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This is the BEST dairy free chocolate cake ever! It's moist, fluffy, with rich chocolate flavor and a fudgy chocolate buttercream. It's the perfect dairy free cake recipe that will keep you coming back for more!
Do you remember the cake from the movie Matilda? Arguably one of the best looking chocolate cakes ever. Well, this dairy free chocolate cake tastes how I imagine the cake from that movie tasted.
Decadent and rich and incredibly hard to stop eating! I'm not ashamed to admit I sometimes just sit in front of the entire cake and go at it with a fork (and no, I am not kidding!).
Seriously, this is the only chocolate cake recipe you'll need. It's a perfect go-to dairy free cake recipe for weddings, birthdays, holidays, or any other occasion!
You can decorate it however you like, and I promise no one will ever know it's dairy free! If you're a chocolate lover, you'll also love this dairy free chocolate orange cake or this vegan Oreo cake!
Why This Dairy Free Chocolate Cake Works
- You can easily adapt this recipe to fit different pan sizes (instructions are further down in the post).
- This cake pairs perfectly with just about any type of frosting!
- The recipe uses oil instead of butter to create the ultimate light and fluffy texture.
- Did I mention how easy it is to make? Seriously - one bowl and no mixer required for the cake!
Ingredients Needed
- Dairy free milk: My preferred dairy free milk for making cakes and cupcakes is unsweetened soy milk, but you can use any dairy free milk you'd like!
- Hot water: hot water helps dissolve the cocoa powder and causes it to "bloom", which basically means it brings out a ton of chocolate flavor! The water doesn't have to be boiling, it can just be hot tap water.
- Oil: this cake uses canola oil instead of butter which is key to a fluffy, light crumb and makes the cake stay moist for days. You can also use sunflower oil or other neutral vegetable oil.
- Vegetable Shortening: I always use shortening in my buttercream recipes. It makes the buttercream more firm and easy to frost or pipe the cake with. You can replace this with dairy free butter but the buttercream may not hold it's shape quite as well as it would with shortnening.
- Cocoa powder: I recommend using dutch processed cocoa powder and measuring it with a kitchen scale to ensure you don't use too much. Over-measuring your cocoa powder (or flour) will lead to a dry cake.
- Flour: This recipe uses all-purpose flour, and the best way to achieve a perfect chocolate cake every time is to properly measure your flour using a kitchen scale. You can use white whole wheat flour as well but the cake will be a bit more dense than the all purpose flour version!
Step By Step Instructions
Note: Full ingredient measurements and instructions can be found in the recipe card at the bottom of this page.
Step One: Preheat the oven to 350°F. Prepare two 8 inch round cake pans. Spray the inside with cooking spray, then cut round pieces of parchment paper so that they fit in the bottom of each pan. Set aside.
Step Two: In a large bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa powder, sugar, salt, baking soda, and baking powder.
Step Three: Mix in the eggs, vanilla, and oil, then add the milk. Pour in the hot water and whisk until smooth.
Step Four: Divide the batter between the cake pans and bake for 20-26 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the middle of the cakes comes out clean.
Let the cakes cool in the pans then remove them from the pans upside down onto a cooling rack.
Step Five: Make the buttercream by mixing the butter and shortening together until smooth. Add in the cocoa powder, vanilla extract, powdered sugar, and salt.
Add milk to thin out the buttercream if needed. Place the buttercream in the fridge then assemble the cake once the cakes have cooled completely.
FAQs and Expert Tips
Yes! This recipe will make 24 cupcakes.
Yes. To make this into a sheet cake, you can pour the batter into the prepared 9x13 pan and bake for around 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle of the cake comes out clean.
You will only need around half of the amount of buttercream if making this recipe as a sheet cake.
Yep! The cake layers will be slightly thinner if baked in 9 inch pans and the cakes will bake quicker so I would start checking on them around 16 minutes.
Absolutely! I find it's easiest to just divide the batter between three cake pans (you'll have thinner cake layers). You can also just multiply the ingredients in the recipe by 1.5.
