This truly is The Best Eggless Chocolate Cake Ever! It is supremely tender, moist, and bursting with a rich chocolate flavor. Perfect for birthdays, craving days, or any celebration, the recipe includes step-by-step photos and lots of tips.
Who says you need eggs to make a cake super moist? You won’t believe how delicious, easy, and moist this eggless chocolate cake is. It has a tender crumb and bold chocolate flavor and is paired with chocolate frosting.
This recipe is perfect for those with egg allergies and also for those who ran out of eggs and need to make a cake ASAP.
Eggless Chocolate Cake Recipe Highlights
- The cake is supremely tender, fluffy, and moist.
- Bursting with a rich chocolate flavor.
- Easy to make.
- Simple Ingredients.
- Perfect for birthdays, craving days, or any celebration.
- This chocolate cake is freezer-friendly! I love to freeze it in individual portions, so whenever my daughter is invited to a birthday party, I can pack her a piece of eggless cake so she can participate in the cake-eating festivities and not feel left out!
Why Does This Eggless Chocolate Cake Recipe Work Great?
After years of testing egg-free cake recipes, I found out that the best way to substitute eggs in a cake recipe is to find the right combination of leavening agents, such as baking powder and/or baking soda, and acids, such as vinegar, lemon juice, buttermilk, yogurt, sour cream, etc…When leavaners and acids are combined, they react and produce gas (bubbles) that will make the cake fluffy.
Cakes without eggs can be a little tricky, but not impossible! The best egg substitutes for a cake recipe are baking soda + buttermilk, yogurt, sour cream, sweetened condensed milk, applesauce, and ripe mashed banana. Keep in mind that these last two can alter the flavor of the cake.
Ingredients Notes & Substitutions
Amounts are included in the printable recipe below (scroll down).
You’ll need:
- Flour: Standard all-purpose flour works best here; skip the cake flour, bread flour, and wheat flour.
- Baking Powder & Baking Soda: Make sure they’re not expired or too old.
- Unsweetened cocoa powder: I like to use unsweetened natural cocoa powder instead of Dutch-processed because it’s more acidic and reacts with baking soda, allowing your baked goods to rise.
- Salt: I prefer kosher or sea salt. If you only have table salt handy, I recommend reducing the amount to half.
- Instant coffee: This is optional, but I recommend its addition because it enhances the chocolate flavor. Adding a little bit will make things taste more “chocolatey” without giving a coffee flavor.
- Butter: I prefer to use unsalted butter, but if you only have salted butter handy, you can use it. In this case, skip the salt called in the recipe.
- Sugar: Regular white granulated sugar or caster sugar.
- Sour cream: You can substitute sour cream for plain regular yogurt. I recommend using the full-fat versions.
- Oil: Vegetable or canola oil – Or any light-tasting oil of your preference.
- Buttermilk: You don’t have buttermilk? No problem!! Check out my recipe for Easy Homemade Buttermilk Substitute [Video].
- Vanilla extract: For optimal flavor, reach for pure vanilla instead of imitation. Even better, try homemade vanilla extract!
- Vinegar: you can use apple cider vinegar or white vinegar.
Step By Step Recipe Photo Tutorial
Detailed instructions are included in the printable recipe below (scroll down).
1 – Prepare the Oven And Pan
Preheat the oven to 350º F (175º C). Line a 9 x 13-inch (35 x 24 cm) baking pan with parchment paper. Lightly grease with baking spray with flour.
2 – Make the Egg-Free Cake Batter
- In a large bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, cocoa, and salt. Reserve.
- Stir together hot water and instant coffee power until the coffee is dissolved. Reserve.
- Cream butter and sugar together. Then add oil and vanilla and beat for 2 more minutes. Add sour cream and vinegar; continue beating until well combined, about 1 minute. Turn the mixer to low and add the flour mixture in three batches, alternating with buttermilk, beginning and ending with the flour mixture; beat until just combined about 30 – 45 seconds. Do not overmix.
3 – Pour batter into prepared pan(s).
3 – Bake the Cake
Bake for 30 – 35 minutes, or until a toothpick or cake tester inserted in the center of the chocolate cake comes out clean. Remove the cake from the oven and set it on a wire rack. Allow it to cool completely in the pan.
4 – Frost the Cake
I frosted this eggless chocolate cake with my favorite, silky smooth chocolate frosting. In my opinion, a good chocolate cake needs a decadent chocolate frosting, and this one is it.
However, if you’re looking for something different I included a few other options in the recipe. Two of my favorite options would be my Vanilla Buttercream, Cream Cheese Frosting or Strawberry Buttercream, Or maybe the Oreo Frosting. So many options!
Eggless Cake Success Tips
Measure the ingredients correctly. I highly recommend using a kitchen scale.
Preheat the oven for at least 15 minutes before starting the recipe, giving it plenty of time to reach the ideal temperature.
Don’t overmix the batter. Instead, mix just until the ingredients are evenly distributed throughout.
