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,
can I use Mascarpone instead of Cream Cheese? Should be the same thing, right?
Thanks,
Simona
Hi Simona, I saw someone else commented this “Here in Florida there is a shortage of cream cheese so he substituted mascarpone for the cream cheese. This cake is so Delicious. Thank you Natasha” I hope that helps.
I made this recipe on the weekend – I am known by my family as a chocolate cake afficionado – and they all said this was particularly delicious. I made a chocolate buttercream frosting instead of the cream cheese called for because I am not a fan of the chocolate cream cheese combination, but it was still amazing.
Wow! That’s so great! I’m so glad this was loved, Jen! Chocolate cake is the perfect treat in my book!
I use black cocoa powder because i had it on hand and it gave it a deep rich chocolate flavor. This is by far the best chocolate cake I’ve ever had. I’ve made it several times and it’s always a hit. It’s so moist. I can’t believe there are no eggs!
Love it! Thanks for the awesome review, Shannon. Yes, no eggs and still very delicious!
What can I substitute for the coffee? Is there anything else that I can use and the cake would still be as good?
Hi Shauna, I actually haven’t tried any other substitute to advise, and the coffee really enhances the flavor of the cake. But feel free to substitute with decaf coffee if you prefer. I have had readers try water only but I think you’ll have the best flavor with coffee because it amplifies the flavor of the chocolate.
Hi Natasha~ I made this last weekend and it was a huge hit. I will never go back to storebought cake or frosting again. However I wanted to change it up and make cupcakes instead this weekend. How long do you suggest I cook them for? The normal 18-20 minutes? Love your recipes, watch you all the time!!!
Hi Tara, I’m so glad to hear this was a hit! I have another recipe for Chocolate Cupcakes HERE if you would like to use it instead or as a guide! I hope this helps!
I have a large muffin pan that holds 15 muffins. This recipe fits perfectly and they bake for about 20 min.
Thank you so much for sharing that with us!
Best choclate cake! My family loves it!
The only thing that I changed, cut the powdered sugar in half and it is sweet enough for us.
Thank you so much!
Great to hear that cutting the sugar in half gave good results too! Thanks for sharing that with us.
Natasha, I am perplexed. I have made two 13x9x2 inch devil’s food cakes in the last 4 days and both went into the trash. I never have had so much trouble making this cake. It is my husband’s favorite and for the life of me I can not get the wet and dry ingredients to balance. The cake did not rise it sunk in the middle and other one cracked this time.
I made the Devil’s Food Cake on Pillsbury Softsilk Cake Flour box. This recipe is 2 cups granulated sugar, 1 cup butter, softened, 1 tsp. vanilla extract, 2 eggs room temp. 2 1/2 cups Softsilk Enriched Bleached Cake Flour, 1 cup Dutch-processed cocoa powder or unsweetened cocoa powder, 2 tsp. baking soda, 1/2 salt, 2 1/4 cups Buttermilk. Baked at 350F for 30 minutes I 13x9x2 inch pan.
Can you help?
I made with Crisco Shortening sticks instead of butter. I used 1 cup plus 2 Tbsp of cake flour and 1 cup AP flour instead of just 2 1/2 cups AP flour only. Used 1/2 Hershey’s Cocoa powder instead on 1 cup and used hot water to bloom it before adding to the batter. Used sour milk, 3/4 cup with 1 1/2 tsp white vinegar because my husband and I don’t like the buttermilk taste in cakes. This mixture mimics Buttermilk as you know.
Hi, I haven’t tried making that Devils food cake so I can’t speak to it or troubleshoot a recipe that I haven’t tried. I have not had that issue with my recipe here.
I am going to make the chocolate cake. Can I use caster sugar instead of granulated
Hi Cath, I have not tried that substitute ingredient to advise if it will be okay. If you do an experiment, please let us know how it goes.
Hi natasha!
I am so glad to have been following you and trying out some of your recipes. I found this chocolate cake and red velvet recipe so satisfying. Not over powerong sweetness… just the balance of everything. Thank you so much for giving out this free recipes that we can look forward too always..
I’m so glad you thought the balance was perfect too, Nica! Thank you so much for sharing that awesome review with me!
Awesome recipe and beautiful chocolate cake! Made it for my son’s 12th birthday as he requested a chocolate cake. Everyone said it was amazing, even guests who weren’t fans of chocolate cake loved it!
That’s just awesome! Thank you for sharing your wonderful review, Rajna! Happy 12th Birthday to your son!
