The BEST chocolate cake ever...that happens to be VEGAN. I kid you not!

 by aliciak
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First off, I will admit, I have never been a cake person. For the first 20 years of my life (I'm 26 now), I rarely touched my birthday cake. I'm not sure if my palate didn't like boxed/store-bought cakes or what, but only when I started baking them myself did I begin to take a liking to the moist airy treat. Also, I am an omnivore, with a lot of vegetarian and vegan friends, so imagine my excitement when I perfected the best chocolate cake I have ever tasted, AND made it vegan in the process. Don't believe me? Bake it! You can thank me later. :)
 
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Step 1: Ingredients

Cake Ingredients

1 1/4 cups flour
1 cup sugar
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup warm water
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 tsp distilled white or apple cider vinegar

Chocolate Glaze

1/2 cup sugar
4 tbsp margarine
2 tbsp soy milk
2 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
2 tsp vanilla extract

Note: if you don't care to make it vegan, or don't have soy milk or margarine, you can use butter in place of the margarine, and whatever milk you prefer in place of the soy.
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julia_pavlovsky says: May 22, 2013. 12:06 PM
Did anybody use almond meal and canola oil? how about coconut oil for the glaze?
I'm planing to make the cake for my son's birthday (his girlfriend is vegan) and want to make it as healthy as possible
afenyo says: May 17, 2013. 8:09 PM
I recently graduated culinary school and some of our assignments include creating and serving a menu. The topic I had to work around was Kosher and one of their many rules is no dairy while meat is being served. We used this cake recipe and it is THE BEST cake I have ever tasted - EVER. We made it just as the recipe says with no additions or modifications. Thank you for sharing!
Tsqnwils says: Apr 23, 2013. 2:13 PM
My daughter has made this many times and it is SO much better than the recipe I have been using that I used this for cupcakes today. They came out great! I was surprised that there was no milk and the batter was thin, but I guess that was the way it should be, because I had complete success! Three tbsps of batter per cupcake and you'll get 12 wonderful cupcakes!
chelsie912 says: Apr 10, 2013. 6:47 AM
this looks great! I'm hoping to make it next month for a birthday...i was just wondering for the glaze..do i use powdered sugar or granulated sugar? thanks! :)
missymissb says: Mar 24, 2013. 10:42 PM
Made this for my mum's birthday on the weekend. She is on Greek Orthodox lent and she loved it!!!!
My very picky nephew loved the cake too....This cake is amazing!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
marthaquest says: Mar 18, 2013. 7:24 PM
Can't wait to make this on the weekend! In the comments people are referring to egg replacements? But I don't see an egg-like item in the recipe. Just checking to make sure I am not missing anything.

