Easy Chocolate Fudge Cake

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This Vegan Chocolate Fudge Cake is so simple to make and is dripping with the best ooey-gooey chocolatey topping of your dreams.

close up of fudge cake topped with strawberry and mint leaves with slice missing

If you’ve been wishing you could find a delectable chocolate vegan cake recipe, look no further. I’ve got you covered!

You’ll love this cake because it’s…

  • Chocolatey
  • Easy to make
  • Moist
  • Perfectly sweet
  • Fresh
  • Surprisingly low-fat with only 1 gram per serving
  • Only 143 calories

This fudge cake is dairy-free

This hot fudge cake recipe is completely oil and dairy-free. It’s very simple to make and has only 143 calories and 1 gram of fat per serving.

sice of chocolate cake on white plate topped with strawberry

Believe it or not, the cake part has no sugar added at all. It’s the gooey fudgy frosting that adds sweetness to this fabulous vegan dessert.

How to make vegan fudge cake

The recipe card at the bottom of the page has the full list of ingredients with measurements and instructions.

This is such an interesting recipe that is going to keep you asking ‘can really be‘ the whole time you make it. But, rest assured, you’re going to be amazed!

Begin by preheating your oven to 350°F.

Next, place the flour, baking powder, salt, and 1/4 cup cocoa powder in a large mixing bowl and whisk it together well.

Chocolate cake dry ingredients in stainless mixing bowl with whisk

Make sure to press out any clumps in the dry ingredients that you run into so that it’s nice and smooth.

In a separate medium-sized bowl, whisk together milk, vanilla, and apple sauce. When it’s mixed together thoroughly, add it to the larger mixing bowl with the dry ingredients.

Chocolate cake batter in stainless mixing bowl with whisk

Okay, this is a warning. Do NOT taste the batter at this point. It is completely sugar-free and won’t taste great. Believe me, it will get better.

Now, spoon the mixture into an 8″ silicone nonstick square pan. Since silicone pans are very flexible, you will need to use a baking sheet underneath for stability. Glass or metal pans lined with parchment paper also will work fine.

fudge cake batter in red silicone baking pan

In a clean bowl, combine the brown sugar and 1/4 cup cocoa powder. Gradually mix in the hot water using a whisk and blend thoroughly. Note: I use approximately 1 cup + 2 Tbsp of water.

Chocolate cake frosting mix in stainless mixing bowl with whisk

Pour evenly over the batter in the pan. It will be thin and watery but will thicken up when baked. Trust me, just do it. It will be a frosting-like covering over the cake and is delicious!

chocoate fudge cake in baking pan

Bake on the center rack of the oven for 40-45 minutes. Remove and allow to cool. Ovens vary, so if your sauce isn’t quite thick enough, after 45 minutes, lower temp to 325°F and allow to cook 5-10 more minutes.

chocolate fudge cake in red baking pan dripping out

Remove from oven and allow to cool. If you leave the cake in the pan instead of dumping out, just spoon the gooey fudge over each serving.

vegan fudge cake overhead of slice on plate and pan with serving utensil

*Originally published September 28, 2016.

Follower’s video of making this cake

My friend, and fellow Food for Life instructor, Beth Perera, shared her experience making this recipe recently. Click on the pictures to see the process in action including her bubbly, fresh-out-of-the-oven Hot Fudge Cake. I love her excitement. Chocolate has the same effect on me!

Easy Vegan Chocolate Hot Fudge Cake. video
Click the picture to see Beth’s video of the watery consistency of fudge frosting before baking.
Easy Vegan Chocolate Hot Fudge Cake. video
Click the picture to see the video of cake fresh out of the oven.

Tips for making this cake

  • The topping is going to be very watery before it is baked, but don’t panic! As it bakes, it thickens up, and as it cools it thickens even more.
  • Per slice, this cake has calories 143, protein 3 grams, fat 1 gram.
  • Recipe adapted from Dr. Neal Barnard’s book, Breaking the Food Seduction.
fork full of fudge cake next to plate with slice

Your Questions Answered:

  • Q: Can I make this recipe gluten-free? This recipe is not gluten-free, but this link to the Minimalist Baker will help adjust it for those that want to give it a try.
  • Q: What could I use to replace the sugar in the frosting? Since there is no sugar at all used in the cake portion, the sweetness of the frosting is pretty important. If you would rather use a different sweetener than brown sugar, I would suggest maybe 1 cup of maple syrup. Date paste could also be tried at 1 cup as well.
  • Q: What pan size should I use? I use an 8″ square baking pan, but you could also opt for a 9″ x 5″ loaf pan.
  • Q: What is the difference between chocolate cake and fudge cake? Chocolate cake is usually a little lighter and has thick icing that is made separately and added after cooking. Fudge cake tends to be denser, and the fudgy topping is cooked with the cake and thickens into a spoonable frosting.
  • Q: Does chocolate fudge cake need to be refrigerated? Yes, it is best to refrigerate the leftover cake. Cover it well or place it in an airtight container. It will keep up to a week in the refrigerator and reheats well.

