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The Best Vegan Chocolate Cake

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This BEST vegan chocolate cake recipe is quick and easy with no unusual ingredients. Hundreds of readers have loved this moist fluffy vegan chocolate cake.

A close up of a big slice of the Best Vegan Chocolate Cake. This vegan cake is quick and easy to make and tastes delicious. It's light, fluffy and you don't need any unusual ingredients for the recipe.

Commissioned recipe.

When you think about vegan cake, you might think it will be dry, crumbly and somehow inferior to a typical chocolate cake filled with eggs and butter. Well, you’re wrong. Very wrong.

This vegan chocolate cake really is the BEST. It’s like a super-amazing, delicious, decadent chocolate cake that just happens to be vegan!

If you didn’t mention that it’s vegan, people would honestly never know. It’s rich, fluffy, moist and very easy to make.

A big slice of a light and fluffy easy vegan chocolate cake recipe. This vegan cake tastes delicious and is really easy to make with no unusual ingredients!

 

The BEST vegan chocolate cake

I love making cakes, but I hate it when I need to seek out expensive unusual ingredients first.

So, this cake doesn’t need any unusual egg or dairy substitutes like flax or chia.The most unusual ingredient is dairy free milk (almond, soy etc…), but you can pick that up at any shop.

Instead of butter, I’ve used a vegan spread (butter/margarine whatever you like to call it!). It’s just a super-easy, light and fluffy chocolate cake that’s vegan that can be made with store cupboard ingredients.

Trust me, nobody will guess that it’s vegan. It’s great as a vegan birthday cake, party cake or everyday cake!

WHY IS THIS THE BEST VEGAN CHOCOLATE CAKE?

  1. Quick and easy to make
  2. Rich, chocolatey flavour
  3. No unusual ingredients
  4. Light, moist and fluffy texture
  5. A perfect vegan birthday cake
  6. Nobody will guess that it’s vegan

Close up of a slice of vegan chocolate cake, which is moist, fluffy and easy to make! It's perfect as a vegan birthday cake or for any occasion.

The BEST vegan chocolate cake

Many many readers have made this cake and loved it! Here are some of their thoughts:

Testimonials – Vegan.Chocolate Cake

A few reader reviews:
“I made this cake today (first attempt at vegan baking) and I was truly surprised! It was light fluffy and moist and despite the lack of eggs the rise was excellent and the taste was super. I will be wowing vegans everywhere with this.” – Ollie

“I just made this! It is absolutely gorgeous, as a chocoholic myself, I didn’t think I could ever find a vegan chocolate cake that was as good as the real stuff. But this is so good, of not better!” – Isabella

“This is a delicious and moist vegan.chocolate cake! And very simple to make, some vegan cakes require an awful lot of expensive ingredients. A* for taste, ease and texture!” – Natasha

“Best vegan cake recipe ever! I made mine into cupcakes and subbed the vegan butter for vegetable oil and it came out perfect! I also added some vegan chocolate chips and it made it extra good so I’ll totally be making these again” – Lisa

“Thank you. This is an excellent recipe and better than some (non-vegan) cakes I have tasted. I made this gluten free by using gluten-free flour and baking powder. I don’t like the taste of baking soda in cakes so I omitted it completely. I used 2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder and 1/2 teaspoon xanthan gum with the gluten-free flour.” – Suzanne

“It’s just perfect,. I’ve gone through a few recipe’s now but never been happy with the results. Now I’ve found this I won’t be looking anymore. It’s now my forever chocolate cake recipe. Thank you.” – Janet

How to Make A Vegan Chocolate Cake Recipe – Video

Vegan Vanilla Cake

Try this light, fluffy and easy to make vegan vanilla cake! No unusual ingredients and nobody will guess that it’s vegan. It’s also a perfect vegan birthday cake!

How to Make a Vegan Cake

Now, you might be thinking that to make a vegan chocolate cake you’re going to need some strange ingredients. But this one doesn’t contain flax or chia to replace the eggs.

The most unusual ingredient is dairy free milk, but you can pick that up at any shop. Instead of butter, I’ve used a vegan spread.

I’ve found that vegan spreads/margarine  work the same as dairy spreads in baking.

For my cake I’ve melted some with golden syrup (you could substitute maple syrup) for the cake, and I’ve whipped some straight from the fridge for the fluffy, chocolatey frosting.

