This is the best Vegan Vanilla Chocolate Chip Cake you make at parties, for guests, when you want to wow them and shock them that vegan, gluten-free, and oil-free can be so darn delicious!
VEGAN GLUTEN-FREE VANILLA CHOCOLATE CHIP CAKE
This Vegan Chocolate Chip Cake is so buttery, moist and fluffy and absolutely perfect for parties, especially birthdays! I love a classic vegan vanilla cake but this chocolate chip cake is such a fun special cake!
The inspiration for this cake is my love for the classic chocolate chip cookie. So, I created a cake based on that classic cookie. Chocolate chip cookie becomes chocolate chip cake with a wonderful vanilla flavor. It has that same rich, sweet, buttery flavor that you get from the cookie, but in cake form.
This cake is moist, buttery and rich and using mainly oat flour, gives it a wonderful texture. I ultimately decided on my oat and starch flour combo that I’ve used a few times here on the blog, but instead of potato starch (too crumbly and dry), I swapped it with tapioca for better structure and that was the winner. I wanted it nut-free, so that’s why I trialed so much.
Just skip this recipe if you cannot have oats. No two gluten-free flours are alike. I have another vanilla cake recipe on the blog that is just 2 flours, so you can always make my Vegan Gluten-free Vanilla Cake if you don’t use oats.
The topping is a firm, fudgy ganache, not an oily icing or frosting, but literally like biting into the center of a truffle.
The cake itself is just 8 ingredients (+ salt & water) and just a few minutes prep. The ganache recipe is just 1 extra ingredient needed (plant milk) to complete the whole masterpiece, as the remaining ganache ingredients are repeat ingredients that are also used in the cake.
The secret ingredient used in this cake to make it buttery and moist? Coconut butter! There is just enough to give the cake some needed fat for texture (doesn’t work on applesauce alone!) but not too much, so it doesn’t taste like coconut.
MORE VEGAN CAKE RECIPES TO TRY
- Vegan Gluten-free Vanilla Cake
- Vegan Funfetti Cake
- Vegan Mango Caramel Cheesecake
- Vegan Lemon Cake
- Vegan Chocolate Cookie Dough Fudge Cake
- Vegan Cinnamon Caramel Bundt Cake
- Vegan Gingerbread Cake
- Vegan Almond Butter Cake with Chocolate Frosting
Note: This recipe used to be sold as a cake kit through Cake In A Crate, however, they are no longer in business. Enjoy the free recipe below!
If you make this recipe, be sure to leave feedback below and share your pic on Instagram or Facebook and tag me @thevegan8 #thevegan8!
Vegan Gluten-Free Vanilla Chocolate Chip Cake
Ingredients
CAKE
- 1 1/4 cups (160g) superfine oat flour (use a scale! see NOTE, use certified gluten-free oats if necessary)
- 1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons (48g) tapioca starch/flour (this is the ONLY starch that works, do not sub)
- 2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- Scant 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1/2 cup + 2 tablespoons (200g) pure maple syrup
- 1/2 cup (120g) unsweetened applesauce, room temperature, or slightly warm
- 1 tablespoon (15g) vanilla extract
- 2 tablespoons (30g) warm water
- 1/4 cup (60g) warmed and melted liquid coconut butter
- 1/2 cup (120g) dairy-free semi-sweet chocolate chips (I used Enjoy Life brand)
GANACHE
- 1 cup (180g) mini semi-sweet dairy-free chocolate chips
- 4 tablespoons canned “lite” coconut milk
- 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Pinch fine sea salt
OPTIONAL CHOCOLATE CURLS
- 1 bar dark chocolate
NOTE
- Always use a scale for accuracy when baking, following MY gram weights listed. You never need cups, just the scale and bowl.
- I use this scale.
Instructions
- As I always recommend, use a scale for accurate results. If you must use cups, make sure to scoop the flour with your cup, lightly pat down and then level off, so there are no gaps. If you want to make cupcakes, then I would suggest making these with my Truffle Frosting instead. Double the recipe for a double layer cake.
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees and spray an 8 inch round (9 will yield too short a cake) cake pan with nonstick spray. Place a round piece of parchment paper on the bottom.
- Add the oat flour, tapioca, baking powder and salt to a large bowl and whisk well.
