This eggless chocolate fudge cake is rich, moist, and chocolatey with a soft, tender crumb. Made with yogurt and cocoa powder, it needs no eggs, condensed milk, or vinegar and is sturdy enough for filling and frosting.
I specifically included “no vinegar” because you’re already getting impressions for that query, and it’s genuinely useful information about this recipe.
I first made this eggless chocolate cake during my university days for a close friend who couldn’t eat eggs. After trying several recipes that were either too dense or used too much leavening, I started experimenting with my own.
This version became a favorite with our group of friends, and I’ve continued making it ever since. It’s still one of my favorite eggless cakes because it has the rich chocolate flavor and soft texture you’d expect from a classic chocolate cake.
Why is this the best cake recipe?
- Rich and chocolatey – Cocoa powder and brown sugar give this cake a deep chocolate flavor with a slightly fudgy crumb.
- Soft and moist – Yogurt and oil keep the cake tender without using eggs.
- No condensed milk or vinegar – The yogurt provides both moisture and the acidity needed for the leavening.
- Perfect for layer cakes – The cake is soft but sturdy enough to fill, frost, and decorate.
Ingredients and substitutes
- All-purpose flour – Regular all-purpose flour works best for a soft but sturdy cake. Measure accurately to avoid a dry or dense crumb.
- Cocoa powder – Use good-quality unsweetened cocoa powder. Dutch-processed cocoa will give the cake a darker color and deeper chocolate flavor.
- Brown sugar – Adds sweetness, moisture, and a subtle caramel flavor. Light or dark brown sugar will work.
- Yogurt – Plain yogurt replaces the moisture and structure normally provided by eggs. Use regular full-fat yogurt rather than thick Greek yogurt.
- Oil – A neutral-flavored oil such as canola or vegetable oil keeps the cake soft and moist, even when refrigerated.
- Baking powder and baking soda – Both provide the lift needed for this eggless cake. The baking soda also reacts with the acidity in the yogurt.
- Vanilla – Enhances the chocolate flavor. Use vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste.
- Hot water – Blooms the cocoa powder and helps intensify its chocolate flavor.
- Instant coffee – Optional, but a small amount deepens the chocolate flavor without making the cake taste like coffee.
- Salt – Balances the sweetness and enhances the chocolate flavor.
Step-by-step: Eggless Chocolate Cake Recipe
Prepare the pans
Preheat the oven to 325°F / 165°C / Gas Mark 3. Grease and line two 8-inch round cake pans with parchment paper.
Combine the dry ingredients
Sift together the all-purpose flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
Combine the wet ingredients
In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the yogurt, oil, brown sugar, and vanilla until smooth and well combined.
Make the batter
Add the dry ingredients to the wet mixture and mix gently until almost combined.
Pour in the hot water with the optional instant coffee and whisk just until the batter is smooth. Do not overmix.
Bake
Divide the batter evenly between the prepared pans and transfer them to the oven immediately.
Bake for 30 to 40 minutes, or until a skewer inserted into the center comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs.
Cool
Cool the cakes in the pans for about 10 minutes, then turn them onto a wire rack and cool completely before filling or frosting.
Frosting the cake
Make your favorite buttercream or frosting and set aside about 1 cup for piping or decorating, if desired.
Make sure the cake layers are completely cool before frosting. If necessary, level the tops with a serrated knife for even stacking.
Fill and stack
Place one cake layer on a cake board or serving plate. Spread an even layer of buttercream over the top, then place the second cake layer on top.
Cover the top and sides with a thin crumb coat and chill for 15 to 20 minutes. Add the remaining frosting and smooth the sides and top.
Decorate as desired with piped buttercream, chocolate shavings, sprinkles, or fresh berries.
Eggless Chocolate Fudge Cake
This eggless chocolate fudge cake is rich, moist, and chocolatey with a soft, tender crumb. Made with yogurt, oil, and cocoa powder, it needs no eggs, condensed milk, or vinegar and makes two 8-inch layers perfect for filling and frosting.
Ingredients
- 440 g (3½ cups) All-purpose flour
- 130 g (1½ cups) Unsweetened cocoa powder Dutch-processed
- 2 tsp Baking powder
- 2 tsp Baking soda
- 1 tsp Salt
- 240 ml (1 cups) Neutral cooking oil
- 480 ml (2 cups) Plain yogurt
- 440 g (2 cups) Brown sugar
- 4 tsp Vanilla extract
- 240 ml (1 cups) Hot water
- 2 tsp Instant coffee optional
Method
- Oven & Pan – Preheat the oven to 325°F / 165°C / Gas Mark 3. Grease and line two 8-inch round cake pans with parchment paper.
