My Perfect Vegan Chocolate Cake – It is a moist and decadent double chocolate cake with a 2-ingredient chocolate coconut whipped cream frosting. One bowl for the cake and one bowl for the frosting. Simple, easy, and delicious! Dairy-free and gluten-free as always.
If you need more vegan gluten-free chocolate dessert recipes, try our easy and vibrant chocolate peach galette, our fudgy sweet potato brownies, or our rich sweet potato chocolate pudding recipes.
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Why you’ll love this recipe?
When we started eating plant-based, the first thing I wanted to make vegan and gluten-free was a chocolate cake. I can tell you that it wasn’t easy to come up with a decadent double chocolate cake recipe that meets ALL my requirements:
- Obviously, the cake has to be vegan and gluten-free.
- I don’t want to use any box flour mixes or hard-to-find ingredients.
- The texture of the cake has to be moist, chocolatey but not crumbly.
- The frosting has to be easy and without any butter.
In 2019 I finally made a double chocolate cake for my birthday that was all the things I listed above. And nobody batted an eye at the fact that one slice was missing when I presented them with the cake. Oh yes, the slice I needed to take a photo for this post. Exhibit A below. 🙂
Ingredients – chocolate cake
After trying and testing different flour mixes and combinations, I ended up with the following 10 ingredients. The result is a delicious, rich, vegan, and gluten-free double chocolate cake, which checks all the boxes for me! Not to mention easy to make, so beginners can jump right into it. You can turn it into chocolate cupcakes or a chocolate sheet cake easily without changing anything.
- oat flour – it is easy to get, and close enough to wheat flour
- cocoa powder – a healthy alternative to chocolate chips
- coconut sugar – I love its natural caramelized sugar flavor
- peanut butter – we use homemade peanut butter (for nut-free, you can use Earth Balance butter)
- dairy-free milk – we use homemade cashew milk
- applesauce – it makes the cake moister and less crumbly
- psyllium husk or ground flax/ground chia – egg substitute aka binder
- baking soda and apple cider vinegar – when these two are together they create a foam that lifts the cake up to be fluffy and not dense
- sparkling water – to create air in addition to baking soda
Ingredients – chocolate frosting
It is a chocolate frosting without butter or any dairy for that matter. It is still creamy and luscious, thick but light and fluffy at the same time. The best part is that this easy homemade chocolate frosting is super quick to make. You only need 2 minutes and 2 ingredients:
- coconut whipped cream (made of full-fat canned coconut milk) – Aroy-D or Natural Value
- hot chocolate powder (or cocoa powder with powdered sweetener) – Classic Nesquick
I need to add here for those who don’t like coconuts that this light chocolate frosting has no coconut flavor. My father-in-law hates the taste of coconut but he couldn’t recognize it when I told him what the frosting was made of.
How to make a gluten-free vegan chocolate cake?
- Take a large bowl and add all dry ingredients: oat flour, cocoa powder, coconut sugar, psyllium husk, and baking soda.
- Mix with a spatula or spoon until they are well combined.
- Add dairy-free milk (cashew or almond milk).
- Add also apple cider vinegar and mix thoroughly.
- Now add peanut butter, unsweetened apple sauce, and sparkling water.
- Mix it well until you have a smooth cake batter.
- Take your cake pan and line it with parchment paper. I love this removable button cake pan as it is so easy to take the cake out after baking.
- Pour in the cake batter. Try to make the top as even as you can. Bake in a pre-heated oven at 350 Fahrenheit (180 degrees Celsius) for 30 minutes on the center rack. Check with a toothpick to see if the cake is ready.
Top tips to make the cake perfectly
- Use a flour sifter or a fine-mesh strainer to sift oat flour and cocoa powder to avoid any lumps in your batter.
- If you use homemade peanut butter or oil-free store-bought one, we recommend adding a bit of melted coconut oil. Otherwise, you may end up with a crumblier cake than you’d expected.
