Dairy-Free Chocolate Cake

This Dairy-Free Chocolate Cake is incredibly rich, moist, and filled with chocolate flavor. It's frosted with a decadent dairy-free chocolate frosting and will make any chocolate lover happy!

A good chocolate cake recipe is a must have! I am a firm believer that chocolate cake is one of the best cakes out there. If you've always wanted to try making a chocolate cake from scratch, here's your sign! This cake is so easy, absolutely delicious, and if you're not a fan of dairy, then it's your lucky day!

I had to come up with a dairy-free dessert a few months ago when my husband and I were invited to a friend's house for dinner. I tried to think of a bunch of different things, but in the end, I kept it basic with chocolate cake. This cake is made with no dairy, and doesn't even use a dairy substitute, because let's face it: not everyone has dairy-free milk at home. I put half & half in my morning coffee, and I bake with milk all the time, so I never really go out of my way to buy dairy-free milk.

However, the dairy-free chocolate frosting is made with coconut cream, so if you don't have that handy, I highly suggest you pick up a can from the store, because this frosting might end up being your go-to frosting for future baking! It's so, so good! Absolutely worth it!

Ingredients for Dairy-Free Chocolate Cake Recipe

• Flour
• Baking powder
• Baking Soda
• Salt
• Espresso powder
• Granulated sugar
• Brown sugar
• Water
• Hot coffee
• Vegetable oil
• Eggs
• Vanilla Extract

Ingredients for Dairy-Free Chocolate Frosting

• Vegan chocolate or chocolate chips. I use this one that I picked up from my local grocery store.
• Espresso powder
• coconut cream - Recipe calls for 300g, but depending on how hot the weather is, some of the cream at the top of the can may have melted a little and that's ok. Use some of the liquid to make 300g. It will work. I've made this recipe a few times and I almost always end up using some of the liquid.
• Powdered sugar (optional) - I personally like it without the powdered sugar, but if you think it needs sweetened, add a little sugar.
• Salt (optional, if adding sugar)

How to Make Dairy-Free Chocolate Cake

For the Chocolate Cake

Making the cake is incredibly easy.

Step 1: Combine all the dry ingredients together and whisk, then set aside.

Step 2: add the water, vegetable oil, 2 eggs and vanilla, and mix until completely combined. Add the dry ingredients and then mix with a whisk until combined. The mixture will be a little thick.

Step 3: Slowly add the hot coffee until completely mixed together and smooth.

Step 4: Pour into the prepared pan and bake for 35-40 minutes until toothpick inserted comes out clean.

For the Chocolate Frosting

Step 1: In a heatproof bowl, add the chocolate and espresso powder and set aside.

Step 2: In a medium sauce pan, add the coconut cream and let heat on medium heat until it starts to simmer, then remove from heat and pour over the chocolate. Let the chocolate submerge completed.

Step 3: Let it sit for 5 minutes, then stir until completely combined and smooth.

Step 4: Using a hand mixture, whip the chocolate until it thickens and the color becomes a little lighter. Should be nice and smooth.

OPTIONAL STEPS:

Add ½ cup of powdered sugar to for sweetness, as well as ½ teaspoon of salt. This step is optional if you want a bit more sweetness. I've tried it with and without the sugar and I like both. But I personally like it more without because it balances it out with the cake.

Tips to Make the Best Dairy-Free Chocolate Cake

• Measure your flour correctly! It's so important not to add too much flour, which is very easy to do when using cup measurements. If you don't have a scale, use the spoon and level method. First, fluff the flour a little before adding flour into a measuring cup using a spoon, then level it off with the back of a butter knife.

• Don't skip lining the bottom of the pan with parchment paper. I have skipped it thinking my pan was non-stick and it would be fine. Spoiler alert: it was NOT fine. It stuck to the pan because I did not factor in the fact that this is a VERY moist cake.

• Don't skip out on the brown sugar. The brown sugar adds a little extra moisture to the cake!

• Espresso powder + hot coffee give the cake an even deeper chocolate flavor!

• Use high quality cocoa powder. I prefer Dutch Processed Cocoa Powder.

• Don't overbake the cake. Start checking it at 35 minutes, or even before if your oven runs hot!

• Keep the cake refrigerated once frosted.

Tips to Make the Best Dairy-Free Chocolate Frosting

• Weigh your ingredients! You don't want to add too much chocolate or too much coconut cream!
• When heating up the coconut cream, don't burn it. Watch it and let it simmer, then remove it from the heat.
• Let the ganache cool completely before refrigerating.
• Don't keep it in the refrigerator for too long, otherwise it will solidify way too much and will be VERY hard to whip up.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I use dairy instead of water?

Absolutely! It just won't be a dairy-free cake, but it will work and it's delicious.

Can I freeze this cake?

Yes. Let the cake cool completely, then wrap it up really well in seran wrap and freeze. You can freeze for several months.

Do I have to keep the cake refrigerated after frosting?

Absolutely! The cake will go bad otherwise.

Can I bake the cake in round pans?

Yes. You can use 2 8 inch round pans. You'll need to adjust the baking time.

Can I use olive oil instead of vegetable oil?

Absolutely! I've used olive oil in this cake when I ran out of vegetable oil and it works wonderful. The olive oil taste is not detectable.

Check out these recipe you may also like:

• Flourless Chocolate Cake
• Espresso brownies with espresso cream cheese frosting
• Crinkle Brownie Cookies

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