Makes one 12 cup Bundt, serves 16
Active time: 15 minutes || Total time: 2 hours
Does chocolate cake ever need an introduction, or is this pretty self-explanatory?
Fine, I will spell it out for you: I was craving chocolate cake!
And I wanted something supermoist, you know, the kind of cake that melts in your mouth and melts your heart and makes you forget about the snow outside that might not ever melt!
I’ve been on a Bundt kick lately, because they’re so casually fancy, and I’ve just been too busy for anything more than one bowl and one baking pan. I threw in some chocolate chips and dusted with powdered sugar to at least give the appearance of effort. And if you’ve got a bushel of strawberries burning a hole in your produce pocket then now is a good time to use ’em.
So there you have it! A deeply delicious and chocolatey cake that you never need a special occasion to bake. Tonight I’m going to share it with my writing group because another bonus? You can eat it with one hand!
Notes
~ I used coconut yogurt, but I think any plain or vanilla yogurt will work. I really like the So Delicious brand.
~ For the boiling water that you add at the end, make sure to measure it after boiling, not before, since some might evaporate.
~ I pulled everything off with a simple whisk, but feel free to use an electric hand blender if you prefer!
~ If you can’t accept a Bundt Cake without icing, try the ganache here.
Ingredients
1 1/4 cups plain or vanilla vegan yogurt (see note)
1 1/2 cups sugar
3/4 cup non-dairy milk (I used almond)
1/2 cup canola oil
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup boiling water
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
To decorate:
2 tablespoons powdered sugar
Fresh strawberries
Directions
Preheat oven to 350 F. Lightly grease a 12-cup Bundt pan.
In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the yogurt, sugar, milk and canola oil until smooth, about a minute. Mix in the vanilla.
Sift in about half of the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder and salt. Mix until almost smooth, then add the remaining flour and hot water. Mix again until smooth. It’ll be relatively thick.
Fold in the chocolate chips. Transfer batter to prepared Bundt pan and bake for 55 minutes to an hour. A knife inserted through the center should come out clean, but because of the chocolate chips it might be hard to tell. Just make sure there’s not a bunch of batter on it.
Let cool for 20 minutes or so, then invert on to a cooling rack to cool completely. Because the cake is so moist it may take a little tapping to get the cake to release.
Once completely cool, dust with powdered sugar and serve with strawberries!
Best birthday present ever. Isa, you are a goddess!
How does one join your writing group? I want to come to get your treats!
this looks AMAZING! quick question: can i sub silken tofu or something else for the yogurt? (it’s the only thing i don’t have on hand to make this RIGHT NOW!)
Yes, I would measure it out after pureeing with a little extra milk, and then add a tablespoon of apple cider vinegar (or lemon juice) to up the acidity a bit. Let me know how it goes!
Oh wow. If I had any oil in the house I’d make this right now.
Do you think I could sub applesauce for all or part of the oil? Looks yummy! And the kids won’t know its healthy LOL
Can I sub honey, maple syrup, or agave for the sugar?and sub applesauce for the oil?
I would just do a different recipe that already meets your dietary requirements! I mean, you don’t wanna risk wasting expensive ingredients.
Isa – Do you ever substitute stevia or xylitol in your baking? Vegan IS healthier — but the large amounts of sugar in your recipes are a bit concerning…
Nope! In my opinion, dessert is dessert, and if you have some sugar once or twice a week there is no reason for concern. Stevia and xylitol taste like chemicals to me and I would rather just eat fruit if I want something healthy.
Beautiful! And so tempting. I can’t wait to make this.
i do not have a bundt pan. would a brownie pan work?
No, too much batter. Maybe halve the recipe and try?
And now I’m buying a bundt pan.
I am excited! I am going to make this with some GF flour…Should be great
Aw yeah. I have a bundt pan, ingredients and a desire to make this cake. Thanks isa!
I think I just orgasmed..and I havent even tasted it yet! Yuuuuuuuuum. Food porn….
Can I do this with margarine instead of canola oil? This would be great!
Yep!
I knew that coconut milk yogurt I just bought could be put to better use than as breakfast with granola (yawn!)! Making this once I polish off the last piece of the chocolate strawberry cake already in my fridge…because a constant supply of chocolate and cake (and better yet a combination of the two) = happiness. Thanks for the fabulous recipe!
Wanted to high five you for posting this cake recipe. Read that you, too, think that stevia et al tastes like chemicals. Now want to double-high five you.
This looks beautiful! Can’t wait to try it. Luckily we are in Thailand so there is no shortage of soy yogurt. Hopefully it will work out!
i just put this in the oven. it is fantastic. and the best part about being vegan is that we can lick the batter off the spoon. thanks for so generously posting your recipes for us all. and i can’t wait for your new book!
you are my second favorite vegan cook (after my awesome girlfriend) x
I subbed tofutti sour cream for the yogurt (Kroger stopped carrying vegan yogurt) and it was really good. Thank you for the recipe!
