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
Hi! I'm Natasha Kravchuk. Here you'll find delicious, trusted recipes with easy step-by-step photos and videos. 
Hi Natasha, this is absolutely the best chocolate cake, hands down. I don’t understand all the complaints about cracking and it being dry. This year I started baking cakes for sale as a side business and your recipe is my go to chocolate cake – the best.
I’m so happy you enjoyed that. Thank you for sharing that with us, Stacey! Happy Thanksgiving!
Hi Natasha
I used baking soda. Did you mean baking powder . The cake didn’t rise very much.
Thanks
Joan
Hi Joan! Baking soda is correct. Look over the recipe again to see if you missed any steps or if any ingredients were mismeasured. This is my how to measure ingredients HERE. Don’t over-mix the batter. Also, be sure to let your oven preheat all the way before baking. I also encourage the use of an internal oven thermometer. I hope that helps!
The only thing I can taste is the coffee. It’s dry and the flavor is definitely not coffee. Highly disappointing and not a good chocolate cake recipe at all
You should not taste the coffee in the final product, but it really amplifies the flavor of chocolate. Feel free to substitute with decaf coffee next time if you prefer.
What have I been doing wrong. When I tried to get it out of the baking tin it started to fall apart.
Hi Lorraine. Did you let the cake cool? Also, I would recommend looking over my process again to see if you missed anything. Be sure to measure your ingredients correctly.
Please I want to know the flour measurement in gram because I’m using 1cup as 250g but your measurements are different please reply to this Natasha….
Hi Fathima, you can click Metric in the recipe card to convert the ingredients to grams. Hope that helps!
Hi Natasha, Im a big fan of your recipe I love the way you make everything..😍😍
Thank you for your love and support. It means a lot to us!
Can this cake be baked in a 9×12 in pan and if so how long? It looks so good I will be using a sugar-free sweetener hope it turns out ok. I love to watch you.
Hi Kathy! Thank you, I’m glad you enjoy my recipes and videos. I haven’t tested this cake in different pans to advise on measurements and baking times. You’d have to experiment with it.
I noticed the cake does not call for any eggs. Was that a mistake??
It is not a mistake, this is an eggless cake.
This cake is delicious and came out looking just like the picture! And easy too! Just wondering does it require refrigeration after?? I accidentally left it out overnight, not thinking about the cream cheese. It’s in the fridge now. Will it be ok to eat? It was left out for 8 hours.
Hi Katie! Yes, it should be refrigerated when it’s made with cream cheese frosting. Cream cheese frosting should only be left out for 2 hrs according to the FDA.
Hi Natasha, I just wanted to know about substituting the sugar (I’m diabetic) like Equal or any non sugars, and by the way the cake looks beautiful and delicious.
Hi Catherine, I haven’t tested that so I can’t speak to that.
I’d love to make this cake. Have been thinking about it for a very long time. My question is can I reduce the sugar a bit? I can see this disappearing in a day in my house. Or use sweetened cocoa instead? Thank you.
Hi Kiki, I haven’t tested that yet to advise. If you do an experiment, please share with us how it goes!
This sounds delicious! What can be used instead of creme cheese?
Hi Cheryl! You may try looking through my other frosting recipes HERE to find an alternative to make.
I’d like to try this cake tomorrow 🤞hopefully it turns out good! And just a question when is your recipe book coming out??
I hope you love this cake, Lena! It’s one of our most popular! My book is due to release Fall of 2023! We can’t wait!
I’ve made this cake twice and it is excellent. And it great to have an eggless cake in todays economy. Are there any other options for the oils? Like sunflower or canola?
Hi Nicolas, thank you for the good feedback! My go-to’s for cakes and baking are canola oil, vegetable oil and extra light olive oil (my favorite). Other oils tend to be more fragrant.
Hi Natasha… LOVE this cake! The only thing I did different was to use canola oil instead of olive oil. Not a fan of olive oil in sweets.
Sounds good! Great to know that you love this recipe.
I used ghee inplace of the oil the same measurement and it was fabulous!!!
