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Double Chocolate Fudge Cake

December 12, 2020 By Gretchen 108 Comments

The best vegan chocolate cake paired just got paired up with up with my professional bakery fudge icing!

Made exactly the same way as it was when I had my bakery!

Except this time around it is completely vegan so now everyone can enjoy it!

Moist layers of chocolate cake filled and iced with thick fudge icing.

The Best Vegan Chocolate Fudge Cake Recipe!

 

This cake is a very simple one to make especially because the recipe itself doesn’t require a mixer

It’s a one bowl mix and away you go!

The fudge icing can even be made by hand but I rather use the mixer for that recipe!

Vegan Fudge Icing Recipe

Of course you don’t have to go double chocolate here

This cake recipe is so perfect with just about every filling and icing you can think of!

So get creative like I did and use this base recipe for the canvas to create endless possibilities!

Chocolate Raspberry Truffle Cake
Raspberry Truffle Cake
The Ultimate Vegan Brooklyn Blackout Cake
Brooklyn Blackout Cake
Mint Chocolate Chip Cake
Mint Chocolate Chip Cake
Girl Scout Samoa Cake
Girl Scout Samoa Cake

I use this recipe for pretty much every layer cake that is chocolate I just love it that much!

It bakes up into perfect cupcakes if that is more your style, and the fudge icing is just divine!

Vegan Fudge Cupcakes

So for those in need of a perfect chocolate cake every time, you are in luck!

CLICK HERE FOR THE FULL YOUTUBE VIDEO TUTORIAL FOR HOW TO MAKE THIS CAKE

The Best Vegan Chocolate Cake

Notes for Success:

The cocoa powder for this recipe must be Natural not Dutch Process Cocoa.

It is important to understand the chemical reactions that take place for the success of this cake

CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT COCOA POWDER IN YOUR CAKE RECIPES

The Best Vegan Chocolate Cake

For more great recipes using chocolate cake ~ click the links below!

Girl Scout Samoa Cake

Vegan German Chocolate Cake

Chocolate Raspberry Truffle Cake

4.9 from 9 reviews
Chocolate Fudge Cake
 
Print
Prep time
2 hours
Bake time
30 mins
Total time
2 hours 30 mins
 
Serves: serves 10
Ingredients
  • For the Cake Recipe
  • All Purpose Flour 2 cups (250g)
  • Cake Flour 1 cup (120g) *or more all purpose flour
  • Natural Cocoa Powder 8 Tablespoons
  • Granulated Sugar 2 cups (400g)
  • Salt 1 teaspoon (6g)
  • Baking Soda 2 teaspoons
  • Apple Cider Vinegar 2 teaspoons
  • Vanilla Extract 2 teaspoons
  • Vegetable Oil ¾ cup (177ml)
  • Strong Brewed Coffee 2 cups * see notes above
  • For the Fudge Icing
  • Granulated Sugar 5 Tablespoons (63g)
  • Water 5 Tablespoons (75ml)
  • Corn Syrup 2 Tablespoons (40g) (30ml)
  • Unsweetened Cocoa Powder
  • Vegetable Oil 2 Tablespoons (27g) (30ml
  • Corn Syrup 4 Tablespoons (80g) (60ml) * you can sub glucose, agave or golden syrup here
  • Vegan Butter softened 9 ounces (2 Sticks + 2 Tbs) (254g)
  • Vanilla Extract 2 teaspoons
  • Confectioner's Sugar or Icing Sugar 1 lbs (4 cups) (450g)
  • Water 4-6 Tablespoons to adjust the consistency if needed
Instructions
  1. For the cake: Sift both flours, baking soda, salt, and sugar together in a large mixing bowl.
  2. Combine the natural cocoa powder with the hot coffee and then add the vinegar, oil and the vanilla extract.
  3. Pour the wet ingredients into the sifted dry ingredients and whisk vigorously with a hand whisk until smooth (about 15 -20 strokes)
  4. Pour batter into greased and parchment lined 7" x 2" cake pans
  5. Bake immediately in a preheated 350°f oven for approximately 30-35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out with moist crumbs
  6. Meanwhile prepare the fudge icing: In a small pot on the stove, combine the first 3 ingredients and bring to a boil for 1 minute then pour into a bowl and allow to sit in the freezer to rapid cool while you gather the other ingredients.
  7. In the bowl of your Kitchen Aid mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, or in a large mixing bowl with a hand blender, add the cocoa powder and cooled but still warm simple syrup and mix until it forms a firm mass.
  8. Add the vanilla extract
  9. Add the Vegetable Oil and the corn syrup
  10. Next add the softened vegan butter and mix well..
  11. Add the sifted confectioners sugar and mix until smooth.
  12. Slowly add some of the cold water about 1 tablespoon at a time until you reach the desired consistency
  13. Build the cake as per the video tutorial
Notes
Fudge cake can be stored at room temperature in a cool spot for up to 1 day, it won't go bad but if it gets too warm it will droop.
Best to keep refrigerated for up to 6 days
Bring to room temperature before serving
3.5.3251

