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This chocolate cake recipe is soft, moist, fluffy and richly chocolatey. This has become our go-to chocolate cake. It is always a big hit with everyone who tries it – grown ups and children.
The Swiss Meringue Buttercream frosting is lighter in sweetness compared to traditional American buttercream which makes the cake really shine with intense chocolate flavor.
Wait until you see the next picture. CRAVINGS BIG TIME!!
If you have never tried Swiss Meringue Buttercream, learn how to make it here. It pipes beautifully and it sure tastes amazing! I call it wedding cake frosting – it’s just THAT good!
Ingredients for Chocolate Cake Recipe:
2 large eggs, room temperature
1 cup sour cream
1/2 cup canola or extra light olive oil
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups (190 grams) all-purpose flour, *measured correctly
1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
1/2 Tbsp baking soda
1/2 Tbsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
3/4 cup very warm/hot water
1 Recipe for Swiss Meringue Buttercream Frosting
Semi-sweet or milk chocolate bar to grate for decor
How to Make Chocolate Cake Recipe:
Prep: Preheat Oven to 350˚F. Grease 2 (9″ round) cake pans. Grease the sides with butter and line the bottom with parchment paper.
1. In a large mixing bowl, with an electric mixer, beat together 2 eggs, 1 cup sour cream, 1/2 cup oil and 2 tsp vanilla until smooth.
2. In a second mixing bowl, sift in 1 1/2 cups flour and 1 cup cocoa powder. Add 1 1/2 cup sugar, 1/2 Tbsp baking soda, 1/2 Tbsp baking powdered and 1 tsp salt and whisk to combine. Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients and whisk until smooth without any lumps, then gradually add 3/4 cup hot water while beating and stir until well combined and smooth.
3. Divide batter evenly between 2 prepared cake pans and bake at 350˚F for 20-25 minutes (mine was perfect at 23 minutes) or until tops are set and a toothpick comes out clean when inserted into center. Cool cakes in pan for 15-20 minutes then run a thin spatula or knife around the edges to loosen from the pan and gently invert onto cooling rack and let cool completely to room temperature before frosting.
Cooks Tip: The cake layers have a very soft crumb so it is important to let them rest in the baking pans and let them firm up slightly before transferring to prevent broken cake layers.
5. While cakes cool, make your frosting. We used this Swiss Meringue Buttercream frosting. Reserve about 1 cup of frosting to pipe roses or poofs over the top.
How to Assemble Chocolate Cake:
1. Carefully place your first layer onto the cake platter and cover with a generous layer of frosting. Gently transfer the next cake layer over the top and frost the top and sides.
2. Finely grate a bar of chocolate and pat the crumbs halfway up the side of the cake and sprinkle around the top rim of the cake. Pipe roses or puffs around the top rim of the cake.
Make-Ahead Tip: Cake can be covered and stored at room temperature for about 24 hours. If storing longer, cover and refrigerate. Bring to room temperature before serving to soften the buttercream.
Chocolate Cake with Swiss Meringue Buttercream
Ingredients
- 2 large eggs, room temperature
- 1 cup sour cream
- 1/2 cup canola or extra light olive oil
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, *measured correctly
- 1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
- 1/2 Tbsp baking soda
- 1/2 Tbsp baking powder
- 1 tsp salt
- 3/4 cup very warm/hot water
- 1 Recipe for Swiss Meringue Buttercream Frosting
- Semi-sweet or milk chocolate bar to grate for decor
Instructions
Prep:
- Preheat Oven to 350˚F. Grease two (9" round) cake pans. Grease sides with butter and line the bottom with parchment paper.
How to Make Chocolate Cake Recipe:
- In a large mixing bowl, combine: 2 eggs, 1 cup sour cream, 1/2 cup oil and 2 tsp vanilla and beat with an electric mixeruntil smooth.
- In a second mixing bowl, sift in 1 1/2 cups flour and 1 cup cocoa powder. Add 1 1/2 cup sugar, 1/2 Tbsp baking soda, 1/2 Tbsp baking powdered and 1 tsp salt. Whisk to combine. Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients and whisk until smooth without lumps, then gradually add 3/4 cup hot water while beating until well combined and smooth.
- Divide batter between 2 prepared cake pans and bake at 350˚F for 20-25 min (mine was perfect at 23 min) or until tops are set and a toothpick comes out clean when inserted into center. Cool cakes in pan for 15-20 min** then run a thin spatula or knife around the edges to loosen from the pan and gently invert onto cooling rack and let cool completely to room temperature before frosting.
- While cakes cool, make your frosting. We used Swiss Meringue Buttercream frosting. Reserve about 1 cup frosting to decorate the top.