If I want to adjust the recipe to account for a 9 in square pan how do I shift the ingredients and oven temperature?
Hi Lia, I haven’t tested that so I’m not sure how it would bake up in one 9″ square pan. It may be difficult to cut as it is a fairly soft, moist, and crumbly crumb which is why I bake 2 layers separately.
I have a question, can I replace the cocoa powder with melted chocolate?
I have not tested this to advise. If you experiment, let us know how it turns out.
Hi Natash
It’s Pat again and had to write and tell you how your chocolate cake saved the day for a mom who needed chocolate cupcakes that were egg free and Gluten Free and she could not find any in a bakery anywhere. She started telling me and you could see she was in a panic so I told her I could make her some GF and egg free. I made your receipt with Cup4Cup GF flour again and boy were they a hit! I decorated them just for the kids party and every child got to have one. Your chocolate cake saved the day!
That’s wonderful, Pat! I’m so glad to hear that. Thank you for sharing with us.
Hi Natasha, I love all your recipes, my question is with the majority of your baking you use unsalted butter why is this. Thanks Jackie
Hi Jackie! Using unsalted butter allows me to better control the saltiness of a recipe by how much salt I add. In most cases, you can use salted but should omit any additional salt that the recipe calls for.
Hi Natasha,
I want to bake this for my daughter’s birthday tomorrow. I want to do it in advance as we are planning to go out in the evening. Can I leave it in the fridge before I need to serve?
Hi Rahima! Yes, you can refrigerate this cake. I would suggest taking it out about an hour before serving so that the frosting can soften a little bit.
Hi Natasha,
I’m wanting to make this recipe for my daughters birthday this weekend and was winding how many teaspoons of coffee should I add to the water?
Thank you
Hi Mevy! Typically you would use about 2 teaspoons of ground coffee for every 6-8 ounces of water to brew the coffee. You can also use instant coffee and follow the directions on the packet.
Omg! I tried to divide the recipe into half and baked using my small rice cooker in the house for 1hr since I dont have an oven and I was so happy! It turns out really good! This is my first time trying to bake an easy recipe as a beginner. It really motivates me to do more! Thank you so much Natasha! Baking is really helping me to cope up with my postpartum depression. Its so yummy! When my daughter grow up she will definitely love my cake!
Aww, that’s the best! Thank you so much for sharing that with me, Mabs. I’m all smiles
pls tell me why my cake is feel like dough and when i was leveling out my cake like a lot for cake came off
Hi Shari, did you make any substitutions? I would look over my recipe and instructions again to see if you missed anything. Also, be sure to watch my tutorial on how to measure your ingredients, HERE. If you used too much flour, that could be the issue. Also, be sure to not over-mix your batter.
Will definitely be making this cake! I am 67 yrs young and you still inspire me with your receipes!! God bless you!
I hope you love it, Debra! Blessings to you!
I love your receipes! I follow you all the time! Awesome keep up the wonderful work!!
Thank you for your excellent feedback, Debra. I hope you’ll love all the recipes that you will try from us!
I made this for a family celebration and it is the BEST chocolate cake I have ever had. This is my new go to recipe for chocolate cake. Thank you so much, I will be trying more of your recipes.
Hi Leesa! That makes me happy to hear. Thank you for sharing.
I wonder if we added 2 eggs in the batter, if the problem many people are having with the cake cracking and breaking apart, if that would solve the problem. Eggs would obviously help hold the cake together but I don’t know if it would ruin this recipe. Any advice before we try it?
Hi Leda, if all of the ingredients were measured accurately it should not crack. Also, be sure to let it cool completely before transferring, that may take longer than 15 minutes. That is the most likely culprit of crack.
How do you find the tools Natasha uses when she says”I’ll link to the notes”. I can never find it.
Thank you
Hi Denra! Anywhere you see red lettering is a link attachment, just click on it. You can also find my amazon shop, HERE.
