One-Bowl Vegan Chocolate Cake
This One Bowl Vegan Chocolate Cake is rich, moist, has the perfect crumb. Plus, it is so simple to make – no mixer or egg replacements required!
Chocolate cake is one of my favorite desserts. This one-bowl vegan cake is made with 100% real ingredients that you already have in your kitchen. What’s the secret to making this cake extra decadent? Olive oil. Olive oil gives this cake it’s deep flavor and perfect texture that you will be obsessed with. And as always, I promise no one would ever guess that this cake is vegan.
Why this recipe works
There are three secrets to this one-bowl vegan chocolate cake: olive oil, boiling water, and apple cider vinegar. These three ingredients come together to ensure that this chocolate cake has the perfect texture and a deep chocolatey flavor.
Olive oil
As I discussed earlier, olive oil helps give this chocolate cake an enhanced flavor, but it is also the star ingredient when it comes to making sure this chocolate cake is moist. Chocolate cakes that are made with butter may turn out dry and bland, which is why oil-based cakes often have a superior texture. Let me explain. Oil is lighter than butter in terms of weight, and this is why oil-based cakes result in a lighter crumb and tender texture than butter-based cakes. Beyond that, butter is about 80% fat (and the rest of the 20% is a combination of water and milk solids), while most oils are made up of 100% fat. The higher percentage of fat within oil helps to create a more delicate crumb and velvety texture, whereas the water contents within butter result in a denser crumb. Plus, olive oil is a wonderful and versatile vegan baking alternative to butter.
Apple cider vinegar
The next key ingredient that ensures this vegan chocolate cake has a delicate and tender crumb is apple cider vinegar. When apple cider vinegar is combined with baking soda, a chemical reaction occurs that helps to give cakes an extra lift. Pretty neat right?
Boiling water
Now that we’ve covered how this one-bowl vegan chocolate cake has the most magical texture, let’s talk about flavor. I chose to use boiling water in this recipe because boiling water helps the cocoa powder to bloom. What does it mean to bloom cocoa powder? Cocoa powder is bloomed when it is mixed and thoroughly combined with a hot liquid. This will help the cocoa powder to dissolve and release all of the chocolatey flavor particles into the hot liquid. This baking technique will intensify and enhance the chocolate flavor in chocolate cake.
I know that you will fall in love with this chocolate cake. Be sure to follow me on Instagram to keep up with my latest recipes! If you love chocolate, be sure to check out some of my other favorite chocolate recipes: Double Chocolate Muffins, Peanut Butter Swirl Brownies, and Vegan Chocolate Pudding Pie. Happy Baking!
One-Bowl Vegan Chocolate Cake
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups of flour
- 3/4 cups of cocoa powder
- 1 cup of white sugar
- 1/2 cup of dark brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon of baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon of baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon of salt
- 1/2 cup of regular or light olive oil
- 1 1/2 cups of boiling water
- 2 teaspoons of apple cider vinegar
- 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 and grease and line a 9×9 cake pan.
- Combine the first 7 (dry) ingredients in a medium bowl and whisk until well incorporated.
- Add the rest of the wet ingredients to the dry and whisk to combine.
- Pour batter into prepared baking pan and bake in preheated oven for 30-35 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.
- Cool on wire rack and frost with desired icing. (I make a simple chocolate ganache by whisking together 1 cup of melted chocolate chips, 2-3 tablespoons of almond milk, and 1 teaspoon of coconut oil.)
Another “killer” recipe by Ella. The flavor is fantastic and I love the texture as well.