A decadent, moist Chocolate Cake recipe with the easiest chocolate frosting and a soft, tender crumb. This cake always gets rave reviews and makes a stunning, tall chocolate birthday cake.
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Chocolate Cake Video
I hope this Moist Chocolate Cake recipe becomes a new favorite for you. This cake is intensely chocolatey with an ultra-moist crumb and rich whipped chocolate frosting.
Chocolate Cake Recipe
My son’s first words when he saw the cake were, “Wow that looks just like the cake from Matilda!” (We watched the Matilda movie recently). My chocolate cake is intensely chocolatey and satisfies the fiercest chocolate craving without being cloyingly sweet. It really is the best chocolate cake recipe.
I paired my favorite Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting with the soft crumb from my Moist Chocolate Cupcakes to create the ultimate chocolate layer cake. The warm coffee intensifies the chocolate flavor without making the cake taste like coffee. P.S. This recipe also happens to be an eggless chocolate cake (bonus if you are egg-free).
Why This Chocolate Cake Is So Moist
- Don’t overbake — pull the cake out of the oven as soon as a toothpick comes out clean with a few moist crumbs.
- Oil instead of butter keeps the crumb soft and moist even after refrigerating the cake.
- Coffee deepens the chocolate flavor without making it taste like coffee.
- Vinegar activates baking soda for a light, airy texture.
- The batter is thin on purpose to create a softer, fluffier crumb.
Chocolate Cake Ingredients
- Dry Ingredients – All-purpose flour, sugar, baking soda, and salt make up the base of the cake.
- Cocoa Powder – The best cocoa for chocolate cake is 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.
- Coffee – Use very warm coffee to create a complex chocolate flavor. If you add some espresso or espresso powder, it will have even more flavor. You can substitute with decaf coffee if caffeine is an issue.
- Wet Ingredients – Vinegar activates the baking soda, vanilla extract for flavor and aroma and I use light olive oil to make the cake super moist, but you can sub with vegetable oil.
Can I use Dutch Processed 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. You can read more about that in our Red Velvet Cake post.
How to Make Chocolate Cake
Making a chocolate cake from scratch doesn’t get any easier. It’s no more complex than a boxed cake, so long as you measure ingredients correctly.
- Whisk together the wet ingredients
- Whisk together the dry ingredients
- Combine the wet mixture with the dry ingredients and stir. Do not overmix. The batter will seem thin — that’s normal and creates a super moist crumb.
- Divide into prepared 9-inch cake pans and bake.
How to Get Even Cake Layers
When making a layered chocolate cake, here are our best tips for even cake layers:
- Divide the batter equally – Even heights will make for a prettier cake and 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.
- Test your leavening – make sure your leavening is not expired so it has enough rising power for the cake layers to rise evenly.
- Preheat the oven – ensure your oven is fully preheated before baking the cake layers.
- Bake Immediately – as soon as you add baking soda to a recipe, it starts reacting immediately so bake right away.
Tips for Smooth Chocolate Frosting
The whipped chocolate cream cheese buttercream frosting is indulgent, 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.
If you prefer a frosting that doesn’t have cream cheese in it, another favorite is our Chocolate Buttercream Frosting or even Vanilla Buttercream for a delicious contrast. Both are terrific on Chocolate Cake.
Natasha’s Tip for Frosting a Cake
It is critical to fully cool the cake layers to room temperature before applying frosting. If the cake layers are still warm, it will cause the frosting to melt and slide off the 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 recipe is for you.
I can’t help but smile when I have a generous slice of frosted Chocolate Cake on my plate. I hope this recipe brings joy and food memories wherever this recipe travels. Let me know if you’ve served it in any creative ways? We’ve done everything from sprinkles to princess themes on top, which my daughter has loved.
Chocolate 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), or use decaf
- 2 Tbsp white vinegar
- 1 Tbsp vanilla extract
- 2/3 cup light olive oil, (not extra virgin), or Canola oil
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:
- 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 (a kitchen scale helps for even portioning), 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 spread or piped onto the cooled cake layers.
How to Frost Chocolate Cake
- Set a cake layer onto a serving platter. Apply frosting over the first layer, then cover with the second layer, placing it top-side-down for an even top. Frost the top and sides of the cake. Enjoy or store it for later*
Notes
- Short-Term Storage – store covered at room temperature for up to 24 hours.
- Cover Properly – Use an overturned bowl or pot to cover the cake and keep it from drying out. If the cake is sliced, press a piece of plastic wrap directly over the cut portions to prevent drying out.
- Refrigerating -Cover as directed above and refrigerate for up to a week.
- Freezing – to freeze unfrosted cake layers, wrap individual layers in plastic wrap and aluminum foil and freeze up to 3 months then taw wrapped at room temperature. To freeze a frosted cake, freeze for 1 hour to harden the frosting then wrap with plastic wrap and foil and freeze up to 3 months.
