Vegan Chocolate Chip Cake Recipe. This Chocolate Chip Quick Bread is super easy and popular to everyone. Add seasonal berries, make cupcakes, add a streusel for variation. Vegan Soyfree Nutfree Recipe. GF option Jump to Recipe
If you loved the Cinnamon Swirl Cake, you’ll love this simple chocolate chip cake as well!
A simple vanilla cake batter with chocolate chips or chunks mixed in. Whats not to love! Add berries, pineapple, apple, nuts or other additions. Swirl in some nut butter. Make it into cupcakes. Loads of variations. This cake is not too sweet and more a quick bread. Add a decadent chocolate frosting or icing for dessert!
Make this loaf your own for breakfast. See GF and no oil options in the recipe notes. This quick bread is Soft, Easy, uses few ingredients and is flexible.
Try more Baked Quick Breads and Cakes
- Eggnog Pound Cake
- 1 Bowl Banana Apple Bread. Can be made into muffins
- Peanut Butter Chocolate Marble Cake
- Lemon blueberry pound cake
Gluten-free options
- GF Cashew Butter Chocolate Marble Cake.
- Gluten-free Cinnamon Roll Bread yeast-free.
- GF Carrot Banana Bread – Also grain-free.
- Sweet Potato Crumb Cake. GF
For no oil and no refined sugar cake, try this Turmeric Coconut Loaf.
Slices after sitting for a day above.
Chocolate/cocoa industry is known for rampant child labor and slavery in cacao bean farms. Thankfully, brands have been recognizing this and offering fair trade and slavery free options. See Food empowerment project’s list of companies and brands here. Most vegan brands, not all, offer ethical cocoa products.
Tips to Bake Soft, moist Vegan Cake/bread Loafs
- When baking loafs or thicker cakes, you want a thicker batter compared to cupcakes or regular cake batter. The thinner batter takes much longer to cook the moisture out and might tend to be gummy at the bottom or fall in the center.
- Many factors determine the consistency of the batter. How the flour is measured, the kind of flour etc. Start with less flour when using whole grain flours and add more as needed. Too stiff a batter will dry out faster while baking.
- Let the cake cool lightly covered with a towel or a container so that all the moisture doesnt evaporate out. This is esp helpful when baking without oil or with whole grain flours. If baking with no or less oil, add more topping such as a streusel, oats, more chocolate chips or berries. The thicker topping allows more moisture to stay in the cake.
Vegan Chocolate Chip Cake Recipe
Ingredients
Wet:
- 1 cup (244 ml) non dairy milk , such as almond or soy
- 1 tbsp non dairy yogurt or applesauce or more non dairy milk
- 1 tsp apple cider vinegar or other vinegar
- 1/3 cup (66.67 g) unrefined sugar , use 1 tbsp more for sweeter
- 1/4 cup (56 ml) oil (neutral such as organic safflower or canola) or use 3 tbsp applesauce to make oil-free
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- a few drops of almond extract , optional but wonderful
Dry:
- 2 cups (250 g) of flour (I use a mix of unbleached all purpose(1.25 cups) and wheat(3/4 cup)
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp (0.25 tsp) baking soda
- 1/2 tsp (0.5 tsp) salt
- 1/2 cup (90 g) vegan chocolate chips , I like a mix of mini and regular size vegan chocolate chips/chunks/chopped up dark chocolate
Instructions
- Line a 9 by 5 inch or smaller loaf pan with parchment or grease well. Preheat the oven to 360 deg F (182 deg C). In a bowl, mix in the wet ingredients until the sugar is fully combined.
- In another bowl, whisk 1 3/4 cup flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Add spices of choice if you like. See GF option in Notes below. (Optional: Add 2 tbsp almond flour to the dry for additional texture). At this point you can also toss in seasonal berries of choice.
- Fold the dry into the wet until just about combined. Add more flour if needed 1 tbsp at a time to make just slightly thick batter (you might not need any depending on the flours used).
