Vegan Chocolate Cake with Chocolate Peanut Butter Ganache. Sogt, Moist Fudgy Chocolate Layer Cake! Use sunbutter or coconut cream to make nut-free. Vegan Soy-free Palmoil-free Recipe. Jump to Recipe
Lets get on with some chocolate goodies for Valentine’s day, shall we. And Make this gorgeous vegan chocolate layer cake! I made this for our anniversary weekend and it worked like a charm to bring a huge smile on hubbs face with each bite. The cake is Moist, not too sweet and just the right amount of decadent for us.
This easy Vegan Chocolate Cake is layered with a smooth chocolate nut butter ganache glaze. I use smooth almond butter. Any smooth nut or seed butter should work. The cake ages really well and tastes best the next day as the ganache adds more moisture to it. Add fruit preserves like raspberry, apricot, blackberries between the layers. I use raw unrefined sugar in this cake, that I blend to powder in my blender before use. Use any fine or powdered sugar of choice.
This makes a big 8 inch layer cake. Don’t want the huge cake? make this individual Chocolate Layer Cake for One. No Bake.
What are your plans for the weekend?
More chocolate goodness from the blog
- Peanut or almond Butter, Chocolate Marble Cake.
- Brownies, loads of Brownies
- Vegan Almond Butter Blondies with Chocolate Chips
- Vegan Chocolate Pumpkin Cake and Cake Mix In a Jar
- Vegan Chocolate Layer Cake for One. No Bake. Made on stove top.
Some No Bake Chocolate Pies here.
These sharp and beautiful slices are by my new Kramer knife that hubbs got for me. He knows what will be appreciated!
And while you are here, please do read this National Geographic article about how the Tiger Temple in Thailand, one of the premier attractions which claims monks live in harmony with the tigers, is connected to Wildlife parts trade, drugging and abusing of these magnificent wild beings. Updates about the temple can be followed on this facebook page.
Recipe Card
Vegan Chocolate Cake with Chocolate Peanut Butter Ganache
Ingredients
Cake : makes two 8 inch pans
Dry:
- 1 cup (125 g) wheat flour
- 1 cup (125 g) unbleached all purpose flour
- 1/2 cup (43 g) cocoa powder
- 1 1/2 tsp (1.5 tsp) baking soda
- 1 1/4 cup (150 g) powdered vegan sugar , 2 Tbsp more for sweeter - blend raw sugar to fine powder to use or use wholesome sweeeteners vegan powdered sugar
- 1/2 (0.5) scant tsp salt
Wet:
- 1 1/2 cups (366 ml) non dairy milk divided
- 1/3 cup (60 g) non dairy chocolate chips or bar semi sweet chips, or dark chocolate for dark/bittersweet cake
- 1/3 cup (1.98 oz) oil
- 1 tsp vinegar apple cider vinegar or white vinegar
- 1 1/2 tsp (1.5 tsp) vanilla extract
- 3 tbsp maple syrup
Glaze:
- 1/2 cup (122 ml) non dairy milk
- 1/3-1/2 cup (40 g) powdered sugar
- 2/3 cup (116.67 ml) or more non dairy semi sweet chocolate like Enjoy Life
- 1/2 tsp (0.5 tsp) vanilla extract
- 1/4 cup (62.5 g) smooth peanut butter or almond butter or other seed or nut butter
- Fruit preserves like raspberry apricot, cherry (optional)
Instructions
Cake:
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F / 170ºc. In a bowl, whisk all the dry ingredients for the cake really well.
- In another bowl, heat 1 cup of non dairy milk and chocolate until just about hot (heat in the microwave or stove top). Whisk until chocolate is melted. Add in the rest of the wet ingredients and 1/2 cup non dairy milk and mix in until smooth..
- Add the dry to the wet and mix to make a smooth batter.
- Transfer batter to two greased or parchment lined 8 inch cake pans.
- Bake at 350 degrees F / 170ºc for 30 to 34 minutes. or until toothpick from the center comes out clean. Do not overbake as the cakes can get crusty or dry.
- Let the cakes cool for 10 minutes then remove from the pan and cool on the rack completely before adding a glaze or ganache. Cover the cakes with a towel while it is cooling to prevent drying out. To shorten the cooling time, cover the cakes with a towel or parchment or a lid and place in the fridge for 15-20 minutes.
Ganache:
- Heat the non dairy milk + sugar in a pan over medium heat, until just about hot. Mix well. Add in the chocolate, mix once and take the pan off heat. Keep mixing until the chocolate is melted and smooth.
