Chocolate Cake Recipe (VIDEO)
A decadent and moist Chocolate Cake recipe with the easiest whipped Chocolate Frosting. This always gets rave reviews and makes for a stunning chocolate birthday cake.
Chocolate makes everything better, from Chocolate Chip Cookies to Chocolate Chip Banana Bread, and let’s not forget Chocolate Mousse! If you are a chocolate lover, this homemade chocolate cake is for you!
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THE Chocolate Cake Recipe:
My son’s first words when he saw the cake were “Wow that look’s just like the cake from Matilda!” We watched the Matilda movie recently, but I’m betting this one’s even better because it’s intensely chocolatey and satisfies the fiercest craving for chocolate cake without being cloyingly sweet.
We combined our most popular chocolate frosting with these tried and true moist chocolate cupcakes to create the best chocolate cake. You might be surprised to see coffee in the cake batter, and don’t worry, you can’t taste the coffee in the final product, but it really amplifies the flavor of chocolate. Feel free to substitute with decaf coffee if you prefer.
The Best Cocoa for Chocolate Cake:
We used natural unsweetened 100% cocoa or “cacao”. You can use a variety of brands such as Hershey’s, Nestle, or Ghirardelli, but be sure to use “unsweetened” cocoa.
Can I substitute with Dutch Process Cocoa?
When a recipe calls for baking soda, it is best to stick with Natural cocoa powder because it has a higher acidity level than dutch process. You should use the cocoa called for in a recipe for the right chemical reaction to happen. Learn more about all the different kinds of cocoa here.
Tips for Smooth Chocolate Frosting:
The whipped chocolate cream cheese buttercream frosting is indulgently chocolatey, silky smooth and one of the easiest frostings you will make. To get the smoothest chocolate frosting, be sure to:
- Cream together the butter and cream cheese first to prevent lumps
- Sift in the powdered sugar and cocoa since cocoa tends to clump.
How to Make Chocolate Cake:
This cake doesn’t get any easier. It’s no more complex than a boxed cake as long as you know how to measure ingredients correctly.
- Whisk together the wet ingredients
- Whisk together the dry ingredients
- Combine wet with dry ingredients
- Divide into prepared pans and bake
How to Get Even Cake Layers:
When making a layered cake, it is important to make sure you are dividing the batter equally. Not only is this important for even heights for a prettier cake, but your layers will have even bake times. I always double check for accuracy with a digital kitchen scale. Zero out the cake pan and weigh how much cake batter is in each pan. Your cake layers will be flawless every time.
More Chocolate Desserts (for Chocolate Lovers!):
- Chocolate Ganache – glaze cakes, cookies or whip into frosting
- Eclairs – dipped in chocolate ganache and filled with cream
- Chocolate Spartak – easily my favorite cake
- Dark Chocolate Cupcakes with White Chocolate Frosting
- Black Forest Cake – with cherries and kirsch
Watch Natasha Make Chocolate Cake:
I hope this Moist Chocolate Cake recipe becomes a new favorite for you. Homemade chocolate cake is way better than Costco’s (there, I said it).
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Chocolate Cake Recipe
A decadent and moist Chocolate Cake recipe with the easiest whipped Chocolate Frosting. Homemade chocolate cake makes for a stunning birthday cake.
Ingredients
Ingredients for Chocolate Cake:
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder (natural)
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- 2 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp salt
- 2 cups warm coffee (not hot)
- 2 Tbsp white vinegar
- 1 Tbsp vanilla extract
- 2/3 cup light olive oil not extra virgin
Ingredients for Chocolate Frosting:
- 12 oz cream cheese room temperature
- 1 cup unsalted butter (16 Tbsp) room temperature
- 5 cups powdered sugar
- 1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder (natural)
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
Instructions
How to Make Chocolate Cake Layers:
-
Preheat the oven to 350˚F. Butter two 9" cake pans and line the bottoms with a ring of parchment paper.
-
In a large bowl whisk together your dry ingredients: 3 cups flour, 1/2 cup cocoa powder, 2 cups sugar, 2 tsp baking soda and 1 tsp salt until there are no more cocoa lumps (a few tiny lumps are ok; it also helps to sift the cocoa before using it).
-
In a separate bowl, mix together your wet ingredients: 2 cups warm coffee, 2 Tbsp vinegar, 1 Tbsp vanilla extract and 2/3 cup olive oil.
-
Whisk the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients just until they come together. Your batter will still be slightly lumpy. Divide equally between prepared cake pans, and bake in a preheated oven at 350˚F for 35 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Let cool in the pan 15 minutes then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely before frosting.
How to Make the Chocolate Frosting:
-
In the bowl of an electric mixer using paddle attachment (or using an electric hand mixer with a large bowl), beat together 12 oz cream cheese with 1 cup butter on medium/high speed until creamy (3 min), scraping down the bowl as needed.
-
Sift in 5 cups powdered sugar with 1 cup cocoa powder, sifting in batches as needed to ensure there are no lumps. Then add 1/2 tsp salt. Mix on low speed until well combined. Thoroughly scrape down the bowl, then increase to medium/high speed and beat until smooth and whipped (1 min).
-
Add 2 tsp vanilla and beat on medium/high until smooth (1 min). Now it's ready to be piped onto cooled cake.
If you make this recipe, I’d love to see pics of your creations on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter! Hashtag them #natashaskitchen
Natasha Kravchuk
Layered Strawberry Cake Recipe 
Classic Chocolate Mousse (VIDEO) 
Royal Walnut Cake (VIDEO Recipe) 
Poppy Seed Cake Roll with Chocolate Ganache 
Almond Nutella Cake Recipe (Dacquoise) 
Molten Chocolate Lava Cakes (VIDEO) 
Hi! I'm Natasha Kravchuk. Here you'll find delicious, trusted recipes with easy step-by-step photos and videos. 
Great cake recipe. Made it today. Wondering can I make it without cocoa so it is vanilla? Just leaving out the cocoa will it change texture? Love all you recipes!!!
Hi Patricia, I haven’t tried that yet to advise so I am not sure how it will turn out without it. You might want to try the vanilla recipe instead.
Hi Natasha, I have made this cake in the past and love it! I would like to make a slightly larger cake, possibly a 10” 2 layer, for a birthday party. I am unsure if I should make 1.5 recipes to allow for increase or if one recipe would work well enough. Obviously it might not be quite as tall. Have you tried this? Thank you!
Hi Kelly, I haven’t tested it that way but the cakes would be a little short for a 10″ cake. I would probably increase the recipe and bake a little longer.
Looks delicious!
Can I make these cakes tonight and make the frosting/frost tomorrow?
If so, how would they be best stored? In the fridge or just in an airtight container on the counter?
Thank you!
Hi Autumn, you can make the entire cake ahead of time. This cake does store well. Cover and refrigerate overnight. Let it come to room temperature for 1-2 hours before serving so the frosting and cake can soften. It does keep in the fridge for up to 5 days. If making just the layers wrap them in an airtight wrap or container and refrigerate.
Can this recipe be used to make cupcakes? I love the fact that it contains no eggs.
That should work. We actually combined our most popular chocolate frosting with these tried and true moist chocolate cupcakes to create the best chocolate cake.
2/3 cup light olive oil not extra virgin
can I use vegetable oil instead?
Hi Hala, the olive oil can be replaced with canola oil, I haven’t tried it with vegetable but it should work. The one I use is a LIGHT olive oil so it doesn’t have any flavor. The one you would want to avoid for desserts is extra virgin olive oil since that does have a strong flavor.