- Add 1/3 cup chocolate chips and mix in. Pour the batter into a prepared loaf pan. Sprinkle the remaining chocolate chips on top. or top with a streusel of choice.
- Bake for 50 to 55 mins. Cool for 10 mins, then remove from pan. Cool completely before slicing. Store on the counter for upto 2 days, refrigerated for upto 7 days, freeze (slices) for upto a month. See Tips above for troubleshooting.
- To make cupcakes/muffins: Bake for 22 to 24 mins for regular size muffinsBake in a brownie pan, bake for 40 mins.
Notes
Nutrition
Elyse
I made this as cupcakes, and it turned out really well! They are slightly more dense than traditional cake (I would say it’s between a bread and a cake kind of consistency), but it tastes divine!
Jack
Do you need to use unrefined sugar?
Vegan Richa Support
no – you can use refined also. any sugar will work
Jean
Just made this today and it is a definite keeper! I’ve tried many vegan bread recipes and this one is excellent! I don’t care for the textures of banana or flax in some vegan breads. This is more cake-like. Tender, light, fluffy, not too sweet with a not-too-crispy crust. I used almond milk, one tablespoon unsweetened applesauce, apple cider vinegar and 1/4 cup vegetable oil. I did add a few drops of almond extract, all-purpose flour and Enjoy Life mini chocolate chips. Baked for 50 minutes in a 9×5 glass loaf dish at 360°.
Thank you for a great recipe!
Vegan Richa Support
oohhhhh almond . nice =) 👍 Thank you for the excellent rating Jean!
Jahnson alberto
Looks nice and delicious. you got thumbs up for your stunning photography.
Irene
Hey! Can i use only whole wheat pastry flour?
Vegan Richa Support
it would be too dense and not rise
Irene
Hey! Can i use only whole wheat pastry flour?
Avni Levy
This turned out perfect!! I used white flour and whole wheat pastry flour. Thanks!!
Taika
Sooo good! Everyone who tried it (not vegans) loved it and couldnt tell it was vegan. I love it!
Vegan Richa Support
that’s great!!
Nidhi
Made this today and it came out PERFECT! Thanks for yet another amazingly simple but delicious recipe! Can I make this into a chocolate walnut cake with some cocoa powder in the batter?
jo
Can I use gluten free all purpose flour as a 1:1 substitute? Thank you!!!
Richa
See the notes in the recipe for GF mix, not all GF blends are the same.
Michele Way
This cake is so good, I’ve made it twice in the past month! I baked it once as a loaf and once as muffins, both perfect! I love that the ingredients are often things I have on hand, and that it comes together so quickly.
Thank you!
Suzanne Turbyfill
The recipe is so easy and I usually have everything in my pantry. My kids love it and no one ever thinks it’s vegan. Super moist! It is my go-to dessert when I do not want to go to the store for ingredients.
Lindsey
This was the perfect choice for our “stuck at home because of the pandemic” Sunday night dessert. We had everything in the pantry. We love that it isn’t too sweet. We will definitely make this many times. Thanks for a great recipe.
Sarah
fantastic! I made this using half spelt and half AP and it did come out a bit more dense, next time I’ll use more AP and less spelt. I also used applesauce instead of oil.
I baked this in a round cake pan for about 35mins. Your tip on covering the cake while cooling with a dish towel helped to keep it moist. I also added a glaze.
thanks Richa!
Chloe
Is it possible to make these as cupcakes? does the recipe need any adjustments? Can’t wait to make for my boyfriend for Valentine’s Day! 😊
Richa
yes
Emma
Can you make this without apple cider vinegar or any other vinegars?
Richa
yes, just omit and use some lemon juice if you can
Brinal
Is the quantity same for lemon juice?
Vegan Richa Support
use double the lemon juice as is it less acidic than vinegar
Missy
Great recipe. Made it for a dinner party and it turned out great. Love that it’s not super sweet or too rich.
