Tips For Making This Homemade Chocolate Cake Recipe
- The cake batter will be very thin and liquid. This is normal! It also rises a lot so be sure not to fill your pans more than half full or so.
- If youd prefer to use an American-style buttercream with this chocolate cake you can double my Easy Chocolate Buttercream Frosting recipe.
- I used a 1M tip to create the frosting effect on the side of the cake.
- Be sure to use room temperature ingredients unless specified.
- I like to prepare my cake pans using Homemade Cake Release and line with parchment paper.
- Be sure to check my Swiss Meringue Buttercream post for tips and troubleshooting.
- Learn how to keep your cakes moist using Simple Syrup.
- To help ensure your cake layers bake up nice and flat, check out my How to Bake Flat Cake Layers post!
Chocolate Cake Recipe Variations
This chocolate cake recipe has been the most popular post on Foodess.com for years it has been pinned hundreds of thousands of times, and for good reason! Everyone who makes it falls in love, and everyone who tastes it asks for the recipe. You wont be disappointed. Its still my go-to, no-fail, delicious chocolate cake recipe for every birthday, celebration, or Valentines Day.
Ive made many variations on it since it was originally posted, and due to popular request have shared the Fluffy Chocolate Frosting recipe to go with it. Ive also made it as Moist Chocolate Cupcakes with Oreo Cream Cheese Frosting and as Caramallow Cupcakes chocolate cupcakes filled with creamy caramel and topped with deliciously sticky marshmallow frosting. That frosting, also known as seven-minute frosting, was the way we enjoyed chocolate cake most often when I was a kid and is still probably my top choice. Another favourite way to enjoy this beloved cake is very simply with sweetened whipped cream and fresh berries.
This chocolate cake recipe freezes beautifully and Ill typically make it a few days in advance when preparing for a party. Just wrap the cooled cakes well in plastic wrap before popping them into freezer bags. Freeze them until ready to use, and you can frost them while still cold . I do make sure that its at room temperature by the time its served for best texture . If you love this one, Ive got lots more cake recipes be sure to check them out!
Stir Up The Cake Batter
To start this cake, beat the sugar, water, oil, vinegar and vanilla extract until blended. You can use a stand mixer or hand mixer here.
In another bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa , baking soda and salt. Slowly add this dry blend into the wet ingredients and beat until smooth. And thats it! This cake batter is a snap to put together.
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Tips For Making A Homemade Chocolate Cake
- Use whole, organic ingredients when possible. It really does make a difference in the flavor and outcome of the cake.
- Oil and grease your pans well and use parchment paper for easy removal.
- Mix well, but do not over mix. Keep the mixer on low most of the time, and scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl.
- If you want to make a dark chocolate cake, use Hersheys special dark cocoa powder.
- Pair this cake with our creamy chocolate buttercream frosting.
- Use room temperature ingredients.
Easy Homemade Chocolate Cake Recipe
Im such a softie when it comes to cake! My family knows this, so when they want to give me a special treat, its often one of my favorite bakery cakes. So indulgent! I love when they do that.
And, maybe a bit ironically, I also turn to cake when I want to do something special for my family! Making a cake from scratch is one of my favorite ways to show them that I care. Plus, its delicious. For everyone. Including me.
This particular cake is how can I say this? Perfect. Yep, perfect is the word! Its thick, fudgy, and moist while still being light. It goes beautifully with a whipped chocolate buttercream or any other type of frosting that you enjoy. This is the kind of cake that my kids beg for on their birthdays, because its just that special!
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What Frostings Pair Well With Chocolate Layer Cake
Every delicious cake deserves a delicious frosting! When it comes to pairing frostings with chocolate cake, Its probably easier to list the few that wouldnt work well. There are just so many fantastic flavor combinations that taste fantastic with chocolate cake.
Here are some of our favorite homemade frosting recipes to pair with chocolate layer cakes, but make sure to check out our Recipes Section to see all of the delicious options for fillings and frostings!
For The Chocolate Frosting
Make the chocolate buttercream: into a large bowl add room temperature butter and mix with a hand mixer or a stand mixer until the butter is light and fluffy.