Thx.. I have tried it today with corn oil and didn’t taste it yet
Wish it’ll work
Thx for the recipe
You’re welcome! I hope you love this recipe!
I used coffee decoction from a filter (about 4tsp/cup) also I halfed the recipe and used 6 inch pans. Came out just fine. I’m noting this one down.
Gelreat to hear that, Sha. Thanks for sharing that with us!
Hi Natasha, I made this cake
today and was delicious . I used grape oil , 4cups powder sugar and I add 3 tsp of instant coffee to the 2 cups of water always your recipes turn out very well
That is so awesome! Thank you for sharing that with us and I’m glad you enjoyed it.
Hi! Whats the measurement you used to make a cup of coffee? How many tbs/ tbsp in a cup of water?
Hi Gina, I haven’t tested this with instant coffee but here is what one of our readers wrote “Update for my cake. I made it again last Saturday for my son’s birthday and it turned out great! It was rich chocolate flavor (nobody noticed coffee). I used corn oil and for 2 cups coffee I used 3 teaspoons decaf instant coffee (light/medium roast).” I hope that helps.
Hi Natasha! We just LOVE this decadent cake and it’s our go to chocolate cake recipe for all occasions! I’ve really been wanting to use this recipe for cupcakes. How would you recommend I adjust the baking time and/or oven temperature?
Hi Ellie, I have the chocolate cupcake recipe here.
HI,Natasha!
Which spatula would you recommend?
Hi Svitlana, we have most of our tools linked in our shop here and in our amazon shop here. We link only the tools we recommend. We have the spatula we used for this recipe in the Amazon shop.
Hi Natasha
Want to give this beautiful cake a try . I do not like a lot of frosting . Will it come out the same if I measure out 1/2 of each ingredient for the frosting ? So making half of the frosting recipe . Thanks
Hi Az, we enjoy that frosting but without testing that I can’t advise if it will balance the cake well or not. If you experiment I would love to know how you like that.
Made this today for a cookout. Got lots of compliments. Well worth the effort; tastes so much better than a box mix.
Wonderful to hear that Shawn. Thank you for sharing your great feedback with us!
Natasha, hi, can i use 3 cups of powdered sugar to make frosting or it won’t be enough?
Also, if i have one cake pan and i have to bake one layer at a time what should i do with remaining batter? Leave it on the counter while first one is baking or put in the fridge?
Or, if i have one cake pan and one springform, can i just bake it at the same time just in different types of pans (they are the same diameter)
Thank you!
Hi Vlada, the powdered sugar helps to form the thickness of the frosting and tones down the cream cheese flavor. You could always experiment and add 3 to see if it is to your liking and add more to taste. I haven’t tested that in a tall walled pan like a springform pan to advise on bake times. Also, I’m not sure if the second layer would rise well after staying on the counter while the first layer bakes and cools.
Hi Natasha, you are an amazing cook do you by any chance have cook books that you sell
Thank you so much, Leila. I am currently working on a cookbook, I’ll make sure to share it with you all then it’s ready.
I made this delicious chocolate cake in a 28x9cm bar tin and decorated it with the chocolate whipped topping as written in the recipe.
The cake was amazingly moist and yummo!
It received a tick of approval from all the girls at the picnic.
That is so awesome! Thanks for sharing and for giving this recipe excellent feedback.
I was just wondering if this can be baked in a 9×13 pan. If so, would you need to adjust the icing recipe?
Hi Karen, I haven’t tested this in a 9×13 but I suspect if you cut the recipe in half, it would make a very flat cake. One of my readers reported baking the full recipe in a 9×13 pan with good results. She wrote: “Baking it in a casserole-style dish calls for a low and slow cooking method. I cooked it at 300 for 50-55 minutes.”
I added 1/4 cup heavy cream, used 2 sticks of salted butter and cut the powdered sugar to 3 1/2 cups. Frosting was perfect and more than enough to generously frost a round 2 layer cake with a cup and a half left over. Will definitely make again.
Thank you so much for sharing that with me.
Hello! I was wondering if there was an alternative to the light olive oil? Can we use regular vegetable oil or canola oil? Also, is there another brand of cocoa powder that you would recommend as the hershey’s one is out of stock!
Hi Jhanvi, That should work too or canola oil. The one you would want to avoid for desserts is extra virgin olive oil since that does have a strong flavor.
Hi Natasha. This cake looks amazing. I’m going to try and make for my partner’s birthday. Just have one question: Does the oven need to be set on fan or static? You mentioned in the recipe for the 4 ingredient sponge cake(I think) that the oven needs to be on static, not fan. I would have experimented but don’t want to ruin it this time.
Hi Natalia, it should be conventional oven settings and not convection (which is a fan oven setting).
How much is 2/3 please
Hi Susan, if you click on the metric button, you will get a metric set of measurements which will help clarify.
Hi Natasha you did a three ingredient cake with 10 eggs and I can’t remember the other things but I’m trying to get that recipe can you please text it to me I would appreciate it thank you
Hi Donna, are you referring to this Boccone Dolce cake?
The cream cheese and butter has to be room temperature?
yes that is correct
Is there anything we can substitute in for the coffee? I know coffee is great in chocolate cakes, but we are not coffee drinkers.
Hi Julie. Don’t worry, you can’t taste the coffee in the final product, but it really amplifies the flavor of chocolate. Feel free to substitute with decaf coffee if you prefer.
Made this today for my Birthday. It was a smash hit! Super rich but not over sweet. Made me feel like a kid again as it was so much like what my mom would’ve made. Fancy and overly cakes are very trendy, but bot very homey. Thanks Natasha!
You’re welcome! I’m so happy you enjoyed it Kristena!
No eggs..why not
Hi Lucille, that is correct. This is an eggless chocolate cake. You won’t miss the eggs.
Hi Natasha, planning to try this recipe for my brother’s birthday two days later. I had a doubt. For the 2 cups of warm coffee – how much coffee to be put in each cup? Don’t want an overload of coffee flavour
Hi Adeeba, are you referring to instant coffee? I haven’t tested this with instant coffee but here is what one of our readers wrote “Update for my cake. I made it again last Saturday for my son’s birthday and it turned out great! It was rich chocolate flavor (nobody noticed coffee). I used corn oil and for 2 cups coffee I used 3 teaspoons decaf instant coffee (light/medium roast).” I hope that helps.
hello Natasha, just wanted you to know that i tried this recipe a couple of times and it came out perfect on both occasions. My husband is not a chocolate guy but he loved it.
That’s so awesome! Isn’t it so good! Thank you for sharing that with me!
Hi Natasha, Here’s a suggestion: I’ve used cream cheese before as a base for chocolate frosting. But try SOUR CREAM instead. I use about 3/4 cup, a cube of butter, and 3-4 cups powdered sugar. The sour cream gives a nice tang to the frosting and balances off the sugar.
Thank you for sharing that with us!
Hi Natasha,
I made this chocolate cake about a month ago and it was to die for. I was so excited! I tried to make it again for Mother’s day, but it was not the same. Have you adjusted the recipe? There are some ingredients or measurements that perhaps changed? For example, I remember 1C of warm coffee, some baking powder, I don’t recall cream cheese for the frosting. Perhaps I made a mistake, but I just wanted to ask. I regret not printing the recipe. Thank you. Love your recipes!!