How to Assemble Chocolate Cake:
- Carefully place first cake layer onto platter and cover the top with a generous layer of frosting. Gently transfer the next cake layer over the top and frost top and sides.
- Finely grate a bar of chocolate and pat the crumbs halfway up side of cake and sprinkle around the top rim of the cake. Use reserved frosting to pipe roses or puffs around top rim of cake.
Notes
**Giving the layers time to rest will make cake layers most stable for transfering.
If you make this recipe, I’d love to see pics of your creations on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter! Hashtag them #natashaskitchen
If you are a chocolate lover, this chocolate cake recipe is for you! I hope you have a delicious week, my friends!
Hi Natasha,
Would adding walnuts to the mixture, mess the cake up or it will still turn out fine ? Btw! I love all your recipes !!
Hi Angie, I do have a walnut cake where I mixed toasted chopped walnuts right into the cake batter and it worked beautifully. It might be helpful to check the proportions 🙂
Hi Natasha, i was looking for a cake recipe for my son’s birthday and i stumbled upon your page. I don’t have a 9″ round cake pans though. Can I use my 8″ springform instead?
Hi Iggy, if you have two 8″ springform pans that should work to divide the batter between the 2 pans. I haven’t tested the full batter in 1 springform pan but I suspect it would overwhelm a single 8″ springform.
Hi Natasha,
How should I adjust the recipe if I want to make 10″ and/or 12″ cake. Thank you!
Hi Ruta, I haven’t tested it that way, but a 10″ cake I would probably leave the proportions the same but you will have a slightly shorter cake and it will bake a little faster. With a 12″ cake, I would increase the cake ingredients by 25% and bake slightly longer.
Hi Natasha, Was wondering how long the swiss buttercream will keep in fridge.
Hi Colleen, you can refrigerate up to a week and I haven’t tried freezing but I have read that you can freeze up to 2 months.
Hi Natasha! Love this recipe!
I’m wondering if one could put berries between the layers & if so any tips you suggest?
Please let me know and thank you! Love your recipes!
Hi, you could place them over each frosted layer similar to the way I have done it with my berry tiramisu cake. I hope you love it! This berry layer cake will also give you good ideas 🙂
Thank you so much! I will be sure to try that and let you know 🙂
Btw, I had a request for chocolate cake with chocolate frosting so I tried making the frosting with 9 oz of cooled melted chocolate mixed in at the end. It was just too sweet!
I don’t know what else to do. I’m thinking this recipe is simply perfection as it is
My pleasure! Please do 🙂
Wow, thank you so much for sharing this recipe! I was looking for the perfect chocolate cake recipe and I think I found it! The texture is so soft and moist and the flavor is delicious, everyone loved it! Wish I could share a picture. I didn’t try the frosting this time, as I had a different cake in mind, but the cake recipe itself was so easy.
Do you happen to have a yellow cake recipe that you love ?
Thanks again 🙂
Hi Jay, I’m so glad you loved the recipe!! I don’t have a recipe for yellow cake yet but if I come up with something, I will be sure to share it 🙂 If you wish to share it in our new private Facebook group, I would love to see it! 🙂
Hi Natasha, if I want to omit the cocoa powder, what should I use instead to get the correct consistency of the cake? We don’t like chocolate cakes 😉
Hi Lyuda, I haven’t tried this one without the cocoa and since it is so substantial in this recipe, it’s difficult to guess how it would turn out omitting the cocoa…
I made this cake for my sons birthday, it was very delicious! However, several people at the party including my husband thought it was too sweet. My husbands birthday is coming up, he requested this cake but not as sweet. I was wandering if you could saggest a different frosting that would go well on this cake and would not be as sweet? Thank you!
Hi Katerina, I wonder if you might like a cream cheese based frosting better to help cut the sweetness. We aren’t super keen on overly sweet dessert either but everyone has a different affinity for sweetness 🙂 I would suggest our vanilla cupcake frosting.
Thank’s Natasha!
My pleasure Katerina!
Hi Natasha! This cake looks amazing! I wanted to ask you if there are any other cakes that i can use this icing on? Its just that I am not a chocolate cake person. However, icing looks delish. Let me know if you have any thoughts.
Thank you😊
Hi Lena, this frosting is pretty versatile – it works on vanilla or chocolate cakes, or poppyseed cake and all kinds of cupcakes! 🙂
This cake was very delicious! However, for my taste, it was a little too sweet. I was wondering, if I decrease the amount of sugar in the cream, will it affect the consistency of the cream? However, the cake was perfect with a plain cup of strong black coffee!!
