This super easy stir-together healthy Chocolate Cake is a cinch to make and it has less sugar than traditional cakes. Maybe “healthier” is a better term, but whatever you call it, it’s so darn good! (PS: It happens to be egg-free and vegan, too.)
Healthy Chocolate Cake
I’ve been searching for a “house cake”—you know, one that becomes the traditional cake we make for birthdays and special occasions. One that we’ll think back on fondly.
And also one that’s easy enough to make without much notice because as we all know, sometimes you just need a slice of cake for no good reason! I’m happy to say this cake fills the bill.
This cake is made with less sugar than traditional cakes (which is my personal flavor preference) and has some ingredient options so you can decide how “healthy” to make it. My whole family loves this layer cake recipe–especially as a birthday cake or a holiday dessert—because it delivers on the classic chocolate cake flavor you expect.
(I also have a delicious Vanilla Cake version that’s vegan too.)
Your toddler won’t eat? Help is here!
Sign up for our email updates to get tips and ideas sent to your inbox.
Ingredients You Need
To make the cake, you’ll need to have the following ingredients on hand.
- Flour: You can use whole wheat, all-purpose, or a mixture of the two. I usually use all-purpose flour.
- Vegetable oil: I typically use canola oil or vegetable oil here, but avocado oil would work, too.
- Sugar: A little granulated sugar is the sweetener of choice in this cake because it blends in so well and adds moisture.
- Baking soda: Fresh, active baking soda helps the cake bake through and rise nicely. (This works much better than baking powder, so do be sure to use baking soda.)
- Cocoa powder: I like SACO or Hershey’s Special Dark for the best chocolate flavor.
- Salt: A dash of salt helps enhance the rest of the flavors.
- White vinegar: This works with the other ingredients to deliver the perfect texture you expect in a chocolate cake.
- Vanilla extract: Paired with cocoa powder, vanilla extract is an extra flavor note.
- Quick Chocolate Frosting: Or a frosting of your choice.
TIP: The cake is dairy and egg-free, and there’s not even any butter. You can make it gluten-free by using a gluten-free cup-for-cup flour blend. It’s like a magic cake!
Step-by-Step Instructions
Here’s the basic process of making the cake. Scroll down to the bottom of this post for the full recipe.
- Preheat the oven and grease two 6-inch round pans very well. I typically spray with nonstick cooking spray and place a round of parchment cut to fit the inside of the pan to ensure the cakes don’t stick. Stir together the ingredients in a large bowl with a whisk. Make sure you get all the lumps out of the cocoa powder.
- Divide batter between the pans evenly.
- Bake until just firm to the touch and a toothpick or cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean.
- Let cool on a wire rack and frost.
TIP: I like making this cake in two 6-inch pans, as it’s a nice size for a smaller gathering of up to 10 people. It also means you don’t need a ton of any of the ingredients AND is a great size for a smash cake.
Frosting Options
Frost with either my Quick Chocolate Frosting, Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting, or Strawberry Frosting. Or use any other frosting that you enjoy.
Of those options, we almost always use the chocolate cream cheese frosting for a double chocolate cake.
How to Frost a Chocolate Cake
I have a few frosting options for this cake, but the basic method of frosting the cake is the same.
- Place one of the cakes onto a platter or cake stand. Add a big spoonful of frosting and spread to cover the top.
- Add the second cake and the rest of the frosting.
- Spread over the top and sides.
- Add sprinkles if desired. I like to use a cookie cutter to make a star design (imperfect as it is!).
Frequently Asked Questions
I use that word to signify that this cake is lower in sugar than most comparable chocolate cake recipes. I worked hard to make sure it’s plenty sweet, without being too sweet.
We like to use a cookie cutter to form a shape, then fill with sprinkles. We also sometimes just do chocolate frosting and forget any other decorating!
Yes, you can freeze chocolate cake and this one freezes so well. We love to do that if we want half one day and half another day a few weeks ahead. Wrap a section or slices of cake in plastic wrap and place into a freezer bag. Remove as much air as you can and freeze for up to 6 months. Thaw at room temperature or overnight in the fridge.
