This moist eggless chocolate cake recipe is one of the most viewed recipes on this blog. It makes a decadent cake with rich chocolate flavor and is so deliciously moist and fluffy, no one will guess it's a cake without eggs!
The best thing about this no eggs chocolate cake is that it is really very easy to put together. You have the dry and the wet ingredients, and you literally mix them all together with just a hand whisk, and the cake is ready for baking. How simple is that? Let’s look at the method below.
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❤️Why you will love this recipe
- This easy chocolate cake is an eggless recipe, making it a great recipe for vegetarians. It is not vegan, but you can easily turn it into one and I have provided the tips in the 'Substitution and Variation' section below.
- With simple and basic ingredients, you can make the best chocolate cake ever with this moist eggless chocolate cake recipe!
- The cake batter can be mixed entirely by hand, so no electric hand mixer or stand mixer required.
- This moist chocolate cake without eggs has a very moist and dense texture, making it perfect for stacking and even carving. It is also suitable for decorating with any type of frosting, including fondant.
- You can enjoy a slice of this cake with a scoop of ice cream for dessert or bake and decorate as birthday cakes or for any other occasion.
📋Ingredients
Despite there being no eggs in this eggless chocolate cake, the total number of items used to make this cake is 8 (excluding baking soda, salt, and vanilla extract).
- All purpose flour + baking soda + salt - mix these together and sift them before adding into the cake batter.
- Cocoa powder - use unsweetened cocoa powder and make sure to sift first before using to break all lumps.
- Granulated sugar (caster sugar)
- Oil - You can use any vegetable oil in making this moist eggless cake but choose the ones that are light and odorless. Olive oil, sunflower oil, and coconut oils are fine.
- Hot water - this is to dissolve the coffee. It need not be boiling hot.
- Milk - use whole milk for a rich taste.
- Vinegar - reacts with the baking soda when mixed together and helps the cake rise well.
- Instant coffee powder (optional) - this is optional, but it gives a depth in flavor for the eggless cake.
- Vanilla extract - for the flavoring.
And as you can see, most of these are readily available at home, except for the vinegar, but you will see in the 'Substitution and variations' section below that you can substitute vinegar with apple cider vinegar or even lemon juice.
*Refer to the recipe card below for full list of ingredients and exact quantities. For best results, use a digital kitchen scale where applicable*
🧾Substitution and Variations
- Coffee in this recipe gives the moist chocolate cake an intense chocolate taste. Coffee is optional, and you can skip it if you want. If you prefer to use filtered coffee, you can use the 240 ml hot water indicated in the recipe to make your coffee. Just make sure the final coffee solution you add to the cake batter does not exceed 240 ml.
- You can also substitute the oil with butter but make sure the butter is unsalted and is melted. Cakes made with oil are well known for their moist property, so replacing it with melted butter is fine, but you will not get the same level of moistness as you would with oil.
- Since there are no eggs in this cake, vinegar is used to react with baking soda to help the cake rise well. You can use apple cider vinegar or any other edible white vinegar in this recipe. Vinegar can be substituted with lemon juice if you like. Use it in the exact same quantity as the vinegar.
- To make this moist eggless cake into a fully vegan chocolate cake, simply substitute the milk with water (like a wacky cake) or other vegan options like almond milk and oat milk. Follow the steps indicated as normal. Do note, however, that the taste and texture of the cake might vary slightly.
- Instead of chocolate buttercream, you can frost this cake with any of your favorite frosting. You can use cream cheese frosting like in this elegant birthday cake, or use chocolate ganache frosting (made using dark chocolate) or simple chocolate frosting.
This recipe has not been tested with other substitutions or variations. If you do try, please let me know in the comments section below!
👩🍳How to Make
Mixing the cake batter
Unlike most of my cake recipes that contain eggs, this eggless cake recipe is very easy to mix. Everything can be mixed by hand in just a single bowl. No mixer required and cleaning up is easy too!
