Vegan Chocolate Layer Cake Recipe With Oil
This vegan chocolate layer cake recipe with oil is perfect for your Easter celebration or any special occasion! It’s rich, moist, and fluffy. Easy to make in one bowl and sure to become your go-to recipe!
❤️Why You’ll Love This Vegan Chocolate Layer Cake Recipe
If you get as excited about chocolate as I do, then lean in my friend. This is the best chocolate cake you will ever make! Big words, I know. But, as an official chocoholic, who secretly avoids making fussy baked goods, this vegan chocolate cake recipe ticks ALL the boxes. It’s:
Easy to make in one bowl
Moist and fluffy
Rich and chocolatey
Freezer friendly
Perfect for any special occasion!
This recipe was only slightly adapted from Colleen Patrick-Goudreau’s Chocolate Cake in her book The Joy of Vegan Baking which was adapted from Jennifer Raymond’s recipe in her book The Peaceful Palate.
🔖Simple Ingredients Needed
You’ll find the complete ingredient list with measurements and instructions in the recipe card at the bottom of this post. Let’s take a look at what you’ll need and why.
All-purpose flour- This flour has a higher protein content than cake flour giving your cake body and structure.
Natural cocoa powder- Acidic natural cocoa powder acts as a leavening agent in this vegan recipe. It reacts with the baking soda creating tiny carbon dioxide gas bubbles that expand during baking helping the cake rise.
Organic cane sugar- This minimally process sugar does not use bone char in its production making it vegan-friendly. Coconut sugar and beet sugar are other alternatives.
Fine sea salt- This is my go-to for baking as it dissolves quickly in cake batter. Feel free to use regular table salt if you like.
Cold water- Water is the surprise ingredient in this moist and fluffy cake. The interactions between water, flour, and leavening agents create a stable, airy, and moist cake without dairy or eggs.
Canola oil- Liquid at room temperature, oil evenly coats the flour particles in the batter leading to a soft tender crumb that tastes just as rich as butter. Use canola oil or another neutral tasting oil such as vegetable oil, grapeseed oil, or safflower oil.
Apple cider vinegar- With its high acidity, apple cider vinegar reacts chemically with both baking soda and natural cocoa powder to make the cake rise. Vinegar also helps the cake retain moisture and balances the bitterness of unsweetened cocoa powder. Feel free to swap for distilled white vinegar.
Vanilla extract- An essential ingredient for depth of flavor.
🥣How To Make A Vegan Chocolate Easter Cake (with photos)
When you’re ready to make this recipe, scroll down to the recipe card at the end of this post. You’ll find the complete ingredient list with measurements there.
1. Preheat your oven to 350°F / 180°C. Grease two 8-inch cake pans with oil and lay a parchment paper round on the bottom. *See note 1 for vegan chocolate bundt cake directions.
2. In a large bowl add the dry ingredients: flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt. Whisk to combine.
3. Make a well in the center in which to pour the wet ingredients: water, oil, apple cider vinegar, and vanilla. Whisk until just combined. (Overmixing with a hand mixer will make your cake dense.)
4. Pour the cake batter evenly between your prepared pans. *See note 2 for perfectly even layers.
5. Bake in preheated oven for 30 minutes. To test for doneness, gently insert a butter knife in the center of the cake. (Don’t worry, it won’t hurt your cake!) If it comes out clean, the cake is done. If batter clings to the knife, continue baking for another 2-5 minutes. It’s finished baking when the center is at 200-210°F / 93-99°C.
6. Let cool in the pans for 15 minutes. Then gently run a sharp knife or a thin flexible butter spreader around the sides. Turn the cakes out onto a cooling rack and peel off the parchment paper. Let cool to room temperature before frosting or storing.
Recipe Notes:
1. This recipe can also be made into a vegan chocolate bundt cake using a greased and lightly floured 10-cup capacity heavy bundt pan. Bake at 350°F / 180°C for 50 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool for 20 minutes so it will release from the sides of the pan. Flip the pan over onto a cutting board. Give it a firm tap on the board to help it release. Transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely before frosting.
2. For perfectly even layers, place your cake pan on top of a kitchen scale. Tare/zero the scale and then pour in half the cake batter. Do the same for the other pan. Adjust the batter between the pans so that they weigh the same.
