Vegan Orange Chocolate Cake. Very delicious, very moist. You’ll never know it was vegan – just wait until you slice into it!
Vegan Orange Chocolate Cake
This week, I’m venturing into new territory again. I did start this blog as a journal to challenge myself and bake new recipes. This time, it’s my first Vegan Cake. I decided to make an Orange and Chocolate Cake. However, I then covered it in Ganache (not vegan) but you can make a different frosting to suit your dietary needs.
I also tried a new product for this cake. Wilton makes these Bake Even Strips
and tried them for the first time with this cake. Thanks to the help of Instagram I got some great advice from fans and bakers who use them.
My only comment is that my pans are not 90 degrees from the bottom to the sides. They are canted slightly and angle out so that the bottom diameter is like 1/8th inch less than the top diameter. So… the stripes didn’t hug the entire side of the cake pans. I don’t think that this really changed the way that the cake baked up because my cakes still had a nice flat top and I didn’t have to cut a top mound off to level it.
I think I did overfill the pans though… as seen in this photo, the edges pushed straight up and the cake did not overflow in my oven. For that, I am happy.
I LOVED the stripping effect of the cake layers. I thought about marbling the two cakes, but I was hoping that the zebra look would be more stunning! And it was! You’ll see that on the final cake photos when I slice into it.
By complete freak of nature, a heart formed in the center of the cake when I added the last bit of chocolate cake. It must have known that Valentine’s day was just around the corner.
This recipe is part two of a three part series including Whipped Ganache Frosting and Orange and Chocolate Cake.
Are you looking for more Vegan Desserts? Try this Low-Sugar Flourless Vegan Apple Crisp, these Vegan S’mores Dessert, or give this Vegan Raspberry Coconut Tart a try!
Vegan Orange Chocolate Cake
Orange and Chocolate Vegan Cakes are very rich and moist that you will never miss the butter, milk and eggs.
Ingredients
For the Vegan Chocolate Cake
- 1 1/2 cup flour
- 1 cup + 2 tablespoons sugar
- 6 tablespoons cocoa
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup water
- 1/4 cup vegetable oil
- 1 tablespoon white vinegar
- 2 teaspoons vanilla
For the Vegan Orange Cake
- 1 1/2 cup flour
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup orange juice
- 1/3 cup vegetable oil
- 1 tablespoon orange zest
- 1 tablespoon white vinegar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
Instructions
- Prepare each cake in separate bowls
For each cake
- Combine the dry ingredients then stir in the wet ingredients.
- Prepare two 8 inch round cake pans. Alternately add ¼ cup of the cake mixes into the cake pans creating the zebra effect. I stared and ended with chocolate. Bake at 350°F for 30 - 35 minutes.
- Let cool in the pans for 10 minutes then flip them out onto a cooling rack.
Note
- You can make each cake individually for one 8 inch cake. The chocolate cake may cook faster than the orange cake.
Notes
Recipe from The All New All Purpose: Joy of Cooking
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Great job on this vegan recipe, Karyn…and it’s absolutely gorgeous, too!
Thanks Becca! I was happy with it!
I love this combination of flavours!
thanks. I was a bit nervous going in with it, but I love the combo so I figured I’d give it a shot. It was great!
My husband loves the combination of orange and chocolate. I’ll have to surprise him with this:)
I have got to get some of those baking strips! I would love a nice flat topped cake. 😉 Thanks so much for sharing with us at Best of the Weekend. Pinned to our party board!
I need new pans, but I’m too cheap to get them – Haha!
This was really good! Thank you!
Thanks for linking up to Tip Me Tuesday linky party this week. {knuckle bumps}
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This looks like a delicious cake! Since I’m allergic to orange (anything with orange), do you think lemon juice could be substituted? I’m not much of a cook so just wondering before I dive into a disaster of my own making 🙂 Thanks!
I don’t see why not. You could just make two chocolate cakes instead. Enjoy!
Thanks for the yummy recipe! I have a habit of customizing.. I used 1/4 c of applesauce in place of the oil, used only 3/4 c sugar (and a bit of agave), and forgot to add zest. :p I just made the orange cake and sprinkled chocolate chips on top. This cake is really delicious! 🙂
Sounds like great changes. I’ve used applesauce as well. Was it sweet enough with less sugar? I’m so glad that you enjoyed it! Thanks for letting me know!
can I use apple cider vinegar instead of white vinegar?
Honestly, I don’t know. It may give the cake a slightly different flavor. You may want to google that ingredient swap before trying it.
Finally an eggless recipe
Hi
What type of flour can I use ?
Plain or self raising ?
This recipe calls for regular flour. My recipes always have regular flour unless otherwise noted. thanks!
Made this cake for my husband’s birthday and it was so delicious. Quick question – it says “1 cup + tablespoons sugar” for the chocolate cake. How many tablespoons should that be? I went with two and it turned out great, just curious! Thanks.
