This vegan chocolate cake recipe has been around for decades. It's also called the Whacky cake or the Depression cake. But let me tell you, the taste and texture of this chocolate cake are definitely not whacky or depressing. It's unbelievably moist and tastes like any regular chocolate cake especially with the frosting.
At first, I didn't tell my husband that it was a chocolate cake with vinegar, so he was not able to tell any difference. He liked the cake very much even after I told about the secret ingredient.
But since I knew about the vinegar I was able to feel a very very very mild smell/after-taste. I guess it's psychological. I have to stress here again that when eaten with the frosting this chocolate cake without eggs or dairy is so delicious.
This vegan chocolate cake recipe is definitely a keeper. I'm already thinking of the variations I can make each time.
I also wanted to prepare a vegan frosting for this cake, but I didn't have confectioner's sugar. Actually, I have it somewhere but was not able to find it.
I have made a pact that I won't be buying anything other than dairy products, vegetables, fruits and other extremely necessary groceries for the next 2 months.
Recently I did a pantry audit and was overwhelmed by the things I had accumulated in the past months, especially after starting this blog. I didn't even know that I had bought so much baking/cooking stuff.
That's why I didn't want to buy confectioner's sugar, even though I was so tempted to run to the grocery store. So that's a cool think about this vegan chocolate cake recipe too.
You really don't need to have any special ingredients. Not even eggs, butter or milk. If you bake regularly you would definitely have cocoa powder at home.
Vinegar is also a very common household ingredient. A chocolate cake with vinegar can be baked in no time without much ingredients.
I read in a couple of recipes that this vegan chocolate cake tastes good by itself or just sprinkling confectioner's sugar on top should be good enough. I was wondering what to do for the frosting without the sugar because all the recipes I had called for confectioner's sugar.
Since I was baking it for a special occasion I wanted to frost it. I had a few packs of instant pudding mixes and thought how it would be for a frosting.
I googled and found that pudding mix frosting is very common. Luckily I had the Cool Whip topping which is required for the frosting. Even though I was skeptical, I had to proceed with it anyway because I had no other go. Surprisingly it did turn out good. So the frosting is not vegan.
Recipe
Vegan Chocolate Cake
Ingredients
Ingredients for Cake:
- 1 and ½ cups Unbleached All Purpose Flour (I used Bleached)
- ¾ cup Sugar
- ½ teaspoon Salt
- 1 teaspoon Baking Soda
- ¼ cup Cocoa Powder Unsweetened, I used Hershey's
- 1 and ½ teaspoons Vanilla Extract
- ⅓ cup Canola Oil
- 1 tablespoon White Distilled Vinegar
- 1 cup Cold Water
Ingredients For Pudding Mix Frosting:
- 1 cup Cold Milk
- One 4oz Pack Instant Pudding Mix Any Flavor, I used Oreo's cookie flavor
- One 8oz Container Cool Whip Thawed, I used Fat Free
Instructions
Cake Procedure:
- Preheat the oven at 350F/180C for 15 minutes. Lightly oil the cake pan you are using.
- Stir together all the dry ingredients (flour to cocoa powder) and create a well in the center.
- To the well add all the wet ingredients one by one. Mix until just combined. Don't over-mix. It's OK to have some lumps.
- Pour the batter in the prepared pan and bake for 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into center comes out clean. Mine was done by 24 minutes. If baking cupcakes, check around 13-15th minute.
- Cool completely on a wire rack. I left it for an hour.
- To remove the cake from the pan, run a sharp knife around the inside of the pan to loosen the cake.
- Cool completely before frosting. Actually frosting is not even necessary for this moist cake. You may simply dust with confectioner's sugar and top with fresh raspberries.
Frosting Procedure:
- For vegan frosting recipes, Check out Vegan Butter-cream Frosting and Vegan Cream-cheese Frosting.
- Pour milk into a large bowl. Add the pudding mix. Beat until fluffy for 2 minutes.
- Blend in the thawed Cool Whip thoroughly.