Hi Priscilla, we have not adjusted this recipe. Was anything possibly altered on your end?
Hi Natasha,
Can we use Cacao Powder by Viva? I am reading that cocoa and cacao are a bit different. The Hershey’s picture you have does say cacao powder on the box But your recipe calls for cocoa powder. So I wanted to check it with you first. Thanks for awesome recipes! 🙏
Hi Flower, I’m not familiar with that product and not sure if it has any additives. You might google that to double-check. This article on cacao vs cocoa might help.
I’m new at baking but this recipe is very easy to make and it is so delicious. I’ll be making it again for sure and this will be my go to recipe for chocolate cake.
That’s awsome, Mira. I’m so glad you enjoyed the chocolate cake recipe!
Hi Natasha, can I make this as one layer cake? Or cut the ingredients in half? Thanks!
Hi, I haven’t tried that but it should work to cut the recipe in half.
Thank you for sharing your chocolate cake recipe. I am not a baker and this was the first time I’m baking a cake. I’ve had a hand mixer for over 25 years, never used it and once I used it for this recipe, it broke! It was a cheap brand. My husband ended up helping me whisk the recipe by hand! It wasn’t easy but the cake came out so good! It was all worth it! Thank you again! Love your you tube channel! More power!
So great to hear from you, Pam. Thank you for sharing your story with us, I am so glad to hear that you enjoyed the first time that you baked and I think you will be making some more! I hope you love every recipe that you try.
Can I make icing and refrigerate overnight?
I accidentally put baking powder in and then when I realized it I added the baking soda, yikes
Hope it doesn’t mess up the cake.
Hi Ruthie, This cake does store well. Cover and refrigerate overnight. Let it come to room temperature for 1-2 hours before serving so the frosting and cake can soften. Tt does keep in the fridge for up to 5 days.
I have tried several of your recipes and have loved each and every one and this cake is no exception! Thank you
You’re welcome! I’m so happy you enjoyed it!
Just finished making it and WOW it is a crowd pleaser and so easy.
That’s just awesome!! Thank you for sharing your wonderful review, Inge!
Can i substitute the olive oil for canola oil when making the chocolate cake?
That should work too Saira
Hi, can I make this recipe without white vinegar?
Hi Laura, I haven’t tested it any other way so I can’t make that recommendation. The recipe needs vinegar to activate the baking soda.
Hi Natasha,
Can I use Organic Raw-unfiltered Bragg’s Apple Cider Vinegar?
Hi Anita, I have not personally tried that yet but someone else commented this “Best chocolate cake I’ve probably ever had! I didn’t have white vinegar and substituted it 1Tb of apple cider vinegar and butter instead of olive oil! Turned out great!”
I really want to make this cake, however in total it has 7 cups of sugar. There any way to decrease it or substitute?
Hello Daisy, I honestly haven’t tried that yet but others shared that they cut down the sugar a bit but didn’t mention the measurements.
Hello Natasha, Can I use spreadable cream cheese instead of Brick Cream Cheese.
Thanks
Hi Rima, I haven’t tested this with whipped cream cheese so I’m not sure how it would affect the texture or if more would be needed. I only tested plain cream cheese.
Hi Natasha, I have tried quite a few of your recipe and it’s always very yummy..Thank you for sharing such a keeper recipes. However, there are some quantity in the ingredients that I would like to double confirm with you. How many grams is your 1 cup of butter? As I always find my cake esp. the frosting to be very oily..
Aso, can I blend my own powdered sugar from caster sugar? As I could not find it around my area. Is it the same as Icing sugar?
Hi Thang, we have the metric conversion option on the printable recipe card towards the bottom of the post. Click the red “metric” word and it will translate to grams. In this case, servings sized unadjusted there is 227 g of butter in the frosting. I hope that helps. Also, I haven’t tested that with caster sugar but I bet that could work! If you experiment please let me know how you like this recipe.
Made your chocolate cake today and it turned out perfect it’s to die for. 🇦🇺
Yay so glas you tried and loved it!
Hi I made this today with my daughters and it was AWESOME! The recipe is flawless. I actually halved it and it turned out perfect. Thanks Natasha, love your work.
Hello Tazeen, so glad to hear that you had a bonding experience with your daughters. I’m so glad that you all enjoyed the cake!
How much coffee did you dissolve in 2 cups of warm water?
Hi Alex, we used brewed coffee. I suggest following the package instructions which will usually give you a fairly strong coffee.
my 4 and 2 year old and I just made this cake to say “I love you” to our main man(hubby/daddy). Best chocolate cake ever! It’s super easy and highly recommend. Thank you for the recipe!!!
Awww that’s the best! Thank you so much for sharing that with me! I’m all smiles
Hello. I made this cake today for my father-in-law’s birthday. I did however made another frosting as I did not have cream cheese in the house. What a lovely cake! The coffee give such a lovely taste!
I love your blog, and love your videos on FB! Love all the way from South Africa!
I’m so happy you enjoyed that. Thank you for sharing that with us!
I am planning to try this out today and I am very excited about it! I just had a question about your flour measuring. I usually use recipes that have gram measurements just because I have found those to be the most accurate. When you measure out your flour did you scoop into the measuring cup and level or did you spoon it into the measuring cup and them level? I’ve heard that this can make a huge impact on cakes. Thank you !
Hi Amber, we always spoon it in and level it off. We have this post on measuring that we wrote up. I hope it helps.
I have Olive oil can I use that instead of light olive oil?
Hi Jill, that should work too or canola oil. The one you would want to avoid for desserts is extra virgin olive oil since that does have a strong flavor.
I have a Keurig coffee machine. How many oz coffee should i select. The options i have is 6, 8,10 and 12oz
Hi Sarah, I would do two 8 oz (2 separate pods) to get the 16 oz you need.
Hi Natasha,
I’m wondering if you could use self rising flour instead of all purpose? It’s all I have right now. Thanks
Hi Laura, I haven’t tested that to advise and since self-rising flour has leavening in it, I’m not sure what other adjustments need to be made in the cake. Let me know if you experiment.
Hi Natasha!
I want to try this recipe for my 1 yr old kids. Any sweetener can you advise to use instead of powdered sugar? Just to be friendly safe about sugar with the kids. Thanks!
Hi Dona, I haven’t experimented with other sweeteners for this recipe so I can’t advise on that. If anyone else has recommendations, please let us know.
I have olive oil not light can I use this?
Hi Jill, olive oil can be replaced with canola oil, I haven’t tried it with vegetable but it should work. The one I use is a LIGHT olive oil so it doesn’t have any flavor. The one you would want to avoid for desserts is extra virgin olive oil since that does have a strong flavor.
That should work too or canola oil. The one you would want to avoid for desserts is extra virgin olive oil since that does have a strong flavor.
i think u made mistake on typing the recepie.it is 5 table spoon not 5 cup powder suger.ami right?
Hi Sama, 5 cups per the recipe is correct. You can add the powdered sugar to taste but 5 Tbsp would not be nearly enough.
This is an interesting recipe in that it has no eggs.
I hope you give it a try soon!
Hi Natasha! I tried to make the chocolate cake tonight for the first time! I followed your recipe to the letter and it was coming out great. It tasted great. However, as soon as I applied the frosting, to my horror the top cake broke in 4 and the frosting started pooring to the sides! The laughter that went on with my husband was unreal! So for some reason the cake broke. My cakes which i made sure were the same size rose up more than your video. I applied the top cake bottom up like you adviced so i wonder if that was the prob? My frosting also felt a bit loose and wouldn’t stay in place. Any ideas?!! Thank u!!
