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The Best Chocolate Cake Recipe
This triple-layer chocolate cake from scratch is easy to make and turns out moist every single time. It’s the only chocolate cake recipe you’ll ever need!
This amazing homemade chocolate cake has been in my life for over five years now (remember the six layer chocolate cake with marshmallow filling and malted chocolate frosting?), and you’ve seen it paraded around as other cakes (hello, Snickers cake and peanut butter cup overload cake), but I had yet to present it to you in all of its simple chocolate cake glory. It is way, way overdue.
So, here it is! My absolute favorite chocolate cake in one of the simplest, easiest ways to prepare it – a three-layer cake slathered in my favorite chocolate frosting. It gets rave reviews anytime I serve it, with most people exclaiming that it is the best chocolate cake they’ve ever eaten, and wondering how it could be so moist.
I’m sharing all of my chocolate cake tips below, so let’s dig in!
How To Make Homemade Chocolate Cake
I love baking cakes because even those with the most simplistic decorations elicit ooohs and aaahs and can be total showstoppers. Nearly everyone loves cake, and it’s the defacto celebration dessert. Birthday? Graduation? Baptism? Retirement? Anniversary? The answer is almost always CAKE.
So let’s talk about the ingredients needed to make a seriously awesome chocolate cake…
- Dutch cocoa powder – I know, it’s not easily found at most grocery stores, but I beg of you – place an order (you can get it on Amazon or from King Arthur Flour) and keep it in your pantry. It produces such an intense, rich chocolate flavor and a deeper, darker color than unsweetened cocoa powder. I consider it a pantry staple.
- Vegetable oil – No butter here! When it comes to cake, oil really does reign supreme. Why? Vegetable oil is 100% fat, while butter clocks in around 80%. More fat means more coating around the flour proteins, preventing the flour from absorbing the moisture in the cake to make gluten. When this happens, unsurprisingly, cakes are drier. So for a supremely moist cake, we use vegetable oil.
- Coffee – You may have seen many chocolate cake recipes that call for coffee or brownie recipes that call for espresso powder, and there is a good reason for that. Coffee helps to ratchet up the chocolate flavor significantly, kind of a turbo boost for the cocoa powder.
- Buttermilk – Buttermilk plays two roles in the cake; first and foremost, it reacts with the baking soda to create a beautiful rise for tall cake layers. Secondly, its lactic acid creates a slightly acidic batter, which keeps the cake moist and tender by breaking down gluten.
But Seriously, Do I HAVE To Use Coffee?
Perhaps you’re afraid that your chocolate cake is going to taste like coffee, and you don’t even LIKE coffee. I hear you, trust me. I am not a coffee drinker and don’t particularly care for the flavor, but I will always, always, add coffee or espresso powder to my chocolate baked goods because of the boost it gives to the chocolate flavor. And please trust me, you will not be able to taste the coffee at all.
If your concern is the caffeine content, you can absolutely substitute decaf coffee for regular. I did this all of the time when I was pregnant, and I do it if I know kids are going to be eating the cake.
If you cannot consume coffee due to medical, religious, or personal reasons, then you can substitute hot water. You’ll just loose that turbo boost effect, but the cake will still be delicious!
What If I Don’t Have Buttermilk?
It’s truly worth picking up for this recipe, but if you are in an absolute pinch or do not have it readily available where you live, you can make the following substitution:
Add 1½ tablespoons of lemon juice or white vinegar to a 2-cup measuring cup, then add enough milk to make 1½ cups. Stir together, then use as directed in the recipe.
So, there you have it! The absolute best homemade chocolate cake you could ever hope to come out of your kitchen. It’s simple, dare I say easy, supremely moist, and can be dressed up or dressed down with a limitless amount of different fillings and frostings (as evidenced by the examples above!).
If you keep one chocolate cake recipe in your recipe box, it absolutely needs to be this one!
If You Like This Chocolate Cake, Try These:
Two years ago: Baking Basics: Converting Pan Sizes
Six years ago: Fresh Orange Sherbet
Seven years ago: Pepperoni Pizza
Eight years ago: Salted Caramel Brownies
Ten years ago: Zebra Cake
Did you make this recipe?
This triple-layer chocolate cake from scratch is easy to make and turns out moist every single time. It's the only chocolate cake recipe you'll ever need!
