Vegan Chocolate Sheet Cake

This vegan chocolate sheet cake is light, fluffy, and tastes super chocolatey paired with dark chocolate ganache. It’s great for sharing at parties or any other special occasion where you need to serve a crowd!

Following the success of my vegan vanilla sheet cake, I wanted to make some more sheet cake recipes!

The next addition to my collection is this indulgent chocolate sheet cake. If you fancy something lighter with buttercream, check out my chocolate traybake cake.

The base is light and fluffy but balanced out nicely with a super rich and chocolatey ganache on top. I even added some white and dark chocolate curls on for decoration.

I’m so happy with how it turned out and it got brilliant reviews from all of my recipe testers!

Try some other chocolate vegan desserts:

• Double chocolate cookies
• Chocolate orange tart
• Low carb mousse
• Oreo cupcakes
• Best ever vegan brownies
• More vegan chocolate cakes

How to make vegan chocolate sheet cake

Step 1:

Like always, the first step is to preheat your oven and line your baking tray.

Preheat your oven to 180°C/350°F (or 160°C/325°F if you’re using a fan or convection oven).

I used an 8 x 10 x 3-inch deep rectangular baking tin for this recipe. You can use a smaller one if you’d prefer but you’ll most likely need to bake it for a little bit longer.

I wouldn’t recommend using a tin any larger than this otherwise the cake will turn out too thin.

Step 2:

In a small bowl, mix together 250ml of soy milk (1 cup) and 2 teaspoons of apple cider vinegar.

Let it sit for 5 minutes and it should curdle and become a bit thicker.

If you don’t have apple cider vinegar to hand, you can use white vinegar instead. If you use another type of plant-based milk, it may or may not curdle but will still work fine.

Step 3:

In a large bowl, mix together 200g of self-raising flour (1+1/2 cups), 1/2 a teaspoon of baking soda, 2 tablespoons of cocoa powder and 200g of caster sugar (1 cup).

Make sure everything is well combined before moving onto the next step.

Step 4:

Add the milk from earlier into the bowl along with 3 tablespoons of vegetable oil and 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract.

Mix well, scraping any dry mixture from the bottom of the bowl, until you have a smooth and creamy chocolate cake batter.

Step 5:

Add 80g of vegan chocolate chunks or chips (1/2 cup) and fold them in.

This part is totally optional but adds a nice texture to the cake. Feel free to skip this step if you’d prefer.

Step 6:

Spoon the cake batter into your pre-lined baking tray and spread it out evenly.

Bake for 25-30 minutes, until a toothpick through the center comes out clean. (Note there may be melted chocolate chips on the toothpick but there shouldn’t be any cake batter.)

Step 7:

Leave the cake in the tin to cool for around 10 minutes, then flip it out onto a cooling rack. Gently peel the baking paper off and let the cake cool completely.

For the ganache topping

I used Cadbury’s Bourneville chocolate for my ganache as it’s the most “non-vegan” tasting vegan chocolate I can find. Because I’m so used to eating super dark chocolate, I bake with it but often forget that people who are used to eating milk chocolate find that very bitter.

I’ve been really enjoying baking with Bourneville recently and my recipe testers have much preferred the semi-sweet and familiar taste it brings to my desserts!

Step 1:

Prepare your chocolate ganache topping by adding 200g (7oz) of finely chopped dark chocolate and 80ml (1/3 cup) of soy milk into a small heat-proof bowl.

Step 2:

Fill a saucepan with a few inches of boiling water. You’ll need a saucepan that’s just slightly smaller than your bowl, so that the bowl sits over it nicely.

Place the bowl over the saucepan. If the water is touching the bottom of the saucepan, pour a little bit of water out until it isn’t.

Step 3:

Turn the heat to medium-low and gently stir the chocolate and soy milk. Once it’s all melted and there are no lumps of chocolate left, remove the pan from the heat.

Using heat-proof gloves, take the bowl out of the saucepan and dry the bottom of it.

Step 4:

Leave the bowl to cool at room temperature for around 60 minutes. The ganache should have firmed up by now but if it hasn’t, let it sit for another 30 minutes.

Finishing touches

Spread the cooled ganache over the vegan chocolate sheet cake until it’s all covered. It’s OK if a little bit drips down the sides!

I added some vegan white chocolate and dark chocolate shavings on top of my cake for decoration. You can also add sprinkles or any other kind of decoration you like.

Cut the cake into 16 equal-sized squares and enjoy!

FAQ:

I hope you enjoy this chocolate sheet cake as much as we did! Let me know how you get on by leaving a rating and/or comment below.

Happy baking! xo

5 from 5 votes

Print

Vegan Chocolate Sheet Cake

An easy chocolate sponge cake topped with creamy ganache.

Course Dessert

Cuisine vegan

Keyword vegan chocolate sheet cake

Prep Time 30 minutes

Cook Time 30 minutes

Chilling time (for the ganache) 1 hour

Servings 16

Calories 238 kcal

Ingredients

• 250 ml Soy milk (1 cup)
• 2 Teaspoons Apple cider vinegar
• 200 g Self-raising flour (1+½ cups)
• ½ Teaspoon Baking soda
• 2 Tablespoons Cocoa powder
• 200 g Caster sugar (1 cup)
• 95 ml Vegetable oil (⅓ cup + 1 tablespoon)
• 1 Teaspoon Vanilla extract
• 80 g Vegan chocolate chunks ((½ cup) optional)

For the ganache:

• 200 g Vegan dark chocolate, finely chopped (7 oz)
• 80 ml Soy milk (⅓ cup)

To top (optional):

• Dark chocolate shavings
• Vegan white chocolate shavings

Instructions

1. Preheat your oven to 180°C/350°F (or 160°C/325°F if using a fan or convection oven). Line an 8 x 10 x 3-inch deep rectangular tray with baking paper.

2. Mix together the soy milk and apple cider vinegar. Set aside for 5 minutes to allow it to curdle and thicken slightly.

3. In a large bowl, mix together the flour, baking soda, cocoa powder and sugar until well combined.

4. Add the milk mixture from earlier into the bowl along with the oil and vanilla extract. Mix well until you have a smooth batter, making sure to scrape any dry mixture from the bottom of the bowl.

5. Add the chocolate chips and fold them in.

6. Transfer the cake batter to your baking tray and bake for 25-30 minutes, until a toothpick through the center comes out clean.

For the ganache:

1. Fill a small saucepan with a little bit of boiling water on the stove. Place a slightly larger heat-proof bowl over the pan. Make sure the water isn't touching the bottom of the bowl (just pour a little out if it is).

2. Place the chopped chocolate and soy milk into the bowl and turn the heat to medium-low.

3. Stir gently until all of the chocolate has melted and there are no lumps left.

4. Turn the heat off and carefully remove the bowl from the pan. Let it cool at room temperature for around 1 hour, by which time the ganache should be slightly firmer.

5. Let the cake cool in the tin for 10 minutes then flip it out onto a wire rack and leave it to cool completely.

6. Spread the ganache over the cake and top with chocolate shavings if using.

Recipe Video

Recipe Notes

• Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4 days.

Nutrition Facts

Vegan Chocolate Sheet Cake

Amount Per Serving (1 slice)

Calories 238 Calories from Fat 99

% Daily Value*

Fat 11g17%

Sodium 17mg1%

Carbohydrates 31g10%

Fiber 1g4%

Sugar 22g24%

Protein 3g6%

* All values are an estimate only and will vary depending on the food brands used.