- Add in the vanilla and peanut butter or other nut butter. Mix until smooth. Chill in the refrigerator for 20 to 30 minutes to thicken to desired consistency.
- Pour some of the ganache on one cake. Spread using a spatula to even out if needed. Let the ganache set in the refrigerator for 15 to 20 minutes or freezer for 10.
- Add a thin even layer of fruit preserves on the other cake (optional) (warm the preserves to make them easier to spread if needed). Place this cake on top of the cake with the ganache glaze. Pour the rest of the glaze over the top cake. Spread using a spatula if needed. Let the ganache set in the refrigerator for half an hour. If you have more ganache left, pour over the set glaze for another layer. Cover the cake and let it chill for a few hours before serving.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Tips to make a great vegan chocolate cake
- Chocolate cakes can tend to dry out or get hard edges if baked too long. If your cake tends to do that, reduce the baking time by 5 mins. Ovens heat differently, the pans, cocoa/chocolate brand etc add to the iffy behavior.
- A ganache or glaze will help add moisture to the cake. Let the cake chill with the ganache for a few hours for best results of overall moisture.
- If the cake is overbaked (too dry). crumble it up, add some ganache and make into cake snack balls
- Use good quality chocolate. It adds amazing flavor and texture.
Cristina
Wonderful!!!! I used raspberry jam and placed a layer of raspberries in the middle, on the ganache.
Rob
Is the glaze shelf stable out of the fridge?
Richa
yes once chilled, it will be fine for a few hours if its not too hot out.
Ran
Has anyone tried using applesauce instead of oil?
Marci
I appreciate you sharing this recipe. Not commenting to criticize, just to make others aware to check on their cake early. For me, the cake cooked MUCH faster than the instructions say. I took it out of the oven after 22 minutes and it was still overcooked/dry. The ganache was delicious though! Thank you!
Richa
Pans and ovens can change the times significantly. Ovens can run hotter so definitely check cakes very early. Hopefully the ganache added some moisture back to the cake
Alexis
Lovely cake! I made this as a birthday cake and it was nice and moist and everyone loved it!
Richa
yay!
Adrianna
I’m thinking of making this for my daughter’s 1st birthday party do you think I could make it with the ganache then chill it and cover with a vegan swiss meringue buttercream so that the cake is white on the outside? If so any advice/ tips for success?
Richa
it should work when the ganache is chilled. you can prob use less non dairy milk in the ganache, so its thicker and it sets more onchilling. That will make a more stablebase to spread the buttercream. Or you could add chocolate filling between layers onlyand buttercream as the main frosting outside
Adrianna
Excellent thanks I’ll give it a try and let you know how I go
Susy
Hi Richa,
I always love using your recipes! I have two of your books.
I have a question about this recipe. I am wanting to make just the chocolate cake, without the ganache. This is because I plan to use a vegan pecan coconut frosting. Would you recommend this recipe for just a plane chocolate cake recipe, or is there a different recipe you recommend? Thank you so much!
Richa
the cake will work just fine with any frosting.
Nica
Made this cake last night on a whim. It came out beautifully and was absolutely delicious! I have tried many other vegan chocolate cake recipes and this one has been the best. My whole family loved it! Thank you for a great recipe.
Richa
yay!!
Teri Post
This cake sounds amazing and I would love to try it but we are WFPB with no oil. Can I substitute something for the oil?
Richa
You can use applesauce instead of oil for the cake. There is oil already in the chocolate chips, so you wouldnt be able to eliminate that
Noelia
Is it ok to use whole wheat flour or which one do you recommend. I’m a bit confused with which one you ask for. Thank you
Richa
I use a mix of whole wheat and all purpose
Mel
Amazing recipe! I was not too happy with taste of the cake batter, but it was great once it was out of the oven. And the ganache…it took a lot of willpower not to finish it before I put it on the cake! 🙂 I made two layers and put a homemade raspberry compote in between, and let the ganache chill on the cake overnight.
I made this cake for my partner, who is vegan, and for a few non-vegans, and everybody was shocked that it was actually vegan! I’m not vegan myself but after trying your recipes (and doing some research) I think I want to make the switch. Thanks a lot Richa!
Richa
awesome!
Anna
Made this into cupcakes a few days ago – followed recipe exactly but baked for 15 min., brushed tops with raspberry preserves, then cooled and topped with ganache (using almond butter), glazed fresh raspberries, and toasted almond slices. They turned out awesome! My very meat-and-potatoes coworkers loved them, couldn’t believe they were vegan. So rich and fudgy. Will definitely make again. Thank you!
Richa
awesome!
