This is hands down the BEST vegan and gluten free chocolate cake you'll ever have. It's moist, rich, super chocolate-y and topped with an insanely fluffy vegan chocolate buttercream. The best part? It's easy to make, with just two bowls, a sheet pan and no layers!
Why we love this recipe
- It's SO easy. Intimidated by the fancy layer cakes you see on social media? This is not that. It's insanely easy to make, easy to frost (no mess with piping!) and comes together quickly. The ultimate dessert in my opinion!
- Perfect for birthdays, holidays or any other time you need a foolproof vegan dessert.
- No fancy layers or decorating. Just one layer baked in a regular ol' sheet pan topped with a thick layer of creamy, insanely delicious vegan chocolate buttercream. (Chocolate shaving optional, but encouraged.)
- Vegan, gluten free AND nut free: perfect for just about any dietary restrictions!
- Rich, flavorful and SO delicious.
Ingredients
Here are the key ingredients you'll need to make this vegan gluten free chocolate cake:
Cake ingredients
- Espresso: freshly brewed espresso is an optional ingredient, but it majorly enhances the rich, chocolate-y flavor.
- Dark chocolate: any dark chocolate will do, but we prefer something around 70-80%.
- Cocoa powder: we use unsweetened cacao powder. You can also use regular baking cocoa, but be sure to opt for unsweetened.
- Gluten free all purpose flour and oat flour: we've found a combination of these two flours makes for a moist, but not gummy texture that sometimes happens in gluten free baked goods.
- Unsweetened applesauce acts as a binder in place of eggs. It's an essential ingredient in this recipe (but don't worry – you can't taste it!).
Frosting ingredients
- Vegan butter, softened to room temperature
- Powdered sugar (confectioners' sugar)
- Melted dark chocolate, cooled to room temperature
- Vanilla extract & salt
Ingredient Notes & Substitutions
- Espresso: we prefer freshly brewed espresso in this chocolate cake, but if you don't have access to an espresso machine, you can substitute with 1 teaspoon of instant espresso powder.
- Gluten free all purpose flour: we always use Bob's Red Mill 1:1 Gluten Free Baking Flour in our baking recipes and highly recommend it. It's available at most grocery stores and online. (We also use their oat flour!)
- Nondairy milk: we prefer using oat milk in this recipe for its creamy texture and mild flavor. You can also use cashew, almond or soy milk.
- Vegan butter: any brand will do, but we particularly love using Country Crock plant butter in our vegan baking recipes. The texture and taste is very similar to real butter, and it whips up into the most beautifully fluffy vegan chocolate buttercream!
Step-by-step instructions
PREP: Preheat oven to 350˚F and line a 9x13 inch pan with parchment paper.
Step 1: In a mixing bowl, stir together gluten free flour, oat flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Set aside.
Step 2: In a large mixing bowl, use an electric mixer to cream butter and sugar until fluffy (about 1 minute).
Step 3: Add vanilla, applesauce and maple syrup and continue mixing. NOTE: the mixture may look separated at this point, but don't worry (it's just the vegan butter). Once you add the dry ingredients, it will come together perfectly.
Step 4: Stir freshly brewed espresso into oat milk. Alternate adding the dry mixture and the oat milk/espresso to the wet ingredients, mixing on medium-low until fully incorporated.
Step 5: Add melted chocolate and continue mixing until incorporated.
Step 6: Pour batter into pan and smooth out with a spatula. Bake for 28-30 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. Remove from oven and let cool completely before frosting.
How to make vegan chocolate buttercream
This silky smooth buttercream is the perfect topping for this vegan gluten free chocolate cake! Here's how to make it in two simple steps.
To make vegan chocolate buttercream, melt chocolate in 30 second intervals in the microwave, stirring well between each interval, until fully melted. Set aside and let cool until it's cool to the touch.
Beat butter and powdered sugar on medium-high until light and fluffy – about 3 minutes. Add cooled chocolate, vanilla and salt and continue mixing on medium-high for another 2 minutes.
Frost cooled cake and top with chocolate shavings or chocolate sprinkles. Slice and enjoy!
Expert Tips and FAQs
- Make sure to let the cake cool completely before frosting, otherwise the buttercream will melt.
- When making the vegan chocolate buttercream, don't add the melted chocolate while it's still hot, otherwise you will melt the butter and the frosting won't be the right texture.
- Don't forget to soften your butter to room temperature before using in both the cake and the buttercream! This is essential so that the butter can incorporate with the other ingredients.
