Do I really need to say anything?
Let me just say, people who eat “normal” desserts have been going back for thirds of this. It is so indulgently rich and decadent. Eating it feels like doing something…bad. In a reeeeally good way. The amazing thing is that, despite being made from only wholesome ingredients, it. just. tastes. like. cake.
Did I mention it’s 100 percent whole grain, contains no oil or eggs, and is sweetened only with dates? Or that it’s got only 9 ingredients in the whole thing – including the frosting?
I literally fed this to my kids for breakfast one morning and did not feel bad about it at all. Why would I? Would you feel bad if you put some dates, nuts, and whole grains in front of your kid for breakfast?
If you’re a seasoned baker and the ratio of flour to sugar looks surprising to you, that’s because date sugar is very fibrous and not very sweet, so it operates differently than other sugars. Instead of extracting just the sugar from the date as is typical for other sugars, here the dates are dried and ground, so you’re getting the entire plant – not only the sugar but loads of fiber and a host of nutrients. You can think of date sugar almost like a flour in itself. For more info on date sugar and other plant-based FAQ, click here.
New to date sugar? Not sure where to find it? I’ve got you covered – try this one or this one*. I do not recommend other brands of date sugar at this time, and I have tried a lot. One brand I tried literally tasted like dirt mixed with cumin and salt, while another brand regularly tastes burned. Then some brands contain oat flour, which I just don’t really want in my date sugar. It’s possible there are other good brands out there, but the two linked above are the only kinds I’ve found that I like. So while you are more than welcome to experiment with different brands yourself, I strongly suggest you use my recommendations 🙂
For a more extensive list of products I love and recommend, check out my shop!
If you’re looking for a way to have your cake and eat it too, this is your cake. (In related news, why is that even an expression? Who doesn’t have their cake specifically in order to eat it?)
Get ready to swoon.
The Ultimate Healthy Vegan Chocolate Fudge Cake
Ingredients
Cake
- 2 cups whole wheat flour
- 2 cups date sugar
- 1 1/4 cups cacao/cocoa powder
- 1/3 cup almond butter/unsweetened sunflower butter any nut butter will probably work
- 3 1/2 cups nondairy milk
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
Icing
- 2 cups raw cashew pieces soaked in water for a few hours if your food processor isn't very strong
- 3/4 cup date sugar
- 1/4 cup cacao/cocoa powder
- 1 3/4 cups nondairy milk
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Sift all dry ingredients into large bowl so as to avoid clumps.
- Add all wet ingredients and mix thoroughly.
- Prepare 9-inch springform pan with parchment paper and pour in the batter evenly.
- Bake for 45 minutes to an hour (an hour for pretty fudgey, 45 minutes for ultra fudgey).
- In the meantime prepare your icing by grinding all ingredients in the food processor until very smooth. This might take a few minutes. If your food processor isn't very strong, you might want to soak your cashews in water for a couple hours first (and then discard the water before using).
- Let cake cool for at least 20 minutes before removing from pan, and let cool nearly completely before icing.
- Spread icing evenly on all sides of cake.
- Serve and enjoy! Store in the fridge or freezer.
*As an Amazon Associate, I earn a small commission from qualifying purchases. I only recommend products I use or would use myself!
This cake recipe is absolutely amazing. If you microwave a slice for 30-60 seconds it’s just like chocolate fudge cake.
I am so happy you enjoyed it!
This sounds great and I picked up all the ingredients I needed, but I don’t have a springform pan. Can this be made in a Pyrex 8×8 baking dish? Would the times change much? Thanks!
You can definitely do it in an 8×8 (or really any other similarly sized baking dish that you have at home). I have used all kinds of baking dishes for this and don’t think the time will change much, but I don’t always time it. Check readiness with a toothpick, etc, and you should be good. Let me know if you try this and how it turns out!
Which is better, cocoa or cacao? Isn’t cacao rather bitter and requires more sweetness to overwhelm the bitterness?
Good question. Cacao is raw cocoa. They taste almost exactly identical and can be used interchangeably. I tend to use cocoa in baked things and cacao in raw things.
I made this cake yesterday for my birthday today, and let me tell you…it was amazing! Great fudgy texture, not too sweet, but certainly sweet enough. And OMG, the icing is perfect. I am the only one in my family that eats WFPBNO, and my poor husband would not have had a clue what to get for me. It was wonderful to have a cake for my birthday that I didn’t have to feel one bit bad eating. I could have the cake and eat it too! Will definitely make this again. I will say date sugar was hard to find. Next time I will order in advance instead of going to five stores 😜
Happy birthday! I am so thrilled you were able to celebrate with something you enjoyed. Thanks so much for the review!
Thank you for the recipe. We did make it gluten free with 1 1/4 C spelt and 3/4 C tapioca flour. The rest of the recipe went unchanged. Delicious.
Awesome! So glad you made it work for you!
spelt is not gluten free btw.
That is true! However many people still tolerate spelt better than wheat.
Have you made this in a sheet pan?
I have not, but it should work just fine as long as you adjust the baking time accordingly! I would start with 15 min and then check every few min after that. Would love to hear if you try it!
My friend sent me a link to this cake a while ago and I finally tried it about a month ago. Since then I keep coming back to this timeless recipe, this cake is a huge hit and I’ve passed it on to other friends.
That’s awesome! Thanks for sharing!
do you buy the date sugar in bulk to cut down on the cost? I see you use quite a bit. probably more than one package for this recipe.
I used to buy in bulk from a supplier that I don’t think makes it anymore 🙁 I don’t buy in bulk anymore, but I also don’t use it very frequently. I usually only make 2 or 3 recipes with it in a month.
Sounds awesome! Is there anyway to make this without gluten? Say oats or rice flour?
Thanks! I have not done a GF version of this but would think it would work similarly with a good quality GF blend. If you try it I’d love to hear how it turns out!
Looks wonderful! Does it have to be cooked in a springform pan?
Thank you! You can use any similarly sized baking pan that suits you; just keep your eye on the oven and adjust your baking time if needed!
This is my new go to recipe!
Awesome! Thank you so much!
A friend made this and I loved it so much I had to look up the recipe for myself!
So glad you found it! Thanks for posting!
Looks so delicious! Can’t wait to try it!
Thank you, Miriam! Hope you love it as much as we do!
Love it, love it!!
I have been looking for a cake without sugar that taste like a cake for many years. Thanks for introduce me to date sugar! Kids approved!
So glad!
Absolutely delicious! Nom nom nommmm
Thank you so much!
Absolutely delicious! Nom nom nommmmm
yay! so glad you like it!
I need to make this! Which non dairy milk do you think works best with this recipe? Thanks
I use unsweetened soy milk from Trader Joe’s or West Soy brand as both contain only two ingredients – soy beans and water! But I think you’d get similar results with any nondairy milk.
So luxurious and decadent, yet so easy to throw together. I love getting that fudgy taste and texture without using any refined sugar or margarine!
Thank you so much!