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Vegan Chocolate Chip Cake Recipe. This Chocolate Chip Quick Bread is super easy and popular to everyone. Add seasonal berries, make cupcakes, add a streusel for variation. Vegan Soyfree Nutfree Recipe. GF option Jump to Recipe
If you loved the Cinnamon Swirl Cake, you’ll love this simple chocolate chip cake as well!
A simple vanilla cake batter with chocolate chips or chunks mixed in. Whats not to love! Add berries, pineapple, apple, nuts or other additions. Swirl in some nut butter. Make it into cupcakes. Loads of variations. This cake is not too sweet and more a quick bread. Add a decadent chocolate frosting or icing for dessert!
Make this loaf your own for breakfast. See GF and no oil options in the recipe notes. This quick bread is Soft, Easy, uses few ingredients and is flexible.
Try more Baked Quick Breads and Cakes
- Eggnog Pound Cake
- 1 Bowl Banana Apple Bread. Can be made into muffins
- Peanut Butter Chocolate Marble Cake
- Lemon blueberry pound cake
Gluten-free options
- GF Cashew Butter Chocolate Marble Cake.
- Gluten-free Cinnamon Roll Bread yeast-free.
- GF Carrot Banana Bread – Also grain-free.
- Sweet Potato Crumb Cake. GF
For no oil and no refined sugar cake, try this Turmeric Coconut Loaf.
Slices after sitting for a day above.
Chocolate/cocoa industry is known for rampant child labor and slavery in cacao bean farms. Thankfully, brands have been recognizing this and offering fair trade and slavery free options. See Food empowerment project’s list of companies and brands here. Most vegan brands, not all, offer ethical cocoa products.
Tips to Bake Soft, moist Vegan Cake/bread Loafs
- When baking loafs or thicker cakes, you want a thicker batter compared to cupcakes or regular cake batter. The thinner batter takes much longer to cook the moisture out and might tend to be gummy at the bottom or fall in the center.
- Many factors determine the consistency of the batter. How the flour is measured, the kind of flour etc. Start with less flour when using whole grain flours and add more as needed. Too stiff a batter will dry out faster while baking.
- Let the cake cool lightly covered with a towel or a container so that all the moisture doesnt evaporate out. This is esp helpful when baking without oil or with whole grain flours. If baking with no or less oil, add more topping such as a streusel, oats, more chocolate chips or berries. The thicker topping allows more moisture to stay in the cake.
Vegan Chocolate Chip Cake Recipe
Ingredients
Wet:
- 1 cup non dairy milk, , such as almond or soy
- 1 tbsp non dairy yogurt or applesauce or more non dairy milk
- 1 tsp apple cider vinegar, or other vinegar
- 1/3 cup unrefined sugar, , use 1 tbsp more for sweeter
- 1/4 cup oil (neutral such as organic safflower or canola), or use 3 tbsp applesauce to make oil-free
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- a few drops of almond extract, , optional but wonderful
Dry:
- 2 cups of flour, (I use a mix of unbleached all purpose(1.25 cups) and wheat(3/4 cup)
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 cup vegan chocolate chips, , I like a mix of mini and regular size vegan chocolate chips/chunks/chopped up dark chocolate
Instructions
- Line a 9 by 5 inch or smaller loaf pan with parchment or grease well. Preheat the oven to 360 deg F (182 deg C). In a bowl, mix in the wet ingredients until the sugar is fully combined.
- In another bowl, whisk 1 3/4 cup flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Add spices of choice if you like. See GF option in Notes below. (Optional: Add 2 tbsp almond flour to the dry for additional texture). At this point you can also toss in seasonal berries of choice.
- Fold the dry into the wet until just about combined. Add more flour if needed 1 tbsp at a time to make just slightly thick batter (you might not need any depending on the flours used).
- Add 1/3 cup chocolate chips and mix in. Pour the batter into a prepared loaf pan. Sprinkle the remaining chocolate chips on top. or top with a streusel of choice.
- Bake for 50 to 55 mins. Cool for 10 mins, then remove from pan. Cool completely before slicing. Store on the counter for upto 2 days, refrigerated for upto 7 days, freeze (slices) for upto a month. See Tips above for troubleshooting.
- To make cupcakes/muffins: Bake for 22 to 24 mins for regular size muffinsBake in a brownie pan, bake for 40 mins.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
This cake is so good, I’ve made it twice in the past month! I baked it once as a loaf and once as muffins, both perfect! I love that the ingredients are often things I have on hand, and that it comes together so quickly.
Thank you!
The recipe is so easy and I usually have everything in my pantry. My kids love it and no one ever thinks it’s vegan. Super moist! It is my go-to dessert when I do not want to go to the store for ingredients.
This was the perfect choice for our “stuck at home because of the pandemic” Sunday night dessert. We had everything in the pantry. We love that it isn’t too sweet. We will definitely make this many times. Thanks for a great recipe.
fantastic! I made this using half spelt and half AP and it did come out a bit more dense, next time I’ll use more AP and less spelt. I also used applesauce instead of oil.
I baked this in a round cake pan for about 35mins. Your tip on covering the cake while cooling with a dish towel helped to keep it moist. I also added a glaze.
thanks Richa!
Is it possible to make these as cupcakes? does the recipe need any adjustments? Can’t wait to make for my boyfriend for Valentine’s Day! 😊
yes
Can you make this without apple cider vinegar or any other vinegars?
yes, just omit and use some lemon juice if you can
Is the quantity same for lemon juice?
use double the lemon juice as is it less acidic than vinegar
Great recipe. Made it for a dinner party and it turned out great. Love that it’s not super sweet or too rich.
yay
Hi, can i substitute the vinegar for lemon juice or other acid? And can i also substitute the oil for melted vegan butter? Thank you.
yes and yes
Thank you,i will try it tomorrow and i will let you know how it turned out.
Great cake, will make again. It’s ideal to use various fillings, I think I will try with blueberries instead of the chocolate chips.
Awesome! Thanks!
FREAKING AMAZING, I made it for my birthday and it was a huge hit, the almond extract just sends it above and beyond, it tastes like a biscotti 😍 it’s my new go to, I’m going to make a second one for my friend to lift her spirits this week!
I added two teaspoons of vanilla extract to really give it a vanilla POW 💕❤️
yay! Belated Happy Birthday!