Hi Demetra, Sorry to hear that. I am always happy to help troubleshoot. Did you butter the sides of the pan and also use the ring of parchment on the bottom? I haven’t had that happen but it sounds like it could have been underbaked if it was splitting. Did it pass the toothpick test and seem cooked in the center? I hope that helps to troubleshoot. With this one, it’s pretty easy to cover up with frosting even if your cake completely broke in half since that frosting is very forgiving and holds the cake together once it’s on.
There is no way to thank about your delicious recipes. Thanks for bringing happiness to our homes with your beautiful smile.
You’re so nice! Thank you!
Hello Natashas, when baking the cake, can I use one pan to bake it then separate into two layers after it’s baked? What would be the differences for the taste or texture? Does it take different time for baking?
Hi Jianer, I haven’t tested that in a tall walled pan like a springform pan to advise on bake times (it would overwhelm a single standard cake pan).
Hi there! just wondering how far in advance can I make this cake? And will refrigerating it ruin the icing or texture?
Hi Pip, you can make the entire cake ahead of time. This cake does store well. Cover and refrigerate overnight. Let it come to room temperature for 1-2 hours before serving so the frosting and cake can soften. It does keep in the fridge for up to 5 days.
Hi Natasha,
Can I substitute lemon juice for the vinegar?
Hi Laura, I honestly haven’t tested that so I’m not sure how it would affect the flavor. One of my readers mentioned this in a comment but it wasn’t clear if she had tested this with her own family version of chocolate cake or our recipe that I had posted: “I’ve also used cider vinegar and lemon juice and again, good results.”
I just tested this with lemon juice came out perfect
Beautiful cake.
Had abit of splitting but all good
Thank you for sharing that with us, Nicole!
If I could, I’d give another ten stars to this cake recipe! I did it for Easter day (19th. April, Greek Orthodox Easter) everyone LOVED it, and it was by far, the easyest cake I ever baked.
Literally, not a breadcramb left. Vanished in two days.
Absolutelly deliciousQ
Thank you, a million times Natasha for this amazing recipe!!!
You are very welcome and thank you for always trusting this recipe! I am so happy to know that you loved it!
Hi Natasha,
Thank you for sharing ur recipe. I accidentally added baking powder instead of baking soda. What would be the effect of that?
Hi Mayrim, I hope it still works out fo you but, it may not have enough rising power. Baking soda is 4 times stronger than baking powder.
Hi, just wondering, is the vinegar used to add moistness to the cake? I’ve never heard of/knew vinegar is used in baking cakes
Hi Landry, the vinegar is necessary as it activates the baking soda and helps with rising.
This chocolate cake is absolutely delicious. I will definitely be making this again and again!
Awesome! Thanks for giving this recipe a high rating, Barb.
Hi natasha, thank you for ur recipe. Im from south africa, can i use full cream smooth cottage chesse instead of cream cheese in this recipe.
Hi Raelene, I haven’t tested to advise that but I think it could work. If you experiment, let me know how you liked the recipe.
Hi
In frosting we have to add 5 cups of powdered sugar or 5 tbsp ?-
Hi Shumaila, 5 cups per the recipe is correct. You can add the powdered sugar to taste but 5 Tbsp would not be nearly enough.
Hi Natasha,
Can you make the icing without the cocoa powder to make it vanilla instead of chocolate? Anything I should add in its place?
Hi Mallory, I haven’t tested that but I bet that could work.
Hi Natasha!
I was wondering if the icing can be made a day in advanced? (For future reference) I just pulled my cake out of the oven and cannot wait to share this with my office!
Hi Dana, you can make the entire cake ahead of time. This cake does store well. Cover and refrigerate overnight. Let it come to room temperature for 1-2 hours before serving so the frosting and cake can soften. It does keep in the fridge for up to 5 days.
I made it tonight, so moist and light and delicious!!! I did with cup cake size (18 comes) and without frosting (with whipped cream) because no cream cheese in my refrigerator but I will definitely make frosting tomorrow!!! Thank you Natasha!!! love your recipes!!
Thank you for your great feedback, Rika. I’m so happy to know that you enjoyed this recipe!
Hello! I plan to make this for my husbands birthday and wanted to make a 3-tier cake. Can your recipe be stretched to adding a third 9in pan? Thanks!
Hi Cynthia, I haven’t tested that but I think it could possibly work but I can’t say for sure how long it would take to bake. Let me know if you experiment.
Hi Natasha! I’ve had my eye on this recipe for a while, but I’d really prefer to make it as cupcakes! Any advice as to baking temp/time?
Hi Evelyn, I have the chocolate cupcake recipe here.
I only have salted butter at this time. Should I lower the amount of salt in the icing? Also, I have a bottle of “mild” olive oil and canola oil. Which would be best to use? Looking forward to making this wonderful chocolate cake for my anniversary today! Love your site and recipes! Thank you!
Hi Victoria, I haven’t tested this with salted butter to say for sure if it would affect the taste. I would omit the salt if using salted butter. Several readers have reported great results using canola oil.
Made this wonderful cake and it was amazing! I did post a couple of pictures for you on facebook.
Perfect! Thank you for sharing and I’ll make sure to check it out.
Hi Natasha!! I’m from Guadalajara, mexico..
No eggs in recipe? It’s ok?
Thank you
Huges
Hi Sofia, that is correct. This is an eggless chocolate cake. You won’t miss the eggs.
I tried the dark chocolate cupcakes and they turned out amazing. Why doesn’t this recipe call for eggs?
Thank you for sharing that Rhode. This recipe doesn’t call for eggs as we use other ingredients to help with the cake’s volume.
I made this for my daughter’s birthday yesterday, I added some chocolate dipped strawberries. She loved it. I made it 4 layers. It was delicious and moist. Definitely doing it again. Everyone loved it. I dont know how to add the picture😥
That is just awesome, Angelica. Happy Birthday to your daughter and I’m sure she enjoyed some quality time with you yesterday. You can share photos of your creation on our Facebook group or Facebook page.
Hi Natasha,
I made the chocolate cake and it had a nice chocolate flavor, but the batter consistency was a bit thick and not runny like yours. I’m not sure what I did wrong.
Hi Amy, the dry ingredient is more than likely the culprit. When measuring flour, be sure to use dry ingredient measuring cups (that can be leveled at the top) and spoon the flour into the measuring cup and scrape off the top. If you scoop the measuring cup into the flour bin, you can get up to 25% too much flour which would affect the outcome. Here’s our How to Measure Ingredients (Wet and Dry) VIDEO that will help with that.
Can you use regular sugar instead of powdered sugar? Last time I used powdered sugar and loved it, but it is all out in groceries stores.
Hi Lisa, you can make your own powdered sugar with regular sugar. It’s simple to make (do a quick google search for it), but this recipe does require powered sugar.
how do we store this and how long is it good for?
Thank you! Just made it and cant wait to try it!
Hi April, This cake does store well. Cover and refrigerate overnight. Let it come to room temperature for 1-2 hours before serving so the frosting and cake can soften. Tt does keep in the fridge for up to 5 days.
Hi Natasha – LOVE all your recipes!!
I wanted to make this cake for my birthday in a few weeks but wanted to do a smaller cake using 6″ round pans since it’s just the 4 of us in the house celebrating. How would I adjust the measurements to make enough for a 2 layer 6″ round?
