Best Vegan Chocolate Cake (Oil-free & Refined Sugar-free)

With one bite, you will find yourself lost in the flavors of this moist and tender vegan chocolate cake!

Yes, it’s vegan.

Yes, it’s oil-free.

Yes, it’s refined sugar-free.

But no, it’s not dense. And it’s not dry! I promise!!

What is the secret? The secret is aquafaba!

What is aquafaba?

It’s the liquid from a can of chickpeas. More specifically, it’s the water that your beans and legumes have been soaking and cooking in. This liquid is essential in vegan baking as the liquid is able to trap air, giving baked goods lift and structure while yielding fluffy and moist results – basically what eggs do for non-vegan baked goods!

Aquafaba is easy to get your hands on too! You can use the liquid from any cans of beans or legumes. But I found the liquid from chickpea works best. Plus, 1 can has more than enough liquid (~½ cup) as a little goes a long way. You will see how beautifully this cake rises and doubles in size with only 3 tablespoons of aquafaba!

Majority of the cake is sweetened by dates, making this cake a bit healthier and guilt-free. The dates also add a  caramel flavor that complements the gooey chocolate flavor! I recommend topping this cake with my Sweet Potato Chocolate Buttercream Frosting as it’s just as thick and creamy as buttercream frosting – but without the calories! 

Only having 1 slice of this soft, moist and fluffy chocolate cake will be a challenge!! No one will be able to guess that this cake is oil-free AND refined sugar-free! 

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quick notes

• As mentioned above, aquafaba is the liquid your beans and legumes have been soaking and cooking in. The liquid absorbs the different starches, proteins and other plant properties from the beans, giving it several “egg-like” properties, such as binding, emulsifying, and thickening properties. As a natural vegan egg substitute, aquafaba traps air, giving baked goods a fluffy lift while keeping a moist structure. Typically, 3 tablespoons of aquafaba is used to substitute 1 egg in vegan baking.
• Most common way to source aquafaba is from a can of chickpeas.
• The recipe below is for a 5 inch cake pan. In the photos above, I doubled the recipe to create two layers.
• Skip soaking the medjool dates in hot water if they haven’t been sitting in the refrigerator and are already sticky.
• Before assembling your cake, make sure your cake has been sitting in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours and your frosting is room temperature.

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VEGAN CHOCOLATE CAKE

serves one 5’’ springform cake pan

Dry

• ½ cup whole wheat pastry flour
• ¼ cup cocoa powder
• 1 tsp baking powder
• ¼ tsp baking soda
• 2 tbsp coconut sugar
• ¼ tsp instant espresso
• ½ tsp salt

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Lightly oil your cake pan and set aside. Combine and whisk your dry ingredients together in a bowl.

Liquid

• 6 medjool dates
• 2 tbsp almond butter
• 1 tsp apple cider vinegar
• ½ cup almond milk

Soak your dates in hot water for 10 minutes. Squeeze out extra moisture and discard the water before adding them to food processor. Add the remaining ingredients and blend until smooth.

• 3 tbsp aquafaba

Pour the liquid into the dry ingredients and add aquafaba. Gently fold mixture together. Pour into the cake pan and pop in the oven for 20-23 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean. Once cooked, let cake cool for 15 minutes before cutting into it.

Sweet Potato Chocolate Buttercream

• Recipe can be found here.

Pop the cake in the fridge for 2 hours. Meanwhile, start making the buttercream and set aside.

It’s important that your cake is cold and your buttercream be room temperature when frosting your cake. Liberally spread the buttercream on the cake and enjoy!

Optional: Once your cake is frosted, garnish with coconut flakes and strawberries.

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p.s. If you like this recipe, click the icons below to share and leave a comment below! Make sure to tag me @girlmeetsradish & #girlmeetsradish so I can see what you are making!