Whether this is your first time or you’re a seasoned baker, it takes very little time and effort to make a moist, rich chocolate cake that will wow your friends and family. You’ll never go back to store-bought chocolate cake. No fancy ingredients or complicated steps. Simply whip up a no-fuss batter, divide it in two for a layered cake, make a fluffy chocolate buttercream, and frost the baked cake! Yes, it’s that easy. Plus, there’s one secret ingredient that will take your chocolate cake to the next level: Coffee. Brewed coffee adds nuance and amplifies the flavor of the chocolate. I highly recommend it if you are serious about chocolate! If you’re looking for different kinds of chocolate cake, then I’ve got you covered with my chocolate lava cake recipe, German chocolate cake, flourless chocolate cake recipe, and many more!
What You Need to Make this Recipe
All-purpose flour — all-purpose flour gives you a moist crumb while also giving the chocolate cake structure. Cocoa powder — as there is plenty of sugar in this cake recipe, be sure to use unsweetened cocoa powder. You need cocoa powder for the cake batter and the creamy buttercream frosting. Leavening agents — yes, you need both to help the cake rise well. Check the expiration date on these items before using them. They become less effective as time goes on. Milk — I recommend using whole milk for a rich, moist chocolate cake and extra creamy buttercream. Eggs — bring the eggs to room temperature before using them. Simply set them out 30 minutes to an hour before you intend to start baking. Vegetable oil — A vegetable oil, like canola oil, adds moisture to the cake. Boiling water — the water must be hot! Hot water helps to bring out more of that incredible chocolate flavor, as well as adding to the moisture of the cake. Or, use hot brewed coffee instead (more on that below).
How to Make Chocolate Cake
- Sift the dry ingredients (flour, granulated sugar, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder, and salt) into a large bowl. Whisk to combine.
- In a smaller bowl, whisk together the wet ingredients (milk, egg, oil, and vanilla). Add the wet ingredients to the bowl with the dry ingredients and whisk it all until well incorporated.
- Pour in the boiling water and whisk again. You will end up with a runny cake batter. (It will be runnier than you expect, but don’t be tempted to add more flour.)
- Grease 2 round 9-inch cake pans and line the bottom of each with parchment paper to make removing the chocolate cake easier. If you have them, use cake strips to help the cakes bake more evenly. Once the cake pans are prepared, divide the cake batter evenly between them. Bake the cakes for 35 minutes at 350°F or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean. Keep the cakes in the baking pans on a wire cooling rack for 15 minutes. Then carefully invert them onto the wire racks. Let them cool completely.
- While the cakes are cooling, you can prepare the decadent chocolate buttercream frosting. You’ll need a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment for this part. In the bowl of the stand mixer, beat the butter on medium speed for about 2 minutes. Add the cocoa powder and salt and mix on low to incorporate them. Scrape the bowl.
- Keep the speed on low and add a little powdered sugar at a time, alternating with small amounts of milk (up to 4 tablespoons total of whole milk). Once you’ve added all the sugar, add the vanilla extract and beat on medium-low speed for approximately 1 minute, until you have a fluffy buttercream.
- Once the cakes have cooled completely, it’s time to assemble your chocolate cake! Place one layer on a cake stand and top it with 1 cup of frosting. Spread the frosting right to the edges before carefully placing the other cake layer on top.
- Spread the rest of the frosting on top and around the sides of the cake. If you’re feeling fancy, you can save some of the buttercream frosting to pipe decorations. If decorating a cake is overwhelming for you, get some ideas in my cake decorating tutorial. Or just serve a simple frosted chocolate cake: It will get devoured regardless!
Pro Tips for Making this Recipe
Ingredient temperature matters. Use room temperature eggs and butter. Room temperature eggs give you a fluffier cake, and room temperature butter creams better for a feather-light buttercream frosting. Measure the flour correctly. One of the top complaints when it comes to baking cakes is that the cake turns out “floury”, and this is due to using too much flour. The best way to get the right amount of flour is to measure it using a kitchen scale. Alternatively, you can spoon flour into a cup and then scrape a knife across to level it out. Scooping directly from the flour bag or container will inevitably lead to using too much of it. Keep the cake moist for longer. For a cake that has even more moisture, substitute ⅓ cup of the whole milk for sour cream. This will give you a cake that will stay moist for longer, which is helpful if you plan to make it ahead or keep it for a few days after baking. Note that the batter will be a bit thicker than if you only used milk. Amplify the chocolate flavor. To take the chocolatey-ness to the next level, use hot brewed coffee instead of water. Or add 1 tablespoon espresso powder to the wet ingredients. The cake will not taste like coffee, I promise! Coffee simply amplifies the flavor of the chocolate for a richer, more decadent cake. Get perfectly flat layers every time. Cake strips are a must for flat, evenly baked, professional-looking cakes. If you don’t have any on hand, they’re really easy to make with some aluminum foil and paper towels! Check out my easy DIY cake strip tutorial for more details.
If you’ve tried this recipe then don’t forget to leave a rating and let me know how you got on in the comments below, I love hearing from you!
