Eggless Chocolate Cake

This moist eggless chocolate fudge cake has a firm texture with a soft, tender crumb. Made without condensed milk, this is a very versatile cake with so many flavor variations. Try it with your favorite buttercream frosting, light whipped cream, or fill it with a chocolate mousse filling as I have.

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Back in university, I had this amazing group of friends who adored chocolate cake. But one of my closest pals couldn’t eat eggs, which made finding the perfect cake recipe tricky.

I scoured recipes, experimented, and tried a few. Some were too dense, while some had too much leavening. After all that trial and error, I finally decided to make my version. It wasn’t hard being the daughter of a wonderful baker and all. When I presented the cake to them, they couldn’t believe it was eggless! And, they were surprised that I even knew how to frost a cake!!

This cake became a staple at our gatherings then, and every time I bake it, I’m reminded of those beautiful university days and the bond we shared over a love for cake and chocolate. Good times!

Why is this the best cake recipe?

• Moist and Tender Texture: The yogurt helps create a moist and tender crumb, making the cake incredibly soft and enjoyable. Plus, this cake is rich in chocolate flavor, perfect for chocolate lovers.
• Easy to Make: The recipe uses simple ingredients and straightforward steps, making it easy for anyone to bake a delicious cake.
• Versatile: The cake can be enjoyed on its own or dressed up with a variety of toppings, fillings, or frostings to suit different preferences and occasions.
• Crowd-Pleaser: Whether for a birthday party, potluck, or just a sweet treat at home, this cake is likely to be a hit with everyone who tries it.

Ingredients and substitutes

• All-purpose flour – You can use all-purpose flour, plain flour, or maida for this cake. Do not use cake flour. I find that cake flour tends to make the texture very crumbly.
• Oil – I find that oil works best to keep the cake moist and the texture just right. I have tried it with butter – it works, but oil gives me the best results in texture.
• Brown sugar – I use brown sugar, and it adds that fudge flavor and texture to the cake. And yet, if you can’t find brown sugar, use white sugar. It’s still an absolutely delicious chocolate cake, just not a chocolate fudge cake.
• Yogurt – This is actually a substitute for eggs in the recipe, so do not substitute with anything else.
• Water – You can substitute milk or buttermilk, but ensure it’s hot, not cold.
• Cocoa powder – I am using Dutch-processed cocoa powder, but you can use any unsweetened cocoa powder. In some brands, such as Hershey’s, the cocoa powder has a lighter color, and the cake might be slightly lighter in color.
• Acid – Most eggless cakes use apple cider vinegar, white vinegar, or lemon juice, but in this one, the acid found in yogurt is all you need to help this cake rise.

Step-by-step: Eggless Chocolate Cake Recipe

• Preheat the oven to 325°F/ 165°C/ Gas Mark 3
• Grease and line one 8-inch round baking pan or 2 x 6-inch round cake pans with parchment paper. You will need to double (2x) this recipe for 2 x 8-inch round cake pans.

• Dry ingredients – Sift dry ingredients – flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
  Pro tip – In baking, sugar is considered a wet ingredient, not a dry one, because it melts when heated.
• Wet ingredients – In a large bowl, combine yogurt, oil, vanilla extract, and brown sugar. Stir until the sugar is almost dissolved.
  Pro tip – Use a whisk to ensure there are no lumps. If necessary, whip the yogurt with a whisk first to remove lumps.

• Next, combine the wet mixture and dry ingredients until smooth with no lumps.
  Pro tip – Use a whisk to ensure you have no lumps, but do not overmix, as we do not want to activate the gluten in the flour.
• Then add the hot water, and whisk to combine well.
  Pro tip – This step must be immediately followed by baking, so ensure the oven is well preheated at this time.
• Pour the batter into the baking pan or pans and immediately transfer to the preheated oven.

• Bake for 30 to 40 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then invert onto a wire rack and cool completely before decorating.
  Pro tip – The cake must be completely cold before frosting, or the frosting will melt on warm cake.

Vanilla buttercream frosting

• In the bowl of a stand mixer on medium speed with the paddle attachment, cream together the butter, heavy cream, salt, and vanilla extract. Add the powdered sugar one cup at a time. Once all the powdered sugar is in, whip for 2 to minutes on high until light and fluffy, similar to a whipped cream consistency.
  Pro tip – The mixture will be soft consistency, but as the heavy cream whips, it will gain volume.

Eggless Chocolate buttercream frosting

• Add the cooled, melted chocolate to the Vanilla Buttercream frosting to make a chocolate buttercream frosting.

Assemble (if you choose to frost it)

• Prepare simple syrup – cool completely before using.
  Pro tip– Simple syrup is just sugar water that has been boiled and cooled. Used to keep cake layers moist.
• Using a bread knife or cake leveler, cut the domes off the cake layers. Cut each layer horizontally in half. Brush each layer with the cooled simple syrup
• Place a cake layer on the cake board or cake stand. Top with a big dollop of buttercream – spread evenly using a straight-edge spatula. Place the next layer, followed by more buttercream, and the remaining layers.
• Place the cake in the fridge to chill for 10 to 15 minutes.
  Pro tip – Chilling the cake at this point will ensure the layers don’t move when you frost the outside. Though if you leave the cake uncovered in the fridge for too long, it can dry out. So, 10 minutes is all you need.
• Spread the frosting around and on the top of the cake. Place any remaining frosting in a piping bag with a round tip and pipe borders on the top and around the cake. Top with chocolate shavings or similar decorations
  Pro tip – A straight edge spatula for the top, an offset spatula, and a bench scraper for the sides work better.

Troubleshooting

• My cake became very hard.
  This cake must be baked at the right temperature and time. Overbaking or high heat will dry out the cake and make it hard.
• My cake became too dense.
  This cake uses no eggs, so it has less leavening. Which is why you must bake the cake soon after you add the hot milk. This helps the hot air in the oven get the best out of the baking powder and soda.
• The cake was raw in the center, but cooked outside.
  • Sounds like the oven was too hot, so the outside was ready, but the inside still needed some time.
  • Always bake at the right baking time. Having said that, every oven works differently. So the baking times are just guidelines.
  • In the case of cakes, a skewer inserted in the center is a great indication. If your cakes often bake too quickly or too slowly compared to the time given, it might be a good idea to check if your oven needs calibration. An oven thermometer is a great little gadget to help keep the oven temperature in check. All you need to do then is adjust the temperature accordingly.

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Frequently asked questions

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