Why you’ll love chocolate cake recipe
This dairy free chocolate cake is the best thing in the entire world. Yes, I realize I said last week that my favorite thing in the world was birthday cupcakes.
I’ve said a lot of things were my favorite, but I’ve decided I’m not going to choose anymore. This cake has made me realize that it’s more than okay to love all desserts equally, especially rich, moist dark chocolate cake.
This cake is made without butter and the results are unbelievable. Moist chocolate cake, made even better with the intensity of dark chocolate, topped with chocolate dairy free frosting.
More dairy free cake recipes: dairy free birthday cake / one layer yellow cake / chocolate lava cakes / lemon poppy seed bundt cake
Ingredients:
Making changes to a recipe can result in recipe failure. Any substitutions listed below are simple changes that I believe will work in this recipe, but results are not guaranteed.
- Dutch process cocoa powder – Be sure to use a Dutch process cocoa powder for this recipe. The pH levels vary between Dutch process and cocoa powder, and can impact the results of the cake, so be sure you’re using the right one.
- Oil – Any liquid oil will work in this recipe. I’ve used olive oil, canola oil and a vegetable oil blend. If you’re going to use an olive oil, make sure it’s not one with an overpowering flavor. I’d recommend a fruity one, or a light one, which will have very little flavor.
- All-purpose flour – I have not tried this recipe with gluten free flour, so I can’t say how it will turn out. I recommend this gluten free chocolate cake recipe.
- Eggs – While I haven’t tried this with flax eggs myself, I’ve heard from some readers that they have and I’m confident that substituting flax eggs or other egg replacers will work.
- Sugar – You cannot cut down the sugar in this cake recipe. It will affect more than just the sweetness and calorie count. Sugar plays a key role in the chemistry behind baking, so just don’t.
How to make dairy free chocolate cake
Mise en place. Preheat oven to 350˚F, and grease/ flour your cake pans.
Mix the dry ingredients. In a large bowl, whisk the sugar, flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Stir until combined.
Add the wet ingredients. Next, stir in the oil, warm water, eggs and vanilla and mix until the batter is smooth.
Bake. Divide the batter between the prepared cake pans and bake for 25 – 30 minutes, or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean.
Remove the cakes from the oven and let them cool completely before removing from pan (don’t rush this or you’ll break your cakes!).
How to make vegan chocolate frosting
Mix the base. Beat the vegan butter, cocoa powder, vanilla extract and salt with an electric mixer until light and fluffy.
Add the sugar. Mix in about 1/2 cup of powdered sugar at a time, until you use it all up. If necessary, add water or milk to reach your desired consistency.
More dairy free recipes you’ll love: sour cherry pie / coconut cupcakes / no bake cookie butter crispy treats
FAQS and tips for making moist dark chocolate cake
For this recipe, we used dark cocoa powder. It’s the best choice for a dairy free cake, since we don’t have to worry about milk being in the chocolate, but it’s also a great option for making cake in general.
If your cake didn’t turn out dark enough, you probably mis-measured one of the ingredients. The two that make the biggest impact in this recipe are the cocoa powder and the sugar.
Chocolate cake can taste bitter if you use too much cocoa powder or too much baking powder. It can also happen if you don’t use enough sugar, so double check your ingredients before starting next time!
Dairy Free Chocolate Cake
Ingredients
For the cake:
- 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 cups sugar
- 3/4 cup Dutch-process cocoa
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 1/2 teaspoons coarse salt
- 8 tablespoons canola oil, 1/2 cup + 2 tablespoons
- 1 3/4 cups warm water
- 2 large eggs, or 2 prepared flax eggs
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
For the frosting:
- 1/2 cup dairy free butter, 1 stick
- 1/4 cup cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 pinch coarse salt
- 3 cups powdered sugar
- 2 tablespoons water or dairy free milk
Instructions
To make the cake:
- Preheat oven to 350˚F. Grease and flour two 9 inch cake pans. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the sugar, cocoa powder, flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
- Stir in the oil, warm water, eggs and vanilla extract, whisking until smooth.
- Divide the batter evenly between the two cake pans.
- Bake for 25 – 30 minutes, or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean. Remove from oven and let cool completely before removing from pan.
To make the frosting:
- With an electric mixer, beat butter, cocoa powder, vanilla extract and salt until light and fluffy.
- Add salt and powdered sugar, about 1/2 cup at a time, until incorporated. Add water or milk until desired consistency is reached.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Like this? Leave a comment below!
This cake was delicious! However, the dough very watery, so I added more flour. Is it supposed to be this watery? Thanks!
The cake was soooo good!! But when I took it out of the oven it had a crust around but not to worry since I cut it of while leveling with a serrated knife. Also I had to keep it in the oven for 15 extra minutes.
Hi, Melissa! Thank you for this recipe. I compared your recipe to a similar one I have for dairy-, nut-, and egg-free chocolate cake (not dark chocolate). It used twice the amount of flour, but the same amount of sugar. Is that because of the dark chocolate cocoa powder? I want to use regular cocoa powder, so can I half the amount of sugar for this recipe? I want to use eggs.
I really can’t tell you if you I don’t see the recipe. For this recipe to work, you really need to use the ingredients listed in the correct amounts. Different types of cocoa powder react differently in baking recipes.
Thank you for this recipe. I’ve been using it for the past couple years and is the best dairy free dessert my whole family loves. I now substitute about half of the water with hot coffee and a pinch of ceylon cinnamon and it is next level. This is a hidden gem.
This chocolate cake is definitely a crowd pleaser. However, when I bake the cakes using two, 9-inch round cake pans, the cakes seem to sink in the center. What can I do to remedy that? Thanks!
Delicious! Used melted butter instead of oil and it turned out amazing
Hi I want to make this wil I be able to use round springform pans I got rounds one each 24cm 26cm 28cm so which size? an time?
The closest size pan would be 22cm, so I guess I would recommend 24 if that’s the smallest you have. I would keep an eye on it to make sure it doesn’t get over done.
Best dairy free recipe I’ve ever seen! Quick question though, I don’t have the required cocoa powder on hand, can I use unsweetened or bittersweet chocolate bars? If so, how much do I need? I’m trying to bake for a person that isn’t completely lactose intolerant.
I don’t recommend replacing cocoa powder with chocolate because that will change the amount of fats in the recipe which could lead to it not turning out correctly.
This cake is delicious. We’ve been enjoying the recipe. I was confused by one thing, though. In the FAQ, you write:
Can I use dark chocolate instead of cocoa powder?
Yes. That’s what we’ve done in this recipe. Just make sure you don’t mix up Dutch process with regular cocoa powder, because that can make a difference in the final outcome of the cake.
But here in the comments you replied to Therese’s question about that by saying: I don’t recommend replacing cocoa powder with chocolate because that will change the amount of fats in the recipe which could lead to it not turning out correctly.
Did you use chocolate or cocoa when you made this one?
Thanks!
Cocoa powder. The chocolate mentioned in the FAQs was definitely a mistake. So sorry about the confusion. I will make sure to fix that!
Can I make cupcakes out of these and how long should I bake them for?
I haven’t tried this cake as cupcakes, but generally, cakes can easily be baked into cupcakes. I would probably start at 18-20 minutes and check doneness from there.
This cake is so good!! I can’t comment on the icing, because I didn’t have all the ingredients and had to make something else, but the cake itself is perfect. Moist, soft, rich, and super easy to make. I followed the recipe exactly, except for subbing the Dutch process cocoa for organic cacao. The texture reminds me of a German Chocolate cake. I had to make a coconut oil-based icing (since that’s what I had on hand), and that combination was absolutely delicious.