Vegan Chocolate Loaf Cake – Rich & Indulgent!

This vegan chocolate loaf cake is your answer to your chocolate craving! Topped with a silky homemade chocolate sauce, it’s decadent enough for special occasions like Valentine’s Day or Christmas but easy enough for weeknight baking. Plant-based, fuss-free, and packed with deep chocolate flavour, this cake is a crowd-pleaser that even non-vegans will devour.

*This post may contain affiliate links. For full disclosure visit our Affiliate Disclosure page.

Looking for chocolate recipes for the weekend or Valentine’s Day? I got you! This vegan chocolate loaf cake is here to satisfy your sweet tooth with its rich, moist crumb and indulgent chocolate flavour. Topped with a luscious drizzle of homemade vegan chocolate sauce, it’s the perfect dessert for any occasion, a dessert at a dinner party, or just treating yourself to a cosy night in with a warm cup of tea. Plus, it’s completely plant-based, can be gluten-free, super easy to make, and oh-so-delicious. Let’s make this loaf cake, shall we?

Main ingredients and substitutions

This vegan chocolate loaf cake uses simple pantry staples, but I’ve also included some swaps in case you’re missing something or want to tweak the recipe.

*Use room temperature ingredients unless otherwise instructed.

Plain flour: The base of this loaf cake is plain flour. Because cacao powder is one of the dry ingredients in this recipe, using plain flour is quite important to get a moist and fluffy texture. So swapping plain flour with wholemeal or rice flour doesn’t work here as they have no gluten or less gluten. But if you need a gluten-free option, use a 1:1 gluten-free flour blend, it should work fine.

Cacao powder: I used cacao powder for that rich, chocolatey flavour. I always said to use cacao powder than cocoa powder, since cocoa powder in Japan has added sugar and other additives that alter the taste of baked goods, however, now I see cocoa powder that is 100% made with cacao beans in the UK so do use unsweetened 100% cocoa powder if you don’t have cacao powder!

Dutch-processed cocoa powder works too, no need to worry about the acidity of it as this recipe uses apple cider vinegar for that!

Caster sugar: Caster sugar is a versatile sugar that I love using in baking. Its texture and sweetness help create a tender crumb in cakes. Granulated sugar works fine too. For a less refined option, you can use coconut sugar or date sugar too.

Vegetable oil: Key to a moist and tender texture in cake! I used vegetable oil for this recipe but use any neutral oil like sunflower, canola, etc. If you don’t mind the flavour of it, you can use olive oil or avocado oil as well. Once they are baked it doesn’t really smell like olive or avocado, don’t worry too much!

Vegan Greek yoghurt: I am enjoying using unsweetened yoghurt in recipes recently as it adds moisture and is a good replacement for eggs. If you don’t have access to vegan Greek yoghurt, regular vegan yoghurt is fine and unsweetened applesauce or extra soy milk should work too.

Soy milk: Feel free to use other plant milk like almond, oat, rice, etc., as a substitute if you have any favourite plant milk.

Cornflour: Cornflour is something I like adding to my recipes to help bind the cake and give it a soft and tender texture. If you don’t have cornflour, you can use other starchy flour like arrowroot flour, tapioca flour, potato flour, etc.

Apple cider vinegar: Apple cider vinegar is the vinegar I have in my cupboard so I use it often in my recipes but white vinegar or fresh lemon juice can be used as substitutes too!

Other ingredients: Vanilla extract, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.

Recommended equipment for this recipe

Loaf tin: The ideal size for this recipe is 2lb loaf tin. If you don’t have a loaf tin, you can use two 8-inch round or square tin too, just reduce the baking time to something like 30 to 35 mins.

Mixing bowls: Use mixing bowls to make the cake batter, one for dry ingredients and one for wet ingredients to keep everything organised.

Wooden spoon or silicone spatula: I always use a large wooden spoon or silicone spatula for folding the batter. It can also be used for spreading the frosting as well if you don’t have a palette knife spatula.

Sifter or fine mesh strainer: Cacao powder can be lumpy, so use a sifter or mesh strainer to sift your dry ingredients for lump-free batter.

How to make vegan chocolate loaf cake with chocolate sauce frosting

Step 1: Preheat and Prep

Let’s start baking the loaf cake! First, preheat your oven to 180°C (350°F) and line your loaf tin with parchment paper. This makes removing the cake from the tin so much easier after baking!

Mix the soy milk and apple cider vinegar to make vegan buttermilk too. It helps rise the cake!

Step 2: Mix the Wet Ingredients

From here, we are going to make the batter and it couldn’t be any easier, your cake batter will be ready in 5 mins! So don’t forget the preheating step above. In a mixing bowl or jug, mix the vegetable oil, vegan Greek yoghurt, vegan buttermilk, and vanilla extract using a whisk until smooth. The mixture should be well combined and slightly glossy. Set aside.

