This dairy free chocolate cake is a rich cake has a deep chocolate flavor and moist apple sauce and other ingredients instead of eggs and oil, and topped with a velvety fudgy chocolate buttercream. The perfect dairy-free cake for anytime, birthdays, holidays or a time for cake.
This is a dairy free chocolate cake recipe because the texture is devil's food in texture. It makes a wonderful birthday cake and is easy to make. That's because the ingredient list is full of simple items you probably have in your kitchen right now.
This dairy free cake is decadent, rich, and will have your friends and family asking for the recipe. Remember the chocolate cake in the movie, Matilda? And frost this no milk chocolate cake with my fudge frosting or cookie dough frosting or my fluffy white frosting.
Why You'll Love This
This cake is dairy free. It is free of all things dairy. This lactose free chocolate cake is also free of eggs and oil. Instead of eggs, I use canned pumpkin puree, apple sauce and lemon juice in milk which together create an incredibly fluffy texture. And it's gluten free if you use a gluten-free baking flour.
The cake is delicious. The flavor of this non dairy cake is a deep chocolate, and will surely satisfy a need for a dessert. So much better than a boxed mix! In fact, the ingredients are similar to my other dairy free cakes including my chocolate tuxedo cake with a luscious vanilla cream filling and my deeply fudgy chocolate fudge cake.
Easy to make ahead and easy clean-up. This non dairy chocolate cake use one bowl, and a short ingredient list so you can have a cake on the table in less than an hour.
Ingredients
- flour - use all purpose or a gluten-free mix or even oat flour, although you'll need to increase flour to 2 cups.
- sugar - use organic cane sugar if you can for the flavor.
- cocoa - use unsweetened, dutch process or cacao powder.
- dairy-free milk + lemon juice - a mixture that helps the cake rise.
- pumpkin puree - used here as an oil and egg replacer.
- unsweetened apple sauce - used here as an egg replacer.
- Supporting ingredients: baking powder, baking soda, salt, vanilla, coffee
Tools Needed
- Measuring tools
- Bowls
- Strainer
- Hand-mixer
- Cake pans, collars
- Cooling rack
Step by Step Instructions
Here are general steps but you can find the complete detailed recipe for this dairy free chocolate cake in the recipe card at the bottom of this page.
Preparation. Preheat your oven to 350 F (180 C). Be sure ingredients are at room temperature. Measure out ingredients, activate your dairy free milk by adding lemon juice and stirring, coat pans with butter or cooking spray and dust with cocoa powder. You can also add a circular parchment to the base of each pan but if you grease and powder well enough you won't need it.
Step 1: To a large mixing bowl, add sugar and wet ingredients and mix until combined, about 2 minutes to be sure the sugar is dissolved.
Step 2: Through a sifter or strainer, add dry ingredients. Sift in the flour and cocoa to be sure there are no clumps. Then use a hand mixer or whisk to combine these dry ingredients.
Step 3: Mix until just combined, under a minute if possible, to avoid a rubbery texture.
Step 4: Divide the batter evenly between prepared cake pans and bake according to times in recipe card below. Remove cakes when a tester comes out clean. I used a long toothpick.
Step 5: Let the cakes cool for ten minutes in pans, then put cakes onto a cooling rack to cool completely before frosting.
Substitutions
Pumpkin puree. You can replace with sweet potato puree, butternut squash puree or unsweetened apple sauce.
Unsweetened apple sauce. You can replace with aquafaba (liquid from a chickpea can) or a flax seed egg.
Flour. Use all-purpose flour, or a gluten-free baking 1 to 1 mix.
Cocoa. Use Dutch processed for a darker cake, or cacao powder for a healthier option.
Recipe Tips
1. Be sure to buy canned pumpkin puree with only pumpkin in the ingredients, no added sugar. Don't mistakenly buy pumpkin PIE puree.
2. Be sure all ingredients are at room temperature.
3. Be sure to measure the flour and cocoa carefully, using the fluff and spoon method which means you fluff the flour or cocoa in their container with a fork, then you spoon into measuring cups, and level off with a knife.
4. Sift the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients to prevent clumps.
Make Ahead & Storage
Make ahead. Perhaps you want to make a dairy free chocolate birthday cake in advance. You can make this cake in advance as much as 3 days. Bake the layers, let them cool entirely. Wrap each separately in cling wrap and slide into a storage bag or container. Then refrigerate. When you are ready to frost, remove and unwrap and frost while still cool.
Storage. Store the cake unfrosted as described in make ahead. But once frosted, keep the cake loosely covered at room temperature. It will last about 48 hours before it tends to dry out or become overly moist.
Freeze. Wrap the unfrosted cake layers in cling wrap and put into storage bags or a container and freeze for up to 3 months.
FAQS
How to Use Baking Strips to Make Flat Layers
Buy the baking strips here. Soak them in ice cold water while you mix up batter. Squeeze dry a bit. Mine were not too drippy but I don't think I soaked them long enough which is why I had to also press the dome of each cake at the end.
One tip: Wrap the strips around the pans BEFORE you put in the batter, but AFTER you have greased and floured the pans. Pour in the batter, bake and you will have nice flat layers.
Can I make this cake in 9 inch pans?
Yes, triple the recipe and follow the baking instructions as is.