 

Filed Under: All Recipes, Cake Decorating, Cake Recipes

Previous Post: « The 12 Days of Christmas Cookies
Next Post: Top 5 Holiday Cakes You Must Make this Season! »

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Lucy

    September 14, 2018 at 3:49 pm

    I can’t seem to find natural cocoa powder where I live, is there a way I could alter this recipe so that i can use dutch cocoa powder? I know it has something to do with the baking soda which is why the recipe uses natural cocoa? Thanks 🙂

    Reply
    • Gretchen

      September 14, 2018 at 4:03 pm

      You are exactly right! Wow odd that you can’t find natural, most of us can’t find Dutch process!! 😀
      CLICK HERE

      Reply
      • Lucy

        September 14, 2018 at 4:07 pm

        yeah i’ve never seen it anywhere! most brands i can find in stores say dutch processed, and then others don’t say anything so I just assume they’re dutch too. I’ll try the recommendation of adding baking powder in your post and see how it goes 🙂 thanks!!

        Reply
        • Gretchen

          September 14, 2018 at 4:13 pm

          Typically if it DOESN’T say it, it is natural. But you can look in the ingredients and usually Dutched will say processed with Alkali

          Reply
          • lucy

            September 14, 2018 at 4:16 pm

            ohhhh that makes sense, will have a look 🙂 also, is natural cocoa powder different to cacao powder?

          • Gretchen

            September 14, 2018 at 4:22 pm

            Cacao powder is natural but it is processed by cold pressing, vs cocoa powder that is processed (roasted) under high temperature, so the nutrients are left in tact by using Cacao it is considered a Superfood

      • Valery Parry

        June 30, 2020 at 1:48 pm

        Can I cook this in a square 7” cake pan for a deep cake, and what temp and timing please, in U.K. and love your recipes

        Reply
        • Gretchen

          June 30, 2020 at 8:52 pm

          Yes! but it will make 2- pans, OR just HALF the recipe Temp same as listed, time may be a few minutes less, check at about 20 minutes

          Reply
          • Kim Le

            October 29, 2020 at 9:55 pm

            Can I just use all cake flour? And can I use more butter instead of vegetable shortening?

          • Gretchen

            October 30, 2020 at 3:08 am

            you can use melted vegan butter yes, but not more. same amount as listed for oil
            Yes to cake flour

          • Erica Miller

            April 10, 2021 at 6:29 pm

            Hi Gretchen,
            I absolutely love your buttermilk chocolate cake recipe, but I can not seem to find it anywhere anymore. Any chance you could post it? 🙏🙏

          • Gretchen

            April 10, 2021 at 6:55 pm

            Hi Erica! Since December of 2019 my non vegan blog has shut down.I couldn’t keep up the cost to host it on the internet and maintain it monthly anymore
            The cost to host such a huge database online was close to $400 a month with tech support monthly to keep it clean & safe and smooth.
            I certainly do not (did not) make that much in adsense revenue through Youtube & Google.
            That became a pretty steep price to pay for a website that had been conflicting me financially & emotionally for so many years,
            so after 5 years of keeping it free & open to the public I finally decided to shut it down.
            I did not keep any of the recipes for myself when I shut down the database
            (which was the only place the recipes were stored)
            I just did (do) not feel comfortable anymore sharing recipes laden with animal ingredients promoting the very industry I loathe
            so it really didn’t make sense for me to keep them nor keep open and available such an expensive website.

