This classic recipe pairs delicious moist chocolatey cake layers with a rich and silky chocolate buttercream. It’s the only chocolate cake recipe you will ever need!
There are few things more comforting in this world than good old chocolate cake. It is, in fact, one of my most favorite things to eat. The classic combo of chocolate + chocolate is truly the best.
I’m so excited to share my favorite homemade chocolate cake recipe with you. It is delicate yet sturdy, with a perfect crumb, and full of flavor. I’ve been using this one for years and I love it. The best part? It’s super easy to whip together and bakes up perfectly every time.
Whether you’re celebrating a special occasion or satisfying a chocolate craving, this recipe is all you need.
How to Make the Best Chocolate Cake
This recipe uses a simple mixing method and simple ingredients. You don’t have to worry about creaming butter and sugar or alternating flour and milk. You just:
- Combine the dry ingredients
- Combine the wet ingredients
- Mix both together and bake
You can make this cake either using a stand mixer or just by hand using a large bowl or two.
If you prefer, you can use hot coffee instead of hot water. It is commonly used in this type of recipe and helps enhance the chocolate flavor a bit. I’m usually too lazy to make coffee and I find the hot water version perfectly delicious. Alternatively, you can dissolve 1 Tbsp of instant espresso powder in the hot water.
Buttermilk is needed for this recipe and can’t be replaced with regular milk. If you don’t have buttermilk at home read through the FAQ section below on how to make your own.
Cake Tip!
The cake batter will be very thin and liquid. This is normal! The batter also rises a lot so be sure not to fill your pans more than half full or so.
This recipe is a crowd-pleaser and a fan favorite. It will go perfectly with almost any flavor of frosting. Today, I’ve paired it with a classic chocolate Swiss meringue buttercream.
Chocolate Swiss Meringue Buttercream
This chocolate buttercream recipe is pure heaven. It is seriously SO good that you’ll be eating it with a spoon. I’ve made chocolate Swiss meringue buttercream in the past, but have always struggled a bit getting it to look and taste very chocolatey. With American chocolate buttercream, it’s easier to achieve that fudgy flavor and color.
If you’d like to enhance the chocolate flavor even more you can add a bit of cocoa powder to the buttercream like I did here in my German Chocolate Cake. You can just add it 1 Tbsp at a time until you get the desired flavor or color.
If you want a darker chocolate frosting you can also add some chocolate brown color gel to it. I don’t find it necessary, but it’s an option.
If you prefer an easier frosting, I have a great recipe for an American-style easy chocolate buttercream that you can use instead. Or, if you want something even richer, you can pair it with a chocolate ganache frosting.
Whatever frosting you choose, I do recommend using high quality chocolate for the buttercream as it will really improve the flavor and texture.
Be sure to use the best quality chocolate you can get your hands on. This typically excludes anything you’d find in your local grocery store, but Lindt will do if you don’t have access to anything else. When I’m using chocolate in ganache or frosting, I like to use a high-quality semi sweet chocolate from Callebaut which is readily available to me.
A high-quality chocolate will really enhance the flavor and texture of your cakes, cookies, and frostings. Other brands I like to use are Valhrona, Cacao Barry, and Ghirardelli.
This deliciously moist chocolate cake recipe is a reader favorite and in my top 5 favorite cakes of all time. Perfect for the chocolate cake lover in your life. I am sure you will love it as much as I do!
Frequently Asked Questions
How can I convert this recipe?
- You can use this recipe to make a three-layer 6″ cake instead, but make sure your cake pans are 3″ tall. Or use this recipe here.
- To make cupcakes, all you need to do is reduce the baking time — start checking at 15mins or so. The recipe will make 18-24 cupcakes depending on size.
- For other conversions go here. Bake time may vary depending on pan size.
Can I make it in advance?
- The cooled cake layers can be baked ahead of time, double wrapped in plastic wrap, and frozen for up to 3 months. Take out 2-3 hours before assembly.
- The frosting can be placed in an airtight container and refrigerated for 1 week or frozen for 3 months. Bring to room temperature and rewhip before using.
- The finished cake (whole or sliced, stored airtight) can be frozen for up to 3 months.
Can I get the measurements by weight/grams?
- There is a Metric option in the recipe card. If you click it it will convert everything to grams.
- This conversion is done automatically and I cannot guarantee the accuracy but many readers have had success using the metric option for this recipe.
What if I don’t have Dutch-process cocoa powder?
- I like to use Dutch-process cocoa powder in all of my chocolate recipes, but most any kind of cocoa powder will work just fine.
- Dutch-process has had some of the acid stripped from it and yields a richer flavor overall. Again, it won’t make or break the recipe to use regular cocoa powder here.
What if I don’t have buttermilk?
- Buttermilk is not optional and cannot be swapped for milk as it will affect the overall result.