Wow! As a confirmed choclaholic this sounds fantastic! Might my only question is, how do you keep from looking like a blimp with all this sugar and fat…….. and 691 calories in each slice! It really made my mouth water but I think I gained 5 pounds just looking at it. 🥰
You are so humble Natasha! You give credit to your husband as well as yourself, you must be a woman of God !
God bless you!🙏🏻
Thank you for your kind words, Rose. We appreciate it.
You are so humble Natasha! You give credit to your husband as well as yourself, you murr at t be a woman of God
God bless you
Thank you, we appreciate your kind words.
Hello Natacha a doubt this chocolate cake does not go eggs? Kisses from Portugal
Hi Susana, this cake truly doesn’t require eggs! I hope you love it!
Made this cake with Cup4Cup Gluten Free flour as I said I was going to try and it came out perfect and no one could believe it was GF! Everyone wants the receipt
That’s just great! Thank you for sharing your wonderful review, Pat!
I Just love this cake!!! I make it all the time, Its the best we have ever had and so easy to do
That’s just awesome! Thank you for sharing your wonderful review, Kari!
Can I use extra virgin olive oil or vegetable oil instead of light olive oil?
We use light olive oil because it has a more neutral taste but the vegetable oil would work well in its place.
Hi ,thank you so much for the most delicious eggless chocolate cake…I have a question can I add a melted butter for stacking cake
Hi Sadhvi! I’m happy you love this cake.
I am not sure I understand the question about the melted butter…?
I just want to let you know that you make me look like some sort of culinary genius lol My family has loved everything I have made from your website and I have made many of them. I tell them that my friend Natasha is helping with dinner and they are excited because they know it will be great. One last thing I throughly enjoy your videos! Informative, great instuctions and funny! Thanks for being you!!
Thank you for sharing, Liz! I’m glad my videos are helpful and so glad to hear my recipes are enjoyed. 🙂
Going to make this with Gluten Free flour and will let you know how it come out.
We would love to hear the feedback, Pat! Thank you.
Hi Natasha,
Great recipe!!wondering if I could use it make cupcakes and how many would this recipe make?
Thanks
Hi Veena, we do have the chocolate cupcake version of this recipe already developed. Enjoy!
Same question as Veena – the chocolate cupcake version has eggs though!
Hi Kristen! I have an eggless chocolate cupcake recipe HERE.
Your Chocolate Cake Recipe is the best that I have ever made! Delicious!
That’s great to hear, Vicky! I’m so glad you enjoy it. 🙂
I tried this recipe but it turned out to be chewy does any one give us a hint.
Thank you
Hi Lina, this cake is normally more soft and fluffy than dense & chewy. I always recommend making a recipe the first time with the ingredients that are listed without modifications. Be sure to measure by fluffing the flour first with a spoon then spoon it into a dry ingredient measuring cup and scrape off the top. If you push your measuring cup into a flour bin, you will get up to 25% too much flour. Also, do not tap the flour down in the measuring cup.
Just double checking that the chocolate cake recipe is accurate and that there are no EGGS in this recipe? Is this correct?
Yes, that is correct. No eggs are necessary for this recipe. 🙂
So the zucchini chips are amazing and the sauce also.
The chocolate cake is also delicious and I have never made a cake without eggs but…..it was great. Of course the icing is the bomb!!!!!
Love your recipes and really love the videos… helps to see it in progress… please keep cooking and sharing😊
Glad you’re enjoying them! I hope you’ll love all the recipes that you will try.
Hi Natasha : I made your chocolate cake for the family reunion!! They were a big hit and I can’t thank you enough!! Happy weekend to you! Take care.
That’s wonderful! I’m glad it was a hit. Thank you. Have a great weekend as well. 🙂
I love this cake and have made it many times. My question is does it need to be refrigerated?
Hi Rita, yes, 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 the coffee be substituted with another liquid? We are not coffee drinkers and I cannot stand the taste.
Hi Jessica! You can’t taste the coffee flavor, but the coffee helps enhance the chocolate flavor. You can replace it with warm water if you’d like.
Made this cake it was vert good! My husband loves choc cake!