I used Flora Freedom vegan spread which has 60% less saturated fat than butter. It’s certified by The Vegan Society and is free from artificial preservatives, colours and flavours.

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4.95 from 78 votes
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The Best Vegan Chocolate Cake
Prep Time
15 mins
Cook Time
35 mins
Total Time
50 mins
 

This really is the BEST vegan chocolate cake recipe ever. It's decadent, fluffy, rich and easy to make with no unusual ingredients!

Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Servings: 12
Calories: 400 kcal
Author: Kate @ Veggie Desserts
Ingredients
  • 300 ml dairy-free milk (soy, almond etc...)
  • 1 tbsp lemon juice
  • 150 g non-dairy margarine (I used Flora Freedom)
  • 3 tbsp golden syrup agave or maple syrup (maple will make a slightly less sweet cake)
  • 1 tsp instant coffee granules or espresso powder
  • 275 g self-raising flour (or plain all-purpose flour with 3 tsp baking powder)
  • 175 g granulated sugar
  • 4 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda (baking soda)
For the vegan chocolate frosting (double to cover the sides as well)
  • 75 g non-dairy margarine
  • 200 g powdered icing sugar (confectioner's sugar)
  • 4 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 2 tbsp water
UK Measures - << Convert to USA Measures >>
Instructions
  1. Preheat the oven to 180° C/160° C fan/Gas mark 4 (350F). Lightly grease 2x20cm/8inch round baking pans.

  2. Stir the lemon juice into the milk and set aside.

  3. In a pan over a medium heat, melt the margarine, syrup and coffee granules together. Set aside to cool slightly.

  4. Sieve the flour, cocoa, sugar and bicarbonate of soda (baking soda) into a large mixing bowl.

  5. Pour the milk and melted margarine mixture over the flour mixture and stir well until it becomes a smooth batter.

  6. Divide the mixture between the two prepared pans and bake for 30-35 minutes or until an inserted skewer comes out clean.
  7. Allow the cakes to cool in the tins for 5 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely.
  8. Meanwhile, to make the icing beat together all ingredients until smooth.
  9. When the cakes are completely cold, sandwich together with half of the icing. Spread the remaining icing over the top of the cake.

Recipe Video

Recipe Notes

Based on a recipe from Flora.

Nutrition Facts
The Best Vegan Chocolate Cake
Amount Per Serving (1 g)
Calories 400 Calories from Fat 171
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 19g 29%
Saturated Fat 2g 10%
Sodium 150mg 6%
Total Carbohydrates 63g 21%
Dietary Fiber 4g 16%
Sugars 40g
Protein 5g 10%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

 

 

A moist and fluffy slice of the BEST vegan chocolate cake with vegan chocolate buttercream

 

Disclosure: This recipe for the BEST vegan.chocolate cake was commissioned by Flora Freedom. All opinions are my own. Thanks for supporting the brands that make it possible for me to mess up my kitchen and write Veggie Desserts – with vegan dessert recipes, vegetarian desserts, vegetable cakes, as well as vegan and vegetarian savoury dishes. 

 

More Recipes from Veggie Desserts

Get this light and fluffy Easy Vegan Chocolate Cake recipe. This vegan cake tastes delicious and is really easy to make! It's perfect as a vegan birthday cake or for any occasion. You don't need any unusual substitutes. Check the recipe for a video and reader testimonials. #vegan #veganrecipe #vegancake #veganchocolatecake #veganbirthdaycake
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Comments

  2. This does not look like the typical vegan cake! This looks so moist and soft and delicious! I am 100% sold on this cake! YUM!

    Reply

  8. Vegan or not, this is one delicious and moist looking chocolate cake. It looks delicious and inviting and I love the photos.

    Reply

  9. I can usually spot a homemade vegan cake a mile away, the appearance is usually a little off and the layers quite thin but THIS cake oh no, you had me fooled. This looks delicious, light and so chocolaty. I realize you posted a frosting recipe but one of my favorite things is making a homemade cake and topping it with Dollop Gourmet frosting — they are 100% vegan and the Salted Caramel flavor is ah-mazing! I’m imagining it now on top of your cake and I’m sure it’d be divine!

    Reply

    • Any non-dairy milk should be fine, but I only tested soya (as that’s what I had). If you try it with rice or almond milk, please let me know!