- Frost the cake/cupcakes and refrigerate it at least for 3-4 hours before serving.
My Notes
- For Cake: I read that apple cider vinegar is better than white distilled vinegar when it comes to baking, because you will not even have that very mild smell or after taste I was referring earlier.
- For Frosting: This frosting is not very sweet, but it was perfect with the cake and for us. We don't like overly sweet cakes and frosting.
- For Frosting: This measurement will be right for a 13x9 inch cake or a layer cake. I had at least a cup of frosting left over, which I intend to serve in ice cream cones for my son.
Nutrition
Also check out the delicious eggless chocolate cake recipe.
Emine Randall says
This is the easiest and most delicious cake I have ever made
Madhuram says
Thanks Emine.
Cindi says
Hi. What is cool whip?
Madhuram says
It's store bought ready to use whipped cream.
yam says
Hey , I want to know if it is possible to replace water by milk? BTW thanks for this fabulous website 😉
Madhuram says
Of course you can.
Rachel says
Dear Madhuram,
It's me Rachel. I don't know if you remember me. I am the one who has a egg allergy and my grandma found your website. But anyway for Christmas I got a mini cupcake maker and we used this recipe. Oh my goodness they came out perfect anyway. God has blessed you with this gift to bring joy into people's hearts like me and my grandma! Thank you! Your friend Rachel!
Madhuram says
Thank you very much for your kind words, Rachel.
ml says
This is not vegan.
Madhuram says
The cake is vegan but not the icing.
spandana says
I tried this receipe yesterday. I added walnuts to the batter and made them as cupcakes. They turned out perfect. Thanks for a great recipe.
Madhuram says
You're welcome Spandana.
Hinglaj says
Hi, I made this cake and liked it a lot. It's so delicious. Made this on new year every one soo happy...thank you for sharing ur recipe:)
Madhuram says
You're welcome Hinglaj.
katr says
What can I use in place of vinegar? I only have red wine vinegar. I would appreciate any suggestions. I heard that bubbly soda water may work? Thanks!
Madhuram says
Any type of vinegar should work Katr. I too have heard that soda works but haven't tried it.
wen says
can i substitiute plain flour with rice flour instead?
thanks!
Madhuram says
It wouldn't work because it's gluten-free.
Esti Allina says
Just a note to those looking for true vegan recipes and ingredients: even if a whipped topping like 'Cool Whip' says it's 'non-dairy' it's not because it has sodium caseinate, a dairy derivative. If you want to be sure an item is non-dairy, look for the word 'pareve' on the label. That's a designation for kosher-labeled items to let us kosher folk know an item is 'neutral'. We don't mix meat and dairy, so it's important to know what is truly neutral and hence the 'pareve' designation. If you see a u inside a circle, with 'D' next to it, it means it's dairy - either because of the ingredients or the equipment the item was processed on.
Madhuram says
That's a very good tip Esti. I will look for those indications hereafter.
vanessa melissa says
Hi, I love all your recipes. l wish you could keep updating more and more.
DrG says
Looks like the cake is vegan but the frosting certainly isn't. Do you have a good vegan frosting recipe?
Madhuram says
That's true DrG. Check out this Wiltons Cake Decorating Course and Vegan Buttercream Icing Recipe.
resham says
hey please can you tell me what is cool whip and pudding mix?
Madhuram says
Hi Resham if you live in the US/Canada, you can find cool whip in the frozen foods section and pudding mix in the baking aisle.
resham says
hy i dont live in US/Canada, I live in India!
Madhuram says
I guess you have to try it in the big supermarkets, Resham.
resham says
Can you tell me something instead of pudding mix?
Madhuram says
Why don't you try this Wiltons Cake Decorating Course and Vegan Buttercream Icing Recipe recipe instead?
Deepa says
Hi, please let me know if I can use butter instead of oil. Also can you tell me if I can bake it in a 9 inch cake pan and make it a layered one using this recipe.
