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.
Martha says
Hello Olivia,
I am from Germany and I’m not used to cups as we use scales to measure our ingredients…do you have the ingredients in gram too?
Thanks Already,
Martha
Olivia says
Hi Martha! There is a metric converter below the list of ingredients.
Evie says
Hi Liv I am setting up to do your recipe and I was wondering if you could use normal cocoa powder instead of Dutch?
Thankyou
Olivia says
Hi Evie! Normal cocoa powder should work fine.
Zelda says
Hi,
I love the taste of this cake!! I’ve made it today for the 3rd time. Since this will become my go to chocolate cake I have to ask, every time I bake it and take it from the oven and allow to cool the cake falls flat, from double its size down to the height from when I poured the batter in. 🙁 i put a metal cake tester in and it comes out clean every time (I check in 2 or 3 spots). Any idea what I can do differently? I double the recipe and devide between four 8″ pans (when I weigh it’s about 435 grams a pan) cause i don’t don’t a 6″.
Please help!
Thanks x
Olivia says
Hi Zelda! That should definitely not be happening. It should double and stay doubled! Are you at high elevation by chance? That can cause problems with baking in general. If not then it could have something to do with doubling the recipe. Sometimes that can cause issues as well. If you are at high elevation though here are some tips:
If you’re at high altitude you will need to make some adjustments and it might take some experimentation on your part. I’ve never baked in high altitude, but here are some tips: https://www.kingarthurflour.com/learn/high-altitude-baking.html
Here are some general guidelines if you’re at 3000ft:
• Increase the oven temperature by 15-25F
• Decrease baking time by 5-10mins (refer to “How to Test if a Cake is Done” section).
• 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. There are some great resources for high altitude baking out there.
Sabrina says
Hi Liv! I love this recipe. I was wondering if I could use it as is for a single 11 inch layer or should I use 1.5x /2× the recipe. Thanks!
Olivia says
Hi Sabrina! 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
It’s really tricky to say for sure since you only want to use one pan, but based on this info I think one full recipe should work ok for one 11″ round pan. Remember the batter is very thin and rises a lot, so don’t fill the pan more than half full. Baking time may need to be adjusted.
Olivia says
Hi Liv!
I am in the middle of making this gorgeous chocolate cake, and so far I think the cakes have turned out really well. I am about to start making the frosting and was hoping to get some clarification about the double boil.
I’m assuming your stand mixer bowl is glass? (Mine is metal) In this case, do you know if any glass bowl would be safe to use for a double boil. The bowl I have is from a friend’s old catering business so I know it’s good quality but doesn’t have any label or heatproof warning, etc.
And after that, is it okay to transfer the meringue into the stand mixer bowl, or does it need to stay in the same bowl Thank you so much!
From, A fellow Liv
Olivia says
Hi fellow Liv! My bowl is actually metal. I find those work better to conduct the heat. You can use a heat-safe glass bowl and transfer before whipping as you suggested (just make sure all bowls are wiped with lemon/vinegar), or just use the metal bowl for ease. I have a detailed tutorial with pics here 🙂 https://livforcake.com/swiss-meringue-buttercream-recipe/ Let me know how it turns out!
Jennifer says
Hi Liv! Planning on making this for a birthday with a “sea” theme. Is it possible to make this icing blue with some gel colouring? Or will the chocolate affect how the colour will come through?
Thanks!
Olivia says
Hi Jennifer! The chocolate will affect the blue for sure. What I would do is make a plain vanilla version for the outside of the cake to tint with blue gel. If your buttercream is a bit yellow I suggest whitening it first or it will turn green rather than blue: https://livforcake.com/how-to-make-buttercream-white/
Sheila says
Just made this and it’s the best chocolate cake we’ve ever tasted!
Olivia says
Hi Sheila! I’m so happy you loved this one.
Kim says
Oops… I’d like to use King Arthur unbleached cake flour/ not Swan..
Kim says
Love this cake, love your website! – one question: can I use Swan cake flour?
Olivia says
Hi Kim! I worry that cake flour would make the cake too fragile. It’s already somewhat delicate.
Daisy says
Hi Liv!
Just discovered your blog and I’m delighted 🙂
I’ve been searching for a good chocolate cake recipe and I think this might be…the one 🤞🏾😄. I’ve never tried Dutch processed cocoa powder and I’m sensing it is the wow factor for chocolate cake. I’m after a rich chocolate flavor (not bitter, not bland)
Here are my questions:
Can I bake this in a 9 -in round pan about 3 inches high? AND I just asked a commentor (if that’s a word 🤪) but I’d like to confirm from you how much I can reduce the sugar without compromising the taste? ie by 1 cup, 1/2 or 1/4?
Thanks a mil!
Thanks
Also want to know
Olivia says
Hi Daisy! 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
I would give it a try in one 9×3″ pan but don’t fill it more than half full or so. The batter is very thin but rises a LOT (doubles in size). Regarding the sugar, I’ll paste my answer here again for you. I haven’t tried reducing the sugar in my cake myself and I don’t find it particularly sweet myself. You should be able to reduce it by 1/2 cup or so.
Let me know how it turns out!
K says
Hi Olivia,
I tried the chocolate cake (half of the recipe) without Chocolate Swiss Meringue Buttercream, and my chocolate cake is a little bit dry. I used the homemade buttermilk. Would you mind giving me any suggestions to be a moist cake? My pan is 9” round. Thanks!
