This is the best chocolate cake recipe for my family. It’s easy, start from scratch, incredibly moist, has the best chocolate frosting, and it’s delicious!
This chocolate cake is very easy to make, so you can definitely achieve perfect results even if you are not an average baker. Thanks to cocoa powder, melted butter and a light oil, the cake becomes moist and fluffy. To double the chocolate flavor, frosting with our cream chocolate buttercream frosting, I’ve shared it below!
Adam really loves chocolate cakes, so we turn to this recipe for his birthday every year (the whole family is always happy!). For another family favorite, be sure to check out our popular carrot cake recipes!
Key Ingredients
- Butter and oil: Many chocolate cake recipes require only oil, which is smart because the oil guarantees the cake will stay moist at room temperature for several days (because it won’t harden like butter). That said, I like the taste of butter, so I combined oil and butter. My butter and oil combination in the cake guarantees a moist cake with plenty of flavor. I use the same trick when making these single buffalo brownies.
- Cocoa powder: For this particular recipe, you need to use natural cocoa powder instead of Dutch-language cocoa powder. Use your favorites, but the options of Ghirardelli, Guittard or Hershey are all great choices.
- coffee: I brew my own coffee and make it stronger than I plan to drink. Coffee makes the chocolate taste more like chocolate (espresso is also a good choice). DeCaf works too!
- Flour and sugar: I use all-purpose flour and regular granulated sugar.
- Baking soda and baking powder: You both need this cake. Baking soda reacts with buttermilk, giving us a moist texture inside. Baking powder adds some lifts and keeps the middle well and ventilated.
- egg: I love this cake with 4 eggs as they add flavor and help our cake structure. It is best to use room temperature eggs. If yours is straight from the refrigerator, pop them (still in the shell) a bowl of hot water for a few minutes to remove and refrigerate, then place them in the recipe.
- Buttermilk: My favorite ingredients for making the best chocolate cakes! I highly recommend using real buttermilk for the best flavor and texture. Still, I included a buttermilk substitute made with milk and vinegar (or lemon juice) in the recipe below.
- Vanilla and salt: These bring the flavor of our cake. Don’t skip them!
- Chocolate Cream: Our recipe is simple and made with butter, cocoa sugar, sugar, salt, vanilla and cream sauce. The recipe is below, and you can read more about making here: Chocolate Cream Recipe.
Find the complete recipe in the measurements below.
My Tips for Making the Best Homemade Chocolate Cakes
Tip 1: Heat the cocoa powder for the best flavor. Let the cocoa powder sit in the cocoa with hot liquid, so that the cocoa powder dissolves all clumps to make it taste more like pure chocolate. In this simple chocolate cake recipe, we mix cocoa with hot melted butter and coffee before adding it to the rest of the ingredients. This is a great tip for getting a deep chocolate flavor. I love it so much and I use the same trick for our favorite brownie recipes!
Tip 2: Use buttermilk for the best texture. I was firmly at the Buttermilk camp when it came to chocolate cakes. It reacts with baking soda and makes the cake incredibly moist and delicious. I made this cake with milk and although it’s OK, the buttermilk cake tastes much better. It turns out it is more airy and tender in the middle and rises higher in the pan. Real buttermilk is the best and I included homemade alternatives in the recipe below.
Tip 3: Don’t over-bake chocolate cakes. For perfectly moist and tender crumbs, you should be careful not to over-appear the cake layer. Use a preheated oven and bake until the center is very lightly touching the top spring and the edges start to pull away from the edge of the pan. The toothpick or paring knife inserted in the center will also be cleaned.
Tip 4: Cool completely before frosting. If you grind the cake before 100% cool, it may melt and slide the cream off. I left the cake layers in the pan for 10 minutes and then placed them on the wire rack to allow them to cool completely. To speed up, let them cool on the counter for 30 minutes and then transfer to the refrigerator.
Simple chocolate cake
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This is our family’s favorite chocolate cake recipe, and this is our cream chocolate buttercream frosting (also shared below) and it’s perfect. Adam loves chocolate cakes, so naturally, this cake has become his birthday tradition.
Heat the cocoa powder with melted butter and coffee to exude the rich chocolate flavor of cocoa and the cake tastes great after baking. You don’t really taste the coffee, but it helps make this cake taste like decadent chocolate. Buttermilk tenderizes the cake and cute moist crumbs. I highly recommend using real buttermilk, but in the tips section below, I have added a homemade buttermilk to use milk and white vinegar.
Make a (9-inch) double-layer cake (16 slices)
You will need
For chocolate cakes
8 tablespoons unsalted butter (113g)
6 tablespoons vegetable oil (72 grams)
¾ cup natural cocoa powder, spoon and flat, such as Girardley (63g)
1 teaspoon fine sea salt
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
¾ cup of thriving coffee (170g)
2 cups all-purpose flour, spoon and smooth (260g)
1¾ cup sugar (350g)
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
4 large eggs at room temperature
1 cup buttermilk, shake at room temperature (240 ml)
For chocolate butter
1¼ cup unsalted butter at room temperature
¾ cup unsweetened cocoa powder (62 grams)
3½ cups powdered sugar (420g)
¼ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
4 tablespoons buttermilk, heavy cream or milk
direction
- Make chocolate cakes
1Preheat the oven and prepare the cake pan: Preheat the oven until 350°F (180°C). Gently lubricate two 9-inch cake pans and line the bottom with a round of parchment (see making tips).
