Moist Eggless Chocolate Cake

Who says you need eggs to make a cake super moist? You won’t believe how delicious, easy, and moist this eggless chocolate cake is. It has a tender crumb, bold chocolate flavor, and is paired up with a chocolate frosting.

Perfect for those with egg allergies but also great for those who ran out of eggs and need to make a cake ASAP.

This is my favorite part. I made three layers of the devil’s food cake and decided to frost my layered cake with the most decadent chocolate fudge frosting. This frosting is the perfect mix of a chocolate buttercream and chocolate ganache.

It is so luscious and so shiny, I always have the best time while making this frosting and everyone in my family is a sure shot fan of it! Personally, I love making this frosting with cocoa powder, to give it a deep chocolate flavor. That is why I add 3/4 cup cocoa powder here. However, if you want to keep the chocolate flavor more on the sweeter side, then you can reduce the quantity of cocoa powder and add 1/2 cup instead.

This cake is absolutely stunning on its own. I wanted to let the frosting and height of the cake shine so I decided to keep the decor of this cake super simple and just add some chocolate shavings on the top. Chocolate shavings are honestly the easiest garnish one can make and they always end up looking so pretty. The process of making these shavings is also super simple and they come together in a matter of 10 minutes.

All you need are three things: silicone mat or parchment paper, melted chocolate, and chocolate or bench scraper. You start by melting some chocolate and spreading it very evenly and in a thin layer on your silicone mat. Then just let it sit and get firm. Once set, use the chocolate scraper and run it lengthwise. The chocolate will automatically start to form rolls. Repeat this process till you have the desired amount of chocolate shavings.

After years of testing egg-free cake recipes, I found out that the best way to substitute eggs in a cake recipe is to find the right combination of leavening agents, such as baking powder and/or baking soda, and acids, such as vinegar, lemon juice, buttermilk, yogurt, sour cream, etc…When leavaners and acids are combined they react and produce gas (bubbles) that will make the cake fluffy.

Cakes without eggs can be a little tricky, but not impossible! The best egg substitutes for a cake recipe are baking soda + buttermilk, yogurt, sour cream, sweetened condensed milk, applesauce, and ripe mashed banana. Keep in mind that these last two can alter the flavor of the cake.

Eggs have two jobs. To bind the ingredients together and create a structure that traps air and helps the cake rise. Egg yolks can also add flavor and moisture to a cake. So if we remove the eggs, we need to find something else that can do that job.

I tried a LOT of different replacers but I’m only going to talk about the ones that I think worked pretty well and could potentially work in other recipes.

The first thing I did was I baked my easy chocolate cake and left out all the eggs. Supposedly if you just mix the cake more, the liquid in the recipe acts as a binder similar to an egg. (Spoiler alert… It did not work out.) 

So what does work? Let’s dive into some of my most successful experiments on my journey to find the best egg replacer.

A common replacement for eggs is 1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce per egg but have you ever wondered why? The reason why applesauce makes a good replacement for an egg is mainly the pectin. Pectin acts as a binder much like an egg does while also adding moisture like an egg would.

The applesauce cake layer had a great taste, texture, and only a slight divot in the top of the cake. I decided to test it a second time but add a little extra baking powder to give the cake more lift and that totally fixed that divot.

Once I discovered this info, I decided to test out some other replacements that utilized pectin to see what resulted in the best taste and texture.

My second test was with an unripe banana. I decided to go with a green banana since it’s starchier and has more pectin than when it’s ripe and the starches turn to sugar. The unripe banana actually worked really well but you could definitely taste the banana. Not a bad flavor at all but if you don’t like banana, might not be the best choice.

So this got me thinking, maybe I could try straight pectin. Why not right? I combined 1 Tablespoo powdered pectin with 3 Tablespoons water per egg.

The pectin didn’t work quite as well as I had hoped. It fell a bit and was a bit crumbly but maybe after some tweaking of amounts of liquid and fat, it could work. The best part was that it didn’t leave behind any aftertaste so it’s definitely worth more experimenting.