      Reply

  13. Kate, first of all I wanna tell you that moving from vegetarian to vegan has been a harsh job. But it has already been all worth it! Thanks to people like you and to blogs like yours. Awesome choice of work, yours. Thank you.

    Reply

  16. This cake was deeee-licious. I’ve found that if you make it the day before you want to eat it, it is even better. (it actually seems a little more moist when it is not REALLY fresh). I have also taken the advice of another reviewer and made this cake without the cocoa, adding 2 mashed bananas and replacing the vanilla with banana extract. It turned out like banana bread and was fantastic frosted with banana frosting(1 cup powdered beet sugar, 1 tsp banana extract, 1/4 cup margerine and 1 tbsp. soy milk beaten until smooth and fluffy)

    Reply

  17. I just made this recipe as cupcakes, and they were truly fantastic!

    Baked for 20 minutes at 350 degrees. I ran out of maple syrup so I use 1 tablespoon molasses + 2 tablespoons of honey. Next time I’ll try the maple syrup since the molasses made them a little salty.

    Thank you so much for the recipe. I’m definitely making it again. <3

    Reply

  18. Hi there! Can you omit the coffee granules? Just wondering if they are for taste or function. Thanks a lot! ????

    Reply

    • Hi, you can definitely omit them. I just like to add coffee as it compliments the flavour of the chocolate. But no problem to omit it. Happy baking!

      Reply

  19. I just made this! It is absolutely gorgeous, as a chocoholic myself, I didn’t think I could ever find a vegan chocolate cake that was as good as the real stuff. But this is so good, of not better! I was wondering though, do I store this in the fridge or outside?

    Reply

    • I’m so glad that you liked the cake! Best to keep it covered but not in the fridge. Thanks for coming back to let me know how you got on with the recipe!

      Reply

  21. I’m so pleased that this worked out so well. I was desperate for cake but I’d run out of eggs, so this was just the kind of recipe I was looking for, I’ve been disappointed by vegan cakes in the past so I really wasn’t expecting much, but it’s really delicious! Thank you for sharing the recipe! 🙂

    Reply

  22. Looking to bake a cake for my sister as she’ has an egg and dairy allergy
    She’ll be utterly shocked when I present her with this beauty
    Tends to about cake -what a treat ????????

    Reply

  23. Looking to bake a cake for my sister as she’ has an egg and dairy allergy
    She’ll be utterly shocked when I present her with this beauty
    Tends to about cake -what a treat ????????

    Reply

  24. I made this cake today (first attempt at vegan baking) and I was truly surprised! It was light fluffy and moist and despite the lack of eggs the rise was excellent and the tast was super. I will be wowing vegans everywhere with this. I also added mint essence to the frosting and it was delicious.

    Reply

  25. Hi! This is the first vegan cake I’ve found that isn’t stodge! However, mine has come out awfully crumbly… any suggestions as I can’t put icing on it as its falling apart! X

    Reply

    • Hi Jenna

      How odd, I have made it loads it it hasn’t been crumbly. I’m really not sure what could be the cause. Perhaps your oven is running a bit hot so it didn’t need to be cooked so long? Glad you still like it though!

      Reply

      • Same result for me. Cake tasted amazing, but it was really crumbly and stuck to the cake pan – even though they were brand new and non-stick. I ‘glued’ it all back together with the frosting, though!

        Reply

        • Hi, such a shame that you’ve found it to be crumbly. I’ve made this cake quite a few times and it’s never been crumbly. I still always grease non-stick pans, so perhaps try that next time so it releases easier. Also maybe try lowering your oven slightly as it could be running high and overbaking it – resulting in it drying enough to crumble. I hope you have better luck if you try again!

          Reply

          • I have found it essential to let any baked goods cool right down before trying to get them out of their pan/mold. Try waiting longer after they’ve come out of the oven before trying to remove.

        • Mine came out great from the oven but after turning it out the pan after 5 mins as suggested on to a wire wrack it started to crack. Managed to glue it back together with the icing though.
          Will probably leave it a little longer in the baking pan a little longer next time. It still tasted gorgeous though.

          Reply

  26. Hi I am really looking forward to trying this recipie
    But I wondered my daughter has a wheat allergy so would it be possible to swap the flour for a rice flour? Xx

    Reply

    • Hi Vicky

      I haven’t tested the recipe with any other flours, but if you usually swap wheat for rice flour then hopefully it works. Please report back if you try it as it could help other readers. Happy baking!

