Chocolate cake is a treat for any occasion, be it holidays, birthday parties, or something to indulge in at any time without a reason! I love this vegan chocolate cake and make it often in my bread machine.
My kids always want frosting on the cake. So I usually make a chocolate ganache with heavy cream and melting chocolate wafers and pour it on the cake. It tastes delicious!
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Vegan chocolate cake ingredients
A vegan chocolate cake requires only a few basic ingredients easily available in the pantry. I had cacao powder at home so used it but I have made this cake many times with cocoa powder too. This recipe makes a 2-pound cake. Here is a complete list of all the ingredients
- All-purpose flour
- Cacao powder or cocoa powder
- Baking soda
- Baking powder
- Vinegar
- Vanilla extract
- Sugar
- Olive Oil (or regular oil)
Making chocolate ganache (not vegan) needs only two ingredients
- Heavy cream
- Melting chocolate wafers
Can you make cake in a bread machine?
A bread machine is a versatile kitchen appliance and is not limited to making bread and dough. It has settings to make jams and cakes at the press of a button!
There is usually a "cake" setting on the bread machine. However, my experience in making a cake on the cake setting required additional baking using the "bake" cycle.
Hence I use the "quick bread" cycle instead that works best for making cakes and usually, no additional baking is needed.
How to make chocolate cake in bread maker?
Depending on the make of your bread machine, place the wet and dry ingredients in the order recommended by the manufacturer.
For best results sift the all purpose flour and cacao powder and then weigh using a food scale. Measurement is the key in baking and using measuring cups can skew the amount depending on how packed it is while measuring. So, for consistent results weighing is the best.
Select and start the "quick bread" cycle. For the initial few minutes, the paddle will continue mixing the ingredients into a smooth batter. At this time you can keep the lid open and monitor it.
Using a silicone spatula, push any flour on the sides to ensure a good mix and then close the lid once baking starts. Optionally, you can also add any nuts or chocolate chips about a minute before the baking starts.
Vegan chocolate cake is ready once the cycle completes. Insert a butter knife at the center of the cake. If it comes out clean the cake is done, else bake it for a few additional minutes on the "bake" cycle and repeat the test.
At this point, remove the container from the bread machine and allow it to cool down for at least 45 minutes. Removing the cake while it is hot can break it.
After the pan has cooled, invert and shake it a little to get the cake out. If it still does not come out, loosen the cake from the sides using a silicone spatula and invert the pan once again.
Allow the cake to cool down completely on a rack and don't forget to remove the paddle later, if it is stuck in the cake.
How to make chocolate cake in oven?
Baking cakes in the oven is a little more involved. I usually start by preheating the oven to 350°F and then make the cake batter. By the time the oven is heated, the batter is ready.
First sift all dry ingredients in a mixing bowl and then add all wet ingredients. Using a hand blender on a medium or low setting, make a smooth batter and ensure there are no lumps.
Grease a 9 inch baking tray with oil and then dust it with all purpose flour. Pour the cake batter in the tray and then bake it in the oven for 40 minutes. Once done, insert a butter knife to test if it is baked well. If the knife comes out clean, the cake is done else bake it for an additional few minutes.
How to make ganache for chocolate cake?
I love to snack on the chocolate cake without any icing but my kids will not even touch it! So to make things easy, I make a chocolate ganache quickly by heating some cream in the microwave and then adding melting chocolate wafers to it and make it into a smooth paste by using a whisk.
Allow the ganache to cool down before pouring it on the cake.
How to store chocolate cake?
This chocolate cake with ganache stores well at room temperature for 3-4 days. you can refrigerate it to store it longer for a week or so.
Enjoyed this recipe, then check out these cakes that can be made in a bread maker.
Don't forget to rate the recipe by clicking the stars. Also, pin the recipe by clicking the "Pin" button, for your future reference.
📖 Recipe
Chocolate Cake in Bread Machine (Vegan)
Equipment
- Microwave
Ingredients
Wet ingredients
- 1 ⅓ cup Water
- ⅓ cup + 2 tbsp Olive oil
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon Vinegar
Dry Ingredients
- 240 grams All purpose flour (2 cups)
- 1 ⅓ cup Organic cane sugar
- ½ teaspoon Baking soda
- ½ teaspoon Baking powder
- ½ teaspoon Salt
- 30 grams Cacao Powder (6 tbsp, or cocoa powder)
For chocolate ganache (optional and not vegan)
- ⅓ cup Heavy cream
- ½ cup Melting Chocolate
Instructions
How to make chocolate cake in bread machine
- Preferably, sift the all-purpose flour and cacao powder.
