A moist and decadent egg-free chocolate cake that is so easy and quick to whip up, it'll become a forever go-to. You can easily make it vegan if you need a dairy-free cake. Pair it with chocolate frosting for the most irresistible chocolate cake ever.
1Cup(240ml) whole milk or soy milk, room temperatureuse soy milk for dairy-free
1Cup(240ml) hot coffee or hot water
Chocolate Buttercream
2Cups(452g) unsalted butter, room temperature
5 1/4Cups(630g) powdered sugar
1Cup(90g) unsweetened natural cocoa powder
6Tbspwhole milk, room temperature
4tsppure 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
Make Ahead Tips:
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.
To Make as Cupcakes: fill the tins no more than 2/3 full and bake at 350ºF for 15-18 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. To Make by Hand (Without a Mixer): In a large bowl, whisk the dry ingredients together until uniform. Add the vegetable oil, eggs, vanilla, and buttermilk, and whisk everything together until smooth. Whisking constantly, add the hot coffee (or water) in a slow, steady stream. Continue whisking until the batter is smooth and uniform. It will be very thin. Pour into prepared cake pans and bake according to the recipe above.