Thanks in advance!
PikeMinnow says: Mar 10, 2013. 5:25 PM
When I was in middle school I found this recipe in a book in the school library, wrote it on my math homework (I don't remember which subject it was, but I'm pretty sure it was math) and then went and lost it a year or two after I lost access to that library. I discovered this page some time ago and I was so happy to find it :D
Rylen says: Jan 22, 2013. 12:06 AM
Thank you! After searching the net and reading your recipe plus some of the comments I decided to bake your cake... well with a few subs. I too am allergic to milk and eggs like one reviewer' s daughter ( I can tolerate the whites so I generally use egg beaters) plus on a strict diet so I'm not allowed to have wheat or sugar but I have been dying for chocolate. I used white rice flour and Truvia (7tbsp) then added 1/4 a cup arrowroot starch/flour because it was too thin. It was still a little too thin but I did not want to add too many things. I baked it @ 350 for 25 minutes. I am still not too happy with the sandy texture of rice flour but live in the middle of nowhere and its hard to find ingredients that I can have, plus the Truvia leaves a bitter aftertaste. Even so it was not bad and curbed my chocolate craving. Still looking for better ingredients to cook with, I am new to this diet so if anyone has a suggestion please let me know.
PikeMinnow in reply to RylenMar 10, 2013. 5:23 PM
Rylen, Amazon has a section on their site where you can order various flours and baking goods. I live in a more urban place, so I don't need it, but it might be cool to check it out since you live in a more rural place
PikeMinnow says: Mar 10, 2013. 5:22 PM
Rylen, Amazon has a section on their site where you can order various flours and baking goods. I live in a more urban place, so I don't need it, but it might be cool to check it out since you live in a more rural place
_Merce says: Mar 8, 2013. 10:01 AM
I tried this cake and it is amazing! I also put 1/3 of a cup in a 1 cup mug and microwaved it for a little over a minute...it cooked beautifully and thoroughly! The mug cake was perfectly moist and FAST! Great recipe!
Shannonismyname says: Feb 12, 2013. 5:59 PM
I want to make this cake for my vegan friend who really wants a chocolate cake for her birthday. She really likes coffee too. So, I want to take up the hint to use one cup of warm coffee instead of warm water. What would be a good brand of coffee to use?
srhprieb says: Feb 11, 2013. 3:35 PM
I'm not a vegan or a vegitarian (I'm a flexitarian, haha) but I did run out of eggs during a major chocolate craving at my house and that led me to this recipe. Now I have to make this cake once a week and it's gone like within hours! I litterally have to hide it if I leave my husband and son home with it! I did use regular milk and a slpash of almond extract because that's what I have in the fridge and it still turned out great!  Thank you so much for this recipe!  It's wonderful and easy to do with the kids and most important it tastes AH-MAZ-ING!!!!
cmvetter says: Feb 10, 2013. 6:40 PM
I have made this recipe for years and it is great. I know it as Wacky Cake and the story is that it comes from during WWII era due to butter and egg shortages.It is also on the King Arthur Flour website as Cake-pan cake. I always use apple cider vinegar (it is necessary to act as a leavening agent with the baking soda) and try to use black cocoa to make it extra chocolatey. Here is a link to some additional versions of this recipe. http://www.duncanhines.com/forums/showthread.php?t=37103 Here is a link to a site that has Gluten free versions: http://everydaywiththestricklands.blogspot.com/2012/07/wacky-cake-for-leona.html
Here is a link to a vanilla version: http://www.duncanhines.com/forums/showthread.php?t=37077 Enjoy!
cookjena says: Feb 7, 2013. 10:21 AM
Before I try this cake, do you have any suggestions for baking this at a high altitude?
Sammiesays says: Feb 4, 2013. 12:53 PM
I just make this in cupcake form. So far so delicious! I started dating a girl who happens to be vegan, due to allergies, and I love to bake. Sadly there are not a lot of off the shelves baked goods for vegan people and Oreos get old apparently. So I'm making birthday cupcakes for her.

This was simple and wow I couldn't tell the difference. I say if I didn't use wheat flour ( which made it a but grainy or the raw sugar did), people would think it came out of a box!
I think the only problem I'm having is the frosting. It's not dark enough and it's fluffy. Oh well still looks good and I'm chilling the frosting to see if that helps.

Fun vegan fact! Delights creamer can be found nearly at every store. And it's lactose and gluten free! I used that instead of the soy to give the frosting more of sweet taste. I used Caramel chocolate flavor
uniquemoon says: Jan 29, 2013. 5:49 PM
@ Rylan: Hi! I love this cake and I have trouble with wheat, too. I use spelt instead and I love the hearty taste of it. Maybe that would be an option for you? xx
nbrown16 says: Jan 10, 2013. 8:24 AM
Hello

