If you're wanting to make a decadent cake but are limited on ingredients, this Vegan Chocolate Bundt Cake is the treat for you! It uses simple pantry staples, and requires no eggs or dairy!
Happy Tuesday! The first day of school has officially been survived, so to celebrate, I made Vegan Chocolate Cake. With a deep, dark chocolate glaze. And SPRINKLES! Wheee! My poor little best friend had her wisdom teeth removed a few days ago, and she has just been so miserable and unable to eat any solid food. Yesterday she went, "All I want to eat is chocolate cake! Is that such a bad thing?" So I thought, well... I can work with that. This cake is both a reward for starting school AND a sweet treat to help my friend feel better. And as a bonus, it's vegan and absolutely, positively delicious.
This recipe is actually just my trusty vegan chocolate cake recipe, doubled and baked in a bundt pan for maximum ease and laziness! Bundt cakes are my favorite... all you have to do is bake them and the pan makes them pretty all by itself. Pour some glaze on top, add sprinkles, and you've got a party-ready dessert in under an hour! P.S. 45 minutes of that hour are just the cake baking away all by itself... easy-peasy. This is equally perfect as an after-school snack as it is for a casual gathering. It tastes like a cross between a rich chocolate cake and a brownie! Chocolatey perfection. All I really have to say is that vegans and non-vegans alike LOVE this cake, and nobody is going to miss the eggs or dairy milk or butter.
- *for the cake*
- 2½ cups all-purpose flour
- 2 cups white granulated sugar
- 1 cup cocoa powder
- 2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup unsweetened nondairy milk
- 1 cup water
- ⅔ cup vegetable oil
- 4 tablespoon white vinegar
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- *for the glaze*
- ½ cup unsweetened canned coconut milk (or other nondairy milk)
- 1 cup vegan chocolate chips
- sprinkles, for topping
- Preheat the oven to 350F.
- Spray a bundt cake pan with nonstick spray, dust with flour, and set aside.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa, sugar, salt, baking powder, and baking soda.
- Add in the nondairy milk, water, and oil, and mix vigorously. Add in the vinegar and vanilla, and mix until well combined.
- Pour the batter into the prepared pan, and bake for 40-45 minutes.
- Let cake cool completely before removing from the pan.
- While the cake cools, make the glaze.
- If using full-fat coconut milk, be sure to shake the can to combine. Light coconut milk usually does not separate.
- Combine the coconut milk and chocolate chips in a microwave-safe bowl, and heat in 30 second intervals, mixing in-between, until the mixture is smooth and melted.
- Once cake is cooled, flip onto a plate and pour the glaze on top. Top with sprinkles and serve!
Annie says
The cake looks incredible on its own - but that glaze! Takes it right over the top! Thanks for sharing this yumminess at the weekly Potluck!
Evelyn says
How much salt should I be adding?
[email protected] says
Hi Evelyn! You should add about 1/2 teaspoon of salt. I just added it to the recipe, thank you for pointing that out 🙂
Sean says
Ghirardelli's semisweet chocolate is not vegan as it contains milk fat in it....
valentina says
Hi Sean! The label for the semisweet kind does not state that it contains milk fat specifically, just says it "May contain milk". Depending on how strict of a vegan you are, that may or may not be acceptable. My vegan best friend regularly uses it. The bittersweet kind, however (60%) does specify milk fat. Hope this helps!
Yvette says
White vinegar like you put on fries? Not cider vinegar?
valentina says
Yes ma'am! I use plain white vinegar because it has a higher acid content than apple cider vinegar, so it reacts more strongly with the baking soda to cause the cake to rise. You're welcome to try the cider vinegar but the cake may not rise as much!
Maggie says
Once made, does it need to be stored in the fridge or can it sit on the counter over night?
valentina says
I have left it on the counter without problems, just be sure to cover it with something! 🙂 You can refrigerate it if you want but I find that it makes it dried!