- Dry Ingredients – Sift together the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.440 g All-purpose flour, 130 g Unsweetened cocoa powder, 2 tsp Baking powder, 2 tsp Baking soda, 1 tsp Salt
- Wet Ingredients – In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the yogurt, oil, brown sugar, and vanilla until smooth and well combined.240 ml Neutral cooking oil, 480 ml Plain yogurt, 440 g Brown sugar, 4 tsp Vanilla extract
- Dry to wet – Add the dry ingredients to the yogurt mixture and mix just until almost combined. Do not overmix. Combine the instant coffee with the hot water, if using. Add the hot water to the batter and whisk just until smooth and combined.240 ml Hot water, 2 tsp Instant coffee
- Pan – Divide the batter evenly between the prepared pans and transfer them immediately to the preheated oven.
- Bake for 30 to 40 minutes, or until a skewer inserted into the center comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs.
- Cool the cakes in the pans for 10 minutes, then turn them onto a wire rack and cool completely before filling and frosting.
Notes
- Cocoa powder: Dutch-process cocoa gives the cake a darker color and deeper chocolate flavor, but regular unsweetened cocoa powder can also be used.
- Yogurt: Use plain yogurt rather than thick Greek yogurt. Bring it to room temperature before mixing.
- Coffee: The instant coffee is optional. It enhances the chocolate flavor without making the finished cake taste strongly of coffee.
- Mixing: Once the flour is added, mix only until combined. Overmixing can make the cake dense.
- Bake immediately: Once the batter is finished, divide it between the pans and bake right away.
- Even layers: For evenly sized cake layers, weigh the batter and divide it equally between the two pans.
- Make ahead: Cool the cake layers completely, wrap well, and keep at room temperature overnight before filling and frosting.
- Freezing: Wrap the cooled layers well and freeze for up to one month. Thaw wrapped at room temperature before decorating.
Equipment you will need
Nutrition
Tried this recipe?
Mention @veenaazmanov_kitchen or tag #veenaazmanovkitchen!Tips for Success
- Use room-temperature yogurt – It blends more easily into the batter and gives you a smoother mixture.
- Use hot water – Hot water helps bloom the cocoa and deepen the chocolate flavor. Add the optional coffee to the water before mixing.
- Don’t overmix – Once the flour is added, mix only until combined to keep the cake soft and tender.
- Bake immediately – Once the hot water is added, divide the batter between the pans and get them into the preheated oven.
- Divide the batter evenly – Weighing the batter between the two pans gives you even layers that bake at the same rate.
- Don’t overbake – Start checking toward the lower end of the baking time. Overbaking is one of the quickest ways to lose the moist, fudgy texture.
more chocolate cake recipes
- Death By Chocolate Cake
- One Bowl Chocolate Cake
- Chocolate Fudge Cake
- Rich, Moist Chocolate Birthday Cake
- Chocolate Espresso Cake
Troubleshooting
| Problem | Possible cause | Solution |
|---|---|---|
| Cake is dense or heavy | Batter was overmixed or sat too long before baking | Mix only until combined and bake immediately after preparing the batter. |
| Cake is dry or hard | Too much flour or cake was overbaked | Measure the flour accurately and remove the cakes as soon as a skewer comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs. |
| Cake is raw in the center | Oven was too hot or cake needed more time | Check your oven temperature and continue baking until the center is fully set. |
| Cake rises then sinks | Cake was underbaked, oven door was opened too early, or leavening was measured incorrectly | Measure the leavening accurately, avoid opening the oven early, and make sure the center is baked before removing the cake. |
Frequently asked questions
If properly stored, this fudge cake will last for 2 to 3 days at room temperature. It can be kept in the fridge for up to 5 or 6 days.
This is the perfect celebration cake to fill and frost into a layer cake. It can also be used to carve for a sculpted or novelty cake. It can also be used as a tiered wedding cake, as well as covered with fondant
You can make 2 x 6 -inch round baking pans to make a two-layer cake or pour this batter into a sheet cake – ‘eggless chocolate sheet Cake’.
You can also pour the batter into a well-greased and dusted bundt pan for an ‘eggless chocolate bundt cake’.
This recipe can also be baked into 12 beautiful eggless chocolate cupcakes.
There are many ways to use this chocolate cake as a layer cake or slice it into desserts. The options for filling and frosting recipes that can complement this are endless.
Today, I am using chocolate mousse cake filling, but you can use other fillings like eggless vanilla pastry cream, strawberry filling, blueberry filling, mango mousse, or chocolate mousse as long as you use a frosting dam!! You will find more than 30 buttercream frosting recipes to try. You can see my video tutorial on how to level, fill, and frost a cake.
