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Kaitlyn Dickie
May 12, 2020

Best Ever Vegan Chocolate Cake

This is hands down the best Vegan chocolate cake, maybe even best chocolate cake of any kind, of all time. Lucky for me, I got direct feedback from my non-vegan family that they loved it! There are no hard-to-find ingredients in this cake, and it is really quite easy to whip up. If you decide to make this cake, please share and tag me on Instagram (@KaitlynDickie) so I can see your delicious creations!

 
 

Ingredients

Cake:

  • 1 cup plant milk

  • 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar

  • 2 cups all purpose flour

  • 1 ¾ cups granulated sugar

  • ¾ cup cocoa powder

  • 2 tsp baking powder

  • 1.5 tsp baking soda

  • 1 tsp sea salt

  • ½ cup melted coconut oil *(see tip below)

  • 2/3 cup unsweetened applesauce **(see tip below)

  • 1 tbsp vanilla extract

  • 1 cup boiling water ***(see tip below, trust me, you’ll like this one)

Erin Ireland’s Chocolate Buttercream Icing:

  • 1/2 cup cocoa powder

  • 1 cups vegan butter (I used melt and miyokos)

  • 3-5 cups icing sugar (add more if not thick enough)

  • 1 tbsp vanilla extract

  • ½ tsp sea salt

  • 3-6 tbsp unsweetened plant milk (or use half coffee) (adjust amount of liquid based on thickness desired).

 

Directions:

  • Preheat oven to 350F degrees and lightly grease two 9-inch cake pans.

  • I cut out a circle of parchment paper to put on the bottom of the pan as well to prevent sticking.

  • Stir together 1 cup of plant milk (I used cashew but any kind should work) and the tablespoon of apple cider vinegar.

  • Set aside so it can curdle.

  • In a large bowl add the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.

  • Whisk well to combine.

  • Add the melted coconut oil, applesauce, vanilla, and apple cider vinegar mix to the dry ingredients.

  • Using an electric hand mixer, mix together on medium speed until combined.

  • Add in the boiling water (or coffee, see tip below).

  • The cake batter will be very thin and runny at this point, that’s how it should be, don’t worry!

  • Divide the batter evenly between your cake pans. Bake for 30-35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

  • Let the cake cool in the pan for as long as possible before removing. Let them cool completely before frosting or you will end up with a mess.

To Make the Icing:

  • Sift the cocoa powder into a large bowl and then add the softened (not melted), vegan butter.

  • Mix until well combines with your electric hand mixer.

  • Once combined, add half of the powdered sugar, half of the liquid (plant milk or coffee) and mix until smooth.

  • Add the rest of the powdered sugar, the vanilla, and the rest of the plant milk to reach your desired consistency. I always aim for the thicker side so that the icing holds up a bit better.

 

TIPS:

*You can use canola oil here but I use coconut oil because when it goes back to room temperature it creates a nice fudgey cake.

**If you don’t have enough applesauce (I usually use those little cups of apple sauce), then you can top it up with mashed banana. Please note that I have not tested this recipe using only mashed banana but only to top up what I didn’t have in apple sauce currency haha.

***I used boiling hot coffee instead of hot water for the cake mix to give it that extra depth of flavour but either will work. This amount of coffee does not make the cake taste like coffee.

 

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