Other great desserts

This post may contain affiliate links. Read my full disclosure here.

sice of chocolate cake on white plate topped with strawberry
4.73 from 65 votes

Easy Chocolate Fudge Cake

This vegan chocolate fudge cake is so simple to make and is dripping with the best ooey-gooey chocolatey topping of your dreams.
Prep: 20 minutes
Cook: 45 minutes
Total: 1 hour 5 minutes
Servings: 8 servings

Ingredients 

  • 1 cup whole wheat flour
  • 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder (divide in half)
  • 2 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 3/4 cup vanilla almond milk (or any plant milk)
  • 1/2 cup apple sauce
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 3/4 cup brown sugar (use 1 cup if you like it sweeter)
  • 1 cup hot water

Instructions

  • Begin by preheating your oven to 350°F.
  • Next, place the flour, baking powder, salt, and 1/4 cup cocoa powder in a large mixing bowl and whisk it together well.
  • In a separate medium-sized bowl, whisk together milk, vanilla, and apple sauce. When it’s mixed together thoroughly, add it to the larger mixing bowl with the dry ingredients. Okay, this is a warning. Do NOT taste the batter at this point. It is completely sugar-free and won’t taste great. Believe me, it will get better.
  • Now, spoon the mixture into an 8″ silicone nonstick square pan. Since silicone pans are very flexible, you will need to use a baking sheet underneath for stability. Glass or metal pans lined with parchment paper also will work fine.
  • In a clean bowl, combine the brown sugar and 1/4 cup cocoa powder. Gradually mix in the hot water using a whisk and blend thoroughly. Note: I use approximately 1 cup + 2 Tbsp of water.
  • Pour evenly over batter in pan. It will be thin and watery but will thicken up when baked. Trust me, just do it. It will be a frosting-like covering over the cake and is delicious!
  • Bake on the center rack of the oven for 40-45 minutes. Remove and allow to cool. Ovens vary, so if your sauce isn’t quite thick enough, after 45 minutes, lower temp to 325°F and allow to cook 5-10 more minutes.
  • Allow to cook and serve warm. If you leave the cake in the pan instead of dumping out, just spoon the gooey fudge over each serving.

Video

Notes

Tips for making this cake
  • The topping is going to be very watery before it is baked, but don’t panic! As it bakes, it thickens up, and as it cools it thickens even more.
  • Per slice, this cake has calories 143, protein 3 grams, fat 1 gram.
  • Recipe adapted from Dr. Neal Barnard’s book, Breaking the Food Seduction.

Nutrition

Calories: 143kcal | Carbohydrates: 41g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 1g | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 26g

Disclaimer

To obtain the most accurate representation of the nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator. You are solely responsible for ensuring that any nutritional information provided is accurate, complete, and useful.

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About Terri Edwards

Hi guys! I am the content creator behind EatPlant-Based and a licensed Food for Life instructor with the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine. I am passionate about sharing healthy recipes and tips to empower others to get healthy.  I’m so glad you’re here! Read More…

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59 Comments

  1. Sliced a couple of strawberries to throw on top and threw it in my husbands lunch box …next day he told me as I was packing his lunch …’that chocolate stuff you sent yesterday was goooodddd’ ….?? and he didn’t even realize it was a ‘healthy’ dessert!!!! ? SCORE!!!!! ?‍♀️

  2. curious, if anyone has ever tried this with date sugar instead of brown sugar as a plant based alternative.?

    1. Hi LouAnn- Since there is no sugar at all used in the cake portion, the sweetness of the frosting is pretty important. If you would rather use a different sweetener than the brown sugar, I would suggest maybe 1 cup maple syrup. Date paste could also be tried at 1 cup as well.

  3. I made this today and had nice cream on top YUM!!!
    Will this freeze ok because this is something we would eat over a 2-3 week time Thanks John keep up the good recipes

  4. I just made this tonight. I followed the instructions carefully, because last time I made this, it was a bomb. This time, it was delicious. I used cane sugar in lieu of coconut sugar, a 8×4 silicone pan and put it in the toaster for 40 minutes at 350. Delicious. Thanks for sharing the recipe.

  5. Made this for my birthday. Being plant based it’s been a long time since I’ve had a frosted cake. The frosting was amazingly good. On the cake I used the adjustment in the comments of 1 c applesauce and 3/4 c plant milk. Batter seemed a little stiff. Cake came out good but a touch dry. Next time I’ll add a little more plant milk to batter. My husband and I enjoyed the cake very much.

    Has anyone tried to freeze a portion of the cake?

  6. We liked this cake. Even though I didn’t bake it as long as recommended, the topping was not gooey but it did add a nice addition to the cake. I used date sugar in the topping. Otherwise, I made it as written. It is easy and quick to make, so will add it to our dessert line up.

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