Mallory Schwartz says
can I make it a few days ahead of time? Thank you!
valentina says
Hi Mallory! The cake does stay pretty moist but I would recommend making it no sooner than 2 days before! I would wrap the cake up in plastic wrap to keep it soft and wait to add the glaze until serving 🙂
Ruthie says
I made this yesterday and it tasted so salty I had to throw the whole thing away. I am not sure what went wrong. It looked amazing.
valentina says
I am so sorry to hear that, Ruthie! I've made this many times and have never had it come out salty. Perhaps did you add in half a tablespoon of salt instead of half a teaspoon? Either way, I am so sorry it was a disappointment 🙁
Dawn says
I’ve made this dozens of times and never is it too salty. I also keep it in the fridge as I think it tastes way better Cold
Molly says
I made this for my birthday on Friday and it came out great! I didn't have white vinegar, but I used rice vinegar and it seemed to work really well. I would definitely make this again.
valentina says
Thanks for your sweet comment, Molly! I'm glad you enjoyed it! 🙂
Anca says
This cake came out great, very moist. I only had sweetened almond milk and I left it glazeless, but changed nothing else. It was even better the next day.
valentina says
Thank you so much for your comment, Anca! I'm glad you enjoyed it! 🙂
Simmi Patel says
I bake this cake a lot and it is always amazing and I always have a lot of positive responses. It is quite easy except you have to allow it to cool all the way before you flip it. This can take some time so don't be in a hurry. Once I flipped it too early and have of the cake ended up on the floor. The cake was so good that my brother stated that he couldn't believe I threw the half that fell on the floor away because he would have gladly eaten it.
valentina says
Thank you so much for sharing, Simmi! I'm so glad that you've had so much success with this cake! That is too funny about your brother, but it really is too good to waste. 😉 I have also found that it needs to cool a bit before turning out of the pan. In my experience however, if it cools completely then it tends to stick for me! I guess it just takes a bit of trial and error to figure out what works best for your pan 🙂
Alison says
Hi there, is there anything I can use in place of the sugar, to make it (almost) sugar free?
Thank you!
valentina says
Hi Alison! Unfortunately I don't have much experience with sugar-free baking. 🙁 I think your best bet would be to use stevia or another sugar substitute that is cup-for-cup so that the volume of the recipe isn't thrown off. You could also use coconut sugar for a more natural option. Here is a page from a fellow blogger with some sugar substitute pointers- https://www.biggerbolderbaking.com/how-to-substitute-sugar/
Best of luck! Let me know how it turns out!
Augusto says
I can remplace it for panela or dark brown sugar?
valentina says
Hi Augusto, I have not tried it myself but I think that would work just fine!
Hanah says
Hi from London!! I discovered your recipe and gave it a go today. This is definitely the best chocolate cake I've ever made. My whole family love it!! The cake it self is very moist and not too sweet. and the glaze is so lovely and light. I feared it'd be sickly, but it is far from that.
Not to mention that it's vegan! Definitely will be scrapping my old recipe!
Thankyou so much
Rose Winter says
Hello, thanks for a great recipe. I made this for my granddaughters 21st family tea and she loved it. We are not vegan but I am about to make two more for other events. It looks fabulous in the bunds tin and I had no problem buying chocolate that is milk free, I think it was 70% cocoa. We live in Tasmania, Australia. Kind regards
Ruth-Ann says
I’m excited to see this recipe as I need to make a cake suitable for both vegans and non-vegans, and as you say, a bundt looks gorgeous and doesn’t need frosting. I have a question- I am making this today, two days before the event. I’ll keep it in a cake dome in a cool place until then. Can I glaze it the night before or does it need to be done the same day? Thanks!
valentina says
Hi Ruth-Ann! I am so excited that you'll be making my cake! You can definitely glaze it the night before if you would like. If anything it will help keep the cake extra moist!
Ruth-Ann says
Thanks - great to hear! I guess it means it will 'set' and not stay "runny"?
