Vegan Strawberry Chocolate Cake
Vegan strawberry chocolate cake is a decadent dessert perfect for any occasion. It is made with simple ingredients, including cocoa powder, strawberries, and vegan butter, and it is easy to make at home. This eggless chocolate strawberry cake is made without dairy or eggs, making it an excellent option for people with dietary restrictions.
Chocolate and strawberries are a favorite flavor combination for Valentine’s Day, but why not enjoy it all year long?
Imagine serving this strawberry chocolate cake for birthdays, holidays, summer parties, and even a random Tuesday night dinner.
It begins with a tender chocolate cake smothered in strawberry frosting and drizzled with chocolate syrup drizzles. Don’t forget fresh strawberries on top!
Key Ingredients
You can find the full printable recipe, including ingredient quantities, below. But first, here are some explanations of ingredients and steps to help you make this recipe perfect every time.
- Granulated sugar — You can substitute organic sugar, but grocery store variety granulated sugar is all you need.
- Flour — I recommend all-purpose flour for this recipe. You can substitute gluten-free baking flour for a vegan gluten-free chocolate strawberry cake. See the recipe card below for tips on using whole wheat flour.
- Cocoa powder — Use unsweetened natural (not Dutch-processed) cocoa powder.
- Baking soda + Baking powder — We’ll combine both for a light and fluffy cake.
- Salt — A little salt adds depth of flavor
- Vegetable oil — neutral oil like canola oil is all you need.
- Applesauce — Use unsweetened applesauce
- Vanilla extract — Adding a bit of vanilla enhances the cake’s flavor.
- Hot water — Your water should be hot, near-boiling, but not quite.
How to Make Vegan Chocolate Strawberry Cake
If you’re curious about how to make a vegan chocolate and strawberry cake, here is a brief list of instructions. See the recipe card below for the full recipe.
- Mix together the sugar, flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.
- Stir together cold water, vegetable oil, vinegar, applesauce, and vanilla.
- Pour the water mixture in with the cocoa/flour mixture and stir until just combined.
- Heat 1/2 cup of water until hot (not boiling). Pour this into the batter and stir to combine.
- Pour half the batter into each of the prepared pans.
- Bake for 25 to 30 minutes until the cakes are done.
- Let cakes cook for 10 minutes, then invert them on racks to cool completely.
- Make the strawberry frosting.
- Cover cooled cakes with strawberry frosting, fresh strawberries, and chocolate drizzle.
Why This Recipe is a Winner
- EASY — This cake batter is so easy to make, it doesn’t even require a mixer!
- FLAVORFUL — Hot water added to the batter blooms the cocoa, providing more chocolate flavor.
- MOIST — Adding applesauce to the batter creates a moist chocolate cake with a tender crumb.
New to Vegan Baking?
The idea of making cookies, cakes, or muffins without eggs or dairy can seem like a hill too tall to climb. But with the simple tips in my Guide to Vegan Baking, you’ll be baking like a vegan pro in no time!
Vegan Frosting
This chocolate strawberry vegan cake is made special with strawberry frosting. However, you can mix things up by adding a different flavor of frosting between the cake layers. Here are some favorite options:
- Vegan Chocolate Ganache is delicious between cake layers.
- Vegan Vanilla Buttercream is an excellent frosting for any cake. Top it with sliced strawberries for the ultimate flavor.
- Chocolate Vegan Buttercream infused with strawberries creates a rich chocolate cake experience!
Storage Tips
Store the whole cake or slices in a sealed container at room temperature for up to 2 to 3 days. Store it in the fridge for up to a week. You can store it in the freezer for up to 2 months.
Baking Options
You can make this vegan strawberry chocolate cake as a layer cake or consider these options:
- Cupcakes — Make some yummy vegan chocolate strawberry cupcakes complete with frosting on top. To do this, pour the batter into cupcake liners in a muffin pan. Bake for roughly 18 to 20 minutes until the cupcakes are done. Once cooled, top the cupcakes with strawberry frosting.