- Cake pan conversions for circular layer cake: To make this vegan and gluten free chocolate cake into a 2 layer cake, use TWO 9-inch round pans. Divide the batter in half and use an equal amount in each pan. The baking time may be a bit shorter – start with 24 minutes and go from there until a toothpick comes out clean.
- Topping ideas: we love simple chocolate shavings, but you can also top this vegan chocolate cake with sprinkles, fresh raspberries, mini chocolate chips or crushed cookies.
- This vegan gluten free chocolate cake would also be fantastic with a raspberry, peanut butter or vanilla buttercream!
You'll need a bar of dark chocolate and a vegetable peeler. Use the vegetable peeler to shave thin curls from a room-temperature bar of chocolate. The longer the stroke, the larger the chocolate shaving.
Yes, this vegan chocolate buttercream works well for both frosting and piping! You can use any piping tip, and it also works well on cupcakes and brownies.
If you forget to soften your vegan butter ahead of time, unwrap and heat in the microwave in 5 second intervals until softened to the touch. Be careful not to melt it – it should only take a few seconds to get to the right softness.
For those using a stand mixer: use the paddle attachment while making the vegan chocolate cake batter and the whisk attachment while making the frosting.
Since this cake doesn't contain any dairy products, it stores well covered at room temperature for up to 5 days. If you live somewhere very warm, you can store in the refrigerator to prevent the frosting from melting.
More vegan & gluten free cake recipes
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Best Vegan Chocolate Cake
- Total Time: 40 minutes
- Yield: 16 servings 1x
- Diet: Vegan
Description
This is hands down the BEST vegan and gluten free chocolate cake you'll ever have. It's moist, rich, super chocolate-y and topped with an insanely fluffy vegan chocolate buttercream. The best part? It's easy to make, with just two bowls, a sheet pan and no layers!
Ingredients
Cake:
- ½ cup vegan butter, softened at room temperature
- ¾ cup cane sugar
- 1 tbsp vanilla extract
- ½ cup unsweetened applesauce
- ¼ cup maple syrup
- 1 ¼ cup oat milk (or other nondairy alternative)
- 1 oz freshly brewed espresso (or 1 tsp instant espresso powder)
- 1 ½ cups gluten free all purpose flour
- 1 cup oat flour
- 6 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp baking soda
- ½ tsp salt
- ½ cup melted dark chocolate
Chocolate Buttercream:
- 1 cup (2 sticks) vegan butter, softened to room temperature
- 1 ½ cups powdered sugar
- 8 oz dark chocolate, melted and slightly cooled
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- Pinch of salt
- For garnish: dark chocolate shavings
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350˚F and line a 9x13 inch pan with parchment paper.
- In a mixing bowl, stir together gluten free flour, oat flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, use an electric mixer to cream butter and sugar until fluffy (about 1 minute). Add vanilla, applesauce and maple syrup and continue mixing.
- Stir freshly brewed espresso into oat milk.
- Alternate adding the dry mixture and the oat milk/espresso to the wet ingredients, mixing on medium-low until fully incorporated. Add melted chocolate and continue mixing until incorporated.
- Pour batter into pan and smooth out with a spatula. Bake for 28-30 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. Remove from oven and let cool completely before frosting.
- To make vegan chocolate buttercream, melt chocolate in 30 second intervals in the microwave, stirring well between each interval, until fully melted. Set aside and let cool until it's cool to the touch.
- Beat butter and powdered sugar on medium-high until light and fluffy – about 3 minutes. Add cooled chocolate, vanilla and salt and continue mixing on medium-high for another 2 minutes.
- Frost cooled cake and top with chocolate shavings or chocolate sprinkles. Slice and enjoy!
Notes
Cake pan conversions for circular layer cake: To make this vegan and gluten free chocolate cake into a 2 layer cake, use TWO 9-inch round pans. Divide the batter in half and use an equal amount in each pan. The baking time may be a bit shorter – start with 24 minutes and go from there until a toothpick comes out clean.
Espresso: we prefer freshly brewed espresso in this chocolate cake, but if you don't have access to an espresso machine, you can substitute with 1 teaspoon of instant espresso powder.
Gluten free all purpose flour: we always use Bob's Red Mill 1:1 Gluten Free Baking Flour in our baking recipes and highly recommend it. It's available at most grocery stores and online. (We also use their oat flour!)
Nondairy milk: we prefer using oat milk in this recipe for its creamy texture and mild flavor. You can also use cashew, almond or soy milk.
