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    Home » Recipes » Cakes

    Published on: December 10, 2012 by Janice Lawandi; Updated on: January 23, 2025 6 Comments

    Eggless Chocolate Cake

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    Jump to Recipe
    A chocolate layer cake with cream cheese frosting on a cake stand.

    This easy recipe for an eggless chocolate cake is mixed by hand without a mixer, in one bowl, just like cake mix. This recipe is perfect for a chocolate layer cake or for cupcakes. It's my go-to chocolate birthday cake.

    A freshly baked layer of chocolate cake for a birthday cake.
    Disclosure: As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.

    Did you know that commercial cake mixes sold in grocery stores were actually developed to be made without eggs? But home bakers found it odd to make cake without using eggs, so cake mix brands quickly added eggs to the instructions to make home bakers feel more comfortable using cake mix.

    This is my go-to base recipe for chocolate birthday cakes. I used it to make this berry chocolate cake, which is a frosted chocolate layer cake topped with fresh berries and this chocolate cake with cream cheese frosting, which is decorated with chocolate sprinkles.

    Jump to:
    • What You Need to Make Chocolate Cake Without Eggs
    • Substitutions and Variations
    • How to Make It
    • Eggless Chocolate Cake Baking FAQs
    • Frostings For Chocolate Layer Cake
    • Other Eggless Baking Recipes to Try
    • 📖 Recipe

    What You Need to Make Chocolate Cake Without Eggs

    To make a chocolate cake without eggs, you actually don't need anything special, and you likely already have the ingredients in your pantry! Here's what you need:

    Ingredients to make an eggless chocolate cake in one bowl.
    • milk—whole or 2 % cow's milk, non-dairy beverage (like soy milk), or even water will work in this recipe
    • vinegar, either plain white vinegar or cider vinegar, to react with baking soda to help the cake rise as it bakes
    • all-purpose flour to give the cake structure
    • baking soda to help the cake rise. Do not use baking powder here. Read about baking powder versus baking soda if you don't understand how they differ.
    • cocoa powder, preferably a high-quality Dutch-processed cocoa powder like Cacao Barry extra brute cocoa powder, which is my favourite
    • salt, preferably Diamond Crystal fine kosher salt. If using regular table salt, add half the amount
    • sugar, specifically brown sugar, either light or dark, or even granulated sugar will work
    • neutral-tasting oil like canola oil, vegetable oil, or a very light-tasting olive oil. Don't use extra virgin olive oil which has too much flavour for this cake
    • vanilla extract to enhance the flavour

    Substitutions and Variations

    • Milk—This eggless chocolate cake recipe is made with milk, so it's vegetarian, not vegan, but you could replace the cow's milk with your favourite non-dairy beverage, like soy milk, almond milk, or oat milk, if you want a vegan chocolate cake.
    • Vinegar—I usually use regular white vinegar but you could also use apple cider vinegar. You need the acidity of the vinegar for the baking soda to react. Do not omit the vinegar or else replace the milk+vinegar with buttermilk (see next bullet point).
    • Buttermilk—You can replace the combination of milk and vinegar with 1 cup (250 mL) of buttermilk. This will allow you to skip the vinegar but still bring that acidity necessary for the leavening agent to react.
    • Sugar—The brown sugar can be replaced with regular granulated sugar or granulated cane sugar. Either will work great! Do not use turbinado or a coarse sugar, which won't dissolve properly and will have a negative impact on taste and texture.
    • Oil—I always bake with canola oil, but you could replace it with a light olive oil or grapeseed oil.
    • Cocoa powder—I bake with a Dutch-processed cocoa powder. This recipe will likely work with natural (non-Dutch-processed) cocoa powder.

    How to Make It

    This chocolate cake couldn't be easier to make because it uses the two-bowl mixing method (also called the muffin mixing method). It's the same method as cake mix, actually, where the wet ingredients are added to the bowl with the dry ingredients, and stirred together to combine them.

