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    Home » Cake recipes

    Published on: December 10, 2012 by Janice; Updated on: January 31, 2022 6 Comments

    Eggless chocolate cake

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    A small chocolate cake baked in a round cake pan, ready to be unmoulded.

    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.

    A small chocolate cake baked in a round cake pan, ready to be unmoulded.
    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.

    Ingredients to make an eggless chocolate cake in one bowl.

    What you need to make this recipe

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

    • 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.
    • 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
    • sugar, specifically brown sugar, either light or dark, or even granulated sugar
    • 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
    A cake pan with chocolate cake batter in it, ready to be baked.

    Substitutions

    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.

    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.

    A bowl that had chocolate cake batter in it, scraped clean with a disher.

    How it's made

    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.

    A freshly baked layer of chocolate cake for a birthday cake.

    Special equipment

    You don't need anything special to make this recipe. You don't even need a mixer! The ingredients are mixed in a bowl using a whisk or a Danish dough whisk.

    This recipe fits three 6-inch round cake pans, or you can use two 8- or 9-inch cake pans, if you prefer.

    I have also baked this cake as a single layer, in a 3-inch tall 6-inch cake pan, but note that it will take almost double the time to bake the cake as one layer because it's so tall. You can top the cake with chocolate ganache poured when still warm, like a glaze, which adds a ton of chocolate flavour!

    Another option for the ganache would be to let it firm up and then to whip it with a hand mixer or a stand mixer to make a whipped ganache frosting.

    Make sure to invest in a good quality baking chocolate if you can, like this one from Cacao Barry. It yields a smoother ganache with an incredible flavour. Worth every penny!

    A naked chocolate layer cake with cream cheese frosting on a cake stand.

    What to use this cake recipe for

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

    • chocolate fudge frosting
    • thick cream cheese frosting
    • italian meringue buttercream
    berry-chocolate-cake with cream cheese frosting

    Use it to make:

    • berry chocolate cake which is a frosted chocolate layer cake topped with fresh berries
    • chocolate cake with cream cheese frosting, which is decorated with chocolate sprinkles

    Other eggless baking recipes to try

    • Chocolate birthday cake with cream cheese frosting.
      Chocolate cake with cream cheese frosting (eggless)
    • 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)
    A layer of chocolate cake that has been levelled with a serrated knife to create a flat top.
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    Egg-less chocolate cake with a ganache glaze

    Prevent your screen from going dark
    This is an egg-less cake recipe, and to make it vegan, you could substitute both with your favorite non-dairy beverage, like soy milk.
    Course Dessert
    Cuisine American
    Keyword Egg-less chocolate cake
    Prep Time 20 minutes
    Cook Time 55 minutes
    Total Time 1 hour 15 minutes
    Servings 10
    Calories 342kcal
    Author Janice

    Equipment

    • 6-inch round cake pan (3-in deep)
    • OXO balloon whisk
    • Cake tester
    • Cooling rack

    Ingredients

    For the cake

    • 250 mL (1 cup) skim milk (fat free)
    • 1 tablespoon (1 tablespoon) white vinegar
    • 185 grams (1½ cups) bleached all-purpose flour
    • 7 grams (1½ teaspoon) baking soda
    • 37 grams (2½ tablespoon) Cacao Barry extra brute cocoa powder
    • 1 gram (¼ teaspoon) Diamond Crystal fine kosher salt
    • 225 grams (1 cup) light brown sugar
    • 50 mL (¼ cup) canola oil
    • ¾ teaspoon (¾ teaspoon) pure vanilla extract

    For the ganache

    • 170 grams (1 cup) dark chocolate
    • 125 mL (½ cup) whipping cream (35 % fat)

    Instructions

    • Preheat the oven to 350°F. Prepare a 3-inch deep 6-inch cake pan Wilton pan from Amazon) 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 vinegar and the milk in a cup measurer and let it stand for a few minutes.
    • Sift together the flour, baking soda, salt, and cocoa into a large bowl. Whisk in the sugar. 
    • Add the oil, the vanilla, and the soured milk to the bowl with the dry ingredients. Stir (or whisk) to combine, just like cake mix.
    • Pour the batter in the prepared pan and bake it until a cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean (about 45 minutes).
    • Let the cake cool for 10 minutes before unmolding it onto a cooling rack to cool completely.
    • While the cake is cooling, prepare the ganache by heating the cream til it is hot and steamy, then pour it over the chocolate in a medium metal bowl.
    • Let the mixture stand for one minute, then stir slowly with a wooden spoon until the chocolate is melted and the ganache is fluid and smooth.
    • Let the ganache cool slightly to thicken while you set the wire rack with cooled cake over a rimmed baking sheet.
    • When the ganache has thickened slightly, pour it over the cooled cake. Transfer the cake to a cake stand to serve.
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    Notes

    • My favourite cocoa powder is Cacao Barry extra dark  cocoa powder, which you can buy from Amazon
    • For the ganache, I used I used Cacao Barry dark chocolate Amazon
    Tried this recipe?Mention @bakesomethingawesome or tag #bakesomethingawesome!

    Nutrition

    Calories: 342kcal

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    Comments

    1. Ana Cooks says

      December 10, 2012 at 5:20 pm

      too damn good to be true! 🙂

      Reply
    2. Peggy G. says

      December 10, 2012 at 7:54 pm

      This definitely looks like a slice of heaven!

      Reply
    3. 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
    4. 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

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