Chocolate Vegan Cake | Sugar-Free
This beautifully decadent Chocolate Cake recipe is not only amazingly delicious, but it also happens to be vegan and completely refined sugar-free. It’s perfect for birthdays, parties, and holidays!
When you think about a cake being vegan AND sugar-free, you might think that it will be dry and dull, but I promise that’s not the case with this scrumptious chocolatey piece of heaven.
You’ll love this sugar-free vegan cake because it’s…
- Naturally sweet
- Moist
- Diary-free & egg-free
- Loaded with healthy ingredients
- Cupcake-ready
- Perfect for birthday cakes
- Romantic enough for a Valentine’s Day dessert
- Decadent
- Delicious!
What is this chocolate vegan cake made of?
I know it is hard to believe that this masterpiece has absolutely zero refined sugar in it, but it’s true! Neither the cake or the icing has any refined sugar included (unless you want it).
For those who are not sugar-free, unrefined sugar can be substituted for the dates, and measurements are included in the recipe card below.
What’s in the cake?
The cake ingredients include whole-wheat flour, unsweetened baking cocoa powder, baking soda and powder, applesauce, vanilla, and vinegar. What makes it taste sweet is Date Paste!
Date Paste is a healthy natural sugar substitute that’s the perfect solution for baking deliciously sweet desserts, and it’s so easy to make with only two ingredients–water and dates!
What’s in the frosting?
The icing for this cake includes wholesome simple ingredients like sweet potatoes (yes, you read that right), cocoa powder, almond butter, whole dates, plant milk, and vanilla. That’s it!
The inspiration for this sweet potato icing came from Dreena Burton’s Sweet Potato Cake recipe that I have been making for years because it’s amazing!
Dreena’s recipe calls for coconut sugar or other unrefined sugar, so I decided to see what would happen if I tweaked a few ingredients and substituted dates for the sugar. I have to tell you that I was amazed that the frosting tasted every bit as good as Dreena’s original!
The recipe card at the bottom of the page has the full list of ingredients with measurements and instructions.
How to make this chocolatey wonder
This dairy-free and egg-free chocolate cake recipe is so easy, I know you’re going to be amazed. I think it’s a great opportunity to get those reluctant cooks and even the kids in the kitchen for this.
Preheat the oven to 350°F and make some date paste.
Date paste is super simple to make in a blender or food processor. One great thing is that once you make it, any leftovers will keep in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 6 months. It freezes well too!
I have written an entire article–How to Make Date Paste–if you want to take a look, but it is super easy. Just add dates and water to a blender or food processor and mix well.
Once the date paste is ready, set it to the side to be added to the wet ingredients shortly.
Making the cake
Place all of the dry ingredients–flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cocoa powder–in a large mixing bowl and whisk together well.
In a medium-sized bowl, combine all of the wet ingredients–applesauce, plant milk, vanilla, vinegar, date paste–and whisk together thoroughly.
Next, pour the wet ingredients into the large bowl with the dry ingredients and whisk together well. It should be nice and thick as pictured below.
Decide which size and type of pan or pans you would like to use. Personally, I like to use non-stick silicone baking pans because they don’t require any oil and work perfectly for baking.
You can choose to use a number of different sizes of pans including round 8″ or 9″, or even square or rectangle pans. I love my heart-shaped pan for Valentine’s Day and other special occasions. The batter will make approximately two 8″ round cake pans.
Muffin pans are also a terrific idea for making cupcakes. I’ve put some cooking time adjustments for pans in the Tips section below.
Bake at 350°F for approximately 30-35 minutes for circular 8-9″ pans.
Oven temperatures vary, so around the 25-minute mark, remove the cake from the oven and test for doneness. To do this, insert a toothpick into the center point. If the toothpick comes out clean, the cake is done, otherwise place back into the oven and test again in 5-10 minutes.
Once the cake and/or cupcakes are done, remove from oven and allow to cool before frosting.
These heart cupcake pans are also great if you would like to make cupcakes instead of cake. They are silicone and non-stick.