Also would Rice Vinegar work in this recipe in place of the white vinegar? Trying to make use of what I have in the house.
Thanks!
Hi Jessie, I honestly have not tested this as a 2-layer 6″ round cake but since that is 2/3 the size of pans, I would probably scale the recipe down to 2/3 of the recipe. I haven’t tested with rice vinegar but I probably would not make that substitution because their flavors are completely opposite. White vinegar is a more aggressive and stronger vinegar also.
Hi! Love love your blog. I cook/bake with your recipes all the time!
Quick question, when you say 2 cups of coffee, do you mean drip coffee?
Thank you!
Hi Sofiya, we use coffee from our machine. Espresso would work too if you have it -it will be fine but I would dilute it with water to the strength of brewed drip coffee or you might taste the coffee in the cake. Drip coffee will work. I hope that helps.
Hi, have a few questions and was hoping you could answer them:
A) how much coffee goes in to
Make 2 cups of warm coffee.
B) I don’t have 2 pans, so can I bake in the first batch while the remaining batter rests outside and then go for the second batch once am done with baking the first.
C) for the icing it seems there is too much of sugar and cocoa . Even if I reduce the recipe by half it means 2.5cups of sugar to 1/2 cup cocoa again in this situation I feel cocoa used is too much. Wouldn’t it be bitter?
Hi, it depends on the coffee you are using – I suggest making the coffee as directed on the package of your coffee which typically makes a fairly strong cup. I haven’t tested that so I’m not sure if it would hurt the second layer to not bake it right away. You can add the powdered sugar to taste but we didn’t feel that the overall frosting was too sweet with these proportions.
Hi Natasha I would like to make cupcakes out of this delicious cake how would I do that the temperature of the oven and how long
Hi Donna, I have the chocolate cupcake recipe here.
Hi Natasha, can I know if I can skip vinegar or if there’s a substitute for it?
Hi Raeesha, the vinegar is necessary as it activates the baking soda and helps with rising. I haven’t tried any other substitute for it to advise.
hi !
I want to try this , but I hate the taste of coffee . can I substitute it with. anything else ?
thank you
Hi Rashmi, you can’t taste the coffee in the final product, but it really amplifies the flavor of chocolate. Feel free to substitute with decaf coffee if you prefer.
Hi natasha.. what can I use in place of light olive oil please? We don’t get light olive oil in kenya
Hi Kajal, The olive oil can be replaced with canola oil, I haven’t tried it with vegetable but it should work. The one I use is a LIGHT olive oil so it doesn’t have any flavor. The one you would want to avoid for desserts is extra virgin olive oil since that does have a strong flavor.
Today is my birthday and I decided to make this cake for my husband and I to enjoy. It just came out of the oven and I can’t wait to frost it later and enjoy a slice!
Aww that’s so great! Happy Birthday, Nicole! I hope you love this recipe!
Hi Natasha, can I substitute cake and pastry flour? Trying to use it up and ration my all-purpose flour.
Hi Laura, without testing that, I can’t make that recommendation. I’m not sure how it will affect the outcome as I haven’t tried that yet. If you decide to do an experiment, please share with us how it goes.
Excellent cake, Natasha! My kids loved it.
So happy to know that, Penny. Thank you for sharing!
Hi I’d like to try this recipe but with just one cake. Can I halve it I.e. halve all the ingredients to make one cake only? Thanks
Hello Tazeen, I haven’t tried that yet to advise but if you do an experiment, please share with us how it goes!
This is a keeper. Excellent cake!
Thank you for giving this recipe a great review, Jeannie!
Natasha, I love this cake, made it for Easter Sunday, needles to say everyone love it. It was easy to make and the result was fantastic, as a chocolate lover this one will be a staple to keep, cant wait for dinner tonight so I can grab me another slice. Thank you.
That’s just awesome!! Thank you for sharing your wonderful review, Amelia!
Hi Natasha Is there anything I can change it with the warm coffee..
Hello Palu, you can’t taste the coffee in the final product, but it really amplifies the flavor of chocolate. Feel free to substitute with decaf coffee if you prefer.
Sounds like a great cake, can’t wait to try it. Love your recipes. Don’t see any eggs in the recipe?
I’m so glad to hear that Patti! That’s right! No eggs in the recipe.
Hi this recipe was a hit with my family! I used dark coco powder and it was AMAZING!
That’s so awesome Kali! Thank you for that wonderful feedback!
I have never bake anything and let me tell you, this cake was the highlight of my Easter dinner.
Love your recipes!
Thank you !
Awesome! Great job as a first-timer, I hope that you love every recipe that you will try!
Hi Natasha
I have tried many of your recipes and loved them
What is the white vinegar for? What can I substitute it for? I have apple vinegar at home, can i use this instead?
Also what do you mean by light olive oil? My uncle sells me his fresh homemade olive oil, is this what you call extra virgin olive oil?
Hello Amira, vinegar helps activate the baking soda which helps in the rise. Extra virgin olive oil is not ideal for baking because it imparts its own flavor so we advise using regular olive oil.
Can you use vegetable oil in place of olive oil?
Hi Dianna, yes that will work fine. I hope you love the chocolate cake!
Hi, ingredient ask for warm coffee. Would that be black coffee or coffee mixed with milk? Sorry I’m not a coffee drinker but I would like to make the recipe exactly.
Hi Jen, it would be plain black coffee. I hope that helps.
Hi I am in England and want to make this cake but not sure how much a cup is. Can you tell me in grams please?
Can’t wait to make this with my daughter, it would cheer us up.
Hi Sally, here’s a tip for you if you click on “Jump to recipe” and click “Metric” it will convert it to grams. I hope this helps and enjoy!
This recipe came out great! I didn’t have light olive oil so I substituted with vegetable oil and it came out delicious! I also only had a natural and Dutch blend of cocoa so I used that and didn’t seem to have an issue. Next time I’ll try it with all natural cocoa. Plenty of frosting to cover the cake with some left over. Will be making again!
I’m so glad you enjoyed this recipe, Audra! Sos good for a cake without eggs isn’t it! Thank you for sharing your awesome feedback with me!
The first chocolate cake I made in my entire life (this is what we can do) it’s very easy to make but the taste is so rich and perfect. I just cut down the sugar from the frosting a little. I would make again for sure but not when I can’t share it as I’m eating more than I should
Hi Tina, I’m so glad you enjoyed that! Thank you for sharing that with me!
Hi, why is extra virgin oil not good for this recipe?
Also, can I substitute the virgin oil for vegetable oil?
Hi Sweta, The olive oil can be replaced with canola oil, I haven’t tried it with vegetable but it should work. The one I use is a LIGHT olive oil so it doesn’t have any flavor. The one you would want to avoid for desserts is extra virgin olive oil since that does have a strong flavor.
Hi Natasha, I tried this recipe and it turned out grainy. I had only had a cup of white sugar so I substituted brown sugar. Also, I used vegetable oil instead of olive oil. It tasted alright and so moist but the texture is a bit weird. Also, my batter was thicker than yours was. Like a banana bread batter. Apart from the changes I mentioned earlier, everything was measured exactly as you say. I wonder what went wrong?
Also, have I mentioned that they were moist and delicious? Oh, I did? They were delicious!
Hi Tere, it sounds like the brown sugar did not “dissolve” into the batter. Was it fine grain sugar? Also, I recommend this post on measuring, sounds like the dry ingredients may have been measured incorrectly. I hope this helps, we are always happy to troubleshoot.
