The Best (Vegan) Chocolate Cake II
The very best chocolate cake that just so happens to be vegan
So I already have a lovely chocolate cake recipe that used to be my staple for years, and I think I posted a vegan chocolate cake recipe aaaages ago (but this one is better), and any baker will tell you that even if you have the perfect recipe, you’ll continue to tinker around and try new variations because it gets boring to follow the same recipe time in time out. Plus you can never have too much chocolate cake, and this one is my new favourite. I know you’ll love it just as much as I do, so I thought I would share it with you.
I get a lot of requests for eggless recipes on the Youtube channel and I’ve seen this recipe circulate the internet for a while, so I decided to try it out. The result is what I’d describe as magical, the type of cake you whip up for birthdays or celebrations, that you eat by the forkful for a late night bite.
Here are some notes to keep in mind for the recipe-
In the video, I mixed the wet ingredients first and then added the dry ingredients, but I think it’s actually simpler to do it the other way around.
I doubled the icing recipe because I wanted to cover the cake in rosettes.
I used the same recipe as I did for the last chocolate cake recipe (except double for the rosettes) but if you’re not vegan, of course you can make the frosting with butter instead of vegan butter and regular milk instead of non-dairy milk.
If you’re not going to pipe rosettes around the cake, you’ll only need half the icing recipe as the one listed, so divide all the ingredient quantities for the icing by 1/2.
This cake is also a perfect for toying around- if you’d like to add chocolate, or use Guinness instead of water, etc. However you choose to make this cake, it’ll be demolished.

The Best (Vegan) Chocolate cake II
Ingredients:
- 2 cups (400 g) sugar (raw, granulated or brown are all fine)
- 2 cups (500 mL) boiling hot water
- 1/2 cup (125 mL) coconut oil, melted (or vegetable oil)
- 1 tbsp vinegar
- 2 tsp instant espresso powder
- 2 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 cup (100 g) unsweetened cocoa powder
- 2 cups (300 g) all-purpose flour
- 1 cup vegan butter (or regular if you're not vegan)
- 1 and 1/3 cup (130 g) cocoa powder
- 6 cups (725 g) confectioner's/icing sugar
- 2/3 cup (160 mL) non-dairy milk (or regular if not vegan)
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/2 tsp salt
Directions:
- Preheat the oven to 180 C or 350 F.
- Generously butter 2 8-inch (20 cm) cake pans, then line the bottom with parchment paper and dust with flour. You can also use a bundt pan (but you'll need to increase the baking time to an hour or longer), or 9 inch (22/24 cm) cake pans.
- Next, you'll need to mix all the cake ingredients together. In the video, I mix all the 'wet' ingredients (sugar, water, oil, vinegar) then add the dry ingredients (espresso powder, baking soda, salt, cocoa powder, flour). However, I find it's actually easier to mix all the dry ingredients first and then add the wet ingredients.
- When the batter is smooth, divide it between the two cake pans and bake for 20-25 min or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.
- Let the cakes cool completely before frosting.
- Melt the butter either over a low flame or in the microwave for 1-2 minutes, stirring every 15-30 seconds.
- Stir in the cocoa powder, salt, and vanilla.
- Alternate the confectioner's sugar with the milk, beating well until smooth, an electric mixer makes it easier to beat.
- Taste, and add more salt and vanilla as needed.
- Run a knife around the edges of the cake pan and flip it over to release the cake. Do this with the other pan as well.
- If the cakes formed a dome while baking, use a serrated knife to trim it off.
- Dab a small amount of icing on your cake stand/plate, then place one of the cakes, bottom side up onto the plate.
- Add a generous amount of icing (between 1/2-3/4 cup) on top of the cake, and spread out evenly.
- Place the second cake top-side up, making sure the sides of both cakes match.
- Cover the cake with a thin layer of the icing.
- Spoon the rest into a piping bag fitted with a 1M star tipped nozzle.
- Cover the cake in buttercream rosettes (see video).
Hi Vedika, isn’t 2 cups of sugar a bit too much and make the cake too sweet? If I choose to reduce sugar will the cake become dense?
This recipe works well with 2 cups of sugar, I don’t find the cake overly sweet- that being said, you could try to reduce it by 1/4 to MAYBE 1/2 cup max, but I can’t guarantee the same results… that being said, there’s no harm in trying!
Hi Vedika, thank you for this wonderful recipe.
What type of vinegar did you use? Is it apple vinegar?
regular vinegar/apple cider are both fine!
Can this be made into cupcakes?
Yes! you’d need to bake them for slightly less time.
Hii, your recipe sounds great. I`m planning on making the cake tomorrow.
But I´ve got one question. Do you know how much 1 cup of butter is in gramm?
It’s 225 g:)
I was looking for a vegan chocolate cake recipe for the whole family and I stumbled on this article. I read and followed the instructions carefully and I made it deliciously! Every member of my family is so happy! Thanks for this
ahh so happy you liked it! 🙂
I found that the thickness of the layers aren’t as thick as the picture. How can I increase the amount of batter without affecting the desired outcome?
You’d have to increase the recipe but keep the ratios the same… it would require some calculations! I would just use slightly smaller cake pans:)
Thanks for this new recipe on a traditional favorite. If you would like to learn more about all things chocolate I recommend the following product. 2GZl8Tw
No soda to be added???
Yes! See the recipe:)
Hi Vedika – for the cake, could I use melted butter as a substitute for coconut oil. Thanks so much.
I would use regular vegetable oil!
Hi, I’m trying this recipe for my friends birthday, but I’m not sure when to make it. Can I make the whole frosted cake a day ahead and put it in my fridge? Will it be good and fluffy as yours the other day?
It would be fine if you made it a day ahead, I would just recommend letting the cake come to room temperature before serving (just take it out of the fridge an hour ahead) because it’s a little more soft and fluffy at room temp:)
hi,, can it work without vinegar?? what difference would it make ? great recipe btw!
You need the vinegar to react with the leavening agents in the recipe to make the cakes rise! And thank you:)