Making the frosting
This frosting is so easy, it doesn’t even require a bowl! While the cake is cooking is the perfect time to make the frosting.
I like to take the easy way out and cook my sweet potato quickly by poking a few holes in it with a knife, wrapping it in a wet paper towel, and placing it in the microwave for about 5-6 minutes depending on the size of the potato.
Once it’s done, remove the peelings and use the potato flesh in this frosting recipe.
Simply place all the frosting ingredients–including the cooked sweet potato– in a blender or food processor and blend until smooth.
I use my Vitamix blender, and it works like a charm because it has a tamper that allows for keeping the ingredients moving in thick recipes like this vegan chocolate icing. However, if you have a less powerful machine, you’ll definitely need to stop, scrape the sides down, and continue to blend until smooth.
Once the cake and/or cupcakes have fully cooled, it’s time to frost and serve!
I love to add a few strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, or a combination of them to this cake because it makes a beautiful display. If you want to really take it over the top, sprinkle a little Homemade Powdered Sugar over the top.
Tips for making vegan chocolate cake
- This recipe is very versatile and can be made into a cake or cupcakes.
- Cooking times will vary with the size of the pan used. Cupcakes should take about 25 minutes and 8″-9″ pans will cook the cake in about 30-35 minutes. Oven temperatures vary.
- When making this into cupcakes, an ice cream scoop with a trigger is perfect for scooping into muffin cups without having to scrape a spoon or fingers.
- To check for doneness, insert a toothpick into the center of the cake or cupcake and remove. When it comes out clean, the cake is ready.
- This cake recipe is not gluten-free, but Minimalist Baker has a great GF Baking Guide that can help convert this cake.
- The frosting is already gluten-free.
- For those not doing sugar-free, unrefined sugar can be substituted. Measurements are included in the recipe card below.
Other great chocolate desserts
- Crockpot Chocolate Lava Cake
- Chocolate-Dipped Strawberries
- Chocolate Hummus
- Best Chocolate Vegan Cupcakes
For those of you new to the whole food plant-based lifestyle, we’ve created a FREE 7-Day Plant-Based Menu Planner to help you get started!
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If you try this recipe, please let us know how you like it by rating it and leaving a comment. We love to hear from you!
If you try this recipe, please let us know how you like it by rating it and leaving a comment. We love to hear from you!
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Chocolate Vegan Cake | Sugar-Free
Ingredients
Cake
- 2 cups whole wheat flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
- 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 cup date paste or 3/4 cup unrefined sugar for those not doing sugar-free (my preference)
- 3/4 cup applesauce
- 1-1/4 cup plant milk
- 2 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
Frosting
- 1 cup cooked sweet potato peeled
- 1/2 cup almond butter or cashew butter
- 3/4 cup dates pitted (3/4 cup less refined sugar for those not doing sugar-free)
- 1/4 cup plant milk
- 1/2 cup cocoa powder
- 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
- 1 tablespoon vanilla
Instructions
Cake
- 1. Preheat the oven to 350°F and make some date paste (if using).
- 2. Date paste is simply 1 cup pitted dates and 3/4 cup water blended well in a blender or food processor. For more instructions, please see notes in the article above. Once the date paste is ready, set it to the side to be added to the wet ingredients shortly.
- 3. Place all of the dry ingredients–flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cocoa powder, (granular sugar if using)–in a large mixing bowl and whisk together well. If you're using sugar instead of date paste, add the dry sugar in this step.
- 4. In a medium-sized bowl, combine all of the wet ingredients–applesauce, plant milk, vanilla, vinegar, date paste (if using) and whisk together thoroughly.
- 5. Next, pour the wet ingredients into the large bowl with the dry ingredients and whisk them together well.
- 6. Pour the cake batter into a silicone baking pan (or line a regular pan with parchment paper to prevent sticking) and bake at 350°F for 30-35 minutes. This recipe will make two 8" round cake pans.