Madhuram says
Deepa you can use melted butter instead of the oil. You can also bake it in a 9-inch cake pan but my guess is that the cake will be quite thin, so be patient while slicing the cake into half for making the layers. Allow to cool completely and try using a floss (of course, unflavored) to slice it. Or better bake 2 cakes. Remember that this recipe is for only 1 cake, so you will have to double the measurements.
Elle says
Hi,
I'm to the whole vegan baking, and have to say THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THIS RECIPE! I have a ton of allergies and have had trouble finding recipes to cook! I cooked this on the weekend and it was delicious!! I followed your suggestions from a comment in the banana chocolate cake recipe, about omiting the vinegar, adding half a cup of banana and reducing the water. It was a very moist cake and my family loved it, way healthier than normal baking too, i'm so happy:)am now looking forward to making more recipes on this site - he he
Madhuram says
I'm glad I was able to help you Elle.
mb says
hi,
is it ok to use bensdorp (dutch-processed cocoa) with this recipe? if yes, should the baking soda be changed into baking powder?
thank you.
mb
Madhuram says
If I were to try this recipe using Dutch Process Cocoa, I would use about 1/4 teaspoon of baking powder instead of 1 teaspoon baking soda. Try it and let me know how it turns out.
mb says
hi, i just tried it with 1/4 tsp baking powder. the result was flat, not fluffy at all and the texture was kinda gummy. any other suggestions? thanks!
gs says
I'm a vegan so I have lots of experience baking vegan goodies. The reason why it didn't for you is because the vinegar needs the baking soda so it can cause a reaction and make the cake rise. You can just substitute the Dutch process cocoa and not make any other substitutions (keep the 1 teaspoon baking soda as is).
Madhuram says
Thanks for the input GS.
nk says
Can I use whole wheat flour for this recipe? If so, how much?
Madhuram says
If you havent baked with whole wheat flour or used to the taste of whole wheat flour in baked goods, I would suggest using half whole wheat flour and half all purpose flour. Plain whole wheat flour DOES NOT taste good in all recipes and especially in cake recipes. If you still want to use it, try finding white whole wheat flour or whole wheat pastry flour. Bulk Barn has whole wheat pastry flour (its called soft wheat flour) or try the organic aisles of grocery stores/Whole Foods etc. Also you should be careful while preparing batter with whole wheat flour because over mixing whill toughen the cake/cookies.
Check this recipe where I have used barley flour in place of all purpose flour: http://www.egglesscooking.com/2009/11/26/vegan-barley-flour-chocolate-cake/
Nandini says
i used the icing sugar, margarine and cocoa powder but the milk i used was quite warm. I noticed that by the next day it was a wee little bit diminished. I thought it might be because of
using the hand mixer on warm milk? By the way, the vegan white cake uses EnerG? Is there anyway to substitute that? I don't get the Ener-G here in India 🙁
Nandini says
and if i want to make this without the chocolate flavor can i just
use cornflour in place n cocoa powder??? my husband is not much
into chocolates he prefers vanilla flavored plain cakes better 🙁
Madhuram says
I think it might not work Nandini. Try this cake instead: http://www.egglesscooking.com/vegan-white-cake/
Nandini says
Hi madhu
i just tried this cake today and it was absolutely YUM!!!!
unbelievable that an eggless cake can be so moist n fluffy 🙂
the complete credit goes to u and this treasure of a blog ....
but one small thing i tried the chocolate frosting u used for ur
chocolate bottle gourd cake and it had slight smell to it .. i
thought may be the icing sugar had gone bad ???
luv
nandini
Madhuram says
Thanks for trying the recipe Nandini. What are the ingredients you used for the frosting?
Ranjani says
Hi,
I tried this cake a week back and it came out well. I was overwhelmed as this is jus my 3rd cake 🙂 and I should definitely accept tat a partial credit goes to you as well, for an amazing procedure..an excellent effort!! congrats :)hope you post more recipes..
belated Ugadhi wishes..
