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
I love this cake and have made it several times. For a great friend’s birthday, I’ll be making it on Sunday – three layers (8″).
Natasha, what do you think about having one layer with white icing and any recipe suggestions for that?
thanks, George
Hi George, I bet that could work. Will you be using a vanilla icing for that?
What substitution works best for when you don’t have coffee to use?
Hi Christina, coffee will provide the very best flavor because it amplifies the flavor of chocolate and does not taste like coffee. The next best thing would be water. I don’t know if it is an option for you, but decaf coffee would also work fine.
This cake has No eggs in it?
Is this correct?
Hi April, yes that is correct.
Hi Natasha,
Thanks to you I love baking and cooking. Almost every time I have tried your recipes, its been delicious. Im not sure what I did wrong with this cake, but for some reason the upper layer of my cake formed a slight crust and when we took a bite into the assembled cake, it was like there were grains of something – like it was crunchy. Any idea why that could be so? But otherwise, it was delicious!
Hi, I haven’t had that experience. Did you make any substitutions or possibly use a coarse sugar?
Can you make this cake 1 or 2 days in advance?
Do you know or have a recipie for chocolate mousse cake filling?
Hi Sierra, I think it’s the most moist the day it’s made but it does keep really well. Be sure to cover and refrigerate. I would suggest letting it come to room temperature for 1-2 hours before serving for it to soften up again.
Thank you Natasha.
Hi. I’m confused because I’m not a huge baker. You say 2 cups of coffee but is it 2 cups from a measuring cup or 2 cups filled to the coffee pot line.
Hi Rachel, it is 2 cups in a liquid measuring cup or 16 oz as a liquid measure.
Hi Natasha, thank you for sharing this recipe. Looks yummylicious and can’t wait to try it. Also, no eggs?
Hi Jan, that’s right, no eggs in this recipe. I hope you love it.
Your recipes always look so good! I’m curious about one of the ingredients in the chocolate cake recipe – why ‘light olive oil not extra virgin’? Thank you.
Hi Susan, extra virgin olive oil is not ideal for baking because it imparts its own flavor.
Thank you for responding Natasha. That makes perfect sense!
I’m not a coffee drinker. Don’t have it on hand What can I substitute it with?
Hi Zeffie, coffee will provide the very best flavor because it amplifies the flavor of chocolate and does not taste like coffee. The next best thing would be water. I don’t know if it is an option for you, but decaf coffee would also work fine.
I don’t consider myself a good cake baker. I love cooking in general, but this is not my specialty. Can I use two 8 inch rounds if I don’t have two 9 inch rounds?
Hi Kat, I think you could probably stretch it to accommodate two 8-inch pans but I haven’t tested either way so I won’t be able to give you precise baking instructions.
Thanks for this delicious and yummy cake recipe. I will make this for my daughters, they love chocolate cake.
Can I use canola or any other oil instead of olive oil?
Hi Sam, you sure can! I hope you and your daughters love these recipes.
Hello Natasha,
I made this cake during the holidays and it was so delicious!
Just one a question: I followed every step but the top layer of the cake slightly shifted/slipped. How can avoid that from happening next time?
Thank you!
Hi Joy, I’m so glad you loved the cake! It helps with slicing (so it doesn’t slide), if the cake is refrigerated for a little bit to firm the cream a little bit.
Can I make this in a 13×9 pan? And if so can I half the recipe?
Hi Molly, I haven’t tested this in a 9×13 but I suspect if you cut the recipe in half, it would make a very flat cake. One of my readers reported baking teh full recipe in a 9×13 pan with good results. She wrote: “Baking it in a casserole style dish calls for a low and slow cooking method. I cooked it at 300 for 50-55 minutes.”
This is the absolute best choc cake recipe I have ever tried. Made it for the first time last month for my son’s 16th birthday. He absolutely loved it. I had to make it again last week. It was super moist and super delicious to be eaten cold as well.
Making it again tomorrow.
That is the best when kids love what we moms make. That’s so great!
Hi
This cake looks amazing and I am going to give it a try
I cannot have dairy though, so I am not sure what to do for the frosting – would a buttercream frosting with DF “butter” be the best option? Would I add anything to give it a similar flavour to the butter/cream cheese combo, or to cut down on the sweetness?
Hi Belinda, I wish I could be more help with your question but I honestly have not experimented with DF butter so I’m not sure how it would change the consistency or process. You might try experimenting with a vegan chocolate frosting like this one from my friend at Downshiftology.
Hello Natasha,
thank you for all your recipes they are amazing.
I am going to make this cake for my fiancé its his birthday.
Could you let me know what size cake tins you use?
Thank you!!
Hi Emma, we used two 9″ cake pans. Thank you for that wonderful review.
Going to make this cake but I was wondering can I use canola oil? Thank you
Hi Heidi, to be honest, I haven’t tested that one so I can’t say for sure. A vegetable or canola oil would work. If you experiment with any of those options, let me know how it goes. Sorry, I can’t be more helpful.
Avocado oil works well!
Thank you so much for sharing that with me, Marsha!
Hello Natasha,
How long do we need to bake them in an Gas Oven?
Hi Monisha, I don’t have a gas oven to test this with but it should be about the same amount of time. Gas ovens are a little trickier. I would recommend reviewing this article which might help with things to consider when using a gas oven.
No eggs?
Hi Rosa! That’s correct! No eggs in this recipe.
Thank you for sharing this different type of chocolate cake and for the metric conversion. I do have two questions: I’m at high altitude (4800’) and a very, very dry climate. I worry about the cake drying out to much while cooling. Also any recommend in time or temperature?
Hi Peter, I haven’t tried it at high altitude so I would suggest following the general guidelines for baking at high altitudes.