If you have a sensitivity to eggs or follow a vegan diet, check out this vegan chocolate cake instead! You can double the recipe and divide the batter between two 8 inch cake pans.
I haven't tested this cake with gluten free flour, so I can't say for sure how it will turn out. If you want to try it, I would suggest using all purpose gluten free 1-1 baking flour, which I think would work well.
Expert Tips
- Number one tip: properly measure your flour! The cake texture will not be as light and fluffy and the cake could turn out dry if you over-measure your flour. I recommend a $10 kitchen scale to weigh your flour or fluff up the flour in the bag, scoop it into the measuring cup using a spoon, then level it off.
- Do not over-mix! This can lead to a dense cake texture. The cake batter only needs to be mixed until the dry ingredients are just incorporated.
- Check on the cakes early to make sure that they are not over-baked (over-baking will lead to dry cake).
- Don't skip the parchment paper lining at the bottom of the pan! My cakes always used to stick to the pan or break when they came out until I started lining the bottom with parchment paper.
- Let the cakes cool for at least 20 minutes in the pan before trying to remove them. Run a butter knife around the outside of the cake before flipping it upside down onto the cooling rack.
- Adjust the amount of powdered sugar (confectioner's sugar) or add milk to achieve the perfect buttercream consistency. If the buttercream seems to thin, add a bit more powdered sugar (¼ cup at a time). If it seems too thick, add in dairy free milk, 1 tablespoon at a time until your desired consistency is reached.
Storage and Freezing Instructions
The cake can be stored covered at room temperature for 3-4 days. I store mine in a cake carrier.
When possible, wait until close to the time you want to serve the cake to frost it.
To freeze the cake layers, let them cool completely, then tightly wrap them in plastic wrap, then aluminium foil. Freeze in ziploc bags for up to 3 months, then let them thaw at room temperature.
Leftover buttercream can be stored in an airtight container in the freezer for up to 2 months. Thaw it in the fridge then mix it up using a handheld or standing mixer before using it.
More Cake Recipes You'll Love
If you make this recipe, let me know how it went in the comments below, I’d love to hear from you! You can also tag me on Instagram or Facebook so I can check it out!
Dairy Free Chocolate Cake
Equipment
- Handheld or Standing Mixer
Ingredients
Dairy Free Chocolate Cake
- 1½ cups all-purpose flour
- 1¼ cup granulated sugar
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ¾ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 2 eggs
- 1 cup water, hot
- ½ cup canola oil (or sunflower oil)
- ½ cup dairy free milk of choice (I use unsweetened soy milk)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Dairy Free Chocolate Buttercream
- 1 cup vegan butter
- ½ cup vegetable shortening OR vegan butter (SEE NOTES)
- 1 ¼ cup cocoa powder
- 2¾-3 cup icing sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1-2 tablespoon dairy free milk of choice (as needed)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F and prepare two 8 inch round cake pans. Spray the inside with cooking spray, then cut round pieces of parchment paper so that they fit in the bottom of each pan (do not skip the parchment paper lining!)
- Whisk flour, cocoa powder, sugar, salt, baking powder, baking soda together in a large bowl.
- Add in the eggs, vanilla, oil, and milk. Pour in the hot water and mix until smooth.
- Divide the batter evenly between the two cake pans and bake on the middle rack of the oven for 20-26 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle of the cakes comes out clean.
- Let the cakes cool in the pans for 20 minutes, then run a butter knife around the outside of the cake to loosen it from the pan and flip upside down onto a cooling rack to cool completely.
- Make the buttercream. In the bowl of a standing mixer or handheld mixer, beat vegan butter and vegetable shortening together until combined. Beat in the cocoa powder until smooth.
- Add in the vanilla extract, then add the icing sugar, ¼ cup at a time until desired consistency is reached. If the buttercream is too thick, add in milk 1 tablespoon at a time to thin it out to the consistency you want. If it's too thin, add in more confectioner's sugar (powdered sugar) ¼ cup at a time.