Bake the batter as soon as it is ready.
Don’t open the oven door until your baked good has set. Leave the oven closed until the minimum time is stated in the recipe.
Every oven is different, so baking times always have to be taken with a grain of salt. Oven thermostats can be wildly off, affecting baking time, so keep an eye on yours.
Frequently Asked Questions
If you don’t want to use an electric mixer, I recommend making my One Bowl Eggless Chocolate Cake.
Yes, you can use 2 8-inch round cake pans. Bake at 350F (175C) for 35-40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center should come out with moist crumbs).
About 3/4 of the way full.
Yes, in that case, omit the baking powder called in the recipe.
For cupcakes, I recommend my Eggless Chocolate Cupcakes recipe.
Adapt This Recipe for Other Food Allergies
This recipe is egg-free, but you can certainly adapt it to other food allergies.
Gluten-Free: Substitute all-purpose flour for 1-to-1 Gluten-Free flour. This is my favorite brand.
Dairy-Free: Use your favorite plant-based milk, dairy-free, or vegan butter.
My favorite dairy-free butter brands for baking are:
Make sure to use an unflavored, unsweetened variety of non-dairy milk to make your own buttermilk substitute. Soy and oat milk have the best consistency and very neutral flavors, in my opinion. To make your own dairy-free buttermilk at home, check my Easy Homemade Buttermilk Substitute [Video] post.
Also, use your favorite dairy-free sour cream. You can substitute sour cream for dairy-free plain unsweetened yogurt.
Storing & Freezing Instructions
This egg-free chocolate cake always gets eaten up so quickly that you might not even have leftovers to pack up! But if you do have leftovers or you’re planning on making these ahead of time for a party, here’s how to do so.
Store
This eggless chocolate cake will stay fresh in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days as long as it’s unfrosted. If frosted, store it in the fridge. I suggest frosting it the day you intend to enjoy it so the cake lasts longer!
Freeze
To freeze, skip frosting the cake. Let the cake cool completely, wrap the cake or slices tightly in plastic wrap and place it in a plastic double zipper quart freezer bag. Freeze the cakes for up to 2 months. Thaw at room temperature before icing and serving.
More Eggless Cake Recipes You’ll Love!
- Eggless Red Velvet Cake
- Eggless Vanilla Cake Recipe
- Eggless Lemon Cake
- Eggless Carrot Cake
- Eggless Pineapple Upside Down Cake
- More eggless cake recipes…
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Recipe Card 📖
The Best Eggless Chocolate Cake Ever
Ingredients
- 2 1/3 cups (325 g) all-purpose flour (for self-rising flour see notes)
- 3 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- ¾ cup (75 g) unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 tablespoon (15 ml) hot water
- 1 teaspoon instant espresso coffee
- 1/2 cup (115 g) unsalted butter, softened (1 stick)
- 2 cups (400 g) white granulated sugar
- ½ cup (120 ml – 4 oz) vegetable or canola oil
- 2 teaspoons (10 ml) vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup (120 g) sour cream (at room temperature)
- 1 teaspoon (5 ml) apple cider vinegar
- 1 1/2 cup (360 ml – 12 oz) buttermilk (at room temperature)
Important
Don’t forget to check out the step-by-step photos above in the post—they’ll guide you through the process and make everything super clear!
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350º F (175º C). Line a 9 x 13-inch (35 x 24 cm) baking pan with parchment paper. Lightly grease with baking spray with flour.
- In a large bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cocoa, and salt. Reserve.
- Stir together hot water and instant coffee power until the coffee is dissolved. Reserve.
- Using an electric hand mixer or a stand mixer, beat butter until creamy on medium-high speed, about 3 – 4 minutes. Add the sugar and beat on high speed for 4 minutes until creamed and pale, scraping down the sides and up the bottom of the bowl with a rubber spatula as needed. Then add oil and vanilla and beat for 2 more minutes. And then, add sour cream, coffee mixture, and vinegar; continue beating until well combined, about 1 minute.
- Turn the mixer to low and add the flour mixture in three batches, alternating with buttermilk, beginning and ending with the flour mixture; beat until just combined, about 30 – 45 seconds. Do not overmix.
- Pour batter into prepared pan(s).
- Bake for 30 – 35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let the cake cool completely in the pan on a wire rack before removing it from the pan.
- Frost with chocolate frosting, if desire.
- Measure the ingredients correctly. I highly recommend using a kitchen scale.
- Make sure to cream the butter and sugar together for 4 – 5 minutes, until creamy and pale. To achieve this, the butter has to be at the right consistency; ideally, the butter will easily bend without breaking and will give slightly when pressed. If it looks or feels oily is too soft.
- Don’t overmix the batter. Mix just until you’ve evenly distributed the ingredients throughout the batter.
- Bake the cake(s) as soon as the batter is ready.
