Vegan Chocolate Sheet Cake
Vegan Chocolate Sheet Cake with vegan chocolate frosting is a dessert recipe for all occasions! It’s fluffy, chocolate-y, tender and SO delicious! Whether you’re celebrating a birthday or just craving all things chocolate, this cake is the perfect choice.
Any chocolate lovers around? If so, you’re going to LOVE this Vegan Chocolate Sheet Cake! I know the holidays are usually a time for extravagant desserts, but it’s never a bad idea to sit back and enjoy a good slice of chocolate cake. I mean, one bite and you’ll know, this was the right choice.
Why You’ll Love This Chocolate Sheet Cake Recipe
- Everyday ingredients. You guys know it’s so important to me that the vegan basics I share are pantry-friendly and filled with simple ingredients. This chocolate sheet cake is exactly that.
- Simple to make. This vegan chocolate sheet cake recipe is also super easy to put together, and even easier to decorate. In fact, you might want to get some little helpers involved! Sprinkles are always appreciated by the kiddos.
- Classic flavour. You will never guess that this chocolate sheet cake is vegan! It has the same flavour and moist texture of the traditional recipe.
Notes on Ingredients
Scroll down to the recipe card to find the ingredient quantities and recipe instructions.
For the Cake:
- Apple cider vinegar – This is for preparing the vegan buttermilk. Regular vinegar will also work if you don’t have apple cider vinegar.
- Soy milk – Any other vegan milk would also work, but I love soy for its high protein content, and because it’s thick and smooth.
- Brown sugar – You can also use cane sugar, which is sweeter than regular or brown sugar.
- All-purpose flour – I highly recommend a regular all-purpose flour. You could also make this gluten free, but it might change the texture.
- Unsweetened cocoa powder – I recommend regular high-quality unsweetened cocoa powder, not dutch processed cocoa powder (it doesn’t react the same).
- Baking powder
- Baking soda
- Sea salt – If you want to use regular salt in this chocolate sheet cake, slightly reduce the amount.
- Oil – This takes the place of butter to ensure that the cake is nice and tender.
- Vanilla extract
- Warm milk + instant coffee – The coffee REALLY boosts the chocolate flavour. You can also use espresso powder. You could leave it out, but I don’t recommend it. I like to stir this into warm milk which helps to melt the ingredients, as well as dissolve the coffee.
For the Frosting:
- Unsweetened cocoa powder
- Unsalted vegan butter – It’s also okay if you use salted vegan butter, just skip the salt below! Here’s my recipe for homemade vegan butter.
- Vanilla extract
- Sea salt
- Powdered sugar – AKA confectioner’s sugar. You can also make your own by just blending any sugar in your blender!
- Vegan milk
How to Make Vegan Chocolate Sheet Cake
- Preheat oven and line sheet pan. Preheat the oven to 350°F/180°C. Prepare a 9×13 sheet pan by greasing and flouring or line it with parchment paper.
- Prepare buttermilk. In a jar, add the vinegar and room temperature vegan milk together to curdle to form a buttermilk.
- Combine dry ingredients. In a large bowl, whisk together the sugar, flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda and sea salt.
- Mix in oil and buttermilk. Add in the oil, buttermilk, and vanilla extract.
- Warm milk and stir in instant coffee. Heat up the remaining milk in the microwave for 40 seconds (or on the stovetop until warm, not boiling). Stir the instant coffee into the milk with a whisk or fork to dissolve for about 15 seconds.
- Mix everything together. Add the milk mixture to the bowl on top of everything. Beat on medium speed with an electric mixer for no more than 1 minute, scraping down the sides of the bowl to ensure that everything is incorporated.
- Get rid of air bubbles. Pour the batter into the pan. Lightly tap on the counter three times to remove any air bubbles.
- Bake the cake. Place the pan in the center of the middle rack in your oven. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely.
- Make the frosting. Add the cocoa powder, vegan butter, 2 1/2 cups of the powdered sugar, vanilla extract, sea salt and half the vegan milk to the bowl of an electric stand mixer or a hand mixer. Start mixing at low speed, gradually increasing until the frosting is thick and smooth. Add the remaining powdered sugar 1/2 cup at a time until the frosting reaches your desired thickness and consistency. If needed, add in the other half of the milk about 1 tablespoon at a time.