You were close. There are 3 teaspoons to a tablespoon. I’m glad to hear that it turned out great and that everyone enjoyed it!
Huh? The recipe says “1 cup + tablespoons sugar” – how many tablespoons should that be? I think it’s missing a number and I’m looking for what that number is, thanks.
Gah! Sorry, I misread your previous comment. I’ve corrected the recipe to read “1 cup +2 tablespoons sugar”. 2 was the missing number. Thanks for asking again to clear it up.
Hi, I made your cake the other day and it turned out really well – which was a bit of a shock as the two batters were both liquid when they went in the pan so I thought it was going to be a disaster! I cooked it for about 15 minutes more than the stated time and that seemed to help. Is the batter meant to be liquid or is it meant to be more like standard cake batter? I want to make it again but I feel I didn’t make it right and it was just luck!
They are both liquid batters. With no proteins to help bind the batter it won’t get thick. You did good and I’m so glad that it turned out great!
That’s great, thanks very much for the clarification. I plan to make this again and again and now won’t have to worry about it!
Do we use plain flour?
Yes. Unless I call for something else, all my recipes use all purpose flour.
This might be the best cake I’ve made! Made it twice in the past 4 days and that’s something I never do. And trust me i’ve made a ton of cakes. Here’s a tip: use coffee instead of water for the chocolate cake and add some zest in it too. Takes the cake to a whole nother level Thank you <3
This cake renewed my will to live haha I made it twice in the past week and I’m still dreaming about it. Thanks for the recipe <3
Lol! I’m so glad. Are you making the two cakes together or just the chocolate cake alone? My husband has recently been adopting a vegan menu so I’ve made this cake for him recently.
Hi. Your cake looks delicious. Is it ok to freeze it?
Yes. Freezing this cake is fine. Just like other cakes, let it come to room temperature before serving.
Made the 2 cakes tonight, each 50/50. Substituted vegan butter instead of oil, and used ACV instead of white vinegar. It came out amazing. Thank you!
So glad the substitutions worked out. I am not a vegan baker and have no idea how to swap out items like this. Thanks so much for the feedback.
Hi, can I use whole wheat pastry flour instead?
You can always try, but know that the texture of the cake will change. It may denser – not as light and airy. Especially with the vegan recipe where you are relying on a chemical reaction for the lifting action on the cake. I found this article and thought it might explain it better. Hope that helps.
How do you add the 1/4 cups of alternating batter to get that striped effect?
I used a 1/4 cup in the chocolate and 1/4 cup in the orange then just created a bullseye in the center of the cake pan. Just keep alternating over and over, without mixing it and it will create that zebra look.
Hello,
Can I make it in a muffin pan?
If so, how long in the oven?
Thanks!
To make cupcakes? Sure! Most cupcakes take about 18 – 22 minutes to bake through. Test a center cupcake with a toothpick for doneness.
That worked well great!! I love the recipe, thank you for sharing!!
I’ll make it again next weekend:)
Hi!
Can’t wait to try this, but I’m a bit confused how to make those neat circles by filling 1/4 cup of mix in the pan at a time!
Do you start at the outside?
Thanks!
Just add a bit of the mixture to the center of the pan – alternating it over and over again. The batter will create the rings and give you the zebra effect when you slice into it.
I have a vegan friend who’s birthday is coming up and she’s asked me to bake a vegan cake for her party.
I’ve decided to try your chocolate orange vegan recipe.
But, I didn’t see the photo of the cut Cake with the interior zebra stripes.
You can see it frosted and sliced cake here – https://pintsizedbaker.com/orange-and-chocolate-cake/ – In the frosting, make an easy chocolate buttercream by swapping out the butter for Vegan butter and use non-dairy milk.
Looks delicious. I am so bad at baking but I always appreciate people who do it well!
Thanks. I’m horrible at cooking, so I think we’d make a great pair!
Oh my goodness! Divine! I used a simple orange glaze and candied orange peel. Best. Cake. Ever.
I bet that was amazing!! I’ve made candied orange peel and used it on other cakes.
I can’t count how many times my daughter has requested this cake for her birthday, sometimes twice per year (for family and for her friends). Thank you so much! I don’t know what I would do if this post were taken down.
I’m so glad that your daughter (and everyone at the party) love the cake. It’s a winner. BTW – I came across a great frosting recipe that was 1 C coconut milk (from a can) and a bag of vegan chocolate chips for a vegan whipped ganache. It was really good!!
Made it! My first vegan cake and it was absolutely melt-in-mouth delicious! Thanks for sharing this simple and excellent recipe. For the chocolate cake, I substituted almond milk instead of water, the result was great!
That’s great to know. So glad you liked the cake.
Fantastic recipe thank you for sharing really enjoying it
Hi Karyn,
Thanks for sharing. My kids saw your pics when we were looking for a recipe to make and insisted we make it!! We tweaked it only a little with respect to ingredients we had and it turned out divine!!! Sounds like we will be making it again.