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
Hi Natasha, I’m thrilled with your new site, this is really really wonderful as a resource. I have been looking for a good fluffy chocolate cake and this seems like it’s just right. I was wondering though if coconut oil would work to replace the olive oil? Or even half coconut and half applesauce? I’m trying to start a bakery business out of my home and I’ve had a woman request a dark chocolate cake with raspberry filling and chocolate cream cheese frosting, this seems like it would work for that but I’m not sure. Thank you!
Hi Rachel, I would probably go with avocado oil since coconut oil and sunflower oil can impart a different flavor.
Yes I notice there is no eggs in the chocolate cake is that right my cake is very heavy brownie like
Hi! This cake does not require eggs. I’m more than happy to troubleshoot as it should not be dense. Did you make any changes to the recipe and measure your dry ingredients correctly?
Just make this cake…actually 2…did separate batches & it is very moist & breaking up…yet stuck to my pans…I bake alot & dont have that happen…2 cakes were salvaged to ice…looks like a cake a teen did…noticed no eggs & last statement was for cupcakes????
Would like to know what went wrong…
Hi Lori, thanks for catching that about the cupcakes – that was just a typo – I must have been thinking about cupcakes. For the cake to not stick, it is important to line the bottoms with a ring of parchment paper. It is very difficult to transfer and will break apart otherwise. If you think the issue was in the actual texture or consistency of the cake layers, it could be due to varying proportions of wet to dry ingredients. I highly recommend this article on how to measure ingredients for baking since a change in method can result in up to 2% too much flour which would cause a dryer cake. I hope that helps!
Natasha can I froze the remaining frosting? I could not use all of it. Thanks
I haven’t tested that but I think it could work. If you experiment, let me know how you liked the recipe.
In your video you use a whisk attachment, but the recipe says to use a paddle attachment. Which one is correct?
Hi Karina, both work. What happened was I tested the recipe with a paddle, then spaced that and used a whisk attachment and both worked out great. A whisk attachment will form the frosting a little quicker than the paddle but as I found out. They work equally well.
Hi,
Can I put less amount of sugar into this recipe?
Thanks!
Hi Gay, 5 cups is correct. It may seem like alot, 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 adding the powdered sugar to taste (and you can do the same), but I landed at 5 cups as the perfect balance of sweetness.
Hi,
I actually increased all the ingredients (except for the powdered sugar) for the frosting by 1/3, at the same time reducing (!) the amount of powdered sugar by 1/3 and it worked out perfectly! It was still very sweet so I’m not even sure what it’d be like with the whole amount of sugar…
I’m so happy to hear that! Thank you Irina!
If I were to make this tall rectangle cake what pan size would you suggest to use?
Hi Lana, I think a 9×13 would bake up well but without testing that size, I wouldn’t be able to give you a specific baking time. If you test it out, please let me know how it goes!
If I were to make this a 3 tier cake how many portions of this cake would I need? Also, if I were to bake them in different size pans would time be different for each of them? I haven’t tested in 3 different sized pans either so you would have to experiment there.
Hi Lana, the easiest way to turn this into a 3-tier pan is to use 3 smaller cake pans. I haven’t tested this so I won’t be able to provide specific details on bake time but I would try maybe three 6″ or 8″ pans and be sure to do the toothpick poke test to check for doneness.
I made 2 of these and froze them fully frosted 1 week ahead of time.
We easily served 40 people with those 2 cakes. I also added a spoonful of cherry pie filling and a scoop of vanilla ice cream. A very delicious recipe and super inexpensive even with the cherries. Thank you. You are a doll.
That’s so awesome! I’m so happy you enjoyed that & thank you so much for sharing that with me!
Was just wondering has this cake got no eggs in it
Hi Avril, that’s right, this cake has no eggs!
What can I use to take place of coffee?
Hi Edwina, coffee will provide the very best flavor. The next best thing would be water. I don’t know if it is an option for you, but decaf coffee would also work fine.
I LOVE this cake. It is sooo delicious -very moist and chocolatey. 🤤🤤 I used your cream cheese cream from the tiramisu cake instead and added cocoa powder to it since I’m not a fan of buttercream; it was wonderful!! Thank you for this amazing recipe!
