This eggless chocolate cake is everything you could possibly want in a chocolate cake (well, minus the eggs of course)! It’s incredibly moist, rich with chocolate flavor, has the perfect velvety texture, and uses simple ingredients you probably already have in your pantry. You can even make it dairy-free with one ingredient swap! It’s perfect for your friends and loved ones with egg allergies or vegan diets.
Moist Egg-Free Chocolate Cake
After I made this eggless vanilla cake recipe, I thought making a chocolate variation was going to be a cinch. Then I remembered that I tend to be a perfectionist and fairly quickly spiraled into obsessive recipe tests in search of the perfect eggless chocolate cake. I wanted a recipe that you couldn’t tell was missing any eggs because it’s so moist and rich with the perfect rise, plus perfect chocolate flavor and easy to make with ingredients that are easy to find. The winning recipe after so many of these tests is all of these things. In the end, it was as simple as using my highly rated one-bowl chocolate cake recipe as a base and making a few tweaks to account for the eggs.
Just look at the velvety crumb here. It’s moist enough to stick to your fork and melt in your mouth, but not so moist that it will become dense when you layer it. And with chocolate frosting it is so divine. The perfect chocolate cake that honestly rivals my other chocolate cake recipes that include eggs!
Eggless Chocolate Cake Ingredients & Substitutions
Like I mentioned previously, this egg-free chocolate cake uses simple ingredients you probably already have in your pantry and you can easily make it vegan. Here are some of the key ingredients and substitutions you can make:
- All-Purpose Flour. Otherwise known as plain flour, this creates gluten and helps build structure for the cake. I know that most of my other cake recipes call for cake flour, but I like to use all-purpose flour for my chocolate based cakes. It yields the best texture.
- Natural Unsweetened Cocoa Powder. This is what gives this cake the perfect chocolate flavor. Natural unsweetened cocoa powder (aka NON Dutch-processed) works best with this recipe because it helps contribute to the rise of the cake. I have tested this recipe with Dutch-processed cocoa powder and while it *technically* works, the result was a more dense cake that sunk slightly in the center but still tasted great. If you want the best results, use natural unsweetened cocoa powder. I use this one from Hershey’s.
- Granulated Sugar. Not only sweetens the cake, but also provides a soft texture in the overall crumb.
- Baking Soda. This is the leavening agent for the cake, aka it helps create rise. When combined with the vinegar in this recipe, a chemical reaction occurs to mimic the rise that eggs would provide in a cake recipe.
- Vegetable Oil. Provides a good amount of moisture for this cake. I like to use plain vegetable oil, but you can use any clear cooking oil that you prefer. Just keep in mind that whatever you use might flavor the cake, so choose something you love and are used to baking with.
- White Vinegar. When combined with the baking soda in this recipe, the white vinegar helps kick off a chemical reaction that helps the cake rise in the same way that eggs would. It’s my preferred egg replacer method! The vinegar also helps create a soft, velvety crumb overall. If you can’t find white vinegar, you can alternatively use apple cider vinegar.
- Pure Vanilla Extract. Flavors the cake and enhances the chocolate flavor. You can substitute up to half of this with other extracts if you want to introduce other flavors like almond, coconut, peppermint, etc.
- Whole Milk. This provides the right amount of fat to create a rich and moist texture. If you need to make this cake vegan, you can easily substitute the whole milk with an equal amount of soy milk.
- Hot Coffee. While you won’t be able to taste the coffee in the final cake, the coffee helps amplify the chocolate flavor in a huge way! The hot temperature also helps bloom the cocoa powder before the baking process and combines all of the ingredients perfectly. If you’d rather not use coffee, you can replace this ingredient with an equal amount of hot water.
How to Make Eggless Chocolate Cake Dairy-Free
Making this an egg-free and dairy-free chocolate cake is super easy. All you have to do is replace the whole milk in the recipe with an equal amount of soy milk. This is my preferred non-dairy milk for baking because it has about the same amount of protein as whole milk, which is important for binding together the gluten, adding moisture, and creating the perfect structure. For dairy-free frosting, I recommend pairing this cake with either my vegan chocolate buttercream or vegan vanilla buttercream.
What Frosting to Pair with Eggless Chocolate Cake
The beauty of chocolate cake is that it pairs well with almost any frosting flavor! I absolutely LOVE chocolate, so I paired this eggless chocolate cake with my favorite chocolate frosting. Here are some other frosting suggestions in case you want to change things up. Just be sure to make a double batch of any of the following recipes so you’ll have enough for filling, frosting, and decorating this cake:
- Vanilla Buttercream
- Vegan Chocolate Buttercream (for dairy-free)
- Raspberry Buttercream
- Strawberry Buttercream
- Mocha Buttercream
- Nutella Buttercream
- Salted Caramel Buttercream
Cake Decorating Details
For the eggless chocolate cake pictured, I wanted a simple yet celebratory design. So I frosted the cake with chocolate buttercream and smoothed the sides before using a small angled spatula to make diagonal swipes in the frosting finish.
Then, I topped the cake with some buttercream swirls using Wilton Tip 1M and added some rainbow sprinkles to create pops of color around the base of the cake and on top of the frosting swirls. I love how it turned out – so perfect for a birthday party or celebration!
Here’s a quick video of the baking and decorating process for this eggless chocolate cake:
If you love recipe videos like this one, be sure to check out my YouTube channel! I’ve got a growing collection of cake recipes, decorating tutorials, and Cake Basics over there. Hit the subscribe button on my page so you never miss a new video.
