This super easy stir-together healthy Chocolate Cake is a cinch to make and it has less sugar than traditional cakes. Maybe “healthier” is a better term, but whatever you call it, it’s so darn good! (PS: It happens to be egg-free and vegan, too.)
Healthy Chocolate Cake
I’ve been searching for a “house cake”—you know, one that becomes the traditional cake we make for birthdays and special occasions. One that we’ll think back on fondly.
And also one that’s easy enough to make without much notice because as we all know, sometimes you just need a slice of cake for no good reason! I’m happy to say this cake fills the bill.
This cake is made with less sugar than traditional cakes (which is my personal flavor preference) and has some ingredient options so you can decide how “healthy” to make it. My whole family loves this layer cake recipe–especially as a birthday cake or a holiday dessert—because it delivers on the classic chocolate cake flavor you expect.
(I also have a delicious Vanilla Cake version that’s vegan too.)
Table of Contents
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Ingredients You Need
To make the cake, you’ll need to have the following ingredients on hand.
- Flour: You can use whole wheat, all-purpose, or a mixture of the two. I usually use all-purpose flour.
- Vegetable oil: I typically use canola oil or vegetable oil here, but avocado oil would work, too.
- Sugar: A little granulated sugar is the sweetener of choice in this cake because it blends in so well and adds moisture.
- Baking soda: Fresh, active baking soda helps the cake bake through and rise nicely. (This works much better than baking powder, so do be sure to use baking soda.)
- Cocoa powder: I like SACO or Hershey’s Special Dark for the best chocolate flavor.
- Salt: A dash of salt helps enhance the rest of the flavors.
- White vinegar: This works with the other ingredients to deliver the perfect texture you expect in a chocolate cake.
- Vanilla extract: Paired with cocoa powder, vanilla extract is an extra flavor note.
- Quick Chocolate Frosting: Or a frosting of your choice.
TIP: The cake is dairy and egg-free, and there’s not even any butter. You can make it gluten-free by using a gluten-free cup-for-cup flour blend. It’s like a magic cake!
Step-by-Step Instructions
Here’s the basic process of making the cake. Scroll down to the bottom of this post for the full recipe.
- Preheat the oven and grease two 6-inch round pans very well. I typically spray with nonstick cooking spray and place a round of parchment cut to fit the inside of the pan to ensure the cakes don’t stick. Stir together the ingredients in a large bowl with a whisk. Make sure you get all the lumps out of the cocoa powder.
- Divide batter between the pans evenly.
- Bake until just firm to the touch and a toothpick or cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean.
- Let cool on a wire rack and frost.
TIP: I like making this cake in two 6-inch pans, as it’s a nice size for a smaller gathering of up to 10 people. It also means you don’t need a ton of any of the ingredients AND is a great size for a smash cake.
Frosting Options
Frost with either my Quick Chocolate Frosting, Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting, or Strawberry Frosting. Or use any other frosting that you enjoy.
Of those options, we almost always use the chocolate cream cheese frosting for a double chocolate cake.
How to Frost a Chocolate Cake
I have a few frosting options for this cake, but the basic method of frosting the cake is the same.
- Place one of the cakes onto a platter or cake stand. Add a big spoonful of frosting and spread to cover the top.
- Add the second cake and the rest of the frosting.
- Spread over the top and sides.
- Add sprinkles if desired. I like to use a cookie cutter to make a star design (imperfect as it is!).
Frequently Asked Questions
I use that word to signify that this cake is lower in sugar than most comparable chocolate cake recipes. I worked hard to make sure it’s plenty sweet, without being too sweet.
We like to use a cookie cutter to form a shape, then fill with sprinkles. We also sometimes just do chocolate frosting and forget any other decorating!
Yes, you can freeze chocolate cake and this one freezes so well. We love to do that if we want half one day and half another day a few weeks ahead. Wrap a section or slices of cake in plastic wrap and place into a freezer bag. Remove as much air as you can and freeze for up to 6 months. Thaw at room temperature or overnight in the fridge.
How to Store
You can make the cakes the day before you plan to serve. Let cool fully, then place on two separate plates and wrap well with plastic wrap. Store at room temperature. Frost just before serving if possible.
With leftovers, you can store wrapped well in the fridge. I am partial to how this cake tastes when it’s chilled, so we store it in the fridge.
You can also freeze slices for future enjoyment. Wrap tightly in plastic wrap (wrapping slices on small paper plates makes this easy) and freeze for up to 6 months. Thaw at room temperature or in the fridge.
Best Tips for Success
- To make this in a 9-inch cake pan, use just one pan and bake for 16-20 minutes or until a cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean. Be sure to grease the pan well to ensure it doesn’t stick. Double the recipe to make a two layer 9-inch cake.
- To bake as cupcakes, use ¼ cup batter in each standard size muffin cup (greased well with nonstick spray) and bake for 14-16 minutes, or until a cake tester inserted into the center comes out cleanly.
