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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.
I’ve made this many times and it’s delicious. We love it.
I’m so glad to hear 🙂
Can you make this into a round layer cake? Is it sturdy enough to stack?
I think so ~ esp. if layered with icing
Any advice on baking this in a bundt cake pan?
Yes bake it and check at 35 mins mark
Super easy to make and the kids loved it. used 1/2 white flour but somehow they were fooled into thinking it was all white. 🙂
nice trick
I made this as a loaf cake and it was gorgeous! I’m going to try this as muffins tonight. How many muffins would this make if I follow the recipe exactly?
Thank you! ❤️
thanks Suz, a dozen, reg. muffin pan
Help! I don’t know what happened when making this bread, but it overbaked and had a really dark exterior after 45 minutes of baking. I used Lactaid milk, applesauce, and 2 cups of sifted regular flour. The texture of the loaf seemed nice and spongy and it tasted good in the middle, but the edges are definitely way too well done. Want to make again successfully!
It’s either the milk, or oven heating too much. Try baking at 10-15 deg lower temp and cover the pan with parchment. No need to seal it. The parchment will reduce the top getting brown.
Hi, I made this. It was breaking on making slices. So made big slices. Why? TY! Will try with whole wheat flour next time like people in comments. Ur thoughts?
Cool it completely and use a sharp serrated knife. Cake breaks when warm as it’s very soft then. Soft is better than hard and dry 🙂
Mmm, so yummy! Love this recipe, always turns out perfectly. Thanks for all the great recipes.
I’ve made this before and it is delicious. I am looking to make this again to be gluten free, dairy free, nut free, and stevia instead of sugar. For gluten free, would it work to use the 1:1 flours that is gluten free.
https://www.amazon.com/Bobs-Red-Mill-Baking-Gluten/dp/B07FW7SCB2/ref=asc_df_B07FW7SCB2/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=309769273892&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=12085928990183985606&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9031113&hvtargid=pla-644947750009&psc=1
I’ve never had good luck with the 1:1 flours. You can try a small batch. Try add a few tbsp of stevia sweetened club soda to help leaven the batter as the rice flour batters can bake dry and dense, so the aeration from the soda will help
Hi Richa,
I love your recipes – you totally inspire me!
This particular recipe has been a complete game changer in my household, everyone loves it.
I did amend it slightly – I use one and a quarter cup plain flour and three quarter ground almonds.
I also use homemade cashew milk and quarter cup cane sugar.
I’ve tried it with chocolate chips but also raisins and both are divine.
The addition of the ground almonds gives the loaf a light airy texture and it really is quite heavenly to eat.
Thank you for all your recipes Richa. Your website is my “go to” place when I’m feeling a little blue -you always put a smile on my face. 😊
❤️❤️❤️❤️
I tried it. It was so good. I used monk fruit sweetener instead of sugar.
Awesome