🧁Frosting Suggestions
This delicious chocolate cake is rich enough to enjoy unfrosted. But let’s dive into the icing on the cake and all its possibilities!
First, let the cake cool to room temperature. Then choose one of the frostings below or use your own favorite recipe.
For the photos, I used a store-bought vegan cool whip. It was easy to work with but honestly, I didn’t love the chemical flavor. Happily, you can easily make your own fluffy Coconut Whipped Cream at home by following the directions in this blog post.
For a double chocolate cake, try Chocolate Sweet Potato Frosting. It comes together in 10 minutes and tastes just as rich and creamy as buttercream frosting!
Rich and tangy Cream Cheese Frosting makes chocolate cake taste even more intense and nuanced! Omit the lemon zest in this lemon-forward recipe.
Spread your favorite jam in between the cake layers or, for a fun seasonal, twist Small Batch Apple Butter. Then pour 2-ingredient Chocolate Ganache on top of the cake. Made from just coconut milk and melted chocolate, it’s SO easy and looks very elegant dripping down the sides.
Once your cake is frosted then decorate to your heart’s content! For an Easter cake, I used dark chocolate eggs and spring flowers to garnish the top.
❄️Storage Instructions
The incredible moisture and high-fat content of water and oil cakes contribute to a longer shelf life without losing quality. Woohoo! Here’s how to store your frosted or unfrosted cake.
Room Temperature (1–2 Days):
Store in an airtight container to prevent the cake from absorbing odors or drying out.
Refrigeration (Up to 1 Week):
Keep the cake in an airtight container or wrapped in plastic wrap to maintain moisture.
For frosted cakes, refrigerate in a cake carrier or cover loosely to avoid smudging the frosting.
Freezing (Up to 3 Months):
Wrap each unfrosted cake layer in plastic wrap. Then place in a freezer-friendly container.
Thaw at room temperature when ready to eat.
⭐️Helpful Tips
Be sure to use natural unsweetened cocoa powder, like Hersey’s or Ghirardelli (not Dutch cocoa powder). This will help your cake to rise as it reacts with the baking soda.
This recipe is the perfect amount to make a vegan chocolate bundt cake. Pour the batter into a greased and floured 10-cup capacity heavy bundt pan. Bake at 350°F / 180°C for 50 minutes. Let cool in the pan for 20 minutes so it will release from the sides of the pan. Then flip it over onto a cutting board and give it a firm tap to remove the cake from the pan.
Don’t over-mix. Once you combine the wet and dry ingredients, stir just until combined to avoid deflating the batter.
Use a kitchen scale to weigh your ingredients. This avoids common errors like over or under-measuring the flour, sugar, and cocoa powder. Precise measurements remove the guesswork and produce consistent high-quality results!
Can this recipe be made gluten-free? This layer cake relies on the gluten in all-purpose flour for its fluffy crumb and structure and cannot be made gluten-free. Try these Mini Vegan Chocolate Bundt Cakes for a delicious gluten-free recipe!
🐰More Vegan Easter Recipes
3️⃣ Tofu Quiche
🐣The daffodils are already poking up out of the frosty ground and I couldn’t be more excited for spring to come! Making fun Easter recipes, like this easy layer cake, feels like spring is already here. I hope you looooove all the chocolatey goodness!
Happy baking!
X,o,
Leave a Comment & Rating
If you like this recipe, be sure to leave a comment down below as well as a 5-star rating ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️. This helps others find my website and I absolutely love hearing about your creations!
And be sure to follow along and tag me on Instagram and Pinterest. Thank you SO much for your support!
Vegan Chocolate Layer Cake Recipe With Oil
Ingredients
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350°F / 180°C. Grease two 8-inch cake pans with oil and lay a parchment paper round on the bottom. *See note 1 for vegan chocolate bundt cake directions.
- In a large bowl add the dry ingredients: flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt. Whisk to combine.
- Make a well in the center in which to pour the wet ingredients: water, oil, apple cider vinegar, and vanilla. Whisk until just combined. (Overmixing with a hand mixer will make your cake dense.)
- Pour the cake batter evenly between your prepared pans. *See note 2 for perfectly even layers.
- Bake in preheated oven for 30 minutes. To test for doneness, gently insert a butter knife in the center of the cake. (Don’t worry, it won’t hurt your cake!) If it comes out clean, the cake is done. If batter clings to the knife, continue baking for another 2-5 minutes. It’s finished baking when the center is at 200-210°F / 93-99°C.