Hi Pat! I’m glad to hear that. Thank you!
Hi Natasha,
This cake was absolutely delicious!
Would it work with white chocolate buttercream icing and, if so, do you have a recipe for it please?
Thanks 😊
Hi Kasia! Yes, I think that white chocolate buttercream would pair wonderfully with this cake. I do not have a recipe for buttercream but I have a whipped White Chocolate Frosting here that you may enjoy. It uses cream cheese and heavy whipping cream.
I would like to try the chocolate cake, but my husband can’t drink coffee, any alternatives?
You can replace it with warm water.
I can see the 5 stars, thank you!
THIS WAS THE BEST CHOCOLATE CAKE I’VE EVER HAD!!! I made this for my teacher’s birthday, and it was a huge hit. I was initially a bit sceptical of the cream cheese chocolate frosting, but it was AMAZING!!!! The cake was perfectly rich and chocolate and not too sweet!!
I’m so glad it was a hit, Oona! Thank you for your great feedback!
Thank you dear again for ur excellent recipe . Made for my daughter’s birthday and it was yum😘😘
You’re welcome, Grace. Good to know that it was a hit!
Can I use vegetable oil instead of olive oil?
Also, Natasha, do you have recipe for meat balls in the crockpot? Preferably sweet and sour.
Thank you🌷
Hi Linda, My go-to’s for cakes and baking are canola oil, vegetable oil, and extra light olive oil (my favorite). Other oils tend to be more fragrant.
Hello – Could you suggest something to replace 2 cups of coffee?
You could use warm water in its place.
Can I ask a question about the chocolate cake recipe please when you said to use 2 cups of warm coffee how many Tbs or tsp of coffee do I need to add to the 2 cups of water to make the 2 cups of coffee
Hi G, we used our espresso machine, I haven’t tried it with instant coffee, but I recommend checking your package instructions.
We have an espresso machine as well. Did you brew two large cups? I don’t usually like coffee flavor in food, but love coffee- weird I know. Anyway, I just don’t want it to be too much coffee with the espresso. I am leaning towards trying one cup espresso and 1 cup warm water- but usually like to try recipes as is written the first time around.
Hi Lisa! We used 2 cups of brewed coffee in this recipe. The coffee flavor doesn’t come through but it definitely helps enhance the chocolate flavor in the cake. That much espresso may be a bit strong so you may want to experiment with it and add water to your preferred taste. When drinking coffee, I have used 2-3 shots of espresso and added them to hot water to “water it down” and make it into more of a “cup of coffee”. I hope that helps give you an idea of where to start. Either way, I’m sure this recipe will still be great with more or less coffee, some of my readers omit the coffee completely.
Hi Natasha, How much batter would I need to make a 2 kg cake?
Hi Nisha, I haven’t weighed this cake so I’m not sure how to advise. If you go to the serving size, you can scale the cake ingredients that are listed up or down. I hope that helps.
Can you make this cake in a bundt pan without the frosting.
Love watching you & trying recipes.
Hi Marie, I haven’t tried that myself, but I saw in a comment one of our readers share this: “I made this cake yesterday, it turned out amazing! I used a Bundt pan, baked at 350 degrees for 50 minutes, it was perfect!” I hope that helps.
Hi Natasha, love your recipes! I have made the chocolate cake so many times and also love all your other recipes. One thing I recently tried with the chocolate cake is baking it the day before. The cake stayed moist and the only thing I needed to worry about the next day was making the frosting. Such a time saver 🙂
So glad you enjoyed this. Thank you, Gisela!
Love this recipe. Some of the best Chocolate cake ever!
Can this be made into a sheet cake? How would the recipe be adjusted? How long would you bake, I’m assuming a 9×13 pan
Hi Vince! So glad you enjoy this recipe. I did not test this in a larger pan. I recommend using a cake pan conversion chart (you can google this) and adjusting from there. Keep the temperature the same, but you’ll have to bake it longer so keep an eye on it and it is done baking when a toothpick comes out clean.
