Vegan Nutella Cake
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This Vegan Nutella Cake is made with a two-ingredient “Nutella” and will please vegans and non-vegans alike with its rich taste of both chocolate and hazelnut.
Ohhhh yes, vegan “Nutella” cake is SO happening today. I’m fully aware that traditional Nutella isn’t vegan, but to the core, Nutella is simply chocolate and hazelnuts, which is all that my two ingredient Nutella is. Also, sometimes you just need CAKE, and a good one too. If you’re vegan or if you have a vegan family member, this is a great cake recipe to take to a party or family gathering to please anything and everyone, no matter what their dietary preference is.
I made this vegan nutella cake over the weekend for my brother’s birthday—I made him this chocolate cake last year, but this year I was all about this rich, moist chocolate-y cake topped with the most perfect chocolate hazelnut icing did the trick!
I mean, if I do say so myself.
NUTELLA CAKE INGREDIENTS
- homemade Nutella
- all purpose flour
- sugar — cane or granulated sugar
- cocoa powder
- coconut oil — virgin or unrefined
- dairy free milk — I used almond milk, but any kind should work
- applesauce — unsweetened
You’ll also need dairy free butter and powdered sugar to make the icing.
EASY VEGAN CAKE RECIPE
This cake is relatively quick to whip up. I used three 6″ cake pans, but you could also use one 9″ or 10″ pan instead if you prefer. The cake is essentially just a chocolate cake, so it’s the icing that really makes this recipe stand out. It helps to have the homemade Nutella already prepared. It’s ok if you don’t, but if you want to make this recipe even quicker, whip up the Nutella the day before. The icing itself is a mixture of “Nutella”, butter and powdered sugar and it’s to die for!
The icing should be thick and very easy to spread. If for some reason it’s not, add a splash of milk and that should do the trick.
OTHER VEGAN CAKE RECIPES
Vegan Nutella Cake
Ingredients
for the cake:
- 2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
- 1 1/2 cups cane sugar, or granulated sugar
- 3/4 cup cocoa powder
- 3 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/2 cup coconut oil, melted
- 2 cups almond milk
- 1 1/2 cups unsweetened applesauce
- 2 tsp apple cider vinegar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
For the icing:
- 3/4 cup homemade Nutella
- 1/2 cup dairy free butter, softened
- 1 cup powdered sugar
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°.
- Combine flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl.
- Next, melt coconut oil and set aside, allowing it to cool for a few minutes.
- In a separate bowl, whisk milk, applesauce, vinegar, and vanilla together; add coconut oil.
- Combine wet and dry ingredients with an electric mixer.
- Next, line three 6" cake pans with coconut oil and then distribute cake batter evenly into pans.
- Bake cakes for approximately 35-40 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.
- Take cakes out of oven and wait 10 minutes before carefully transferring them onto cooling racks, allowing them to cool completely before icing them.
- For the icing: Follow the instructions in this post to make the homemade Nutella. Then, add 3/4 cup homemade Nutella to a bowl and stir in the butter and powdered sugar until smooth.
- To assemble: Use a serrated knife to remove "domes" from each cake, making all three cakes flat on the top. Next, place a good amount of icing on the one cake and smooth it out, and then place the second cake on top of the icing layer, and repeat that process for the final layer.
- Then, place icing all along the sides until the whole cake is coated with icing.
- Top with crushed hazelnuts and enjoy!
Nutrition
This is the second time I make this cake – it’s my favourite!
I used half the sugar (something I do all the time with online recipes) and mashed banana instead of applesauce, it turned out fantastic! I also used good quality Italian vegan nutella for the frosting (without the extra butter or sugar since it has both) and it worked great.
Thanks so much Cristina! Glad you loved the cake! Good to know about it still working with half the sugar, etc.
I’ve made this for my daughter’s birthday the last two years in a row. This is a winner. All the party guests raved about it and some asked for the recipe. It’s my new go-to. This year I did end up needing to make another half-batch of icing. I probably put a bit too much between the layers.
Just adding on to my previous question, I would like to double the recipe. Do I also double the baking soda and baking powder amounts?
I’m aware too much of those can make a cake bitter, so just wanted to double check.
and would I need to adjust anything else? or just simply double
Hey! I’m unable to get ahold of unsweetened applesauce, so I have bought sweetened applesauce instead
Do I need to adjust the rest of the ingredient amounts because of this? or any changes I need to make?
Thank you!
Hi Erin! I want to make this cake for around 13 people and thinking I double the recipe and use 3 8in pans instead of 6in. How would that change cook times? Do you think I should do that or just make two 3tier 6in cakes?
Hi! If you’re going to double the recipe, I’d definitely use bigger pans (not 6″ ones), but I’m not 100% sure which size you should use. I usually reference this post when switching pan sizes: https://sallysbakingaddiction.com/cake-pan-sizes/ — hopefully that helps, and let me know how it turns out!
Hey! A couple questions:
Can I use normal store bought Nutella?
Can I use normal unsalted butter instead of dairy free?
Is powdered sugar the same as icing sugar?
I’m not vegan, so I don’t mind the above replacements.
Hi! YES to all 3 questions 🙂
Hi, can I substitute 2.5 cups all-purpose flour with 2.5 cups almond flour to make it grain-free?
I don’t think that will work — almond flour is VERY different from all purpose flour.