Good to know!
Great looking cake will try this one tomorrow. Where did you get fresh strawbs in frosty February?
isa – look what i made!
http://lisasprojectvegan.com/2013/02/21/isa-chandras-chocolate-yogurt-bundt-cake/
Looks great!
Can I use Amonde almond milk yogurt? I keep that in the house and tend to go run and buy one cup things of soy yogurt when I want to bake with it.
I think so!
Pretty sure I forgot the baking powder. Is my cake doomed?
Yeesh. Maybe you can pull it off as brownies?
I like that. Brownie-cake. Thanks, Isa!!
I made this last night and it turned out amazing!!! I am sharing hunks of it with everyone today. 🙂
Oh my…this was so good. Perfect texture (IMHO). I could only get strawberry soy yogurt, but it’s all good. This one goes into the kitchen recipe files. Thanks AGAIN Isa.
PS.. I can’t believe someone actually criticized a chocolate chip chocolate cake for having sugar in it. silly human.
This little beauty broke the end of a looo-ng baking drought. What a way to do it! It tastes good with my morning coffee and warms the cockles of my heart. Thank-you, you’re the BEST!
I made it.
It’s absolutely gorgeous!!!! My non-vegan family loved it!!
I think it would be a great base fos a sacher torte!
Yum!! I made this because I was looking for a way to use up some soy yogurt. I had exactly 1.25 cups. I think it was fate.
I am usually not a huge chocolate cake lover, but this is really delicious! It reminds me of a sour cream chocolate pound cake that my grandmother used to make.
I will definitely be making this in the future. It was so easy to whip up, and it tastes terrific! It will be a great dessert to serve to my non-vegan friends and show them how delicious vegan food is.
Would this work with a gluten free four mix? Or, should I use curtains types of flours? Will I need to include xantham gum?
THANKS!
awesome staff!
I made this yesterday and, though the flavor is delicious, it is so dense and heavy. I think it probably weighs 5pounds. I would appreciate help troubleshooting this as I would love to try again. (I ddidn’t forget the baking powder….) Thanks.
I know I’m a killjoy, but any tips on how to make this white or some-other-flavor cake? I know I could take out the chocolate chips and probably be fine, but there’s a lot of cocoa powder to sub for. More flour?
I would just use a different recipe!
SO easy. SO lovely. SO delicious. THANK YOU.
Completely understand the need…the NEED for chocolate. Right there with you 🙂 Baked this up for a pre-birthday cake for hubby (scored points for that excuse) Ha! I had three…count them…three pieces and am seriously considering a fourth. I made as directed with one exception…Silk strawberry yogurt. With the berries as a topping it worked! Thanks so much for sharing!
I have been looking everywhere EVERYWHERE for a chocolate bundt cake. Thank you!!
Thank you! I have a coworker who can’t eat gluten, dairy, eggs, soy, or corn, and I just made this with a gf flour blend and coconut yogurt and it turned out great! I’m glad I have something delicious everyone in the office can enjoy. I made it in a lasagna pan (whatever size that is – 9×14 or something?) and it took about 40-45 minutes to cook.
Okay…I have tried leaving a link to my blog for you to check out and it isn’t happening. Sure hope they aren’t locked away never to be enjoyed by all…ha! Wanted to say thank you for the great dessert last night…loved it so much I blogged about it and you. Click on my name and it will hopefully send you my way.
Thanks, Isa!
Yum!! Will definitely be trying this out soon. Thanks for sharing!
Isa, do I measure the yogurt with dry measuring cups or liquid measuring cups? Not sure it will make a difference but I don’t want to risk it. Thanks.
Your pumpkin muffins from Vegan with a Vengeance are fabulous.
I did dry. Thanks!
The recipe sounds great! What brand of vegan chocolate chips did you use?
I want to make this recipe tonight for a birthday party/baby shower at work tomorrow. Do you think I could use mini bundt pans rather than one regular size one? Not sure if the recipe would need to be altered — or perhaps the cooking time. I look forward to trying this; it seems like it will be delicious! Thanks!!
I think so! Minis would probably bake in 25 minutes or so (if you’re using an 8 cup pan.)
I made this. Sadly I didn’t have a bundt pan! I used two 9in round cake pans and decreased the baking time by almost half. Very good!
Can I use this recipe to make cupcakes? Would the texture, etc all translate ok? I love it as is but need to make cupcakes this weekend and chocolate-chocolate sounds great right about now!
I made this over the weekend and it was AWESOME!! So rich and moist. It was perfect with a big glass of almond milk. Thanks, Isa!!
I made this is in a jell-o mold cuz it’s all I had. Faux bundt.
mmmm! i finally made this and it was so delicious! and perfect with strawberries. i’m going to make it for a party this weekend!
i love your recipes so much. I haven’t made one from the books, or the site, that hasn’t turned out great!