Hi Natasha, I always follow your recipes., and they go well always. But this cake was sooo fluffy. I baked the 2 pans and waited 1 hour to take them out but my two cakes broke easily and not suitable to cut them in half, level them and fill with frosting . What did I do wrong can you advise?
Hi Sama, I haven’t had that outcome, so I can’t speak to that. Substitutions may hinder the recipe outcome ensure that each step was closely followed and no substitutions were made.
Hi Natasha! Just a quick question. Can this cake be used with fondant? I mean can we cover it with fondant..
Hi Maham, While I haven’t tested that, I think fondant could work well with a crumb coat of frosting underneath it.
Thank you 😊
I’ll try the cake for my daughter’s half birthday and then will share the review aswell 😊. And I’m sure like always the recipe won’t disappoint at all. 😊
I hope you both love it! Happy Half Birthday!
Hi Natasha, tried a lot of your recipes and they’ve consistently turned out great.
I’d like to make this for a friend’s birthday but I’m stumped with the coffee though. If using instant coffee powder, how much will i need for this?
Hi Lala, we used brewed coffee but I suggest following the package instructions which will usually give you a fairly strong coffee.
Love your videos so fun to watch and recipes great!
Thank you
You’re welcome. Thank you for always watching!
Help! I took my cakes out of the pans after letting them rest 15 minutes on a rack, and removed the parchment. As my cakes started to cool, they cracked a lot. What do you recommend to avoid the cakes cracking as they cool? Should I leave the parchment paper on? Leave in pans longer to cool before removing cakes from pans? These are for a birthday cake and I’m already starting over.
Hi Christina, be sure to let it cool completely before transferring, that may take longer than 15 minutes. That is the most likely culprit of a crack.
Hi,
can I use Mascarpone instead of Cream Cheese? Should be the same thing, right?
Thanks,
Simona
Hi Simona, I saw someone else commented this “Here in Florida there is a shortage of cream cheese so he substituted mascarpone for the cream cheese. This cake is so Delicious. Thank you Natasha” I hope that helps.
I made this recipe on the weekend – I am known by my family as a chocolate cake afficionado – and they all said this was particularly delicious. I made a chocolate buttercream frosting instead of the cream cheese called for because I am not a fan of the chocolate cream cheese combination, but it was still amazing.
Wow! That’s so great! I’m so glad this was loved, Jen! Chocolate cake is the perfect treat in my book!
I use black cocoa powder because i had it on hand and it gave it a deep rich chocolate flavor. This is by far the best chocolate cake I’ve ever had. I’ve made it several times and it’s always a hit. It’s so moist. I can’t believe there are no eggs!
Love it! Thanks for the awesome review, Shannon. Yes, no eggs and still very delicious!
What can I substitute for the coffee? Is there anything else that I can use and the cake would still be as good?
Hi Shauna, I actually haven’t tried any other substitute to advise, and the coffee really enhances the flavor of the cake. But feel free to substitute with decaf coffee if you prefer. I have had readers try water only but I think you’ll have the best flavor with coffee because it amplifies the flavor of the chocolate.
Hi Natasha~ I made this last weekend and it was a huge hit. I will never go back to storebought cake or frosting again. However I wanted to change it up and make cupcakes instead this weekend. How long do you suggest I cook them for? The normal 18-20 minutes? Love your recipes, watch you all the time!!!
Hi Tara, I’m so glad to hear this was a hit! I have another recipe for Chocolate Cupcakes HERE if you would like to use it instead or as a guide! I hope this helps!
I have a large muffin pan that holds 15 muffins. This recipe fits perfectly and they bake for about 20 min.
Thank you so much for sharing that with us!
Best choclate cake! My family loves it!
The only thing that I changed, cut the powdered sugar in half and it is sweet enough for us.
Thank you so much!
Great to hear that cutting the sugar in half gave good results too! Thanks for sharing that with us.
Natasha, I am perplexed. I have made two 13x9x2 inch devil’s food cakes in the last 4 days and both went into the trash. I never have had so much trouble making this cake. It is my husband’s favorite and for the life of me I can not get the wet and dry ingredients to balance. The cake did not rise it sunk in the middle and other one cracked this time.