- Place the wet and dry ingredients in the bread machine pan as per bread machine manufacturer's direction (some require wet ingredients first and some require dry)
- Select and start the "Quick Bread" cycle.
- Push any flour on the side using a silicone spatula during initial few minutes while the machine is mixing the ingredients.
- Insert a butter knife to check if the cake is done, if it comes out clean, the cake is done. Else, bake it on "baking cycle" for a few more minutes
- Once done, remove the pan from bread machine and allow it to cool down about 40-45 minutes
- Invert and shake the bread machine pan and remove the cake.
- Allow the cake to completely cool down before slicing or applying any frosting.
How to make vegan chocolate cake in oven
- Preheat the oven to 350°F
- In a mixing bowl, mix all dry ingredients.
- Add the wet ingredients and blend it well using a hand blender until the mixture is smooth and does not have any lumps.
- Grease a baking tray with oil and dust it with all-purpose flour.
- Transfer the cake batter into the tray and bake in the oven for about 40 minutes or till edges start leaving the sides of the tray.
- Insert a butter knife in the center of the cake. If it comes out clean, the cake is done. Else bake it for a few more minutes until done.
- Allow the cake to cool completely before removing it from the tray.
Easy Chocolate ganache (not vegan)
- Warm ⅓ cup heavy cream in the microwave for 30 seconds
- Add ½ cup melting chocolate wafers and mix well until smooth, using a whisk
- Allow the ganache to cool down before applying on the cake.
Dianne Hulme says
Made this chocolate cake yesterday, I still have no sense of taste or smell since having covid in 2021 but everyone else really enjoyed it, without the ganache and I didn’t tell them it was vegan until it had gone, I’m the only vegan in a family of 17 (over 3 generations)
Going to make the carrot cake next.
Alpa Jain says
Hi Dianne,
I am glad to hear that your family enjoyed the cake. Wishing you a speedy recovery with your sense of taste and smell.
Hope you enjoy the carrot cake 🙂
Cheers
Alpa
George says
Hello,
Thanks for sharing the recipe!
I have a question, before I try it out:
My bread machine is a large one (with 2 kneading blades), making a 1kg cake.
Do you have any idea how the ingredients would increase?
How large is your bread machine?
Thanks,
George
Alpa Jain says
Hi George,
I have the 2 lb. bread machine and this recipe makes a 2 lb. cake. What size of bread machine do you have? For 1 kg, you can use the same recipe.
Hope this helps and please let me know if you have any further questions.
Regards,
Alpa
Rainy Kaye says
This is exactly what I was looking for. It tastes great even without the ganache! Looking forward to trying more of your recipes.
Alpa Jain says
Hi Rainy
Thank you for the feedback. Glad you liked it and hope you enjoy more recipes from my blog 🙂
Regards
Alpa
Lori Jean Finnila says
This is actually delicious. I used coconut sugar and had to custom bake the cake for an additional 28 minutes at the end of the cake cycle in my bread machine. I was surprised at the pleasant consistency with no egg of any type. Very exciting, because I had none in the house. Will make this again. Loving it.
Alpa Jain says
Hi Lori,
Thankyou for the feedback. Glad you liked the cake 🙂
Regards
Alpa
Daisy says
This worked but it's not good if you use cocoa powder. The only good part is the ganache. Idk if it would be better with cacao powder, though. It's pretty bland & I even added chocolate chips.
Alpa Jain says
Hi Daisy
Sorry to hear that the cake did not turn out as expected with cocoa powder. It is kind of strange since I have made it many times. Maybe you can add couple of tablespoons more cocoa powder for a stronger flavor.
Regards
Alpa
Sruthi says
Can we use melted butter in the place of oil?
Alpa Jain says
Hi Sruthi,
Yes you can use melted butter instead of oil. However, I usually make cakes with oil as the butter tends to solidify at room temperature and make the cake dense.
Hope this helps
Regards
Alpa