I'm busy setting up a site in SA called My Kind of Thing, where we post things we have found that are kinder to the world (recipes, products, restaurants, hotels...)...can I post your recipe their and attribute you? We are going to bake the cake and take some pro pics of it for the site
aliciak (author) in reply to nbrown16Jan 10, 2013. 10:04 AM
Yeah sure!
Kirstin76 says: Jan 8, 2013. 6:46 PM
My daughter is allergic to milk and eggs so we are always looking for good recipes-that we will all enjoy. This the best vegan chocolate cake recipe I have found and I have tried a lot. My oldest son loves this cake. I double it for a 13 x 9 pan and to make cupcakes. It never last long! Now if I could find a white cake recipe just as good!
wings2fly says: Jan 5, 2013. 5:35 AM
I added the equivalent of two eggs using the China/flax seed replacement, standard fare for vegans. It improved the crumb immensely. Two other shifts, were coconut oil in place of margarine, you will nee to bring it above 72F, and mint extract for a lovely burst of cocoa bloom! We didn't use the vanilla. As for measurements US style, there are liquid cups and dry cups, the liquid being around a tablespoon more than the dry if you don't want to invest in two sets of measuring sets.
nsteenbergh says: Dec 30, 2012. 4:57 AM
This really IS the best chocolate cake ever! This is my christmas version:
expedition2005 says: Dec 23, 2012. 5:34 PM
this is all vegan , as long as the margarine is a earth butter or similar . according to the vegan club here
oldevilone says: Dec 19, 2012. 3:12 PM
This is, by far, the best cake I've ever ate! It's the glaze that makes it, but the cake is light and delicious as well.........thanks for posting it!
langandwen says: Dec 8, 2012. 11:55 PM
hi there, just wondering if this recipe would work if i use rice flour instead?
many thanks!
cam81 says: Dec 8, 2012. 8:52 AM
I joined this site just so i can comment. I have a lot of food restrictions. i am not celiac or vegan but i can tolerate wheat gluten or sugar. i bake everything on my own and have searched for so long for a chocolate cake that I could substitute. From reading the comments, someone used agave instead of sugar. I didnt have agave, so I subbed honey. I did 1/3 of a cup plus another half of same measurement although in hindsight I'd add a bit more honey... anyway, I used whole spelt flour and also used coffee instead of water. I didnt make the icing because I was afraid how it would turn out with honey instead of sugar. anyway, the cake batter looked awesome and baked fine. I notice you didnt put a baking temp or time, so I just did 350 for like 20 min. anyway it rose fine but after I took it out awhile later, the middle sunk in a bit. I was a bit worried bc we were having a guest for dinner and I didnt want to screw up the cake...The cake was WOW!!! Moist, rich, decadent, nice flavor brought out by the coffee and it so didnt need the icing, wouldve been tooo rich, all it needed was a bit more sweetness but it was really really great and I will definitely be making this cake again. i also left out the vinegar bc all i had was red wine vinegar and was too afraid to use it
cam81 in reply to cam81Dec 8, 2012. 8:54 AM
OOPS HAD TO EDIT !I joined this site just so i can comment. I have a lot of food restrictions. i am not celiac or vegan but i cant tolerate wheat gluten or sugar. i bake everything on my own and have searched for so long for a chocolate cake that I could substitute. From reading the comments, someone used agave instead of sugar. I didnt have agave, so I subbed honey. I did 1/3 of a cup plus another half of same measurement although in hindsight I'd add a bit more honey... anyway, I used whole spelt flour and also used coffee instead of water. I didnt make the icing because I was afraid how it would turn out with honey instead of sugar. anyway, the cake batter looked awesome and baked fine. I notice you didnt put a baking temp or time, so I just did 350 for like 20 min. anyway it rose fine but after I took it out awhile later, the middle sunk in a bit. I was a bit worried bc we were having a guest for dinner and I didnt want to screw up the cake...The cake was WOW!!! Moist, rich, decadent, nice flavor brought out by the coffee and it so didnt need the icing, wouldve been tooo rich, all it needed was a bit more sweetness but it was really really great and I will definitely be making this cake again. i also left out the vinegar bc all i had was red wine vinegar and was too afraid to use it
glenncat says: Nov 19, 2012. 10:29 AM
i have made this three times now, and it's always amazing! yesterday i made it for my girlfriend's birthday - we brought it to her friend's house for dinner with all nonvegans attending. the hosts had bought another chocolate cake at their favorite place. everyone said this cake was the best, hands down, even the hosts! :) for the cake, i use almond milk. and for the icing, i substitute coconut oil for the margarine, and brown sugar for the regular sugar. SO GOOD. yesterday i doubled the whole thing and made a huge cake - it took a bit longer to bake (+6-9 mins) but came out delicious. THANK YOU!!!! this is a winner and so so easy. nom!
cmessier lee says: Nov 17, 2012. 5:59 AM
1st batch I tried to make them closer to Paleo and used coconut flour....let's just say the dog wouldn't touch them. The 2nd batch look and taste amazing - I used whole wheat flour. Need to find a better gf baking flour.
tdiggs1 says: Nov 7, 2012. 7:19 PM
I am excited to try this tomorrow. However, do you think it will mess up the recipe if I use wheat flour?
tdiggs1 in reply to tdiggs1Nov 8, 2012. 2:46 PM
Well, it turned out perfect! Thanks for sharing the recipe! Next up, I'll try it with Gluten Free flour.
laura11111111 says: Oct 31, 2012. 11:08 PM
This is terrible, my cake did not rise at all! It was super flat. I shall have to tell people its a thin slice. How did other people's rise???? I followed the recipe/pan size exactly...
jfrye1 says: Oct 25, 2012. 5:43 PM
I loved "finding" this recipe again, as at one time I made it often, adding peppermint flavoring to make a chocolate mint cake.