    Combining the wet ingredients separately from the dry ingredients, which are sifted together.

    Step 1—Whisk the wet ingredients together in a large measuring cup, including the sugar (image 1). Sift the dry ingredients in a large bowl (image 2).

    Combining wet and dry ingredients to make an eggless chocolate cake.

    Step 2—Pour the wet ingredients over the dry (image 3) and mix the two together to form a smooth chocolate cake batter (image 4). I like to use a Danish dough whisk for this task.

    Dividing chocolate cake batter among three small cake pans.

    Step 3—Divide the cake batter between three buttered and floured 6-inch cake pans (or dusted with cocoa powder) (image 5). Make sure the cake batter is level in the pans by briefly spinning them on the counter. Band them a couple of times on the counter to release any big bubbles (image 6).

    Baking chocolate cake layers in the oven, then unmouldling on a wire rack.

    Step 4—Bake the cakes on the middle rack of the oven (image 7), checking them with a cake tester to ensure they are baked through. Set them on a cooling rack to firm up before unmoulding with the help of an offset spatula.

    Eggless Chocolate Cake Baking FAQs

    Can I omit the vinegar in this recipe?

    No, do not make this recipe without the vinegar unless you are making other changes. The only way to skip the vinegar is if you replace it with another acid. For example, you can replace the combination of milk and vinegar with the same volume of buttermilk. The acidity of the buttermilk (or vinegar) is necessary for the cake to rise properly!

    Why did my chocolate cake collapse?

    Generally, when a cake collapses, it's either underbaked, over-leavened, or there's a problem with the ratio of wet to dry ingredients. Please read about why cakes sink to find out more.

    Frostings For Chocolate Layer Cake

    Once you've mastered this recipe for chocolate cake without eggs, you can pair it with:

    A naked chocolate layer cake with cream cheese frosting on a cake stand.
    • chocolate fudge frosting, made with either milk or dark chocolate to make the quintessential chocolate birthday cake
    • thick cream cheese frosting with powdered sugar or white chocolate cream cheese frosting without powdered sugar to make a delicious cream cheese chocolate cake (my favourite!)
    • a sophisticated Italian meringue buttercream that is less sweet and which you can flavour in so many ways!

    Other Eggless Baking Recipes to Try

    • Chocolate birthday cake with cream cheese frosting.
      Chocolate Cake With Cream Cheese Frosting (Without Eggs)
    • A slice of carrot cake layer cake with cream cheese frosting on a pale blue plate with a fork and striped linen napkin.
      Eggless carrot cake
    • Sliced pumpkin bread on a wood cutting board
      Healthier pumpkin bread (eggless, dairy-free, vegan, less sugar)
    • Sliced vegan banana bread
      Eggless banana bread (dairy-free, vegan, less sugar)

    If you tried this recipe for the eggless chocolate cake (or any other recipe on my website), please leave a ⭐ star rating and let me know how it went in the comments below. I love hearing from you!

    📖 Recipe

    A layer of chocolate cake that has been levelled with a serrated knife to create a flat top.

    Eggless Chocolate Cake

    AuthorAuthor : Janice Lawandi
    Learn how to make the best eggless chocolate cake with this easy recipe. This is my go-to base recipe for chocolate birthday cakes and makes three 6-inch chocolate cake layers.
    5 from 1 vote
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    Prep Time 20 minutes mins
    Cook Time 25 minutes mins
    Total Time 45 minutes mins
    Course Dessert
    Cuisine American
    Servings 10
    Calories 365 kcal

    Equipment

    • 6-inch cake pan (2-inch deep)
    • OXO balloon whisk
    • Cake tester
    • Cooling rack
    Need measurements in CUPSUse the button options below to switch from Metric to US measurements! It's that easy!

