Vegan Chocolate Sheet Cake

A close-up square cropped photo of a slice of chocolate sheet cake with a pecan on top.

Vegan Chocolate Sheet Cake

This delicious vegan chocolate cake recipe easy and delivers a super moist cake topped with silky smooth chocolate frosting. It's the ultimate chocolate lover's cake dream come true!

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 25

Total Time 35

Servings

Calories 268kcal

Author Marly McMillen

Ingredients

For the cake:

½ cup plant-based milk (vanilla or plain)
1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
½ cup vegan butter
½ cup peanut butter
1 cup water
½ cup cocoa powder , unsweetened
2 cups granulated sugar (see notes)
2 cups flour (1 cup white & 1 cup whole wheat)
¼ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ cup applesauce
½ cup vegan sour cream we use Tofutti Sour Cream
1 teaspoon vanilla

For the chocolate ganache frosting:

½ cup vegan butter
¼ cup cocoa
¼ cup soy milk
2 cups powdered sugar
½ teaspoon vanilla
½ cup chopped pecans

Cups - Metric

Instructions

For the cake

Heat your oven to 350°F. Prepare a half-sized sheet cake pan (12x16x3) by spraying with cooking spray, or lining with parchment paper.
In a small bowl, combine plant-based milk and apple cider vinegar. Stir. Set aside.
Combine vegan butter, peanut butter, water, and cocoa powder in a microwave-safe mixing bowl. Place in the microwave and heat until the butter melts. I used 20-second increments followed by stirring. Repeat until everything is melted. (You can also use a saucepan and place over medium heat, stir, and then transfer to a mixing bowl).
In a separate bowl, add sugar, flour, salt, and baking soda. Stir to combine. Add this to the vegan butter mixture and stir to combine.
To the bowl with the milk, add the apple sauce, vegan sour cream, and vanilla. Stir to combine. Add this to the batter. Stir to combine.
Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake at 350°F for 20 to 25 minutes. Insert a tester in the middle of the cake to see if it comes out clean. If so, the cake is done. If not, bake for a few more minutes.

For the chocolate ganache frosting

While the cake is baking, begin mixing your frosting. Combine vegan butter, cocoa powder, and milk in a microwave-safe bowl. Heat in 30-second increments until the mixture begins to boil.
Remove from microwave and add powdered sugar and vanilla and mix well. Stir in the chopped pecans.
Once the cake is done, remove it from the oven. Spread frosting over cake while still hot. Place a half pecan piece in the center of where each slice will be.

Notes

Let's talk about sugar. Make this recipe as-is for a delicious, sweet, indulgent chocolate sheet cake. Or, use 1:1 coconut sugar or turbinado sugar. If you're looking for a less sweet version of this recipe, you can reduce the sugar in this recipe by up to a full cup! Don't worry, the cake will still be good, and the sugar from the frosting will make up for any reduced sweetness in the cake itself. So, feel free to play around with the types of sugar and quantity to get your desired result. You can even use an ingredient like Swerve (made from Erythritol), to create minimal impact on blood sugar.

Nutrition