This Vegan German Chocolate Cake is rich, gooey and so chocolatey. The perfect dessert for birthdays, holidays or any special occasion. This cake is cholesterol free, dairy free, and vegan, but no one will know it.
This Vegan German Chocolate Cake is going to be a great addition to your special occasions!
Are you thinking about the holidays yet? Any birthdays coming up? I love cooking for Thanksgiving and Christmas, but I don't love all of the calories. My holidays used to consist of pies, candies, cakes, cookies, fudge, and sugary breads before I lost 125 lbs. Now I am pretty particular about what I eat and it better be worth the calories. It's so disappointing when you eat something and you regret it immediately because it just wasn't worth it. Trust me this cake is worth it. I even make it for my own birthday, its that yummy. If you like rich chocolate and gooey coconut pecan frosting you will like this cake.
Looking for more Vegan Desserts?
Why do they call it German chocolate?
The title comes from Sam German who invented a style of sweet baking chocolate for the Baker's chocolate company. The company named it after him, but it didn't become well known until 1957.
What's in a vegan cake?
Vegans can certainly eat cake, provided it has been made without animal products. Most non-vegan cakes have eggs, however vegan cakes do not. If you are trying to veganize your favorite childhood cake recipe you don't necessarily need to use an egg replacer. Sometimes egg replacers can cause vegan cakes to become sunken and heavy. I suggest using a recipe that is already vegan like this one.
Tips for making this Vegan German Chocolate Cake
To make your cake as light as possible make sure your oven is at the temperature necessary for at least fifteen minutes before you put your cake in.
Be sure to grease, flour and line your pan, otherwise your cake could stick.
Have your cake pan ready in advance. If you leave your batter while you deal with your cake pan, it has a chance to lose air and go flat, leading to less rising and a denser texture.
Allow the cakes to COMPLETELY COOL before assembling and frosting. You can bake the cakes a day in advance if necessary.
Find out more about vegan cakes HERE.
Ingredients & Substitutions
- All purpose flour - you can try subbing a GF blend for a gluten-free cake, but I haven't tried it.
- Baking Soda
- Salt
- Vegan Butter - I recommend Earth Balance Buttery Sticks or Miyoko's.
- Granulated sugar & powdered sugar (I suggest organic because some sugars are not vegan since they are sifted through bone char.)
- Flax eggs
- Apple Cider Vinegar - you can sub white vinegar.
- Unsweetened cocoa powder - you could use cacao, but I haven't tried it.
- Vanilla extract
- Almond milk - you can use any plant based milk or coconut milk for even more coconut flavor.
- Applesauce - I prefer unsweetened so you can control the amount of sweetness in the cake.
- Vanilla extract - you can sub almond extract.
- Brown Sugar
- Cornstarch - you can sub arrowroot powder
- Coconut flakes - I used unsweetened.
- Pecans - you can use raw or toasted for even more flavor.
Vegan German Chocolate Cake is ...
Rich
Gooey
Moist &
Delicious
Vegan German Chocolate Cake - Easy Recipe
Ingredients
Vegan Chocolate Cake
- 2 ¼ cups all purpose flour
- ¾ cup cocoa powder, unsweetened
- 1 ¼ cup white granulated sugar
- 1 ½ tsp baking soda
- ¾ tsp salt
- 1 ½ cups almond milk, unsweetened
- 1 Tbsp vanilla extract
- ½ cup unsweetened applesauce
- 1 ½ Tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 1 ½ tsp ground flax seeds
- 4 ½ Tbsp hot water
Coconut Pecan Frosting
- ¼ cup vegan butter
- ½ cup brown sugar
- ½ cup almond milk, unsweetened
- 1 Tbsp cornstarch
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 cup coconut flakes, unsweetened
- ½ cup pecans, chopped
Chocolate Buttercream Frosting
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- ½ cup cocoa powder, unsweetened
- ⅓ cup vegan butter not melted
- 4 Tbsp almond milk, unsweetened
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease two 8 inch cake pans and line the bottoms with parchment paper. Set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, sift together the flour and cocoa powder. Add sugar, baking soda and salt and mix together.
- Make your flax egg by mixing ground flax seeds and hot water together and allow it to sit for 2 or 3 minutes to thicken.
- Incorporate your wet ingredients into your dry ingredients, being careful not to overmix. Add in the almond milk, vanilla extract, applesauce, vinegar and flax eggs. Mix together, but again, do not overmix.
- Divide the batter evenly between the two cake pans. Bake for 30 minutes or until a cake tester inserted comes out clean. Cool pans on a wire rack. Allow to cool completely before frosting.
Prepare Coconut Pecan Frosting
- While cakes are baking, prepare the coconut pecan frosting.Whisk together the cornstarch and almond milk.
- In a saucepan, melt the butter. Add brown sugar and cornstarch/milk mixture.
- Stirring constantly until the mixture boils and starts to thicken.
- Remove from heat and add vanilla extract, coconut flakes and chopped pecans. Allow to cool completely before using.
Prepare Chocolate Buttercream Frosting
- While cakes are baking, prepare the chocolate buttercream frosting.In a stand mixer or large bowl, add powdered sugar, cocoa powder, vegan butter, almond milk and vanilla extract. Slowly begin to mix, gradually increasing speed until it is thick and smooth.
- If needed, add ½ tsp or more almond milk until you reach your desired consistency. You want it thick, but spreadable.
Assembling and Frosting the Cake
- When the cakes are completely cool, remove cakes from pans. Add ½ the coconut pecan frosting to the top of one cake, then carefully place the other cake on top.
- Spread a thin layer of chocolate buttercream frosting on the sides of the cake. If you make this layer too thick it could slice off.
- Add the other ½ of the coconut pecan frosting to the top of the cake.
- Add another layer of chocolate buttercream frosting to the sides and up to the coconut pecan frosting on top. Serve and enjoy!
MORE HOLIDAY RECIPES -
Cranberry Crusted Dairy Free Cheeseball
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Cindy
Looks so yummy, It made me miss eating chocolate cakes though. Thank you for sharing this recipe, would love to try it soon!
wow really love the recipe.Vegan chocolate cake look so delicious.
Seeing this makes my mouthwatering! It's delicious and a perfect cake to make for my mom's birthday!
I must say that your vegan cake looks sublime. It must indeed be delicious.
That look absolutely delicious! I'd love to try to make it.
Nnniiiccceeeee...I don't think I have had vegan cake before. This will be a good one to try out!
All along I thought it was named after the country. But great trivia right there and ohh the cake looks so moist and delicious.
vegan chocolate cake is looks yummy. I would love to try this. And the main thing is easy to make.
My oldest son really likes german chocolate cake. It's rare to make it, but I always do it on his birthday. This vegan option is great.
This looks so delicious. I am going to try out this recipe on Valentine's Day.
German chocolate cake is sooo good, and this recipe looks amazing. I'll have to give it a try.