My recipe is
1 cup all purpose flour
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup cocoa powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 cup olive oil
1/2 cup homemade buttermilk
1/2 cup hot water
1 egg
Olivia says
Hi K! Is it possible the cake was overbaked? The only other difference is that there may be too much cocoa powder. It should be about 1/3 cup instead of 1/2 like you have here.
K says
Hi Olivia,
Thank you! I baked with 350F for 45 minutes as you instructed. My batter was not that thin so maybe you are right. I will reduce the cocoa powder next time.
Best,
K
K says
Hi Olivia,
I tried with 1/3 cup cocoa powder and it is moister than last time. Thank you for your suggestion.
Best,
K
Melina says
Hi,
I have made this cake many times with lots of success, it’s a great tasting cake with a lovely texture, but I do find that it is a little ‘soft’ for stacking. It helps to refridgerate layers before stacking but wondered if you have any further tips? I thought that lessening the moisture content slightly would help to firm it up a little maybe? Ideally, I would love to be able to cover this cake in fondant but I don’t think it would hold up, have you tried this before?
Thanks in advance!
Olivia says
Hi Melina! I don’t work with fondant these days so I can’t say for sure, but I agree this cake is more delicate and fragile. If you don’t mind experimenting a little you could give this recipe a try: https://livforcake.com/mocha-chocolate-cake/ I would adjust the Servings to 16 to get amounts that would work well for a 2-layer 8″ cake. Some of the measurements are a little wonky though (the eggs), I would try it with 3 eggs and see. Let me know if you try it!
Susan says
Hello,
I made this today using half the recipe only with reconstituted buttermilk (1 tbsp powdered buttermilk to 1/2 cup water). I found the powder-water ratio on the internet. My cake turned out with small holes like cooked bubbles when i cut off the top.
What have I done wrong?
Thank you in advance for your reply.
Olivia says
Hi Susan! I’m not sure but it may have been the buttermilk. Were the holes throughout the cake or just on the top? That can also happen from overmixing but not usually with a batter so thin.
Susan says
Hi. Thank you for your reply. Holes throughout the cake. Not bad though, the cake turned out great. It was moist and I was surprised about the consistency. Everybody loved it! This now is my go to choco cake recipe from now on. I just noticed the bubbles and I thought they shouldnt be there.
I mixed the batter by hand just enough until all the ingredients are well combined. I will use the milk-lemon mixture for buttermilk next time to see if i will still get those holes.
Thank you very much for sharing your recipes!
Olivia says
I am so happy you loved it! Definitely let me know how it turns out the second time. And if there are still holes, send me a picture so I can take a look and help troubleshoot. livforcakeblog@gmail.com
Stacey says
How tall are your 8″ pans for this recipe? Would a 2″ height work? The layers look so tall!
Olivia says
Hi Stacey! Mine are 2″ tall.
Wanjiru says
This is of great help to me especially the tips I now know where I was going wrong thank you
Olivia says
So happy you found it helpful, Wanjiru!
Ruth says
Hi! Can we use just plain milk instead of buthermilk?
Olivia says
Hi Ruth! Not in this recipe I’m afraid. You can make your own buttermilk at home though. Just add 1 Tbsp of lemon juice or vinegar to 1 cup milk and let it sit for 10mins.
Nick says
Hi Liv!
Hope things are well! I’ve been tasked to make a chocolate almond frosting, do you think I can use this frosting recipe and add almond extract? Also, would it hold up if I piped it the same way as the French Silk Pie Cake frosting?
I’m making an almond cake with raspberry filling, and chocolate almond frosting.
Always appreciate your response!
Olivia says
Hi Nick! You can definitely add some almond extract to the cake batter. It’s potent though, so don’t add too much — maybe 1/4 tsp to 1/2 tsp max. It would definitely hold up piped that way! It’s a much more sturdy frosting than that one was.
Nick says
Awesome, thank you! I’m using your cake from the Almond Amaretto Cake and using this recipe’s frosting but with the addition of almond extract.
I finally caved and bought the baking strips and they’ve been a life changer. A bit sad about the lack of cake straps but they bake up evenly, it’s amazing.
Olivia says
Haha I know!! I do miss eating the scraps for sure, but I love not having to level my cakes!
Natalie says
I have some wilton strips and can’t get them to work sucessfully!
I am using a high sided tin, would that be why as the heat from the rest of the tin would make it rise?
Olivia says
Hi Natalie! How tall are your cake tins? If your cake batter is higher than the strips they may not work as well. You could try stacking the strips so they go all the way to the top. I think that would help.
Lynne says
Would American Vanilla/ Chocolate buttercream link with this?
Just making for someone who doesn’t like SMB or ganache!
Olivia says
Hi Lynne! For sure! It would work great 🙂
Katrina says
This is my go to Chocolate cake recipe now, Just about to start making it for the 5th time : )
So many times I have had ppl say it was one of the best chocolate cakes they had ever tasted!
So thank you : ) Once I paired with a white chocolate ganache between the layers, it was delicious!
Now I am using it for a woodland inspired cake with meringue mushrooms on top 😛
Olivia says
Hi Katrina! I am so happy to hear that. Thank you! White chocolate ganache sounds like a perfectly decadent combo. And I love meringue mushrooms! Email me a photo of your cake when it’s done. I’d love to see it! 🙂