It was not a fine-grained sugar, just the regular brown sugar.
I did it again, this time I used a sieve, still a bit grainy but less than my first try. I will try using fine grain one once this quarantine is over. Thank you for this great recipe!
Sounds good, Tere. I hope it comes out perfect next time!
You have become our favorite food blogger! My 8 and 10yo girls loveD your videos! They helped me make the chocolate cake today! Turned out perfect! I couldn’t believe you could not taste the coffee! It was the perfect blend of sweetness and slightly dense cake that I prefer. Will make again!!!
Awww that’s the best! Thank you so much for sharing that with me! I’m all smiles
So delicious! Best chocolate cake I’ve probably ever had! I didn’t have white vinegar and substituted it 1Tb of apple cider vinegar and butter instead of olive oil! Turned out great! Thank you for sharing this recipe!
You’re welcome, Jayme! I’m so glad to hear that! Thank you for that wonderful review.
I just tried a piece of this cake and it is really, really good. When I read the ingredients, I thought someone made a mistake and combined cake and salad ingredients! Lol
My husband also just tried it now and he agrees, saying it is very, very good.
This is a fabulous recipe I’ll be forwarding to my teenage grandkids who can make it themselves because it is so easy to make.
Many thanks for sharing Natasha.
I’m so glad you both enjoyed this recipe! That’s so great!
Love this cake recipe. I’m making this for my daughters birthday tomorrow but while shopping I could only find cake flour. Can I make cake flour work for this recipe?
Hello Jessica, without testing that, I can’t make that recommendation. I’m not sure how it will affect the outcome as I haven’t tried that yet. If you decide to do an experiment, please share with us how it goes. Happy birthday to your daughter!
Hi Natasha,
Can i substitute cream cheese with mascarpone?
Hello Sema, I haven’t tried using mascarpone yet for this recipe so I cannot advise. But if you want to do an experiment, please share with us how it goes.
Finally made this for a smaller portion (I halved everything).
It works sooooo well, not too sweet!
I replaced the olive oil with canola (worked just fine)
I love your recipes!
That is awesome! I appreciate you sharing that with us and thank you for your fantastic review!
I don’t have regular white vinegar and with what’s going on, I can’t make a quick run for any. I have apple cider vinegar, cold I use this instead? Also, I didn’t realize but I used baking powder instead of baking soda, does this make a difference?
Hello there, I honestly haven’t tested that so I’m not sure how it would affect the flavor, plus apple cider vinegar isn’t as acidic as white vinegar. One of my readers mentioned this in a comment but it wasn’t clear if she had tested this with her own family version of chocolate cake or our recipe that I had posted: “I’ve also used cider vinegar and lemon juice and again, good results.”
There is no eggs in this recipie???
That’s right! No eggs! I hope you love it!
Can you use a 9×13 pan to make this? If so, how much time to bake?
Hi Jordan, I haven’t tested this in a 9×13 but that should work! One of my readers reported baking this in a 9×13 pan with good results. She wrote: “Baking it in a casserole style dish calls for a low and slow cooking method. I cooked it at 300 for 50-55 minutes.” I hope that helps!
Hi! Thank you so much for the quick response, if we do not have light olive oil could vegetable oil be substituted for it?
Hi Jordan! That should work. I hope you love this recipe!
Hi Jordan
How many spoons coffee did you use to make the coffee?
Hi Natasha I have been drooling looking at this cake and plan to make it today. Can you tell me what is the equivalent measurements in grams as opposed to ‘cups’. Also I have no white vinegar can I use ordinary brown vinegar.
We are currently working on adding metric measurements to all of our recipes but it is taking some time as we have to add them one at a time. Thank you so much for being patient! In the meantime, check out our post on measuring which should help
Hi!! I’m super excited to make this for my husband’s birthday. Would I be able to use 2 8 in. pans instead? Or 3 7 in.? Thank you so much!!
Hi Brittany, I think you could probably stretch it to accommodate two 8-inch pans but I haven’t tested either way so I won’t be able to give you precise baking instructions.
If I have icing left over, can I freeze it?
Hi Carol, tbh- I haven’t tried freezing the full assembled cake (it does keep in the fridge for up to 5 days) or the frosting, but I think that would work fine to freeze. If you experiment please let me know how you like that.
My daughter and I did this recipe as a father-daughter project. We hardly consider ourselves accomplished bakers, so we followed the recipe to the letter. Until we realized no eggs required?? Hmm, I admit we second guessed and with just a little trepidation we pressed on any way as directed. It turned out perfectly!! Thank you for an excellent recipe!
Hello Randy, what a great bonding moment with your daughter! I’m so glad that you chose this recipe for your project because so this is one of our favorites at home too. Thanks for giving a wonderful review and I hope you and your daughter will love every recipe that you try.
I made this cake today & it is delicious! Does it need to be refrigerated?
Love it! Thanks for the great review and regarding refrigerating it, yes we recommend keeping it refrigerated. Be sure to cover when refrigerating. I would suggest letting it come to room temperature for 1-2 hours before serving for it to soften up again.
We don’t have access to coffee right now and I seen in another comment to use water instead. I’ve never baked a cake from scratch but I will for this one I was wondering if I could replace the water with milk? Or would that be a bad idea? Thank you for all you do!
Water is the next best thing as I haven’t tried using milk with this recipe.
Using milk in place of water had the cake tasting just fine! First and only chocolate cake I’ll be making!
Thank you so much for sharing that with me.
Hey Natasha! I’m loving your recipes and your videos!! Thank you so much. I’m looking forward to try this recipe but I don’t like coffee in cakes. Can I just omit it completely?
Hi Nelly, Coffee will provide the very best flavor because it amplifies the flavor of chocolate and does not taste like coffee. The next best thing would be water. I don’t know if it is an option for you, but decaf coffee would also work fine.
Hi Natasha, have you ever tried this cake with the white chocolate frosting from your cupcake recipe?
I have not but it sounds delicious!
I made this cake for our last family function before the quarantine. It was devoured with really kind compliments from everyone!!!! This is my new go-to cake recipe for all of our family functions–and maybe just for the days that I’m craving cake. Thanks for sharing!
You’re welcome, Liz! I’m so glad you’re enjoying our recipes! Soon will come the time to gather again and we can enjoy these recipes together with friends and family.
Sounds like a great cake, can’t wait to try it. Love your recipes. Don’t see any eggs in the recipe?
I hope you love this recipe, Patti! That’s right – no eggs in this recipe!
I made your chocolate cake recipe and I must say it was fantastic! I used a homemade Pb frosting instead of chocolate…So So So good and low maintenance with great flavor and eggless also
That’s just awesome!! Thank you for sharing your wonderful review, Sasha!
Hello,
Just wondering why is there vinegar? Could it be replaced with just water? Also, I would like to replace the hot coffee for 1/2 Kahlua
Thanks
Hi Lucie, The vinegar is necessary as it activates the baking soda and helps with rising. I haven’t tried any other substitute for it to advise.
Hi Natasha,
Wow, thanks for the quick reply!! I don’t think anyone has ever replied to any of my comments on Pinterest.
I made it and kept the vinegar im the recipe. Instead of hot coffee, I used 1/2 Kahlua and 1/2 water with 1 TBSP cocoa (my hubby is not a coffee fan and it was for his birthday yesterday). It came out perfect, and that icing OMG sooo creamy good!!
I’m so glad you enjoyed it, Lucie! Thank you for the wonderful review!
