The BEST Vegan Chocolate Cake Recipe On The Internet.

Moist.

Intense.

DECADENT.

This is, hands down, the best vegan chocolate cake recipe on the internet. I know. It’s a bold statement. And there are plenty of fantastic vegan chocolate cake recipes out there. But this one… yeah, this one TRULY TAKES THE CAKE!! It’s the best chocolate cake I’ve ever eaten in my life. It made me CRY. It is the indisputable KING of vegan desserts, the perfect dairy free chocolate cake to bust out for special occasions, and proof positive that a vegan diet need not be bereft of those sweetest things in life. If you’re looking for a delicious cake but also an easy vegan chocolate cake recipe, look no further!

Let’s get into it!

Disclaimer: Some of the links in this post may be affiliate links for products I use and love. If you make a purchase after clicking one of those links, I may earn a small affiliate commission, perhaps enough to buy some extra gochujang or gochugaru 🙂

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What Is Devil’s Food Cake?

I want to make things very clear:

This vegan chocolate cake recipe is a recipe for devil’s food cake.

It is a vegan adaptation of a fantastic recipe on one of my favorite food blogs, Serious Eats.

What is devil’s food cake anyway?

The best way to describe devil’s food cake is to distinguish it from regular chocolate cake. Devil’s food cake is:

• More chocolatey
• More intense
• More moist

than regular chocolate cake. It does make you wonder why anyone would ever go with a standard chocolate cake, but I guess to each their own!

How is the “more” in all of these achieved?

A devil’s food cake will be outed by its reliance on baking soda and the concomitant acid that will combine with baking soda for a fluffy but tender crumb. Devil’s food cake will also incorporate some type of liquid (often hot coffee) to intensify the chocolatey flavor. Regular chocolate cake will skip the liquid ingredient and often use only melted chocolate. It will also be sweeter, with fewer dark, complex notes, and will often yield a denser, fudge-like crumb.

Why do they call it “devil’s food cake”? It’s a reference to its contrast to angel food cake, which is light and airy. This vegan chocolate cake is definitely not “light” or “airy”!

The Blog Part No One’s Forcing You To Read.

Hey, look, I put a “jump to recipe” button right on top so spare me the “blah blah blah” about “I don’t need your life story just give me the damn recipe” bit. 🙂 The truth is, I actually want to write this part of the blog, which, by definition is a “part of a website or page written in a conversational tone, often sharing personal insights or professional expertise.”

Did you know that the very first recipe I veganized was a chocolate cake? Yup! And it was such a huge hit with my then-boyfriend-now-husband, he told me “You’re the ‘Korean vegan.’ You should start a YouTube channel sharing all your vegan recipes.” So, there you have it. Anthony, an undisputed chocolate lover and his rave reviews are what actually led to The Korean Vegan, my two cookbooks, and my now-career. That’s all to say-ya never know when the urge to satisfy a loved one’s sweet tooth might lead to a freaking James Beard award.

I’ve since spent the past several years of my life taking that already great recipe and turning it into the BEST vegan chocolate cake recipe that exists. I’ve studied, researched, tested, retested, and nearly given up, but two days ago, I took a forkful of this cake and almost burst into tears. I never considered myself to be a “cake person” but at this point, I don’t think I can deny it! I love cake and I absolutely adore this cake. It’s not just the best vegan chocolate cake recipe, I’d put it up there as one of the best vegan cake recipes, period.

The trickiest part about vegan cake is that there is no egg. Without egg, there is no protein. Without protein, there is no structure. Without structure, there are no air-pockets. Without air-pockets, there is no fluffy. What you have, instead, is a dense cake, much like a brownie. Lots of people, particularly brownie lovers, love dense chocolate cake. But, it lacks the finesse of a devil’s food cake, the elegance of that dark chocolate flavor, the luxury of a tender cake that’s still incredibly moist.

This vegan chocolate recipe? It does all of those things. It’s tender, but moist. Deep and chocolatey. Fluffy and luxurious. It’s the best birthday cake. The best holiday cake. The best best cake.

And for all those reasons, I’m going to take you through all of it, step-by-step. Which means you’ll be substituting at your own risk! Everything I do in this vegan chocolate cake recipe is deliberate, so if you swap things out or disregard my recommendations, you may not get the best results!

KEY INGREDIENTS AND NOTES ON SUBSTITUTION For This Vegan Chocolate Cake Recipe.