Richa
yay
Rosa
Hi, can i substitute the vinegar for lemon juice or other acid? And can i also substitute the oil for melted vegan butter? Thank you.
Richa
yes and yes
Rosa
Thank you,i will try it tomorrow and i will let you know how it turned out.
Lucy Coombes
Great cake, will make again. It’s ideal to use various fillings, I think I will try with blueberries instead of the chocolate chips.
Richa
Awesome! Thanks!
Briana
FREAKING AMAZING, I made it for my birthday and it was a huge hit, the almond extract just sends it above and beyond, it tastes like a biscotti 😍 it’s my new go to, I’m going to make a second one for my friend to lift her spirits this week!
I added two teaspoons of vanilla extract to really give it a vanilla POW 💕❤️
Richa
yay! Belated Happy Birthday!
Selina
Made this tonight. Used applesauce and canola oil and it turned out so good! I added chopped fresh strawberries and made them into muffins. The texture was perfect! So good!
Richa
awesome!
Rinku Sharma
I see that for gluten free option, yiu have recommended using flax seed meal.Please let me know the reason.
Also , can i use whole wheat flour completely, if so, would it still be 2 cups or just 1 and half?
Richa
it helps binding as it will gel up when wet. You can also use chia seed meal.
For whole wheat, whole grain baking usually ends up being a bit dense. If you generally do bake whole wheat, then you probably already know that. If not, then the flavor and texture will be a bit heavy. You will also need less flour. Try half whole wheat and half all purpose and see how it turns out and see if you like the overall flavor and texture before trying all whole wheat.
The recipe works with all whole wheat flour. Start with 1.5 cups of flour and also add 2 tbsp more oil.
Madison
I looked at the GF option and i don’t get it i want to make the reg recipes but just put almond flour ( i don t have the other ones ) how much do i put. Thanks
Richa
gf baking usually needs a combination of flours to create a similar airy structure, volume and moist result as with gluten bakes. There is no gluten in gluten free flours, gluten will hold the structure of the cake as well hold the moisture in. With that missing, you need starches, volume flours, moisture (nut flours) etc added in. You can use just almond flour and potato starch. use 1/4 cup potato starch for every 1 cup of almond flour and make a thick batter and bake into a brownie pan or muffins.
Liz
Made these as breakfast muffins with coconut sugar, coconut flour and ground almonds, moist and amazing, thank you!
Richa
yay!
heather
i made this in a 9” round cake pan and baked for 30 minutes. it’s rich, delicious, and moist! i used 2 tsp vanilla because i love it and a few extra chocolate chips for the same reason.
Laura
How tall was the final cake using a 9” round tin? I wanted to make this cake for my toddlers birthday but wondering what size tin to use to get a double-layer cake: standard 8” round or a smaller 5” round?
Richa
use 6 inch pans for doublelayer. if using 8 or 9 inch, you’ll have to double the recipe
Cameron
Great blog! I made this today, but it seemed too thick when I followed the recipe exactly. I used canola oil and I used applesauce. I had to add about 1/4 cup more almond milk to thin it out. The cake turned out fantastic! Thanks a bunch. I saw someone made it with fresh peaches which sounds absolutely wonderful. I will be making the peach cake next.
Richa
maybe the flour type? glad it workedout. You can add a bit less flour to begin with and add more as needed
Sofia
Made this yesterday for a family gathering and everyone (all non vegans) loved it!
I will be doing this one time and time again, thanks Richa!
Richa
yay!
Rosie
I’ve made this twice now, and won’t again. I followed the directions (using the applesauce variation, which is usually fine in other recipes). The crust is too hard/chewy, even though I reduced the cooking time on the second occasion. And the cake is quite gummy.
Richa
hmm i think it may need more flour if the cake is baking gummy. how is the batter?