How to Store
You can make the cakes the day before you plan to serve. Let cool fully, then place on two separate plates and wrap well with plastic wrap. Store at room temperature. Frost just before serving if possible.
With leftovers, you can store wrapped well in the fridge. I am partial to how this cake tastes when it’s chilled, so we store it in the fridge.
You can also freeze slices for future enjoyment. Wrap tightly in plastic wrap (wrapping slices on small paper plates makes this easy) and freeze for up to 6 months. Thaw at room temperature or in the fridge.
Best Tips for Success
- To make this in a 9-inch cake pan, use just one pan and bake for 16-20 minutes or until a cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean. Be sure to grease the pan well to ensure it doesn’t stick. Double the recipe to make a two layer 9-inch cake.
- To bake as cupcakes, use ¼ cup batter in each standard size muffin cup (greased well with nonstick spray) and bake for 14-16 minutes, or until a cake tester inserted into the center comes out cleanly.
- Gluten-free: Use cup-for-cup gluten-free flour blend in place of the wheat flour.
- Use a mix of all-purpose and whole wheat flour or all of one or the other. (All whole wheat will be a smidge more dense.)
- Try to avoid over-baking to ensure the cake is moist and doesn’t crumble too much.
- Be sure to grease the pan well to ensure the cake doesn’t stick.
- If you are at all worried about your cakes sticking to the pans, (these 6-inch pans do not tend to stick, but I can’t speak for every other cake pan) trace the pans onto parchment paper. Cut out the rounds, trimming slightly so they fit inside of the cakes. Place each round of parchment paper into the cake pan, then spray the paper and sides of the pan with nonstick spray. Proceed with the recipe.
Related Recipes
I’d love to hear your feedback if you try this recipe for your family, so please comment below to share!
Healthy Chocolate Cake (Lower Sugar)
Ingredients
- 1½ cups all-purpose flour (or whole-wheat flour)
- ⅔ cup sugar
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ⅓ cup cocoa powder (I like SACO or Hershey's Special Dark)
- 1 cup water
- ⅓ cup vegetable oil (or melted butter or avocado oil)
- 1 tablespoon white vinegar
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 recipe Quick Chocolate Frosting or Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and grease two 6-inch cake pans very well on the bottom and sides with nonstick spray. (I use classic Pam spray.)
- Add the ingredients to a medium bowl and whisk gently to combine. Divide the batter between the prepared pans, using about 1 cup and 2 tablespoons in each pan.
- Bake for 18-20 minutes or until the middle is firm to a light touch and a cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean. Try not to overbake.
- Let cool on a wire rack for 5 minutes, then carefully remove the cakes from the pans by running a paring knife around the edges to loosen. Working with one pan at a time, carefully turn the pan over onto a wire rack. The cakes should slide out easily. Let cool completely on the wire rack.
- To frost, place one cake onto a cake stand or plate. Add ⅓ of the frosting to the top of the cake. Spread to the edges. Top with the second layer and the remaining frosting, then spread over the top and the sides. Add sprinkles if desired.
Equipment
Notes
- With leftovers, you can store wrapped well in the fridge. I am partial to how this cake tastes when it’s chilled, so we store it in the fridge. You can also freeze slices for future enjoyment. Wrap tightly in plastic wrap (wrapping slices on small paper plates makes this easy) and freeze for up to 6 months. Thaw at room temperature or in the fridge.
- You can make the cakes the day before you plan to serve. Let cool fully, then place on two separate plates and wrap well with plastic wrap. Store at room temperature. Frost just before serving if possible.
- Frost with either my Quick Chocolate Frosting, Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting, or Strawberry Frosting. You could also use classic Cream Cheese Frosting.
- To make this in a 9-inch cake pan, use just one pan and bake for 16-20 minutes or until a cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean. Be sure to grease the pan well to ensure it doesn’t stick. Double the recipe to make a two layer 9-inch cake.
- To bake as cupcakes, use ¼ cup batter in each standard size muffin cup (greased well with nonstick spray) and bake for 14-16 minutes, or until a cake tester inserted into the center comes out cleanly.
- Gluten-free: Use cup-for-cup gluten-free flour blend in place of the wheat flour.