            I do thank you so much for your support and encouragement through the ages,
            I have stunned NON Vegans with my vegan recipes, perhaps you could try to do the same?
            If not, I am sure there are tons of great (if not better than mine) recipes out there for you to use!

            Thanks again~ Best, Gretchen

        • Myra

          May 10, 2021 at 6:33 pm

          I only have one 7 by two inch cake pan. What happens if I don’t cook the mix immediately? Would it be better to divide the ingredients in three and wait to mix each time the pan is available to use?

          Reply
    • Rheanna

      October 1, 2019 at 3:44 pm

      I use the Hershey special dark cocoa which I just looked at after reading the comments and it’s a mix of natural and dutch. I’ve made this recipe a couple times, never had an issue. It came out perfect IMO.

      Reply
  2. Raquel

    September 15, 2018 at 12:14 am

    For cupcakes, what temp do you bake at and for how long? Would you recommend liners?

    Reply
    • Gretchen

      September 16, 2018 at 9:22 pm

      same temp for about 18-20 minutes (but check the centers with a toothpick to be sure) yes to liners

      Reply
  3. Rob

    September 15, 2018 at 6:50 am

    Can you use gf flour in this recipe for a coeliac?

    Reply
    • Gretchen

      September 16, 2018 at 9:22 pm

      I do not do any gluten free baking, but I have been told that gluten free+ vegan is not a straight up sub

      Reply
      • Ange

        September 18, 2018 at 4:29 am

        Gluten free and vegan isn’t straight up but with this recipe I’d start by adding a scant 1/2 tsp xantham gum, use GF all purpose in place of both flours, but remove 2 tbsp and replace with 2 tbsp of cornstarch and add 1tsp baking soda, sift your dry ingredients 3-4 times to ensure they’re well combined.

        I’m yet to try the recipe but this is my usual go process to convert to gluten free

        Reply
        • Gretchen

          September 18, 2018 at 12:34 pm

          awesome! thank you!

          Reply
  4. lisa

    September 16, 2018 at 2:18 am

    hi, if one wanted to change this recipe to make a simple vanilla (white) cake, could the cocoa powder be replaced with more flour and the coffee with water or plant milk? thanks.?

    Reply
    • Gretchen

      September 16, 2018 at 9:20 pm

      yes that’s right

      Reply
  5. Sonia

    September 19, 2018 at 2:18 pm

    Hi, we do not have cake flour in Europe (maybe it can be found in the UK). Should I just add another cup of plain flour instead? Any suggestion on how to replace cake flour? Thanks, Sonia

    Reply
    • Gretchen

      September 19, 2018 at 3:34 pm

      Hi! yes, you can totally do that, but CLICK HERE FOR MORE

      Reply
  6. Christine

    September 20, 2018 at 3:49 am

    Hi, sorry if I have misread the recipe… is the ganache an alternative topping to the fudge icing? Or is it used elsewhere and I have missed the reference to it?
    Looking forward to making this cake this afternoon 🙂

    Reply
    • Gretchen

      September 20, 2018 at 1:55 pm

      Sorry! Someone else brought that to my attention! Im not sure how I added that part in by accident! Sorry! (But YES you can use ganache as a less sweet, more sophisticated option to the fudge icing)

      Reply
  7. Jan

    September 20, 2018 at 11:38 am

    Thanks for all your hard work on here! Two questions 1) where does the ganache go? 2)My icing turned out grainy and dull – I used the gram measurements but it is not as silky as yours looks in the video, what could I have done wrong?