Eggless Chocolate Cake Recipe
Ingredients
Eggless Chocolate Cake
- 2 Cups (265g) all purpose flour
- 1 2/3 Cups (340g) granulated sugar
- 2/3 Cup (60g) unsweetened natural cocoa powder NOT Dutch-processed
- 2 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp kosher salt
- 1/2 Cup (120ml) vegetable oil
- 1 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 2 tsp white vinegar
- 1 Cup (240ml) whole milk or soy milk, room temperature use soy milk for dairy-free
- 1 Cup (240ml) hot coffee or hot water
Chocolate Buttercream
- 2 Cups (452g) unsalted butter, room temperature
- 5 1/4 Cups (630g) powdered sugar
- 1 Cup (90g) unsweetened natural cocoa powder
- 6 Tbsp whole milk, room temperature
- 4 tsp pure vanilla extract
- pinch of salt, or to taste
Instructions
Make the Eggless Chocolate Cake
- Preheat the oven to 350ºF and prepare three 6-inch or two 8-inch cake pans by spraying the sides with cooking spray and fitting the bottoms with a wax paper or parchment cake circle.
- In a large bowl, add all of the dry ingredients and whisk to combine. Add the vegetable oil, vanilla, white vinegar, and milk and whisk on low until just combined. Add the hot coffee (or hot water) and whisk until smooth. The batter will be very thin.
- Pour the batter into the prepared cake pans and bake for 30-35 minutes, until a toothpick inserted comes out clean or with just a few moist crumbs. Cool completely before frosting.
Make the Chocolate Buttercream
- In a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, whip the butter on medium-high speed until creamy and light in color, 4-5 minutes.
- Scrape down the bowl and paddle, then add half of the powdered sugar and half of the cocoa powder. Cover the mixer with a clean kitchen towel (to prevent ingredients flying out of the bowl), then turn the mixer to low speed and mix until all ingredients start to come together.
- Add the remaining powdered sugar, cocoa powder, milk, vanilla, and salt. Cover the mixer again and mix on low speed until smooth and uniform, about 1 minute, scraping down the bowl and paddle as needed.
Assembly
- When the eggless chocolate cake layers are completely cool, level them to your desired height before filling and stacking with chocolate buttercream. Crumb coat the cake with chocolate buttercream, then place it in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes to let the buttercream set firm.
- Frost the cake with a layer of chocolate buttercream and smooth the sides with an icing smoother until level (don't worry about creating an extra smooth finish for this one). Swipe a small icing spatula diagonally though the buttercream as you rotate the cake to create the texture pictured. Press some rainbow sprinkles around the bottom of the cake. Use the remaining chocolate buttercream to pipe swirls on top of the cake with Wilton Tip 1M, then add rainbow sprinkles on top.
Notes
- The eggless chocolate cake layers can be made ahead and stored at room temperature, covered tightly in plastic wrap, for up to two days. Alternatively, you can cover with plastic wrap and store in the freezer for up to two months before thawing to room temperature.
- The chocolate buttercream can be made ahead and stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 day. Alternatively, you can store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to two weeks. When you’re ready to use it, bring it back to room temperature and rewhip with your stand mixer to bring back to frosting consistency.
Did you make this cake? I want to know how it went. Let me know in the comments section below or tag @sugarandsparrowco on Instagram to show me a photo. I love to see what you make!
Hey Whitney,
First off, a huge thank you for making things eggless. We are vegetarians and refrain from eggs but not dairy, so these recipes are a boon to cake(baking) lovers like yours truly! I am extremely picky about the recipes and spend more time researching than in the actual execution, and now that it comes from someone I admire, I can trust this whole thing blindly!
A humble request: I see you have included the cupcake version(I’m grateful), but please could you also include a small batch version for the eggless/vegan ones? Or if there is a standard formula that a layman like me can use to reduce the quantity, it would be nice too.
Hi there! I’m so happy you’ve been enjoying these eggless recipes! I’ll add a small batch version to my baking list. In the meantime, you can make a small batch version of this recipe by dividing all the ingredients by 3 (make 1/3 of the recipe). This will make enough batter for three 4-inch cake pans or one 6-inch cake pan. Hope that helps!
I make ~4 cakes a year for family birthdays. I’d call myself a beginner-ish baker. My kid’s best friend is allergic to eggs so I stumbled upon this recipe and your site as a result of hoping to make a cake all could eat. This is the most delicious and presentable cake I’ve ever made. I learned so much from your explanations. I’ve never commented on a recipe before to say how it went but the cake was so good I felt compelled! Thank you
Hi Kimble! I’m so happy to hear that this recipe was a success both taste-wise and presentation-wise! Thanks so much for letting me know how well it went!
I TRIED HALF BATCH IN 9X5.5 INCH RECTANGLE MOULD AND ITS TURNED SO SO SO GOOD I REALLY THANKFUL TO YOU FOR THIS EGGLESS CHOCOLATE CAKE, I HAVE A QUESION IF I WANT TO MAKE CHOCOLATE MOUSSE FROSTING FOR THIS CAKE CAN I ASK YOU RECIPE PLEASE IF YOU CAN SHARE DEAR
I’m so happy you love this recipe, Syeda! I don’t have a recipe for chocolate mousse frosting but I do have this recipe for chocolate mousse cake if you want to add layers of mousse in between the cake layer(s): https://sugarandsparrow.com/easy-chocolate-mousse-cake/ hope that helps!