe as cupcakes, and they were truly fantastic!
Baked for 20 minutes at 350 degrees. I ran out of maple syrup so I use 1 tablespoon molasses + 2 tablespoons of honey. Next time I'll try the maple syrup since the molasses made them a little salty.
Thank you so much for the recipe. I'm definitely making it again. <3
Melissa Novotny
This cake was deeee-licious. I've found that if you make it the day before you want to eat it, it is even better. (it actually seems a little more moist when it is not REALLY fresh). I have also taken the advice of another reviewer and made this cake without the cocoa, adding 2 mashed bananas and replacing the vanilla with banana extract. It turned out like banana bread and was fantastic frosted with banana frosting(1 cup powdered beet sugar, 1 tsp banana extract, 1/4 cup margerine and 1 tbsp. soy milk beaten until smooth and fluffy)
Agness of Run Agness Run
This cake looks so delicious! It doesn't look like a typical vegan dessert!
Margarita Hill
Kate, first of all I wanna tell you that moving from vegetarian to vegan has been a harsh job. But it has already been all worth it! Thanks to people like you and to blogs like yours. Awesome choice of work, yours. Thank you.
Igor @ Cooking The Globe
I am not vegan but this chocolate cake looks amazing. I love how moist it is!
Alyssa
I can usually spot a homemade vegan cake a mile away, the appearance is usually a little off and the layers quite thin but THIS cake oh no, you had me fooled. This looks delicious, light and so chocolaty. I realize you posted a frosting recipe but one of my favorite things is making a homemade cake and topping it with Dollop Gourmet frosting -- they are 100% vegan and the Salted Caramel flavor is ah-mazing! I'm imagining it now on top of your cake and I'm sure it'd be divine!
Mark, CompassandFork
Vegan or not, this is one delicious and moist looking chocolate cake. It looks delicious and inviting and I love the photos.
Platter Talk
There is nothing " telling" that this cake is vegan. Beautiful, moist chocolate! Looks amazing,
Sarah
This looks delicious! I love that you've added coffee grinds to it...totally amps up the chocolate flavor, yum!
Chef Mireille
wow looks so moist - especially for a vegan cake
J @ Bless Her Heart Y'all
This does not look like the typical vegan cake! This looks so moist and soft and delicious! I am 100% sold on this cake! YUM!
Aish Das-Padihari
I love chocolate cake and cant even express how much. But never baked a vegan type. I should try once.