- For best results, use actual buttermilk, but if you don’t have any you can make your own at home by combining 1 cup of milk (whole milk ideally, but I often just use 1%) with 1 Tbsp of lemon juice or vinegar and letting it sit for 10mins.
Can I use hot coffee instead of hot water?
- You’ll often see this kind of chocolate cake recipe using hot coffee instead of hot water in the batter, and you can use either.
Does the sugar get mixed with the wet or dry ingredients?
- I combine the granulated sugar with the dry ingredients.
Tips for making this Homemade Chocolate Cake Recipe
- The cake batter will be very thin and liquid. This is normal! It also rises a lot so be sure not to fill your pans more than half full or so.
- If you’d prefer to use an American-style buttercream with this chocolate cake you can double my Easy Chocolate Buttercream Frosting recipe.
- I used a 1M tip to create the frosting effect on the side of the cake.
- Be sure to use room temperature ingredients unless specified.
- I like to prepare my cake pans using Homemade Cake Release and line with parchment paper.
- Be sure to check my Swiss Meringue Buttercream post for tips and troubleshooting.
- Learn how to keep your cakes moist using Simple Syrup.
- To help ensure your cake layers bake up nice and flat, check out my How to Bake Flat Cake Layers post!
Homemade Chocolate Cake Recipe
Ingredients
Chocolate Cake:
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- 3/4 cup Dutch-processed cocoa powder sifted
- 2 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 cup vegetable oil
- 1 cup buttermilk room temperature
- 1 cup hot water or hot coffee
- 2 large eggs room temperature
- 2 tsp vanilla
Chocolate Swiss Meringue Buttercream:
- 6 large egg whites
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- 2 cups unsalted butter room temperature
- 10 oz good quality dark chocolate chopped, melted, cooled
Assembly:
- chocolate curls or sprinkles
Instructions
Chocolate Cake:
- Preheat oven to 350F, grease two 8-inch cake pans and dust with cocoa powder. Line bottoms with parchment paper.
- Place all dry ingredients into the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Stir to combine.
- In a medium bowl whisk all wet ingredients (pour hot water/coffee in slowly as not to cook the eggs).
- Add wet ingredients to dry and mix on medium for 2-3 mins. Batter will be very thin.
- Divide batter evenly in your prepared pans. I used a kitchen scale to ensure the batter is evenly distributed.
- Bake for 40-45 mins or until a cake tester comes out mostly clean.
- Cool 10 minutes in the pans then turn out onto a cooling rack to cool completely.
Chocolate Swiss Meringue Buttercream:
- Place egg whites and sugar into the bowl of a stand mixer, whisk until combined.*
- Place bowl over a double boiler on the stove and whisk constantly until the mixture is hot and no longer grainy to the touch (approx. 3mins). Or registers 160F on a candy thermometer.
- Place bowl on your stand mixer and whisk on med-high until the meringue is stiff and cooled (the bowl is no longer warm to the touch (approx. 5-10mins)).
- Switch to paddle attachment. Slowly add cubed butter and mix until smooth.**
- Add cooled melted chocolate and whip until smooth.
Assembly:
- Place a layer of cake on a cake stand or serving plate. Top with approx. 1 cup of buttercream and spread evenly. Place the second layer on top and do a thin crumb coat on the cake. Chill for 20mins.
- Place 1 cup of frosting on top and spread evenly. Smooth the sides and flatten the top, then use a large offset spatula to do a swirl pattern on top.
- Using a piping bag fitted with a 1M tip, pipe rows of frosting around the cake, starting at the bottom. Apply even pressure as you rotate your turntable. Continue working your way up the cake to the top, making sure the seams all align at the back.
- Decorate the top with chocolate curls, pearls, and flakes if desired.
Sarah says
This recipe is amazing, my go to for YEARS! That being said, in the last month every time I’ve made it (lots) my cakes sink in the middle. Even my cupcakes are sinking. This has never happened in the past. I haven’t changed a thing so I’m not sure what is going on, any thoughts? I am 100% sure it is user error, this recipe is fantastic, the best!!
Olivia says
Hi Sarah! Weird! have you moved recently? New oven? Higher elevation? If they are sinking once you take them out that means they needed more baking time, but if they are sinking in the oven it’s a leavening issue usually.
Anna says
I love your site for all the resources it provides (easy to search and all) but seriously, the pop up ads and videos are SO INCREDIBLY DISTRACTING to this potentially undiagnosed ADHD adult! And it makes it very difficult to read the recipe on mobile with all the ads and video popping up (I had to switch to my two monitors on my desktop so I could FOCUS and choose the recipes I wanted.) I LOVE the chocolate cake recipes and I LOVE that I can make strawberry ABC to make a home made cake for my hubby for his birthday and yes I understand, you get money when people click ads or maybe because they see the ads, I don’t know how all that works BUT just wanted to let you know, it’s a little (A LOT) distracting.