- Decorate and serve. After cooled, frost with chocolate frosting and sprinkles. For an even more moist chocolate sheet cake, brush with simple syrup before adding the frosting!
Tips for Success
- Weigh the flour. I highly suggest using a kitchen scale for this! It gives you the most accurate results.
- Sift the dry ingredients. This will ensure that you remove any lumps in the flour and cocoa, and that you get a smooth, tender chocolate sheet cake!
- Don’t over-mix the batter. Over-mixing the batter can make the cake too dense because of the gluten that activates in the flour. Just mix enough to combine all of the ingredients together.
- Sift your powdered sugar. Be sure to sift your powdered sugar before making your frosting! This makes such a tremendous difference to the consistency of the frosting.
- Avoid thick frosting. You don’t want the frosting to be runny, but you also want it to spread easily across the top of the cake. If your frosting turns out to be too thick, try adding a splash of milk to it.
Cake Decorating Ideas
What’s the best way to decorate a cake? Well, you can’t really go wrong, but here’s some inspiration to get you brainstorming:
- Sprinkles. They’re so colorful and fun! Plus, kids love to decorate with them almost as much as they love to eat them.
- Chocolate Shavings. Triple chocolate sheet cake anybody?
- Berries. Raspberries, strawberries, and cherries are all great choices.
- Chopped nuts. I would recommend walnuts, or maybe even pecans.
How to Store Leftover Cake
- Room temperature/refrigerator: Leftover vegan chocolate sheet cake should be stored in an airtight container. If you’re going to eat the rest of it fairly quickly, it should be fine at room temperature, but you can also keep it in the fridge for 4-5 days if you need to.
- Freezer: The cake can be frozen in an airtight container, or tight layers of plastic/reusable wrap or even in parchment paper with foil covering it for up to 2 months, as long as you haven’t frosted it yet.
More Vegan Cake Recipes
Enjoy friends! If you make this Vegan Chocolate Sheet Cake, please snap a photo and tag #jessicainthekitchen on Instagram! We’d also love if you would leave a comment below, and give the recipe a rating! Thanks so much!
Vegan Chocolate Sheet Cake
This Vegan Chocolate Sheet Cake is a dessert for all occasions! With rich chocolate frosting, both kids and adults will love this cake.
Ingredients
Vegan Chocolate Sheet Cake
- 1 ½ tablespoons apple cider vinegar, or regular vinegar
- 1 cup soy milk, or other vegan milk (240mL), room temperature
- 2 cups brown sugar, or cane sugar (400g)
- 3 cups all-purpose flour, (360g)
- 1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder, (80g)
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- ¾ cup oil, (150g)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup warm milk (240mL) + 1 teaspoon instant coffee, mix in until dissolved – stir these together right before you need them so the milk is still warm
Vegan Chocolate Frosting
- 1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- ½ cup unsalted vegan butter, (softened) or salted, but don't use the sea salt below
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- pinch of sea salt
- 2 ½-3 cups powdered sugar
- ⅓ cup vegan milk, (+ 1 tablespoon extra if needed)
Instructions
For the Cake
- Preheat the oven to 350°F/180°C. Prepare a 9×13 sheet pan (with sides) by greasing & flouring or lining with parchment paper (I usually just grease and flour).
- In a jar, add the vinegar and room temperature vegan milk together to curdle to form a buttermilk. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, add the sugar, flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda and sea salt. Using a whisk, whisk all the ingredients together, removing any clumps that may form.
- Add in the oil, the buttermilk mix from earlier and the vanilla extract.
- Heat up that additional milk in the microwave for 40 seconds (or on stove top until warm not boiling). You want it warm enough to dissolve but not boiling. Stir the instant coffee into it with a whisk or fork to dissolve for about 15 seconds.
- Add it to the bowl on top of everything. Beat on medium speed of electric mixer for no more than 1 minute on medium speed, scraping down the sides of the bowl once in between to ensure that everything is incorporated. You want to mix until just combined.
- Pour the batter into the pan. Tap on the counter three times lightly to remove any air bubbles.
- Place the pan in the middle rack of your oven and in the center of that rack. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes until fully baked. Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely.
- After cooled, frost with chocolate frosting and sprinkles (optional!) Enjoy! For an even more moist cake, brush with simple syrup before putting on the frosting!