- It is important to make sure your liquids are not cold, or it will cause the coconut butter to harden. The oil tends to separate from the coconut meat in the jar and be very hard, and it's imperative that it's mixed back up properly before measuring. Otherwise, you run the chance of getting too much of just the oily part or just the meaty part, which will affect the end result. So I like to slightly warm up the jar (like 10 seconds) and empty the coconut butter in a separate container, warm up for just a few more seconds if too chunky still in the microwave until it is warm and soft enough to stir. It should be soft, but don't overheat the coconut butter or it will burn and ruin it. As you stir it, the warmth will melt it and make it more runny. Stir until completely smooth and runny, like the consistency of oil, then measure the weight.
- Make a well at the bottom of the bowl and pour in the syrup, applesauce, vanilla, warm water and lastly, the melted coconut butter. Whip with an electric whisk or beater, starting slow and then gradually increasing. You only need to mix it for about 15 seconds, just to ensure it’s a smooth batter. Otherwise, use a large spoon to gently mix the batter until all moistened and no more flour is visible. Do not over-beat the batter. Gently stir in the chocolate chips.
- Pour the batter into the pan and bake for 25-30 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool in the pan for at least 45 minutes before removing to firm up.
- Place the cooling rack over a large plate before adding the ganache. This is necessary so that the excess ganache can drip through the cooling rack and keep your cake mess-free.
- For the ganache, add the chocolate chips and milk into a bowl and heat in the microwave for 30 seconds, stir and then another 15-30 more seconds until it’s almost melted. Stir until smooth. Stir in the vanilla and salt.
- Pour all the ganache over the cooled cake, directly over the center. Using the back of a spoon, gently spread the chocolate out to the sides evenly, dragging the spoon gently back and forth, while guiding it along to drip down the sides. Take a knife and drag along the sides to smooth the edges.
- Place in the fridge to firm the ganache for about 30 mins. Then keep covered in a cake dome container or loosely secured with foil at room temperature until serving.
- To make the chocolate curls, simply place a bar of dark chocolate on a plate and place in the microwave for 15-30 seconds, just to soften it enough to make the curls. Use a peeler and drag it along the sides of the chocolate, making curls.
I made this recipe into cupcakes tonight and baked them for 15 min. They turned out great! I wanted a plain vanilla cake, so I left out the chocolate chips. We also made a coconut whipped cream chocolate frosting with them. They were wonderful! Thank you for the recipe!
Is the base of this recipe different from the funfetti cake recipe photo on your Instagram?
Yay!! So awesome to hear Sammy! Thank you so much for the feedback, so glad you loved them!
Oh, forgot to answer your question, sorry, yes, the base is completely different from the funfetti!
That’s such a fun idea Brandi and that cake looks beyond amazing! I’m not usually a cake fan, but with such a good chocolate to cake ratio going on there, I’m totally drawn in!
This cake looks dreamy! I need it in my life, and we have so many birthdays coming up! Sometimes specialty flours and other ingredients are hard to come by where I live, so it would be so great to have everything I need come to me in a box!
Um MYSELF!!!! Duh!! Make this perfect chocolate-coated cake beauty and give it away?? I think not! I bet you know this recipe by heart at this point. All those trials and tests and months absolutely paid off though, it looks completely incredible! I’m so happy you went with oat flour on this one too, the texture looks just the way I like it. And the Cake in a Crate concept and partnership is so neat, I am really excited for you. Getting your name out here and the GF oil-free goodness to more people in more forms is fantastic! Plus chocolate chip vanilla cake is the perfect flavor for me because I can never choose between chocolate or vanilla cake 🙂
Yummmmm this looks seriously delicious and so photogenic too! I want to try this out for a BBQ on Monday!
xx Annie
http://www.somethingswellblog.com/
Wonderful Annie! I can’t wait to hear what you think, thank you!
I would make it for my hubby.
This is so incredible Brandi, and I am sooooo happy for you! Cake in a Crate sounds like an absolutely amazing company too, what they do is so inspiring I love their website. Your cake sounds and looks so delicious, I really can’t wait to try your recipe! It’s definitely chocolate heaven!
Well…I would absolutely have to make this for my husband….and we would need to invite someone over to share it with! This looks SO FUN!!!
Cake <3 And it just looks so simply beautiful!!
Any big baking…creation, like cake, is just SO FUN to make. I love spending the time in the kitchen working on one thing, just one big lovely sweet delicious thing like a cake! Haha! O….and the reward 😉
Thank you so much Rebecca, so kind of you!
You go with your bad cake making self! Don’t you just love the magic of coconut butter? I took a break from it for a bit (remember my obsession? LOL!) but just started using it in a ton again, and was reminded of it’s magical ways. Love your cake, it turned out gorgeous! I still remember all the trials you did and the messages and pictures of the hard work. SO happy it has finally come to fruition and your baking dreams are coming true! Would you just open your own damn bakery already?
