If you are vegan and looking for a decadent chocolate cake recipe, you are in luck because this one-bowl recipe is delicious and easy to make. We can guarantee you will fall in love with the taste. Moreover, since the cake can be made in one bowl, you don’t have to stress about the mess that baking sessions tend to make.
This cake recipe is uber-easy, so you can ask your kids to help you in the kitchen. The best part is that you can alter the recipe to your liking. For instance, you can halve the recipe to make a single-layer vegan chocolate cake to enjoy with your family. You can also bake the batter into cupcakes for your little one’s birthday party (pour the batter into cupcake liners and bake for 20-25 minutes).
If you don’t like too much frosting on your cake, you can halve the ingredients to get just the right amount. You can also substitute the almond milk with any non-dairy milk of your choice (in case your kids have a nut allergy). Plus, instead of applesauce, you can use two flax eggs, whipped aquafaba, or another egg replacer for your vegan chocolate cake as per your preference.
Ingredients
For Vegan Chocolate Cake
- 1 cup unsweetened almond milk
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 ¾ cups granulated sugar
- ¾ cup cocoa powder
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 1⁄2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1⁄2 cup canola oil or melted coconut oil
- ⅔ cup unsweetened applesauce
- 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 cup boiling water (a key ingredient to getting a moist vegan chocolate cake)
For Chocolate Buttercream Frosting
- 1 cup cocoa powder
- 1 1⁄2 cups vegan butter, softened (baking sticks preferred)
- 4-5 cups powdered sugar
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 1⁄4 – 1⁄2 cup unsweetened almond milk
Preparation
For the cake
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and grease two 9-inch cake pans. You can even line them with parchment rounds and lightly flour to remove the cakes easily.
- Add vinegar to the unsweetened almond milk, stir slightly, and set aside to curdle.
- Add the dry ingredients (flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt) in a large bowl and whisk well to combine.
- Once the dry ingredients are combined, add your wet ingredients (oil, applesauce, vanilla, and almond milk/vinegar mixture).
- Mix everything on medium speed with a hand mixer (or stand mixer with the paddle attachment) until well combined.
- Lower the speed and carefully pour in the boiling water, mixing the cake batter until combined. The batter may seem very runny but worry not, that is how it should be.
- Divide the vegan chocolate cake batter evenly between your cake pans. Bake for 30-35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes clean.
- After 10 minutes of cooling in the pan, carefully remove your cake from the pan and let it cool completely on a wire rack before you start decorating with the frosting.
For the frosting
- To make the frosting for the vegan chocolate cake, rinse the cake bowl and dry it (don’t forget, we aim for a one-bowl usage to avoid the massive clean-up job after a baking sesh).
- Add the cocoa powder to a bowl and whisk well to remove clumps.
- Then, mix in the softened vegan butter with a hand mixer until creamed and well combined.
- Add half of the powdered sugar and half of the almond milk and mix until combined.
- Finally, add the rest of the powdered sugar and some vanilla extract.
- Mix the frosting starting on low, turning the speed to high after a while, and mix until fluffy.
- If the frosting seems too dry, add more milk, a tablespoon or two at a time. If the frosting looks runny and doesn’t hold its shape, add more powdered sugar until it thickens.
- Frost your vegan chocolate cake using an icing spatula or a butter knife, and your one-bowl vegan chocolate cake is ready to be devoured.
Make sure you use boiling water, or else your cake might turn out dry. Also, you can make a bundt cake with the same recipe by simply baking the vegan chocolate cake batter in a 9 x 13-inch bundt cake tin for about 35-40 minutes.
Try this vegan chocolate cake recipe today with your kiddos, and let us know how it turned out in the comment section below.