- To Serve – Thaw a covered frozen frosted cake overnight in the refrigerator then bring to room temperature for at least 30 minutes before serving. You may need to fix up the frosting with a spatula.
Nutrition Per Serving
Filed Under
More Chocolate Desserts (for Chocolate Lovers!)
- Chocolate Ganache
- Chocolate-Frosted Eclairs
- Hot Chocolate Recipe
- Chocolate Lasagna
- Chocolate Souffle
- Black Forest Cake
- Chocolate Covered Strawberries
I made this cake several times ..came out so well . recently I made two cakes for a gathering and it was a hit.. everyone loved it..thank you so much Natasha ..your recipes are my all time favorites and your a good teacher..
I’m so glad to hear it’s been a hit! Thank you for the wonderful feedback.
I wanted this so badly to be good- but it was extremely bland, not chocolatey at all. Way too much frosting . I felt it cost too much money to just throw away!!! Bummer!!
Hi Roxy! I’m sorry to hear you didn’t enjoy it. Generally this has a rich chocolate flavor. Did you make any changes or substitutions? The type of cocoa used matters, and be sure to use a good quality cocoa. I like to use Hershey’s natural cocoa powder.
Also- don’t skip the coffee, it enhances the chocolate flavor.
Hello
Can I use 8 inch pans instead? How long should I bake?
Hi Sona, I’ve only made it in a 9″ pan to advise on measurements. I recommend using This helpful guide.
Hey
I want to try this out, I am bit worried as the batter is runny, the cake will break and fall apart?
Also, can I use mascarpone cheese instead of butter for the frosting?
Hi Shona, I recommend ensuring the recipe is followed exactly to ensure it is not too runny, if it is too runny, I would be sure nothing was missed in the recipe and the measurements are accurate. I have never had this cake break or fall apart. I haven’t tried using mascarpone in place of the butter, it may work, but it won’t quite be the same. If you happen to try it, I’d love to know how it goes.
Could I substitute the vanilla extract with another flavor such as peppermint, orange, or even almond?
I have not tested that but feel free to experiment. Let us know how it goes if you give it a try!
Lovely to always find emails of Natasha’s kitchen, eye catching and hope to learn from her recipes
At first I was freaked out at no eggs, thinking I’d made it wrong! But it was very very good chocolate cake. It did seem to go stale after a few days in the fridge. Otherwise it was great . Thank you
I plan to make this cake and confirming eggs are not needed?
That’s correct!
Made the chocolate cake for family game night. It was a BIG hit will make this my go to recipe.
That is always the best kind of feedback. So glad it was a hit with everyone, Patrick!
How can I make this be a dark chocolate cake?
Hi Maria, I bet with a couple adjustments that may work. One of my readers said “I ran out of cocoa powder, I only had half- I substitued dark chocolate for the rest and it was less sweet than the first time. I liked both versions, but prefer the original, I’m into sweet.”
Can this be made in a regular cake pan instead of layers?
Hi there, yes that will work too. Let us know how it goes!
Love your recipes Tried a lot of different ones. Your apple pie recipe is outstanding. You are my to go to when I need a good recipe.
Thank you for your trust and support. I’m glad you’re enjoying my recipes a lot!
Yum I am not a frosting fan so I used a chocolate ganache glaze and it turned out great. Hubby loves it and so do I. It came together fast, no endless craeanming of butter and sugar. I know the coffee is in there so I think of it as a mil d mocha..only because I know it’s on in there.
Thank you for sharing that with us! I’m glad you and your hubby enjoyed it!
How do I access my saved recipes? I know I’ve saved many.
Hi Maggie, if you’re using a different browser you may have to sign back in. On the blog, click on the heart icon on the left hand side of your screen and sign in, once you do that you should see all of your saved recipes.
I’ve been baking for many years and have tried many different chocolate cake recipes but this one beats them all! The cake came out absolutely perfect! it looked so beautiful it could have been in a magazine, plus it was delicious! The best part, it is made without eggs so if you have friends who are allergic to eggs this is perfect. I just wish my husband were still alive to have enjoyed it.
Thank you for your amazing feedback! It makes me happy to see messages like this, I appreciate it!
What does 2 cups of coffee means ? How much coffee diluted in how much water ? Kindly explain
You can make coffee per the package instructions if it’s instant coffee. For ground coffee, the standard recommendation is to use 1 to 2 tablespoons of ground coffee for 6 oz of water.
If using espresso, do I still need two cups of it? My daughter is super excited to make this today, she loves all your recipes!
Hi Maria, that’s right, we do.
Hi Natasha! Can these chocolate layers be used for an eclair cake with chocolate mousse?
Hi there, I haven’t tried that myself to advise, but it sounds delicious. This texture is quite different from a typical eclair texture. If you happen to try it, I’d love to know how you like it.
Thanks, Natasha? But what should be the typical texture of the layers for this type of cake?
The texture is more like a soft cake—moist and tender—rather than the light, airy, slightly chewy texture you’d expect from an éclair.