I made the Devil’s Food Cake on Pillsbury Softsilk Cake Flour box. This recipe is 2 cups granulated sugar, 1 cup butter, softened, 1 tsp. vanilla extract, 2 eggs room temp. 2 1/2 cups Softsilk Enriched Bleached Cake Flour, 1 cup Dutch-processed cocoa powder or unsweetened cocoa powder, 2 tsp. baking soda, 1/2 salt, 2 1/4 cups Buttermilk. Baked at 350F for 30 minutes I 13x9x2 inch pan.
Can you help?
I made with Crisco Shortening sticks instead of butter. I used 1 cup plus 2 Tbsp of cake flour and 1 cup AP flour instead of just 2 1/2 cups AP flour only. Used 1/2 Hershey’s Cocoa powder instead on 1 cup and used hot water to bloom it before adding to the batter. Used sour milk, 3/4 cup with 1 1/2 tsp white vinegar because my husband and I don’t like the buttermilk taste in cakes. This mixture mimics Buttermilk as you know.
Hi, I haven’t tried making that Devils food cake so I can’t speak to it or troubleshoot a recipe that I haven’t tried. I have not had that issue with my recipe here.
I am going to make the chocolate cake. Can I use caster sugar instead of granulated
Hi Cath, I have not tried that substitute ingredient to advise if it will be okay. If you do an experiment, please let us know how it goes.
Hi natasha!
I am so glad to have been following you and trying out some of your recipes. I found this chocolate cake and red velvet recipe so satisfying. Not over powerong sweetness… just the balance of everything. Thank you so much for giving out this free recipes that we can look forward too always..
I’m so glad you thought the balance was perfect too, Nica! Thank you so much for sharing that awesome review with me!
Awesome recipe and beautiful chocolate cake! Made it for my son’s 12th birthday as he requested a chocolate cake. Everyone said it was amazing, even guests who weren’t fans of chocolate cake loved it!
That’s just awesome! Thank you for sharing your wonderful review, Rajna! Happy 12th Birthday to your son!
Hi Natasha! I have made this cake a couple of times and it is truly delicious! Do you think it would still turn out well if I used a bundt cake pan to bake it? and maybe finish it with some chocolate glaze…
Hi there, I saw one of our readers shared and commented this “I made this cake yesterday, it turned out amazing! I used a Bundt pan, baked at 350 degrees for 50 minutes, it was perfect!” I hope that helps.
Hey Natasha,
I have baked this cake today……Not tried the taste yet because its for an order…..looks good though😍 ……..the cake top was smooth but a bit hard (just on the top)…..I tried slicing one cake into half and the whole thing collapsed eventhough I had sliced it after it was completely cooled down
Thinking if it is necessary to cut the top of my other 2 cakes
Will the hard top be obvious after cutting into the iced cake (iced with Chocolate Ganache)
Please help😭
Hi Hajara, it’s hard to say without being there. Was anything altered or replaced in the recipe? It sounds like it may be overbaked, or too much flour was used? Measure by fluffing the flour first with a spoon, then spoon it into a dry ingredient measuring cup and scrape off the top. If you push your measuring cup into a flour bin, you will get up to 25% too much flour. Also, do not tap the flour down in the measuring cup.
hello Natasha I’m a big fan of your videos and I tried this chocolate cake recipe and it turned out great! stay blessed x sending ❤ from Fiji Islands
Hi Chichi, great to hear that it was a success! Thank you so much for sharing that with us.
I love chocolate cake but have never found a really good one. I would love to try your recipe since I have made so many of your other recipes and have loved all of them. My husband loves your brownies! The issue is that I don’t have any of the light olive oil, is it possible to use a substitute?
You can use vegetable/canola oil if you have this.
Hi Natasha. I love your videos and recipes. What could I use as a substitute for the coffee?
Hi Carol, I haven’t tested an alternative. You can’t taste the coffee in the final product, but it really amplifies the flavor of chocolate. Feel free to use decaf coffee if you prefer but I think you could use water as well.