Storage: Since this cake doesn't contain any dairy products, it stores well covered at room temperature for up to 5 days. If you live somewhere very warm, you can store in the refrigerator to prevent the frosting from melting.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Oven
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 slice
- Calories: 427
- Sugar: 31.6 g
- Sodium: 266.2 mg
- Fat: 25.2 g
- Carbohydrates: 51.4 g
- Fiber: 3.6 g
- Protein: 3.5 g
Keywords: vegan gluten free chocolate cake
Cynthia
Can this recipe be made with regular all purpose flour instead of gluten free and oat flour combination? P.S. made your lemon cake recipe. It was a 5 star hit!!!
Darlene
I made this cake for Mother's Day and it was amazing. I iced the cake with my own family favourite chocolate icing and will definitely make this cake time and time again. Perfection.
★★★★★
Brent Harrison
Thanks for the review, Darlene! Glad you enjoyed!
Patrizia
I prepared it yesterday for a sangria party and it was a success! ..the famous comment: "I wouldn't tell that it's vegan.." 😉 ahahah.. Thanks!! Greetings from Italy
Lexi
That's the best feedback! Thanks so much for sharing and we're so glad you enjoyed 🙂
Shabnam Reyhani
Hello, I'm going to try this amazing cake this weekend and I have a question: can I use pear sauce or banana instead of apple? I have an apple intolerance.
Have a sunny day,
shabnam 🙂
Lexi
Hi Shabnam, thanks so much for your question! Pear sauce should be a perfectly fine substitute! I think banana would work, too, I would just make sure it's very finely mashed. Would love to hear how it turns out for you! Have a great weekend.
Shabnam Reyhani
Sorry, one more question: can you tell me how much a vegan butter stick weighs? I live in Austria, so we do not have the same brand names. The vegan butter I have weights 200 g (about 7 oz). Thank you! 🙂
Lexi
Hi! 1 stick here is typically 4oz.
Anita
Hi, do you think I could bake this in a 12x8 inch pan? I’ve only got that or an 8 inch square pan on hand. Any advice? 🙂
Lexi
Yes, that should work fine, it just may take a touch longer to bake!
Marg
Just made the cake, no frosting and it was soft and fluffy! I subbed normal cane sugar with Lakanto Golden and it was fantastic. I will need to sub the normal Maple syrup with Lakanto flavoured Maple syrup to truly make it sugar free.
This is a keeper!
★★★★★
Lexi
So glad you enjoyed and that's so great to hear it worked with the lakanto sugar! Thanks so much for your comment!
Jen
This was excellent! The frosting was a bit too sweet for our family so we will make a different one next time but the moist, fudgy cake was so so good....and we are not GF but would make this again just the same!
★★★★★
Jennifer
I tried this cake last night. It is amazing! The best cake for texture and taste that we have ever had. Great recipe with easy to follow directions. This was a hit. Thank you for all you do!
★★★★★
Lexi
Thank you so much, Jennifer!! I'm so glad you enjoyed!
Ava
I just tried this recipe today, and it was an absolute hit! I had to cook it for 40 minutes in my glass baking dish. This cake was so moist, and the frosting was delicious. My family thanks you very, very much. 🙂
★★★★★
Lexi
Thank you so much, Ava! I'm so glad you enjoyed!
Julie
The frosting!! We had to try this in honor of National Chocolate Cake Day and it did not disappoint. Super simple to make and you definitely do not have to be gluten free or Vegan to LOVE this! Thanks for the inspiration Crowded Kitchen.
★★★★★
Lexi
SO glad you enjoyed, Julie! Thanks so much!
Luke
I know it sounds sort of silly, but if you were just looking to bake this on account of the vegan aspect and not the G/F, could you like-for-like swap the G/F flour for regular AP flour? Or would the quantities differ?
Lexi
Not silly at all! We haven't tried it with regular flour yet, but we would suggest using regular AP flour in place of the GF all purpose flour and oat flour, so altogether it would be 2 cups. Let me know how it goes!
Anita
Made a double batch of this cake (with a different frosting) for my sister’s birthday and it was so rich and soft at the same time, everyone kept telling me how good it was! Thank you! One question: can I freeze what’s left?
★★★★★
Lexi
So glad you enjoyed! Yes, it should freeze fine!
Shiela
What can you substitute the espresso powder with? Looks so yummy!!
Lexi
Hi! There's not really any substitute, but it's just there to enhance the flavor of the chocolate so you can definitely just omit it from the recipe. Hope you enjoy!