      Reply

  28. This cake is wonderful! I followed the recipe exactly as listed and used golden syrup. Made for friends with 2 young boys (none of whom are vegan) but, honestly, no one could believe it’s a vegan cake. So light, and absolutely delicious. – everyone loved it. I’m about to make another one now, and know I will be making it again and again. Thank you so much for posting it, you have made me one happy vegan 🙂

    Reply

  29. Hello. Is the cake moist enough to eat without the frosting? My cake audience dislike any cakes with cream or frosted toppings. I know. They’re crazy.

    Reply

  30. Best vegan cake recipe ever! I made mine into cupcakes and subbed the vegan butter for vegetable oil and it came out perfect! I also added some vegan chocolate chips and it made it extra good. I will totally be making these again

    Reply

  32. I made this recipe yesterday, after having some disappointing vegan cake results. This is a delicious and moist cake! And very simple to make, some vegan cakes require an awful lot of expensive ingredients. A* for taste, ease and texture!

    Reply

  33. Hi Kate, we want to make this for vegan guests and enjoy for ourselves! Never made a vegan cake before though – can we omit the golden syrup /swap out/increase something else?

    Reply

    • Hi, you can use agave, or maple syrup (but the maple syrup won’t be quite so sweet). I hope you all enjoy it!

      Reply

    • Hi Teresa, I haven’t tested the recipe with coconut oil, but if you have any margarine-like spread it should work. Like Earth Balance?

      Reply

  36. Hello!

    can you use granulated sugar instead of agave or golden syrup? If so how much sugar would you recommend to substitute?

    Reply

  37. Thank, you, this is an excellent recipe and better than some (non-vegan) cakes I have tasted. I made this gluten free by using gluten-free flour (and baking powder). I don’t like the taste of baking soda in cakes so I omitted it completely. I used 2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder and 1/2 teaspoon xanthan gum with the gluten-free flour.

    Reply

  38. It’s just perfect,. I’ve gone through a few recipe’s now but never been happy with the results. Now I’ve found this I won’t be looking anymore. It’s now my forever chocolate cake recipe,. Thank you

    Reply

  40. I’m a bit confused. The cake looks smashing but it the sponge isn’t chocolately. I used 4x level tbsp of green and blacks cocoa powder. In non-vegan recipes i’ve made it uses about 2oz of cocoa powder for an 8″ cake pan. Have i gone wrong on my measurements? The tbsp measure i have is a standard uk one. Thanks

    Reply

  41. Hi Kate,
    I was looking at making a cake just without eggs. So is it okay that I still use butter or is the non dairy spread a must?
    Thanks, Prerna

    Reply

  42. Just made this cake! It’s delicious! I must say, I was skeptical. I did add about a tsp of vanilla extract to cake mixture, I used “raw cane sugar” ground “espresso beans” from Wholefoods, & Almond milk. I also added “grated” cinnamon to the frosting. Topped with coconut & chocolate chips. My cake is lighter than yours. Is it because I used “almond milk” ?

    Reply

  43. Making this for the first today, with rice milk and omit the coffee…….im a newish vegan and fancy making a cake…….i shall be back with my results 🙂

    Reply

  44. This really is the best vegan chocolate cake! My husband has egg intolerance and I’ve tried quite a few recipes, but this is by far and away the only one that ticks all the boxes. Brilliant!

    Reply

  45. I made some cupcakes with this recipe. I am disappointed. taste and texture not nice. looks nice but that’s all. not sweet enough and didn’t like the texture in my mouth.

    Reply

  47. I used the ingredients last night to make coconut vanilla cupcakes. I added coconut to the batter mix. I made 18 cupcakes with frosting. I can’t decide which I prefer the chocolate or vanilla both were very tasty and moist. All my friends loved both. It’s also nice to find a recipe that shows metric measurements.

    Reply

  48. Made this as a birthday cake but left out the coffee to make just a chocolate cake as it was for the kids. It was absolutely delicious. And so easy to make!
    Then I had an idea. We love lemon drizzle cake but have only once found a vegan one in a tea shop in Wales. So I made this recipe again, only this time left out the chocolate and coffee, and replaced it with the zest of 1 lemon. Put all the mix in one deep tin and baked at 160 (fan-assisted) for 45 mins. For the drizzle, juice 1.5 lemons and mix with 85g caster sugar. Has a slightly gingery taste and smell because of the golden syrup, but it’s pretty damn good!
    Thanks for the recipe. I’ve never baked a vegan cake before and now we have two that our whole family enjoys.