- The process starts by mixing all the dry and wet ingredients separately before being mixed together in a large bowl. The dry ones are flour, baking soda, salt, cocoa powder, and sugar. These are all put together in a large bowl and mixed with a hand whisk.
- The wet ingredients are mixed in 2 parts. The first part is mixing coffee with water (if you are using coffee) and then adding in the rest of the wet ingredients which are milk, vinegar, oil, and vanilla. If you choose to opt the coffee out, then all the liquid ingredients can be put together at once.
- When combining both the wet and dry ingredients, it is always advisable to pour the wet ones into the dry ones instead of the other way round. This is to avoid the dry ingredients from becoming lumpy. For easy mixing, make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and pour the wet ingredients in.
- Start mixing both in the center and slowly pulling in the the sides as you mix. That way, you will get a nice and smooth cake batter.
- Pour the batter into the prepared cake pan (well-greased and floured or parchment paper lined cake tins) and bake in a preheated oven until they are done. Do not overbake as that will cause the cake to become dry.
- Once the cakes are baked, remove them from the oven. Let them rest in the pan for a few minutes and then turn them out onto a wire rack. Cool completely before decorating.
Decorating the cake
- Decorating this moist chocolate cake is easy. I choose chocolate buttercream and made simple piped star design all over the cake.
- To make the buttercream, add butter into a large mixing bowl. Cream until soft. Sift the powdered sugar separately and add into the creamed butter.
- Cream both together until the mixture becomes light and fluffy. Sift in the cocoa powder and cream again until smooth.
- Finally, add the vanilla extract. If the icing is too stiff, add some milk. Beat well before adding more to ensure the consistency is sufficiently stiff for piping.
- Once the cakes have cooled down, level the tops.
- Stack the cake layers with some chocolate buttercream in the middle.
- Cover the sides with the same buttercream and smooth it. At this stage, the icing need not be entirely smooth as it will be covered with the star piping.
- Fill up the remaining buttercream into a piping bag fitted with a star tip and pipe chocolate buttercream stars all over. I did the piping in vertical rows so that the stars are well arranged.
Here's how the completed eggless chocolate cake looked like:
🍽️Serving & storage
- You can store this moist eggless chocolate cake at room temperature for a good 4 to 5 days. If you wish to keep it longer, store it in the refrigerator (in an airtight container or wrapped in plastic wrap if not decorated) and bring it to room temperature before serving.
💡Expert Tips
- There is nothing more frustrating than having your beautiful cakes stuck to the cake tin, so make sure your tins are well prepared (greased and flour or lined with parchment paper).
- The dry ingredients in this cake, i.e., flour, baking soda, cocoa powder, and salt, must be sifted. Sifting helps to aerate these, which is another factor that helps this eggless cake rise well.
- Baking soda, along with vinegar, plays a crucial role in this moist eggless cake, which helps the cake to rise well. If your baking soda is no longer fresh, you will not get the intended results. It is therefore advisable to check the effectiveness of your baking soda by a simple test of dripping a few drops of vinegar or lemon juice onto some baking soda. If the soda starts to fizz up actively, the baking soda is suitable for use (Source: www.thoughtco.com). Otherwise, you will have to get a new batch of soda.
- This is a moist cake, but over baking can cause it to become a dry cake. To ensure the cake is not over done, test it for doneness at least 5 to 10 minutes before the baking time is up by inserting a skewer in the center of the cake. If the skewer comes out without any wet batter sticking to it, the cake is done and can be removed from the oven. Ideally, there should be tiny crumbs that are sticking to the skewer. That way, the cake is not overcooked.
- The other way to check if the cakes are done is by pressing the top of the cake lightly to confirm. If it springs back when lightly pressed, the cakes are done and ready to be taken out of the oven.
💭FAQs
How to make an eggless cake moist and soft?
The use of oil in this recipe makes the cake moist. To make it soft and fluffy, make sure the baking soda is fresh and still active. Baking soda and vinegar in the recipe react to produce air bubbles that help the cake rise well. A well risen cake will be soft and fluffy.
❤️More Recipes You Will Love
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📖Recipe
Moist Eggless Chocolate Cake with Icing (The Best Ever!)