For the Cake
- 2½
cups
+ 1 tablespoon all purpose flour
- 3
cups
granulated sugar
- 1
cup
+ 1 tablespoon Dutch-process cocoa powder
- 1
tablespoon
baking soda
- 1½
teaspoons
baking powder
- 1½
teaspoons
salt
- 3
eggs
(at room temperature)
- 1½
cups
buttermilk, at room temperature
- 1½
cups
strong black coffee, hot
- ¾
cup
vegetable oil
- 4½
teaspoons
vanilla extract
For the Chocolate Frosting
Make the Cake: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease three 8-inch round cake pans, line the bottoms with rounds of parchment paper, grease the parchment, then flour the insides of the pans, tapping out excess; set aside.
In the bowl of an electric mixer (or large mixing bowl if you’re using a hand mixer), sift together the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder and salt. In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs, buttermilk, coffee, oil and vanilla.
Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix for 2 minutes on medium speed. Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl and mix for an additional 20 seconds (the batter will be very thin).
Divide the batter evenly among prepared pans. Bake for 20 minutes and rotate the pans in the oven. Continue to bake until a toothpick inserted into the center of one of the cakes comes out almost clean (with a few moist crumbs), about 12 more minutes. Cool the cakes (in the pans) on wire racks for 20 minutes, then carefully turn them out onto cooling racks to cool completely. [Make-Ahead Tip! At this point you can wrap the layers in plastic wrap and keep at room temperature for up to 1 day, or refrigerate for up to 3 days before frosting and serving. You can also wrap in aluminum foil and freeze for up to 1 month. Thaw in the refrigerator overnight before frosting and serving.]
Make the Chocolate Frosting: Place the chopped chocolate in a microwave-safe bowl and microwave in 30-second increments on 50% power, stirring after each, until the chocolate is melted and smooth. Set aside to cool to room temperature.
Meanwhile, using the whisk attachment of your stand mixer, whip the butter on medium-high speed for 5 minutes, stopping to scrape the bowl once or twice.
Reduce the speed to medium-low and gradually add the powdered sugar. Once all of the powdered sugar is incorporated, add the vanilla, mixing until incorporated. Add the melted chocolate and whip at medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes, scraping the bowl as needed to incorporate all of the chocolate.
Assemble the Cake: Place one of the cake layers on a serving platter or cake stand and spread 1 cup of the frosting over the top in an even layer. Place another cake layer on top of the frosting and spread with another 1 cup of the frosting. Place the last cake layer on top of the frosting upside-down, then frost the top and sides of the cake and decorate as desired. The cake can be kept, covered, at room temperature for up to 4 days. You can also freeze the cake, well-wrapped in plastic wrap and aluminum foil, for up to 1 month.
- You can substitute 9-inch cake pans, but will need to reduce the baking time. Rotate the pans after 15 minutes, then start checking for doneness after 10 additional minutes.
- If you are concerned about the caffeine in the coffee, you can substitute decaf coffee.
- If you cannot consume coffee, substitute hot water.
- You can make this cake (and the frosting!) using a hand mixer or stand mixer.
- I have not been successful at converting this recipe to cupcakes, despite multiple attempts. I recommend my Ultimate Chocolate Cupcakes if you need a chocolate cupcake recipe.
- Cake stand from Sur la Table.
Nutritional values are based on one serving
Calories: 580kcal
Fat: 54g
Saturated fat: 36g
Cholesterol: 126mg
Sodium: 622mg
Potassium: 374mg
Carbohydrates: 135g
Fiber: 4g
Sugar: 107g
Protein: 7g
Vitamin A: 21.3%
Calcium: 9.6%
Iron: 20.5%
Did you make this recipe?
Leave a review below, then snap a picture and tag @thebrowneyedbaker on Instagram so I can see it!
This cake was moist and fudgey goodness. Everyone especially flipped out over the frosting. I could have just sat and ate the cake layers by themselves. It reminds me of a sheet cake with more structure. The next time I make it, I will probably trade out some coffee for hot water. I love coffee, but I maybe made it too strong because it was a pronounced flavor. I think I would also like this with a peanut butter-butter cream. Mmmmm. Thin slices did not do the cake justice – you lose the fudginess, but thick was A LOT to eat. I might try cutting blocks! Thanks for another solid recipe!
This truly is the best chocolate cake I’ve ever made. Whenever I need a chocolate layer cake this is my go-to recipe. It smells absolutely heavenly when it’s baking. Thank you for sharing such a wonderful recipe.
This is the yummiest cake ever!! My friend is gluten free and I wanted to try and make a cake for her, can I replace the flour with gluten free flour/almond flour??
I’m ready to make this right now but can I use expresso powder instead of coffee. I only have flavored coffee and Iv heard expresso powder is good in cake
Hi there, same question as someone above. The weights are missing now from this recipe and I am definitely a weight baker! Has something happened with the formatting here?
