Vegan Bundt Cake

This vegan Bundt cake is a rich, deeply chocolatey ring cake inspired by the classic German dessert, made entirely without eggs or dairy. The batter bakes up moist and tender thanks to melted coconut oil and brewed coffee, and it comes crowned with a warm pecan frosting and a silky chocolate sauce. If you want one showstopping cake that looks impressive and tastes decadent, this is the one to make.

I am sure you are familiar with the world-famous Bundt cake by now, and maybe you’ve already seen countless beautiful pictures of ring-shaped cakes on Pinterest! I wanted to create a yummy, decadent vegan version, and for this I used one of my favorite sweet ingredients: chocolate. Between the cocoa-rich crumb, the pecan chunks tucked into the middle, and two toppings poured over the top, this is not a shy cake. I promise it will be gone in a second!

What makes a Bundt cake a Bundt cake

The name comes entirely from the pan. A Bundt pan is a fluted ring mold with a hollow center tube, and that shape is what gives the cake its signature crown-like look and all those beautiful ridges. The center tube also matters for baking: it lets heat reach the middle of the batter, so a dense, chocolatey cake like this one cooks more evenly and does not stay gummy in the core. You do not need a special recipe to bake a Bundt, only the right pan and a batter sturdy enough to hold that detailed shape.

The ingredients that make it rich

Nothing here is exotic, but a few choices carry the whole cake. A full cup of cocoa powder is what makes the crumb so deeply chocolatey, so use a good unsweetened cocoa if you can. Melted coconut oil takes the place of butter in the batter and keeps everything moist; make sure it is fully liquid and not hot before you mix it in. The cup of brewed coffee is my favorite trick here, since coffee does not make the cake taste of coffee, it simply intensifies the chocolate and rounds out the sweetness of the brown sugar. Pecans show up in three places, chopped inside the cake and finely chopped in the frosting, so buy a little extra. For the two toppings you will want vegan butter, your vegan milk of choice, and good dark chocolate chips that melt smoothly.

Why coffee and coconut oil work so well

Two ingredients are doing quiet heavy lifting. Coffee contains compounds that share flavor notes with cocoa, so a cup of it deepens the chocolate flavor without ever reading as coffee once the cake is baked. Coconut oil, meanwhile, is solid at room temperature, which means that as the finished cake cools, the fat firms up again and gives the crumb a tender, almost fudgy density that liquid oils cannot match. Together they are the reason this eggless, dairy-free cake tastes every bit as rich as a traditional one.

Tips for a perfect Bundt every time

The one place people lose a Bundt cake is getting it out of the pan, so grease it thoroughly and reach into every groove and fold of the fluting before the batter goes in. When you layer the batter, pour in half, scatter the chopped pecans and dark chocolate evenly across the middle, then top with the rest so the filling stays suspended in the center rather than sinking. Do not open the oven early; check for doneness at around the 40-minute mark by inserting a toothpick into the thickest part, and pull the cake when it comes out clean. Then be patient and let it cool before you turn it out onto a plate, because a warm cake is fragile and far more likely to break where the fluting is deepest.

Making the pecan frosting and chocolate sauce

This cake wears two toppings, and both come together on the stove. For the pecan frosting, melt the vegan butter over low heat, whisk in the flour until thick, then stream in the vegan milk and keep whisking until smooth before adding the sugar and pecans; cook it until it thickens, and if you want it even thicker, a tablespoon of coconut flour does the job. Finish it with vanilla and set it aside. For the chocolate sauce, bring the vegan milk just to a boil, take it off the heat, add the dark chocolate chips, and let them sit for about two minutes before whisking to a glossy, pourable sauce. Turn the cooled cake upside down onto a plate and spoon the pecan frosting and chocolate sauce over the top.

How to store and make it ahead

You can serve this cake right away while the chocolate sauce is still glossy, or store it in the fridge, where the coconut oil in the crumb keeps it lovely and moist for several days. If you are making it ahead, I would bake the cake and prepare both toppings separately, then assemble and pour over the sauces shortly before serving so everything looks fresh. It sits comfortably alongside my other dessert projects, so if you are baking your way through a sweet phase, take a look at these vegan chocolate muffins with caramelized walnuts or, for a no-bake option, this raw vegan chocolate and raspberry birthday cake. This recipe is baked in the spirit of classic German cuisine, so it belongs to a long tradition of ring cakes.

What to serve with vegan Bundt cake

A slice of this cake is plenty on its own, but it shines with a cup of coffee or tea to balance all that chocolate. If you are putting together a spread of homemade sweets for a gathering, pair it with something lighter in texture like these vegan whole grain cookies, or offer a gluten-free option next to it with a gluten-free vanilla cake so everyone at the table has a slice they can enjoy.

If you bake this vegan Bundt cake, I would love to know how it turned out for you. Leave a star rating below and drop a comment telling me whether you kept the pecans in the center or went all in on the chocolate sauce. Every note helps me and other readers, and I read them all!

Vegan Bundt Cake

Learn how to make a delicious vegan Bundt cake inspired by the authentic German dessert recipe. It’s extremely rich in chocolate and has an incredible texture you’ll love.

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Prep Time 20 minutes minutes

Cook Time 40 minutes minutes

Total Time 1 hour hour

Choose Serving Size 8

Ingredients 

MetricUS (Imperial)

Dry ingredients:

• 2 ¼ cups flour
• 1 cup cocoa powder
• 1 tsp baking powder
• ½ tsp baking soda
• 1 cup brown sugar

Wet ingredients:

• 1 cup coconut oil melted
• 1 cup brewed coffee
• 1 tsp natural vanilla extract

Filling:

• ½ cup pecans chopped
• ¼ cup dark chocolate chopped

For the icing:

• 1 cup pecans finely chopped
• 1 Tbsp vegan butter
• 1 cup vegan milk
• 2 Tbsp brown sugar
• ½ tsp vanilla extract
• ½ Tbsp flour
• 1 Tbsp coconut flour

For the chocolate sauce:

• 1 cup vegan milk of choice
• 1 cup dark chocolate chips

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 200 C.
• Grease a Bundt cake pan.
• In a large bowl add all the dry cake ingredients.
• In another bowl, combine all the wet ingredients.
• Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients and mix well to combine.
• Pour half of the batter into a greased pan, top evenly with chopped pecans and chopped dark chocolate and then pour the rest of the batter.
• Bake for about 40 minutes or until the toothpick comes out clean. Let cool and set aside.
• Frosting:
• Set a medium saucepan on low heat. Add vegan butter. When the butter is melted, add flour and whisk until well combined and thick. Add the milk and continue to whisk until homogenous. Add sugar and continue whisking. Add pecans and continue cooking until the sauce is thick. If you want to make it thicker, add a tablespoon of coconut flour (optional).
• Add vanilla for flavor. Set aside.
• For the chocolate sauce:
• In a small pot on high heat, bring the milk to a boil.
• Turn off the heat and add the chocolate chips.
• Let sit for about 2 minutes. Whisk to combine until you get a nice and smooth chocolate sauce.
• To assemble the cake, turn it upside down on a plate.
• Top it with pecan frosting and chocolate sauce.
• Serve immediately or store it in the fridge.

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