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Vegan chocolate cake

Vegetarian

A moist, deeply chocolatey layer cake made without eggs or dairy: soy milk soured with vinegar reacts with bicarbonate of soda to lift the batter, finished with a glossy cocoa frosting.

Vegan chocolate cake is an International cake, ready in about 2 hours 10 minutes and made with cocoa powder and soy milk. It serves 12 and is rated beginner to cook.

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Prep
25 min
Cook
30 min
Rest
1 h 15 min
Total
2 h 10 min
Serves
12
Level
Beginner
Calories
367

Ingredients

12 slices

For the frosting

Equipment

Method

  1. Step 1

    Heat the oven (opens in a new tab) to 175 °C. Grease and line two 20 cm round tins. Stir the vinegar into the soy milk (opens in a new tab) and leave 5 minutes to curdle slightly.

  2. Step 2

    Whisk (opens in a new tab) the flour, sugar (opens in a new tab), cocoa, bicarbonate of soda (opens in a new tab) and salt in a large bowl, breaking up any cocoa lumps.

    Eggs being whisked in a bowl
    How it looks · Photo: Kampus Production on Pexels

  3. Step 3

    Add the soured soy milk (opens in a new tab), hot coffee (opens in a new tab), oil and vanilla (opens in a new tab) and whisk (opens in a new tab) just until smooth; the batter is thin. Divide between the tins straight away — the soda starts working as soon as it is wet.

    • 3 min

  4. Step 4

    Bake 28–32 minutes until the tops spring back and a skewer (opens in a new tab) comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes in the tins, then turn out and cool completely on a rack.

  5. Step 5

    Beat the vegan butter (opens in a new tab) until soft, then beat in the icing sugar (opens in a new tab), cocoa and enough soy milk (opens in a new tab) to make a smooth, spreadable frosting. Sandwich and cover the cakes.

About this dish

Origin
Not attributed to one place · Origin uncertainEgg- and butter-free 'wacky' or 'depression' cakes are often associated with wartime and Depression-era rationing in the US; this is a modern plant-based version.Also popular in United States, United Kingdom
Dish
Dessert · Snack · Cakes · Desserts
Cooking method
Oven-baked
Taste
sweet, rich, bitter
Diet
Vegan · Dairy-free · No nut ingredients
All labelsVegan · Plant-based · Vegetarian (lacto-ovo) · Eggetarian · Lacto-vegetarian · Ovo-vegetarian · Pescatarian · Flexitarian-friendly · Dairy-free · Egg-free · No nut ingredients · Pork-free · Beef-free · DASH-style
Worked out from the ingredients. How labels work
Good for
Festive & celebration · Make-ahead · Child-friendly
Cook more with
Cocoa powder · Soy milk · All-purpose flour · Sugar · Baking soda · Apple cider vinegar
Techniques
Baking

Allergens

  • May contain: Milkfrom plant-based butter
  • Contains: Wheatfrom all-purpose flour
  • Contains: Glutenfrom all-purpose flour
  • Contains: Soyfrom soy milk, plant-based butter

Based on typical versions of these ingredients and not verified allergen-free. Brands differ and cross-contact happens, so always check labels. For severe allergies, follow your clinician’s advice.

Nutrition

367 kcal per serving

Estimated

1 serving ≈ 108 g · recipe makes 12

Where the energy comes from

  • Protein 4%
  • Carbohydrate 61%
  • Fat 34%
Nutrition per serving and per 100 g
NutrientPer servingPer 100 g
Energy367 kcal339 kcal
Protein4.3 g4 g
Carbohydrate58.9 g54.4 g
Net carbohydrate55.7 g51.4 g
Sugars38.3 g35.4 g
Added sugars37.2 g34.3 g
Fibre3.2 g2.9 g
Fat14.6 g13.4 g
Saturated fat2.1 g2 g
Trans fat——
Cholesterol0 mg0 mg
Sodium316 mg292 mg
Salt equivalent0.8 g0.7 g
Vitamins & minerals per serving
Potassium
161 mg
Calcium
19 mg
Iron
2.1 mg
Magnesium
44 mg
Vitamin A (RAE)
55 µg
Vitamin C
0 mg
Vitamin D
0 µg
Vitamin B12
0 µg
Folate (DFE)
67 µg

How these numbers were made

  • Calculated from USDA FoodData Central (SR Legacy) per-100 g values and the listed quantities.
  • Plant-based butter: 80%-fat vegetable margarine used for plant-based butter blocks; some margarines contain milk — check the label.
  • “—” means the value isn’t known for enough of the ingredients; it is never zero by default.
  • Values are estimates for guidance, not for medical dosing. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. fdc.nal.usda.gov.

Good to know

Tips

  • Weigh the cocoa: by volume it varies a lot.

Common mistakes

  • Leaving the batter to stand before baking lets the soda lose its lift.

Serve with

  • Serve with berries or dairy-free ice cream.

Food safety

  • Vegan spreads, cocoa and sugar vary by brand; check labels for milk if baking for a milk allergy.

Storage

  • Airtight at room temperature 3 days; freeze unfrosted layers up to 2 months.

Variations

  • Cupcakes: Bake in 18 paper cases for 18–20 minutes.

Original editorial recipe · FriendsPantry editorial · Not yet independently reviewed · Added · Updated

Recipe DNA

How this dish is built

Built from the recipe’s own sections. Each band’s width is its share of the dish by weight. Choose a component to see what it does.

What the dish is built around

Main ingredient

Used in steps 1, 2, 5

Baker’s notes

Customise in Bread & Bakery

Timeline and readiness cues

  1. Mix and knead · about 25 min

    Mix only until no dry flour remains — overmixing makes it tough and tunnelled.

  2. Bake · about 30 min at 175 °C

    Risen and golden; a skewer in the centre comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs; the top springs back.

  3. Cool · about 1 h 15 min

    Cool on a rack before slicing — the crumb is still setting; cutting hot bread makes it gummy.

  4. Start to finish: about 2 h 10 min. Times are a guide — warmth changes everything; follow the cues.

If something goes wrong

  • Pale crust

    Likely causes

    • Oven too cool
    • Too little sugar or no milk/egg for browning
    • Over-fermented (yeast ate the sugars)

    What to do

    • Check the oven with a thermometer
    • Brush with egg wash or milk
    • Shorten the fermentation
  • Burnt bottom

    Likely causes

    • Tray too close to the heat
    • Dark tray absorbs more heat
    • Too much sugar in the dough

    What to do

    • Bake on the middle shelf
    • Double up trays or use a light-coloured one
    • Lower the temperature 10–15 °C and bake a little longer

Reviews & corrections

Reviews come from signed-in cooks and appear after a moderator checks them. We never show made-up ratings.

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