Ground flax is another popular replacement. When combined with water and given time to rest, the flax makes a gluey substance that resembles the structure of an egg as well as some fat. I found that the flax was not quite strong enough to support the cake and it left behind an odd sort of flavor and texture. Flax might be better in cookies or muffins in my opinion.

Another option is using Yogurt or buttermilk as a replacement. I actually thought the rise on this worked out really well. The cake was very moist and fudgy. The center fell a TINY bit but I think if I reduced the liquid a bit then it would be perfect so yogurt is another great option.

The last thing i tested was blended tofu which worked surprisingly well but was a little dry and crumbly. You could add more fat to the recipe to account for the dryness. Maybe even half tofu, half applesauce.

I also tested just traditional egg replacer and it did pretty well. It was a little dry but had good structure and is a really good option if you want to have a pretty good egg replacer on your shelf to use at any time. I used the Bobs Red Mill Commercial egg replacer but there are tons of brands out there. Just look for them in the baking aisle or buy them online.

I did test this recipe out using my moist vanilla cake but the cake collapsed. I would recommend starting with a good vanilla cake recipe that has AP flour and the traditional mixing method for the best results

I have not tested this recipe as cupcakes. If you do, please let me know if it works out!

Yes you can, use the cake batter and frosting calculator below to calculate the exact amounts.

Yes, you can with regular gel food coloring but it works best with lighter colors.

Preheat the oven to 350º F (175º C). Line a 9 x 13-inch (35 x 24 cm) baking pan with parchment paper. Lightly grease with baking spray with flour. 

In a large bowl combine the flour, baking soda, cocoa, and salt. Reserve.

Stir together hot water and instant coffee power until the coffee is dissolved. Reserve.

Cream butter and sugar together. Then add oil and vanilla and beat for 2 more minutes. Add sour cream and vinegar; continue beating until well combined, about 1 minute. 

Turn the mixer to low and add the flour mixture in three batches, alternating with buttermilk, beginning and ending with the flour mixture; beat until just combined, about 30 – 45 seconds. Do not overmix.

Pour batter into prepared pan(s).

Bake for 30 – 35 minutes, or until a toothpick or cake tester inserted in the center of the chocolate cake comes out clean. Remove the cake from the oven and set it on a wire rack. Allow cooling completely in the pan.

I frosted this eggless chocolate cake with my favorite, silky smooth chocolate frosting. In my opinion, a good chocolate cake needs a decadent chocolate frosting, and this one is it.

This soft eggless chocolate cake is a must-try. Finish off the cake with a luscious chocolate ganache and enjoy every bite. 

In a large mixing bowl, add half a cup of milk together with three-quarters cups of sugar, a teaspoon of instant coffee and a teaspoon of vinegar. Whisk the ingredients to mix until well combined then add half a cup of oil and whisk it in until incorporated.

Sift in two cups of flour, a teaspoon of baking powder, half a teaspoon of baking soda and a third cup of cocoa powder. After sifting in the dry ingredients, add in one cup of water and start mixing until you have a smooth batter, add in a teaspoon of vanilla essence and mix until smooth with no lumps.

Grease a round baking tray with oil and line with parchment paper then pour in the cake batter and bake in a preheated 170C oven for 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the centre comes out clean. Once baked, let it cool down inside the baking pan. In a medium-sized saucepan, add half a cup of sugar, 3 tbsp cocoa powder, half a cup of flour, one cup of water and one and a half a cup of milk then mix well until smooth.

Put it over medium-sized heat and stir constantly until it boils and thickens. Add one tablespoon of butter and vanilla extract then mix well for about 2 minutes. Remove from the heat and pour it over the cold cake (still in the baking pan). Spread it evenly then cover the top with plastic wrap to prevent it from drying as it cools.

Set it in the fridge for at least 30 minutes. Once chilled, remove from the fridge and garnish the top with grated chocolate. Remove from the pan and serve. Slice and enjoy.