My husband is a tea drinker and hates coffee!! I kept the recipe as is because Natasha had mentioned in the video that you would not taste the coffee. My husband licked the plate, he had no idea the coffee was even in there!! Amazing cake!
That’s just awesome, Lisa! I’m so glad you bother enjoyed this recipe!
Could you substitute the olive oil with vegetable oil?
Hi Elaine, a vegetable or canola oil would work.
I just this today, love this cake but I found the icing to be super sweet, and yes followed the ingredients has I was making it, any suggestions?
Hi Joy, we used 5 cups of powdered sugar. It may seem like a lot, but it is a lot of frosting and keep in mind that 1 cup of powdered sugar is actually 1/2 cup of granulated sugar. I tested this adding the powdered sugar to taste (and you can do the same), but I landed at 5 cups as the perfect balance of sweetness. I worry it will affect texture if using less but if you experiment I would love to know how you like this recipe.
Hi Natasha! I just wanted to say that I adore you and have tried SO many of your recipes all with great success! Tonight I’m going to make this beautiful cake and I’m sure hubby and I will love it! Thank you so much for the great recipes!
Aww! You’re so nice! Thank you for that thoughtful compliment! I’m so glad you are enjoying our blog and recipes!
What would be the substitute of olive oil in this n what should be the quantity? Bcz I don’t have olive oil…
Btw really love ur recipes…
Hi Sindhu, a vegetable or canola oil would work.
Hi Natasha
Same quantity of oil???
Thnx for replying
Hi Sindhu, yes the same quality.
Hi Natasha! My name is Samantha! I absolutely love your videos and recipes! I’m planning on making this chocolate cake. What kind of coffee is best to use? Espresso or just regular coffee?
Thanks so much!
Hi Samantha! I’m so glad you’re enjoying our recipes. We use coffee from our machine. Espresso would be fine but I would dilute it with water to the strength of brewed drip coffee or you might taste the coffee in the cake. I hope that helps.
Hi Natasha , I’m Yazhini. Can I use instant coffee in this? If yes, what will be its measurements.
Will tat make the cake taste coffee?
Thank you☺️
Hi Yazhini, I haven’t tested this with instant coffee but here is what one of our readers wrote “Update for my cake. I made it again last Saturday for my son’s birthday and it turned out great! It was rich chocolate flavor (nobody noticed coffee). I used corn oil and for 2 cups coffee I used 3 teaspoons decaf instant coffee (light/medium roast).” I hope that helps.
Hi Natasha, This cake is amazing, but now after eating half of it we were wondering if we can freeze it?
Thanks,
Adina
Hi Adina, I haven’t tried freezing the full assembled cake (it does keep in the fridge for up to 5 days), but I think that would work fine to freeze, but I would cover the sliced portion with plastic wrap so it doesn’t dry out or get freezer burn.
Hi Natasha! Thank you for this recipe, and for doing what you do! I absolutely love all your videos and recipes! You’re awesome!
Quick questions: In your frosting pictures and recipe above, you’re showing and stating that we should use the paddle attachment but in the video you’re using the whisk attachment. Which one is it?
I ask because I didn’t have enough ingredients for the frosting so I had to reduce all its ingredients by half. I used the whisk attachment after seeing your video but the frosting came out way too thick and it was not smooth, at all 🙁 Any idea what could’ve happened? You aren’t using a true liquid besides the tsps of vanilla so I’m wondering what makes it smooth. Thank you!
Hi Michelle, either one will work and I have used both. If it wasn’t smooth, you might consider if a substitution was made – and lumps in the frosting often indicate that the cream cheese wasn’t softened enough. Let it sit at room temperature for 15 minutes at a time until it softens some more and try beating again until smooth. I hope that helps!
Thank you for the reply, Natasha. I will try that next time.
One of the very best chocolate cake recipes!!!
Isn’t it amazing! I’m so glad you enjoyed that!
Hi Natasha,
How can I prepare coffee from Nescafe?
How many spoons of Nescafe I have to add for each cup?
Thank you
Hi Rima, I haven’t tested this with instant coffee but here is what one of our readers wrote “Update for my cake. I made it again last Saturday for my son’s birthday and it turned out great! It was rich chocolate flavor (nobody noticed coffee). I used corn oil and for 2 cups coffee I used 3 teaspoons decaf instant coffee (light/medium roast).” I hope that helps.
Just realized I don’t have light olive oil (only olive oil or extra virgin) Would vegetable oil work?
Hi Aimee, a vegetable or canola oil would work. If you experiment with any of those options, let me know how it goes.
Just wondering if the cream cheese taste is prevalent in the frosting.
Hi Ann, I didn’t think it was overpowering with the cream cheese, but rather that it helped to balance the frosting, but you can add slightly more powdered sugar if you want to mask it further.
Can we leave out cocoa from the frosting?
I haven’t tried it yet without cocoa to advise. I imagine the taste wouldn’t be the same without it. Let me know how you liked it if you decide to experiment.
Hi Natasha! I wanted to make this cake tonight but I don’t have white vinagre. Can I use apple cider vinagre? Thanks! Love all your recipes
Hi Chela, I honestly haven’t tested that so I’m not sure how it would affect the flavor, plus apple cider vinegar isn’t as acidic as white vinegar. One of my readers mentioned this in a comment but it wasn’t clear if she had tested this with her own family version of chocolate cake or our recipe that I had posted: “I’ve also used cider vinegar and lemon juice and again, good results.”
Thanks for responding so quickly 🤗 I borrowed some white vinagre from my neighbor 😬. I just made the cake and about to make the frosting ! I’m so excited. I also made your cheeseburger sliders for dinner! Omg 🤤🤤🤤🤤 amazing!!!
You’re welcome. I can’t wait for you to taste the finished product. I hope it goes well and please update us on how it goes.
Hi, I was wondering if I could bake the cake all in one pan since I only have one?
Hi Rema, I haven’t tested that in a tall walled pan like a springform pan (it would overwhelm a single standard cake pan).
Hello Natasha, what substitute can I use for sugar?
Hi Lynette, I haven’t tested any other substitutions for granulated sugar so I can’t advise without experimenting first.
Loved this cake. Was especially perfect for my daughter who is allergic to eggs. Delicious!
I’m glad you loved this recipe! Thanks for the good feedback.
The cake came out to dense.
Hi Jyoti, did you possibly add too much flour? Make sure to follow our tips for measuring ingredients for baking. I hope that helps.
Absolutely delicious! Myself and my family loved this cake, and it was pretty easy to make. I definitely recommend
That’s so great! I’m so happy you all enjoyed that. Thank you for sharing that awesome review with us, Kate!
Hi Natasha. Great recipe! Cake was moist and not overly dense.
Any expert advise on ratio of sugar, flour, cocoa if I wanted to make it a little sweeter & more deeper cocoa flavor?
Thx
Hi Steph, since baking is so much of a science, without testing anything differently, I won’t be able to offer that advice. If you experiment, I would love to hear how it goes.
Hi Natasha ,
Do you add milk to the coffee ? Or just water ? So 2 cups warm coffee is it just mixed with water or Milk ?
And can I use sunflower oil in it instead of olive oil ?
Hi Shymala, we make the coffee in our machine which uses water, we do not add milk to it. If you have it I would probably go with avocado since sunflower oil can impart a different flavor.
This cake was superb! I used canola oil in place of the olive and I used dark chocolate cocoa. Rich flavor and not too sweet. Family loved it.Thank you for sharing. I will be trying more recipes!