- Let cool in the pans for 15 minutes. Then gently run a sharp knife or a thin flexible butter spreader around the sides. Turn the cakes out onto a cooling rack and peel off the parchment paper. Let cool to room temperature before frosting or storing.
Notes
1. This recipe can also be made into a vegan chocolate bundt cake using a greased and lightly floured 10-cup capacity heavy bundt pan. Bake at 350°F / 180°C for 50 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool for 20 minutes so it will release from the sides of the pan. Flip the pan over onto a cutting board. Give it a firm tap on the board to help it release. Transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely before frosting.
2. For perfectly even layers, place your cake pan on top of a kitchen scale. Tare/zero the scale and then pour in half the cake batter. Do the same for the other pan. Adjust the batter between the pans so that they weigh the same.
🧁Frosting Suggestions
This delicious chocolate cake is rich enough to enjoy unfrosted. But let’s dive into the icing on the cake and all its possibilities!
First, let the cake cool to room temperature. Then choose one of the frostings below or use your own favorite recipe.
- For the photos, I used a store-bought vegan cool whip. It was easy to work with but honestly, I didn’t love the chemical flavor. Happily, you can easily make your own fluffy Coconut Whipped Cream at home by following the directions in this blog post.
- For a double chocolate cake, try Chocolate Sweet Potato Frosting. It comes together in 10 minutes and tastes just as rich and creamy as buttercream frosting!
- Rich and tangy Cream Cheese Frosting makes chocolate cake taste even more intense and nuanced! Omit the lemon zest in this lemon-forward recipe.
- Spread your favorite jam in between the cake layers or, for a fun seasonal, twist Small Batch Apple Butter. Then pour 2-ingredient Chocolate Ganache on top of the cake. Made from just coconut milk and melted chocolate, it’s SO easy and looks very elegant dripping down the sides.
Once your cake is frosted then decorate to your heart’s content! For an Easter cake, I used dark chocolate eggs and spring flowers to garnish the top.
❄️Storage Instructions
The incredible moisture and high-fat content of water and oil cakes contribute to a longer shelf life without losing quality. Woohoo! Here’s how to store your frosted or unfrosted cake.
Room Temperature (1–2 Days):
- Store in an airtight container to prevent the cake from absorbing odors or drying out.
Refrigeration (Up to 1 Week):
- Keep the cake in an airtight container or wrapped in plastic wrap to maintain moisture.
- For frosted cakes, refrigerate in a cake carrier or cover loosely to avoid smudging the frosting.
Freezing (Up to 3 Months):
- Wrap each unfrosted cake layer in plastic wrap. Then place in a freezer-friendly container.
- Thaw at room temperature when ready to eat.
⭐️Helpful Tips
Be sure to use natural unsweetened cocoa powder, like Hersey’s or Ghirardelli (not Dutch cocoa powder). This will help your cake to rise as it reacts with the baking soda.
This recipe is the perfect amount to make a vegan chocolate bundt cake. Pour the batter into a greased and floured 10-cup capacity heavy bundt pan. Bake at 350°F / 180°C for 50 minutes. Let cool in the pan for 20 minutes so it will release from the sides of the pan. Then flip it over onto a cutting board and give it a firm tap to remove the cake from the pan.
Don’t over-mix. Once you combine the wet and dry ingredients, stir just until combined to avoid deflating the batter.
Use a kitchen scale to weigh your ingredients. This avoids common errors like over or under-measuring the flour, sugar, and cocoa powder. Precise measurements remove the guesswork and produce consistent high-quality results!
Can this recipe be made gluten-free? This layer cake relies on the gluten in all-purpose flour for its fluffy crumb and structure and cannot be made gluten-free. Try these Mini Vegan Chocolate Bundt Cakes for a delicious gluten-free recipe!
For step-by-step instructions with photos, scroll up to blog post!
Nutrition Facts
Calories
498Fat (grams)
20 gSat. Fat (grams)
2 gCarbs (grams)
76 gFiber (grams)
3 gNet carbs
73 gSugar (grams)
38 gProtein (grams)
6 gSodium (milligrams)
570 mgCholesterol (grams)
0 mgNutritional information is provided as a courtesy and is an estimate only. This information comes from online calculators.