- Even if I use a removable button cake pan, I always use non-stick parchment paper to make removing the cake easier.
- After you removed the baked caked from the oven, allow cooling for 10-15 minutes. Now, you can take your vegan chocolate cake out of the pan and the frosting can finally begin.
- You can further enhance the chocolate flavor if you add a bit of espresso powder.
How to make vegan chocolate frosting?
I HIGHLY recommend frosting this yummy chocolate cake with this easy, 2-ingredient chocolate coconut whipped cream. It is actually a creamy, dreamy, light frosting. Just heavenly!!! It makes this cake even more amazing. When it is ready, try not to eat it with a spoon right out of the bowl….No, you haven’t done it? Okay, maybe it is just me and my daughter, who licked the bowl clean. 🙂
- Scoop out the creamy part of the canned coconut milk after it has been chilled in the fridge for at least 2 days into a large mixing bowl.
- Try to take as little from the watery part as you can.
- Now, take your hand mixer and whip it for a minute.
- Add hot chocolate powder ¼ cup at a time and whip until they are fully combined. That’s it! Didn’t I say laughably easy? In 2 minutes, you will have your vegan chocolate frosting ready.
Top tips to make coconut whipped cream
- Store your canned coconut milk in the fridge! – To separate the watery and the creamy part, the coconut milk needs to be chilled (in the fridge and not in the freezer) for at least TWO days. I know that a lot of recipes say one day or overnight, but in most cases that wasn’t enough for me. So I ended up storing them in the fridge the whole time, this way I always have them separated whenever I need any cream.
- Its volume will not increase by whipping! – If you scoop out the creamy part that is the amount you end up with after whipping. It doesn’t behave like heavy cream in this sense, where whipping at least doubles the volume of heavy cream.
- It is sensitive to temperature. – If you make your coconut whipped cream and put it back into the fridge, it will harden again and you need to whip it again. If you’ve already used it as a frosting, it will harden on the cake as well. Also the longer you beat, the warmer it gets and it will be too runny to frost your cake with it.
- If you use cocoa powder instead of hot chocolate powder, then use a powdered sweetener. In our experience, liquid sweeteners like maple or agave syrup will make the whipped cream runny.
FAQs and substitutions
What if coconut cream won’t separate?
Yes, it can happen. There are usually THREE reasons why:
- The canned coconut milk was not a full-fat one, but a light one. We like Aroy-D or Natural Value, as both of them, have 17-18g fat content per can.
- The product you used contained an emulsifier, the sole purpose of which is actually to prevent separation. We always check the ingredients list so that it only contains coconut and water.
- The can hasn’t been in the fridge long enough. I usually put them in the fridge two days in advance or just keep them in there so I don’t have to plan ahead.
Can you use other flour?
I haven’t tested this recipe with other gluten-free flours like almond flour or even a gluten-free flour blend like Bob’s Red Mill. I especially wanted to develop a recipe for oat flour.
Is oat flour gluten-free?
Yes and no. Not all oat flours have been created equal, so make sure to use certified gluten-free oat flour and you are good to go.
How can I make a nut-free chocolate cake?
You can use Earth Balance vegan butter instead of peanut butter. And oat, soy milk, rice, or coconut milk instead of nut milk.
Can I use a different sweetener to make it low carb?
Probably yes, although I only tested this recipe with cane sugar and coconut sugar (the same amount is needed). Therefore, I am not familiar with the measurements for other sweeteners like stevia or erythritol. If you do, please let us know in the comments.
Other frosting alternatives
Alternatively, you can also use this sweet potato chocolate pudding recipe to frost brownies, cupcakes, and cakes like this. It is actually made of 4 ingredients including sweet potato puree.
Or if you prefer to have a classic vanilla buttercream frosting, try Nicole’s super easy, 4-ingredient vegan buttercream frosting recipe.
This Vegan Chocolate Cake recipe is dairy-free and egg-free. It is suitable for vegan, vegetarian, and gluten-free diets.