- Use a mix of all-purpose and whole wheat flour or all of one or the other. (All whole wheat will be a smidge more dense.)
- Try to avoid over-baking to ensure the cake is moist and doesn’t crumble too much.
- Be sure to grease the pan well to ensure the cake doesn’t stick.
- If you are at all worried about your cakes sticking to the pans, (these 6-inch pans do not tend to stick, but I can’t speak for every other cake pan) trace the pans onto parchment paper. Cut out the rounds, trimming slightly so they fit inside of the cakes. Place each round of parchment paper into the cake pan, then spray the paper and sides of the pan with nonstick spray. Proceed with the recipe.
Nutrition
This recipe was first published September 2020.
A PERFECT cake if you’re looking for a pastry that isn’t overly sweet so you can taste the chocolate flavor. Also super moist!
This will be the chocolate cake recipe we always use from now on.
I live in the UK and you either get distilled vinegar here or white wine vinegar. I used distilled vinegar and the cake was very flat 🙁
I read the comments after and seems like others have had similar issues with confusion around the vinegar. Could you add a photo of the vinegar you used as part of the recipe? Or maybe a sub if one was to use another type of vinegar like rice vinegar or white wine vinegar (as distilled vinegar is definitely not going to work here). Thank you!
Hi- I actually use regular white vinegar, which is the distilled kind. Not wine or rice vinegar which would have a different flavor. The more likely issue is that the baking soda isn’t working correctly, which would lead to a flat cake. I hope that helps!
Tried this for the first time today after waffling for weeks. It is fantastic! I used it to make ‘healthier’ Timbits (donut holes for those not familiar with Tim Horton’s speak – I’m Canadian XD) for my Timbit-obsessed son today, and he loves them. I used the batter in the Babycakes Cake Pop maker and it worked a treat. For those of you who are struggling to find a cake mix that will bake up into the appropriate round shape of the Babycakes, this mix does it!
Thank you for an excellent recipe!
Followed recipe exactly and after 20mins the centers are still liquidy. Any tips?
The most likely explanation is that the baking soda isn’t fresh or active. I’m sorry that happaned.
Hi! I used almond flour in place of GF flour and the mixture came out really liquid-y, but I am baking it anyway. It’s been over 20 minutes and the cake is still pretty liquid… any tips? Should I just get actual cup4cup GF flour?? Help appreciated thanks!
Hi- almond flour is not a good substitute for regular wheat flours as it absorbs liquids in a completely different way. A GF all purpose flour that is designed to replace wheat flour in a 1:1 ratio is the best option here. Enjoy!
Hi! I tried your recipe for the first time and I had a total fail – I tried to make one cake in a bigger tin (about 8inch size) and it came out a bit undercooked plus fell apart when I took it out the tin 🙁 Any idea what I did wrong?
Hi- I would check that your baking soda is fresh. That’s the only reason I can think of that this would happen.
Hi, I had similar issue here. I used 7 inch pan but still divided into 2. The first one looked okay when I took it out but it fell apart when I wanted to move to another plate. The second batch was undercooked (I only have 1 pan so I baked twice) so I ended up baking 10 mins more. I’m letting it sit for much longer time to avoid falling apart. I used fresh just opened baking Soda. If you have any input I appreciate it.
The easiest and most perfect chocolate cake ever! It came out amazingly dark (Oreo-dark!) and full of moisture and rich flavours – while still keeping its fluffiness!
A recipe to keep and repeat <3
Thanks for sharing it!
My son (nearly 6yo), daughter (2yo), and I made this today for my husband’s birthday and oh my goodness! We used melted butter in place of the oil. We also iced this cake with the strawberry cream cheese frosting recipe and used seedless raspberry spread between the two layers. This was a winning combination. My husband is generally very critical of cakes being too dry and he was very happy with this cake NOT being dry!! We’ll be making this cake again soon- my birthday is a few short days away!
Hi, I read your comment and was wondering how many tablespoons of butter did you use approx for this cake? I actually love the butter idea and want to try myself.