Tomas
I just tried this cake, because I simply love chocolate. I substituted peanut butter for hazelnut butter and added few drops of orange aroma to make the ganache a bit more fresh in taste and it worked. Also reduced the sugar amount by 1/4 approximately. The best chocolate cake you can ever make!
Richa
awesome!!
May
Hi Richa,
Just got your everyday kitchen book. Looks awesome. The lentil walnut burgers were delicious!
I would like to make this cake GF for my son. Will your gluten free blend from the book work in this cake? If so how much should I be using instead of 2 cups wheat flour? Thanks
vivek garg
It might work. Make half a recipe and make into 6 inch cakes. You will need more than 1 cup of GF blend.
Ashley
Have you tried making this gluten free?
Richa
not this cake. You can use this recipe with more cocoa for a chocolate batter and bake into a cake pan. if the texture works out for you then bake another and use the ganache from this post
Richa
not this cake. You can use this recipe with more cocoa for a chocolate batter and bake into a cake pan. if the texture works out for you then bake another and use the ganache from this post
This recipe for gf cake https://www.veganricha.com/2018/02/gluten-free-cashew-or-peanut-butter-chocolate-marble-cake-vegan-gluten-free-cake.html
Abi
Hi Richa, if I only use whole wheat flour, will it drastically change the texture of the cake? Thanks in advance
Abhay
superb outcome!!!! Best chocolate cake ever!!
DS
Hi Richa,
Is the amount of sugar mentioned in the recipe measured before or after powdering it?
Also, how much of this recipe would i need for a 9×13 inch cake?
Richa
it comes to almost the same amount, maybe a tbsp less on powdering. so use same amount
jennifer roycroft
What type of oil do you reccomend?
Richa
neutral such as safflower, sunflower or canola
Krys
Everyone loved this – kids, vegans and non vegans alike!! Thank you so much 🙂
Richa
awesome!
Elisha
Thank you so much for sharing this recipe! Just made it and it’s a winner! A cake my whole family can enjoy. The ganache is actually better this version than dairy versions by a country mile.
Thank you
Naima
We made the cake today and it ended up flat and dry we couldn’t even fill two cake forms with the butter. It didn’t look like the picture at all.
Richa
I am sorry it didnt turn out. What flour did you use? Did you change anything in the recipe? Maybe the baking powder was old. This cake has been made several times (see comments) and I also see beautiful versions of it on social media. I can troubleshoot if you add some info on the ingredients, also how was the batter before baking.
Miranda Gravel
very good and easy to make, although the amount of sugar could easily be reduced. Wayyyyy too sweet!
apart from that, homemade hazelnut butter works like a charm! gives a Nutella-like taste to it. Thanks for the recipe!
Sr
What is the exact amount of the chocolate bar for the cake? How many oz?
Pam
Made this cake today without Ganache. Loved it! It came out to be perfect! Thanks for sharing recipe.
Richa
awesome
JS
Can brown sugar and almond milk be used as substitutions?
Richa
yes
Sr
Can I use regular granulated sugar instead of powdered? What’s the conversion?
Richa
You can use any sugar and same amount. If it is not fine sugar, put it in a blender and blend to make a fine close to powder sugar and use. The sugar is getting mixed int he dry in this recipe, which means it doesnt have enough time to disoolve like it would dissolve when used in wet ingredients. So you need finer sugar else the granulated sugar will have pieces in the cake.
Snigdha
Hey Richa, this looks out of the world and what perfect timing 🙂
I would like to try this GF. Your GF banana muffins have flour mix (almond + oats + coconut) of just over 1 cup. However this recipe uses 2 cups of flour. Could you please advise on exactly how much of the GF mix should I be using.
Thanks a ton.
Richa
I like this mix better for larger surface cakes like this https://www.veganricha.com/2017/12/vegan-gluten-free-christmas-cake-fruit-cake.html
I would do 6 inch cakes with the mix. Smaller cakes will give a higher success %
Snigdha
Thanks a lot Richa. Much appreciated.
I’ll give it a try.
Severine
Hello Richa.
I made the cake yesterday and it was perfect with a caramel frosting.
However, I have a question. What is the role of the maple syrup in the cake?
Do you think I can go without it?
Thank you for your insights.
Richa
It keeps the cake more moist as chocolate cakes an tend to dry on over baking. You can omit it and use a bit more oil and non dairy milk
Swati
Hi Richa,
I do not intend to make the cake vegan. Just looking for a recipe without eggs. Can I use regular low fat milk, choco -chips in this recipe?