Usually, I’ll provide plenty of substitution recommendations. But here, I can’t make any guarantees. I’ll provide suggestions, but, the truth is, it may not give you the results you’re looking for. Nine out of ten times, swapping out ingredients will yield a denser, “vegan-y” chocolate cake. If what you want is a real devil’s food cake, try as hard as you can to stick to the recipe!

Vegan Butter.

Yes, I know, there are many of you without easy access to vegan butter. But this recipe calls for a lot of vegan butter. Butter, unlike oil, imparts a ton of rich flavor for your vegan chocolate cake. However, for this ingredient, you can absolutely substitute with a neutral vegetable oil (like canola oil, sunflower oil, etc.) without affecting the crumb (you won’t get the flavor, but it’ll still be tender and moist). I’ve used both salted and unsalted vegan butter for this vegan chocolate cake recipe (depending on what I could find), and both worked great. The former made the cake taste like chocolate and salted caramel (more on the caramel flavor later).

Coffee.

One of the hallmarks of a devil’s food cake is hot coffee and this vegan chocolate cake recipe is no exception. You can use decaf if you are worried about the caffeine content (though, keep in mind, 1 1/2 cup of coffee will be spread out across a triple-layered cake that will feed 18 people!). I prefer using two espresso shots with hot water (i.e., an Americano) for this recipe, but regular coffee will do just fine.

Dutch Processed Cocoa Powder.

Ok, so this is when we start talking about non-substitutions for this vegan chocolate cake. Yes, you will need not just any ole’ cocoa powder, but Dutch processed cocoa powder. Why? Because Dutch-processed cocoa powder has more fat and, because it’s alkalized (as opposed to regular cocoa powder), pairs well with the amount of acid in a devil’s food cake recipe for natural leavening. The higher fat content will provide the smooth, rich, intense flavor that devil’s food cake is known for and will help with stabilizing the vegan chocolate buttercream frosting.

I’ve made this cake with regular cocoa powder before and the difference is absolutely noticeable. If you want a great chocolate cake, use whatever you got. If you want the best chocolate cake of your life, take the time to procure Dutch processed cocoa powder. The stuff can get pricey and can also be difficult to find at regular grocery stores. I went with Ghirardelli’s, which was way cheaper than the fancy French stuff and easily accessible.

Light Brown Sugar.

The only sugar you will find in this entire vegan chocolate cake recipe, including the chocolate buttercream frosting, is light brown sugar. Why? Because brown sugar is more acidic than white sugar. It will work with the Dutch processed cocoa powder and baking soda to create lift (promoting a fluffy crumb), while also locking in moisture. It will also make both your cake and your frosting taste a bit like caramel. If you want to use white cane sugar, you can, but the taste will be decidedly different and, moreover, the texture will not be nearly as moist and soft.

70% Dark Chocolate.

Although devil’s food cake typically provides for only the inclusion of cocoa powder, this vegan chocolate cake recipe will include a little melted dark chocolate in the cake batter. This will amp up that chocolatey flavor, while facilitating a moist cake. The chocolate buttercream frosting will also include a little bit of melted dark chocolate, to help with keeping it stable and smooth.

I must insist, however, that you use a dark chocolate bar. If you want to turn this haute couture cake into something pedestrian, then sure-swap in vegan chocolate chips. But if you want restaurant quality, five star chocolate cake, go with the kind of chocolate bar you would eat with a glass of wine.

All Purpose Flour.

This vegan chocolate cake calls for all purpose flour. Not cake flour (which doesn’t have enough protein), not bread flour (which has way too much protein), and, sorry, not gluten-free flour. I usually try to be inclusive of our gluten-free friends, but I presently do not have the skill to replicate a true devil’s food cake (with its fantastically fluffy crumb) that is also egg-free. That said, you can absolutely use your favorite gluten-free flour blend to bake a truly delicious, deep, intense chocolate cake that will have a denser, fudgier crumb.

Baking Soda and Baking Powder.

A traditional (non-vegan) devil’s food cake usually includes only baking soda because, of course, the cake batter will have the leavening power of eggs. Here, without the eggs, this vegan chocolate cake recipe will use baking powder to help create the poof it needs for that tender, perfect crumb.

Hi-Protein Vegan Yogurt.