Also, the cake was super moist
Isn’t it the best! Thank you CJ!
You’re welcome! I’m so happy you enjoyed it, CJ!
My family and I love every recipe that I have made! Thank you so much for sharing. I am making the chocolate cake tonight. Keep up the great work!
Thank you Sandra. I can’t wait for you to try the chocolate cake recipe, it’s one of our favorites!
hi Natasha I have just made your chocolate cake following the receipt to the letter and as soon as I put the chocolate frosting on the cake started to crumble. This is the second time I have made this cake and the same thing happened last time. the cake tasted delicious but looked a mess . Any ideas
Hi Stephen, I haven’t had that happen – did you possibly underbake (cake had wet batter inside) or overbake (cake was dry)? Also, make sure to prep the pan according to the instructions to reduce the chances of it sticking to the pan which could cause it to break when you try to take it out of the pan. I hope that helps.
Cake turned out ok..not that great. It was tough from inside .. I followed the receipe.
Frosting was excellent
Hi Arpita, a tough cake usually indicates overbaking. Make sure you do the toothpick test a little sooner next time in case your oven runs hot. Also, make sure you bake on regular conventional bake mode and not convection.
No eggs? Purchased all the ingredients and noticed there were no eggs.
Hi Shirley, that is right! This recipe calls for no eggs.
What can I substitute for coffee?
Hi Patricia, Coffee will provide the very best flavor because it amplifies the flavor of chocolate and does not taste like coffee. The next best thing would be water. I don’t know if it is an option for you, but decaf coffee would also work fine.
Hi,
Why do we use vinegar? Any substitute for it?
Thanks
Hi Jahana. The vinegar is necessary as it activates the baking soda and helps with rising. I haven’t tried any other substitute for it to advise.
Hi natasha! will instant baking powder espresso work for the cake batter? how much should i use? thank you
Hi Gel, I haven’t tested this with instant coffee but here is what one of our readers wrote “Update for my cake. I made it again last Saturday for my son’s birthday and it turned out great! It was rich chocolate flavor (nobody noticed coffee). I used corn oil and for 2 cups coffee I used 3 teaspoons decaf instant coffee (light/medium roast).” I hope that helps.
This is super yummy! I don’t drink coffee so I didn’t have any on hand. I used water instead. I doubled the recipe because we have a 5 year old birthday party. I was able to make the main cake and 24 cupcakes. There was some batter left so a made a super small round cake so I could just eat it. The flavor didn’t disappoint! It was moist and delicious! I need to try it again with the coffee to see how much better it can be. By far the baes cake I have made from scratch!
Thank you for that wonderful feedback Spencer! I’m so glad you enjoyed this recipe! Our readers will find the water option helpful I’m sure.
I made this cake yesturday and it came out wonderful. I’m wondering if different types of coffee make a difference in taste …. I used maxwell house! Thank you.
I Dorothy, you should not taste the coffee in this recipe as its use is to enhance the chocolate flavor. I believe a stronger coffee may alter the flavor. If you happen to experiment with different kinds of coffee I would love to know your findings and how you like that.
Hi Natasha! I love your recipes! I want to make this for a friend’s birthday. I am curious – what coffee did you use?
Hi Rebecca, we used our coffee machine to make our coffee. Several of our readers have brewed coffee or used instant coffee. I hope that helps.
Your recipe look delicious. I have two 6 inches pan. How do I convert the ingredients to 6 inches pan? Thanks!
Hi Lily, I have not tested this in a 6-inch pan but it could work. If you experiment, let me know how you liked the recipe.
Lily, make the original recipe. Use approx 3/4 of the batter, divided into you 6 in pans. I have a large measuring cup that holds 10 cups. If you have one, pour batter into it and measure the total amount. Subtract 1/4 of the batter. Divide the remaining batter into your pans.
I Natasha,
For the frosting i dont have cream cheese. Which ingrédient van replace it plz?
Hi Ksthuri, you might try a chocolate buttercream frosting instead. You would have to make other modifications here if you remove the cream cheese.
The cake itself was great! The icing however, is good but it’s very very sweet (I love rich sweet things but this was much sweeter then I’d prefer). If I was making the icing again I would cut down on the icing sugar. Excited to try more of Natashas recipes I’ve made many and liked them all!
Hello Brittany, it’s so nice to know that you loved it! That would be a good idea to lessen the sugar if you think it’s too sweet for you. Thanks for your review!
I’m planning to make this cake for my daughter birthday … The only oil i can use is olive oil , no other kind from Guyana
That should work. Please share with us how it goes.
Can I bake this cake in a bundt pan?
Hi Jocelyn, I have not tested this in a bundt cake to advise. If you experiment with that, please let me know how you like it.
Can this frosting be stored outside of the fridge? Or does it need to be refrigerated?
Amazing cake and amazing icing!
Hi Ashlyn, yes we recommend keeping it refrigerated. Be sure to cover when refrigerating. I would suggest letting it come to room temperature for 1-2 hours before serving for it to soften up again.
Hello Natasha! I love your recipe’s! I made this cake yesterday for a family gathering. I altered it by using vegetable oil instead of the light olive oil. Additionally, I used dark cocoa powder, since it was what I had. My family was blown away, it was spectacular!
Thanks for sharing that with us and I’m glad to know that your modifications worked well! This would really help others who want to try those substitutes too.
Hi Natasha
There is no egg in this chocolate cake why is that…
That’s right Belle! No eggs! Isn’t that amazing! We used other ingredients that help with the cakes volume.
That’s right Belle. No eggs! Isn’t that amazing! We used other ingredients that help with the cakes volume.
Will it work if I use apple cider vinegar instead of white vinegar. I only have an apple cider one at home
Hi Emilia, I honestly haven’t tested that so I’m not sure how it would affect the flavor, plus apple cider vinegar isn’t as acidic as white vinegar.
Hello! I was going to give this cake a try. But I am wondering if it’s OK to use extra virgin olive oil instead of just olive oil. Then I’m going to use heavy whipping cream instead of cream cheese and buttercream and am wondering if it’ll be OK too?
Hi Hadicha, extra virgin olive oil imparts a different flavor which is why I don’t typically use it for baking.
Hadicha,
I’ve made this recipe three times with extra virgin olive oil. I know the flavor is different, but not sure how much and we loved the results. FYI.
George
I never seem to have LIGHT olive oil but always have vegetable oil. Can that be used instead? I’ll certainly put the light OO on my next grocery list though.
Hi Sylvia, a vegetable or canola oil would work. If you experiment with any of those options, let me know how it goes.
Love love love your videos and bubbly personality. I have a question. Light olive oil instead of like a vegetable or blended oil? Is there any strong olive oil taste afterwards? Thanks
Michael
Hi Michael, Thank you so much! That really means a lot to me. The olive oil can be replaced with canola oil. The one I use is a LIGHT olive oil so it doesn’t have any flavor. The one you would want to avoid for desserts is extra virgin olive oil since that does have a strong flavor.
Amazing, simple, easy and delicious.
I’m so glad you enjoyed that. Thank you for sharing your feedback with us.
Hi Natasha,
I really love your recipes.
Can I divide this recipe into half only? Also can i use brown sugar instead of granulated sugar?
Thank you.
Hello Reina, yes you may divide the recipe in half, I haven’t tried brown sugar yet to advise but if you do an experiment, please share with us how that goes.