Hi Maria, making the cream less sweet would work and I have tested it that way but for this cake, I find that the taste of the frosting disappears when using less sugar since the cake base is quite rich and chocolatey 🙂
Natasha, thank you for this amazing recipe! I substituted esspresso with hot water for the water. Turned out perfect. So moist and the Swiss merengue buttercream is just divine!
You’re welcome! That sounds heavenly, I’m glad you enjoy the recipe! Thanks for sharing your fantastic review!
Hi Natasha,
I found that coffee brings oomph to chocolate cake recipes. Do you think I can use coffee instead of 3/4 cup of water?
Hi Ina, I haven’t tested it in this recipe but I imagine it would still work. I agree, coffee does amplify the flavor of chocolate. If you test it, let me know how you like it! 🙂
l made this cake and it turned out so delicious. very good recipe. thank you!
You’re welcome Luda! I’m glad you love it! 🙂
Hi Natasha! I made this cake yesterday, and boy I am glad I did. This cake is everything I have ever wanted and more. I followed your recipie exactly, making sure I have not skipped any steps and it turned out simply divine! The cake it’s self is light, airy with just enough of chocolate and supper moist. Thos cake was easy to make and was done backing in 18 min. Let me tell you my house smelled absolutely amazing I had a hard time keeping my 2 kids, our dog and even my “I don’t like chocolate husband” out of my kitchen and when they were done baking they wanted to eat it right there in the spot without any icing in it. You could definitely eat this without any icing on it, it just that GOOD! Icing was however was much trickier to make but was well worth the effort! It’s a perfect icing for this lovely cake. Thank you Natasha for this truly amazing, supper yummy cake! Now I can make this cake when I feel chocolate craving and don’t feel guilty at all because my soooo”I do not like chocolate” husband absolutely love it and gobble big slice of it without any problems😊Btw half of the cake was gone at once and it’s only 4 of us I think it will be gone today completely for sure. You, Natasha, is amazing and such an inspiration! May Good bless you and your family and your talent of cooking! Thank you from the bottom of my heart!!! I want to give this cake 10 stars!!!
You’re welcome Saniya! I’m happy to hear how much your family loves this recipe! Thank you for following and sharing your excellent review! God Bless 🙂
Hi Natasha
Did you use natrual cocoa or dutch process cocoa in this recipe.
Hi Jackie, this was regular unsweetened Hersheys brand cocoa powder.
Which cocoa powder do you use? I have found that the brand used significantly affects the taste of the cake.
Hi, you can use your favorite cocoa powder. I used the Hersheys brand cocoa powder here. I buy that in bulk because I go through alot of it in my kitchen for the amount of testing that I do for each recipe, so It’s not super wise for me to buy the most expensive one 🙂
Hello, can I substitute sour cream with buttermilk?
Hi Irina, I haven’t tried that substitution so I can’t say for sure. Since baking is so much a science, it is difficult to make a suggestion without testing that out myself. I’m not sure if the more liquid consistency will adversely affect the batter. It is already a fairly liquid batter using the sour cream.
Looks delicious, Natasha. What pretty decorations you created.
That is such a nice compliment! Thank you Laura! 🙂
OMG…it looks amazing. Can’t wait to try. Thank you for the recipe.
Thank you so much Cookie and I hope you love the recipe 🙂
Can i substitute butter for canola oil?
Hi Nina, I’m not sure I understand your question – do you mean when you grease the pan? Yes that would work fine 🙂
I meant in the batter, can i use melted butter instead of canola oil?
Hi Nina, I haven’t tried that so I’m not 100% sure. I think it is worth an experiment 🙂
I am a chocoholic and as a chocoholic I rejoice that suddenly everybody is posting chocolate cakes. Yum, I will definitely give this beauty a try.
PS: I love Swiss meringue and my idea would be to add cocoa to the cream as well and maybe drizzle some chocolate ganache on top to get to chocolate heaven…
Hi Jenny! I guess it is chocolate cake season! Funny I didn’t notice it until I posted this chocolate cake. Life has been so busy lately with different projects that I haven’t had a chance to peruse other blogs lately. It’s kind of like when someone is pregnant and then they start noticing everyone else that is pregnant. ha ha! Weird comparison there – lol.
I don’t complain, I have so many chocolate cakes I want to try soon, so no worries and thanks for this recipe!
Ha ha! I’m sure your friends and family won’t complain about all of the chocolate cake either! 😉
Hi, Could you please suggest the measurement of ingredients for 1 6″ cake?I am a beginner in baking so want to try with a smaller cake.
If you don’t mind having a little leftover it would probably be fine as it is. Bake the rest as a few cupcakes as a snack?