This post contains affiliate links. Please see our disclosure policy.
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.

Vegan Chocolate Cake with Chocolate Peanut Butter Ganache

Ingredients
Cake : makes two 8 inch pans
Dry:
- 1 cup wheat flour
- 1 cup unbleached all purpose flour
- 1/2 cup cocoa powder
- 1 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1 1/4 cup 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 scant tsp salt
Wet:
- 1 1/2 cups non dairy milk, divided
- 1/3 cup non dairy chocolate chips or bar, semi sweet chips, or dark chocolate for dark/bittersweet cake
- 1/3 cup oil
- 1 tsp vinegar, apple cider vinegar or white vinegar
- 1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 3 tbsp maple syrup
Glaze:
- 1/2 cup non dairy milk
- 1/3-1/2 cup powdered sugar
- 2/3 cup or more non dairy semi sweet chocolate like Enjoy Life
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/4 cup 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
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

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.










Can you modify this recipe for a vanilla cake? if so please suggest changes that have to be made.
Hi Ruth, use my Sponge cake or yellow cake as the vanilla cake https://fettabbau-trim.today/2014/10/vegan-sponge-cake-recipe.html%3C/a%3E or https://fettabbau-trim.today/2015/05/vegan-yellow-cake-recipe.html%3C/a%3E%3C/p%3E
Will the following substitutions work?
1) Cocoa powder-》milk powder
2) Chocolate chips-》 white chocolate chips
no, the cocoa powder sub will not work. cocoa powder and milk powder are very different. As i mentioned, use my yellow vanilla cake recipe. It is a vanilla cake,omit the turmeric used to make it yellow. You can add some melted vegan while chocolate to the wet. Melt about a 1/4 cup in the non dairy milk and then mix in the rest of the wet ingredients. See the yellow vanilla cake recipe here -> https://fettabbau-trim.today/2015/05/vegan-yellow-cake-recipe.html%3C/a%3E
Make 2 cakes, cool and use the chocolate ganache glaze.
Do you think that applesauce, or something else, could be used as a substitution for the oil in the recipe? Also, would it be ok to omit the vinegar, I just really don’t care for the taste of it in my baked goods. Thank you for sharing your recipes.
Vinegar doesn’t add any taste, You can use lemon or lime juice instead. A bit of acidity helps the cake with leavening. You can use applesauce instead of oil. Chocolate chips used in the recipe already have oil, so the cake will not be oil-free anyway, and the chocolate cannot be substituted as that will need major changes in the recipe.
damn, i wish i lived in the hingle/garg household.
Richa, this looks delish!! Is there a substitute for the nut butters in the ganache? My daughter can’t have nuts…
You can leave the nut butter out. Add a 1/4 cup more chocolate (when you add 2/3 cup) for thickening the ganache, refrigerate and use. If the ganache doesnt thickened enough, refrigerate it for longer and use.
Thanks Richa!!
Thank you for this delightful recipe! Do you know if a more natural sugar can be used instead of confectionery sugar?
Thank you very much.
You can use coconut sugar. Blend it in a blender to make powdered coconut sugar before using.
I wasn’t quite sure, but now, I’m thinking about making this cake on V-Day and eating it all up!
Sounds like a plan!
That cake is ingenious! My favorite flavor combo under the sun <3 PB & chocolate rules 🙂 I went little non-traditional and made a raw blueberry cheesecake for this Valentine's so we'll be fishing that one out of the freezer and enjoying it with some champagne. Thanks for sharing that article about those monks by the way! That's awful!!! How can they twist it in such a way?
Thank you Lucie, the cheesecake sounds fabulous!
Any kind of animal use eventually has a history of abuse. Tigers are wild animals. Those many of them in one place, made to sit calmly, with many people touching them, taking pictures in close quarters and so on is not natural behavior. Activists have been working for years to expose the drugging, abuse and trafficking there.
What if I have (2) 9″ cake pans? Do I need to adjust the recipie?
It should work fine. The cakes will just be a bit thinner than in the picture.
You mean Whole Wheat flour as the first ingredient?
yes.
Thanks for the cake recipe! Who doesn’t love chocolate cake? But those monks. How disturbing is that? I kept re-reading your link thinking it was mis-typed or something. ????
Thank you susan. The investigation has been going on for years. I have seen many photos and videos with how the tigers are abused and where the old or aggressive tigers end up 🙁