Hi Nat, So sorry the recipe card changed and now there is a link below the ingredients for “metric” and it will switch the ingredients. I hope that helps!
I have made this recipe several times, and it is phenomenal. But … did the weight measurements disappear? I thought that’s what I always used, but now I only see the volume measurements.
Hi Julie, So sorry the recipe card changed and now there is a link below the ingredients for “metric” and it will switch the ingredients. I hope that helps!
My question is regarding the weight of the flour. I usually use King Arthur all-purpose flour, which according to them weighs 120 grams per cup. If I use their flour for this cake, should I go by that standard, or weigh out the listed 365 grams? Hope you understand my question. This really is a beautiful looking cake. Thanks.
Hi Marti, I use KAF unbleached all-purpose flour and use the weights I have listed. Hope that helps!
I made this cake with vanilla buttercream for my MIL’s birthday and it was a big hit. I had previously made your classic yellow cake a few times with great success. This is now my go to for new recipes for baking
I believe I made this chocolate cake, but in an 8 inch square. It was delicious, best. But, I see this as 3 layers. Is it the same one? Love your blog and recipes. I’ll tag that cake to you .
Hi Eleanor, I don’t think that’s the same cake; I have a couple of other square one-layer chocolate cakes on the site, as well!
Is the weight measurement for the flour off? I made it the first time (with great success!) by measuring like I usually do. Today I thought I’d make it by weighing the ingredients. I measured, then weighed, and it was way off. I ended up just measuring it. Should it be 265g?
Hi Krista, Yes that’s the correct measurement. Typically you will see a difference (sometimes small, other times large) when you check your volume measurement against weight – that’s why weight is a preferred measurement in baking – it’s the same every single time and isn’t affected by how you scoop, how packed the measuring cup is, etc.
How can this recipe be adapted for a bunt pan?
Hi Linda, I’ve never tried making it in a Bundt pan! I’m not sure if there would be too much batter or not. You might need to cut it by 1/3?
This really is the best chocolate cake recipe. It’s so easy to make and the result is a classic, old-school chocolate cake that’s moist and delicious. I love buttercream frostings and this is one of the best I’ve tasted: deep chocolate flavor, rich consistency, sweet but not over-the-top. Followed the recipe exactly as written and it came out perfectly. BEB recipes are always great but this one is exceptional.
I’ve made a lot of chocolate cakes and this one is the best as far as flavor, height, taste, and not sticking to the pan. I admittedly didn’t do the flour/parchment and just used the Pam Baking spray (has flour in it) and they came out just fine. I did let them cool all the way first. I love how tall each layer gets and they bake up relatively flat, which is great when you’re stacking. Great flavor as well! Thanks for the recipe!
I have made the Snickers cake, and it sounds like this is the same cake. All of my taste testers agreed that the Snickers cake was too sweet once assembled with all the extras, but the chocolate cake itself was simply fabulous. It is my go-to chocolate cake as a plain chocolate cake frosted with chocolate icing. I use hot water (some of us DO taste the coffee) and everyone STILL thinks it is the best!
Do you have any tips for mixing this very thin batter in a stand mixer without making a huge mess? I covered the bowl with the pouring shield and surrounded the entire top tightly with a towel and still made a huge mess. Cake turned out delicious though!
Hi Jessica, While it’s thin I’ve never had a splattering issue outside of the bowl. What size is your mixer? If it’s 4 quarts or smaller, try just using a hand mixer with a large mixing bowl instead.
Funny, I have successfully used this recipe multiple times for cupcakes! I leave it exactly like it is and cook for about 18 min in oven! Thank you for the awesome recipes as always!
Hi Karlyn, That’s awesome! Thanks for sharing, I have never had luck!
Did you mean 1 tsp of baking powder instead of 1 tbsp? I just finished making this cake and it spilled out of all 3 pans all over my oven! Of course it burnt and made a huge mess. I used 3 8″ cake pans to bake in. I’m getting ready to make the frosting. Sure hope it turns out good. And hope the cake taste good also. Any idea what happened?
Hi Becky, No that measurement of 1 tablespoon is correct (there’s a lot of batter!). Did you make any substitutions? Are your cake pans a standard 2 inches high? Or lower? I’m sorry it spilled, it definitely should not do that!
It looks like the baking soda is 1 tablespoon and baking powder is 1.5 teaspoon.
Oh my goodness, this looks absolutely stunningly yum!!