Thank you for this easy and tasty toddler friendly Chocolate cake recipe! I baked it for my sons 4th birthday today and couldn’t believe how quick it was with very simple ingredients. I had it all in my pantry. Dairy free, egg free, no use of softened butter and a one bowl recipe makes it a dish worth the 5 stars! I made it in a 9inch round cake pan which i greased well with melted butter. I used a chocolate ganache recipe from another blog. Thanks again Amy!
Like in your vanilla cake, would it be possible to use coconut sugar instead of white sugar? Thank you!
Sure, that will work similarly.
So easy and delicious! I’ve made this a few times. For freezing, is it possible to freeze it iced?
Yes, it freezes really well iced. I wrap slices or a bigger piece in plastic wrap, then put into a freezer bag.
I’ve made this twice now in my 2C Souper Cubes and it turns out perfectly. Fan favorite in our house, and is a toddler-friendly recipe for the measuring/making part too!
Love that!
Absolutely delicious! Didn’t make the frosting but ate with some vanilla ice cream and it was amazing.
would melted coconut oil work here instead of vegetable or canola oil?
I’m doing this receipe for my 1 year old and was wondering how many cupcakes it makes. I want to do 24. I’m also using your strawberry cream cheese icing. Thanks in advance.
I would double the recipe. Enjoy!!
Thank you so much for sharing this recipe! I’ve made it twice as a two-tier 9in round cake for my husband’s birthday with peanut butter icing. We tend to cut sugar in a lot of our recipes due to personal preference and pre-diabetes. I wasn’t sure about doing that with this recipe since it was already lower in sugar, but oh my goodness, I’m so glad I did. With half the sugar, it tasted perfect! And I’m saying that as someone who does not like really dark chocolate. It still had plenty of sweetness on its own and with the frosting. I figured I’d share our slight adjustment in case anyone else was hoping for closer to 8.5g of sugar per slice vs 17g. Thanks again!
I just made this cake and doubled the recipe. I substituted the white vinegar with apple cider vinegar and the canola oil with coconut oil. I added chocolate chips to the cake as well. It came out great, very moist.
I baked this in three 4-inch round pans (20-23 mins) and the extra batter I used to make 24 mini cupcakes (15-18 mins) and one 4 inch mini Bundt cake (20-23 mins). I used coconut oil and flour coat my pans to ensure it didn’t stick to the pan. Perfect consistency and didn’t stick!
Absolutely delicious, soft and spongy, thank you so much! I did it with butter and I used 1 teaspoon of cream of tartar instead of white vinegar.
I baked it in a 20cm cake mould for nearly 40 minutes, without fan, because the skewer came out dirty before that when testing. My oven is usually in the slow side, but still a significant difference, maybe because of the size of the mould and no fan.
I followed the recipe exactly (using the melted butter option instead of vegetable oil) and got near-pancakes. What could be the problem?
I haven’t made it with butter, so I don’t know if that impacted it, but most likely the baking soda wasn’t active. If that’s not working right, it won’t rise or bake through.
Same, very flat. Used butter too. Could be the oven too?I have a classic gas old oven
It’s really good as written in the recipe. I can’t speak to the oven but that could be part of it, but it might actually be the use of butter instead of oil as directed.
Hi Amy! I’m wondering how this cake would hold up to some shaping? Like shaving down the sides a bit? Perhaps with two different sized layers stacked and then cut in an angle? Alternatively, I was thinking of using a bundt pan. I’ve been tasked with making a “chocolate volcano cake” for my 4 year old’s birthday this week!
I may use your suggestion of a mix of all purpose and ww flour to make it a little sturdier?
Thanks! I love all your recipes 🙂
Hi- I actually think it would work fine to do that. Just be sure not to over bake it (that would possibly make it crumbly) but otherwise it’s a normal cake texture so I bet it would work. With the bundt pan, the only thing is that I am really unsure of how long the baking time would be since that shape is so much thicker.
Just curious, did you ever end up trying to shape the cake and if so, how did it go? I’m considering using this recipe to make a car cake and would love to hear how your experience went.
I made a few modifications and it came out rather well. I swapped 1/3 of sugar contents for brown sugar, used butter, no vanilla and baked as 1 single layer in a loaf pan for 33 minutes. The texture was fantastic but I think it needs some tweaking to enhance the chocolate flavour. Possibly the vanilla would’ve helped but I didn’t have any in the house. I also tried the cake without icing which would’ve lifted the flavour.