Here is an easy-to-make moist eggless chocolate cake recipe that yields deliciously moist and fudgy chocolate cake. Its so easy to make, you can whip it up anytime without much effort!
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Yield: 2 Seven inches round cakes
For best results, use the metrics measurements. US customary measurements have not been tested and are only meant for guide.
Ingredients
Cake
- 300 g all purpose flour
- 30 g cocoa powder
- 1 ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 280 g granulated sugar
- 250 ml oil
- 240 ml hot water
- 120 ml milk
- ½ tablespoon vinegar
- 2 tablespoon instant coffee powder optional
- 2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Frosting (Chocolate Buttercream)
- 200 g butter salted
- 370 g powdered sugar sifted
- 30 g cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon milk optional
Instructions
- Grease and flour two 7 inches round cake tins or grease and line them with parchment paper.
- Mix instant coffee powder into hot water and leave aside.
- Sift the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt into a large bowl. Add granulated sugar and mix well.
- Make a well in the center and pour in all the wet ingredients (oil, coffee solution, milk, vinegar and vanilla extract).
- Using a hand whisk, mix all ingredients until the batter becomes smooth and free of lumps.
- Divide the mixture into prepared tins and bake at 175 degrees Celsius for about 25 minutes until the toothpick entered in the center of the cake comes out clean.
- Remove cakes from oven and let them rest in the pans for 2 minutes before turning them over onto wire racks. Let the cakes cool completely before frosting them.
- To make the chocolate buttercream, cream butter until creamy. Add the sifted powdered sugar and continue to beat until the buttercream turns fluffy (do not overbeat to avoid the buttercream from trapping too much air).
- Sift in the cocoa powder, followed and vanilla extract and milk (if the icing is too stiff).
- Use the chocolate buttercream to fill and cover the cake.
Video
Notes
- Make sure the cake pans are well greased and lined.
- Sift the dry ingredient to aerate them and help the cake rise well.
- Check the effectiveness of your baking soda by dripping a few drops of vinegar or lemon juice onto some baking soda. If the soda starts to fizz up actively, the baking soda is suitable for use. Otherwise, get a new batch of soda.
- Test the cake for doneness at least 5 to 10 minutes before the baking time is up by inserting a skewer in the center of the cake. If the skewer comes out without any wet batter sticking to it, the cake is done and can be removed from the oven. Ideally, there should be tiny crumbs that are sticking to the skewer.
Nutrition
Calories: 3776kcal | Carbohydrates: 464g | Protein: 25g | Fat: 214g | Saturated Fat: 65g | Cholesterol: 222mg | Sodium: 2291mg | Potassium: 898mg | Fiber: 14g | Sugar: 326g | Vitamin A: 2596IU | Calcium: 168mg | Iron: 11mg
Tried this recipe?Mention @decorated_treats or tag #decoratedtreats!
Shania Julian
Hi Priya,
I’m interested in baking this cake for my aunt’s birthday. I do not have 7 inch pans, can this be baked in 8 inch pans?
Priya Maha
Hi Shania,
Yes, you can. But you will have to reduce the baking time. And your cake layers will be thinner. I have not baked this cake in an 8 inch cake tin so I don't have the exact baking time. I would suggest you check the cake for doneness at approximately 15 to 20 minutes of baking time.
Samina
Hi priya..
An samina from Tanzania...do you have Instagram page..please share...I tried this recipe for the first time...and I'll agree on one thing...comments really help in baking and before trying out the recipe...I tried for someone who doesn't eat eggs..and the comments I received I actually prayed for you to prosper more...ameen..thank you ...now this is my go to recipe for a kilo cake without frosting..awesome
Priya Maha
Hi Samina.
Thank you for your feedback. I am very glad that the cake turned out well for you :). And thank you for confirming the weight too. Here is my Instagram page: https://www.instagram.com/decorated_treats/
Samina
Hey hi priya..this is samina from Africa..I have hardly made an eggless cake..am about to try this as I have an order for a birthday cake...