Looking at the ingredients for the cake looks like it’s a mocha flavored chocolate with the 2 cups of coffee, but the frosting looks like straight chocolate. I have a brownie mix I want to make with a mocha frosting. What amount of coffee would I need to switch up your chocolate frosting to a mocha one???
Hi Holly, I have not tested this but I would think you could add a few teaspoons of espresso (cooled) or instant coffee powder. You’ll have to experiment with it. Also, this cake contains coffee but you cannot taste the coffee at all. It really helps to amplify the chocolate flavor without altering the taste.
Hi Natasha,
Would I be able to substitute Olive Oil for Canola Oil? Would it affect the recipe?
Hi Lily, while that may work, my go-to’s for cakes and baking are canola oil, vegetable oil and extra light olive oil (my favorite). Other oils tend to be more fragrant.
I’ve made this cake before and it was so great, but I can’t remember what I used as a substitute for white vinegar! I live in Europe and can’t get white vinegar (only for cleaning but it’s much stronger) Would cider vinegar be a better swap? Any suggestions? I really wish I could remember what I did last time. Thanks!
Hi Monica! I’m happy to hear that you enjoyed this cake. I haven’t tested cider vinegar, it could work. Acidity is needed to react with the baking soda agent, you could also use lemon juice.
I tried lemon juice and the cake was perfect, so I can attest that it’s a good sub.
The frosting wasn’t my family’s favorite, so in the future I will use buttercream like the first time around. Thanks!!
Nice, thanks a lot for sharing! I’m glad the lemon juice worked well in this recipe too.
Hands down, this is the most delicious cake I have ever made. It was so moist and the icing absolutely made it almost sinful. And my 4 year old granddaughter chose the recipe. She loves “Tashas cooking shows”.
How adorable, she already knows what recipe to choose. So lovely, I hope your family will love all the recipes that you will try for them.
Hi Natasha, I only have a single 7” cake pan. At what temperature and for how long should I bake the cake for?
Hi Sathvika, I haven’t tried this in a 7″ pan to advise. You will likely need to adjust the recipe quite a bit since it will not fit in one 7″ pan. If you experiment, let me know how you liked the recipe.
How much coffee do u use for 1 cup?? Is it 1teaspon coffee per cup? Tq
We used brewed coffee but I suggest following the package instructions which will usually give you a fairly strong coffee.
No eggs? I don’t think I’ve ever made a cake with no eggs🤷♀️
Yep that’s right, no eggs!
YUMMY! turned out perfect. i baked in a square pan, will be putting m&m on the icing for my baby’s 1st birthday! thanks natasha for the wonderful recipe. 🙂
That sounds so cute! Happy first birthday to your baby!
What brand of 9-inch cake pans do you use? I noticed that they are “gold” colour.
Is non-stick preferrable to heavy duty aluminum?
Hi Roger, you can find them here in my Amazon Affiliate Shop.
Hi Natasha!
I believe there’s a mistake in the metric measurements of the dry ingredients.
It’s says 3 cups of flour for 375 g
And then it’s says 2 cups of sugar for 400 g. The flour should be more than the sugar in terms of grams. Thank you!
Hi Tariq, the flour will weigh less than sugar since it is lighter in weight as a whole. I hope that helps.
yes. came out perfect and i am no baker. definitely never done the white vinegar thing til now. the only chocolate cake ive made in the last 20 years is that sour cream sheetcake from my grammas recipe. im always suspect at sweet baked goods that call for oil instead of butter and ive never seen olive oil ,,,so i used coconut oil–same amount and it was the bomb. then i made the cream cheese frosting but added a dash of lemon and extra vanilla to keep it white on dark. excellent
oh whoops–it was the easy chocolate upcake recipe that i followed/modified actually. was on this page to check the cream cheese frosting. thanks again tho, cute videos
I’m happy to know that you loved the result! Thank you for sharing that with us.