A few questions: How do you calculate your nutrition information? Is it based on 1 serving of the cake? How many grams would one serving be in weight? Thanks.
Yes, it absolutely will not taste as good without vanilla. The nutrition information is based on the total amounts of nutrients divided by the number of servings listed using a program. I do not measure portions, but instead offer an estimate on how much each recipe will serve.
I tried this in a 9” pan and it was a disaster. The outer part of the cake baked perfectly but the center was like pudding. I kept baking for a few more minutes and testing but it never cooked! I don’t know what went wrong.
The most likely explanation is that the baking soda wasn’t active or fresh. I’m not sure of another reason that this would happen. I’m sorry it did though!
This recipe is amazing! I made cupcakes out of it and they came out so light and fluffy.
This is a new favourite for a healthier chocolate cupcake – thanks for sharing!
There’s no way to share this on text or WhatsApp or get a link when you’re on the app!! Thought you should know
I’m not sure how that is meant to work with recipes but you can use it in a normal browser and share it that way!
Hi! I don’t have white vinegar at the moment, only rice vinegar… can I use that instead? Sorry, I’m no expert.
I’m honestly not sure and am trying to figure out if there are options!
I did the 9″ pan option since I don’t have a 6″ pan and it didn’t seem to rise as well as yours did. Do you think it needed a few minutes longer in the oven even if the toothpick came out clean/the middle was firm? Or any other thoughts?
You could check that your baking soda is fresh? If the toothpick came out clean I would have pulled it out too. Hopefully it still tastes yummy!
This looks fab for my toddler’s birthday! Is white vinegar the same as white wine vinegar? And would sunflower oil work?
Thank you!
Hi- you want to use distilled white vinegar, which is not the same as white wine vinegar. And I think sunflower oil would work similarly. Enjoy!
I tried it with rice vinegar and it worked! Distilled white vinegar isn’t a thing where I live.
Love this cake! The taste and texture are unbelievable!
I don’t have any cake pans, so I used a glass casserole dish (a 2.75 qt dish) and followed the advice from the other snack cake recipes: I cooked according to the directions, then covered with foil and cooked another 10 minutes to set the middle. It worked perfectly. Just wanted to note that in case anyone else perusing this recipe ended up in the same situation as me!
*An 8×8 would probably have worked as well, but I went for a slightly larger dish to hedge my bets on the center setting completely without overcooking the edges.
Glad to hear that worked well!
Hey, I have a question! Are the nutrition facts for the whole cake or just for one serving? Thank you!
Hi, it’s per serving.
Hi! Do you have a suggestion on how to convert this recipe to two eight inch pans? Thank you!
I would double the recipe (there’s a 2x button) and divide the batter into the two pans. Baking time should be in the 18-22 minute range. Enjoy!
I am Ceoliac, my husband is dairy and egg free & my daughter is gluten & dairy free. I really want to make this but I can’t find white vinegar in the UK that does have barley in it (not suitable for Ceoliac’s). Any suggestions?
Thanks
I’m sorry, I don’t know of an option that will fit that criteria. Let me know if you find something!
Someone higher up in the comments mentioned that the recipe worked well with rice vinegar instead of regular white vinegar. Could that work?
Someone did say they used it and it worked. I haven’t tested it though.
Bestttttt cake I have EVER made! Our son has severe food allergies and he loved that the video mentioned families with food allergies – it meant a lot to him! He’s having it for his fourth birthday:-)
I’m so glad!
Love your content! Thank you so much! Been a wonderful resource for me on navigating parenthood with lovely recipes to hand.
I used distilled vinegar and it came out a bit dense… do I need white vinegar specifically? Or can I put in a different amount of distilled vinegar?
Thanks again <3
I’m honestly not sure if the distilled vinegar can work as I’ve only used (or seen) white vinegar called for in recipes like this. You could possibly try more but I worry a little that if you do too much you might taste it? White vinegar does work really well if that’s an option in the future.