    Reply

    • Snap! I have a lemon version of the cake ready to post soon! I’m glad you liked the chocolate and your version of lemon 🙂

      Reply

  49. OMG! Made this today and I’m so so impressed. I’ve been baking most of my adult life and have recently become vegan and was concerned having never tasted a beautiful choc vegan cake that my life was seriously compromised. This is hands down THE best vegan cake I’ve had…and I’ve tried a lot! I substituted the water in the frosting recipe with almond milk and added a teaspoon of vanilla extract. Sheer perfection all in all! ???? x

    Reply

  50. I am new to vegan lifestyle and baking, but this recipe is super easy. I made it last night and it is really delicious and moist. Can I make this as a basic non chocolate cake? I am really happy and excited about the way it turned out.

    Reply

    • I’m so pleased that you like it! I have a similar recipe for vanilla cake on the blog – just search vegan vanilla cake. 🙂

      Reply

  52. Hi Kate,
    I loved how the cake tasted and it’s gonna be my go to vegan choc cake for sure!
    However, I baked it in a 7″ deep pan and even after 60 mins in the oven at 160 Deg fan forced it came out gooey in the center but the upper crust hardened. I used regular full fat milk and butter.
    Could you suggest what I did wrong? Also, do you hv more such vegan cake recipes?
    Thanks, Prerna

    Reply

  53. I have just made that cake. I had never made a vegan cake before and I am so impressed by and happy with the result. It is moist and so spongy. Amazing.

    Reply

  54. I made this yesterday for my boyfriend’s birthday and it was absolutely delicious, so light and fluffy! I omitted the coffee and it still tasted amazing.

    Reply

  56. Hi, want to make this tomorrow for my boyfriends birthday. Can I use any cocoa powder or does it have to be unsweetened? I’m thinking of using either cadbury’s or cacoa powder. One review said it wasn’t chocolatey with the green and blacks unsweetened cocoa powder, which did you use?

    Can’t wait to make this, looks delicious and reviews are brilliant 😀

    Reply

    • Hi Larissa, I use Green and Blacks and I’ve also used Cadbury’s Bourneville cocoa as well and both worked great. I’ve never baked with hot chocolate type chocolate powder (and I didn’t know any were vegan), but I presume you could try it. Please let us know how you get on if you do. Most reviews on here, pinterest, instagram etc.. have found the recipe to be chocolatey enough so I hope you like it!

      Reply

      • I used organic cacoa powder from Aldi (cacoa is different to cocoa) in the end and the cake was absolutely delicious. It’s the best chocolate vegan cake recipe! Everyone was very impressed with how moist and chocolatey the cake was! Definitely going to be baking this Cake endless times. Thanks so much, can’t aait to try the vanilla one ???? looking forward to more recipes!!!

        Reply

  57. I’ve tried a few vegan chocolate cake recipes and this is the best by far, delicious! My daughter has a dairy and egg allergy and this is so simple and quick to make for her to enjoy. Thank you!

    Reply

  58. Made this cake last week and it was delicious! I took to work and it went down a treat. People never realised it was a vegan cake, so moist and light. Thank you

    Reply

  59. Substituted a couple of ingredients but wow what a great recipe! Haven’t eating a cake in two years BV (before vegan) and this is the first one I tried…..made vegan cupcakes. They rose like a dream and were perfectly fluffy. Easy to make. Quick to cook. Great job !!!! Only thing that didn’t work for me was the icing – tried it twice but it kept separating. Might have been the type of margarine I was using

    My subs:
    Coconut palm sugar instead of caster sugar
    Cacao instead of cocoa
    Used soya spread for the butter
    Used organic soya milk
    Used organic plain white flour and added the baking power

    Reply

    • I’m so pleased that you enjoyed the cake, Vicki! Thanks so much for coming back to let other readers know that you substitutions worked well 🙂

      Reply

  60. Just wanted to say that I made this cake over the weekend and it was AMAZING. So delicious – light, fluffy, and moist. Not at all stodgy like some other chocolate cakes. I used Oatly oat milk instead of Soya and it worked a treat. I’ve recently gone vegan, and this is 100% better than any non-vegan chocolate cake I’ve ever made! Thank you so much!

