Recipe

Delicious Vegan Chocolate Cake recipe

Chocolate cake

Blanche Clark with Himanshu Sharda

Posted July 14, 2022

Vegans and non-vegans alike can get their chocolate fix and satisfy their sweet tooth with this egg-free, dairy-free vegan chocolate cake recipe.

There are all kinds of reasons why you might want to bake a vegan chocolate cake that is free of eggs and milk. Even before the rise of veganism, people who suffered egg and dairy allergies were keen to find recipes that delivered a chocolatey hit.

Whether it’s for afternoon tea, dessert or a special occasion, this vegan chocolate cake recipe from RACV Club Executive Chef Himanshu Sharda ticks all the boxes for easy baking, maximum taste and light texture.

“This vegan chocolate cake is quite moist, and I love eating it with vegan ice cream and berries,” Sharda says. “I reckon it’s one of the easiest and quickest cake recipes.” 

Sharda, who oversees the kitchens at RACV Healesville Country Club & Resort, says the resort’s restaurants Riddell’s Green and Banyalla cater for vegan, vegetarian and other special dietary requirements.

 

Chocolate cake batter

Put your vegan chocolate cake batter straight into a prepared tin and the oven for the best results. Photo: Getty.

Vegan chocolate cake baking tips

 

Flavour and moisture

Most cakes contain eggs and milk but there are animal-free products that work just as well for vegan chocolate cake.  

Nuttelex is a great substitute for butter. A blend of plant oils and completely free of animal products, it adds flavour and moisture to your vegan chocolate cake, just like butter.

Light touch

Almond, oat and soy milks have the closest texture to cow’s milk and help activate the baking powder, which makes this vegan chocolate cake light and fluffy. Bring the plant milk to room temperature before mixing, as this helps create an emulsion, which traps air – the key to getting a fluffy cake.

Attention to detail

Measure the self-raising flour accurately because any extra flour can make baked goods, such as this vegan chocolate cake, heavy, dense and dry. Shifting the flour helps make the cake light and fluffy as well.

Fresh is best

Lastly, make sure your self-raising flour and baking powder are fresh, otherwise they won’t work so well for vegan chocolate cake. It’s also why you grease your cake tin before you start making the cake. Leavening agents start working as soon as you mix them into the batter, so having a prepared cake tin means no time is lost getting the batter into the tin and into the oven. 

Chocolate cake with girl making icing

Ice your vegan chocolate cake with chocolate frosting or serve with berries and vegan ice cream. Photo: Getty

Vegan Chocolate Cake recipe

Serves

6-8

Time to make

45 minutes

Difficulty

Easy

Ingredients

  • 125g Nuttelex
  • ¾ cup castor sugar
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 2 cups self-raising flour
  • ½ cup cocoa powder
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1 cup (mixed almond and oat milk)
  • 1 tablespoon vinegar

Frosting

  • 30g Nuttelex
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 12g cocoa powder
  • 1-2 tbsp hot water

 

Method

  1. Preheat oven at 180ºC (160ºC fan-forced). Cooking time may vary based on efficiency of home oven.
  2. Grease and line a 23cm cake tin.
  3. Mix Nuttelex and sugar until creamy.
  4. Lightly fold through the remaining ingredients.
  5. Pour the mixture in a cake tin.
  6. Bake for about 25-30 minutes or until the cake's exterior is firm and a skewer inserted into the middle comes out clean. 
  7. Serve with berries and non-dairy ice-cream. Or make two or three cakes and layer them with simple chocolate frosting. Mix the Nuttelex with icing sugar and sugar and then stir in hot water until you get a smooth, spreadable texture.