    Reply
    • Gretchen

      September 20, 2018 at 1:54 pm

      Hi Jan! Woops! thanks for bringing that to my attention! Not sure how that ganache recipe got in there! LOL
      AS for the fudge, I have found that using Hershey’s Dark Blend cocoa gives a dull appearance, not sure if you used that?
      I keep kicking myself every time I buy that because it’s just really weird and have a gray look, for anything I used that is NOT baked, like icings etc…
      Like buttercream, the fudge icing is another emulsion of sorts.. I’ve had this recipe break on me once, and found I was just going too fast in the mixing (the adding of ingredients rather..)
      But by adding a tables spoon at a time of warm water while mixing, this can be corrected.
      Similarly after I’ve refrigerated it and try to remixit, it will seem grainy and dull, but I bring it to room temperature and then add a tablespoon of warm water and it gets shiny again

      Reply
      • Jan

        September 21, 2018 at 5:57 am

        Thanks for your response, that’s exactly what I used – Hershey’s! The icing tastes great but it’s so dull – will do as suggested and see if that works!

        Reply
  8. Gloria Madle

    September 21, 2018 at 12:57 am

    Hi Gretchen,
    You are a superstar. Made this cake before I went to work, presented it and the staff devoured it in about three minutes. One of the staff said” You always have the best special cakes” I told them I have the best teacher who has done all the hard work for me to be able to present this for you.
    So many people in Aussy that have allergies to food so this is just perfect.
    Your hard work pays off. Thank you

    Reply
    • Gretchen

      September 21, 2018 at 1:50 am

      awe thank you Gloria! this comment made my day! 🙂

      Reply
  9. Brenda

    September 22, 2018 at 6:59 pm

    I have just done the chocolate sponge which turned out great, to freeze for building on Thursday for our Macmillan coffee morning. I will be attempting the piña colada layer cake from your wonderful book tomorrow, can you tell me if you need to strain the crushed pineapple as there is usually a lot of juice in the can?

    Reply
    • Gretchen

      September 23, 2018 at 8:40 pm

      Hi! Yes great question! Straining is definitely a good idea

      Reply
  10. DS

    October 27, 2018 at 8:50 pm

    Hi Gretchen, would this cake be suitable for a black forest cake? If so, by how much should I increase the recipe for a 9×13 cake?

    Reply
    • Gretchen

      October 28, 2018 at 8:59 pm

      Yes! CLICK HERE and 1 recipe for 1 thick layer 9″ x 13″ x 2″

      Reply
  11. Krishna

    November 9, 2018 at 4:22 pm

    Hey gretchen! This cake looks insane! I just had a question though, do you think I could do 1/2 cup oil and 1/4 applesauce to cut the fat a bit? And replace the 2 cups of coffee with 1 cup boiling water and 1 cup buttermilk ?(vegan of course) Thank you!

    Reply
    • Gretchen

      November 9, 2018 at 5:09 pm

      Hi Thanks it is really great! and YES to all your changes! 🙂 Good job!

      Reply
      • Krishna

        November 9, 2018 at 10:56 pm

        Thanks hun!! You are an absolute vegan goddess! <3 and your cookbook is next on my list of cookbooks to buy!!

        Reply
        • Gretchen

          November 11, 2018 at 8:48 pm

          Thankyou!

          Reply
  12. Lisa

    December 17, 2018 at 8:57 am

    Hi Gretchen – made this cake today- cake part worked fine but with the frosting I ended up with bits of the cocoa powder/syrup mix all through it. Wondering what I may have done wrong? I did mix the cocoa powder with the syrup until firm but could I have over or under done that part? Thanks ?

    Reply
    • Gretchen

      December 18, 2018 at 1:29 am

      Hmm, not sure. Did you seem to do it the same as I did it in the video for the Fudge Icing?

      Reply
      • Lisa

        December 22, 2018 at 9:09 am

        Thanks for replying! I watched the video again and followed that instead and it was fine. The cake and frosting are amazing!

        Reply
  13. Rich

    February 17, 2019 at 5:30 am

    How would replacing the oil for butter in this recipe, provided I adjust the amount for the water content etc, change the texture of the cake?

    Reply
    • Gretchen

      February 18, 2019 at 1:04 am

      Hi Rich, I have not used oil. Please report back if you do (I suspect it will be fine though)

      Reply
  14. Tracy Rogers-Martin

    May 17, 2019 at 10:35 am

    that looks delicious. I haven’t been on your blog in a while because I just didn’t feel like I had time to bake with the crazy work schedule I had. I’m not vegan yet but I’m working on it. He is a clip I found that support plants bases diets: https://www.yahoo.com/news/most-heart-attacks-prevented-one-014230484.html

    Reply
    • Gretchen

      May 17, 2019 at 5:10 pm

      thanks Tracy!!