Yup, you guessed it. My favorite egg-substitute in baking right now is vegan, hi-protein Greek style yogurt (preferably unsweetened). I’ve used many different brands of hi-protein yogurt, but my favorite is Silk’s Green Style yogurt. The high protein content of the yogurt will assist with adding structure, while the acidity of the yogurt will marry perfectly with the baking soda and Dutch processed cocoa powder for this vegan chocolate cake.

Vegan Heavy Cream.

For the vegan chocolate buttercream frosting, I used heavy cream to give it that smooth, luxe richness and fluffiness. However, if you don’t have vegan heavy cream (Country Crock makes a fantastic one, but this time, I used Silk’s because that’s all I had on hand), you can use a creamy oat milk (I really like Chobani’s Extra Creamy Oatmilk) or an unsweetened soy milk.

Step-by-Step Instructions to Making This Vegan Chocolate Cake Recipe.

Step 1: Prep Your Cake Pans.

Preheat your oven to 350° F. Take out all the ingredients for your buttercream frosting so they are at room temperature when you make the frosting. Then, generously grease the bottoms and sides of three (3) 8-inch pans with vegan butter or cooking spray (I prefer the former–it works better). Then, line the bottoms of each with parchment paper. Set aside.

Step 2: Combine Your Wet Ingredients Over Heat.

In a small saucepan over medium-low heat, melt your butter. Next, add the coffee and cocoa powder. Whisk until the cocoa powder has fully dissolved. Next, add your chocolate and continue to stir until that too has fully melted. Then, add your brown sugar and stir until it has fully dissolved. Make sure that your wet ingredients are chunk free (the brown sugar can be sneaky). Lastly, add your vanilla extract and remove from heat, allowing the contents of the pot to cool for about 10 minutes.

Step 3: Combine Wet Ingredients with Dry Ingredients.

To a large bowl, add flour, baking soda, baking powder, and sea salt (unless you’re using salted butter, then nix the salt). Whisk to eradicate any clumps of baking powder or baking soda. Then, add your vegan yogurt and the remaining wet ingredients. Whisk until everything comes together into a smooth, dark, glossy batter with no white clumps. Divide the cake batter evenly into the three prepared pans (my cake batter was around 1890 grams, yielding 630 grams per pan). Bake in the center rack for 28 to 30 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Step 4. Prepare Cakes for Frosting.

Your vegan chocolate cakes will be extremely fragile. Therefore, in order to frost them, we will need to prepare them. First, allow them to cool completely before attempting to remove them from their pans. This will take around 20 to 30 minutes. To remove them, run a sharp knife or offset spatula gently around the edge, taking care to wipe your tool clean after each cake. Place a large plate over the top of your cake pan and carefully flip the cake upside down. If you properly prepared your pans, the cakes should easily fall onto your plate.

Then, gently and carefully wrap them in plastic wrap and place them in the refrigerator. Do not stack them on top of each other.

Step 5. Prepare Your Chocolate Buttercream Frosting.

Make sure all the ingredients for the chocolate buttercream frosting are at room temperature (which they will be if you followed step 1). Add the softened butter to the bowl of a stand-mixer or a large mixing bowl if you’re using a hand mixer. Mix on low and then increase speed to medium. Add the brown sugar through a sieve if you want to avoid clumping (if you don’t care, then ya don’t care!). Next, add the cocoa powder, melted dark chocolate, vanilla extract, espresso powder, and heavy cream. Increase speed to high and continue mixing until frosting is smooth, light, and soft.

Step 6. Frost Your Vegan Chocolate Cake.

Remove your cakes from the refrigerator and very gently release them from the plastic wrap. Carefully place one cake layer on your cake stand or plate.

The recipe for the chocolate buttercream frosting is more than enough for double frosting the cake–meaning, you should frost each cake layer and apply frosting on the top and sides. The amount of frosting you like on a cake is subjective, I realize, but I’ve done this cake with both one and two coats of frosting and found that the latter works better in terms of a good cake to frosting ratio. If you are going to do a second coating of frosting, place your semi-naked cake (i.e. cake with only one coat of frosting) in the refrigerator for at least one hour before applying your final coat.

Storing Your Vegan Chocolate Cake.

Your vegan chocolate cake is best served immediately, while the crumb is still still soft and tender, and your frosting is still creamy. Leftovers should be placed in the fridge in an airtight container for up to a week. To serve, make sure to thaw the cake for at least one hour.

Frequently Asked Questions.

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