This beautifully moist vegan chocolate cake is rich and decadent, with a sprinkling of chocolate chunks throughout and a velvety chocolate fudge frosting that melts in the mouth. Most importantly, it is so easy to make!
You can keep your cake simple with just a slick of tangy raspberry jam in the middle and a swirl of buttercream on the top. Or go to town with multiple sponge layers, frosting smoothed around the outside to create a naked cake effect and piled high with homemade doughnuts, sweets and chocolate bars.
This recipe has been tried, tested, tweaked and perfected. It’s foolproof, easy to make and always goes down a storm – with both vegans and non-vegans alike. You wouldn’t know it’s vegan!
This recipe really is the Ultimate Vegan Chocolate Cake and is my go-to. It’s:
Moist
Perfectly sweet
Rich and chocolatey
Quick and easy to make
With fudgy chocolate chunks
It’s so yummy!
I have no doubt that you will LOVE this recipe – be sure to tag me on Instagram when you make it @aveganvisit 🙂
The Video Recipe :
The Ultimate Vegan Chocolate Cake
This beautifully moist chocolate cake is rich and decadent, with a sprinkling of chocolate chunks throughout and a velvety chocolate fudge frosting that melts in the mouth. Most importantly, it is so easy to make!
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Serves: 8
Calories: 872kcal
Ingredients
Dry ingredients:
- 375 g plain flour
- 90 g cocoa powder
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 350 g caster sugar
- 1 tsp instant coffee granules
Wet ingredients:
- 200 g coconut oil (melted and cooled to room temperature)
- 475 ml dairy free milk (unsweetened, room temperature)
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 50 g dark chocolate (roughly chopped)
Filling:
- 200 g raspberry jam (room temperature)
Buttercream:
- 100 g vegan margarine (*see note)
- 200 g icing sugar
- 2 tbsp cocoa powder
Instructions
Baking the cake:
- Preheat your oven to 170°C fan (190°C conventional / 375°F / gas mark 5).
- Line two 18cm (7") sandwich cake tins.
- Note: To line cake tins draw around the bottom of the tin onto baking paper, cut it out and then cut a long rectangular strip for the sides. I use a little spray cooking oil to stick it in place.
- Add the dry ingredients to a large mixing bowl, using a sieve for the flour and cocoa. Stir thoroughly to combine.375 g plain flour, 90 g cocoa powder, 1 tsp baking soda, 350 g caster sugar, 1 tsp instant coffee granules
- Add all of the wet ingredients to the mixing bowl and stir into the flour mixture. Don’t over-stir, just enough to combine the ingredients thoroughly without beating the mixture.200 g coconut oil, 475 ml dairy free milk, 1 tsp vanilla extract, 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar, 50 g dark chocolate
- Divide the mixture between the cake tins as equally as possible.
- Bake for 30 minutes until a knife inserted into the centre of the cake comes out clean.
- Note: Be aware that when you test your cake with a knife you may hit a bit of melted chocolate. If your knife comes out with gooey chocolate on it, test another bit to be sure. Usually 30 minutes is about perfect for this cake and it shouldn’t need any more than 35 minutes.
- Take the cake tins out of the oven and set aside for the cake to cool completely in the tin - for at least 2 hours (****see note). Do not transfer the cake to a cooling rack.
- Note: I make this cake the day before I need it because it then gives it plenty of time to cool and rest, which makes it easier to decorate. This is especially helpful if you are going to town on the decorations and need all the time you can get to make toppings! I even think it might taste better the next day.
Making the buttercream:
- Whilst the cake sponges are cooling it’s a good time to make the buttercream. Add the buttercream ingredients to a bowl and stir.100 g vegan margarine, 200 g icing sugar, 2 tbsp cocoa powder
- The buttercream will go through a stage of looking like breadcrumbs, this is completely normal - keep stirring and it’ll transform into a lovely soft buttercream in a couple of minutes.
- Cover and store in the fridge until you are ready to use it. Take it out of the fridge 15 minutes before you want to frost your cake to make it easier to spread.
Decorating the cake:
- Once the cakes are completely cold and have rested for at least 2 hours, take them out of the tin and remove the baking paper.
- Using a sharp, non-serrated knife, level off the top of each sponge to create a flat surface. The longer your cakes have rested the easier this will be to do. Please see the recipe video for an example.
- Smooth a generous amount of raspberry jam on top of one sponge and buttercream on top of the other sponge. Place the sponge with the buttercream on top of the sponge with the jam so you've got jam in the middle and buttercream on top.200 g raspberry jam
- Decorate however you like! If you’re feeling fancy why not try my Chocolate Cookie Dough Doughnuts?
- Place the cake in an airtight tin and store it in the fridge until you are ready to serve. I’d recommend taking it out of the fridge 15 minutes before serving.
Video
Notes
Vegan / Dairy Free / Egg Free / Nut Free
This recipe makes two sponges (i.e. one sandwich). If you'd like to make a four layer cake then just double up the recipe but if you only have two cake tins then make two separate batches because the batter should be baked straight away. If you would like to put buttercream in the middle of the cake or around the sides, double or triple the buttercream ingredients accordingly.
* This recipe used firm but spreadable vegan margarine for the buttercream (e.g. Vitalite). If you have the firmer block butter kind, you may need to increase the amount of butter and reduce the icing sugar slightly to get to a spreadable consistency.
Recipe inspired by: UK
Please check the allergens on the ingredients you purchase before use. The allergen information provided in this recipe is intended as a guide only and is based on the specific ingredients and brands used at the time of creating the recipe, therefore we cannot guarantee that the same will apply to the ingredients you use. Nutritional values are estimated and exclude any optional extras.
We highly recommend you use the metric and 1x options on this recipe card for the best results. Please note that this recipe has not been tested using US measurements or increasing ingredient quantities to 2x or 3x, therefore results may vary.
Nutrition
Calories: 872kcal | Carbohydrates: 132g | Protein: 8g | Fat: 39g | Saturated Fat: 26g | Sodium: 311mg | Fiber: 7g | Sugar: 82g | Net Carbohydrates: 125g
Have you tried this recipe?Tag @aveganvisit on Instagram or hashtag it #aveganvisit!
Tara
Hi, I’m Tara! I’m taking you on a trip around the world in vegan cuisine and bringing the world’s most delicious dishes to your kitchen.
