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
This was the best chocolate cake ever!! My family I shared with, were wanting me to make another as soon as possible!!
Thanks Natasha for this wonderful recipe!!
DebyG
You’re welcome! I’m so happy you enjoyed it, Debra!
Natasha, your recipes are amazing! Everything I have made from your blog is a keeper, even with my picky kiddos! I love this chocolate cake recipe too! It tastes amazing! My only issue is, my cake fell. I live in Colorado and usually have to change up my baking recipes a little because of the altitude. Should I add more flour next time? Will this help with the cake falling? Thank you!
That sounds wonderful, Stacey! I haven’t experimented on this recipe at a high altitude to advise but here’s an article on High Altitude Baking that can help.
This cake is really, really, really good. Cake was moist and not overly sweet. I did reduce the amount of confectioners sugar in the frosting….4 cups was plenty. Will definately make again.
I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
Hi can I make cupcakes with this recipe because it is eggless
Hi Anu, that will work! I also have another recipe for that. Here’s my Chocolate Cupcake recipe.
Thanku so much
Hello Natasha , I am going to bake this chocolate cake for the first time. So can I bake 1/2 the recipe? If then which pan should I use and what time should I follow?
Hi Shoma, if you click on the serving size in the recipe card, you can slide it up or down to scale the recipe ingredient lists. I hope that helps!
Yea got it. But what size of mold should I use? How can I measure it?
Hi Shoma, I used two 9″ cake pans in this recipe.
Hi Natasha. This recipe looks sl good. Can I bake this cake in a 9 inch square pan later cut it in half for the layering?
Hi Cheryl, I haven’t tested that so I’m not sure how it would bake up. It may be difficult to cut as it is a fairly soft, moist, and crumbly crumb which is why I bake 2 layers separately.
Hi Natasha. Just bake this cake today and wohoo it’s so so so good. I did not layer the cake and baked half of the recipe using a 7 inch square pan. It’s really moist and fluffy. My family ate a piece and they can’t stop eating. It’s just so good!
One question, my cake has a big crack in the middle and the middle did not flatten after it cools to room temperature which makes it quite difficult to frost. Any suggestions or tips to avoid the crack and flatten the cake?
Hi Cheryl, be sure to let it cool completely before transferring, that is the most likely culprit of a crack.
Hi Natasha. Looks like a yummy recipe, but is it possible to substitute warm chocolate milk for the coffee?
Hi Jason, I haven’t tested that so I’m not sure.
Hi love I am going to try and made your chocolate cake and it tells me to cups of Coffee can you please tell me how strong the coffee should be
Hi Carol, we used brewed coffee, but I suggest following the package instructions, which will usually give you a fairly strong coffee.
Hi Natasha,
Indeed yummy cake thank you. Just wanted to ask for help bec I have tried this around 5 times and followed the recipe but the cake kept on braking in the middle. What to do?
Hi Cheddy, be sure to let it cool completely before transferring. That is the most likely culprit of a crack.
Hi Natasha, this cake looks outstanding! I want to make it but my oven won’t fit 2, 9 inch cake pans. Can I make the batter and bake one, then the other or will something happen to the batter on my 2nd cake because it was sitting so long
Hi Debbie, 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). I would make half of the cake batter, bake that, and then make the second half.
I want to bake it in 2 pans as in the recipe but can I bake the first one then the other when the first one comes out? Will something happen to the batter because it was sitting so long to be baked?
Hi Debbie, I do worry the batter will lose its volume as it sits. Suppose you happen to test it out, though; please let us know how you like that.
Hi natasha can I use another type of oil like coconut or vegetable oil?
Hi Erika, I honestly haven’t tried coconut oil, so I could only guess that one. But you may try vegetable or canola oil.
1/2 of this recipe and eliminating the coffee is the one my Mom and her Mom used for years and I still do. 1/2 of this recipe makes a good 8”x8” cake just for two or three people.
We always called it Wacky Cake and it is moist and delicious!
Thank you so much for sharing that with me.
Hi, I just tried the cake.it roze well and i waiting for it yo cool down before I add the frosting. But I felt that the cake has a weird after taste? Could it be the baking soda? I didn’t add more than what was in the recipe.. Also, it was very interesting to see how it works without eggs. Never made a cake with no eggs. So I am pleasantly surprised. thank you so much
Hi Ghazal, the baking soda should not have any kind of after taste since it is activated by the vinegar. I’m not sure why else that would be as I’ve never noticed any kind of after taste in this cake. Did you possibly omit the vinegar or consider if any of the ingredients were changed or substituted?
If I use water instead of coffee, how much should I decrease the sugar?
Hi, I would not decrease the sugar. Coffee isn’t sweet so there wouldn’t need to be a sugar substitution. Coffee just amplifies the flavor of chocolate and gives it richer flavor. I still highly recommend using coffee instead of water, even if it is decaf.
Hi Natasha! This looks so good and I want to make it for a birthday, but I don’t need the whole 9 inch cake. Can I half it to a 6 inch cake instead? Thanks!
Hi Audrey, 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.
Hi Natasha, thanks for sharing the Chocolate Cake recipe. Can I use a bundt pan and put a ganache chocolate glaze on this cake? Thanks for your time.
Also, I made your spinach dip and was great, next time I want add some crab…delicious 😋. Thanks again.
Hi Debra, I have not tested this in a bundt cake to advise. If you experiment with that, please let me know how you like it.
I made this yesterday for my birthday cake and it’s delicious!! Only things to watch is the cooking time. Mine could of been a couple minutes less. Also watch putting the kitchen mits in the edge of the cake. It fell a little on the edge. Let it cool about 15 minutes longer as my first layer fell just a little. Other wise it’s soooooo good!
Very nice, thanks for your comments and suggestions. We appreciate you sharing with us, Wendy!
Natasha can you talk a little about baking and higher elevations.
Hey Natasha. I must thank you for sharing this recipe. It’s putting food on my table (even literally)! Wanted to ask why you don’t use hot coffee for the recipe. I’m often in a hurry and can’t wait for it to cool down so I just dump it in hot and I haven’t noticed anything “bad”. Please can you help out?
Thank you for sharing that – I’m glad it works out for you to use hot coffee. I have always used warm since I figured out this cake batter.
If you love chocolate, THIS IS THE CAKE! Delicious! Only made half the frosting and it was still plenty to cover the entire cake and have filling in the middle. Thank you for another great recipe Natasha.
I’m happy you enjoyed that, Christine! Thank you for sharing that wonderful review!
Is it OK to use room temprature coffee?
Hi, yes that should work fine, so long as it is not hot coffee.
Hi Natasha.
I want to make this delicious cake on New Year’s Eve. Can you clarify the coffee part pls? Should I use 2 cups of brewed coffee?
Hello Mel, we used brewed coffee but I suggest following the package instructions which will usually give you a fairly strong coffee.
hi Natasha! i was wondering if without the addition of buttermilk or milk the cake would taste dark and bitter?
Hi Annah, per the instructions the cake does not taste dark and bitter.
Hi Natasha,
I love this recipe and how moisture in this chocolate cake is! I was wondering if you have a similar recipe for veggie cake sheets but without cocoa&coffee? Thanks!
Thank you so much for your great feedback. Regarding your question, I don’t have a recipe for that yet but thanks for your suggestion!