- 7. Oven temperatures vary, so around the 25-minute mark, remove the cake from the oven and test for doneness. To do this, insert a toothpick into the highest center point. If the toothpick comes out clean, the cake is done, otherwise place back into the oven and test again in 5-10 minutes.
- 8. Once the cake or cupcakes are done, remove them from the oven and allow them to cool before frosting.
- 9. The heart cupcake pans are also great if you would rather have cupcakes.
Frosting
- 1. I like the take the easy way out and cook my sweet potato quickly by poking a few holes in it with a knife, wrapping it in a wet paper towel, and placing it in the microwave for about 5-6 minutes depending on the size of the potato.
- 2. Once it’s done, I simply remove the peelings and use the potato flesh in this frosting recipe.
- 3. Simply place all the frosting ingredients–including the cooked sweet potato– in a blender or food processor and mix until smooth. More frosting tips can be found in the article above.
- 4. When the cake or cupcakes has cooled, frost and serve!
Video
Notes
- Date paste can be used in the cake to make it completely sugar-free. My personal preference is to use a glandular sweetener such as sucanat or pure cane sugar.
- This recipe is very versatile and can be made into a cake or cupcakes.
- Cooking times will vary with the size of the pan used. Cupcakes should take about 25 minutes and 8″-9″ pans will cook the cake in about 30-35 minutes. Oven temperatures vary.
- When making this into cupcakes, an ice cream scoop with a trigger is perfect for scooping into muffin cups without having to scrape a spoon or fingers.
- To check for doneness, insert a toothpick into the center of the cake or cupcake and remove it. When it comes out clean, the cake is ready.
- This cake recipe is not gluten-free, but Minimalist Baker has a great GF Baking Guide that can help convert this cake.
- The frosting is already gluten-free.
- For those not doing sugar-free, unrefined sugar can be substituted. Measurements are included in the recipe card below.
Nutrition
Disclaimer
To obtain the most accurate representation of the nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator. You are solely responsible for ensuring that any nutritional information provided is accurate, complete, and useful.
About Terri Edwards
Hi guys! I am the content creator behind EatPlant-Based and a licensed Food for Life instructor with the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine. I am passionate about sharing healthy recipes and tips to empower others to get healthy. I’m so glad you’re here! Read More…
This looks fabulous. My hubby can’t have nuts, what would you recommend for a substitute in the icing?
Hi Melinda- I think sesame seed butter might be a good option for those that need a nut-free version. I’ve not tried it but believe it should be pretty good.
@Terri Edwards, I left the almond butter out of the icing and it tasted great and spread just fine!
Hi Elaine- That’s great that it still tasted good. Great to know!
I decided to make my birthday cake this year since I’m the only Plant Based person. This cake was so awesome, even all my family loved it. Just had one question, should this cake be kept in the refrigerator?
Hi Linda- How wonderful to hear that the cake was a hit with your whole family! YAY! I like to keep it in the refrigerator, and it should last 7-10 days. Thanks SO much for letting me know.
Do you think this would work with gluten free flour. Can’t have gluten.
Michelle- I don’t really have much experience baking with gluten-free flours other than oat flour, but I’m sure you could make this work. There is a link included near the bottom to a GF baking guide by Minimalist Baker that should help with that process. I would love to know how it turns out if you give it a try.
I have date sugar and date syrup. Which one would you recommend?
Hi Donna- I think either one would work just fine. If I had both, I think I’d go with date syrup.
Can a different floor be used ? Maybe almond flour , quinoa , Teff or brown rice ?
Hi Maria- I haven’t tried a gluten-free flour, but there is a link to Minimalist Baker’s GF flour substitution guide included in the article near the bottom. I would think that oat flour might be a good substitution option as well.
I just finished baking this cake, and it’s dense and gummy. What did I do wrong?
Also the frosting in your picture looks like normal frosting, and mine looks slightly lumpy and certainly not creamy. Again, any help?
PS I do bake A LOT, so I’m not new at this.
