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
This cake was so easy to make! So chocolatey and rich. We all devoured it!
Fantastic recipe!
That’s wonderful! So glad you all loved it.
Hi,
I have made this recipe and really like it but would like to replace sugar with stevia for a zero sugar version for my husband. I am trying to find out how much stevia to sugar ratio should I substitute.
Thanks!
Hi there! I haven’t tried stevia, so I’m not sure how it will work. It depends on the type too, they have powder form which is more concentrated and they also make a baking blend. I would check the back of the package for the conversion instructions.
Hey Natasha
I love love this recipe! I always use this for my children birthday cake. However I want to make it tomorrow for a friend. Is it possible to half the recipe?
Thank you
Hi Maria, I would halve all the ingredients by half. You can also use the recipe slider (serving size) to adjust ingredients to half the recipe.
Thank you so much! My daughter has screen shot your reply. She wants to save it forever ❤️
Hi. I love your recipe. I just like slightly thicker layers so I do 1.2 times the recipe. The cakes turn out perfect most times but some times there are way too many tunnels. Not sure what could be causing that. Can you advise what i could do to avoid evenly baked layers without tunnels.
Hi Tej! Too many tunnels in a cake are most often caused by overmixing. If the batter is mixed too long or too vigorously, it develops excess gluten and traps large air pockets that bake into tunnels. Make sure to measure your leavening correctly, using too much can cause this too. Lastly- an oven that’s too hot can worsen the issue by setting the outside before the inside has finished rising. Check your oven’s temperature accuracy with an internal oven thermometer (amazon affiliate link). I hope this helps!
Hola Natasha ….deseando estés bn. Se ve interesante tu bizcocho pero tengo una curiosidad es que ese bizcocho no lleva huevos?
TRANSALTION: Hi Natasha… hoping you’re doing well. Your cake looks interesting, but I’m curious — does that cake not have any eggs in it?
Hi Cris! That’s correct , there are no eggs in this chocolate cake recipe and it’s amazing! I hope you love it.
This recipe as in all of your recipes I’ve tried was scrupulous my family loves all of them . Thank you for sharing.
You’re very welcome, Elaine! I’m so happy you enjoyed that.
Can I use Special Dark Chocolate cocoa in the frosting instead of unsweetened cocoa? I finished my unsweetened cocoa in the batter. Thanks!
Hi there! It might work but might also change the flavor, color, sweetness of the cake. If you give it a try, let us know how it goes!
Hi there, would the baking time be the same for this recipe if baked in a 9 x 13 inch rectangular pan?
Hi Yvonne! The baking time changes with different pan sizes. It will also depend on how filled the pan is. Keep an eye on it in the oven. The temperature can stay the same.
The first time I’ve ever made a chocolate cake and I thought no better recipe to use than this one – what a winner! Followed the recipe exactly and I am SO impressed with how my cake turned out. It looks so good, moist and delicious, and I’ve received so many compliments on it! Thank you, Natasha!
That’s so great to hear, Poppy! Thank you for sharing.
I only have extra virgin olive oil, would vegetable oil be a good substitute?
Hi Christina! Yes, any neutral tasting baking oil like vegetable, canola, etc.. will work. I hope you love the recipe.
Hi, I love this cake but it often cracks and falls apart. What am I doing wrong?
Hi Birgit! Are you letting the cakes cool down a bit prior to removing them from the pans? Are they sticking to the pans and breaking? You’ll want to let them finish cooling on a cooling rack and wait until they are fully cooled before assembling or they will be too fragile to work with. You can even refrigerate them for a bit once they cool so they are extra cold when you assemble your cake.
When cutting the cake, let it sit out of the refrigerator for a little bit for the frosting to soften before cutting into it and this should help it cut smoother without breaking.
Thank you. Yes I do but they still crack. Sometimes I can see they have cracked a bit even before I take them out of the oven. I just need to do some research 😊
Thanks for clarifying. If it’s cracking in the oven while baking than I would check a few more things. This can happen when the top sets before the center is done rising—often from an oven that’s too hot, overfilled pan, using too much leavening, overmixing the batter, or using the wrong pan size/type.
I would also recommend an internal oven thermometer (Amazon affiliate link) to ensure your oven is heating correctly.
Thanks for quick reply. Also, about coffee how to make to two cups of coffee with instant coffee at home. As I don’t have machine. Also, for whipping cream frosting what can I use to make it more stable. Any tips
Hi there! We used brewed coffee but I suggest following the package instructions which will usually give you a fairly strong coffee. If you don’t have a machine, a cold bowl, a strong wrist, and one stabilizer of choice. Mascarpone or pudding mix are some good options for frosting a cake that looks neat, tastes fresh, and stays put.
Can i change olive oil with simple canola oil.
Yes, any neutral tasting baking oil like canola, vegetable oil, etc. would be fine to use instead of light olive oil.
I am planning to make the cake but only have 8 inch cake pans. How much longer should I bake? But mainly do I need to adjust recipe?
Thank you so much for your feedback.
I absolutely love your recipes: they are easy to follow and tasty!!
Hi Tanya! There may be a bit too much batter for 2- 8” pans. You can use the 8” pans, you’ll just need to watch out to not overfill them. You can use the leftover batter to make a couple of cupcakes or use a smaller pan/dish for the remainder. Keep an eye on them, it will likely bake faster than a 9” cake.
Thank you Natasha for this delicious Chocolate cake recipe. I made it for the first time for my daughters birthday. I used a 18 x 13 sheet pan. It turned out great!
I absolutely love this cake. I have students who can’t have coffee, though. Is there a liquid I can use besides coffee and still get this great cake?
Hi Heidi! You can also use warm water in its place.
Hi! I need to make a very large sheet cake, and I love this recipe. Can I double it or do I need to alter any of the ingredients?
Hi Miranda! I haven’t tested this in different sizes so I can’t say exactly how much batter you’ll need. It would be best to use a cake conversion chart online.
Your Chocolate cake Receipe is very Simple Method & your tips are very helpful.
Hi Natasha. If I keep cake layers (no frosting) in the fridge for two days will they still be nice and moist. Or will they dry out. Thanks
Hi Basia! That is fine. Just make sure you let them fully cool and wrap them well in plastic wrap.
Thank you for the quick reply (as always) 🙂
Love your recipe but made this cake in a 9 x 13 cake pan and it came out fantastic. Thanks so much for posting this recipe.
P.S. Have your cook book and I love the recipes in there too.
I’m so happy you loved this recipe, Kathi! Thank you so much for sharing that with me.
Decadent cake, you’ll mesmerize all your guests. I love this recipe and highly recommend sharing it with everyone
So glad you love the recipe, Tessa!