It has just come out of the oven; my bundt is a bit larger than yours so I also made 7 cupcakes. I just tasted one - wow! That is some good cake! You're right, if I didn't make it myself I wouldn't have believed it is vegan. Dark, moist, chocolate-y but not dense or heavy - perfect texture A definitely keeper for these situations (or when I want a cake and have no eggs!) - thanks for posting this. 🙂 Happy Thanksgiving (I'm in Canada).
valentina says
I'm so glad to hear it came out well! It really is one of my favorite chocolate cake recipes. You'd never suspect it has no butter or eggs 🙂 And yes the glaze will thicken and set a bit but still be soft!
Ruth-Ann says
Thanks again - it was a hit!
Kathy says
Can I use coconut oil as a sub for the vegetable oil? I usually sub coconut for vegetable with no issues but I have not done this with a bundt cake.
Heather says
I don't usually comment on recipes unless they're really bad or really good and this one is AMAZING. I made this to take to work, so I took a little scoop of batter and made a tester. My husband tried it and legitimately did not believe it was vegan (we are not vegans, but one of my co-workers is). I will definitely be making this again.
Shannon Leigh says
This cake is both easy to make and delicious. It is moist and dense and rich. I made it an a bundt pan this weekend for my mom's birthday. Thank you so much for sharing.
valentina says
Thank you so much for your comment, Shannon! I am so happy you guys liked it 🙂
Abby says
Hi. I saw this post on pinterest, and I made the cake last night. Came out perfect. Great tasting, easy recipe. Thanks!
valentina says
Thank you so much, Abby! I am glad you liked it 🙂
Lynne says
Love this cake so much I adapted it for Xmas, by using Tia Maria by splitting water half and half with the booze. I also added about 300 g of dark chocolate drops! I like it hot with ice cream.
Minal says
What can I use instead unsweetened almond milk? Can I use whole milk?
valentina says
Yes, you can use any kind of milk!
Minal Shah says
This turned out amazing. I baked it twice and friends loved it. Thanks for sharing such a wonderful recipe.
Claire M Duvall says
This looks delicious. Have you ever tried making it ahead of time and freezing it?
valentina says
Hi Claire! I don't usually freeze my desserts so I have no idea how it would behave to be honest! It's a really quick recipe to whip up though - I do recommend making it fresh for best results.
Anna says
I have made this cake twice in the past two months. First, for my birthday, then for my boyfriend’s birthday. He is not vegan but he LOVED it just as much as I did! It was easy to make and a delicious treat for each of us every night for a week!
Lisa says
I made this today. It took it another 20-30 minutes past the set amount to get the internal temp up to the right amount. I only checked because it was still jiggly after 45min. Even now, the inside ring on the cake (which is cooling on a rack) still feels nearly raw. I put it back in the oven (not in the pan) for another 10 and it’s still raw feeling. As it’s vegan, I’m sure it will still taste good and we can treat it as a lava cake. Just not sure what happened!
valentina says
Thanks for your comment Lisa!! I am not sure what happened but the bake time can definitely vary depending on the size and shape of your pan! A very deep pan will take a long time to come up to temperature and bake! I do find that covering the top of the pan with foil to trap the heat in helps!
Kaitlyn says
This was so delicious! Made this recipe today and it was so easy to follow and was by far the best chocolate cake I have made since going vegan! It also holds the shape of the pan very well, great for intricate designs!
Karen W Parrish says
I love this recipe and have made it several times, exactly as is! Always a big hit 🙂
My friend has recently had to eliminate gluten from her diet. Have you ever made this gluten-free? Or can you recommend gluten-free flours that might work with this recipe?
Thank you!