Thanks
Swati
Richa
Hi Swati,
I cannot recommend using dairy in any of my recipes as his blog and I are vegan for ethical reasons. Many cows and baby calfs are killed worldwide for dairy. India is the largest exporter or beef and veal(baby cow meat) in all of the World, because of the Dairy industry. 2.4 Million Tonnes of beef and veal are exported each year, almost all of which comes from spent dairy female cows and baby male calfs who are useless for the dairy industry. 38500000 cows are slaughtered every year in India, that is 105900 per day, 4390 per hour.
Animal agriculture is also the largest producer of green house gasses, more than fossil fuels, and uses many times more Resources(water, land) of the planet.
The alternate non dairy milks and yogurts, chocolate taste equally good and are beneficial for people, health, environment, as well as the planet.
Environmental effects of the dairy industry include huge amounts of water needed for maintaining the cows(they drink lots of water and eat lots of plants that are water intense to grow), flushing and cleaning, pollution by methane and manure produced by cows and much more. Farming for alternate plant products that would produce plant based milks in comparison needs just a fraction of water.
Please do read up on the cost of dairy to our resources, the planet, the animals. https://www.onegreenplanet.org/animalsandnature/the-dairy-industry-and-the-environment/
Swati
Hi Richa,
These numbers are indeed horrifying. Thank you for sharing this valuable information. It has really made me think about the choices we ought to make as a responsible citizen of this planet. This recipe will definitely be followed exactly as it is. Will keep you posted on how it turned out:)Thank you for sharing these amazing recipes!!?
Richa
Thank you for reading Swati. Those are incredibly huge numbers. There are many alternate options that are available these days with increasing demand. Same flavor and texture.
Let me know how the cake turned out!
Madison
Looks delish and I plan on making this for my boyfriend’s birthday but I’m curious if you have the macros for this posted anywhere?!? That would be very helpful!
Richa
Awesome! just added below the recipe
PJ
Just made this cake for my wife’s birthday. We had a few hiccups with the recipe, but overall it tasted great.
Used two 10″ round pans (all we had)
Ended up using 1/2cup coconut oil instead of 1/4 of oil (silly mistake)
Noticed that the dry ingredients didn’t blend well. Still had small chunks of flour, chocolate powder and sugar. Looked kind and “grainy”
Didn’t have creamy peanut butter so used chunky instead
Put ganache on way too early and had it on too small of a plate (made a huge mess lol)
Even after all that it tasted pretty good. Maybe a little dry, but not too bad.
Thanks for the recipe. We will be trying this again soon once we get a few things.
Richa
hmm not sure what happened. You can use a whisk to mix in the dry ingredients into the wet. Sometimes the spatula or bowl style causes lumping. The cake dried out on over baking. Depending on your pan and oven temp, bake a few minutes less. a thick ganache also adds moisture back intot he cake even if baked a bit more. Hope the next try comes out fabulous! Serve the urrent one with some ice cream and melted chocolate for added moisture.
Dania
Hi, I made this cake and it was nice, taste wise, but texture wise, it was very dense! what to do to make it light and fluffy ?
Richa
Hmm, i am not sure. This cake should not be very dense. It should be airy enough with a moist chocolatey denseness but not a heavy dense cake. Maybe the baking soda was old? Try with new baking soda and use a bit more.
Dania
no, my baking soda was new. it rose well, just very dense.
Richa
What flours did you use? You can make the yellow cake which is very light and use 1/4 cup cocoa powder + 1 cup of flour instead of 1 1/4 cup of flour in the recipe.
Richa
here is yellow cake https://www.veganricha.com/2015/05/vegan-yellow-cake-recipe.html
Jessica
Hi!
I made this cake a month ago and I absolutely adored it (I left a review too)! As it’s my 21st birthday coming up, I was hoping I could recreate this cake into a mocha because chocolate and coffee is the best combination 🙂
Do you have any recommendations on how to adjust this recipe or if it is possible without changing the texture?
Thankyou!
Richa
Happy Birthday in advance. You sure can make this into a mocha cake. Add 2 tsp instant coffee into the wet and reduce the cocoa powder to 1/3 or 1/4 cup to keep it less intensely chocolate.
In the frosting, mix in a 1/2 cup coconut cream and 1 tsp instant coffee. Chill before using.
Kristina
I made this last night & it turned out pretty awesome! I think I may have overbaked it though cuz it was a little dry. Any suggestions on what I can add to ensure it’s moister?
Even my non vegan mom & step dad thought it was great & my mom is going to share it with the people who rent from her.
The ganache is what makes this cake awesome!