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More vegan gluten-free dessert recipes
You can browse through our vegan gluten-free dessert recipes or check out
Gluten-free Vegan Chocolate Cake (Oat Flour)
Equipment
Ingredients
Chocolate cake – dry ingredients
- 1 cup Oat flour
- ¼ cup Cocoa powder
- ½ cup Coconut sugar
- 2 tsp Baking soda
- 1 Tbsp Psyllium Husk or ground flax / ground chia
Chocolate cake – wet ingredients
- ½ cup Dairy-free milk (homemade cashew milk)
- 1 tsp Apple cider vinegar -> gluten-free vinegar brands
- 3 Tbsp Peanut butter -> gluten-free peanut butter brands
- 3 Tbsp Apple sauce
- ¼ cup Sparkling water Freshly opened is the best
Vegan chocolate frosting
- 4 can Full-fat coconut cream
- 1 + ½ cup Hot chocolate powder
Instructions
- This recipe is to make a one-layer chocolate sponge cake base in a 9-inch cake pan. If you need double layer (like on the photos), double the recipe and bake them separately in two 9-inch cake pans.
Chocolate cake
- Mix dry ingredients – Take a glass bowl and add all dry ingredients: oat flour, cocoa powder, coconut sugar, psyllium husk (or ground flax seeds), and baking soda. Mix with a spatula or a spoon.
- Add dairy-free milk and apple cider vinegar to the dry mix and stir until you get a smooth batter.
- Add peanut butter and apple sauce and mix again.
- Finally, add sparkling water and mix gently.
- Line your cake pan with parchment paper and pour in the mixture. Try to make the top as even as you can.
- Preheat the oven to 350 Fahrenheit (180 degrees Celsius) and bake for 30 minutes.
- Wait for it to cool down before removing the chocolate cake from the baking pan.
Chocolate frosting
- Scoop out the creamy part of the canned coconut milk after it was chilled in the fridge for at least 2 days. Try to take as little from the watery part as possible.
- Now, take your hand mixer and whip it for 1 minute.
- Add ¼ cup of hot chocolate powder at a time and whip it until combined. 1 minute or so.
- Frost your cake using a silicone icing spatula. To have a decadent frosted cake, you need to count on 1 can per layer and 2 cans for the sides.
Notes
Video
Nutrition
UPDATED: This recipe was originally posted in September 2019. Since then it has been re-tested as a reaction to comments in June 2020. It has been republished with the complete frosting recipe in April 2022.
Jessica
This is a great recipe- the only thing is it’s a bit dry. Gotta say the ingredients are an investment! Sheesh! I’d definitely recommend this recipe! Give it a go.
My Pure Plants
Thank you so much for trying our recipe.
Rebecca
I made this cake and it turned out very tasty but it was incredibly crumbly. I see the sparkling water in the ingredients list but not in the directions so I omitted it. Perhaps this is where I went wrong.
My Pure Plants
Not sure, but you are correct that it was missing from the instructions steps. It was supposed to be added at the same time as the milk.
Felicith
I tried making this cake for my birthday. It is my first vegan gluten free cake but I followed the recipe exactly and it turned out terrible. It tastes of baking soda and there is a fizzing feeling in my mouth after eating it. The cake is very dry too. Don’t make this if you want to eat something edible.
My Pure Plants
Hi Felicith, We are sorry that you had a bad experience with our recipe. Some of the comments we have received saying the same thing as you, but there were some who liked the recipe. To improve this ratio, we re-tested the recipe with a new amount of baking soda and ACV. We also added apple sauce to make a cake moister.
Chase Seamans
Made the cake, and maybe it’s just the ingredients but it was kind of a let down. I am a plant based guy so that’s why I tried this.
It may be too much baking soda????
Overall all the video is helpful and the ingredients are easy to use, but we didn’t like the taste and we didn’t feel good after eating it.
