Low Sugar Vegan Devil's Food Cake

Total time2 hr 5 min

Prep time30 min

Cook time35 min

This deeply chocolatey layer cake leans on Dutch-process cocoa powder and a hit of hot brewed coffee to build that classic devil's food depth, while a quick vegan buttermilk made from plant-based milk and apple cider vinegar keeps the crumb soft and tender. Melted vegan butter and a touch of neutral oil work together in the batter, giving you a thin, pourable mix that bakes into two moist, springy layers. The frosting whips vegan butter into a pale, fluffy base before sifted cocoa gets beaten in, landing on a rich, spreadable finish that spreads like a dream between and around the layers. Vanilla rounds out both the cake and the frosting for that bakery-style finish, and the whole thing slices into a tall, dramatic centerpiece. It's a genuinely solid pick for an added sugar free dessert table, no one will guess how easy it was to pull together.

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Ingredients

12 servings

For the cake

1 cup plant-based milk
Blue Diamond Almond Breeze Unsweetened Original Almond Milk Silk Unsweet Almond Milk, 64 fl oz Silk Organic Unsweet Soy Milk - 64 fl oz Blue Diamond Almond Breeze Unsweetened Original Shelf Stable Almond Milk - 32 fl oz OATLY! 100% VEGAN THE ORIGINAL OAT MILK
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1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
2 cups all-purpose flour
¾ cup dutch-process cocoa powder
2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp fine salt
1 ¾ cups organic cane sugar
Chef's tip
Use the same volume. Baking behavior varies by blend: some brown faster or stay softer, while others brown less. Follow the package's baking guidance and start checking a few minutes early.
½ cup vegan butter, melted and cooled
½ cup neutral oil (such as canola or sunflower)
1 cup hot brewed coffee
2 tsp vanilla extract

For the frosting

1 ½ cups vegan butter, softened
¾ cup dutch-process cocoa powder, sifted
3 ½ cups powdered sugar, sifted
Chef's tip
Follow the package's conversion to powdered sugar. In frosting or glaze, add liquid gradually - replacements can absorb it differently.
¼ cup plant-based milk
1 tsp vanilla extract
¼ tsp fine salt

Instructions

1
Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease two 9-inch round cake pans, line the bottoms with parchment paper, and grease the parchment.
2
Stir together the 1 cup plant-based milk and apple cider vinegar in a small bowl and set aside for 5 minutes until slightly curdled — this is your vegan buttermilk.

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