Richa
The ganache should leak some moisture into the cake as it chills. Or you can serve with chocolate syrup drizzled over each pieces. Chocolate chips melted with some non dairy milk. My sister does that to pretty much all chocolate cakes, frosting or not. For the next batch, bake 5 mins or so less
Jessica
Okay! so I just made this cake last night and although I didn’t wait until the cake was completely cool to put the glaze on so it didn’t look the best.. IT TASTED AMAZING! It was so rich and thick (I used 2 cups wholemeal) but it was just like mud cake, so tasty and yum. Your recipes honestly never let me down, THANK YOU! Love feeding non vegans these sorts of foods because they would NEVER GUESS. Thank you again for the amazing recipe, keep it up 🙂
Diane
I baked the cake, but halved the recipe so just in case I didn’t like it I wouldn’t be stuck with a big old cake. The frosting was good, and even though I used the best quality organic ingredients, I didn’t like the cake.
Richa
What in particular did you not like or would like to improve. Moistness, more chocolatey?, more fudgy ?
Andy
Do you think i can bake it one pan instead of two, and then justo cut it un half?
Richa
you can. Use a tall pan. And bake 10 to 15 minutes longer.
Andy
Do you think i could bake it in one pan instead of two, and then just cut it in half?
Richa
You could. Chill the cake for a few hours before slicing
Tracey
This cake is delicious however I did have some issues with the glaze, the consistency was very runny envelopes though I had left it in the fridge for 4 hours
Richa
Probably the nut butter, choolate or non dairy milk. If it is still thick glaze, use as glaze. or you can heat it up a bit, melt in some more chocolate chips and add some vegan butter.
Barbara Crowley
Made this tonight for my son’s birthday- huge hit! He isn’t vegan but he is lactose intolerant. Everyone said it was delicious. The recipe says it serves 4!
Richa
serves 8. updating.
Raquel
Does it need to be refrigerated?
Richa
Yes, the cake keeps refrigerated well for 4 days, else finish it within the day on the counter.
Caroline
I made this and it’s very good but definitely not as fluffy as it looks in the picture. I used rice milk in the recipe and when I was making the ganache the heat from the stove brought out a weird flavor in the milk so the ganache tastes a little off, but other than that it’s pretty good.
Richa
The cake would depend on various conditions, ingredients, baking powder, oven etc. I should probably add the non dairy milks that work best for the ganache. I like coconut milk, soy milk and almond milk best. i havent tried rice milk.
BatSheva
How trasportable is the cake. I’d like to travel on a plane with it…I’d keep the cake and ganach separate until I arrived
Richa
separately it should work out fine. Pack the cake in wrap or ziplock and then in a hard container so it doesnt get squished.
holly
Made this recipe all in one cake tin and it was delicious – great hit with all the staff!
Ruby
Hi Richa,
Recipe says it serves 4? I wanted to make it for at least 12 people, would I need to increase the ingredients for that?
Thanks
Richa
It should serve 6 to 8, depending on the size of the slices. Make 2 cakes. You want to make one to see how it turns out and then make another one, so just repeat the recipe.
Ruby
Thank you 🙂 will let you know how it came out.
Olivia
Can I use more regular flour in place of the wheat flour?
Richa
yes
kelz
could i use coconut sugar instead of the powdered sugar
Richa
yes you can. it will add a bit of coconut flavor, like coconut caramel chocolate.
Veronka
Hey Richa,
There is no baking powder in recipe, I am right? The cake is in the fridge but I had several problems. My glaze was too runny, next time I put some butter or more chocolate as I have read in the comments section. My main problem was that the cake has lifted too much in the pans, I put it on cooling rack, I tried to put one the lifted side on the bottom so it become more flat (but it broke instead). So when I wanted to put one on the other, it has left me a huge gap on the side of cake, and as my ganache was too runny I could not fill it up and both of the pieces of cake were not stable, they were moving all the time. I hope you understand what I mean. What should I change next time? Cut the part of the cake that has lifted too much? Will it not break? Thank you, have a nice day
Richa
for the cakes, use a sharp knife and slice the top to even it out.
For the ganache, yes use more chocolate. you can fold in melted chocolate into the ganache. Also chill it longer. It will firm up in the fridge. You can also pour the ganache and then chill and repeat for another pour and chill. This will create a thicker ganache that will set on chilling. And then place the cake on the set ganache. runnier ganache will make the cake unstable. if in a hurry put it in the freezer for half an hour. Hope this helps.
the chocolate and nut butter brands vary in the amount of oils in them, so the ganache can sometimes vary from a bit too thick to a bit runny. But the good thing is that you can reheat thee ganache to adjust the consistency and chill well for thicker.