My Pure Plants
Chase, we are sorry that you had a bad experience with our recipe. It seems half of the feedbacks is similar to yours, the other half likes the recipe. To improve this ratio, we re-tested the recipe with a new amount of baking soda and ACV. We also added apple sauce to make a cake moister.
Penelope Moss
Just made this, should’ve trusted the other comments. It tasted like baking soda and cocoa powder. The only redeeming quality was the icing which I made myself (I didn’t follow your recipe). I hate to be harsh, but I followed the recipe to a T!!! I should be able to follow a recipe and get decent results, but this is inedible. I watched the video, I read the recipe…where did I go wrong?! Should’ve been alarmed at the amount of baking soda…this might be a typo? Needs more sweetner, and very dry despite using coconut oil. Looked delicious in the picture, very disappointed that mine tasted terrible. Thank you.
I was initially intrigued that this recipe didn’t require any exotic ingredients like potato startch or xantham gum, just wish it worked.
My Pure Plants
I am sorry to hear that. There are indeed some people who said that they can taste the baking soda, while others couldn’t.
EP
I used 1 tea spoon instead of one table spoon of baking soda and also less vinegar, I also added 1 egg and cooking cream instead of the coconut oil (I’m not vegan). Now it’s good 🙂
Alexis
I have no idea what went wrong. I double checked and followed the directions to a T. It was super dry and there was way too much cocoa powder taste. Fell apart.
My Pure Plants
I am so sorry to hear that. Would you mind letting me know which egg replacer did you choose? Did you make it with homemade peanut butter and coconut oil or store-bought peanut butter?
Jennifer Butler Basile
My batter did *not* pour; very thick. Trying to figure out whether I did something wrong ?
My Pure Plants
The batter should be a bit thick yes. You can check the consistency on the video. I use a spatula to spread the batter evenly. Did you sub any ingredients?
Ravneet
Hi.. isn’t 1 tbsp baking soda too much.?
My Pure Plants
I tried with less (1 tsp), but it didn’t raise as much as I would have liked it.
Sheila
This cake looks so good. Thanks so much for sharing. I wonder what you think of substituting almond flour for the oat flour (I’m allergic)? Thanks again.
My Pure Plants
Hi Sheila, I haven’t tested it with almond flour. I would rather try a rice flour – tapioca starch combination (3/4 cup – 1/4 cup) or a GF all-purpose flour blend like Cup 4 Cup. If you make it, let me know which version worked for you. I’d love to add other flour combinations to the recipe.
Kathyjo
Does the peanut butter flavor come through in the cake? Can it be left out completely? It looks fantastic but the person I am making it for does not want peanut butter flavor, just chocolate.
My Pure Plants
Absolutely no peanut butter taste! It is pure chocolate.
Deepika
Can I replace coconut sugar with regular sugar?
My Pure Plants
Yes, you can. The only difference is that I find coconut sugar is less sweet, so if you use the same amount from regular sugar, the cake will be a little bit sweeter.
Shamani Nair
Hi can this person have other nut butter? Maybe almond butter would be good.
Andrea
I never would have guessed this is a vegan chocolate cake! I love that you used oat flour, cashew milk and peanut butter. Yum!
My Pure Plants
Thank you. Those are my favorite ingredients.
Caroline
Looks like this cake has a great texture, which is what can often be a challenge. And love the baking soda/cider vinegar tip.
My Pure Plants
Thank you. And yes, the apple cider vinegar is such a nifty little ingredient.
Jessica Formicola
This cake is perfection! I can’t wait to try it. I will definitely be making this weekend!
My Pure Plants
Thanks. Be sure to let us know how you like it.
Carrie | Clean Eating Kitchen
The texture of this cake looks amazing – I can’t quite believe it’s GF! Thanks for sharing, can’t wait to try it!
My Pure Plants
Thank you so much. Be sure to let us know how you like it.
Julia
I would have never guessed this cake is vegan! Most of them are quite dense but this one looks so light!
My Pure Plants
Yes, I was aiming for light. I hate when you need a knife to cut a bite because the gluten-free cake is so dry and dense.