Step 3: Combine the Dry Ingredients

In another large bowl, whisk together the sifted plain flour, cacao powder, caster sugar, cornflour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt until it’s well combined. Whisking is key, it ensures the ingredients are evenly distributed, which helps the cake bake beautifully uniformly.

Step 4: Make the batter

Once you have done the mixing steps, pour the wet mixture into the dry mixture and gently fold with a large wooden spoon or silicone spatula until just combined. Be careful not to overmix, fodling gently reduces the gluten formation and keeps the cake light and fluffy. A few small lumps are totally fine in the batter. 

Step 5: Bake

There you have your cake batter! Easy wasn’t it? Now pour the batter into your prepared loaf tin and smooth the top with a spatula, and bake for 60 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the centre comes out clean. Once it’s baked, let the cake cool in the tin for about 10 minutes, then transfer it to a cooling rack to cool completely before drizzling the vegan chocolate sauce.

Step 6: Drizzle with Chocolate Sauce

Once the cake is completely cool, drizzle it generously with your homemade vegan chocolate sauce. Slice and enjoy!

Serving tips and ideas

• Serve a slice with a scoop of vegan ice cream! Vanilla always works perfectly with chocolate flavour, or use chocolate ice cream for a double chocolate flavour.
• Add a pop of colour and freshness by topping a slice with fresh strawberries or raspberries. Whipped cream would be perfect with berries too!
• For a simple yet elegant finish, dust some icing sugar on the loaf. It looks pretty and professional too.
• If you want an extra sweet touch, drizzle some homemade vegan caramel sauce for a caramel chocolate combo!

Expert tips and tricks

Tap the tin before baking

This really doesn’t bother me at all, especially for home baking, but, if you want to reduce the amount of bubbles/air pockets in the cake, gently tap the tin on the counter after pouring the batter to release air bubbles. I personally don’t see any issue with not tapping the tin and bake straight away, some say that releasing air bubbles promotes even rise in cakes but it doesn’t affect much so if you are not bothered, you can skip this step!

Brush with simple syrup

If the top of the cake feels dry after cooling, brush the top with a light sugar-water syrup (1:1 ratio) to add moisture. 

Use a digital scale to weigh ingredients

Always use a digital scale rather than measuring cups when you are baking. It’s so much more accurate and measuring correctly is very important to achieve the best result.

Recipe variations

• For a double chocolate decadence, fold in 1/2 cup of vegan chocolate chips into the batter for extra indulgence! I like vegan milk chocolate but dark chocolate would be rich and amazing too.
• Add 1/2 cup of chopped walnuts or pecans to the batter and make a chocolate nut loaf.
• Orange and chocolate can’t go wrong, add the zest of one organic orange to the batter for a beautifully citrusy twist.
• If you love a hint of mocha in chocolate recipes, replace 1/4 cup of soy milk with strongly brewed espresso for a lovely mocha flavour.
• This is perfect for the Autumn season, add 1 to 2 tsp of pumpkin spice blend to the batter for a cosy and spicy fall-inspired twist!

How to store

• Room temperature: If you plan to enjoy the cake within 1 day, store it in an airtight container at room temperature. Keep it in a cool, dry spot away from moisture, direct sunlight or heat sources like the stove or a sunny window. This prevents the chocolate sauce from melting and keeps the crumb moist. If you are living somewhere in a hot climate or it’s summer and hot inside your house, do not leave the loaf at room temperature and keep it in the fridge.

• Refrigerator: For longer storage, place the loaf or slices in an airtight container, then refrigerate for up to 2-3 days. Let it sit at room temperature for 20-30 minutes before serving to soften the texture and enhance the flavours. If you are storing frosted cake, note that the sauce may firm up in the fridge, but this is normal! 

• Freezer: To freeze, wrap the unfrosted cake gently in clingfilm, then place it in a freezer-safe airtight container or resealable bag. It can be frozen for up to 2-3 months. To thaw, transfer the cake to the fridge overnight or let it sit at room temperature for 2-3 hours until it becomes soft again. I recommend freezing unfrosted and making the chocolate sauce on the day of serving.

*Although you can store this recipe in the fridge or freezer, it’s always best to consume it fresh and as soon as possible.

Q and A

You will LOVE this vegan chocolate loaf cake because it is:

• an easy-to-make loaf cake
• rich and decadent chocolate flavour
• moist and fluffy
• perfect for Valentine’s Day
• or any other festive events

Want more recipes like this?

Try my other delicious chocolate and dessert recipes you might enjoy!

• Chocolate pudding
• No-bake chocolate tart
• Double chocolate chip cookies
• No-bake chocolate mousse cake
• Double chocolate muffins
• Salted caramel chocolate cake
• Pound cake
• Carrot Cake Loaf

Visit the bread and loaves page and recipe page for more delicious recipes!