I am planning on making this recipe for a birthday this weekend, but i’m based in the UK and not sure if the white vinegar you mention is the equivalent to our white wine vinegar (this is the only white vinegar that comes up on searches in our grocery stores) which is derived from fermented wine rather than sugar cane. Just wondering what the white vinegar you use is made from?
Many thanks
Hi- you should be able to look for “distilled” vinegar, which is the type of white vinegar I use. You don’t want to use wine vinegar. It might be with cleaning supplies as it’s sometimes used for that also?
Wow! This was delicious! So incredibly simple and fast. We had it with the recommended quick frosting. Two thumbs up and 5 stars. Thank you Amy!
This is absolutely delicious. Moist, tender, perfection. Thank you!!!
Incredible! Tastes the most like my grandmothers chocolate cake as I have ever tried! Now my dairy and egg allergy little girl can have a taste of my childhood but in a recipe that is perfectly safe for her!
Oh yay!!
I love this recipe (as I do all the recipes I’ve tried on this site)! it’s turned out great each time i’ve made it. I’d like to make this for my son’s birthday, though I’ve recently been diagnosed pre diabetic and have been thinking of what substitutions I can make so that I can enjoy some cake, too. I’m planning to substitute monkfruit for the sugar which has worked well in other baking, and I’m wondering if anyone has tried this recipe with almond flour.
This cake was so quick and easy to throw together. It was the perfect sweetness and the texture was good even without eggs. I also really appreciate this recipe being for a 9×9. A 9×13 is too much for our family and we would just end up tossing it. My 2 year old loved it too!
Hy
Is there a substitute for vinegar?
Not that I know it, you need it to react with the baking soda to create the fluffy texture (since there aren’t any eggs).
Maybe I am missing it but I can’t find the baking temp??
It’s 350 as it says in Step 1 in the recipe at the end of the post.
So excited for this! If my husband is chocolate sensitive, would I replace that third cup with flour, and then flavor with extracts?
I honestly haven’t tried it without the cocoa powder. In theory that should work similarly, but I haven’t tested it so I can’t say for sure.
Thank you for this recipe! Hoping to bake it for my toddlers 2nd birthday! Do you have any suggestions for 3 4 inch round pans?
The baking time would likely be closer to 10-12 minutes since there would be less batter in each one. Is that what you were asking?
Can I use white wine vinegar (have it in the cupboard 🙂) instead of white vinegar?
I haven’t tried that and I’m not sure if the flavor or results would differ.
Can you use olive oil or avocado oil instead of the vegetable oil?
I haven’t tried either but I think they would both be options.
Not to my surprise, another WONDERFUL cake recipe!! Previously I’ve made the sweet potato cake, but this year for my husband’s birthday, I wanted to do chocolate with peanut butter frosting (borrowed that part from another blog). But if you created a less sweet peanut butter frosting recipe, I’d be all for trying it! My only negative was my cakes seemed done (baked a 5 or so minutes longer and they came out pretty clean with a toothpick), but not too long later, the centers sunk while cooling on the rack. Any recommendations there? I’ve been using cake strips to help bake flatter layers (works SO well), and I baked longer since I think those strips increase the baking time, but still not a lot of luck with it not sinking in the middle. It still tasted delicious and seemed fully baked, but who knows. I notice in the pictures above, a slight sinking as well. Maybe that’s just normal. Either way, so thankful for all that you share and will be making this again!
Made last night and did not disappoint! My boyfriend and I loved it, I will be making again!!
I love your recipes. Today I had a birthday party and thought I would buy the cupcakes to make it easy. Last minute a guest told me they don’t eat eggs, cupcakes I ordered contained eggs. Was able to whip up a small batch of egg free cupcakes with this recipe in the morning, everyone is included. Thanks for making it easy.
I’m so glad to hear that! And happiest day!
Wondering if I could make a 9×13 sheet cake of this recipe. Would I double? Triple? And any thoughts on how long it would have to bake for? Thanks for any tips!
I would guess double it and bake for maybe 24-26 minutes. Watch the middle since that’s what will take the longest to bake through. Enjoy and let me know how it goes!
I love this recipe!! It is my go to for birthdays! I usually make it in a cake but I’m looking into making it into cupcakes… Can you tell me how long I would bake it for?