Or the baking powder is old. The gummy cake means it is not rising enough for airyness which is either because there is too much moisture to flour (applesaucec adds more moisture than oil), or thebaking powder is old. The gummyness explains the crust too. If it rises well the crumb is soft as well.
chambersdevine86.crsblog.org
First of all I would like to say terrific blog! I had a
quick question which I’d like to ask if you ddo not mind. I was curious to know
how you center yourself annd clsar your head prior to writing.
I have had trouble clearing my minmd in getting my ideas oout there.
I truly do take pleasure in writing but it just seems like the
first 10 to 15 minutes tend to be lost just tryimg to figure out how to begin. Any ideas
or hints? Many thanks!
Rie
Hello 🙂
Thank you for the great recipe!!
I made them yesterday and OMG! it was soooo delicious!!
I liked this is not so sweet. and this is so moist and easy to bake!
Next time, I will try with more berries, and maybe less chocolate chips…
Richa
awesome!
Shreya
Hello
I tried this and it looked, smelt and tasted great ,
But the bread turned very dense as it cooled – what could have caused that ?
Richa
hmmm.. Could be various things 1/ Baking powder could be old 2/ Bread may need extra baking time. Oven temps can vary. If the bread is baked on the edges but has gummy center, it needs 10 mins or more extra time.
Joan Boutin
Hey, this looks absolutely delicious!I am always trying to make something new for my baby lunch item. This time I found your yummy recipe. I am going to add this to my baby lunch item. Hope, so my baby also loves it. Thanks for the sharing this recipe and I want more recipe from you.
Hazel
Okay, thanks!
Richa
i forgot,, i have gf chickpea flour donuts on the blog https://www.veganricha.com/2017/07/vegan-gluten-free-lemon-donuts-grain-free.html
you can sub some of the liquid with banana
Hazel
Could i sub in quinoa flour, chickpea flour, or buckwheat flour to make it nut free?
Richa
You mean for the gluten-free version right. Those flours dont work as direct substitutes. You would probably have to change many things like moisture, starch, adding more hold or volume etc
Tracy
Oh man, this looks absolutely delicious! I’m a sucker for breakfast breads like chocolate zucchini so this is right up my alley. I’ll have some fruit on the side so I feel like I had a slightly healthy breakfast. Can’t wait to try this.
Richa
awesome!
D
Hi!
I just made the cake, haven’t tasted it but it turned out lovely. I am sure it will taste as amazing.
I was just thinking turning this into a marble cake adding a little bit of cacao, do you think that would work, sparing some of the batter and add cacao powder?
Richa
Yes totally! Add about 2 tbsp cocoa and 2 tsp more non dairy milk into half the batter, layer or swirl the batters and bake
D
Thanks! I think that will turn out great too.
By the way, cake tasted amazing, very fluffy. Maybe I overbaked it though, did 50 mins but sides and exterior was hard, inside was perfect though. I always had a problem getting the cake cooked inside all the way so I tend to keep them in the oven longer.
Thank you for the recipe, will keep making this!
Richa
That sounds like overbaked. Maybe the oven is has hot spots and cooler spots so the inside takes longer to cook.Try a stoneware or glass loaf pan. that will prevent the extra browning on the edges and bottom and will also help distribute heat evenly.
This loaf will soften in a few hours when you store it in a closed container.
Queeny
I LOVE this cake. It would make perfect chocolate chip muffins for individual portions. It is so good that I made a second one 4 days later. The vanilla cake reminds me of the muffins I used to have at my high school cafeteria after morning swim practices.
Thanks for all your delicious recipes 🙂
Richa
yay! awesome!!
V
Hi
could i make muffins out of this recipe ? any changes required to the quantities or the baking time ?
i also have a mini loaf pan of 6 cavities, would that work ?
Vegan Richa Support
sure! Go for it!! To make cupcakes/muffins: Bake for 22 to 24 mins for regular size muffins
Bake in a brownie pan, bake for 40 mins. (no changes to quantities)
Naya123
I made this cake today and used fresh peaches instead of chocolate chips. Baked in a regular 8×8 pan and mine took only 30 minutes. The cake is amazing, so simple, yet so good. Will for sure be making this again, with different mix-ins! :))
Richa
Amazing!