Olivia says
Hi Anna! Thank you so much for your feedback and I am so sorry the experience on my site has been less than pleasant for you. I do make the majority of my income through ads on this site. It helps me be able to provide content for free to everyone! That being said, there should not be pop-up ads outside of the occasional video ad. I will let my ad management company know and give them our feedback.
Astro says
Hi! Is it possible to make this cake in a 9×13 inch pan? What adjustments should be made to the amount of batter and baking temperature? Thanks in advance!
Olivia says
Hi Astro! Yes, that should work fine. Note that the batter is very thin and rises a lot (doubles in size). Baking temperature should stay the same but time will likely vary.
LaGina says
Can you use this recipe to make cupcakes? If so, how many will it make?
Thank you!
Olivia says
Hi LaGina! Yes, I mention this in the FAQ in the post: To make cupcakes, all you need to do is reduce the baking time — start checking at 15mins or so. The recipe will make 18-24 cupcakes depending on size. Be sure to not fill the cupcake liners more than half full as the batter rises a lot.
Sandra says
Hi, I would like to make a three layer 8″ cake. How many inches are layers in your picture. Do you think I can use just 1X or would I have to make 2X or use the servings arrow to increase.for the amount of people it would be for? Thank you
Olivia says
Hi Sandra! I would 1.5x the recipe for three 8″ pans. The layers will be a little thinner though. You can 2x it too, but you will probably have extra batter (which you can use to make cupcakes). Be sure not to fill the pans more than half full as the batter doubles in size. To get the amounts you can change the Serving size to either 18 or 24 depending on how much you increase it by.
Ana says
Hi Olivia! I’ve made this cake several times, and it remains my absolute favourite!
This time I am attempting a two tier cake for my son’s birthday, and I am unsure if this type of cake will be ok for the tiers? My concern is that it collapses or crumbles and it is so soft and moist. What do you think?
I am making it tomorrow so please let me know when you get a chance.
Olivia says
Hi Ana! It should not be so soft that it collapses and crumbles! How many cake layers are you planning to stack in each tier? As I mentioned in my previous comment as long as the tiers are properly supported it should work ok. Chill the cake layers before stacking, I find that makes them easier to work with.
ana says
Hi! I’ve made this cake several times, and it is my absolute favourite!
Now, I need to make a two tier chocolate cake, and I am wondering if this recipe is a good one for a two tier cake? Do you think it’ll be too soft ? It’s a 10 and a 7 inch cake stacked. I am making it tonight, so please let me know! 😉
Olivia says
Hi Ana! I haven’t made it as a tiered cake, but as long as the upper tier is properly supported and not directly sitting on top of the bottom tier it should be fine.
Stephanie says
Hi Olivia! I love your recipes. I recently moved to Costa Rica and it recently got super humid. Do you know of any changes to make when baking in a humid climate? I have realised my sourdough requires more flour but then it’s sitting in the humid air to prove. Wondered if you thought cakes would need changing! Thank you!
Olivia says
Hi Stephanie! Humidity can wreak havoc on baking for sure. Some things are more forgiving than others. Meringue in particular can be fussy but usually it should still work out ok. I haven’t baked in extreme humidity myself but found this post that might help: https://www.bakingkneads.com/baking-in-high-humidity/
Genia says
Hello, how do you measure your flour? Did and sweep or spoon it into the measuring cup?
Thank you
Olivia says
Hi Genia! I always spoon it into the cup and level it off.
Brie says
Delicious cake-especially the frosting! Though as a mom decorating with the help of a toddler, I didn’t get fancy and so we had so much leftover frosting!
Olivia says
Hi Brie! So glad you loved it 🙂 Nothing wrong with some leftover frosting! You can freeze it for later if you like 🙂
Alexandra says
Olivia! O. Liv. I. A. This cake is divine! I’ve now made your better than boxed cake, the mocha cake, and this one. The doctored box cake with yellow cake mix is now my go-to yellow cake. This cake is now my go-to chocolate cake. It’s moist, fluffy, and light as can be (i.e. not dense). I used a family favorite fudge frosting with it and it’s a real showstopper. Everyone loved it! Even my friend who doesn’t like sweets raved about it! I told my Chicago area friends and family that I think this cake just might be better than Portillo’s chocolate cake, and that’s really saying something from this Chicagoland native. I received rave reviews on the mocha cake too, but my own personal preference is this cake. I wish I could make all your recipes and lose weight at the same time. Once you’ve figured that out, could you let me know? Well done!
Alexandra says
I should note that I didn’t have buttermilk so I used the whole milk + vinegar trick. I also used instant espresso powder in the boiling water. I made three 6” layers and baked them for about 32 minutes until a toothpick came out with just a few crumbs. I don’t mind leveling my cake layers because I freeze the removed parts and then use them in homemade ice cream. I served this cake with homemade Jeni’s salty caramel ice cream and they paired quite well together.