Is this cake vegan & gluten free?
Yes, because no eggs are used it is vegan as is. To make it gluten free, be sure to use a gluten free flour. My chocolate fudge cake and my chocolate tuxedo cake are both also vegan and gluten free as well as dairy free.
Why This Dairy Free Chocolate Cake Works
1. By avoiding all things dairy, especially the milk and butter, this cake remains lactose free.
2. I also like to bake without eggs and oil. To help the cake rise without eggs, I add vinegar or lemon juice to the milk to create an acidic batter so it reacts with baking soda and helps the cake rise. I also add pumpkin puree and apple sauce to replace both the eggs and oil. Want to make it gluten-free? Use a GF baking flour. I suggest Bob's Red Mills 1-to-1 baking flour or their GF all purpose (red bag).
More Healthy Cake Recipes
If you tried this recipe or any other recipe on my website, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it went in the 📝 comments below. Thanks for visiting!
📖 Recipe
Dairy Free Chocolate Cake
Equipment
- Measuring cups & spoons
- Mixing bowl
- Hand-mixer
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour or a GF mix like Bob's Red Mill's 1 to 1 baking flour
- ½ cup unsweetened cocoa powder or cacao powder which is healthier but more expensive
- 1 cup cane sugar
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup dairy free milk
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice or apple cider vinegar or white vinegar
- ⅓ cup pumpkin puree (or unsweetened apple sauce)
- 3 tablespoon unsweetened apple sauce (or aquafaba or flaxseed egg)
- 2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 tablespoon brewed coffee (optional to deepen chocolate flavor. Or leave off or add 2 tablespoon of milk instead)
Chocolate Frosting:
- 3 ¾ cups powdered sugar
- 4 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder
- 3 tablespoon dairy free butter
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 5 tablespoon almond milk
Instructions
Prep
- Preheat your oven to 350 F. Be sure all ingredients are at room temperature.
- Activate your milk by adding the vinegar or lemon juice to it and stirring so it curdles. This creates a mixture that activates the baking soda and creates a lovely moist crumb.1 cup dairy free milk, 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- Measure out all ingredients.
- Coat the inside of two (6-inch round) cake pans or 1 (8-inch square) pan with butter, coconut oil or a non-stick spray. Dust with cocoa powder.
Make cake
- To a large bowl, combine the sugar and wet ingredients, mixing well, about 2 minutes to be sure sugar is dissolved.1 cup dairy free milk, 1 tablespoon lemon juice, ⅓ cup pumpkin puree, 3 tablespoon unsweetened apple sauce, 2 teaspoon vanilla extract, 2 tablespoon brewed coffee, 1 cup cane sugar
- Through a strainer or sifter, add dry ingredients to avoid clumps.1 ½ cups all-purpose flour, ½ cup unsweetened cocoa powder, 1 teaspoon baking powder, 1 teaspoon baking soda, ½ teaspoon salt
- Mix with a hand-mixer or hand whisk until combined, but don't overmix, try to mix under a minute or the cake texture can turn rubbery.
- Divide the batter evenly between prepared cake pans.
- Bake 2 (6 inch round) cakes for 25-30 minutes. Test at 25 minutes.Bake (8-inch square) pan for 35-40 minutes. Bake cupcakes for 18 minutes. Or until tester comes out clean.
- Let cool for a ten minutes in pans, then put cakes onto a cooling rack to cool completely before frosting.
Make frosting
- Add powdered sugar, cocoa powder, vegan butter, vanilla extract and 2 tablespoon of the milk to a large mixing bowl.3 ¾ cups powdered sugar, 4 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder, 3 tablespoon dairy free butter, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, 5 tablespoon almond milk
- Use a hand-mixer or an electric mixer to combine. Add the remaining 3 tablespoon of milk gradually until you have a creamy consistency. You can add more or less milk, but be careful, it can turn too runny very fast.
- If your frosting seems too runny, add powdered sugar, if it too thick, add milk a teaspoon at a time. The final frosting should be spreadable.
Assemble the cake
- Frost cakes or cupcakes
Store
- Once frosted, the cake or cupcakes are fine at room temperature for about 2 days and then they begin to dry out.
Ethan
My goodness this texture is insane.
Melanie
Hello, I was wondering if this recipe could be doubled and made in a 9 x 13 pan? I made it this weekend in my 8" square pan and it came out perfect!! I want to make a bigger one for a birthday. If I double the recipe could I just take some extra batter out and make a couple cupcakes? Or would it be fine all in the 9x13?
Dee Dine
Yay! I love this recipe, I'm so glad it worked out for you. Theoretically, you can just double a recipe to make it in a 9x13" pan. I haven't tried that with this recipe but I see no reason why it shouldn't work - just be sure the center is cooked through before removing the cake perhaps by the toothpick test.
Melanie
Thank you so much for the quick reply!! Awesome, I will give it a try and report back! Love all your recipes!!
Dee Dine
You are welcome!
Alisia
This was delicious and so moist!
Thank you for this recipe, my boyfriend loved his birthday cake! 🙂
Dee Dine
So glad you and your boyfriend enjoyed the cake reicpe Alisia!
Terri
Do I have to add the coffee?
Dee Dine
No, it's optional to deepen the chocolate flavor.