Chocolate cake. Sometimes that’s all you need – a nice slab of it, nothing fancy, no fruit or mint nor hint of citrus. They say that chocolate mimics the euphoria of being in love, but how do they know that love isn’t mimicking chocolate? It could choose a worse role model.
This is my basic chocolate cake recipe, the same as the chocolate cupcakes in Vegan Cupcakes Take Over The World. It’s rich and tender and just exactly what I want when biting into a piece of cake, moistness and melt in your mouth crumbs. I top it with an extra fudgy chocolate ganache that gets it delectible gloopiness from a couple tablespoons maple syrup. In this photo, I’ve doubled the recipe to make a two layer cake and added a little bit of a creamy cocoa buttercream that I’ve been working on. Another benefit to this recipe is that the cake doesn’t dome too much so it’s perfect for layer cakes.
Chocolate Cake
Makes one 8 inch circle cake
1 cup almond milk (or your favorite non-dairy milk)
1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup canola oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/3 cup cocoa powder, Dutch-processed or regular (or a mix of both)
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
Preheat oven to 350?F.
Whisk together the soy milk and vinegar in a large bowl, and set aside for a few minutes to curdle. Add the sugar, oil, vanilla and almond extract and mix well.
In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Add in two batches to wet ingredients and beat until no large lumps remain (a few tiny lumps are OK).
Lightly grease an 8 inch springform pan. Pour in the batter and bake for 32 to 35 minutes, until a toothpick inserted through the center comes out clean.
Gooey Ganache
2/3 cup almond milk (or your favorite non-dairy milk)
8 oz semi sweet chocolate chips
3 tablespoons pure maple syrup
In a small saucepan bring the milk to a boil then lower heat to a simmer. Add the chocoate chips and maple syrup and mix with a fork. Turn heat off and mix until thoroughly melted. Let cool for about 15 minutes before using.
To assemble:
Just pour the ganache over the cooled cake and kind of tilt the cake at all angles to get the ganache to drip down the sides. Refrigerate to cool and set the ganache.
Hi, silly question, you say baking soda and baking powder, what’s the difference please,
I will certainly make this delicious chocolate Cake.
I made this today…sooo good!
THIS was the most amazing cake ! EVER.. completely addicted to it.
I substituted coconut oil, added a shot of espresso & forgot the Syrup in the Ganache,
Awesome , thank you! also added 1/4 C. more flour for High altitude Adjustment.
HI,
Will the cake be fine if i do not put 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon almond extract ?
Thank you
This is the absolute BEST chocolate cake EVER! What a credit that it’s vegan, and nobody knows! It’s our go-to cake for all occasions. I’m making it again today for Easter/my daughter’s birthday!
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to get there! Thank you
This recipe is great. Works great even when you replace the chocolate powder for carob. Use the same amount of everything.
Can I use this recipe to make a vanilla cake? (Just leaving out cacao powder and choco ganache of course?)
I made this with gluten-free flour and used a bundt pan, the sliced it in half. In between the layers I put a peanut butter filling, then covered it with the ganache. Oh it was soo yummy!! My hubby and I finished it over the weekend. 🙂
Just made this today for a student’s birthday. The class was so impressed and couldn’t believe I made it. After two slices, the birthday boy came up sheepishly and apologized for cursing me out on Monday.
I can’t swear but I want to this is the BEST FRIGIN chocolate cake in the world !!! Soft moist chocolatey heavenly orgasmic my hubby called it lmao. FYI I made this with gluten free flour and applesauce Instead of oil . This is my absolute new go to cake recipe Ty Ty Ty
has anybody ever sub’d apple sauce instead of canola oil? if so, what’s the ratio? and is there a big difference in texture?
attn PPK: what i would like to see is a plain yellow cake recipe with plain chocolate frosting. like they serve at SUGAR, SWEET SUNSHINE BAKERY on the LES. thanks for all the other nice recipes though. keep ’em comin’! toot! toot!
These made great cupcakes. We uses melted Eart Balance instead of canola, and omitted almond extract.
Does this have to be made with a springform? I’d like to make 2 double layer cakes so would like to use my other round cake pans.
Can something like applesauce be substituted for the oil in this recipe?
very good
TO everyone who has asked I subbed applesauce instead of oil and FYI I fond in any recipe measure for measure works every time . I don’t find any difference in texture
Hi Isa, I made your Just Chocolate Cake for Sunday dinner yesterday. Perfect for my girlfriend’s pms (her words) and made our guest fall in love with us. We ate it semi-warm out of the oven, the ganache still melty down the sides. I mean, really, it doesn’t get any better than that. Again ~ perfection ~ my household adores you. Thank you so much
I made this, but I used the coconut frosting from Vegan with a Vengeance. OMG so good. My husband said it was the best cake he’s ever had. It was a tester cake. I’m making it again next weekend for my son’s first birthday. Thanks, so good!
Awesome chocolate cake. Looks yummy for my tummy. To order chocolate cakes like this you can also order them online from Monginis online cake shop. They provide online delivery at affordable rates.
Death warmed over….so good. I think my fav chocolate cake ever. I hate traditional or whipped cream frostings of any kind, so this was perfection. If you’ve ever been on a Carnival cruise, this when warm tastes so much like the molten chocolate cake. So good, I die over this. I’m not a fancy baker lol so maybe this isn’t actually amazing, but I think it is.
Hello Can I use glutenfree flour for this receipe?
Made this for Father’s Day. Husband loved it. Thank you for the recipe x
I made this yesterday for a friend’s birthday and everyone LOVED it! I made two 9′ round layers with a vegan buttercream ( EB, vanilla powder, splashes of ACV and almond milk) between the two, ganache on top. I used less almond milk in my ganache and more chocolate so it set more firm. Topped with toasted coconut ribbons while the ganache was warm. OH MY WORD! Thanks!
My daughter LOVES this cake. Any time there is a birthday celebration she says “make my cake”. She won’t even eat it in cupcake form, bringing a whole cake to school for her birthday. It’s amazing and I use the chocolate buttercream recipe from Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World. It’s a whole lotta chocolate but it works and is delicious!
Thank you. This is my very favorite chocolate cake! It’s wonderfully delicious!
3/4 teaspoon does not exist, what is in milliliter ?
I made this cake but with a different ganache. The cakes without the ganache has almost no taste unless you put the ganache. I made a ganache with dates but instead of putting cocoa I put semisweet chocolate chips, it was good just a little sweet. Next time I would try the ganache this cake. It was still good.
I find the cakes that are added without the ganache really has a neutral taste.
WOW this looks amazeballs. I am thinking that I want to try it gluten free though…..have you, or anyone tried this cake with Coconut Flour? How do you think it would work out?? Thanks so much!!!
This is my go to vegan cake recipe. So easy to whip up!!