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 extract
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.
Sandy says
I am making a 2 teir cake with 10 & 8 inch pans. They are 2 inch pans. Should I double both layers and if so how many batches of batter should I make?
Olivia says
Hi Sandy! Converting pan sizes is always tricky. Here’s a site I use as a guideline: http://www.joyofbaking.com/PanSizes.html
Bozena says
Love all your recipes! I am your huge fan! I have tried baking the chocolate cake before and it is absolutelly delicious. I don’t know what I did wrong but the cake rise in the middle and then sunk. This did not affected the flavour or texture by much. Do you know what I did wrong?
Olivia says
Hi Bozena! Thank you!! 🙂 Did the cake sink in the oven or after you took it out? If the latter then it probably needed a bit more time in the oven.
Bozena says
It sunk after bringing it fom the oven. I will try to be more patient next time 🙂 I am always scared of overbaking cakes.
Olivia says
I know, me too! But you can always save an overbaked one with simple syrup 🙂 I do a few things to check my cakes to see if they’re done. First is the jiggle test — I nudge the oven (with the door closed) and see if there is any movement, if none, I open the oven door and gently nudge a pan. If no movement I press my finger lightly into the top to see if it springs back, and then lastly I check with a cake skewer till mostly clean. It’s a process!
Bozena says
Thank you 🙂 It came out perfect this time and did not sink in the middle 🙂
But I had a problem with the buttercream…my meringue did not want to give hard peaks instead I had soft dropping peaks. There was no yolk and no grease as I wiped everything with the lemon juice. I was mixing it for a long time until the bowl was cool but still the peak was not stiff 🙁 I really do not know what I am doing wrong ;( Any advice would be highly appreciated 🙂
Olivia says
Yay! So glad to hear the cakes were a success. Regarding the meringue, the only things I know that will affect it are grease or yolk. Did you use carton egg whites by chance? I haven’t had success using those myself. Also, I always wipe the under side of my mixer where the whisk attaches, in case there is residual batter or something from a previous cake splattered on there that could fall in. Have a read through this post for all my tips and troubleshooting with SMBC: https://livforcake.com/swiss-meringue-buttercream-recipe/ I hope your next one is a success!!
Ericka Powell says
Could this recipe be changed from chocolate to a regular vanilla cake just by subtracting the chocolate and adding the same amount of flour? I’d love to use this for a vanilla cake or even a lemon one. The chocolate was to die for.
Olivia says
Hi Ericka! No, that wouldn’t work out so well. I do have a delicious vanilla cake recipe here though: https://livforcake.com/vanilla-cake/
demi says
hi ..love ur recipes…please i want to know how much will i need for a 2layer 7inch cake and how much for 2 layer 4inch cakes?i want ot make a two tier cake but i dont know if the recipe can do both cakes or just one?also if u know the baking time?\thanks
Olivia says
Hi Demi! Converting pan sizes is always tricky. Here’s a site I use as a guideline: http://www.joyofbaking.com/PanSizes.html
Demi says
Thanks.will check it
Anusha Zachariah says
Hi Olivia! I love all your recipes and this is my go to chocolate cake. Is there any way the egg can be substituted so that this cake is friendly for my vegetarian friends ?
Olivia says
Hi Anusha! I haven’t baked with egg substitutes myself, but there are some options. If you want to replace all of the eggs I would suggest something like this: https://well.ca/products/bobs-red-mill-egg-replacer_148036.html?
Victoria says
Hi Liv, I’ve made this cake, just the base cake and found it to be on the salty side. As it is for a crowd, it has me a bit anxious. I have converted the measures to metric system (I use a scale to measure everything) but left ingredients on Tbs as is. I have checked and re checked and I don’t think I made a mistake on the amounts used. Do you think this cake is naturally on the salty side or the conversion of metrics might had something to do? I made 1.5 times the recipe and used 2 10’’ pans. I’d love to hear you opinion.
I also made your oatmeal cookies (with raisins, sorry) and I found them excellent but on the salty side, feature my husband keeps saying makes them more awesome.
Thank you again,
Olivia says
Hi Victoria! Did you use the metric converter below the list of ingredients or do it yourself? Did you find the baked cake to be salty or just the batter? I sometimes find the batter salty, but not the cake once it’s baked. It does make for a slightly less sweet cake which pairs nicely with the sweet frosting. If you like, you can reduce the amount of salt though!
Victoria says
Hi Liv, I used the page convertor, did not do it myself.
I might reduce the salt next time. Thanks,
Victoria says
Hi Liv, your recipes are awesome!
Question, I do not usually buy buttermilk so I wouldn’t like to buy and waste the remainder. Can it be substituted with milk and / or plain yogurt?
Also, the vegetable oil is supposed to be neutral, as in not olive?
Thanks for sharing!
Olivia says
Hi Victoria! You can make your own buttermilk at home! This is what I usually do. Add 1 Tbsp of lemon juice or vinegar to 1 cup milk and let sit for 10mins. And yes, a neutral oil is preferred.
Anthony says
Awesome cake. This is my second SMB variant I have made from this blog. The first was a coconut one I used for my raspberry coconut white cake. Quick question: could you use one egg instead of two for a more fudgey cake or is that just to risky?
Olivia says
Hi Anthony! So happy to hear that you liked it and love the SMBC. You could certainly give it a try with one egg and see, or maybe reduce some baking soda/powder if you fee like experimenting. Let me know if you do and how it tuns out!
Jacqui Lim says
The most delightful Chocolate Cake ever.
Thank you Liv.
Is it possible to bake this Gluten Free?
Your thoughts.
I used the cake strips at 175C both my cakes had a slight dome. Maybe I should lower the temp to 170C. I baked it for 42 mins.
Nonetheless, it tasted lovely!!!
