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 Â
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.Â
- 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.Â
Some No Bake Chocolate Pies here.Â
These sharp and beautiful slices are by my new Kramer knife that hubbs got for me. He knows what will be appreciated!Â
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. Â
Vegan Chocolate Cake with Chocolate Peanut Butter Ganache
Ingredients Â
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)
InstructionsÂ
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.Â
- 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.
Thank you so much for sharing this recipe! Just made it and it’s a winner! A cake my whole family can enjoy. The ganache is actually better this version than dairy versions by a country mile.
Thank you
We made the cake today and it ended up flat and dry we couldn’t even fill two cake forms with the butter. It didn’t look like the picture at all.
I am sorry it didnt turn out. What flour did you use? Did you change anything in the recipe? Maybe the baking powder was old. This cake has been made several times (see comments) and I also see beautiful versions of it on social media. I can troubleshoot if you add some info on the ingredients, also how was the batter before baking.
very good and easy to make, although the amount of sugar could easily be reduced. Wayyyyy too sweet!
apart from that, homemade hazelnut butter works like a charm! gives a Nutella-like taste to it. Thanks for the recipe!
What is the exact amount of the chocolate bar for the cake? How many oz?
Made this cake today without Ganache. Loved it! It came out to be perfect! Thanks for sharing recipe.
awesome
Can brown sugar and almond milk be used as substitutions?
yes
Can I use regular granulated sugar instead of powdered? What’s the conversion?
You can use any sugar and same amount. If it is not fine sugar, put it in a blender and blend to make a fine close to powder sugar and use. The sugar is getting mixed int he dry in this recipe, which means it doesnt have enough time to disoolve like it would dissolve when used in wet ingredients. So you need finer sugar else the granulated sugar will have pieces in the cake.
Hey Richa, this looks out of the world and what perfect timing 🙂
I would like to try this GF. Your GF banana muffins have flour mix (almond + oats + coconut) of just over 1 cup. However this recipe uses 2 cups of flour. Could you please advise on exactly how much of the GF mix should I be using.
Thanks a ton.
I like this mix better for larger surface cakes like this https://fettabbau-trim.today/2017/12/vegan-gluten-free-christmas-cake-fruit-cake.html%3C/a%3E
I would do 6 inch cakes with the mix. Smaller cakes will give a higher success %
Thanks a lot Richa. Much appreciated.
I’ll give it a try.
Hello Richa.
I made the cake yesterday and it was perfect with a caramel frosting.
However, I have a question. What is the role of the maple syrup in the cake?
Do you think I can go without it?
Thank you for your insights.
It keeps the cake more moist as chocolate cakes an tend to dry on over baking. You can omit it and use a bit more oil and non dairy milk
Hi Richa,
I do not intend to make the cake vegan. Just looking for a recipe without eggs. Can I use regular low fat milk, choco -chips in this recipe?
Thanks
Swati
Hi Swati,
I cannot recommend using dairy in any of my recipes as his blog and I are vegan for ethical reasons. Many cows and baby calfs are killed worldwide for dairy. India is the largest exporter or beef and veal(baby cow meat) in all of the World, because of the Dairy industry. 2.4 Million Tonnes of beef and veal are exported each year, almost all of which comes from spent dairy female cows and baby male calfs who are useless for the dairy industry. 38500000 cows are slaughtered every year in India, that is 105900 per day, 4390 per hour.
Animal agriculture is also the largest producer of green house gasses, more than fossil fuels, and uses many times more Resources(water, land) of the planet.
The alternate non dairy milks and yogurts, chocolate taste equally good and are beneficial for people, health, environment, as well as the planet.
Environmental effects of the dairy industry include huge amounts of water needed for maintaining the cows(they drink lots of water and eat lots of plants that are water intense to grow), flushing and cleaning, pollution by methane and manure produced by cows and much more. Farming for alternate plant products that would produce plant based milks in comparison needs just a fraction of water.
Please do read up on the cost of dairy to our resources, the planet, the animals. https://www.onegreenplanet.org/animalsandnature/the-dairy-industry-and-the-environment/
Hi Richa,
These numbers are indeed horrifying. Thank you for sharing this valuable information. It has really made me think about the choices we ought to make as a responsible citizen of this planet. This recipe will definitely be followed exactly as it is. Will keep you posted on how it turned out:)Thank you for sharing these amazing recipes!!?
Thank you for reading Swati. Those are incredibly huge numbers. There are many alternate options that are available these days with increasing demand. Same flavor and texture.
Let me know how the cake turned out!