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This From Scratch Dark Chocolate Cake is easily made with ingredients that are probably already in your cupboard now! No eggs, No butter, No milk, No kidding! And it’s moist and delicious!
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My favorite cake
And this chocolate cake is vegan, but shhh, don’t tell anyone and no one will know.
I’ve been making this chocolate cake that’s simple and made with pantry items for years. It’s probably my favorite cake. And it’s great with afternoon tea.
I first made it when I worked in corporate, and one of my employees was vegan. It was his birthday, and I wanted him to have a special cake. So I made it, and no one in the office even realized that they were eating vegan cake! Bwa ha ha!
For me, this is the ultimate cake recipe. Easy to make, I always have the ingredients, I can bake it in any form I want, and it’s always delicious!
Check out how versatile this cake is; I’ve made it into skull cakes and cupcakes.
Afternoon tea
Want to sit down with the perfect chocolate cake and the perfect cup of tea? This cake would be lovely drizzled with some Peppermint Simple Syrup for a nice festive dessert.
Frosting the cake
I’ve served it here with a mocha icing that’s perfect! But you can frost it with any frosting or icing. Or, go super simple and serve it with powdered sugar. Or, go hog wild, and just serve it plain!
Versatile easy to make recipe
I’ve made this homemade cake many times and in many different ways.
I love it made in a bundt cake pan. I think there’s something nostalgic and special about a bundt cake. Then, glaze it with some mocha icing to make it extra special (I’ve included the mocha icing recipe below).
Bake it in some cute rectangular shaped individual trays called (affiliate link) Financier or loaf pans. These molds are a fun way to serve these cakes as individual servings, and maybe make sure that you don’t sit down to eat the whole cake in one day. Ummm, not that I did that or anything!
Cupcakes with caramel frosting
I also shared this cake in my Cupboard Cooking Cookbook.
From scratch baking
Scratch cakes are not that hard, nor are they time consuming.
This is a simple method of a big bowl, toss in the dry ingredients, then add the wet. Mix. Pour into whatever size and shape baking container that you want.
The cake is delightful, and not overly sweet.
You could also add 1 teaspoon of espresso powder to the mix to make it mocha cake.
Kitchen items you may need for a perfect tea party
Mini loaf pans
Bundt cake pan
cupcake pan
Cupcake liners
Mixing bowls
Mixing spoons
cooling rack
Special Dark cocoa powder
Instant espresso powder
Cake server
Pretty cake plate
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From Scratch Dark Chocolate Cake Recipe
From Scratch Dark Chocolate Cake
Ingredients
For cake:
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- ½ cup special dark unsweetened cocoa powder
- 2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 cups cold water
- 2/3 cup vegetable oil
- 2 teaspoon white vinegar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
For mocha Icing:
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 1 tablespoon special dark unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon instant espresso powder
- 2 ½ tablespoons milk plant based or dairy
Instructions
Make cake:
- Preheat oven to 350° F.
- In large mixing bowl combine all dry cake ingredients, and add in wet cake ingredients. Beat with electric mixer on medium to high speed until well combined. Pour batter in a greased bundt pan, a 13×9-inch pan, greased rectangular molds, or into cupcake liners (filling cupcakes and smaller molds about ¾ of the way full).
- Bake 30 minutes for the cake or 20-25 minutes for the cupcakes or until a toothpick inserted near center comes out clean.
- Set cake in the pan on a cooling rack, and allow to cool completely before carefully removing it from the pan and icing it.
Make icing:
- Place powdered sugar, cocoa powder, and espresso powder in a medium bowl, and stir to combine. Stir in milk until all sugar is dissolved and icing is smooth. Drizzle over the cooled cake.
Nutrition
Nutritional information is based on third-party calculations, and should be considered estimates. Actual nutritional content will vary based on brands used, measuring methods, portion sizes, and more.
Nikki Lee
I think I am chocolate cake ‘s #1 fan! This one is a keeper! Love it!
Kathleen Pope
Oh my goodness, my family would go ga-ga over this chocolate cake, cannot wait to try it!
Pam
Ooh, this looks amazing!! I made the Wacky Cake (Depression Cake) a few weeks ago, and now this one is calling to me. I am pinning and will try it for sure! Thanks for sharing with us at the TFT link party.
ronak mehta
Thank you for sharing this delightfully easy, mouthwateringly delicious recipe. Have baked this cake several times since I first tried it a few weeks back and it’s been a huge success each time!
Sylvia W
Ooooh! As a chocoholic with an allergy to anything made from cow milk I am thrilled! This is not only going to be my birthday cake in a couple months, but a snack cake until then! Yum! Thank you!