How To Ensure Your Vegan Chocolate Cake Is Moist And Fluffy Every Time

Baking in general can be challenging, whether you're aiming for extra-fudgy brownies or a light, airy sponge cake. It is imperative to use exact measurements, otherwise the final product could end up with a dry texture or too-bland taste. Vegan baking has an even higher level of difficulty, with the lack of butter, milk, and eggs to bind and fluff your recipe to perfection. If not interchanged correctly, substituting other ingredients for the dairy, such as applesauce or banana, can sometimes leave cakes and muffins sunken, dense, or with holes. Luckily, Jessie Sheehan, self-proclaimed queen of easy-peasy bakes and author of "Snackable Bakes," shared a few tips with us on how to make sure your vegan chocolate cake will always be moist and fluffy.

"Oil-based cakes are the best cakes, in my opinion, since they are über moist and stay so for days," Sheehan explains. Because oil stays liquid at room temperature whereas butter solidifies, this easy ingredient swap will keep cakes moist for longer. A one-to-one ratio is a good rule of thumb for this substitution. "Brown sugar is also a great sugar to use if you're after moisture," adds Sheehan, "as it contributes more than granulated." Because the former contains molasses, it's a bit more wet than granulated white sugar. One last tried-and-true trick for a moist vegan cake is to add shredded zucchini, which acts as an additional wet ingredient. This versatile veggie will also add volume to the cake to prevent it from turning out flat.

While moisture is definitely an important component of cake, it's imperative not to compromise the fluffy structure of your baked goods. Whether you're craving vegan vanilla cupcakes, something a bit fancier like vegan carrot cake with cinnamon-cashew frosting, or a vegan spin on a classic chocolate cake, you want to make sure the texture is pleasing. Because you may be replacing the butter in the recipe with oil, it's necessary to know what effect that can have on texture. When butter and sugar are creamed together, the process creates air bubbles, which help make the cake airy. Without the butter, the oil may leave your cake dense. To maintain your vegan cake's structure, try creaming coconut oil or an oil-based vegan butter with the sugar.

Jessie Sheehan shares another route you can take: "I also like to combine vinegar and baking soda in my vegan chocolate cakes, as this combo gives a cake a lot of lift and therefore fluffiness, despite the lack of eggs," she notes. The bubbling chemical reaction of vinegar and baking soda will also create air pockets, resulting in a lighter final product. While the vinegar does help lift the cake, the taste won't be affected. Finally, as in all baked goods, sifting the flour and measuring it exactly will help keep your cake light, as any extra can result in a dense product.