      Reply
  15. Tracy R

    May 17, 2019 at 10:52 am

    Is vegan butter the same as any brand margarine, if not please elaborate on the difference

    Reply
    • Gretchen

      May 17, 2019 at 5:06 pm

      yes vegan butter is technically margarine. The main differences I see from brand to brand are the moisture contents. I do prefer Earth balance but I often use Fleishmanns (as it is much cheaper and works very good as well!)

      Reply
  16. TimesAFlyin

    May 27, 2019 at 4:31 am

    I have tried to open the Vegan Baking Mastery link. It does open but I do not see a place to register for an account name. What do I need to do?

    Reply
    • Gretchen

      May 27, 2019 at 4:37 am

      Hello, Im sorry the course is currently closed

      Reply
    • Bjorn

      July 30, 2020 at 9:56 pm

      First of all, this cake is delicious!
      But I still have some questions. My cake rises into a dome and cracks. I have that with every cake I made not just with this receipe. What can I do? Lower temperature and longer in the oven?
      Also the cake doesn’t seem high enough. Not even with two cakes. Is this right or should it have risen higher? How high should it be? What can I do about that?
      Thnx!

      Reply
      • Gretchen

        July 30, 2020 at 10:54 pm

        Hey great thanks! Hmm, odd- but yeah sounds like your oven temp could be too hot? Causing a severe rise too quickly?
        As for the height, I get pretty thick layers with mine, I get 3 tall 7″ layers that could even be cut in half again! Or 2-8″ layers that are THICK! so just be sure you are weighing correctly (prefer to weight not volume cups measure for best accuracy CLICK HERE FOR MORE)

        Reply
  17. Sóley

    June 3, 2019 at 1:12 pm

    Hi!
    I can’t wait to make this for a birthday party but I have 2 questions. Can I substitute the corn syrup because I can’t find it where I live? And can you make the cake ready the day before and keep it in the fridge?
    Your work is amazing<3

    Reply
    • Gretchen

      June 3, 2019 at 1:29 pm

      Awesome! thanks! Yes to both – the sub for corn syrup is glucose or golden syrup

      Reply
      • Sóley

        June 3, 2019 at 2:45 pm

        Great, thank you! Cant wait to try it 😉

        Reply
      • Sóley

        June 3, 2019 at 3:05 pm

        Sorry for bothering again but what type of vegan butter and vegetable shortening do you use??

        Reply
        • Gretchen

          June 3, 2019 at 8:37 pm

          I use Earth Balance, but have used Fleishmanns (margarine) with great results too
          Shortening I am using crisco

          Reply
          • Sóley

            June 3, 2019 at 10:21 pm

            Okey thank you very much?

  18. swati

    July 27, 2019 at 4:05 pm

    hi gretchen. i love ur work. i am new to baking.. plz dont mind this silly question. if i want to make an 8 inch cake round sud i half the recipe ? what measuremnets sud i take for baking in 15inch*10inch wilton tray?

    Reply
    • Gretchen

      July 29, 2019 at 2:45 pm

      Just fill the batter half full on any size pan you are using

      Reply
  19. Lisa

    September 27, 2019 at 1:33 pm

    Hey gretchen, I cant find apple cider vinegar anywhere I groceries nearby. Is there a substitute I can use.

    Reply
    • Gretchen

      September 28, 2019 at 6:18 pm

      sure thing, white distilled vinegar is fine (or even lemon juice if you cant find those)

      Reply
  20. Kate

    October 21, 2019 at 4:41 pm

    Could I possibly mix chocolate chips into the batter of this cake?

    Reply
    • Gretchen

      October 21, 2019 at 5:32 pm

      yes!

      Reply
  21. Soumya

    February 17, 2020 at 12:51 am

    Can I replace all purpose flour and cake flour with whole wheat flour?