I’m so happy to hear that! Thank you for sharing your great review, Olesya!
This seriously looks like the perfect chocolate cake!! Thanks for sharing all the tips, especially how to get even layers. One of my biggest struggles!
You’re welcome Liz! I hope you love it!
Really good cake, did make a few changes. I used dark, nonstick 8″ cake pans, and ended up making a 3 layer cake instead of 2. Baked at 325 for about 20 minutes. Turned out good, but was a little sweet for me. Will use less sugar next time, but was very pleased with the results. Thanks for a good recipe!
I’m so happy you enjoyed that. Thank you for sharing that with us, Abigail.
Thank you for the recipe Natasha. This cake is easy to make for sure and the frosting is very tasty, however to me the layers were a bit dry. I just like more moist cakes, but that’s me. Lots of my friends liked the cake, so this is just my personal opinion. And so many recipes of yours became my long time favorites, it is just with this one I don’t click 🙂
Hi Yulia, I’m so glad you have enjoyed so many of our recipes! Thanks for sharing that with me. The primary reason for a dry cake is usually over-baking. You might try baking for 3-5 minutes less (do the toothpick test early) and also make sure the oven is set to the regular bake mode and not convection. I hope that helps!
I am SUPER PICKY about a cake being moist, as is my husband. My cake did not come out dry at all. I baked mine for exactly 35 minutes. I use Baker’s Sugar exclusively and I make sure to spoon flour in rather than scoop it up so that I don’t get too much. When I added the coffee it was warm, not hot. The cake came out perfect.
That’s just awesome!! Thank you for sharing that with us Karen!
Hi Natasha!
I want to make this cake for my husband’s birthday which is tomorrow.
Is it ok if I make it today evening and put it in the fridge to wait for tomorrow?
Will it affect anyhow the quality of the cake?
Hi Natalie, I think it’s the most moist the day it’s made but it does keep really well. Be sure to cover and refrigerate. I would suggest letting it come to room temperature for 1-2 hours before serving for it to soften up again.
I made this cake for a dinner party today. It was a big hit. I am pretty picky when it comes to chocolate cake and was reluctant to try one completely from scratch. But Natasha has never steered me wrong. So I went for it and was not disappointed. I didn’t have light olive oil so I used canola oil. It turned out perfect.
That’s just awesome!! Thank you for sharing your wonderful review Karen!
I noticed it does not have eggs, I thought you had to add eggs to cakes?
Hi Cynthia, this cake does not require eggs. I hope you enjoy this recipe!
Can I add eggs? Will it still taste good?
Hi Claudia, without testing it, I can’t make that recommendation although the cake works great without them so I’ve never had a reason to add them.
Cake looks amazing but I noticed there are no eggs. Is that ok? I thought a cake always needs to have eggs in it.
Hi Olivia! That is the beauty of this cake absolutely no eggs! I hope you love it!
Hi Natasha! I made this cake and it is simply DELICIOUS! And it looks just as beautiful as it tastes. Thanks very much – your site is my “go to” when I need inspiration for dinner.
Awww that’s the best! Thank you so much for sharing that with me. I’m all smiles!
Great recipe – we can hardly wait to try it. Do you have recommendations for baking this cake at high altitude?
Hi Iris, I haven’t tried it at high altitude so I would suggest following the general guidelines for baking at high altitudes.
Hello Natasha. I enjoy baking a lot!
You mentioned your mom finished culinary school. What degree did she get and how long does it take to get it?
What is the difference between extra virgin and virgin olive oil? How does it affect the batter? Can extra virgin olive oil be substituted with vegetable oil?
Also, I like to bake in big batches for my family because they are lovers of sweet… I was wondering if you have recipes that can be made one time in big batch. Do you think doubling the recipe is a good idea to get a big batch?
Hi Lana, I’ll have to ask her – I’m not sure. Extra virgin olive oil imparts flavor and is best used in salads. I haven’t tried this with extra virgin so I’m not sure if it would add an unpleasant flavor here. I always use extra LIGHT olive oil. I also haven’t tried doubling this because it makes a pretty large, tall cake. If you did double, you would probably have to use 2 – 9×13 pans or four 9″ round pans.