You have used 7' 2 pans..can I use 6'2 pans...and will it yield to 1 kilo cake or somewhere there before frosting it.....please guide /help..
Priya Maha
Hi Samina,
You can use 6 inch round pans, but it is advisable that they are more than 2 inches high to avoid the batter from spilling over when baking. Also, increase the baking time by about 5 minutes. I have never measured the weight of the cakes after baking so I am not able to confirm on the weight. Hope this helps.
Rachel al.
Hi I made these into cupcakes and they're amazing! I half the recipe which yields 11 cupcakes. Delicious! And I would say to everyone else to let the cake or cupcakes cook down before removing them from the pan or it will break apart
Sambo
Hi Priya,
I've reattempted the cake a few times with more improvement, such as using a higher quality butter in the icing. However, I seem to have issues where the cake itself smells like chemicals - as if I put in too much baking soda. The cake does taste perfectly fine though. I'm thinking it might be to do with converting the 7inch cake to an 8inch cake where I multiply the ingredient by 1.31. I've also tried making sure that the vinegar doesnt mix with the milk until mixing time. My cake seems to take an extra 10minutes to finish as well.
Do you have any tips to ensure I dont have the chemical smell? Or is it normal to have the smell?
Priya Maha
Hi Sambo,
I am not sure why you are getting the chemical smell, it does not happen to me. Could it be the vinegar you are using?
Annette
What is 1.1 cups oil?I get the 1 1/2 but have no idea what something point something means.
Priya Maha
Hi Annette,
.1 means one tenth. You will need 1 cup of oil plus another one tenth of a cup of oil. If this does not make sense, you can make the cake with one cup plus one tablespoon oil.
Jessica
Hi! Do you have a recommendation for what type of milk? Whole, low fat, buttermilk, non-dairy? Thanks!!
Priya Maha
Hi Jessica,
I used whole milk.
Sarah
Hi, can I use melted butter instead of oil in the batter? Thanks.
Priya Maha
Hi Sarah, I have not tried with melted butter so I am not able to confirm if the results will be the same as using oil.
Sambo
Just made the cake for the first time. The cake itself was absolutely delicious! However, I had some issue with the creambutter. Since I am a beginner I'm not too sure what went wrong or what consistency to look for. Although i siffed everything, mine was a bit grainy and quite too sweet - in contrast it made the cake tasted like heaven. Any tips would be greatful.
Also, is it possible to make the cake bigger? I was using an 8 inch circle pan. What adjustments would I need to make?
Paola
I've done this a few times by now and it's the best! People can't stop eating it...
Nikheil
This is one of the best chocolate cakes we've ever made or tasted, eggless or otherwise!
Thank you for this fantastic and perfectly written recipe, it's an immediate favourite and we'll be making it again and again.
Greetings from Sakshna & Nikheil in South Africa
Priya Maha
Thank you 🙂 I so glad you like the recipe!
Pam
Hi, Can this cake be stacked - or tiered?
Can I stack 3 or 4 layers and will it hold firm or break?
Priya Maha
Hi Pam,
The cake can be stacked and tiered, it should hold firm.
Dani
Hi Priya
Did this cake. Everyone loved it so much. Had to make another one. I think this time I might try a bundt pan. Do you think it would come out the same way?
Priya Maha
Hi Dany,
I am glad you like it. I have never tried making this in a bundt pan so I am not sure how it would turn out. Do let me know if you try it.
Priya Maha
Hi Dani,
I have never made this cake in a bundt pan, so I cannot tell for sure if it would come out the same way.
priyanka
What is the oven temperature please? I can't find it in the recipe?
Priya Maha
Hi Priyanka,
It's 175 degrees Celsius (Pls see instruction 6 above).
Faye Anderson
If not using coffee, do I still add the same quantity of hot water?
Currently baking this!
Faye 🙂
Priya Maha
Hi Faye,
Yes, you should use the same amount of water.
Lynn
I made this chocolate cake for my grandson's 1st birthday and it was delicious. My grandson has an egg allergy so it was perfect. Thank you