    Ingredients
     
     

    For the cake

    • 250 mL whole milk (3.25 % fat)
    • 225 grams light brown sugar
    • 15 mL white vinegar
    • 50 mL canola oil
    • 1.25 mL Diamond Crystal fine kosher salt
    • 5 mL pure vanilla extract
    • 185 grams bleached all-purpose flour
    • 7.5 mL baking soda
    • 37 grams Cacao Barry extra brute cocoa powder

    For the ganache

    • 170 grams dark chocolate (70 % cocoa content)
    • 125 mL whipping cream (35 % fat)

    Instructions
     

    • Preheat the oven to 350°F (175 °C). Prepare three 6x2-inch (15x5 cm) round cake pans by brushing the bottom and sides with melted butter and dusting it with cocoa, then lining the bottom with a round of parchment. Set aside.
    • Stir together the milk, vinegar, oil, vanilla, and salt in a large cup measurer and let it stand for a few minutes.
    • Sift together the flour, baking soda, salt, and cocoa into a large bowl.
    • Pour the milk mixture over the dry ingredients and stir (or whisk) them to create a fairly smooth batter, just like cake mix.
    • Pour the batter in the prepared pans and bake them on the middle oven rack until a cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean (about 25–30 minutes).
    • Let the cakes cool for 10 minutes before unmolding them onto a cooling rack to cool completely.

    Notes

    • Milk—This eggless chocolate cake recipe is made with milk, so it's vegetarian, not vegan, but you could replace the cow's milk with your favourite non-dairy beverage, like soy milk, almond milk, or oat milk, if you want a vegan chocolate cake.
    • Vinegar—I usually use regular white vinegar but you could also use apple cider vinegar. You need the acidity of the vinegar for the baking soda to react. Do not omit the vinegar or else replace the milk+vinegar with buttermilk (see next bullet point)
    • Buttermilk—You can replace the combination of milk and vinegar with 1 cup (250 mL) of buttermilk. This will allow you to skip the vinegar but still bring that acidity necessary for the leavening agent to react.
    • Sugar—The brown sugar can be replaced with regular granulated sugar or granulated cane sugar. Either will work great! Do not use turbinado or a coarse sugar, which won't dissolve properly and will have a negative impact on taste and texture.
    • Oil—I always bake with canola oil, but you could replace it with a light olive oil or grapeseed oil.
    • Cocoa powder—I bake with a Dutch-processed cocoa powder. This recipe will likely work with natural (non-Dutch-processed) cocoa powder.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 365kcalCarbohydrates: 48gProtein: 5gFat: 18gSaturated Fat: 8gPolyunsaturated Fat: 2gMonounsaturated Fat: 7gTrans Fat: 0.02gCholesterol: 18mgSodium: 188mgPotassium: 279mgFiber: 4gSugar: 28gVitamin A: 233IUVitamin C: 0.1mgCalcium: 79mgIron: 4mg
    Give backIf you enjoy the free content on this website, buy me a pound of butter to say thanks!

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  • Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. gayatri tiwari says

      December 21, 2017 at 4:55 am

      can I replace the vinegar with buttermilk ?

      Reply
      • Janice says

        December 21, 2017 at 10:23 am

        Hi! If you want to use buttermilk, I would use 1 cup of buttermilk instead of the milk in the recipe, and do not add vinegar. I have not tested this version with buttermilk, but I think this will work well. Let me know how it goes! Thanks!

        Reply
    2. Lauren Vaughan says

      December 15, 2012 at 1:05 am

      This is def a keeper! Do you think that almond milk could be substituted for the skim milk?

      Thanks!

      Reply
      • Janice Lawandi says

        December 15, 2012 at 1:07 am

        You could definitely substitute almond milk for the skim milk, and I'm sure it would work 🙂

        Reply
    3. Peggy G. says

      December 10, 2012 at 7:54 pm

      This definitely looks like a slice of heaven!

      Reply
    4. Ana Cooks says

      December 10, 2012 at 5:20 pm

      too damn good to be true! 🙂

      Reply
    5 from 1 vote (1 rating without comment)

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