Add half of the powder sugar and the cocoa powder and carefully mix until combined.
Add the other half of the powder sugar and mix until smooth.
Melt dark chocolate or semisweet chocolate and let it cool completely to room temperature. Add the melted chocolate to the mixture and mix until well combined and smooth.
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Oven Variations In Baking:
This recipe should take between 45-50 minutes to bake in the oven. However, the cakes doneness is more important than how long it has been baking in the oven. All ovens vary a bit from each other, running either hot or cold, fanned or not. It is best to see recipe instructions as a guide for an approximation of baking time, but dont worry if your cake is ready sooner or if it needs a few more minutes. You want to bake your chocolate bundt cake until a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean. For a truly accurate baking experience, we highly recommend an oven thermometer.
If you like this recipe, you may be interested in these other delicious cake recipes:
How To Make The Best Chocolate Cupcakes
Not only does this recipe make the best chocolate cupcakes in my book, they are also so quick and easy.
Ingredients for Moist Chocolate Cupcakes
- all-purpose flour
- espresso powder Optional, but I highly recommend adding espresso powder to your chocolate recipes.
- milk you can also use buttermilk, almond milk, oat milk, or coconut milk
- oil you can use vegetable, canola or melted coconut oil
- eggs when baking, I like to use room temperature eggs
- vanilla extract
- boiling water
There are a couple of ingredients that make my cake and these cupcakes different and the best Ive ever had. One of these is the boiling water. Its so important to my recipe, so please dont skip it even though you may think it sounds strange. It will make the cake batter thinner compared to most other batters, but it results in a very tender and moist cupcake.
This cupcake recipe is so simple. The batter can easily be mixed in a single bowl without using a mixer.
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Pour Into Cake Pans & Bake
Next, divide the batter evenly into the two prepared cake pans. You can either eyeball it or actually measure. I like to put 1 cup of batter at a time into each cake pan.
Bake in the preheated oven for 30-35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cakes comes out clean or with a few crumbs.
What Is The Reverse Creaming Method Of Mixing
This is a popular method for creating a slightly denser, more melt-in-your-mouth texture.
Cakes using the Reverse Creaming Method often have a finer crumb and youll notice while preparing the recipe that the ingredients are added in a different order than what you may be used to.
If you are new to this method, you may be interested in watching our free video here: The Reverse Creaming Method of Mixing.
If you would rather not go the Reverse Creaming Method route, dont worry! Weve also put this Classic Chocolate Cake scratch recipe into the standard Conventional Method of Mixing as well.
This also makes for a perfect chocolate cake! Its the same decadent chocolate taste but with a fluffier texture. When making chocolate cupcakes, this conventional version is the recipe that we use! Here is the link:Classic Chocolate Cupcakes Recipe
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The Best Chocolate Cake Recipe
Dessert 45 mins
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The Best Chocolate Cake Recipe A one bowl chocolate cake recipe that is quick, easy, and delicious! Updated with gluten-free, dairy-free, and egg-free options!
The best chocolate cake recipe. Ever? There are plenty of claims for the best chocolate cake recipe. I get that. But with one bite of this decadent, moist chocolate cake with chocolate frosting, every single person around the table commented that this was the best chocolate cake theyd ever tasted.
So as for my house, this chocolate cake recipe now holds that honor.
As the compliments continued, I didnt begin to tell them how easy it was to make.
In all honesty, it is probably one of the easiest cakes Ive made in a long time, really, but I just smiled and thanked them.
As we continued on gobbling up the cake, drinking our coffee or iced cold milk, the compliments just kept coming.
Then the requests for the recipe started.
Thats generally when you know that folks really like what youve made if they ask for the recipe and tell you for what event they plan to serve it.
As a cook, that really is one of the highest compliments you can receive well, at least in my book.