- Gluten-free: Use cup-for-cup gluten-free flour blend in place of the wheat flour.
- Use a mix of all-purpose and whole wheat flour or all of one or the other. (All whole wheat will be a smidge more dense.)
- Try to avoid over-baking to ensure the cake is moist and doesn’t crumble too much.
- Be sure to grease the pan well to ensure the cake doesn’t stick.
- If you are at all worried about your cakes sticking to the pans, (these 6-inch pans do not tend to stick, but I can’t speak for every other cake pan) trace the pans onto parchment paper. Cut out the rounds, trimming slightly so they fit inside of the cakes. Place each round of parchment paper into the cake pan, then spray the paper and sides of the pan with nonstick spray. Proceed with the recipe.
Related Recipes
I’d love to hear your feedback if you try this recipe for your family, so please comment below to share!
Healthy Chocolate Cake (Lower Sugar)
Ingredients
- 1½ cups all-purpose flour (or whole-wheat flour)
- ⅔ cup sugar
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ⅓ cup cocoa powder (I like SACO or Hershey's Special Dark)
- 1 cup water
- ⅓ cup vegetable oil (or melted butter or avocado oil)
- 1 tablespoon white vinegar
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 recipe Quick Chocolate Frosting or Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and grease two 6-inch cake pans very well on the bottom and sides with nonstick spray. (I use classic Pam spray.)
- Add the ingredients to a medium bowl and whisk gently to combine. Divide the batter between the prepared pans, using about 1 cup and 2 tablespoons in each pan.
- Bake for 18-20 minutes or until the middle is firm to a light touch and a cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean. Try not to overbake.
- Let cool on a wire rack for 5 minutes, then carefully remove the cakes from the pans by running a paring knife around the edges to loosen. Working with one pan at a time, carefully turn the pan over onto a wire rack. The cakes should slide out easily. Let cool completely on the wire rack.
- To frost, place one cake onto a cake stand or plate. Add ⅓ of the frosting to the top of the cake. Spread to the edges. Top with the second layer and the remaining frosting, then spread over the top and the sides. Add sprinkles if desired.
Equipment
Notes
- With leftovers, you can store wrapped well in the fridge. I am partial to how this cake tastes when it’s chilled, so we store it in the fridge. You can also freeze slices for future enjoyment. Wrap tightly in plastic wrap (wrapping slices on small paper plates makes this easy) and freeze for up to 6 months. Thaw at room temperature or in the fridge.
- You can make the cakes the day before you plan to serve. Let cool fully, then place on two separate plates and wrap well with plastic wrap. Store at room temperature. Frost just before serving if possible.
- Frost with either my Quick Chocolate Frosting, Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting, or Strawberry Frosting. You could also use classic Cream Cheese Frosting.
- To make this in a 9-inch cake pan, use just one pan and bake for 16-20 minutes or until a cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean. Be sure to grease the pan well to ensure it doesn’t stick. Double the recipe to make a two layer 9-inch cake.
- To bake as cupcakes, use ¼ cup batter in each standard size muffin cup (greased well with nonstick spray) and bake for 14-16 minutes, or until a cake tester inserted into the center comes out cleanly.
- Gluten-free: Use cup-for-cup gluten-free flour blend in place of the wheat flour.
- Use a mix of all-purpose and whole wheat flour or all of one or the other. (All whole wheat will be a smidge more dense.)
- Try to avoid over-baking to ensure the cake is moist and doesn’t crumble too much.
- Be sure to grease the pan well to ensure the cake doesn’t stick.
- If you are at all worried about your cakes sticking to the pans, (these 6-inch pans do not tend to stick, but I can’t speak for every other cake pan) trace the pans onto parchment paper. Cut out the rounds, trimming slightly so they fit inside of the cakes. Place each round of parchment paper into the cake pan, then spray the paper and sides of the pan with nonstick spray. Proceed with the recipe.
Nutrition
This recipe was first published September 2020.
Hi Amy! I’m wondering how this cake would hold up to some shaping? Like shaving down the sides a bit? Perhaps with two different sized layers stacked and then cut in an angle? Alternatively, I was thinking of using a bundt pan. I’ve been tasked with making a “chocolate volcano cake” for my 4 year old’s birthday this week!
I may use your suggestion of a mix of all purpose and ww flour to make it a little sturdier?
Thanks! I love all your recipes 🙂
Hi- I actually think it would work fine to do that. Just be sure not to over bake it (that would possibly make it crumbly) but otherwise it’s a normal cake texture so I bet it would work. With the bundt pan, the only thing is that I am really unsure of how long the baking time would be since that shape is so much thicker.
Just curious, did you ever end up trying to shape the cake and if so, how did it go? I’m considering using this recipe to make a car cake and would love to hear how your experience went.
