This easy vegan chocolate cake recipe is one of the best vegan cake recipes, especially for beginners. It’s delicious, easy to make, hassle-free, and quick chocolate cake.
This post contains affiliate links. Please read my full disclosure here. As an Amazon associate, I earn from qualifying purchases without any extra cost to you.
There are a few dishes that can be considered a global favorite and Chocolate cake easily falls in that category.
One slice of a nice, rich, and moist chocolate cake can make anyone happy.
Today I am sharing a very easy vegan chocolate cake recipe which is the best and simplest Chocolate cake recipe you will ever find.
As I keep mentioning in my baking posts, I am not a baker, and baking is not my expertise. So, if you see a baking recipe on my site, assume that it's one of the simplest baking recipes that anyone can make without fail.
Jump to:
Why is it the Best Vegan Chocolate Cake?
- Tastes delicious; hard to guess that it’s eggless and dairy-free
- Is super moist
- A very quick recipe with easy steps
- Doesn’t need any fancy/ expensive vegan ingredients
- Comes out perfect every time
- It is so simple and easy to make that even if you have never baked anything before, you will be able to make it successfully.
Interesting facts about the chocolate cake
- 27th January is celebrated as the National chocolate cake day in the US.
- Until the late 18th century, chocolate was a luxury limited to the riches. It was mainly used in chocolate drinks, glaze, and fillings. The initial chocolate cakes were made by American chefs who started adding cocoa powder to the cake batter.
- The German chocolate cake is not German but is named after the English-American chocolatier -Samuel German.
More easy vegan baking recipes
If you want to try more easy vegan baking recipes then don't miss to check the following links:
- Vegan orange cake with candied orange peel
- Vegan Cinnamon rolls
- Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Vegan Strawberry Muffins
- Easy Snickerdoodle cookies
If you liked this recipe, please leave a star rating ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ in the recipe card below. You can also follow me on Instagram, Youtube, and Pinterest.
Recipe
Easy vegan chocolate cake
Equipment
- Oven
Ingredients
Ingredients for cake
- 1 + ¼ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- ⅓ cup cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon coffee powder (instant coffee)
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup water
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ⅓ cup canola oil or any other oil with a neutral taste
- 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
Ingredients for the glaze
- ½ cup semi-sweet vegan chocolate chips
- 2 tablespoons vegan butter/ margarine Non vegans may use the same amount of regular butter
- 2 tablespoons powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- A pinch of salt
Instructions
Vegan chocolate cake
- Put water and coffee in a pot and boil for around 3-4 minutes. Switch off the stove and allow the coffee to become warm.
- In the meanwhile, sift all the dry ingredients of the cake in a bowl and mix well.
- In another bowl mix warm coffee, vanilla extract, oil, and vinegar.
- Now add the dry ingredients to wet ingredients and mix to get a smooth cake batter. Don’t overbeat, just mix until the batter becomes lump-free.
- Line a baking dish with baking paper and pour the batter into it. Bake in a pre-heated oven for around 30 minutes at 180°C (350°F) or until it clears the toothpick test.
- Once ready, take out the baking pan and place it on a cooling rack. Let it reach room temperature.
Vegan glaze
- Combine all the ingredients of glaze in a saucepan. Put the pan on the stove and cook for around 2-3 minutes, stirring continuously until it becomes smooth. Switch off the stove but continue stirring for another 1-2 minutes.
- Pour it over the unmolded cake and smoothen with a spatula. Let the glaze set before serving.
Your cake looks delicious! I will try it;) But I have a question:
the coffee powder is instant coffee poder or coffee beans? Thanks
Thank you. It's instant coffee powder.
I never use instant coffee and certainly wouldn't buy a jar just so I had a top for a cake however reading this recipe I see no reason why you couldn't substitute the cup of hot water for a cup of "proper" warm coffee.
The recipe looks great so going to make it for a friend.
I like the recipe nice and easy.. But my cake did not rise up.. Do I have to use a beater to beat everything together or just folding it with a spatula until lump free will do?
Hi Prahala, you do not need a beater, just fold the batter with a spatula. Did you check the expiry date of your baking soda? Maybe you can try making it with fresh baking soda. I have made this cake many times and it comes out perfect every time so really not able to think of any other reason.
What size pan do I use?
Hi Karen, use a small 5'' pan.
My newly vegan daughter and I made it and it was good and easy. I did not know what vanilla essence is, however, and substituted vanilla extract. What is vanilla essence?
Thank you so much Gina. It's good that you used vanilla extract as it's natural and a better product. Vanilla essence is the artificial flavor of vanilla and is milder than extract. In Dubai, I don't find the extract easily so generally use the essence.
Can I make this in a loaf pan? I plan to give it a try and keep testing the middle with a fork until done.
Yes, you can.
First time baker. Definitely giving it a try. Looks delish
Is it ok without coffee ? Or any substitute for coffee.
Hi Heena, coffee enhances the flavor of chocolate and the cake comes out really well with a rich chocolaty flavor. However, if you want you can skip the coffee. It will still be delicious 🙂
Consistently delicious and easy to make!!! Best vegan cake recipe I’ve tried - thank you!!!
Thank you so much Jill. It's my favorite vegan cake recipe too :).
The instructions say to add the coffee to the water and let it boil. How much water do you use?
nevermind, just saw it is one cup! 🙂
Please let me know if you have any other query 🙂
The vegan chocolate cake looks so deletable and droolworthy. I would love a slice with a dollop of vanilla icecream.
Thanks, Nayna. You are right, Chocolate cake with vanilla ice cream is such an awesome combination.
How to make it in a microwave
Hi Sarika, does your microwave oven have a convection option? You need to have the convection option in the oven to bake.
Hello Vandana, that slice of chocolate cake looks absolutely divine! I like a thick glaze and love moist cakes, will definitely be giving this recipe a go!
Thanks a lot Manjiri, I also prefer thick glaze 🙂
What a delicious Vegan chocolate Cake - The consistency looks perfect - so soft and moist!
Thank you so much Chef Mireille 🙂
Made this cake for some non-vegan friends tonight and they LOVED IT. Will definitely be making it again, especially since I already had all the ingredients on hand considering I'm a broke college student. I would suggest doubling the amount of thick glaze if you're serving to a crowd who loves icing. If I were making it just for myself, though, I wouldn't change a thing. Thanks for sharing! 🙂
Thanks a lot Jennifer for sharing your feedback. Glad that you enjoyed it. I will definitely try it with the thicker glaze.