- Don’t open the oven door until the cake(s) has set. Leave the oven closed until the minimum time stated in the recipe.
- Preheat the oven at least 15 minutes before getting started to give it plenty of time to reach the ideal recipe temperature.
- Every oven is different, so baking times always have to be taken with a grain of salt. Oven thermostats can be wildly off, and that will all affect baking time, so keep an eye on yours. The cake(s) are done when a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
Nutrition
Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.
Eggless Baking Frequently Asked Questions
You’ve asked, and I’ve answered! Read on for a handful of answers to the most frequently asked questions about eggless baking.
Originally posted in January 2018, the post content was edited to add more helpful information, with no change to the recipe in May 2022.
Hello Oriana,
Thank you for this amazing recipe. I must say, hands down. The best Eggless Chocolate Cake ever. I followed the recipe as given. I always prefer cake recipes with eggs. Since few of my friends don’t eat egg so I found yours. Cake came out perfect (Sweetness, Soft and Moist too).
Hi MaHi! Thank you so much for your kind words—it makes me so happy to hear that you and your friends enjoyed the cake! 😊 I’m thrilled it turned out soft, moist, and perfectly sweet. It’s such a wonderful compliment to hear it’s the best eggless chocolate cake you’ve tried. Thank you for trusting my recipe and for taking the time to share your feedback. Happy baking!” ❤️🍫
Hi
I have made your chocolate cake before and it is amazing! I am allergic to eggs so I was really happy to find your page. I was wondering how you would make this cake with 8in round pans instead of a rectangular pan and would you have to change the time of it being in the oven? Thank you so much!!
Hello Ariana! Thank you so much for your kind words! I’m so glad you found my page and that the cake worked out for you. It really makes my day to hear that my eggless recipes are helping with your allergy needs. Thanks for sharing your feedback!
Hi can i omit the oil in this receipe?
Hello Karen – Thank you for your question! I haven’t tried omitting the oil in this recipe, but for the best results, I recommend following the recipe exactly. The oil helps with the texture and moisture, so it’s best not to skip it if you want the final product to turn out as intended.
Dear Oriana, I have tried several eggless cake recipes and not satisfied with the results I get. But I really want to try yours out. I appreciate your time in explaining step by step in details. Pls can I skip the yoghurt for eggless chocolate cake or what is the alternative? Thanks
Hello Eden! I’m so glad to hear you’re interested in trying out my eggless chocolate cake recipe! 😊 While yogurt does help add moisture and texture to the cake, you can definitely substitute it with other ingredients. One common substitute for yogurt is sour cream. You can also try using a plant-based yogurt alternative, like dairy-free yogurt, if dairy is a concern. Thank you for giving my recipe a chance.Please come back and let me know how you like it. xx
Hi, I’ve made this recipe before. However I was planing to make it this weekend for my sons birthday party. Would the recipe work still if I doubled it and stacked the two rectangular cakes on top of eachother? We have a big crowd. Thank you!
Hello Hannah! Yes, you can absolutely double this. Here are a few tips: 1 – I recommend making two batches separately so they mix well. 2 – Make sure you don’t fill your cake pan more than 2/3; if you have some batter left, you can make cupcakes. Hope this help! Thanks for your interest in my recipe. Please come back and let me know how it turned out.
Made the cake – the result is awesome – I was a bit nervous when the cake came out of the oven – it flattened a bit – but when I served it out, everyone, including me, was very pleased. Thank you for your very valuable contribution to cake-making – I will be returning to your site for more recipes.
Hello Joan! It sounds like you nailed it! Thanks so much for trying my recipe and taking the time to come back and let me know.
Hi Oriana,
I have been your follower since the day I discovered your website, which is my go-to place for all cake recipes. As my mother has severe allergy to eggs, I was delighted to have found your website.
I have baked cake using this recipe before too. This Christmas when I tried again, my cake became very crumbly. But it isn’t dry, rather sticking to the palate. I followed every step as you’ve delineated in the recipe. I’m unable to pinpoint what went wrong this time. Do help me out.
Thanks!
Hello Meenakshi! Oh, that’s a shame. It’s impossible to say exactly why your cake was dense because there are so many things that can make that happen. I’ll tell you the most likely, and then hopefully, you can work out what went wrong and avoid it in the future.
Using too much flour or liquid can cause the baked goods to become too dense and don’t rise. Make sure you measure the ingredients properly. The best way to do it is using a kitchen scale.
Make sure to cream the butter and sugar together for 4 – 5 minutes until creamy and pale. To achieve this, the right temperature butter is KEY! Softened butter should easily bend without breaking and will give slightly when pressed. If your finger sinks into the butter and looks oily, it’s way too soft.
Do not overmix the batter.
Bake the cakes as soon as the batter is ready.
Don’t open the oven door until it has set,
Baking times vary, so keep an eye on yours. The cake is done when a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. If the cake collapses after baking, it probably means that you didn’t bake long enough.
I hope this helps!
Thanks,