Moist Vegan Chocolate Sheet Cake with Buttermilk

A slice of vegan chocolate sheet cake on a plate, a glass of milk sits behind the plate, a bowl of sprinkles to the left and more cake in the background.

No ratings yet

Moist Vegan Chocolate Sheet Cake with Buttermilk

This crowd-pleasing vegan chocolate sheet cake comes together so easily and bakes up incredibly soft, moist, and fluffy with a rich chocolate flavour everyone will love. Top it with your favourite frosting and sprinkles for birthdays and celebrations, or enjoy it plain as a simple chocolate snacking cake. No one will guess it’s dairy-free or egg-free, and it even has a simple gluten-free option if you need it.

Prep Time15

Cook Time35

Total Time50

Servings:

Author: Gwen Leron

Ingredients

For Vegan Buttermilk:

1 ½ cups (375ml) unsweetened dairy-free milk (room temperature)
4 ½ teaspoons vinegar

For Cake Batter:

2 cups (250g) all-purpose flour **please see important notes about the gluten-free option below**
1 ¼ cups (250g) granulated sugar
⅔ cup (56g) Dutch-process cocoa powder
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
½ cup (125ml) oil
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 cup (250ml) hot water (boiled)

For the Frosting:

1 recipe vegan chocolate buttercream frosting

Instructions

Preheat oven to 325°F (165°C).
Line a 9 x 13-inch rectangle baking pan with parchment paper, set aside.

Make Vegan Buttermilk:

Pour the dairy-free milk into a measuring cup or bowl.
Add the vinegar to the milk and stir. Set aside for 10 minutes.

Make Cake Batter:

In a large bowl, add the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Whisk well to combine and set aside.
Add the oil and vanilla to the buttermilk, stir.
Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients, stir until everything has combined. The batter will be thick at this point.
Slowly add the hot water to the mixture and stir again until everything has combined. The batter will be thin, runny, and bubbly at this point.
Working quickly, use a silicone spatula to scrape the batter into the prepared baking pan.

Bake:

Bake for 35-40 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Take care not to over bake.
Remove the cake from the oven and place the pan on a cooling rack. Let the pan sit for 10 minutes.

Cool and Prepare Frosting:

After 10 minutes, using the parchment overhang, carefully remove the cake from the pan and place it on a cooling rack. Allow the cake to fully cool before frosting.
While the cake is cooling, prepare the vegan chocolate buttercream frosting.

Frost, Decorate, Slice, and Serve:

Once fully cooled, frost the cake, making the layer as thick or thin as you'd like. Save any leftover frosting for another recipe.
If using, add sprinkles to the top of the cake immediately after frosting so they stick.
Slice the cake.

Notes

Please read all of the information above, as well as the notes below, before making this recipe.
If you are making the vegan gluten-free version, use 2 cups (296g) of Bob’s Red Mill Gluten Free 1 to 1 Baking Flour (Amazon link) in the blue bag, NOT the red bag. Different gluten-free flour blends use different ingredients and ratios, so results may not be the same if you substitute. I’ve only used the brand mentioned above. This recipe will not work with coconut flour or any other single gluten-free flour.
Storing Leftovers: Store leftovers in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days, then refrigerate for up to 5 more days.
Freezing: Once fully cooled, wrap the cake tightly, place it in an airtight container or freezer bag, and freeze up to two months. Thaw in the fridge overnight before serving.
The nutrition info listed below is based on one of 15 servings of the frosted cake made as written with the full recipe of chocolate frosting. The frosted cake made with gluten-free flour has a rough calorie count of 344 per serving. Info is only to be used as a rough guide. Click to learn how nutrition info is calculated on this website.

Nutrition