    Reply

  61. I used this recipe to enter a cake in my works Halloween bake-off competition. (It was halloweened up by adding cocoa powder on top for soil with creepy marzipan fingers and almond fingernails emerging out the top ;). Not only did the cake win best vegan cake, but it only went and win best cake overall!! Am so impressed- and grateful. Thanks for fab cake!

    Reply

  62. Looks good, I have been looking for a good vegan chocolate cake for some time. I think I will try this! Can I substitute dairy-free spred for some dairy-free butter?

    Reply

  63. I commented on a review from May where the baker said s/he found the cake very crumbly. Me, too, unfortunately. Not sure what I did wrong. Still, the taske was amazing – chocolately, moist and yummy. Just had to ‘glue’ the whole thing together with the frosting!

    Reply

    • That’s such a shame. I’ve made this cake often and never found it to be crumbly. I wonder if your oven is running a little high and the cake is overbaking a bit? That might cause it. I’m glad you still enjoyed it and were able to rescue it though!

      Reply

  64. HELP! First time making this cake. Have made other vegan cakes and they turned out great! The consistency of this batter is really thick and sticky and it doesn’t pour into the pans at all. Should I add more Soy Milk?

    Reply

    • Hi, that does sound very strange! It should be a normal thick pouring consistency. I wonder if a measurement was off? I hope it turned out okay!

      Reply

  65. Myself and one of my daughters are vegans and the things we miss most are good desserts/cakes. I thought I would give this recipe a try and was not disappointed. Easy to make and absolutely delicious! Instead of making the two layers I made one and iced the top but it worked out perfectly. Very moist and moreish..

    Reply

  66. I love this cake so so much! Everyone was so impressed with it at my son’s 1st birthday (even the non-vegans!)

    I would love to make it for my partner’s birthday but he loves chocolate orange, any ideas on how to tweak it to make it orangy?

    Thank you so much!

    Reply

  67. Thank you for sharing this recipe! This was the first vegan cake I have tried and didn’t really know what to expect. It by far exceeded my expectations. I tweaked the recipe and turned it into a chocolate orange loaf cake and chocolate orange gluten and vegan cupcakes and each were so delicious. Such a fantastic recipe x

    Reply

  68. I made this cake for my daughter who has recently decided to eat vegan, but we all enjoyed it! It was delicious, simple and quick to make. No creaming butter and eggs was so much easier !
    I’m thinking of using the recipe to make a Christmas Yule log, any tips?

    Reply

  69. I made this yesterday for an 18th Birthday cake – very easy recipe, timed to perfection in my oven and despite the fact I would never use margarine or soya milk for anything normally, it was a huge hit! Beautifully moist and chocolatey. You would never know it was a vegan recipe. Fantastic!

    Reply

  70. Hi!
    Can I use regular granulated sugar, instead of the caster sugar? I’m looking to make this for a work party, and don’t have that on hand. Thanks in advance!

    Reply

  72. Made it with coconut butter (cake and frosting) and it’s got lovely flavour! I don’t usually bake, let alone vegan cakes, however this was really nice recipe, soo easy to follow and gives great results! Thanks!

    Reply

  73. i’ve used this about 5 times and it’s always been a crowd pleaser! i’ve tried it as both a cake and as cupcakes and it works both ways. Thanks for a simple recipe without all the weird flax egg/ chia seed stuff as i never tend to have those things handy!

    Reply

  74. So I made this and loved the taste but I found it really crumbly, which I don’t mind but I want to make this for Christmas and would really like to decorate it without it falling a part. Does anyone have any tips for making this recipe a bit more sturdy?

    Reply

    • Hi I also found the cake very crumbly , but the taste of the cake is lovely , I have made it for my daughters birthday so hope she likes it

      Reply

      • Hi Anne

        I haven’t tried it with applesauce. I usually use applesauce instead of oil, but have never tried substituting it for margarine. Sorry but I have no idea if it will work. If you try it, please let me know how it goes.

        Reply

  76. This cake was incredible.
    I originally had issues with the lemon juice curdling the almond milk but i played around with the quantities and found the perfect balance.
    So glad i persisted as this cake was so tasty & moist; came out a little fudgy even after cooking it for ten extra minutes but i liked it like that 🙂
    Might try halving the sugar amount next time to as it was a little on the sweet side however I will definitely be making this again very soon.