Hi Lisa- For the frosting, it sounds like a little more time in the blender would be the answer for lumps. The only two ingredients that could be causing lumps are the sweet potato and dates. Were the sweet potatoes cooked until tender? Was the blender used powerful enough to make the dates nice and smooth? With the cake texture, I think a recent ingredient adjustment I did yesterday on the measurements for the applesauce and almond milk might be at fault. I have now corrected that.
I don’t have any vinegar, can I just leave it out or is there a sub you recommend?
Hi Kirsten- You’ll need to use vinegar of some type to make these pancakes rise. The good news is that it can be a number of different kinds including white, apple cider vinegar, as well as others.
Hi, great article. If I only have coconut flour in these times would it work? (all normal flour out of stock in shops)?
Hi Gerry- I haven’t baked with coconut flour before, so I can’t say for sure. My understanding is that coconut flour is much heavier than other flours and has a gritty texture. That would make it probably not a great option for this cake. Do you have any whole oats on-hand? If so, you could make some oat flour that should work well with this recipe. https://eatplant-based.com/how-to-make-oat-flour-recipes/
Thanks Terry – I have whole oats (porridge oats) on hand – so I’ll give that a go surely.
My sister might have plain white flour (possibly self raising) – if I can get that would that also work?
Doesn’t cake need some form of fat like oil?
Hi Anita- No need for oil in my cake recipes. The applesauce and other ingredients keep it nice and moist.
Hi! This sounds amazing for my 2 year olds bday! Question, how do the layers hold up? If I wanted to double the recipe and put 1 to 2 more layers on do you think it could work? We have quite a few ppl coming. Thanks!
Hi Cristin- Happy Birthday to your 2-year-old! Though I haven’t tried it, I don’t see any reason this cake wouldn’t hold up to multiple layers. It sounds like it will be a beautiful display!
I made the recipe, and it turned out nice. 🙂
I couldn’t follow it exactly, though – first, I bought an actual sweet potato instead of a yam. From the photos, it looks like the frosting actually uses a yam. So I subbed in pumpkin puree instead, and it worked great. Also, I subbed oat flour for the wheat. (I didn’t have wheat, so I ended up grinding my old fashioned oats in my food processor. ) Another thing for cupcakes, I didn’t need nearly as much frosting at the recipe made, but the adjusted cook time for cupcakes was right on for me!
All in all, I would make this again. Thanks for the recipe!
Hi Steph- I’m so glad you enjoyed the recipe, and it sounds like you did a great job subbing out for what you had on hand. Great job!
Can I substitute bananas for applesauce and honey for date paste?
Thanks!
Hi Meghana- I have not tried either one of those with this recipe, so I can’t say for sure. I think it would be worth a try though.
Hello, Is the cacao powder needed? Any subs? I don’t have any on hand.
Hi Malini- Yes, you’ll need cocoa powder for this as it is what makes this be chocolate.
I have just made the vegan chocolate cake with the dates and apple says but only changed the flour to coconut flour and I could cry ? the mixture came up very dry and I did everything as by the recipe except I used coconut flour . It has not held together at all and it’s really inedible because it’s in pieces
Hi Debbie- Unfortunately, coconut flour can’t be interchanged with regular or whole wheat flour without some major adjustments. Coconut flour is very absorbent and soaks up a LOT of liquid. Because of this, it has a very drying effect on baked goods. Regular recipes counteract the drying effect with eggs, but that’s not possible with vegan baking. Most vegan bakers recommend that when using coconut flour, you need to cut down the flour to 1/4 of what is called for in a recipe. Even then, there is usually a lot of experimenting and tweaking necessary. Also, coconut flour tends to clump up, so you have to be sure to fluff it with a fork before measuring and mixing.
Looking forward to making this! What’s the ratio of water to dates for the date paste? And how much dates do I need to make one cup of date paste? Thanks
Hi Tina- The ratio for date paste is 1 cup dates to 2/3 cup water for use as a sweetener in recipes. The number of dates it takes to make a cup of date paste is a little trickier and depends on the size of your dates. I think I would start with around 10 large dates. This article on date paste might be helpful. https://eatplant-based.com/date-paste/