Leftovers make a wonderful trifle with chocolate cake slices, pastry cream, and whipped heavy cream.
more eggless recipes
- Eggless Vanilla Cake Recipe
- Mom’s Eggless Chocolate Cake
- Eggless Strawberry Cupcakes with Pink Buttercream
- BEST Eggless Chocolate Chip Cookies
- See all eggless recipes
Don’t lose this recipe! Save it for Later!
📌 Save this Recipe for later on Pinterest so you can easily find it again.
⭐ Add Veena Azmanov Kitchen to your Google Preferred Sources.
It helps Google show you more of our recipes.
📧 Subscribe for new recipes delivered to your inbox.
🎥 Follow us for more recipes
Hi, I’m Veena
I’m the recipe developer, baker, and food photographer behind Veena Azmanov Kitchen.
I’ve spent years developing and testing recipes, from everyday meals and homemade breads to cakes and desserts.
I share the practical tips and little details I’ve learned along the way so you can get great results in your own kitchen.
Can this be made as Cupcakes? If so how much to fill in the cupcake cups and how long should they be baked?
Yes these should be ok with cupcakes. pour 3/4 full and bake for 18 to 20 minutes.
Concerning the Moist Eggless Chocolate Fudge Cake Recipe
One question…the recipe ingredients list yogurt, but in the fourth step (combing wet ingredients) it say “buttermilk”….is this an error in the recipe?
No it’s yogurt – just typed wrong lol So use to using buttermilk more than yogurt Thanks
I still have like 4 lbs to lose and you posted this 🙁
Oh Hanna welcome to my side of the weight scale. We stopped counting lol Enjoy!
Very nice … I’m going to try this recipe, and you know I’m really not a cake girl. But you have a very good point – everybody needs some recipes they can use, when the need arises. This looks wonderful. I’m not against eggs in cake, but my gosh you make this one look amazing, and easy enough for me. LOL
Noel it’s so easy you will love it. I too make the regular cake with eggs but often need to keep these handy when I have orders.
I have to try this eggless cake soon…it looks wonderful!
Thank you Catherine. I bet you will love it
Hi Veena, the cake looks so delish. Going to try it today. Does curd work in place of yogurt or should I use Greek yogurt only. Also I was thinking of layering and frosting with ganache. Guessing it will work fine?
Yes, Ashwini. Curd and yogurt are the same… so yes curd will work just as well….. Greek yogurt is thicker with less whey so it adds richness as well. Ganache would be perfect
Thank you so much Veena!!
A couple of years ago my daughter was diagnosed with an egg allergy. I thought my baking days were over. However, I found a recipe similar to this, and it’s stellar. You’d never know the eggs weren’t there. Now she can have eggs again, but I still pull this recipe out time to time when I want to bake and I’m out of eggs.
Sounds good Joanna. Yes it’s really simple and easy but very delicious
The cake looks so moist and delicious. I can’t believe that it’s eggless. I love how you decorated it compliments the cake perfectly. Do you have a trick for splitting the cake layers? I know that there’s a special cutter that does the job but I don’t want to get another thing for the kitchen. Your layers look great!!
Yup! Eggless!! The decoration can be anything you like really. My kids love it warm out of the oven. I use a bread knife to cut my layers. I have a video for basic cake decorating – How to level tote and fill cakes.
Super nice and moist cake, who does not love a godo slice of chocolate cake. I guess nobody can resist. Like the idea of having a recipe that is eggless for those that have allergies
Absolutely Adriana. Who doesn’t love a good slice of good chocolate cake ? This ones yum!
This cake sounds delicious. I can never resist a nice chocolatey cake like this one! I could probably polish it all off by myself.
Thanks Pam – this one is super easy to make for sure.
I love that you used brown sugar in this cake! I usually use brown sugar in white or spiced cakes as I find it adds a slight caramel flavour but I’ve never added it to a chocolate cake. I will now definitely try that
I love brown sugar in my cakes Julia. I think it adds so much more than white sugar..
Veena, I randomly came across your recipe on the internet- while I have a lot of go to cake recipes- just wanted to try something new!! I went ahead and made 4 times the quatities you had mentioned in 2 – 8 inch pans!
As soon as I put the pans into my oven- i realized that i hadnt added the oil to the cake??? was totally panick stricken! How’d o go in the moddle of the night to pick up fresh ingredients!!! With a glum face and a heavy heart i patiently waited for tge cakes to bake fully!!
Once they were out of the oven- they were sooo amazing!! Soft spongy and choxolatey! With or without oil- this recipe is a keeper! Thank you sooo much for sharing such a detailed one! Much love!
Thank you so much, dear. I am so happy that despite the oil issue – it all worked out well. Amazing that this cake did well even without oil. Thank you so much for coming back to give me this feedback. Love hearing back from those who try my recipes.