Cassie Autumn Tran
Oh wow, this looks like the perfect chocolate chip loaf cake! I would love to try this with whole wheat pastry flour. I am also really happy for you to bring awareness to the unethical slave trade in cocoa production. Personally, my goals strive towards making better choices as a consumer when it comes to selecting chocolate products as well!
trish
Sorry another question and this should be it 🙂 I used brown rice flour as I have 2kilos here….hope that is ok. And ground the almonds myself.
trish
I was just measuring out the ingredients for the gf mix and realized I forgot to ask! Can I use arrowroot starch/powder or corn starch? Potato does sit well in my stomach. Sorry for short notice…crossing my fingers you may be online 🙂
Richa
you should ping me on the facebook page. Much quicker response there. I havent had good luck with arrowroot. Mix the batter and bake 1 muffin to see how it works. i would bake all muffins coz loafs are have more tendency to fail(gummy or dry or fall) with the larger amount.
Dee
Do know what adjustments I can make to use maple syrup instead of sugar?
Thanks
Richa
just sub directly 1/3 cup maple syrup. you’ll probably need a tbsp or so more flour than what you would have needed with sugar.
Dee
Thanks!
Tamara
Thank you so much. I was looking for this answer. Can I use just almond flour for the whole recipe?
Richa
nope. Almond flour doesnt have gluten, so theres no binding. youll need atleast a fourth of the amount in starch such as potato starch
Ness
This looks great! I’m going to try this out in a muffin tin. Also, thanks for the baking tips! For someone who is not very good at baking, I always appreciate any info that can help me out. ☺️
Nancy
I’m gluten free but allergic to almonds. What flour could I use to replace the almond flour?
Richa
You can use a gf blend of choice + a bit of oat flour and bake into cupcake/muffins. Make the batter into a slightly stiff batter, then bake 1 muffin to see how the batter holds up. Cover the muffin pan lightly with parchment while baking if its gummy, then add some more oat flour and starch to make it a bit more stiff.
Kirsten
Yum! My stomach is growling!
Luci
Would 1/4 cup coconut sugar work in this recipe vs the sugar outlined in the recipe?
Thanks
Richa
Yes any sugar will work. You want to use atleast 1/3 cup as this is a mildly sweet batter since there are semi sweet chocolate chips to help balance. coconut sugar is a bit less sweet than regular sugar to begin with, so the batter might be a tad bit bland with low amounts. it will also add a bit of color to the batter.
Luci
I made this today and used 1/3 cup coconut sugar. It was delicious and very easy to make
I do not like an overly sweet bread and this one is perfect.
Thanks for an awesome recipe!
Richa
awesome!!
Chana
Looks great! Can’t wait to try
When are you writing an instant pot book?! I’ll be the first to buy it.
😃
Shari
Me too! I’ll be the second. 🙂
Richa
Its hard to post on the blog consistently and write a book :). Lets see. I need to hire an intern for the blog and also need a publisher who takes up a good load of the editing work 🙂
Ashley
What type of oil did you use?
Richa
any neutral oil such as safflower or canola
trish
This looks soooo amazing! And thanks so much for including a gluten-free option 🙂 I can have fat but very little sugar so I’m wondering how much I could decrease the sugar and still have this cake turn out. Thanks so much!
Richa
probably half. some sugar is also coming from the chocolate chips. so if you use berries or sthing, that will cut down a lot. Use cronometer.com to calculate and see the values and then change. Too low a sugar would also be a bit bland
trish
I was planning on using unsweetened cocoa nibs. But I’m still not allowed 1/3c sugar in a loaf. So if I could decrease it to 1/4 cup without affecting the rising capability I’ll be ok….sweeter would be much nicer, but then I couldn’t eat it 🙂
Richa
1/4 cup should be just fine
trish
Wonderful! thank you!
Tori Cooper
This looks fantastic! Omg, I love it!