Last Updated on May 19, 2024
This Vegan Chocolate Sheet Cake is a simple, quick, easy recipe, that is full of that tangy chocolatey goodness.
My mother made a chocolate sheet cake for every holiday and family reunion over the years, but of course it was not vegan.
And because of the size of this cake you will understand why it is used for family gatherings.
So after feel a bit nostalgic for her chocolate sheet cake, I decided to create a vegan version of this very cake.
And to my mothers surprise (not to mine), it taste exactly like the original chocolate sheet cake she always made.
I always liked the taste of this chocolate sheet cake, and even after I altered the recipe it still has that rich sweet chocolate flavor plus a hint of the tang from the buttermilk.
With this moist chocolate cake, you will satisfy your sweet tooth and your chocolate cravings, Enjoy!
Ingredients needed for the cake
- Flour – A all purpose white flour is the best choice for this cake.
- Sugar – Pure cane sugar is the sweetener of choice.
- Oil – I have used olive oil or avocado oil in the cake.
- Margarine – Use your favorite vegan margarine for the cake.
- Cocoa Powder – This bitter powder gives that deep rich chocolate flavor and color to the cake.
- Egg – I used a powdered egg substitute in this recipe.
- Milk – Use your favorite plant based milk in your cake, I used a unsweetened vanilla almond milk. The milk is used to make a vegan buttermilk.
- Lemon Juice – This tangy citrus juice is added to the milk to make the vegan buttermilk.
- Baking Soda – The baking soda helps the cake to rise and become light and fluffy.
- Ground Cinnamon – Pairing this with chocolate adds a whole new level of flavor to the cake.
- Pure Vanilla Extract – Enhances flavor and adds balance to the cake.
- Water
Ingredients for the frosting
- Margarine – Add your favorite vegan margarine to the frosting.
- Milk – I used a unsweetened vanilla almond milk in my frosting, use your favorite. The milk is used to make the vegan buttermilk.
- Lemon Juice – The lemon juice is added to the milk to make the vegan buttermilk.
- Pure Vanilla Extract – The vanilla enhances the flavor of the chocolate in the frosting.
- Cocoa Powder – This bitter powder gives that deep rich chocolate flavor and color to the frosting.
- Powdered Sugar – Adding powdered sugar helps to thicken the frosting.
How to make a Vegan Chocolate Sheet Cake
Prepare a jelly roll pan (about 15.5 x 10.5 inches) with parchment paper.
Preheat oven to 400° F.
In a small bowl, mix together the egg substitute and set aside.
Combine the flour and sugar in a medium mixing bowl and set aside.
Mix together, in a measuring cup, the milk and lemon juice, set aside to curdle (this is the vegan buttermilk).
In a small sauce pan, on a medium heat, blend together, water, oil, margarine, and cocoa powder, bring to a boil and then remove from heat.
Pour the boiled mixture over the flour and sugar, then add the vegan buttermilk, baking soda, egg substitute, cinnamon, and vanilla and blend until smooth.
Once the batter is smooth, pour it into the jelly roll pan and slide into the oven.
Bake for 20 minutes.
While the cake is baking, start the frosting about 5 minutes before the cake is done.
You’ll want the frosting to be ready when the cake comes out of the oven.
As the frosting needs to be poured onto the cake while it’s still hot. The timing is important here!
How to make the frosting
Mix together, in a measuring cup, the milk and lemon juice, set aside to curdle (this is the vegan buttermilk).
In a small sauce pan, add the vegan margarine, cocoa powder, and the vegan buttermilk, bring this to boil.
In a small mixing bowl, pour the boiling mixture into the mixing bowl, slowly add the powdered sugar while blending.
Lastly, add in the vanilla extract, blend until smooth.
Once the cake is done baking, pour the frosting over the cake.
Make sure to do this right after you take it out of the oven.
This is a must, this is so that the frosting spreads evenly and easily.
Leave the cake to cool completely before slicing into and serving.
Vegan Chocolate Sheet Cake
Equipment
- 1 Free-standing mixer
Ingredients
- 2 Cups All Purpose White Flour
- 1 1/2 Cups Pure Cane Sugar
- 4 Tbsp Olive Oil
- 4 Tbsp Vegan Margarine
- 1 Cup Water
- 2 Tbsp Cocoa Powder
- 2 Egg Substitute Equal to 2 Eggs, I used a powdered egg substitute.
- 1 tsp Ground Cinnamon
- 1/2 Cup Plant Based Milk I used a unsweetened vanilla almond milk.
- 1/2 Tbsp Lemon Juice
- 1 tsp Baking Soda
- 1 tsp Pure Vanilla Extract
Ingredients for the Frosting
- 1/4 Cup Vegan Margarine
- 2 Tbsp Cocoa Powder
- 1 tsp Pure Vanilla Extract
- 3 Tbsp Plant Based Milk I used a unsweetened vanilla almond milk.
- 1/2 tsp Lemon Juice
- 2 to 3 Cups Powdered Sugar
Instructions
- Prepare a jelly roll pan (about 15.5 x 10.5 inches) with parchment paper.
- Preheat oven to 400° F.
- In a small bowl, mix together the egg substitute and set aside.
- Combine the flour and sugar in a medium mixing bowl and set aside.
- Mix together, in a measuring cup, the milk and lemon juice, set aside to curdle (this is the vegan buttermilk).
- In a small sauce pan, on a medium heat, blend together, water, oil, margarine, and cocoa powder, bring to a boil and then remove from heat.
- Pour the boiled mixture over the flour and sugar, then add the vegan buttermilk, baking soda, egg substitute, cinnamon, and vanilla and blend until smooth.
- Once the batter is smooth, pour it into the jelly roll pan and slide into the oven.
- Bake for 20 minutes.
- While the cake is baking, start the frosting about 5 minutes before the cake is done.
- You'll want the frosting to be ready when the cake comes out of the oven.
- As the frosting needs to be poured onto the cake while it's still hot. The timing is important here!
How to make the frosting
- Mix together, in a measuring cup, the milk and lemon juice, set aside to curdle (this is the vegan buttermilk).
- In a small sauce pan, add the vegan margarine, cocoa, and the vegan buttermilk, bring to boil.
- In a small mixing bowl, pour the boiling mixture into the mixing bowl and slowly add the powdered sugar while blending.
- Lastly, add in the vanilla extract, blend until smooth.
- Once the cake is done baking, pour the frosting over the cake.
- Make sure to do this right after you take it out of the oven.
- This is a must, this is so that the frosting spreads evenly and easily.
- Leave the cake to cool completely before slicing into and serving.