Jacqui
Olivia says
Hi Jacqui! It should be fine to use an all-purpose GF flour blend. It’s possible your oven runs a bit on the hotter side. Can’t hurt to lower the temp a bit and see if that helps 🙂
Cece says
I want to make this cake but what if the frosting comes out liquidy and runny? I have experienced this issue three to four times and cant figure out what went wrong? Too much sugar, wrong brand sugar, or wrong brand butter…? Do you have any tips to keep it from turning liquid?
Olivia says
Hi Cece! Have you read the tips in my Swiss meringue buttercream post? https://livforcake.com/swiss-meringue-buttercream-recipe/ Also make sure your chocolate is completely cooled before you add it in.
Leigh says
delicious!!
Olivia says
So glad you liked it Leigh!
Melanie says
Hello! This recipe can be used to make a tier cake or to cover it with fondant?
Olivia says
Hi Melanie! Provided the tiers are properly supported it should work fine.
Sara Rossow says
Can I use this recipe in a 9×13 pan?
Olivia says
Hi Sara! Converting pan sizes is always tricky. Here’s a site I use as a guideline: http://www.joyofbaking.com/PanSizes.html It would work fine but might be thinner. You could 1.5x the recipe just make sure not to fill the pan more than half full as the batter rises a lot.
Rachel says
I loved this recipe and so did my family but i was wondering if it’s possible to use this recipe for cupcakes?
Olivia says
Hi Rachel! Many people have made this as cupcakes with success. All you need to do is reduce the baking time — start checking at 15mins or so. And be sure not to fill the liners more than half full as the batter rises a LOT.
Gabrielle MacMaster says
Did anyone make the butter cream with milk chocolate? I’m making this for a 9 year olds birthday who does not like dark chocolate
Olivia says
Hi Gabrielle! Milk chocolate will work just fine but the frosting will be sweeter overall — which isn’t necessarily a bad thing in the mind of a 9 year old I imagine 🙂
Babara Ann McCall says
I love this cake. I have celiac disease and can’t have gluten so i substituted Pillsbury gluten free flour for the flour in your reciepe. I also used used coffee in place of the boiling water. It baked great in about 45 minute. It will definatly be my go to chocolate cake from now on.
Olivia says
Hi Barbara! So glad you liked this, thanks for your tip re: the GF flour!
Charlotte says
Hi, this is my go to chocolate cake recipe, I even make it dairy free by subbing the buttermilk for soya yogurt (which works like a dream by the way!) but my son has asked if I can make him a chocolate coconut cake for his birthday. Any tips on getting a good hit of coconut into the flavour?! Thanks, C
Olivia says
Hi Charlotte! You could try using canned coconut milk or adding some coconut milk powder to it. Or just make a chocolate cake with coconut frosting instead 🙂
Charlotte Traer says
Thank you so much. I’ll give it a try! X
Darcy says
I made this cake only two days ago. It turned out AMAZING.
Will definitely use the recipe again, it is the best out of all the ones I have tried.
Thank you so much for sharing!
Olivia says
Hi Darcy! Thanks for the great feedback, I’m glad you loved it 🙂
Josephine says
Hello liv.
What quantity of ingredients can I use for a 10 x 14 rectangular pan?
I want to bake on Tuesday so I need an urgent reply.
Thanks
Olivia says
Hi Josephine! Converting pan sizes is always tricky. Here’s a site I use as a guideline: http://www.joyofbaking.com/PanSizes.html I would recommend 2x the recipe for ease and make cupcakes with any extra batter.
Angela says
This looks so delicious! I would like to bake this for my girl’s bday but i have a few questions. I need to decorate the exterior of the cake with a girlie meringue frosting, do you think this will work with your vanilla swiss meringue frosting instead of chocolate? Also, i tried your vanilla cake with buttercream recipe but the cake turn out really dense instead of fluffy. Do you think it’s bcoz my cake strip was too wet? Thank you olivia!
Olivia says
Hi Angela! Yes I think the vanilla Swiss meringue will work perfectly fine. Regarding the dense cake — it is not a light and fluffy cake recipe but if it came out too dense make sure you don’t overmix the cake batter and that your baking powder is not expired.
Anisha says
Hi. Can I use cake flour instead of AP flour? Would it make a difference?
Olivia says
Hi Anisha! I think it should be fine.
Sofia says
Oh my god. I made this (well, a less beautiful version of it..) for a friend as a “sorry I couldn’t make it to your birthaday-cake”. Should’ve halved the recipe, because I realised that that was waaaaaaay too much cake. I’ll take that back – there’s no such thing as “way too much cake”. So while making the cute little birthday cake, I found out that two friends of mine officially got engaged! So out of this, I made two cakes of the smaller size, both 3 tiers. Plus two, almost bitesized cakes, for my husband to eat (he doesn’t even like chocolate, and he was still upset that that was all he got…).
I always loved baking as a child, no matter the results. Now, at 27, I’m a chef, and not much of a pastry girl anymore – if I fail once, it puts me off any baking whatsoever for a good while. But regarding my decoration skills, this cake turned out amazing, and the chocolate Swiss meringue buttercream turned out amazing (pff, never making any other again!). Added a layer of semi sour raspberries on one of the cake layers as well.
Such a success! Birthday girl loved her cake. The engaged couple loved their cake. Even my chocolate hating husband enjoyed it.
And later today, I think I’ll try to make a vanilla cake with raspberry Swiss meringue buttercream.. Maybe some white chocolate incorporated somewhere. Wish me luck!
And thanks you for getting my baking motivation back!
Olivia says
Hi Sofia! Thanks so much for this amazing comment!! I’m so glad my recipe helped you get your baking groove back and that everyone loved the cake. I can’t wait to hear what you try next 🙂