Easy Chocolate Fudge Cake (2024)

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

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 hasonly 143 calories and 1 gram of fat per serving.

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.

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.

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 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!

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.

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.

*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!

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.

Your Questions Answered:

• Q: Can I make this recipe gluten-free? This recipe is not gluten-free, but this link to theMinimalist Bakerwill 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

• Glazed Carrot Cake
• No-Bake Chocolate Pie
• Chocolate Mousse
• Best Black Bean Brownies

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