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A slice of dairy free chocolate cake on a small white plate.

Dairy Free Chocolate Cake

This dairy free chocolate cake is sure to satisfy anyone’s chocolate cravings! Perfect for birthdays or holidays.
Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Keyword dairy free chocolate cake
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 25 minutes
Total Time 45 minutes
Servings 16 slices
Calories 454 kcal
Author Dairy Free for Baby

Ingredients

For the cake:

  • ⅔ cup vanilla almond milk (or oat milk, or any dairy-free milk)
  • ½ tbsp vinegar
  • ½ cup vegetable oil
  • 1 ¾ cup granulated sugar
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 3 large eggs
  • 1 ¾ cup all purpose flour
  • ¾ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 1 ½ tsp baking powder
  • ½ tsp baking soda
  • ½ tsp salt
  • ½ cup hot water

For the frosting:

  • 1 cup dairy-free butter, softened (i.e.two sticks Country Crock Plant Butter Sticks or Earth Balance)
  • 1 cup cocoa powder
  • 4 cups powdered sugar
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • ¼ cup vanilla almond milk (or oat milk, or any dairy-free milk)

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line the bottom of two 9-inch cake pans with a circle of parchment paper, then grease well.
  2. In a measuring cup, combine the almond milk and vinegar. Let sit for about 5 minutes, until it starts to separate (making a faux “buttermilk”).
  3. In a large bowl, whisk together the almond milk mixture, oil, sugar, vanilla, and eggs, until well combined.
  4. Add the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt to the bowl. Stir a few times, then pour in the hot water. Continue stirring until combined (do not over mix).
  5. Divide the batter evenly between the two prepared cake pans. Place in the oven and bake at 350 degrees F for 25-30 minutes, or until a toothpick pulls out clean from the center. Let the cakes cool for 10 minutes in the pan, then flip onto a wire rack to finish cooling.
  6. While the cakes are cooling, prepare the frosting. Combine the softened dairy-free butter, cocoa powder, powdered sugar, vanilla, and almond milk in the bowl of a stand mixer.* Use the whisk attachment, first at slow speed to combine, then at high speed to create a light, fluffy frosting.
  7. When the cakes have cooled completely, frost the first cake, then place the second cake on top. Frost the top and sides of the layered cake. Enjoy!

Recipe Notes

  • *If you don’t have a stand mixer, just use a regular bowl and a hand mixer.
  • Quick tip - Whenever I bake a cake, I find it helpful to place a baking sheet on the rack below the rack with the cake pans - just in case you mis-measured ingredients and your cake pan overflows. This way, the mess falls to the pan below rather than the bottom of your oven.

 

Nutrition facts (approximate, includes cake and homemade frosting): 454 calories, 20.5 g fat, 7 g saturated fat, 290 mg sodium, 68.5 g carbohydrate, 4 g fiber, 52 g sugar, 4.5 g protein, Vitamin D: 2%, Calcium: 5%, Iron: 12%, Potassium: 4%