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.
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Did you know cocoa helps your brain release endorphins or your body’s natural “feel good” chemical? This explains why our moods improve when we are eating chocolate 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.
Why You’ll Love This 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 without being cloyingly sweet.
We combined our most popular Chocolate Cream Cheese 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 amplifies the flavor of chocolate. Feel free to substitute with decaf coffee if you prefer.
This recipe also happens to be an eggless chocolate cake (bonus if you are egg-free).
Watch the Chocolate Cake Video Tutorial
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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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. You can read more about that in our Red Velvet Cake post.
How to Make Chocolate Cake
This cake doesn’t get any easier. It’s no more complex than a boxed cake so 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 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.
Pro Tip:
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.
How to Store Chocolate Cake
- Short-Term Storage – if you are going to eat the chocolate cake within 24 hours, its ok to keep it at room temperature. Store it in a cook dry place away from heat and direct sunlight.
- Cover Properly – If you don’t have a cake carrier, use an overturned bowl or large pot to cover the cake and keep it from drying out or absorbing food odors. If the cake is sliced, press a piece of plastic wrap directly over the cut portions to prevent drying out.
- Refrigerating – after 24 hours, you will want to refrigerate the cake. Place plastic wrap directly over cut portions, transfer to an airtight container, 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. Thaw wrapped at room temperature. To freeze a frosted cake, freeze for 1 hour to harden the frosting then wrap with plastic wrap and foil.
- To Serve – Thaw a frozen frosted cake overnight in the refrigerator then bring to room temperature for at least 30 minutes before serving. You may need to use a spatula on the frosting again to make it visually appealing.
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.
More Chocolate Desserts (for Chocolate Lovers!)
- Chocolate Ganache
- Chocolate-Frosted Eclairs
- Hot Chocolate Recipe
- Chocolate Lasagna
- Chocolate Souffle
- Black Forest Cake
- Chocolate Covered Strawberries
Chocolate Cake Recipe
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
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 spread or piped onto the cooled cake layers.
How to Frost a 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
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).
I was searching through the reviews to see if anyone has tried this with almond flour?! I’ve made some of your others with it after reading through the reviews – I wish there was a way to search in the reviews!
Hi Cathy! You sure can. Press “Command” + “f” on your keyboard. I hope that helps! I’m so glad you enjoyed this recipe Cathy!
Hi Natasha, thank you so much for sharing your amazing spirit blended with great recipes!
I am wondering why my batter came thick? I replaced one cup of water with one cup of oat milk/ is that why? I had to add an additional 1/4C water to make the batter less heavy. Any thoughts?
Thank you
Hi Heba, that is more than likely the culprit. Without testing that I’m unable to advise.
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!