Tess says
I made this before and it turned out really delicious! What do you suggest I do different if I use a 10 cup Bundt pan instead of a 12 cup pan? (Just don’t pour all the batter?) Thanks!
valentina says
Hey Tess!! You may need to halve or 75% the recipe if using a 10 cup bundt pan. I know even with the 12 cup, it is almost completely full so I am afraid it would overflow! Or you could make the recipe as written and make 6 cupcakes with the extra batter 🙂
Tess says
All the batter fit just fine my Nordic Ware 10-cup Heritage Bundt pan, no overflow! I baked it for 55 minutes. I topped with the glaze, raspberries and mini chocolate chips. Thanks again for the very good recipe!
valentina says
That sounds great! I am so glad to hear that. Happy you enjoyed the cake! 🙂
Shaz says
Hi! I’m going to make your delicious cake for the first time this weekend! I have two questions please: 1. If I use self-raising flour do I still add the vinegar? 2. My oven has no fan-force, so should I adjust the temperature or cooking time? Thank you so much, I’m really excited!!
valentina says
Hi Shaz! Thank you for your comment. Honestly I do not recommend self-raising flour as you cannot control how much baking soda/baking powder is in the flour. This particular recipe has a good bit of rising agents to ensure the right texture and rise - regardless, you would still add the vinegar as it interacts with the rising agents. As for the second question, my oven is also not a fan/convection oven so the temp and time should be the same for you!
Lena Pfeffer says
Today is the second time I've made this cake. Oh my goodness! It is the most delicious, moist cake I've ever had! Especially for a vegan cake! It's my husband's favorite! I even bought sprinkles because it makes it so festive and professional! Bravo!!!
Sandra Tofts says
This is the best chocolate cake I've ever made!! And, so easy!! Love that it's vegan too!! Win-win!!
valentina says
Yay! Thank you so much for your sweet comment, Sandra. I am glad you liked it! 🙂
Kim says
This looks amazing! Could it be made as a layer cake as well?
valentina says
Hi Kim! You absolutely can. I actually use this same recipe for all my chocolate layer cakes on this blog!
Jessica A Johnson says
I made this cake this morning, but could not wait to taste it. DELICIOUS and so simple to make. I sprinkled pecans on top instead of sprinkles. I will certainly be making this again soon!
Ashleigh says
LOVE this cake! It is a huge hit for my family! I was wondering if it would work for cupcakes?
valentina says
Hi Ashleigh! Thank you so much for your comment - I am glad you are a fan! 🙂 You can absolutely make this cake as cupcakes - here is one of my recipes you can convert to plain chocolate cupcakes, just skip the oreo (but I'll let you in on a secret, all of my vegan chocolate cupcake recipes use this as a base recipe!) https://www.thebakingfairy.net/2019/06/vegan-birthday-cake-oreo-cupcakes/
Ashleigh says
Excellent! Thank you!
Alaia says
This cake was so easy to make and tasted wonderful! Definitely a great way to satiate that chocolate craving.
Thanks for sharing this wonderful vegan recipe! <3<3<3
Karen says
This has become my go-to cake for everything! The recipe is easy to follow, most of the ingredients I keep on hand anyway, only one bowl for mixing, and it is SO moist and delicious! Recently, I used crushed oreos instead of sprinkles...yum!
Thank you so much for sharing this!
Kathie says
Fantastic cake! I've made this recipe many times. In the cake, I substitute coffee for the water and use cacao powder.
My glaze is:
1 Cup confectioner's Sugar
3 Tbs Cacao
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
3 Tbs coffee
(Whisk wet into dry and use immediately)
Colleen says
I LOVE this recipe. I've made it three times and every time I use more applesauce and less oil...I'm down to only 2 TBS oil now....and it is STILL moist and yummy! I make it in a mini bundt pan (Half the recipe) and it looks adorable and festive. Even the non-vegans in the family say "it tastes like a real chocolate cake", lol, the strongest endorsement you can get! Thank you SO much!!
valentina says
Thank you so much for your kind comment, Colleen! I'm glad it has been such a hit. I have never made this cake using applesauce but now I will have to try! 🙂