I- I think using about 1/4 cup batter in each cup would be in the 12-14 minute range for standard cupcakes. Enjoy!
I made this cake for my sons third birthday this past weekend. It was my first time making a homemade cake!
My son is picky with desserts, so I was nervous, but he LOVED it! My husband and I loved it too! Just the right amount of sweetness and the texture was great too, perfectly moist. I used the recommended icing recipe too, the chocolate cream cheese one, worked really well together. Definitely will make this cake again! 🙂
SO GOOD! And so simple! It turned out very moist. I halved the base recipe just because I didn’t want to make a huge cake and it turned out great! Baked it for 20 min at 350F in a 9″ pan. This will be my go-to chocolate cake recipe from now on!
Love this recipe! I made mini cupcakes for my son’s 3rd birthday and these turned out perfect. You didn’t even need icing as they tasted that good, although I did add icing and sprinkles for the kiddos. 🙂 I also used avocado oil as that’s what I had on hand. I will definitely be using this recipe again!!
Hi Amy! I love your recipes! I want to try this one – but I only have a bunt cake pan – will that be ok?
Hi- yes it should work but the timing may differ and I’m not sure what it might be since I don’t know the size of your pan. Maybe set it for 14 minutes and check every few?
Made it and was perfect! Took way longer but my oven is super off I think. Thanks for another great recipe!
These are great! Hard to find an easy vegan cake recipe! I used gluten free blend flour and made a double batch to make cupcakes. I bought vegan icing from the store since I had a hard time making one. I love that the cake is lower in sugar to balance out the sweetness from the icing! Thanks for this recipe. Glad I could make a cupcake that everyone at the party could eat!
Thank God I found this! I was in the middle of measuring out ingredients for a cake because my 3 yr old wanted to bake a chocolate cake. The recipe called for buttermilk but I made my own 1 TB of vinegar then filled the rest of the 1 cup with milk. Then I saw the 2 cups of sugar and googled for a lesser sugar cake recipe. So I used the buttermilk recipe instead of water and it came out so great! I also used coconut oil instead of Veg. oil. Baked it for about 30 mins in a bundt cake pan. Thanks SO MUCH!
Thank you! Just found a few recipes of yours and they all look simple and healthy ! I’ve always been scared to try baking from scratch but am slowly getting over my fear and seeing it is way more simple than I thought and sooo much healthier! Can’t wait to try this one!
Hi i was wondering can some one make this cake sugar free and do you have any alternatives for the frosting??? Looks delicious i want to make it for my birthday but i have a 12 month baby and for sure she Will want to dive in the cake when she Will see somebody eating so i was wondering if there is an options on How to make this a little bit baby friendly.
You could use a plain cream cheese frosting or my Strawberry Cream Cheese Frosting. I don’t think you can leave out sweetener entirely in this, you’d need to add honey or maple syrup or some mashed fruit or it will be bland and bitter I think
Made this for my son’s 1st birthday! He loved it, and so did my husband and my parents. I was thrilled with how easy it was. Bookmarking this recipe for future use!
Hi Amy, I just made this cake for my daughter’s 2nd birthday and it was great! I made a double batch so I could have 24 mini cupcakes for her daycare class which is egg and nut free and did a single layer 9inch cake to have at home. I used your strawberry frosting on top. Thank you so much.
Can’t wait to make this! Could you use coconut oil instead of vegetable oil?
I haven’t made it that way and it’s possible it might be a little denser, but I bet it would work similarly!
I used avocado oil and it worked great!
Can I frost with whipped cream?
Sure!
so good and easy to make;) Thank you for sharing! This will be a staple❤️
Thanks for the recipe! Made a double batch- one 9 inch cake and 6 cupcakes. The cupcakes turned out way better! The cake took way way longer to bake (I didn’t have two smaller pans) but was still good. I used your chocolate cream cheese frosting on top which was yum and not too sweet. Nice and thick for easy piping/ decorating.
Great!
Hi Amy, we made this for Easter and loved it so I’m planning to make it again for my daughters birthday party. Wondering if I can substitute the flour with either ground oats or buckwheat flour. I know the texture will be different but hoping not to buy a new bag of GF flour just for this one occasion. Thank you!
