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 from Australia!
I am wondering whether I need to convert your recipe measurements from US to Australian cup sizes? I am already converting to metric but am unsure if I need to tweak the cups too as I think your cup is 240ml and ours is 250ml.
Can you please confirm? Thank you for your AMAZING posts xx
Hi Antoinette! If you click on the “metric” button in the recipe card, it will do the conversion for you. 🙂
i would like to try this recipe looks delicious but can you use a boxed cake mix or must it be made from scratch
Hi Joyce, I personally recommend making the entire recipe as written to get the real taste and texture of a fluffy and delicious cake. Here’s what a few of my readers said in the comments: “DON’T buy a box cake mix – make this one!”
Hi, can I use my nesspresso coffee ( Expresso) . If so how much . Else will instant coffee work. what should be the optimum ratio of water to coffee powder? Thanks. Just looking for precision:)
Hi Anu, I haven’t tried it with Nesspresso specifically, but it should work. The recipe calls for 2 cups of warm coffee. I recommend following your package instructions. I hope you love it!
Hi Again
I made this cake for Easter and it was gone so quickly, now they want me to make another one soon!!!! This will be my chocolate cake recipe forever!!!!
Thank You Natasha for your amazing recipes. Yours Always
Melinda
That’s so great! It sounds like you have a new favorite, Melinda!
The look on your face says it ALL!!!! I am making this cake for Easter Dessert 🙂
Love You and all your Recipes
Your AWESOME
Thank you so much, Melinda! Happy Easter and I hope you love this cake.
Can you make this into a sheet cake similar to the strawberry layer cake recipe?
Hi Nicole! Yes, you should be able to make it into a sheet cake. You’ll need to experiment with the amount of batter and baking time.
Help!!!!!!! I made this cake according to your directions. The only thing I did different was that I used my Kichen Aid Mix Master instead of a hand whisk. I put 1/2 in a 8″ cake pan and the other 1/2 in a 8″ cake pan. When finished baking, my cake only rosed to about 2 inches if that in each pan. What did I do wrong? I was surprised it had no eggs to help it rise. The cake tasted delicious but I was very disappointed with the way it looks.
Hi Karen! I’m sorry to hear that. I would look over the instructions again to make sure you did not miss anything. Eggs are not necessary for this recipe. Did the cake rise and then go flat? Sometimes this will happen if you use pans that are too small for the amount of batter (I made this in 9” pans). Be sure your oven is fully preheated beforehand or the cake may not rise properly. I recommend using an internal oven thermometer. It could also be that the batter got over-mixed by using a stand mixer. Lastly, I would check the baking soda to make sure it’s not expired. I hope that helps.
Thank you. I did all of what you suggested but next time I will not use my mixmaster. I think my baking soda might too old so I am going to buy a new. The cake tasted delicious except it came out flat. It did rise some and then sank while cooling.
Oh my gosh what a cake! And cupcakes too! Made for my sister-in-laws birthday and used the white buttercream frosting recipe. So moist and delicious and that frosting is amazing!! It wasn’t until I was getting ready to bake off that I realized there were no eggs. This was my first attempt at homemade cake and frosting and it is now my go to.
That’s wonderful, Deb! We love this cake. Thank you for trying my recipe. I’m so glad it was a hit and is now your go-to recipe! 🙂
I made this today for my bday, which is tomorrow.
It’s a lovely cake, but I think next time I would cut conf sugar to 4 cups.
It is delicious! 🌟
Happy Birthday, Lisa! I’m glad you enjoyed the cake. 🙂
Thank you for another great recipe! I just made this cake and it is incredible. I don’t make anything with butter(don’t like it), and I don’t like cream cheese, so I cheated and put store bought icing in the middle and used your chocolate ganache recipe, and it turned out great.
Thank you!
Christine
So glad you love the recipe, Christine!
Can you tell me your cup you use in grams pls.thanks and love to follow your recepies and the way you give it to us with that little fun of yours
Hi Elizabeth! Click on the “metric” button in the recipe card for the conversion. 🙂
Going out on a stretch here. This cake looks fabulous. My question is: Can I substitute the flour for Cup 4 Cup and make this gluten free?
Hi Sandy, I haven’t tested that but I think it could work. Here’s what one of my readers wrote: ” I’ve made this cake and it was so delicious!!! The recipe was easy to follow too, even for someone inexperienced like myself. also, I replaced the flour with 1:1 gluten free self raising flour, and added no extra baking powder or baking soda and it came out great.” I hope that helps!
Hi Natasha,
Made this recipe which is similar to one that I’ve been making for years and it turned out delicious with the frosting especially knowing you don’t need eggs. Thanks for another great recipe! Oh and congratulations
on the cookbook and can’t wait to get it which I just pre- ordered from Amazon😊❤
You’re so welcome, Karen. Lovely to hear that you preordered, I’m so excited for October already!
Can you make this recipe into cupcakes? If so, is there a different baking time? Is the same amount of frosting too much for cupcakes?
Hi Tonya, we do have the chocolate cupcake version of this recipe already developed. Enjoy!
I made this cake on the weekend and OMGoodness it was the BEST ever!! Definitely a keeper in my recipe collection
That’s wonderful, Bev! I’m so glad you loved it.
I have made at least two or three dozen of her recipes, and have never been disappointed with any of them. I like her suggestions for kitchen utensils, her accurate description of ingredients what to expect in cooking time. The kitchen is a lovely, peaceful place to visit. I love her exuberance And how she describes what she does. From broccoli beef to instant pot recipes to slow cooker, white chili I love everything of hers that I have made.
Thank you so much, Stormie! It’s so good to know you are enjoying my recipes and that you find my videos and blog helpful.
Hi Natasha, copied recipe exactly and used 9 inch pans. That seems like a crazy amount of icing. I couldn’t use it all. Why so much?
Karen
Hi Karen! You would have extra depending on how thick/thin you frosted the cake. I generously frost the cake (you can see in the images above) and I use a pretty decent amount in the middle of the cake as well. I found this to be a good amount for my preference, but you can definitely use less if you prefer.
Hi, can I bake three sponge cakes and layer them together, for a taller cake? Do you think it will hold? Thank you!
Hi Diana! That should be fine. Just be sure to fully cool and maybe even chill your cake layers before assembling. 🙂
Hello! I made this cake recipe and it turned out great! If I do decide to make them ahead of time how long can I freeze them for? Thank you.
Hi Monica! I’m glad you loved the recipe. In general, cake can be frozen up to 3 months if it is stored properly.
Natasha, my comments posted last night disappeared from your block (it happened twice previous time with other recipe). I was asking why this cake needs 3 cups of four and why do we need vinegar? Thanks.
Hi Donna! I see that your other comment is visible on the thread. I haven’t experimented with less flour in this recipe to advise. I always recommend trying the recipe exactly as written on your first try but you can experiment with it if you’d like.