I made a few modifications and it came out rather well. I swapped 1/3 of sugar contents for brown sugar, used butter, no vanilla and baked as 1 single layer in a loaf pan for 33 minutes. The texture was fantastic but I think it needs some tweaking to enhance the chocolate flavour. Possibly the vanilla would’ve helped but I didn’t have any in the house. I also tried the cake without icing which would’ve lifted the flavour.
A few questions: How do you calculate your nutrition information? Is it based on 1 serving of the cake? How many grams would one serving be in weight? Thanks.
Yes, it absolutely will not taste as good without vanilla. The nutrition information is based on the total amounts of nutrients divided by the number of servings listed using a program. I do not measure portions, but instead offer an estimate on how much each recipe will serve.
I tried this in a 9” pan and it was a disaster. The outer part of the cake baked perfectly but the center was like pudding. I kept baking for a few more minutes and testing but it never cooked! I don’t know what went wrong.
The most likely explanation is that the baking soda wasn’t active or fresh. I’m not sure of another reason that this would happen. I’m sorry it did though!
This recipe is amazing! I made cupcakes out of it and they came out so light and fluffy.
This is a new favourite for a healthier chocolate cupcake – thanks for sharing!
There’s no way to share this on text or WhatsApp or get a link when you’re on the app!! Thought you should know
I’m not sure how that is meant to work with recipes but you can use it in a normal browser and share it that way!
Hi! I don’t have white vinegar at the moment, only rice vinegar… can I use that instead? Sorry, I’m no expert.
I’m honestly not sure and am trying to figure out if there are options!
I did the 9″ pan option since I don’t have a 6″ pan and it didn’t seem to rise as well as yours did. Do you think it needed a few minutes longer in the oven even if the toothpick came out clean/the middle was firm? Or any other thoughts?
You could check that your baking soda is fresh? If the toothpick came out clean I would have pulled it out too. Hopefully it still tastes yummy!
This looks fab for my toddler’s birthday! Is white vinegar the same as white wine vinegar? And would sunflower oil work?
Thank you!
Hi- you want to use distilled white vinegar, which is not the same as white wine vinegar. And I think sunflower oil would work similarly. Enjoy!
I tried it with rice vinegar and it worked! Distilled white vinegar isn’t a thing where I live.
Love this cake! The taste and texture are unbelievable!
I don’t have any cake pans, so I used a glass casserole dish (a 2.75 qt dish) and followed the advice from the other snack cake recipes: I cooked according to the directions, then covered with foil and cooked another 10 minutes to set the middle. It worked perfectly. Just wanted to note that in case anyone else perusing this recipe ended up in the same situation as me!
*An 8×8 would probably have worked as well, but I went for a slightly larger dish to hedge my bets on the center setting completely without overcooking the edges.
Glad to hear that worked well!
Hey, I have a question! Are the nutrition facts for the whole cake or just for one serving? Thank you!
Hi, it’s per serving.
Hi! Do you have a suggestion on how to convert this recipe to two eight inch pans? Thank you!
I would double the recipe (there’s a 2x button) and divide the batter into the two pans. Baking time should be in the 18-22 minute range. Enjoy!
I am Ceoliac, my husband is dairy and egg free & my daughter is gluten & dairy free. I really want to make this but I can’t find white vinegar in the UK that does have barley in it (not suitable for Ceoliac’s). Any suggestions?
Thanks
I’m sorry, I don’t know of an option that will fit that criteria. Let me know if you find something!
Someone higher up in the comments mentioned that the recipe worked well with rice vinegar instead of regular white vinegar. Could that work?
Someone did say they used it and it worked. I haven’t tested it though.
Bestttttt cake I have EVER made! Our son has severe food allergies and he loved that the video mentioned families with food allergies – it meant a lot to him! He’s having it for his fourth birthday:-)
I’m so glad!
Love your content! Thank you so much! Been a wonderful resource for me on navigating parenthood with lovely recipes to hand.
I used distilled vinegar and it came out a bit dense… do I need white vinegar specifically? Or can I put in a different amount of distilled vinegar?
Thanks again <3
I’m honestly not sure if the distilled vinegar can work as I’ve only used (or seen) white vinegar called for in recipes like this. You could possibly try more but I worry a little that if you do too much you might taste it? White vinegar does work really well if that’s an option in the future.
I am planning on making this recipe for a birthday this weekend, but i’m based in the UK and not sure if the white vinegar you mention is the equivalent to our white wine vinegar (this is the only white vinegar that comes up on searches in our grocery stores) which is derived from fermented wine rather than sugar cane. Just wondering what the white vinegar you use is made from?
Many thanks
Hi- you should be able to look for “distilled” vinegar, which is the type of white vinegar I use. You don’t want to use wine vinegar. It might be with cleaning supplies as it’s sometimes used for that also?
Wow! This was delicious! So incredibly simple and fast. We had it with the recommended quick frosting. Two thumbs up and 5 stars. Thank you Amy!