    Thank you for this recipe 🙂

    Reply

  77. Hi I haven’t read all the comments, but I love the look of this recipe, no dairy, eggs AND refined sugar, but do you have quantities if I was to make it gluten free too? Please!

    Reply

  79. This cake is REALLY easy to make , all the ingredients were already in the cupboard, no one guessed it was vegan, thanks so much for the recipe, it’s the ‘go to’ birthday cake in our house now ! ????????

    Reply

  80. Despite the persistent message that this cake would be moist and amazing, I still doubted the claims. Even after it was baked I was convinced it would be dry. My cake looked exactly like the picture although I sprinkled vegan choc chips on top. Now I turned vegan on January 1st so I have had no chocolate for nearly a month. When I bit into this cake I was literally the happiest I had felt all year! It’s the BEST chocolate cake I have ever eaten and the frosting was fudgy and awesome. Unreal! Thank you!

    Reply

  81. I made this cake but disaster. It fell apart. I noticed in the o en while it was cooking that big splits were forming. Where did I go wrong?

    Reply

    • Oh no. Sorry it didn’t work for you. The usual reasons for a cake cracking and crumbling would be that the oven temperature is too high or the batter was over-mixed. Perhaps it’s one of those?

      I hope if you try it again that it works out better for you.

      Reply

    • Hi Christie. I’m so pleased that you like the cake! You can freeze the cake un-iced. Then just let it defrost in the fridge and add the icing. Once it’s been iced it’s not great for freezing – though you could scrape off the icing and then freeze. Hope that helps!

      Reply

  83. WOW!!!
    this cake worked so well! making it for a friends birthday- she’s not vegan, but I have just cut out all animal products from my diet for health reasons and I want to be able to have some cake at her birthday haha

    just made the full cake and kept enough batter aside for a few cupcakes to check what it tasted like- and its so fluffy and light 🙂

    thank you for sharing the recipe

    Reply

    • Thanks Eli! That’s lovely of you to make it for your friend. I’m so pleased that you enjoyed the cake! And great idea to make some cupcakes so you could taste it before the party!

      Reply

  84. Hi!

    I’ve made this twice now and it’s absolutely delicious! I would say its better than any cake I’ve made using eggs and dairy.

    Anyway, thought I’d comment to tell anyone who is considering making this to just do it! It’s lovely and everyone will love it, Vegan or not.

    xx

    Reply

  85. Hi,

    Would you use the unsweetened version of milk for this recipe? Hoping to.make later as a treat for my vegan daughter who’s been outside in the snow all day working with horses while the rest of us have had a duvet day!

    Reply

    • Hi Julia
      Unsweetened is best, but if you only have sweetened that would be fine too. So lovely of you to make her a cake! I’m exhausted from lots of sledging this morning 🙂

      Reply

  86. Gorgeous cake recipe. I have tried recipes upon recipes and have never tasted something as good as this recipe is. I completely demolished the cake. I ended up freezing parts of the cake but the buttercream and the overall cake was still decedent and moist. Will be making this again!

    Reply

  87. Hi! Just wanted to say this is my go-to favourite cake recipe, I make it all the time now! Everyone loves it, vegan or not, and most people don’t realise its vegan (and don’t believe me when I tell them)! It’s moistand fluffy, rich and chocolatey (and not too sweet) – and best of all it’s super easy, with ingredients anyone would have on hand!

    If have any dark chocolate vegan chips on hand, I loosely mix them in the batter before baking to have some extra-gooey moist bits inside 🙂 thanks so much for sharing!

    Reply

  89. Just made this to take to work for no particular reason other than that I fancied baking. I substituted the water in the frosting with Tia Maria. ????????????????

    Reply

      • When I click on American Measurements, the measurements are confusing-as in 2.2 cups ? Do I round these up ? .66cups of margarine ? Could you clarify these please?

        Reply

  92. I’m having trouble with some of the conversions. Can someone who has made this with success please post what quantities to use in cups (rather than ml, grams)? Thanks!

    Reply

    • Hi Linda,

      Just under the ingredients you can switch to US cup measurements. I hope that helps!

      Reply

    • Hi Linda

      Under the ingredients list you can switch to US cup measurements. I hope that helps!
      Kate

      Reply

  93. I made the chocolate cake recipe and followed it axactly
    My batter was thick and not thin like the video
    I am wondering if the amount of liquid posted in the recipe was correct
    The flavor was great but the cake was dry and over cooked at 30 min
    Any advice?
    Thanks

    Reply

    • Hi Sharlene, that’s such a shame. Many other people have had success with this recipe, so I wonder if it was the measuring. Did you use cups or ml?

