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 1/3 of the 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 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!