Oh baby! I think I truly outdid myself with this Easy Vegan Chocolate Cake recipe. I’m telling you, this will NOT last in your house for very long – it’s that good! Rich, moist, and decadently chocolatey, this plant-based dessert proves that vegan baking can be both simple and absolutely incredible.

❤️ Why You’ll Love This Vegan Chocolate Cake

• Quick: You can make it in under an hour. Who has time to bake for anymore than that?
• Plant-Based: It’s completely vegan, but even your non-vegan friends will beg for seconds.
• Amazing Frosting: The cashew-based frosting is so damn creamy and delicious – seriously one of the highlights.

🍲 Ingredients

Cocoa Powder – The star ingredient that makes this vegan chocolate cake so irresistible. Beyond its rich flavor, cocoa powder is packed with theobromine which helps reduce inflammation and can protect you from diseases. It’s actually low in fat and sugar too, making it a surprisingly healthful ingredient in this decadent dessert.

Cashews – The secret to creating the creamiest vegan frosting without a drop of dairy. Cashews are a nutritional powerhouse – low in sugar and rich in fiber, healthy fats, and plant protein. When blended, they transform into a silky base that rivals any traditional frosting, proving that vegan desserts don’t require compromise.

👩‍🍳 How to Make This Vegan Chocolate Cake

1. Lightly grease a 9-inch baking tin with vegan or non-vegan butter and set aside.

2. Preheat your oven to 350F.

3. To a small bowl, add your apple cider vinegar and plant-based milk. Stir to combine and set aside. Do not worry about the curdling, this is meant to happen. It is essentially cream!

4. To a large bowl, add your brown sugar, flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Whisk till well combined and there are no lumps.

5. To the bowl, add the coconut oil, vanilla and milk mixture. Using a hand mixer or whisk, begin whisking for around 1-2 minutes or until combined. The mixture should be lumpy. Gently add in the boiling water and whisk for another 30 seconds.

6. Transfer mixture to the baking tin and bake for 32-35 minutes. Remove from the oven and let the cake cool completely in the baking tin.

7. For the frosting, simply add all your ingredients into a high-speed blender and blend for 1 minute and 30 seconds. Place the frosting in the fridge for 10 minutes before frosting the cake.

8. Enjoy with fresh berries or some vanilla ice cream or both!

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🗒 Tips and Tricks

• Plant Milk: Any plant-based milk works, but neutral flavors like almond or oat complement chocolate best.
• Boiling Water: Don’t skip this step – it blooms the cocoa powder, intensifying the chocolate flavor.
• Frosting: Ensure cashews are properly soaked for the creamiest frosting texture.
• Decoration: Fresh berries add color and flavor contrast and make the cake look professional.

🗒 Substitutions

Missing a few key ingredients? Try these easy substitutions:

• Sugar: If you don’t have brown sugar, white sugar will work just fine.
• Oil: Melted vegan butter makes a perfect substitute if you’re out of coconut oil.
• Milk Options: Any plant-based milk works – almond, oat, soy, or coconut will all yield delicious results.
• Non-Vegan Version: If you are not vegan, you can use regular milk and butter, but the plant-based version is equally delicious.

🗒 Best served with

• No-Churn Chocolate Ice Cream Recipe
• No Churn Vanilla Ice Cream with Pink Salt + Olive Oil
• Pistachio Ice Cream (with feta)

👝 How to Store Leftovers

This vegan chocolate cake will last up to 1 week in a tightly sealed container on the counter at room temperature. Any leftover icing will last up to 1 week in a sealed container in the fridge.

🤔 Common Questions

Vegan Chocolate Cake

5 from 19 votes

🍫 This vegan chocolate cake is a game-changer – incredibly moist, rich, and ready in under an hour! With a silky cashew frosting that'll make you forget all about dairy, it's the plant-based dessert that will have everyone asking for seconds.

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Prep Time 20 minutes mins

Cook Time 35 minutes mins

Course Sweet Treats, Kid Friendly, Dips & Spreads

Servings 10 -12 pieces

Calories 473 kcal

Ingredients

  

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For the cake:

• 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
• 1 1/4 cups almond milk any vegan milk will work
• 2 cups brown sugar*
• 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 + 1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 1/2 tablespoon baking powder
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• large pinch of salt
• 1/2 cup melted coconut oil**
• 1 tbsp. vanilla
• 1 cup boiling water

Chocolate Frosting

• 2 cups raw cashews soaked in cold water for a least 1 hour then strain and rinse
• 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1/4 cup icing sugar
• 1/4 cup + 1 tbsp. if needed almond milk
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• pinch of salt

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Instructions

 

• Lightly grease a 9-inch baking tin with vegan or non-vegan butter and set aside.
• Preheat your oven to 350F.
• To a small bowl, add your apple cider vinegar and plant-based milk.  Stir to combine and set aside.  Do not worry about the curdling, this is meant to happen.  It is essentially cream!
• To a large bowl, add

  your brown sugar, flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda and salt.  Whisk till well combined and there are no lumps.
• To the bowl, add the coconut oil, vanilla and milk mixture.  Using a hand mixer or whisk, begin whisking for around 1-2 minutes or until combined.  The mixture should be lumpy. Gently add in the boiling water and whisk for another 30 seconds.
• Transfer mixture to the baking tin and bake for 32-35 minutes.  Remove from the oven and let the cake cool completely in the baking tin.
• For the frosting, simply add all your ingredients into a high-speed blender and blend for 1 minute and 30 seconds. Place the frosting in the fridge for 10 minutes before frosting the cake.
• Enjoy with fresh berries or some vanilla ice cream or both!

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Notes

If you do not have brown sugar white sugar will work just fine.

If you do not have coconut oil on hand, melted vegan butter will work just fine

The cake will last up to 1 week in a tightly sealed container on the counter at room temperature.

Any leftover icing will last up to 1 week in a sealed container in the fridge.

Note, if you are making this cake and are not vegan, you can use regular milk and regular butter but I highly suggest you try this cake as it is.  It’ll really show you just how easy vegan baking can be!

Nutrition

Serving: 12 | Calories: 473kcal | Carbohydrates: 69.2g | Protein: 7.5g | Fat: 21.2g | Saturated Fat: 10.2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2.2g | Sodium: 639mg | Fiber: 3.5g | Sugar: 39.5g

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