- Once the cakes have cooled completely, frost them and enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
The calorie information provided for this recipe is an estimate. The accuracy of the calories listed is not guaranteed.
Mica
Can I make the frosting using only vegetable shortening? Thx!
Gabby
I wouldn't recommend it honestly, since butter has a much better flavor than shortening. But it would work, yes.
Niesha
Would this be considered soy free as well??
Gabby
You'd have to check the labels individual ingredients that you are using for soy or traces of soy if this is a concern. For example, vegetable shortening may contain soy, and certain vegan butter is not soy free. You can use any type of dairy free milk (doesn't have to be soy milk) and always read the labels of all your ingredients to make sure they are free from any allergens that you are avoiding.
Lori H
The flavors were so amazing! But it crumbled so badly when I sliced it that it kind of ruined the presentation, any suggestions for slicing it so that it stays together? Thank you for the yummy dairy-free recipe.
Gabby
Hi Lori! I'm so happy you loved the cake! It is a soft and tender crumb, but it shouldn't crumble to that extent...next time you could try refrigerating or freezing it for a short while before slicing. If you haven't already, also maybe make sure that the liquid and dry ingredients were measured correctly (in grams). Thanks for the review!
Alison
Gorgeous cake. I looked for a lovely dairy free chocolate cake for my nephew and this came up and I have to say none of us were disappointed. It was lovely.
Gabby
I am so happy the cake was a hit Alison! Thank you for the review!
Amber
I am so impressed with this chocolate cake! I've made several different recipes found online of chocolate cakes and all the ones I have tried before this one always seemed bitter and/or dry to me. This cake is so moist and has a perfectly sweetened chocolate flavor to it. This is going to be my new go-to chocolate cake recipe. Thank you for this amazing recipe and helping me create a birthday cake for my sister-in-law in a pinch!
Gabby
I am so happy you loved it Amber! It's my favorite too, thanks so much for taking the time to leave a review! 🙂
Jenny
Cannot thank you enough for this recipe! My daughter is allergic to dairy and wanted a chocolate cake for her birthday. This was the best chocolate cake I have ever made, including ones with real dairy!! It is definitely akin to the chocolate cake from Matilda - fluffy, moist, perfectly
Balanced sweetness, and SO chicolatey!! I’ve printed this recipe out in case it ever disappears from the internet - that would be a tragedy!
Gabby
Hi Jenny! What a wonderful review! This really made my day, thank you so much for taking the time to let me know how much you loved the cake! It's my personal favorite too, so it won't be disappearing from the internet 😀
Patty
This recipe is DELICIOUS! Made it as a birthday cake for my daughter and it was a huge hit with the whole family. Thank you for the recipe!
Gabby
Yay! I am so happy to hear that you all loved it! And thank you for taking the time to leave a review 🙂
Rachel
Hiya, just wanted to let you know the metric tab is not working correctly, it translates 1 1/2 cups of flour as 185g and 1 1/4 cups of sugar as 250g. The batter looked extremely thin when I made it using the metric tab measurements and it was only then I noticed that the measurements using the metric tab are a bit off.
Gabby
Hi Rachel, those are the correct metric measurements for flour and sugar, I manually entered them myself. The batter is supposed to be thin, don't worry the cake turns out perfectly 🙂
Michelle
I made this and everyone who tried it said it was the best chocolate cake they’d ever had. At first I didn’t believe them but then I tried it myself and I was honestly shocked. I have tried a lot of chocolate cake recipes over the years and I’ve never found one that I felt I could actually eat the entire thing by myself while standing over the kitchen sink. It’s incredibly moist, somewhat fudgy, just the right amount of chocolate, not dense or dry. This is a winner and is my new go-to chocolate cake recipe!
Gabby
Hi Michelle! YAY! This is such an incredible compliment, thank you so much for taking the time to share your feedback! 🙂