Please remember that a cup of flour is not always a cup of flour - due to how the flour is compacted, or humidity, or both. If a batter or dough seems too runny, add more flour. If it seems too stiff, you probably need to add more liquid. A drawback of US recipes is that they tend to measure dry ingredients by volume, rather than by weight. So you may be less likely to get consistent results, or successful results, if you do not make adjustments when the consistency doesn't seem right. Unfortunately, proper consistency can be in the eye of the beholder (I prefer crisp cookies), and is also something you learn with experience.

Yes, you *can* follow a recipe exactly, and have it not turn out. The problem is that *you followed the recipe exactly*. :) But there are many pages out there (search for "why measure flour by weight?") that can explain it far better than I can!
jmsmith777 says: Oct 20, 2012. 8:26 AM
I am a vegan since I was a child and my diet its been really strict. I made this recipe which it was delicious but since I do not use sugar I had to play around with agave nectar. This is how I did it... substitute 2/3 cup of agave nectar for each cup of granulated sugar.
For the glaze it was a little runny but I used what I called vegan butter (Earth Balance Butter). In my case the glaze tasted it really good. I made two bashes of it. One for the cake as soon as it came out of the oven to avoid dryness and the other one I let it sit in the refrigerator for an hour and it had the consistency of creamy butter . When the cake cooled off I used the other cold glaze over the cake and it was AWESOME!
I used almond milk instead of soy milk
I used apple sauce instead of the vegetable oil
I used a cup of warm coffee instead of the warm water
I used Earth Balance Butter instead of the margarine
It worked for me! by the way I made this cake for the first time yesterday. The cake is goneeeeeee...
aliciak (author) in reply to jmsmith777Oct 21, 2012. 8:14 PM
Yay!!!! Thanks for the alternative ingredient suggestions!
Randy Buttercup says: Feb 25, 2012. 8:24 AM
Questions :) Has anyone tried this with sugar alternatives (agave or stevia) or with brown sugar instead of white (my preference)? Also what about a whole wheat or other types of flour other than white? I want to make this for my Mother in Law's birthday but she is borderline diabetic.
jmsmith777 in reply to Randy ButtercupOct 20, 2012. 8:30 AM
I have... actually I made it yesterday for the first time. Here is my post:
I am a vegan since I was a child and my diet its been really strict. I made this recipe which it was delicious but since I do not use sugar I had to play around with agave nectar. This is how I did it... substitute 2/3 cup of agave nectar for each cup of granulated sugar.
For the glaze it was a little runny but I used what I called vegan butter (Earth Balance Butter). In my case the glaze tasted it really good. I made two bashes of it. One for the cake as soon as it came out of the oven to avoid dryness and the other one I let it sit in the refrigerator for an hour and it had the consistency of creamy butter . When the cake cooled off I used the other cold glaze over the cake and it was AWESOME!
I used almond milk instead of soy milk
I used apple sauce instead of the vegetable oil
I used a cup of warm coffee instead of the warm water
I used Earth Balance Butter instead of the margarine
It worked for me! by the way I made this cake for the first time yesterday. The cake is goneeeeeee...
MaryT13 says: Sep 23, 2012. 8:36 AM
I just made this into cupcakes but they are all stuck to the paper cases, crispy on top and gooey in the middle. I think I'll have to throw them away. Any ideas what went wrong?
aliciak (author) in reply to MaryT13Sep 23, 2012. 6:38 PM
Hey there! For cupcakes they shouldn't bake nearly as long as for a cake, so maybe only 15-20 minutes. But if yours were gooey in the middle that's kind of strange. What was your oven temp? Do you live in a high altitude area?
anarchyash3 says: Sep 6, 2012. 9:32 AM
I've made this cake twice now and it is amazing. One of the best cakes I've ever had. Even my boyfriend (who is a very picky meat eater) LOVES this cake. The glaze makes the cake perfect!
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