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
YUMMY! turned out perfect. i baked in a square pan, will be putting m&m on the icing for my baby’s 1st birthday! thanks natasha for the wonderful recipe. 🙂
That sounds so cute! Happy first birthday to your baby!
What brand of 9-inch cake pans do you use? I noticed that they are “gold” colour.
Is non-stick preferrable to heavy duty aluminum?
Hi Roger, you can find them here in my Amazon Affiliate Shop.
Hi Natasha!
I believe there’s a mistake in the metric measurements of the dry ingredients.
It’s says 3 cups of flour for 375 g
And then it’s says 2 cups of sugar for 400 g. The flour should be more than the sugar in terms of grams. Thank you!
Hi Tariq, the flour will weigh less than sugar since it is lighter in weight as a whole. I hope that helps.
yes. came out perfect and i am no baker. definitely never done the white vinegar thing til now. the only chocolate cake ive made in the last 20 years is that sour cream sheetcake from my grammas recipe. im always suspect at sweet baked goods that call for oil instead of butter and ive never seen olive oil ,,,so i used coconut oil–same amount and it was the bomb. then i made the cream cheese frosting but added a dash of lemon and extra vanilla to keep it white on dark. excellent
oh whoops–it was the easy chocolate upcake recipe that i followed/modified actually. was on this page to check the cream cheese frosting. thanks again tho, cute videos
I’m happy to know that you loved the result! Thank you for sharing that with us.
Love all your recipes & Videos!!!!! Made my first Charcuterie Board with your video!! Was amazing. Now in search of the perfect Chocolate Cake for my sister-in-laws birthday in May!!! I think I hit the jackpot!!
I hope you love this cake! It is so good!
Absolutely delicious cake! I made the double layer and it split after sitting for about an hour. What did I do wrong? Did it not cool enough before frosting? I’ve never been much of a baker. It did taste amazing and it really was a test for my family so not earth shattering that it split. The cake did not drop & was moist and the frosting was amazing also!
Hi CoCo, I am not sure what happened but not letting the cake cool enough before frosting will affect the stability, so please try again. Let it cool completely or even transfer to the refrigerator for 1-2hrs after it has cooled down to room temperature. This will make the cake crumb more stable to work with. I hope this helps.
This is one perfect chocolate cake recipe I have ever followed n got the best results. 👌 just love it
That’s just awesome! Thank you for sharing your wonderful review, Sini!
I made this cake yesterday, it turned out amazing! I used a Bundt pan, baked at 350 degrees for 50 minutes, it was perfect! Thanks for another amazing recipe Natasha! Going to try your vanilla one next!
I’m so glad to hear this works well in a bundt pan! Thank you so much for sharing that with me.
I made this cake yesterday, it was delicious and so easy! I cooked it in a Bundt pan, 50 min at 350, perfect! Thanks for another excellent recipe Natasha!
Thank you so much for sharing that with me, Lori! I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
Cake turned out perfect and so delicious. I have little bit extra frosting though. How long can i keep the frosting in the fridge or freezer? Want to try the cake again on a later day.
Hi there, glad you loved it! It will stay good in the refrigerator for several days, but you will have to let it get closer to room temp for it to pipe easily.
Yes, it should be if you are not consuming it quickly. Cover and refrigerate. 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.
Hi Natasha,
I am just wondering if I can make this frosting a day ahead before I frost my cake?
Hi Niki, I haven’t tried making just the frosting alone a day ahead, but the entire cake keeps well in the fridge for up to 5 days.
I made this incredible cake today for Super Bowl 2022. It was such a hit ! Moist, and so rich. I wouldn’t change a thing on this recipe.
Definitely keeper. Thx again for a superb and easy recipe.
Wow, love it! I’m happy to know that this cake recipe was a huge hit. Thank you for sharing!
I wanted to make a cake for my husband’s birthday and just glanced at the recipe. While making the recipe I was surprised to see no eggs and vinegar was an ingredient. I asked myself if I picked the wrong recipe. Boy was I wrong! This cake was phenomenal. It was so moist and the icing was out of this world. Rave reviews from the family. I would give it 10 **********. Thanks so much.
Hi Karyn, thanks for the perfect rating. Good to know that you followed the recipe and it turned out great!
Hello, i have a question, would the chocolate cake rise properly and enough if i use a 10inch heart shaped cake pan? What should i alter in the recipe in order not to get a very thin cake layer? Thank you for your amazing recipes!
Hi Rita, I think you can probably make it in a 10″ pan, but it will make a thinner cake layer.
I’d do one and half times the recipe to bake in larger pans. That’s what I’d do if baking it but just a guess.
You forgot to mention the two eggs this recipe needs. It is mentioned in the cupcake recipe , in order to make a cake, you need to double that one and the cupcake recipe calls for one room temperature egg.
So don’t forget to add TWO room temp eggs to the wet ingredients before combining.
Hi Anna, this is intentional an egg-free recipe.
I absolutely luv the chocolate cake here on your site. That I’ve made it a few times for birthday cakes or even same recipe in cupcake form.
Although sometimes my kids request a vanilla cake. I’ve made your vanilla cake but it wasn’t as much a fave. So I wonder if I can use choc cake recipe and substitute cocoa to make it vanilla? Also the choc cake recipe is fantastic as it doesn’t use a mixer so it’s so quick and easy for me! Hoping you can help with a suggestion….
Hi Jenny, I haven’t tried making an eggless vanilla cake. Here’s my recipe for Vanilla Cake, but it’s not eggless.
Just finished making this cake. My first from scratch!!!! It looks delicious. Waiting for it to cool to start the frosting. I’m sorry Natasha, but I’m going to have to blame you for my weight gain!!!! LOL Love everything!!!!
I’m so glad you’re enjoying my recipe, Donna! Thank you so much for sharing that with me!
I made this cake today. I have never made a cake from scratch before, THIS CAKE IS AMAZING!! I will never make a store bought cake mix again. 10 stars!!! Thank you Natasha. You’re recipes never disappoint!!!
Aaaw, that is fantastic feedback. Thank you for the review and perfect rating!
Thanks Natasha for another delicious recipe! Chocolate cake is my favourite and I am planning to make your recipe but I have two questions. What else can be used instead of the oil, butter, coconut oil ? And I am cutting back on sugar so I was wondering how much less could I use without having a negative impact on the recipe?
Thanks
Hi Rita, I have not tested this recipe with less sugar or with using an alternative to oil. Some bakers like to substitute apple sauce for the oil in cake recipes. If you decrease the amount of sugar, decrease in small amounts. You will have to experiment to really get the perfect outcome. Good luck! Let me know how it works out for you.
Can I substitute almond milk for the coffee? I don’t do coffee! And thank you for all the recipes you share! I have been trying and enjoying many of them!
I have not tried this but feel free to experiment! Let me know how it works out if you do try it.
Hi Natasha,
Lovely video. I have followed some of your recipes and they turned out beautifully. Except when I baked the chocolate cupcake recipe in a 8×3 loaf pan lol.
I am wondering if I can replace this frosting with chocolate ganache. I am making a birthday cake which is meant to be uniced but I want to do a ganache for the top. Will this work well?
Also, if I use this recipe and leave this cake uniced, will it dry out?
Thanks a lot Natasha.
Hi Olive, I would cover the cake if leaving it on the counter so it doesn’t get dry. This would work great with chocolate ganache.