- Bundt — Get out your bundt pan for the best chocolate strawberry bundt cake! Make sure to grease and flour the pan carefully. Then bake the cake for 50 to 60 minutes until done. Top with strawberry frosting and chocolate drizzles.
- Sheet Cake — Pour the batter into a 9×13 pan for a delicious and rich chocolate strawberry sheet cake. Then once the cake has cooled, top it with frosting and enjoy!
Vegan Strawberry Recipes
If you love this easy vegan chocolate cake with strawberries, you’ll want to try more strawberry recipes. Here are some favorites:
That’s it for this simple vegan chocolate cake!
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Vegan Chocolate Strawberry Cake
Ingredients
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 ¾ cups granulated sugar
- ¾ cup unsweetened cocoa powder (natural, not dutch processed)
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup cold water (see note)
- ½ cup vegetable oil (see note)
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- ½ cup unsweetened applesauce
- 1 tablespoon vanilla
- ½ cup hot water
Vegan Strawberry Frosting
- 1 cup vegan butter
- 3 cups powdered sugar
- ¼ cup strawberries stems removed and mashed with a fork
Chocolate Drizzle
- ⅓ cup dairy-free chocolate chips
- 3 tablespoons soy milk or preferred plant-based milk
- 1 teaspoon agave nectar
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F/175°C. Coat 2 8-inch round cake pans with vegetable cooking spray. Cut parchment paper into two 8-inch circles. Place the round parchment paper in the bottom of the pans. Spray papers with vegetable cooking spray. Set aside.
- Mix together the sugar, flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.
- In a separate bowl combine cold water, vegetable oil, vinegar, applesauce, and vanilla. Stir to combine. Pour this in with the cocoa/flour mixture and stir until just combined.
- Pour half the batter into each of the prepared pans.
- Bake for 25 to30 minutes until the edges have pulled away from the sides of the pan and the center of the cake is set. A tester inserted in the center should come out clean.
- If using a 9×13 cake pan, bake for approximately 40 to 45 minutes.
- Remove cakes from the oven and allow them to cool for 10 minutes. Then invert the cakes onto wire racks and cool completely before frosting.
For the Strawberry Frosting
- Place raspberries in a bowl. Use a fork to mash them.
- Beat the vegan butter with a mixer on medium speed until creamy, around 2 minutes.
- With the mixer on low, add powdered sugar, one cup at a time.
- Beat in the mashed strawberries. Then turn the speed to high and whip until smooth and creamy. If you prefer more color, add one drop of red or pink food coloring.
For the Whipped Chocolate Ganache:
- Place chocolate and soy milk together in a heat-proof bowl.
- Cook in the microwave for 10 to 20 seconds, until the chocolate is melted. Stir to combine. Then stir in the syrup.
- Let the ganache cool slightly.
For the Cake Assembly:
- Place one of the cakes on a serving plate. Top with nearly a cup of the strawberry frosting, spreading it evenly over the cake. Add the second cake and top with frosting. Use the remaining frosting to frost the sides of the cake. Garnish with fresh strawberries on top. Add chocolate drizzles over the top of the cake, allowing it to fall down the sides.
- Store leftover cake in the fridge.
Recommended Equipment
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The nutrition information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator and should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
My drizzles were a disaster, but that’s a lack of drizzling experience on my part! The cake was delicious. I like this chocolate cake recipe even better than my go-to Wacky Chocolate Cake. I did something to the icing that made it less firm than the chocolate vegan icing I always make. I used more smashed strawberries than the recipe called for and think that might have made it too loose and somewhat broke up the fat in the vegan butter (I used Myokos). It didn’t have the consistency I expected, but the taste was spot on. I will definitely make this again but try fewer berries in the icing. Thanks for another great recipe that makes me look like the baker I’m not! 🙂