    Reply
    • Gretchen

      February 18, 2020 at 2:29 am

      Not all of it, whole wheat flour will make this cake very heavy and dense, not good! You can add about 3/4 cup in place of 1 cup of flour

      Reply
  22. Hi

    March 28, 2020 at 10:46 am

    The cake came out horrible – crumbly and dry, tasted exactly like flour and no taste of chocolate at all. It was really disappointing given that I saw multiple good comments. And thing is, I didn’t change a thing! Really perplexed about why mine came out disastrous and I had to immediately find another recipe as it was for a birthday tmr. Thanks tho

    Reply
    • Gretchen

      March 28, 2020 at 6:54 pm

      Hmm interesting as I have never had any trouble with this recipe! And as you saw by the comments this is a very highly acclaimed recipe! Im sorry that happened to you, not really sure where to start to troubleshoot, as it is a very straightforward recipe. The only thing I can offer is to CLICK HERE and see if this resonates

      Reply
  23. sara

    April 10, 2020 at 6:02 am

    Hi,
    Thanks a lot for your amazing recipes. I have made this cake yesterday, I halved the quantity. However, the baking soda flavour was dominant. Do you know what went wrong?

    Reply
    • Gretchen

      April 10, 2020 at 10:30 pm

      Hmm really? I have not had that experience. I mean halving the recipe wouldn’t cause that, unless you forgot to actually HALVE that part?

      Reply
  24. Sharon

    April 20, 2020 at 8:22 pm

    Can the coffee be substituted with just water or something else? If not, I guess I can use decaf.
    I love your book. I’ve made the chocolate chip cookies, and frozen the extra dough.

    Reply
    • Gretchen

      April 20, 2020 at 9:54 pm

      Yes you can use decaf for sure, coffee just enhances chocolate in recipes, but you don’t ever taste the coffee coming through. You can use water of course, but again coffee really gives chocolate a nice boost. Otherwise any plant milk of your choice could be an option as well.
      AND THANK YOU for buying my book! 🙂

      Reply
  25. Linah

    April 27, 2020 at 10:14 am

    Hie how are you?Can I use self raising flour in this recipe and if yes what are the implications on baking soda which is part of the recipe?

    Reply
    • Gretchen

      April 27, 2020 at 1:45 pm

      I don’t ever recommend using self rising flour, since it already has the leavening and a good amount of salt too. However desperate times call for desperate measures, and I too have only been able to find an All Purpose Flour BLEND like a biscuit flour mix with those same ingredients added in.
      Since baking soda is 4X as powerful as baking powder, I would say to just use 1 teaspoon of the baking soda and DO NOT ADD SALT. Let me know how it turns out!

      Reply
  26. Linah

    April 27, 2020 at 3:30 pm

    Can I replace cake flour with self raising flour and what are the implications on baking soda also part of the recipe?

    Reply
    • Linah

      April 27, 2020 at 3:32 pm

      Thank you so much for the reply .I will give it a try

      Reply
  27. Missy

    May 4, 2020 at 11:14 pm

    This cake is amazing. I didn’t have any decaf coffee on hand during the quarantine, so I went by a previous commenter’s suggestion and subbed in hot water and vegan buttermilk for the coffee and used 1/2 cup oil and 1/4 cup unsweetened apple sauce. I also threw in 1/4 cup vegan dark chocolate chips for extra decadence. The cake was moist, rich chocolate heaven. I love this blog and highly recommend Gretchen’s cookbook!

    Reply
  28. darshani

    May 17, 2020 at 3:37 am

    hi the recipe has sugar and vege oil but the video says sugar boiled and no vegetable oil.so what is the correct way.pls inform me as fast as u can coz i am going to make the cake now.

    thank yu.

    Reply
    • Gretchen

      May 17, 2020 at 4:45 pm

      Hi Sorry for the late reply, the written instructions are correct. I am not sure where in the video it says to boil the sugar though??

      Reply
  29. Kimberly

    May 20, 2020 at 1:29 pm

    Yes, I made this Choc cake! Everyone, including non- vegans, loved it! much better than the high priced vegan bakeries near me. (now I just need cake decorating classes) Great taste, Easy to make, Thanks!