Madhuram says
Thanks Ranjani.
Rama says
I would like to know what I can use instead of apple cider vinegar, for these things are not easily for it is not easily available in India. And things like egg substitutes are also not available here, So can you tell how i can use ordinary vinegar without getting the smell. I don't like to use condensed milk too for it is too high is fat, also can i use whole wheat flour instead of maida.
Please can you email these details to me at rama.ananth@gmail.com
Madhuram says
You could use regular white vinegar Rama. You have to try it for yourself to see if you the smell bothers you because my family didn't notice it but I did. So you wouldn't know unless you try it for yourself. The egg substittues depend on the recipe. There is no straight forward substitute for all recipes. You have to choose a substitute depending upon the recipe. As far as I know you can all the substitutes but for EnerG in India. Applesauce can be made at home, but cooking and pureeing it. Regarding using whole wheat flour, again this one too also doesn't work in all recipes and its also an acquired taste. You have to start incrementing the quantity of whole wheat flour before you can use it fully.
Nandini says
hi
u can find the apple cider vinegar in Namdhari's fresh ...
m from bangalore but i guess u can find it elsewhr also
hope it helps
Shri says
I just tried this cake.. Used the exact measurements. However, the top and the bottom of the cake tured out hard.. the inside was moist but not super moist like most of the people who tried it. Please advice. Undoubtely the easiest recipe and tasted good on the inside. Also when eating it was sticking to the mouth a little. Please help and advice on what I did wrong.
Madhuram says
Maybe you baked it a little too long Shri.
Tracy says
Hello! I tried this with the apple cider vinegar as cupcakes. Yum!! Thanks for sharing! 🙂
Madhuram says
You're welcome Tracy.
Madhuram says
Thanks Tracy.
Usha says
Hi Madhuram,
Tried this eggless chocolate cake, it was an amazing, soft, fluffy cake.....You rock!! The texture tthe texture that I always wanted for a cake before it is iced.... I tried a small quantity, so could not do the icing, but I know for sure the next time I make this it is a bigger quantity.
Had one query..when I baked this in a small square tray, the base was square but when the cake rose the top was round...so it wasn't even..any tips here?
Usha
Madhuram says
Thanks for trying the recipe Usha. I'm glad that you liked it. Unlike cooking, while baking we have to follow the exact measurements be it the ingredients or the pan size, oven temperature etc to get the desired result. Changing the pan size will definitely alter the consistency and shape. Also we should consider the baking time also while changing the pan size.
Bridgett says
what brand of pudding mix did you use? I can't find any dairy free at the store i shop at.
Thanks!
Madhuram says
As mentioned in the post, the cake is only vegan and not the pudding mix. So it's not dairy free.
gigi says
Hi,
I tried the eggless chocolate cake today , as I have Sunday dinner for my children and grandchildren. One of the kids has horrible allergies and asthma.
THANKYOU,THANKYOU!!
My little five year old grandson, who never has anything that is super good in baked items, was ecstatic!
My heart was so warmed by his reaction.
I frosted it with a mixture of flour,margarine, sugar and milk cooked over a double boiler ! was fabulous all in all!
We actually all loved it!
This is the very first cake that was edible, and beyond that it was fantastic!Soft, fluffy and incredibly delicious.
Again, Thankyou,FIVE STARS. Would give you 10 if available!
Gladys LaMastra
Madhuram says
Oh, thank you very much Gladys. That was very nice of you to give such a wonderful feedback.
Meena says
Hi Madhuram,
I tried your recipe once again, and as always it never fails! I made them as chocolate muffins and it turned out just awesome! I had to bake it for almost 16 mins. I had also added some dark chocolate chips and walnuts. The taste was amazing. Personally, I'm not a big chocolate flavor person. But this was just great. thanks again for such a wonderful recipe!