Rebecca | http://www.peppermintdolly.com
This cake looks amazing. We have a friend visiting next month for their birthday and I want to try this out. Big chocolate lovers!!
What kind of baking pans do you use?
Hi Brenda, Oh they will love it! I use Nordicware pans and linked to them in the recipe above!
How do I adjust the batter for just two tins?
I wanted to make this cake for a surprise party for my hubby. Have you ever made it in advance, wrapped tight in glad wrap & froze? If so, how does it hold up? If not, what do you think? I need to make it a week in advance.
Hi Priscilla, Ideally, I would wrap and freeze the individual cake layers, then make the frosting fresh when you’re ready to assemble the cake. The cake layers freeze and thaw beautifully, but I always find the frosting, while it will work frozen/thawed, is always better fresh. If you can’t do that, then wrap the cake really well in plastic wrap, then foil, and if you can fit in in a larger ziploc bag, even better!
Perfection! Such a gorgeous cake! I need this in my life.
What would the high altitude adjustment be for this recipe?
Thank you.
Hi! I’ve made this cake several times in Denver (5280 ft) successfully without making ANY adjustments. It is our favorite go-to cake! I’ve found most things at this altitude don’t really need adjusting at all!
I’m wondering if you’ve ever used this recipe for cupcakes?
Hi Julie, I’ve tried, but not successfully. This is the recipe I love for chocolate cupcakes –> https://www.browneyedbaker.com/best-chocolate-cupcakes-recipe/
Alright, this may seem like a really silly questions, however, I’m going with it: how do you get your frosting layers so even? I have the most difficult time getting that done, and even at that, the frosting ends up being thin in certain spots. And along with the layers goes the overall frosting of the cake. I’m so bad at getting a cake evenly frosted. Any tips would be so appreciated . . . . and even a video showing this would be great in my opinion.
Hi Michelle, Usually for the frosting layers ON the cake, I just try to spread as evenly as possible, and I push the frosting just a smidge off the edges of the cake layer. As for the outside, I just go slowly, use a light tough, and use a very large offset spatula. I do a lot of little touch ups and go over certain spots multiple times. I’ll work on a video for this!
Oooh…gonna make this cake and use your 7 minute frosting on it!!!!! BTW, I made your Chocolate Crinkle Sprinkle Cookies this week (one of my fav recipes) and added a packet of Starbucks Via Italian Roast Instant Coffee Powder to the batter…whole nother level!!!! I didn’t think they could be any better but they are 😍
This cake would be phenomenal with 7 minute frosting! And thanks for that tip on the chocolate crinkle cookies, I bet they were amazing!
This sounds wonderful, Michelle! Thank you so much – as always, you seem to know just when I need a certain recipe. What is your recommendation for adjusting the time and oven temperature if I want to make this recipe into cupcakes? Thank you and have a GREAT day! :)
I actually have not been successful converting this recipe into cupcakes and I’ve tried a few times now. This is my go-to chocolate cupcake recipe: https://www.browneyedbaker.com/best-chocolate-cupcakes-recipe/
How does this recipe hold up for carving and support for non-standard 3d cakes (i.e. pirate ships, castles, purses, etc.)?
Hi Jennifer, I don’t ever do carved cakes, so I can’t say FOR SURE, but they are pretty sturdy layers, so I would think you’d be okay.
Sorry, I meant to say three 8″ pans……….not 9″ pans……
When dividing equally among the three 9″ pans, do you have an approximate measure on how much batter goes into each pan?
Usually when I’m dealing with a recipe that has to be divided equally, I’ll pour my batter into a fresh bowl, on a scale that is set to zero for the exact measure in grams, grab a calculator, and do the math……Then, set my pans on the scale to pour, weigh and divide.
I’d LOVE to know if there is a quicker way. Suggestions?
Looking forward to this cake. Love the addition of coffee to the chocolate. As you say, it really DOES make all the difference and you don’t taste coffee at all, I add coffee to chocolate recipes all the time. If I’m serving to friends/family gatherings……I do swap out for decaf just in case someone is sensitive to the caffeine.
Hi Brenda. My mom and I just eyeball putting the dough into pans. You can always scoop a little out from one pan and put it in another. We don’t do cakes super often (maybe twice a year?) but since this part of a recipe never needs to be so precise, we’ve always found that eyeballing how much batter is in each pan works pretty well. And you could always weigh the batter filled pans after if you really wanted to know.
Hi Brenda, Your method is exactly what I do. I don’t have a total weight, since that could vary based on your measuring method, if you aren’t using weights.
This looks so delicious!