    Reply
    • Gretchen

      May 20, 2020 at 2:07 pm

      YAY! thanks for the feedback!

      Reply
  30. Linda

    May 22, 2020 at 5:06 pm

    I will sin this weekends, drown in sugar 🙂

    Reply
  31. Natalie Neumann

    June 7, 2020 at 11:19 pm

    This cake is phenomenal! Thank you for this recipe, Gretchen! Super easy to pull together and incredibly tasty. Didn’t have any coffee so I fully replaced that amount with soy milk. I also had no corn syrup so I used agave instead. Lastly, I only had AP flour around so I used it for both the full flour amount for the recipe. These substitutions seemed to turn out well given the cake was such a hit 🙂

    Reply
  32. Tarannum

    June 26, 2020 at 3:47 pm

    What is cake flour? What is the difference between cake flour and all purpose flour. If I don’t have cake flour can I replace it with all purpose flour?

    Reply
    • Gretchen

      June 26, 2020 at 4:12 pm

      Great question!! CLICK HERE for all the info!

      Reply
  33. Megan Christ

    July 15, 2020 at 8:06 pm

    Hi! I would like to make this cake for my friend’s birthday next week, but I’d like to make only two layers. Any easy way to adjust the recipe for a two layer cake?

    Thanks!

    Reply
    • Gretchen

      July 16, 2020 at 3:33 pm

      yes! This cake recipe bakes into 2- perfect 8″ layers (I am just in the habit of making 3-7″ layers) So- NO ADJUSTMENTS, just divide the batter between 2-8″ cake pans

      Reply
  34. Kay

    July 27, 2020 at 7:45 pm

    Hi
    I don’t use corn syrup or golden syrup, and I Don’t use Crisco bc it’s hydrogenated. Are there any substitutions?

    Reply
    • Gretchen

      July 28, 2020 at 9:33 pm

      You can use agave and sub the shortening with vegan butter (or coconut oil)

      Reply
  35. Bea

    September 8, 2020 at 12:30 pm

    Hi Gretchen,
    Thank you very much for your recipes and also for taking your time answering all of our questions. I’ve ordered your book for my birthday. (At least one good thing about getting old)
    I don’t use Crisco as it has palm oil in it, you’ve said it can be substituted with coconut oil in this particular recipe. Should it be room temperature when I add it to the mixer? Shall I add it slowly?
    Thank you so much again

    Reply
    • Gretchen

      September 8, 2020 at 2:21 pm

      Hi Thankyou!! I’m assuming you mean for the fudge icing? In which case, yes – I also omit the shortening nowadays and go all vegan butter or coconut oil. It should be at room temp- which is tricky for coconut oil sine it seems to like to be either rock hard or melted and not much else in between, lol

      Reply
  36. Jennyfer Alvarez

    December 9, 2020 at 7:53 am

    Since the acidity in natural cocoa powder helps activate the baking soda what if I only had Dutch-processed? Would adding two tablespoons of vinegar help to achieve the same result?

    Reply
  37. Steven

    December 18, 2020 at 12:27 pm

    Hi. Can I double the cake recipe in the same bowl? Or should I make two recipes. Thanks

    Reply
    • Gretchen

      December 19, 2020 at 8:16 pm

      Im sorry for the late reply! I have not had internet connection for the last 4 days!! You can double as long as you have a big enough bowl & enough oven space!

      Reply
  38. Emily

    January 30, 2021 at 11:12 pm

    Hi I was wondering if this recipe and your vanilla cake recipe are good when it comes to covering with fondant. I’m new to baking vegan.

    Reply
    • Gretchen

      January 31, 2021 at 1:58 am

      Hi Yes! You can use it!

      Reply
      • Emily

        February 2, 2021 at 6:53 pm

        Thank you! and your American buttercream recipe is that good for adhering fondant to?