Hi- I think of those two, I would opt for buckwheat but I think I would reduce the amount by 1/4 cup (so 1 1/4 cups) to prevent it from turning out too dry. It may also be cooked through a little sooner, so I’d check it starting 4 minutes earlier than my baking time. That might be overly cautious, but buckwheat really absorbs liquid so I hope those two changes would make it still work out okay!
This was a very.good cake recipe! We made it into cupcakes and they were good without frosting. I liked that they were not overly sweet and I was amazed at how light and fluffy they were.
This turned out lovely and my toddler approved of it today for his birthday. He said “yum yum.” Though I think I baked it a tad bit more than needed, he was happy to have chocolate cake. I was happy it was healthier and not too sweet. Thank you for making our day special with this recipe.
I’m so glad to hear that and happy birthday to your boy!
My family likes this since it’s not overly sweet. I do use my own recipe for the chocolate frosting.
Question – can I use this recipe for cupcakes too? If so, what is the recommended baking time? I think the recipe can make about 12-18 regular size cupcakes.
I think standard size cupcakes would be in the 14-16 minute range. It should work nicely!
This was absolutely delicious! Perfectly sweet and moist and the best part is it’s made with ingredients I always have on hand! Been thinking about when the next occasion is for cake but honestly I’m not sure I’ll be able to wait before making this again 🙂
I made the recipe and it tastes so good. But is the frosting supposed to be a little bitter. and I had to put the cake in the oven for almost 30mins
also, how do you keep the cake?
Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
Did it take that long in the 6 inch pans? The frosting is not supposed to be bitter, so it’s possible that the flavor of your cocoa powder just needed a little more sweetness to balance it out.
amazing recipe!! super delicious, 10/10 recommended!!
Would you say this tastes “healthy”? And is it light and fluffy? I ask because my daughter wouldn’t eat her first or second birthday cakes so I’m hoping chocolate does the trick for her third birthday, but don’t want to risk it with something too “healthy”? ?
It tastes like regular chocolate cake, just a little less sweet. (My girls happily ate it without frosting for snack yesterday and I made it for my whole family for New Years if that’s helpful:)
Thanks!
I should add that I can’t guarantee any kid will like any recipe but this I am optimistic about this one:)
Hello, there is no eggs inside?
Nope, no eggs!
I only have 8″ cake pans. Could I double the recipe and bake it in these for a larger cake?
Yes, absolutely. (I just did that last week!) You may need 26-28 minutes for the baking time with that pan size.
Am I able to use olive oil for this recipe?
Hi- I haven’t tried doing that so I can’t say for sure. If you try it, be sure it’s a mellow olive oil flavor-wise and let me know how it goes!
Is 2/3 cup sugar really enough to sweeten the cake ? Can I use coconut sugar?
We like it with that sweetness level. You can use 1 cup if you prefer. I haven’t tried it with coconut sugar but I think it would work.
One more question can I used extra virgin olive oil or would it ruin the taste?
Thanks
Hi! Do you think I could do this in an 8-inch pan? That’s all I have and this looks amazing! Thanks
Yes, I’d use the directions for the 9-inch pan but add a few minutes to the baking time. So for an 8 inch it might be 28-30 minutes total-ish. [To make this in a 9-inch cake pan, use just one pan and bake for 24-26 minutes or until a cake tester inserted in the center comes out cleanly. Be sure to grease the pan well to ensure it doesn’t stick.]
Ok-Thanks!
Is there a way to substitute banana instead of sugar for this recipe?
I haven’t tried it that way so I can’t say for sure.
This is the best chocolate cake I’ve ever made! It’s so moist and chocolaty, so quick to make and the fact that it’s vegan and healthy is just amazing! Never have to look for another recipe for chocolate cake again! Thank you!
I feel the same—so glad you do too!
hi! If you wanted to make the cake’s more than one day in advance can you freeze/fridge them until ready?
You could freeze them! I’d place onto a paper plate, and wrap well in plastic wrap.
hi! can you use this recipe to make cupcakes? any changes in cook time?
Sure you can! I think baking time will be similar, though I think likely 16-18 minutes. Let me know if you try it!