Omg, I realized I never responded to your comment girl! I’m so sorry, this was one crazy week and it looks like I missed a bunch of comments to respond to even though I read them. Thank you so much! This cake was quite the work but it turned out so damn good, it was worth it, haha!
I’d make it for all my vegan friends!
This looks incredible, I’m always so inspired by your amazing recipes!
So sweet, thank you so much!
Thank you very much for sharing such an awesome cake!!!!
I would make this for my niece. She is kind, smart, funny and a beautiful soul. Just graduated from college and is spending the month in Thailand volunteering to work with underpriveleged children. She comes home soon and we already agreed we are making your vegan nachos together. What better way to top off a homecoming than preparing a meal and ending it with that spectacular cake!!!
This is awesome. I am very happy for you. I wish you great success with this joint venture. You deserve all the success you want you have incredible recipes and we are very lucky that you share them with us. What you do is very much appreciated by lots of people. And wow that cake looks insane. I can imagine that it taste even more insane. You just out do yourself time and time again. Thanks for sharing your talent with the world 😀
If I were blessed enough to win this, I’d make it for my son and daughter who’s birthdays are 4 days apart and coming up soon.
Thanks for sharing the recipe and for the chance to win,
We adore your recipes!
I’ve been looking for a recipe like this for a while now!!! I’ve just got myself into baking and you have definitely inspired me with all of your amazing desserts! I CANT wait to make this! Looks great. Thank you so much for sharing The Vegan love ❤️
Charisma
It looks delicious! Cake in a crate sounds like a good partnership and opportunity! I would love to make it for my husband without needing to make a trip to the store.
Brandi, you are an inspiration! Well done for making this happen – it sounds AMAZING. I’d heard of Cake in a Crate before and love the whole concept. So exciting <3
I can’t even. This looks just so ridiculously amazing. Seriously. Thank you!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Thank you so much Olivia!
WOW!!! Brandi!!! I am so THRILLED for you!!! I think this cake, and your connection to “Cake In A Crate”, are just the BEGINNING for you to receive some of the returns (and widespread acclaim!) you SOOO deserve for all your dedication and hard work, as well as your commitment to the highest standards of healthier vegan culinary creation (in the form of ALL of your amazing recipes). It’s wonderful for any of us to be able to actually LIVE our passion in life, whatever that passion may be; to “follow our bliss” so to speak. But it’s the “icing on the cake” (pun intended…haha!) to actually be REWARDED in various ways for doing so. I know, first-hand, how much perseverance and commitment it takes for an artist such as you are to try to live her or his passion in this difficult, competitive world, and you deserve every good thing that comes your way! I WHOLEHEARTEDLY believe this is just the “tip of the iceberg” for you. CONGRATULATIONS!!! Just don’t forget all of your devoted and adoring fans when you make it to “the big-time”!!! Because we’ll all still be here, rooting for you!!!
Now, if I were to be lucky enough to actually win one of these three cakes from “Cake In A Crate”, I would bake it and eat the entire thing MYSELF, first, then I’d BUY one, too, because it’d just be plain NASTY of me not to share! (Seriously, I’d PROBABLY not really eat it all myself, but I am CERTAIN I would WANT to!!!)
You continue to absolutely AMAZE us all!!
Love and devotion from one of your most loquacious and tirelessly expressive fans……Daryl
PS: As usual, just like ALL of your recipes, I KNOW this one is gonna be worthy of a 5-star rating, so I’m gonna go ahead and give it that rating IN ADVANCE!!! (I cannot WAIT to try the recipe, though…..FOR REAL!!!!….I think I’ll go get the ingredients TODAY!!!!)
Daryl, you are the best! Thank you so much for always saying the most kind things to me and taking the time to write so much from your heart, I really appreciate al of your support! I can’t wait to hear what you think of this cake!
This looks amazingly delicious! My birthday is coming up very soon and I would love to have this cake!
Congrats girl!!! You can see all the LOVE you put into creating these cake kits! They are absolutely gorgeous 🙂
Thank you so much my friend!! I can’t take credit for that part, that was all Cake In A Crate! I designed the recipe and tested it a ton and they brought it all together. It’s an amazing partnershp!
I would make this for my family…just need to find coconut butter.
Hi Wilma, I updated the recipe above regarding the coconut butter 🙂
This cake sounds (and looks) so delicious! I don’t eat a lot of desserts, so if I won the crate, I’d probably share the cake with my mom and dad, my landlady and/or my church. 🙂