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
Hi Natasha, this looks fabulous! Do you think I could straight swap the flour for almond meal/flour? I’m guessing I could?!
Hi Olivia, I haven’t tried that yet to advise. If you do an experiment, please share with us how it goes.
Hi Natasha! I have just baked this chocolate cake today for my nephew’s birthday! I have yet to taste it but I am sure it’s delicious!! I cannot believe this is an eggless and butterless cake! Wow! Thank you so much!!
Love,
Sheila for OZ
I mean butterless batter! I have tried making your vanilla cake and cupcakes and they are the best!! I will make them all the time now!! Thank you once again Natasha!! You are beautiful in every way! Hugs!
Sheila from Australia
You’re welcome, Sheila! It is one of our favorite and most popular recipes! I’m happy you’re enjoying that!
I have finally tasted this cake!! It is so yummy! It will be my chocolate cake recipe from now on. Thanks so much Natasha!!
❤️Sheila
You are very much welcome, Sheila. Thank you for your great review!
so the cake has no eggs?
That’s right! No eggs!
Hi, can we substitute the olive oil with butter in the chocolate cake recipe.
Thank you for the fantastic recipes.
Hi Ruba, 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 hope this is helpful!
This recipe looks amazing! I’m not a coffee fan – is there something else I could substitute this with so I can make this cake?
Hi Debbie, I highly recommend using coffee as it really enhances the flavor without really a strong coffee taste.
Can I use boiling water instead of coffee? Also, what if I only have extra virgin olive oil on hand, should I use it? Thanks
Hi Anastasia, I highly recommend using coffee as it really enhances the flavor without really a strong coffee taste. I wouldn’t also recommend using extra virgin oil but you can use canola or vegetable oil instead.
whats the difference between using extra virgin olive oil and normal olive oil? btw i used vegetable oil since i ran out of olive oil
Hi Kyle, vegetable oil should be good too. 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.
PLEASE MAKE RED VELVET CAKES WITH CREAMCHEESE FROSTING!! 🙂
The cake turned out awesome! However I have a question. What would it taste a bit bitter? Any precaution to be taken next time I bake so that it’s not bitter. Also proportion of coffee powder to water.
Hi Rasika, I haven’t had that experience. Make sure not to change any proportions in the recipe.
Hi! This is THE best chocolate cake recipe ever! I’ve been trying to bake a proper eggless cake since forever now but never quite nailed it. But this was on point right in the first go! *Touch wood*
So in short, I love you!
Also, can you please pretty please share a recipe for an eggless vanilla cake recipe as well? I’ve tried recipes which have yogurt in the past, but they’ve never turned out to be good. I’d really be super grateful if you can share a recipe for an eggless vanilla cake recipe as well!
Thanks in advance!
Stay safe 🙂
I am so glad to know that you love this recipe! I don’t have an eggless vanilla cake recipe but thanks for suggesting that.
This chocolate cake was amazing not overly sweet and just the best chocolate cake! Very moist and delicious! Thank You for all your recipes! I’ve only tried a few of your recipes and they’ve turned out great! Love You, your recipes, and of course your videos!
I’m so happy you’re enjoying our recipes Mesha! That’s so great!
Hiii!
I really wish to try out this recipe, however is there a substitute for olive oil…can i use canola instead?
Hi Insha, 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.
Absolutely love the chocolate cake video . Will definitely give it a try very soon
Thank you
You’re welcome Vesh! I hope you love this recipe!
This recipe seems awesome! Your blog has taught me so much about cooking!!
I have a questions, if anyone can help. My husband is very athletic and I want to make him a cake for his birthday, but I’m sure he would feel better eating it if there was more protein in it. Is there anyway to add protein powder to this recipe and keep the moisture and taste? Thank anyone who knows!
Aww that’s the best Anastasiya!! Thank you for sharing that wonderful feedback! To be honest I don’t have much experience with protein powder when it comes to cakes..If you happen to experiment I would love to know how you like that.
I love watching your demonstrations, I’ve made many of your recipes and find they are very good.
Thank you
You are so welcome, Nadine. I hope you love every recipe that you try!
My friend asked me to make a chocolate cake for her son’s bday. I thought it was a perfect timing to try this recipe so yesterday I baked it. I used half canola oil and half extra virgin olive oil and it turned out great! Today we drove an hour to get to the party and I was worrying that the cake might get distorted because of the hot weather. I was so happy when I put the cake out on the table, everybody liked it and still in perfect shape.. and once everybody got a piece.. hmmm they loved it and thought I am a professional baker! It was so decadent, Natasha was right this recipe won’t fail you! Thank you Natasha!
Awww that’s the best! Thank you so much for sharing that with me Annie! I’m glad it all worked out!! I’m all smiles
Hi, I have a question what is the
difference if you use light virgin oil and extra virgin oil? what is the difference, or what will it do to the cake? please respond soon!!
Hi Juliana, I use an extra light olive oil which has a higher smoke point and is flavorless and odorless. I would avoid using extra virgin olive oil.
Tasted the cake for dinner last night it was so moist and delicious. Have guests for an afternoon drink and will share the rest with them. Thanks Natasha.
You’re welcome Gail! I’m happy you enjoyed that!
Hi Natasha. I just made the easiest cake ever. No taste test yet until my daughter-in-law gets here after work. I usually don’t like making cakes as I’m not patient to wait for it to cool. I made the cakes last night and frosted this morning. Thanks for the recipe it’s a keeper. I love your video’s and your upbeat spirit which we all need right now. Thanks so much.
You’re welcome, Gail! Don’t you just love how easy it is!!
What is the best way to store leftover cake?
An uncut frosted cake that’s been frosted with buttercream, fondant, or ganache can last at room temperature for up to five days. Keep it covered with a cake keeper or a bowl to protect it from dust or other particles. If your cake has already been cut, that means moisture is already beginning to escape. If you do have leftover cake, use plastic wrap to cover the sliced edges or the areas where the cake is “exposed.”
Hi Natasha,
I just made this cake for my husband it turned out very easy to make as well as moist and delicious on my first attempt. My husband committed it was as good as his mother use to make and she was a great cook. Love all your recipes, you just might Make me love to cook.
That’s just awesome! Thank you for sharing that with me!
Hi Natasha,
If I make and assemble the cake in the morning to be cut at night…how do I store prior to cutting? Also, can i bake in one 9″ springform pan and then slice through the middle to create the double layer?
Hi Ann, 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.
No eggs? Ive never seen this before? Whats the reason fir not adding eggs?
That’s right, Gabriela! No eggs! We used other ingredients that help with the volume of the cake.