Madhuram says
Thanks Meena.
lc says
hi again,
why does the water need to be cold? what would happen if it were
lukewarm?
thanks.
sheila says
hi Madhuram,
i baked vegan choco cake today and sad to say it didn't turn out
to be that good. it has very strong smell of baking soda. i
can't stand the smell. I followed the measument given in yr recipe
except i used only 1 tsp of vinegar worried abt the smell.
Do you hv any suggestion that may caused the strong soda smell.
Madhuram says
Sheila, I'm guessing maybe the baking soda did not blend well with the flour and it had lumps.
Tak says
The cake came out horrible
I hate the Vingar taste I did everthing
except the oil I used butter and
instead sugar I used powerdered sugar
It was a cake disater 🙁 🙁 🙁
It tasted bland and like clay
🙁 🙁 🙁 🙁
Madhuram says
I'm sorry that you did'nt get desired results, but I'm very surprised that this recipe did not work for you because its the easiest and tastiest ever. This is my go to recipe if I need to bake a cake in a hurry. Did you mix the ingredients well enough? Did you happen to use baking powder instead of baking soda?
Tak says
I frogot one more thing can I use butter instead of oil 😕
Tak says
Can I not use the icing and eat it simply
and one more thing can I add flaxseeds instead of vingar 🙂
lc says
hi,
step 3 of the recipe says: "To the well add all the wet ingredients
one by one."
what would the result be if the wet ingredients are stirred
together first and added at the same time to the dry ingredients?
thanks.
Madhuram says
I don't think it should be a problem. You could do that as well.
Viji says
How is it a vegan cake when the frosting you prepare has milk in it? otherwise a good one!
Madhuram says
I have mentioned that the cake is vegan and not the icing.
abc says
Also I used chopped almonds. I tossed them in the flour before
mixing with the batter. They still sank in the bottom.
Do you have any suggestion for me?
abc says
Dear Madhuram
I have tried this recipe and everybody loves the cake/muffins made out of
out of it. I am not paying attention to its looks as well. I baked
it just now and saw there were small holes at the top. Is it
because I mixed too much after adding the vinegar? After adding
batter into the pan I slightly hit it against the countertop to get
rid of bubbles and immediately put it in the oven.
Thanks
Lucille says
Hi there
Could you tell me if there is a substitute for the salt and oil in this receipe?
Thanks
Lucille
Madhuram says
Hi Lucille, you could omit the salt and try using 1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce mixed with a tablespoon of water instead of the oil ; but note that the cake will be a bit dense and you may want to bake it 2-3 minutes extra. Do check once for doneness around 22nd minute and proceed from there accordingly.
Shivangi says
I baked a cake first time in my life as i am a very impatient person, but this time i wanted to prove myself and impress my husband. It was the most wicked tasting cake. I have always been a vegetarian and to find a good and quick recipe was not the easiest.
Was wondering if cold milk can be added instead of cold water to make it more moist???
My next attempt is blueberry bundt cake as i have few friends over the weekend, hoping again it turns out well.
Thanks alot for the lovely recipes....
Madhuram says
You're welcome Shivangi. Yes, you could add milk as well. Do try the bundt cake with the changes I have mentioned in the Notes section and I'm sure it would turn out good.
Shivangi says
Hi Madhu,
I did try the bundt cake last weekend and it tasted good but as u rightly said is it dense and somehow wasn't fluffy. It tasted excellent with vanilla ice cream.
I missed out on baking soda as i thought baking powder and soda was the same until i got to know from my friend who bakes quite a bit that both are different.
I will def try next time with baking soda and see how it turns out.
Congratulations on your bundle of joy.... even i delivered 4mths back and will start work start of next month, so i still have 2 weeks of baking time lolll.... this time it will be muffins.
Thanks again for lovely recipes!
Madhuram says
You're welcome Shivangi. Your friend is right. BP and BS can't be used interchangeably; it alters the result.
Shirely Dethlefs says
I tried your chocolate cake recipe some days ago but somehow couldn't achieve the same result as you, my cake really wasn't looking that good (atleast it tasted good). What kind of chocolate are you using? Maybe it's coming from the flour I used, I have a gluten intolerance so I used Rice flour instead of normal wheat flour.