How To Make The Best Moist Cake Ever
To me, making the best moist cake comes down to one ingredient: oil. It’s an absolute must for this recipe, and here’s why. First, oil is liquid, and is liquid at room temperature, unlike butter. This means, because science, that the cake is going to have a more moist sensation, and remains moist for longer. Because butter solidifies at room temperature, the cake, as it cools, tends to get more crumbly. Second: butter is actually 80% fat and 20% liquid . When the dry ingredients interact with the butter then, they’re mixing with both fat and water. Water + flour = gluten, meaning that you’re cake is going to be relatively tough. That’s compared to oil, which is pure, pure fat. If you want to read more about this, and how it works, check out this Bon Appetit article. And also, stop making your cakes with butter. Immediately. Chocolate cake without butter is the way to go.
There’s a lot of info out there about using sour cream and mayo to make your cakes moist, but I haven’t found this makes a huge difference for me. It’s really all about the oil vs. butter.
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Ingredients For This Recipe
While this may seem like quite a few ingredients, I promise this cake isnt difficult! Lets break down each ingredient you will need for this easy chocolate cake:
And for the chocolate buttercream frosting well be using:
- Unsalted Butter: This will give you a beautiful buttery flavor in your buttercream frosting. I recommend sticking with unsalted butter for the frosting as well.
- Powdered Sugar: Also known as icing sugar or confectioners sugar this helps to sweeten the frosting and make it thicker so you can frost your cake and pipe decorations.
- Unsweetened Cocoa Powder: To add some chocolate flavor to the frosting.
- Heavy Whipping Cream & Vanilla Extract: The heavy whipping cream helps to thin out the frosting just a bit so its easier to spread and pipe. If you dont have any heavy whipping cream on hand, you can use milk. Youll also be using a little extra vanilla extract in the frosting.
How To Make Our Test Kitchens Favorite Chocolate Layer Cake
Taste of Home
Itll only take you one bite to recognize why this cake is a favorite in our Test Kitchen. Not only does it look amazing, but it also won the grand prize at the Alaska State Fair when our reader Cindi DeClue entered the contest. You can get the full details on this chocolate layer cake recipe right here.
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Faqs About How To Make Chocolate Cake From Scratch
Here are my answers to some commonly asked questions about making this homemade chocolate cake recipe.
Can you double this recipe?
Yes! This recipe is easily doubled and baked in two, 9″ round cake pans. This is a great option if you will be making the cake for a large crowd. When I make this recipe as written for my family of 7, everyone usually eats three servings before the cake is gone.
How do you make a moist chocolate cake?
This recipe yields the best, moist chocolate cake ever. To ensure it turns out that way be careful not to over-bake, and measure all the ingredients properly and precisely.
How do you decorate a chocolate birthday cake?
I use either this chocolate buttercream frosting or homemade vanilla frosting to decorate this easy chocolate cake recipe. I use the following tools to decorate : Piping tips and couplers – I recommend a great starter tip and coupler set. However I always make this rosette style cake with a Wilton 1M tip and large coupler. Pastry Scraper. I use this pastry scraper to make a smooth crumb coat. I love it so much!
If you make and love our recipes, it would mean so much to me if you would leave a comment and rating! And don’t forget to follow along with us on , , , and – be sure to tag @joyfoodsunshine and use the hashtag #joyfoodsunshine so we can your creations!
How To Make The Best Chocolate Cake
This recipe uses a simple mixing method and simple ingredients. You dont have to worry about creaming butter and sugar or alternating flour and milk. You just:
- Combine the dry ingredients
- Combine the wet ingredients
- Mix both together and bake
You can make this cake either using a stand mixer or just by hand using a large bowl or two.
If you prefer, you can use hot coffee instead of hot water. It is commonly used in this type of recipe and helps enhance the chocolate flavor a bit. Im usually too lazy to make coffee and I find the hot water version perfectly delicious. Alternatively, you can dissolve 1 Tbsp of instant espresso powder in the hot water.
Buttermilk is needed for this recipe and cant be replaced with regular milk. If you dont have buttermilk at home read through the FAQ section below on how to make your own.
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Tips And Tricks And Faq
- Q: Can I make this recipe into a two layer cake?
- A: Yes you can! This recipe will fill two, 9 inch cake rounds. It should bake for approximately 30-35 minutes in a 350 degree oven.