Olivia says
Amazing, thanks so much for your tips!
Olivia says
Hi Alexandra! Thank you so much for the amazing feedback. That is some very high praise! This is truly one of my favorite cakes too. I, too, wish there was some magical way to eat all the cake and lose weight 😉
Barb and Poco says
Hi Olivia
My father was a British trained confectioner, always trying to make a great chocolate cake . I just made yours and if he would have tasted it, he would have said “THIS is perfect!!” “Now give me the recipe”. Haha. Miss you in the neighbourhood! Happy baking.
Olivia says
Hi Barb! So nice to hear from you. I really miss the old neighborhood! We visit Grady there every few weeks since Zelda goes to the groomers in Coq still. Maybe I’ll see you around on one of our walks. So glad you loved this one! xo
Angela says
This is the best chocolate cake ever. I want to scale up for a two tier cake but I’m worried this cake is too soft to stack and handle the weight? What do you think? Is there a different recipe you would recommend? Thank u!
Olivia says
Hi Angela! As long as the tiers are properly supported it should work fine.
Rita says
Chocolate cake is my favourite and This is a delicious recipe, however, I did make a few tweaks. First, I cut the sugar amount in half, used melted butter instead of vegetable oil and added coffee to he hot water. You don’t miss the sugar because of the frosting, the coffee increases the chocolate flavour and I don’t use oil so the melted butter works perfectly. Everyone loved the cake I made, it’s a keeper!
Olivia says
Hi Rita! I’m so happy you loved it and glad it still worked out with your changes 🙂
Kathy says
Hi! This cake was so delicious! A labor of love and my new favorite! I made ermine frosting which was also a first….YUMMY!
Question: why did my cake jiggle like jello? I wanted to cut layers but didn’t. It was dense but jiggled. I was afraid to saw through the jiggle….So just stacked it.???? Thank you.
Olivia says
Hi Kathy! So happy you loved this one 🙂 Did you make two layers? And wanted to cut those in half? You can do so but I recommend chilling the cake first so it’s more firm. It is a more delicate cake overall but chilling helps make it easier to cut.
Feliciana says
One of the best chocolate cakes I’ve made. My 2.5 year old had fun helping me make it. We added some espresso powder to the water since I was all out of hot coffee. We layered it with fresh raspberries. It was the perfect cake!
Olivia says
Hi Feliciana! So happy to hear you loved it. Chocolate and raspberry is one of my favourite combos!
FIONA LEWIS says
HI Liv, I’m converting this recipe to 2 x 10″ cakes using the cake tin conversion chart. Tins are 2.5″. Multiplying the ingredients at 1.56. Bit stumped on the eggs. Would you just use 1 extra egg. Thanks for your assistance.
Olivia says
Hi Fiona! For ease, I would change the Servings to 18 and use those amounts. It’s 1.5 rather than 1.56 but much easier numbers to work with 🙂
Fiona Lewis says
Thanks so much.
Kelsey W says
I love this recipe! It’s my go to chocolate cake and I’ve made it many times. I’m using different pans this time and I need 13 cups of batter. How many cups does the recipe yield? I’m thinking I need to set the servings to 18. Does this sound correct?
Olivia says
Hi Kelsey! So happy you love this one 🙂 I’ve never actually measured how many cups of batter this makes. What size pan are you scaling it up to? Converting pan sizes is always tricky. Here are some sites I use as a guideline:
http://www.joyofbaking.com/PanSizes.html
https://www.cookipedia.co.uk/recipes_wiki/Cake_tin_conversion_charts
Joyce kane says
How do you. Change ingredients for high altitude cakes
I have a one bowl chocolate cake that everyone loved when I lived in Florida but now I live in Colorado and my cakes are failing
Olivia says
Hi Joyce! Altitude can definitely wreak havoc on baking. It may take some experimentation on your part to figure out the proper ratios. I’ve never baked in high altitude, but here are some tips: https://www.kingarthurflour.com/learn/high-altitude-baking.html
And here are some general guidelines if you’re at 3000ft:
• Increase the oven temperature by 15-25F
• Decrease baking time by 5-10mins.
• Decrease sugar by 1 Tbsp per cup
• Decrease baking powder by 1/8 tsp per cup
• Increase liquid by 1-2 Tbsp per cup
• Add 1 Tbsp of flour
If you’re higher up than 3000ft, you will need to increase/decrease the ingredients incrementally. Again, it will require some experimentation but hopefully this helps!
Haadiyah says
Hi! Can I replace the dark chocolate with Callebaut milk chocolate? If yes, what’s the proportion?
Olivia says
Hi Haadiyah! For the buttercream you mean? Yes, that should work fine. I would use the same amount.