Easy Eggless Chocolate Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting
This Easy Eggless Chocolate Cake is rich, soft, and perfectly moist with layers of fluffy chocolate cake, creamy vanilla cream cheese frosting, and silky fudge glaze topping. The recipe comes together with simple pantry ingredients and can easily be made dairy-free with a few substitutions. Perfect for birthdays, celebrations, or whenever you need a truly indulgent chocolate dessert.
Yield: 8 servings
Equipment
- 6-inch Round Cake Pans
Ingredients
Chocolate Cake
- 240 ml Milk see notes for options
- 1 tbsp Lemon Juice or white vinegar
- 120 ml Sunflower Oil or any neutral oil
- 1 tsp Vanilla Extract
- 280 g Castor Sugar or cane sugar
- 60 g Natural Cocoa Powder sifted
- 225 g All Purpose Flour
- 1+1/2 tsp Baking Powder
- 3/4 tsp Baking Soda
- 1/8 tsp Salt
- 195 ml Hot Brewed Coffee or Boiling Water
Vanilla Cream Cheese Frosting
- 330 g Butter cut in cubes, see notes for options
- 300 g Powdered Sugar or icing sugar, sifted
- 330 g Cream Cheese room temperature but not too soft or warm
- 1 tsp Vanilla Extract
Chocolate Fudge Glaze Topping
- 80 ml Heavy Whipping Cream see notes for options
- 80 g Butter cut in cubes, see notes for options
- 110 g Dark Chocolate or semi sweet chocolate chips
- 8 g Cocoa Powder sifted
- 40 g Powdered Sugar or icing sugar; sifted
Instructions
For the Chocolate Cake
- Preheat oven to 350℉ (175℃).Grease & line with three 6-inch (15cm) round cake pans with baking paper. (You can use three 6-inch (15cm) or two 8-inch (20cm) cake pans.)
- In a bowl combine milk & lemon juice or white vinegar. Let it sit for 5 minutes until curdled. Add oil, vanilla extract & sugar. Stir with a hand whisk until sugar is dissolved.
- Sift all the dry ingredients (flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, salt) into the liquid ingredients & mix until combined.
- Add boiling water or freshly brewed hot coffee and mix until combined. Make sure there are no lumps of flour.
- Divide the cake batter equally into the prepared cake pans. Bake for roughly 25-30 min or until firm to touch. Cool completely on wire rack.
For the Vanilla Cream Cheese Frosting
- Use a mixing bowl fitted with paddle attachment or use a hand held electric whisk.
- Whip the butter until it is light and fluffy on medium speed with an electric whisk.
- Add sifted powdered sugar in 2 parts. Mix on medium speed until it is light and smooth, for about 4-5 minutes.
- Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add room temperature (not too soft or warm) cream cheese & vanilla and mix until smooth and combined.
For the Chocolate Fudge Glaze Topping
- In a small saucepan, combine the whipping cream, dark chocolate, and butter. Warm gently over low to medium heat, stirring constantly until everything is melted and smooth.
- Do not let it boil; just heat until fully combined and glossy.
- Remove from heat and whisk in the sifted cocoa powder and sifted powdered sugar until smooth and well blended.
- Strain into a bowl for an extra silky texture, then press plastic wrap directly onto the surface.
- Let it cool slightly to a pourable consistency but not too thick. If it becomes thick then you can heat it in the microwave for 5-10 seconds
Cake Assembly
- Trim a very thin top layer of the cakes to level them using a serrated knife. Place a small amount of frosting on your cake stand to anchor the cake, then set down the first layer.
- Spread 3 big scoops of vanilla cream cheese frosting evenly, add the second layer, and repeat. Carefully place the third layer of cake and make sure the cake is straight.
- Apply a thin crumb coat to seal in crumbs, then chill the cake for 30 minutes. Once set, frost the cake fully and smooth it out.
- Chill again for at least 30 minutes. Pour the chocolate fudge glaze over the top of the cake and use an offset spatula to spread it evenly, allowing it to gently drip over the edges for a smooth, natural finish.
- Store the leftover cake in an air tight container for 2-3 days in the fridge or up to 2 months in the freezer.
Notes
- Cup vs weighing scale: The US customary cup measurement serves as a rough estimate, as it can have uncertainties, so for precise results, it's recommended to weigh your ingredients using a digital scale in grams.
- Before you start to make any recipe, measure and prepare your ingredients so the process will go smoothly and easily.
- For teaspoon (tsp) and tablespoon (tbsp) measurements, please use measuring spoons and not the type of spoons you eat with for accuracy.
- Milk: You can use any dairy-free unsweetened milk (like almond, soy, oat) or dairy based whole milk.
- Whipping Cream: You can use unsweetened dairy-free whipping cream (silk, califia farms or country crock) or use regular heavy whipping cream.
- Cream Cheese: For dairy-free: Use vegan cream cheese like Violife, Kite Hill, or Tofutti.
- Butter: Dairy-free salted butter sticks or any salted butter of your choice. For dairy-free: Use vegan butter sticks like Miyoko’s, Earth Balance, or Country Crock Plant Butter.
- Sugar: Cane sugar can be substituted with granulated sugar or castor sugar. Ensure the sugar is vegan-friendly (some sugars are processed with bone char) or organic cane sugar.
- Chocolate : Use dark or semi-sweet baking chocolate chips / 60% or higher couverture chocolate / good quality 60% or higher chocolate bar. For Vegan version, use dark chocolate of any dairy-free chocolate brand (make sure it doesn't contain milk solids or butter) but cocoa butter is totally fine.