This egg free chocolate cake is unbelievably tender and delicious. It’s the perfect dessert to make when you don’t have milk or eggs. A rich, smooth, homemade chocolate frosting is the finishing touch!
Chocolate cake is one of my very favorite desserts.
There are so many different ways to make chocolate cake. One recipe that’s been around for ages is often referred to as Depression Cake. As you may know, this type of egg free, dairy free chocolate cake was made popular in during the Great Depression, when eggs, milk, and butter were too expensive for most families.
In this recipe, we use vinegar and baking soda in place of eggs, oil instead of butter, and water instead of milk. Does that sound too good to be true? You’ll be surprised at how moist and chocolatey this cake is! And the frosting, which is just powdered sugar, cocoa powder, oil, and water, is also very rich and smooth. It’s actually one of my favorite frosting recipes!
Even though this recipe was born in a time when eggs and dairy were scarce, it works very well today for families who have food allergies. If you’re dairy free and egg free, this is the chocolate cake for you.
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Ingredient Notes
- Egg Replacer – This cake has baking soda and vinegar, which when combined, help the cake to rise nicely. This is a fluffy and tender cake – I bet you won’t miss the eggs at all!
- Coconut Oil – I like the flavor that unrefined coconut oil gives this cake. But you can use canola oil, or any oil that you enjoy baking with. If you want to use coconut oil but don’t want any coconut taste, use refined coconut oil.
- Flour – All-purpose flour works well in this recipe. You could also use white spelt flour, or a gluten free flour blend if you like.
- Cocoa Powder – We like Hershey’s unsweetened cocoa powder which is available at most stores. You can use any brand of cocoa powder that works for your dietary needs.
- Sugar – Feel free to use regular granulated sugar or organic cane sugar in this recipe. You could also use coconut sugar if you prefer, but it will change the taste of this cake slightly.
Gluten Free Variation
You can make this recipe with gluten free flour. I’ve had a gluten free vegan chocolate cake recipe on my site for years, and this is very similar to that recipe. Use an equal amount of your favorite gluten free flour blend.
Don’t try this recipe with coconut flour or almond flour – it will be heavy and dense, and may not even bake up into a cake.
Special Equipment
I used 9-inch round cake pan to bake this cake. You could also use a 9-inch square pan.
I like to line my cake pans with a circle of parchment paper on the bottom. It makes it easier to remove the cake once it’s cooled.
An offset spatula is helpful for frosting the cake. If you don’t have that, you can use a regular knife.
Cupcake Variation
Yes, this recipe can be made into cupcakes! Just bake them for about 16 minutes or so. I like to use parchment paper liners so that the cupcakes don’t stick to the pan.
If you’re looking for other egg free cupcake recipes, try my vanilla cupcakes with chocolate icing or these snickerdoodle cupcakes.
More Egg Free Desserts
Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links.
Recipe
Egg Free Chocolate Cake with Frosting.
Ingredients
For the cake:
- â…“ cup organic coconut oil
- 1 cup sugar
- ½ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 ½ cups flour I used white spelt flour, but all-purpose flour would also work very well. A gluten free flour blend will also work.
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon white vinegar or apple cider vinegar
- 1 cup cold water
For the frosting:
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- 2 Tablespoons coconut oil
- 4-5 Tablespoons water
- â…“ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
Instructions
Make the cake:
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 9 inch cake pan with some coconut oil, then dust the pan with a little cocoa powder.
- Place the coconut oil in a mixing bowl and microwave for about 30 seconds until melted.
- Add the cocoa powder and sugar, and mix together.
- Add the flour, baking soda, salt, water, and vinegar. Mix well until combined and smooth. You can use a mixer for this, or just do it by hand.
- Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for about 26-28 minutes at 350 degrees F. When the top of the cake springs back when pressed with your finger, the cake is done. You can also stick a toothpick in the middle to see if it comes out clean.
- Allow the cake to cool for about 30 minutes before removing from the pan. You can turn it out over a plate to let it cool fully before frosting it.
Make the frosting:
- Melt the coconut oil in the microwave and set it aside to cool for a few minutes.
- Sift the powdered sugar and cocoa powder into a mixing bowl.
- Add the coconut oil and the water and mix on medium speed until the frosting is smooth and creamy. If the frosting is too thick, add a little more water.
- Frost the cake and enjoy!
O
Thanks for the recipe, I was specifically looking for a vegan frosting recipe using ingredients I already had in my pantry. I piped it, and did struggle with the consistency. As written, it seemed too loose to hold a nice edge. I added more powder sugar–too stiff to pipe. More liquid–too loose. Put it in the fridge for a bit–too stiff. Warmed it–a little loose, but I gave up and piped it at that point! :D
Antonia
Absolutely loved this cake! I made it for my husband’s birthday and it took us back to our childhood of pure, decadent, traditional chocolate cakes. It was a symphony in our mouths! I used a mini cake pan and got 6 mini cakes in all. Naturally, my Hubby got 4 cakes as the birthday boy and I got 2. :D
Alice M Glefke
I have tried twice to mix this recipe as written. The “batter” is dry as the flour soaks up every bit of liquid. I am using gluten free all purpose flour. I bake all the time and have never had this happen. What am I missing?
Jezanna Rainforest
Hi there Kelly, thank you so much for posting all of these recipes for free! I am concerned, though, that you mention using spelt flour…spelt is NOT gluten free! (Neither is kamut.). 😎. Happy baking and cooking!
Kelly Roenicke
I know, and I do state that in the recipe. There is a link in the post for my gluten free, egg free cake if that suits your needs!
Katie
Delicious recipe!
darryl
I don’t miss the eggs at all-totally awesome!
darryl
Super crazy good!