Love all your recipes & Videos!!!!! Made my first Charcuterie Board with your video!! Was amazing. Now in search of the perfect Chocolate Cake for my sister-in-laws birthday in May!!! I think I hit the jackpot!!
I hope you love this cake! It is so good!
Absolutely delicious cake! I made the double layer and it split after sitting for about an hour. What did I do wrong? Did it not cool enough before frosting? I’ve never been much of a baker. It did taste amazing and it really was a test for my family so not earth shattering that it split. The cake did not drop & was moist and the frosting was amazing also!
Hi CoCo, I am not sure what happened but not letting the cake cool enough before frosting will affect the stability, so please try again. Let it cool completely or even transfer to the refrigerator for 1-2hrs after it has cooled down to room temperature. This will make the cake crumb more stable to work with. I hope this helps.
This is one perfect chocolate cake recipe I have ever followed n got the best results. 👌 just love it
That’s just awesome! Thank you for sharing your wonderful review, Sini!
I made this cake yesterday, it turned out amazing! I used a Bundt pan, baked at 350 degrees for 50 minutes, it was perfect! Thanks for another amazing recipe Natasha! Going to try your vanilla one next!
I’m so glad to hear this works well in a bundt pan! Thank you so much for sharing that with me.
I made this cake yesterday, it was delicious and so easy! I cooked it in a Bundt pan, 50 min at 350, perfect! Thanks for another excellent recipe Natasha!
Thank you so much for sharing that with me, Lori! I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
Cake turned out perfect and so delicious. I have little bit extra frosting though. How long can i keep the frosting in the fridge or freezer? Want to try the cake again on a later day.
Hi there, glad you loved it! It will stay good in the refrigerator for several days, but you will have to let it get closer to room temp for it to pipe easily.
Yes, it should be if you are not consuming it quickly. Cover and refrigerate. 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,
I am just wondering if I can make this frosting a day ahead before I frost my cake?
Hi Niki, I haven’t tried making just the frosting alone a day ahead, but the entire cake keeps well in the fridge for up to 5 days.
I made this incredible cake today for Super Bowl 2022. It was such a hit ! Moist, and so rich. I wouldn’t change a thing on this recipe.
Definitely keeper. Thx again for a superb and easy recipe.
Wow, love it! I’m happy to know that this cake recipe was a huge hit. Thank you for sharing!
I wanted to make a cake for my husband’s birthday and just glanced at the recipe. While making the recipe I was surprised to see no eggs and vinegar was an ingredient. I asked myself if I picked the wrong recipe. Boy was I wrong! This cake was phenomenal. It was so moist and the icing was out of this world. Rave reviews from the family. I would give it 10 **********. Thanks so much.
Hi Karyn, thanks for the perfect rating. Good to know that you followed the recipe and it turned out great!
Hello, i have a question, would the chocolate cake rise properly and enough if i use a 10inch heart shaped cake pan? What should i alter in the recipe in order not to get a very thin cake layer? Thank you for your amazing recipes!
Hi Rita, I think you can probably make it in a 10″ pan, but it will make a thinner cake layer.
I’d do one and half times the recipe to bake in larger pans. That’s what I’d do if baking it but just a guess.
You forgot to mention the two eggs this recipe needs. It is mentioned in the cupcake recipe , in order to make a cake, you need to double that one and the cupcake recipe calls for one room temperature egg.
So don’t forget to add TWO room temp eggs to the wet ingredients before combining.
Hi Anna, this is intentional an egg-free recipe.
I absolutely luv the chocolate cake here on your site. That I’ve made it a few times for birthday cakes or even same recipe in cupcake form.
Although sometimes my kids request a vanilla cake. I’ve made your vanilla cake but it wasn’t as much a fave. So I wonder if I can use choc cake recipe and substitute cocoa to make it vanilla? Also the choc cake recipe is fantastic as it doesn’t use a mixer so it’s so quick and easy for me! Hoping you can help with a suggestion….
Hi Jenny, I haven’t tried making an eggless vanilla cake. Here’s my recipe for Vanilla Cake, but it’s not eggless.