      Reply

  94. Hello Kate, Can i use dairy milk instead of non dairy milk. Is there a substitute for maple /agave syrup. Can homemade sugar syrup or honey be used instead. Thanks Sneh

    Reply

    • Hi Sneh,
      It’s fine to use dairy milk. As for the syrup, I haven’t tried it, but honey would probably better as it’s thicker than homemade sugar syrup. Let me know how you get on with the substitutions!

      Reply

  95. I’ve made this cake twice now and each time after bringing it out of the oven and putting it onto a cooling rack it has cracked terribly, gutted both times, why is this happening?

    Reply

    • Hi Claire, that’s such a shame. I wonder if your oven temperature might be running a bit high? That could cause it to crack. Perhaps also mixing a bit less – so that it’s just combined and not over mixed.
      I hope you enjoyed it regardless of the cracking and have better luck if you try again.
      Kate x

      Reply

  96. This really is an amazing cake receipe. I modified it and made fiary cakes with the same mixture. Worked out really well. I’m going to top with dates and walnuts. Thank you. It’s my vegan daughter’s birthday tomorrow. She’s going to love them.

    Reply

    • I’m so pleased that they worked out well for you Caroline! I hope your daughter has a lovely birthday.

      Reply

  97. I never leave comments on Internet sites but having just made this cake I wanted to say THANK YOU! I needed to make a vegan birthday cake for my daughter and have tried other recipes with really horrible results. I can’t believe how easy, moist and delicious this is and don’t believe anyone would know it was vegan! Definitely 5*

    Reply

  98. Just baked this for a friend and it looks that delicious I’m finding bits to nibble whilst icing. For aesthetics of course. I had to use orange juice instead of lemon but it looks brilliant.

    Reply

  99. I made this cake twice and it tasted absolutely amazing. I followed the receipe to a T. However is it normal for the top layer to crack?

    Reply

    • I’m so pleased that you like the cake!

      The top cracking is usually due to the oven running a little hot. Perhaps turn it down a few degrees next time and that might help. 🙂

      Reply

  101. Wonderful moist and delicious chocolate cake. Everyone really enjoyed it and wanted more! Mine split a little on cooling but all of this was hidden by the butter icing😀
    Will definately be making again.

    Reply

  102. I’ve made this cake a couple of times, it is perfect. I made it as cupcakes (baked for 10-15 mins) and they were probably the best I’ve ever made. Thank you so much for this recipe!

    Reply

  103. This looks delicious ! I really want to make this for my brothers birthday. Do I double the recipe if want two layers of cake ? Thank you

    Reply

    • Hi Kristyn

      Doubling it should make for nice big layers. Cook it for a little bit longer and test for doneness with a skewer or knife inserted in the centre. I hope it goes well.

      Reply

  105. Added 50% for a three layered cake, was amazed by the result. It was by a long mile the best vegan cake I’ve made.

    Reply

  106. I would love to add Hazel nuts to this recipe, d’you think it would work out nicely? What do you think would work best, ground or chopped or it wouldn’t matter. I’m wondering if it will affect the moistness.

    Reply

    • Hi Aisha

      I haven’t tested it using ground nuts to replace the flour, so I can’t advise on ratios for that. But I think it would be really nice to add crushed hazelnuts on top of the cake!

      Reply

  108. Well, I’m not vegan, and I normally find vegan cakes have a slightly strange taste, I’ve always thought it was because of the soya milk and cider vinegar. But I made this when I ran out of eggs. And wow, I’m so glad I did! What an absolutely gorgeous tasting cake, it went down a treat with the family, who’ve said this is the only recipe they want me to use in future! I did use chocolate milk instead of plain. Thanks for this fab recipe!

    Reply

    • What wonderful praise for this cake! I’m so pleased you and your family liked it 🙂 Thanks for coming back to comment!

      Reply

  109. This cake is delicious. It’s not too sweet but beautifully chocolatey and moist. It proves that there is absolutely no need for dairy or eggs in baking. Thank you!! A+++++++ 😀

    Reply

    • I’m so pleased you like the cake! Indeed, after making this it really does show that it’s so easy to make a great cake without eggs or dairy. Thanks for coming back to comment. 🙂

      Reply

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