Madhuram says
Rice flour doesn't have gluten so the cake will not rise Shirely. I have used rice flour instead of all purpose flour in cookies and it comes out very well, but it does not work in cakes/muffins. You have to use gluten free baking mix or xanatham gum to help the cake rise. Check out the gluten free cookie recipes I have here:
http://www.egglesscooking.com/gluten-free-oatmeal-cookies/
http://www.egglesscooking.com/gluten-free-cookies-chocolate-chip/
http://www.egglesscooking.com/oats-brown-rice-flour-chocolate-chip-cookies/
Krsna says
Hi Madhuram, Thanks so much for this recipe.
i tried it with very little oil and sugar and it still turned out great and yes i used lime juice instead of vinegar. Thank you,
You're welcome Krsna. It's great to know that the cake turned out good even with all the changes you have made. Did you double the quantity of lime juice or did you keep it to 1 tablespoon itself?
Krsna says
Hey, i used the same amount of lime juice i.e. 1 tablespoon
Abby says
I've just found your site and it's great reading so far. thanks!
A tip about this recipe that you might try sometime is to use a fruit flavored vinegar. Raspberry worked well when I tried it. It was really subtle but added a nice touch.
Thanks Abby for the tip. I haven't tried raspberry flavored vinegar until now.
Vijaya says
Hi Madhuram.
I made this cake for the second time today - for my Wilton Course 1 graduation class tomorrow. It came out AWESOME. I think this is a foolproof recipe and I would choose to make it in a heartbeat! Thanks a lot for this wonderful recipe.
Vijaya
Yes it is a foolproof recipe Vijaya. I too have tried it a couple of times and it makes excellent cupcakes too.
Max says
Awesome; as a 19 year old guy that is out of eggs, I can say this is an awesome recipe. Thank you.
You're welcome Max.
Anne says
Thank you! this is very delicious chocolate cake recipe. I am really enjoy reading your post. This is a best cake recipe.
You're welcome Anne.
Rupa L says
Thanks a lot for your advice Madhu.
The eggless cake you made using Yogurt...are you meaning the one which has a Rainbow decoration / icing in the photos of your website ? (Eggless Vanilla Cake and Cake Decorating Tips)
Oh i ddin't know a simple thing like Yogurt would work magic on a box mix....cool idea.
THANKS for help once again
Yes, it is it Rupa. As I have mentioned in the post I'm not telling that its the best eggless white cake but a simple one to put together with very minimal ingredients.
Rupa L says
Made this cake today.
It was awesome. Thanks madhu for sharing the recipe.
Question: If i want to make this as a 1 layer cake should i halve all the items in the cake mix recipe you gave.
THANKS !!
- Rupa
Rupa, the recipe already is for just one layer only. It's for an 8 inch or 9 inch cake.
Rupa L says
Can i icing that you prepared using the cool whip be piped ?
Rupa that icing cannot be piped.
Rupa L says
Hey Madhuram,
Have you tried making eggless cake from the ready pack of cake mix (eg. Betty Crocker) available in the grocery store.
I want to make using the ready cake mix but don't know how to replace the 3 eggs that they call for.
I looked through most of your recipes but i guess you have done all from scratch !!...you have a lot of patience 🙂
Any suggestions ?
Thanks
luv
-Rupa
Rupa I once made a white cake from a cake mix using 1/4 of plain yogurt for each egg to be replaced and it did turn out good.
Rupa says
Hi Madhuram,
Thanks for sharing these wonderful recipes.
i have a question.
Can i replace the 1/4 cup Cocoa in this recipe by 1/4 cup of any flavored pudding mix eg: Strawberry pudding mix to create strawberry flavored cake ?
Do you think it will work ?
Thanks
- Rupa
Rupa that's a very nice idea. You have to try it out to see if it works. I think you would have to reduce the quantity of sugar little bit because the pudding mix already has sugar in it. If you try please let me know.