2Heat butter, oil and cocoa: Melt the butter with the oil in a small saucepan over medium-low heat, add the cocoa powder, and stir to combine. Add salt, vanilla and coffee and bring to a boil. After cooking on low heat, turn off the heat and let it sit for 2 minutes.
3Prepare the dry ingredients: In a large bowl, stir the flour, sugar, baking soda and baking powder until combined.
4Make cake batter: Pour the cocoa mixture into a bowl with dry ingredients and stir until combined. Add one egg at a time and stir well after each addition. Finally, stir in buttermilk until the batter is smooth.
5Baking cake layer: Separate the cake batter between the prepared cake pans. Bake in a preheated oven until the top spring in the middle is touched lightest and the edges begin to pull away from the edge of the pan. Insert the toothpick or cake tester into the center to clean for 26 to 30 minutes.
6Cool: Transfer the cake layer (still in the pan) to a wire rack and let cool for 10 minutes. Then, place them on the rack to cool completely (if the cake layer is a little warm, the frosting will melt too).
- Make cream and frosting cakes
1Prepare the dry ingredients: In a medium bowl, stir together the cocoa powder and powdered sugar. Set aside.
2Beat butter: Use a stand mixer with blade attachment or electric manual mixer to beat room temperature butter at medium speed for 2 to 3 minutes. The color and creaminess of the butter should be significantly lighter. Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl to ensure it is evenly mixed.
3Combined ingredients: Using a blender at low speed, add the powdered sugar and cocoa mixture to butter and stack tablespoons at a time until well combined.
4Seasons and Whip: The blender is still running low, add salt, vanilla extract and 2 tablespoons buttermilk. Mix medium-high speed for about 30 seconds and check consistency. The frosting should be thick and can be spread, but don’t have a runny nose. If you want a softer, more whipped frosting, add the remaining 2 tablespoons buttermilk, at a time, until you reach the desired consistency. To do extra fluffy frosting, scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl and beat again at medium to high speed for 10 to 15 seconds.
5Prepare the cake layer: Once completely cooled, if your cake layer has a dome, trim the base layer with a serrated knife to make it flat. You can do the same with the top layer, but I left this dome. Upgrading is an optional step, but helps ensure a higher cake. I didn’t flatten the cake in the photo.
6Assembly and frost cake: Spread a small amount of frosting in the middle of the cake stand or edible plate to keep the cake in place. Place the first cake layer on top. Use about one-third of the frosting to spread the even layer over the top. Then, place the second cake layer lightly on top. Use the remaining frosting to apply a spacious final layer on top and sides of the cake.
Adam and Joanne’s Tips
- storage: Place the matte cake on the counter under the cake dome to keep it fresh for 3 to 4 days. Or store in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. You can freeze it too (I like to freeze a single slice).
- Store undiscarded cake layers: The uncovered baked cake layer can be wrapped and frozen for up to a month before frosting. Allow to thaw in the refrigerator.
- Make parchment circles: Fold a piece of parchment in half and fold it into a triangle. Hold the tip in the center of the pot and cut the paper along the edge of the pot. When you expand it, you will have a circle that fits the pot.
- Different plate sizes: Bake for 32 to 35 minutes, perform a 9-inch x 13-inch pan, 23 to 26 minutes for two 8-inch round cake pans.
- Chocolate Cake: This recipe makes 2 to 3 cupcakes. Fill the liner in half and bake in a preheated oven at 350°F (180°C) for 18 to 20 minutes, or until the center is very lightly touching the top spring. We also have this chocolate cupcake recipe.
- Dividing the batter: This recipe can be made into 1470g or 5½ cups of batter. For similar sized cake layers, add 735 grams or 2¾ cups to each cake pan.
- Measure cocoa and flour: Weigh or use the “spoon and level” method. Flour fluffy of flour/cocoa, pour it into the measuring cup, and use flat edges to raise from top to top.
- Homemade buttermilk: Stir 2 teaspoons of white vinegar with 1 cup of whole milk. Reserve for 5 to 10 minutes before use. You can use lemon juice instead of vinegar.
- Prevent the cake from sinking in the middle: This can happen if the oven door opens too early, or the cake is opened. Make sure your oven temperature is accurate and bake until the toothpick is clean. I set a timer for 25 minutes and then checked for the downgrade there.
- Recipe inspired by Ina Garten, King Arthur Baking and Hershey’s Chocolate Cake Recipes.
- The nutritional information provided is an estimate.
Nutrition per serving
Service size
1 small slice (16 in total)
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Calories
514
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Total fat
28.1g
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Saturated fat
18G
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cholesterol
101.7mg
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sodium
386.2mg
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carbohydrate
65.9 grams
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Dietary fiber
2.7 grams
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Total sugar
48.8 grams
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protein
5.4 grams