        Reply
  39. Nathaniel

    February 25, 2021 at 10:47 pm

    Hi Gretchen,

    I’ve just made the cake layers, and they came out really dry. They were in for 30 minutes at 350 degrees f. Do you think it is due to over-baking? I think it might have been the cocoa powder (I’ve already experienced dry cakes due to the wrong kind of cocoa.) I didn’t use Dutch-processed cocoa, but a local version similar to the Hershey unsweetened cocoa. Is that considered natural cocoa powder? Is the natural cocoa you’re referring to the type that is high in fat? (18-24%) Or on the lower end? (8-12%, like I used) I also think I might have put too little coffee, since there’s no specification as to how many mls the coffee should be, and the measuring cups here are generally smaller in size, so 2 local cups might have been off by a 1/4 American cup.
    Can you please help me understand what I did wrong? The cake had absolutely no jiggle effect like yours had in the video. It was dry and crumbled upon dislodging from cake pans. I worked very closely with the rest of the measurements, measured in grams. The cake looks wonderful, and I’d really like to make it again and to succeed.
    Thanks! (:

    Reply
    • Gretchen

      February 26, 2021 at 2:05 am

      Oh No! That’s so disappointing to hear!
      Well, it’s hard to say what the problem is, but over baking would definitely be one reason for dryness, however this is typically on the edges and wouldn’t be through out, since 30 minutes (even if it was done at 22minutes) wouldn’t make such a severe difference.
      I wonder though if your oven is a convection? In which case it would make a HUGE difference since convection ovens run about 25° hotter than regular ovens.
      The cocoa YES would make a difference too, but if you used regular natural – similar to hersheys which is what I often use, then no it’s not that.
      The ml conversion would make a difference yes, but I am not sure 1/4 cup would make such a drastic difference either. However these are ALL AMAZING things you are noting and understanding! 🙂
      Sorry I did not provide the conversion- I usually just google the answers myself, but failed to put that in for you- sorry!
      I go with 237ml for 1 cup
      So, without really knowing what the culprit could be, I think if you try it again, be wary of everything we just talked about. It is such a great recipe! Super moist so I am sorry & sad that you had this experience!

      Reply
  40. Jon

    July 7, 2021 at 8:34 pm

    Hey Gretchen! So I have followed you for yes! (Non vegan days) and I’m now wanting to bake vegan cakes. So obviously came straight to your blog!

    My question… here in France it seems most cocoa powder is Dutch processed. Having read your post on cocoa powder, do I just replace the baking soda in the recipe with baking powder using your conversion from the blog post? Many thanks!!

    Reply
    • Gretchen

      July 7, 2021 at 8:55 pm

      Hey awesome!! Great to see you here! Yes the blog post (I HOPE) was clear to explain the chemistry behind this! CLICK HERE for a chocolate cake recipe that actually uses Dutched Process though! In case you are not wanting to “experiment” right now!! LOL

      Reply
  41. Maria

    August 9, 2021 at 5:20 pm

    This recipe looks lovely! Just recently I’ve been trying some vegans recipes and yours cake looks the best so far! But I have a doubt… I think the strong brewed coffee will be too much for children’s likes. What can I use do for substitute the coffee? Or can I just not add the coffee in the recipe?

    Reply
    • Gretchen

      August 9, 2021 at 5:38 pm

      Hey there! Great thank you!!
      You can use water instead! No coffee

      Reply
  42. Golnaz

    August 29, 2021 at 4:51 pm

    I made this cake today and I love the result , the cake was moist with a nice texture, thank you Gretchen for your perfect recipes . I’ve never confused with your recipes

    Reply
    • Gretchen

      August 29, 2021 at 5:02 pm

      THANKYOU for the comment!!

      Reply
  43. SM

    October 10, 2021 at 7:00 am

    Hi Gretchen,

    I love love your recipes..
    Please let me know if I can I freeze this cake?

    Reply
    • Gretchen

      October 10, 2021 at 1:14 pm

      thank you! Yes you can!

      Reply
  44. Tara

    June 7, 2022 at 2:54 pm

    Hi Gretchen

    Thanks for this recipe. I was wondering, can I use this recipe to make a black forest cake and use your swiss butter cream recipe instead of a whip cream (that is usually the icing for the black forest cake)? Would the cake fell apart?

    Reply

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Yep, it's me Gretchen~ Owner of Gretchen's Bakery. Well, I no longer own a physical bakery since I sold mine in late 2014 & since 2016 I make nothing but the best vegan recipes! Read More…

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