Hi Natasha! I have made this cake a couple of times and it is truly delicious! Do you think it would still turn out well if I used a bundt cake pan to bake it? and maybe finish it with some chocolate glaze…
Hi there, I saw one of our readers shared and commented this “I made this cake yesterday, it turned out amazing! I used a Bundt pan, baked at 350 degrees for 50 minutes, it was perfect!” I hope that helps.
Hey Natasha,
I have baked this cake today……Not tried the taste yet because its for an order…..looks good though😍 ……..the cake top was smooth but a bit hard (just on the top)…..I tried slicing one cake into half and the whole thing collapsed eventhough I had sliced it after it was completely cooled down
Thinking if it is necessary to cut the top of my other 2 cakes
Will the hard top be obvious after cutting into the iced cake (iced with Chocolate Ganache)
Please help😭
Hi Hajara, it’s hard to say without being there. Was anything altered or replaced in the recipe? It sounds like it may be overbaked, or too much flour was used? Measure by fluffing the flour first with a spoon, then spoon it into a dry ingredient measuring cup and scrape off the top. If you push your measuring cup into a flour bin, you will get up to 25% too much flour. Also, do not tap the flour down in the measuring cup.
hello Natasha I’m a big fan of your videos and I tried this chocolate cake recipe and it turned out great! stay blessed x sending ❤ from Fiji Islands
Hi Chichi, great to hear that it was a success! Thank you so much for sharing that with us.
I love chocolate cake but have never found a really good one. I would love to try your recipe since I have made so many of your other recipes and have loved all of them. My husband loves your brownies! The issue is that I don’t have any of the light olive oil, is it possible to use a substitute?
You can use vegetable/canola oil if you have this.
Hi Natasha. I love your videos and recipes. What could I use as a substitute for the coffee?
Hi Carol, I haven’t tested an alternative. You can’t taste the coffee in the final product, but it really amplifies the flavor of chocolate. Feel free to use decaf coffee if you prefer but I think you could use water as well.
Looking at the ingredients for the cake looks like it’s a mocha flavored chocolate with the 2 cups of coffee, but the frosting looks like straight chocolate. I have a brownie mix I want to make with a mocha frosting. What amount of coffee would I need to switch up your chocolate frosting to a mocha one???
Hi Holly, I have not tested this but I would think you could add a few teaspoons of espresso (cooled) or instant coffee powder. You’ll have to experiment with it. Also, this cake contains coffee but you cannot taste the coffee at all. It really helps to amplify the chocolate flavor without altering the taste.
Hi Natasha,
Would I be able to substitute Olive Oil for Canola Oil? Would it affect the recipe?
Hi Lily, while that may work, my go-to’s for cakes and baking are canola oil, vegetable oil and extra light olive oil (my favorite). Other oils tend to be more fragrant.
I’ve made this cake before and it was so great, but I can’t remember what I used as a substitute for white vinegar! I live in Europe and can’t get white vinegar (only for cleaning but it’s much stronger) Would cider vinegar be a better swap? Any suggestions? I really wish I could remember what I did last time. Thanks!
Hi Monica! I’m happy to hear that you enjoyed this cake. I haven’t tested cider vinegar, it could work. Acidity is needed to react with the baking soda agent, you could also use lemon juice.
I tried lemon juice and the cake was perfect, so I can attest that it’s a good sub.
The frosting wasn’t my family’s favorite, so in the future I will use buttercream like the first time around. Thanks!!
Nice, thanks a lot for sharing! I’m glad the lemon juice worked well in this recipe too.
Hands down, this is the most delicious cake I have ever made. It was so moist and the icing absolutely made it almost sinful. And my 4 year old granddaughter chose the recipe. She loves “Tashas cooking shows”.
How adorable, she already knows what recipe to choose. So lovely, I hope your family will love all the recipes that you will try for them.
Hi Natasha, I only have a single 7” cake pan. At what temperature and for how long should I bake the cake for?
Hi Sathvika, I haven’t tried this in a 7″ pan to advise. You will likely need to adjust the recipe quite a bit since it will not fit in one 7″ pan. If you experiment, let me know how you liked the recipe.
How much coffee do u use for 1 cup?? Is it 1teaspon coffee per cup? Tq
We used brewed coffee but I suggest following the package instructions which will usually give you a fairly strong coffee.
No eggs? I don’t think I’ve ever made a cake with no eggs🤷♀️
Yep that’s right, no eggs!