For the Frosting
- Add the cocoa powder, vegan butter, 2 1/2 cups of the powdered sugar, vanilla extract, sea salt and half the vegan milk to the bowl of an electric stand mixer or a hand mixer. Start mixing it together at slow speed, gradually increasing speed until it’s very thick and smooth. Add the 1/2 cup of the extra powdered sugar at a time until it reaches your desired thickness and consistency. If needed, add in the other half of the milk about 1 tablespoon at a time.
Notes
Always ensure your baking powder and baking soda are fresh!
Be sure that you’re starting with room temperature ingredients, except for the warm milk at the end.
Weigh: I highly suggest using a kitchen scale for this! It gives you the most accurate results!
Sift the Dry Ingredients: this will ensure that you remove any lumps in the flour, etc., and that you get a smooth, tender cake!
Don’t Over-Mix the Batter: over-mixing the batter can make the cake too dense because of the gluten that activates in the flour – just mix enough to combine all of the ingredients together.
Sift Your Powdered Sugar: be sure to sift your powdered sugar before making your frosting! This makes such a tremendous difference to the consistency of the frosting.
To Avoid Thick Frosting: you don’t want the frosting to be runny, but you also want it to spread easily across the top of the cake. If your frosting turns out to be too thick, try adding a splash of milk to it.
Calories: 289kcal, Carbohydrates: 47g, Protein: 3g, Fat: 12g, Saturated Fat: 2g, Sodium: 315mg, Potassium: 164mg, Fiber: 3g, Sugar: 30g, Vitamin A: 218IU, Vitamin C: 1mg, Calcium: 80mg, Iron: 2mg
Disclaimer: Although jessicainthekitchen.com attempts to provide accurate nutritional information, kindly note that these are only estimates. Nutritional information may be affected based on the product type, the brand that was purchased, and in other unforeseeable ways. Jessicainthekitchen.com will not be held liable for any loss or damage resulting for your reliance on nutritional information. If you need to follow a specific caloric regimen, please consult your doctor first.
This was the easiest and most delicious chocolate cake that I have ever made. My family could not believe that it was vegan. The icing is so creamy and delectable. I can’t wait to make it again!
Thank you so much Alyssa! We’re happy that you and your family enjoyed it!
Thank you for this fantastic cake recipe! I needed to make a vegan cake for 30-40 people, and I have never made vegan cake before! It turned out moist and delicious. I decided to buy frosting that I will drizzle on and use sprinkles for decor. I think it’ll be a big hit! I was a little worried about altitude (I live at 5,500 ft above sea level) but it was perfect.
Wow so happy to hear that it worked for you! Thank you so much for trying it!
I have 2 x 8inch square pan would this recipe work in these pans or would I need to convert it?
Thanks so much for reading! You would need to do it in three 8 inch pans. I hope this helps.
I’m really excited to try this recipe for my son’s third birthday. In terms of oil to use, could I use refined coconut oil? I would melt it before adding it in.
Thanks so much for reading Anne, yes you can! I hope you enjoy it.
Great tastes like normal chocolate cake. A little crumbly but still keeps its shape.
Just wanted to let you know how much my family and I love this chocolate cake. It is one of our all time favorites to make for family gatherings! Thank you for sharing this delightful, tasty recipe!
This cake was delicious!
Minor substitutions: vegan yogurt (coconut) for half for the “buttermilk” and it needed to be gluten free so used a blend.
I was concerned about the texture with the gluten free flour substitute but it was perfect! I was delighted and everyone said it was delicious!
Alternative icing: ganache with coconut milk and vegan chocolate
I made this cake for my baby shower and everyone loved it. So moist and chocolatey. Definitely recommend sticking to the natural cocoa powder as it gives the perfect chocolate flavour to the cake. I have made cakes with dutch processed cocoa powder and it just didn’t taste this good. Thanks Jessica for such a great recipe 🙂
You’re so welcome Soniya and I’m so happy it turned out so great for you!! You did an amazing job with that cake!!
This cake is my go-to for special occasions. It comes out perfectly moist and fluffy every time, and the icing is velvety, chocolatey perfection. Thanks for this recipe!
I used a little less sugar (about a 1/3 C less) in the cake, didn’t have a neutral oil available, so used olive oil!, didn’t sift a thing and the finished product was still delicious and good textured . I also halved the frosting and it was enough to top my 9 × 13. A good recipe.