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
Hello,
In the recipe it says 5 cups of powdered sugar for the frosting. I have measuring cups and 5 cups seems like a lot. Do you use different cups? For reference how many grams is 5 cups of powdered sugar? In the video it looks like a lot less than 5 cups.
Hi Gisele, 5 cups per the recipe is correct. We used 5 cups of powdered sugar. It may seem like a lot, but it is a lot of frosting and keep in mind that 1 cup of powdered sugar is actually 1/2 cup of granulated sugar. I tested this by adding the powdered sugar to taste (and you can do the same), but I landed at 5 cups as the perfect balance of sweetness.
Thank you for responding. How much does 5 cups of powdered sugar weigh? I want to check my measuring cup to make sure they are accurate and that we are using the same. If it’s easier for you how much does 1 cup of regular granulated sugar weight?
Hi Gisele, we have the metric conversion option, which will translate that to grams on our printable recipe card. That should be about 600 g of powdered sugar. I hope you find this helpful.
Just made this cake for my daughter’s 2nd birthday, and her first piece of cake! It was delicious, easy to make, and the frosting was fun to make too. Thank you!
Love it! You are most welcome, Diana. Happy 2nd Birthday to your daughter and wishing her more birthdays to come!
How many grams of sugar was it? My measuring cups look too big so I wanted to check. Also says 5 cups of powdered sugar but in the video was less.
OMG I made this cake today and let me tell you it did NOT disappoint! It was super simple, came together easily, and was delicious. This will certainly go into rotation at my house. Thanks, Natasha, for such a wonderful recipe!
Yay, love it! Thank you for sharing that with me, Susan.
Is it ok to use a pure cane sugar that is less refined than the regular white kind asked for in this recipe?
Hello Beatriz, that’s a good question however, I have not tried that yet to advise if it’s going to work. You might need to experiment to find out. If you do an experiment, please share with us how it goes!
Can I use vegetable oil؟
Hi Kooka, vegetable oil should be good too. The one I use is 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 it has a strong flavor.
Can I do without olive oil with vegetable oil?
Yes, vegetable or canola oil.
Hi Natasha,
Is there a certain way that the coffee should be made?Should it be strong on caffeine or no?
Hi Val, we used brewed coffee but I suggest following the package instructions which will usually give you a fairly strong coffee.
Can you use Self rising flour in place of the all purpose flour?
Many thanks
Hi Emmeline, I haven’t tested that to advise and since self-rising flour has leavening in it, I’m not sure what other adjustments need to be made in the cake. Let me know if you experiment.
I am very excited to try this recipe for my dad’s birthday. I was wondering if you can include any type of fruit as part of the layers. If yes, what’s the best way to do it? Thank you in advance.
Hello Yuliya, I honestly haven’t tried that yet to advise but I saw others who have already done that and it worked great!
Hi there! If I don’t have light olive oil can I sub EVOO? I see in the recipe that I shouldn’t but that’s all I have on hand.
Hi Debbie, I haven’t tried that yet but other substitutes can also be vegetable or canola oil.
Hi Natasha i made you choclate cake for thanksgivng it was so moist loved it very much.my grand kids don’t eat eggs so they were very hay
Hello Velma, so nice to know that you and your family loved this cake. Thanks for sharing your good feedback with us.
Hi Natasha, can I use only one pan 9inch??
Hi Lucrecia, I haven’t tested that in one pan; I imagine you will need a tall walled pan like a springform pan, but without testing that, I cannot advise on bake times (it would overwhelm a single standard cake pan).
Hello, can I half the recipe for two 6inch pans?
Hi Dimpal, I have not tested this in a 6-inch pan but it could work. If you experiment, let me know how you liked the recipe.
Thank you for your response. I will try this recipe since I want to make it so bad, it looks amazing and I wanted to taste it. Today I made your pumpkin pie recipe and it was a big hit, we loved it ao much. Thank you for the recipe.
You are most welcome. I hope this cake becomes your new favorite!
Hello Natasha,
I wanted to try this chocolate cake recipe for my anniversary comingup, can I half the recipe for two 6″ cake pans? Will it work exactly like yours?
Thank you
Hi Dimpal, I have not tested this in a 6-inch pan but it could work. If you experiment, let me know how you liked the recipe.
Hello Natasha, I made the cake in 6inch pans I just have to add little more coffee to make it same consistency as you showed in video. And the cake came out very soft and yummy 😋
Thank you so much for sharing that with me! I’m glad you enjoyed this recipe!
Hi Natasha, would I be able to use vegetable oil in place of the light olive oil?
Yes, that will work!
Love it! Easy to make and tastes divine!
Thank you for your good comments and feedback!
Hi Natasha,
Made your chocolate cake today and it was delicious! Got rave reviews. This is my family’s new favorite cake. Thank you.
Hi Natasha,
This cake has no eggs? Is that because of the olive oil
Hi Adrienne, that’s right, no eggs! We didn’t really need to use eggs for this recipe as we used a different ingredient for the rise. The ingredients worked so well as we’ve tried it so many times too.
Hi Natasha,
I am going to make your chocolate cake for company. I have never made a cake without eggs!! Is that because of using olive oil? I usually add a teaspoon of espresso powder in anything chocolate. Do you think that would be too overpowering with the coffee? Thank you,
Adrienne
Hi Adrienne, the idea of using coffee is the same as using espresso powder. You could make a strong coffee with espresso instead. There are no eggs in this recipe – that is correct. It doesn’t require eggs. I hope you love the chocolate cake.
Hands Down the best Chocolate Cake with Whipped Chocolate Frosting Ever!!!! My frosting came out too thick, probably would cut on the sugar a bit next time or maybe it was something else, please do suggest. Even then I would give it 5 stars coz it was scrumptious.
I’m so happy you enjoyed that. Thank you for sharing that with us!
Can we make this cake with whip cream chocolate frosting?
Hi Chandana, I haven’t tested that but I think it could work. If you experiment, let me know how you liked the recipe.