This is my favorite homemade chocolate cake recipe. With a super moist crumb and fudgy, yet light texture, this chocolate cake recipe will soon be your favorite too. Top with chocolate buttercream and chocolate chips for 3x the chocolate flavor. You can also prepare this chocolate layer cake as a sheet cake, too. See recipe note.
Originally published in 2013 and now with more in-depth descriptions, a helpful video tutorial, clearer instructions, and different ways to use this classic chocolate cake recipe. I hope you enjoy all the new features in this recipe post!
Devil’s Food Chocolate Cake… But Better
This pictured cake is a combination of chocolate buttercream and mock-devil’s food cake. You know the Devil’s Food chocolate cake you get at a restaurant or even from a box mix? This is that exact cake, only completely homemade. Notice the reddish tint? That’s where the name Devil’s Food comes from. The baking soda in this recipe reacts with the natural cocoa powder, which results in the reddish color. More on the science behind using dutch-process vs. natural cocoa powder here, if you’re interested.
This is, without a doubt, the best chocolate cake I’ve ever had. And judging by your feedback in the reviews, I’m confident you’d say the same thing!
This Chocolate Cake Is:
- Extra moist
- 2 layers, but can be made as 3 layers or as a sheet cake
- Soft with a velvety crumb
- Deeply flavorful
- Unapologetically rich, just like my flourless chocolate cake
- Covered with creamy chocolate buttercream
Chocolate Cake Ingredients
Each ingredient serves an important role. For best results, do not make substitutions.
- All-Purpose Flour: The structure of the cake. Unlike confetti cake where you can use either, do not use cake flour here—when combined with ultra-light cocoa powder, cake flour is too fine for this cake.
- Unsweetened Natural Cocoa Powder: Do not use dutch-process cocoa powder. If you’re interested, see dutch-process vs natural cocoa powder for an in-depth explanation.
- Baking Soda & Baking Powder: Remember the differences in baking soda vs baking powder? We use both here for lift.
- Salt: Salt balances the flavor.
- Espresso Powder: Espresso powder is optional, but I recommend its addition because it enhances the chocolate flavor. The chocolate cake will not taste like coffee, I promise. I use espresso powder in my chocolate zucchini cake, Guinness cake, chocolate raspberry cake, and marble loaf cake too!
- Oil: Don’t use butter in this cake batter. Cocoa powder is a particularly drying ingredient, so this cake needs oil for suitable moisture.
- Eggs: Use 2 room temperature eggs. To speed up the gently warming, place refrigerated eggs in a cup of warm water for 10 minutes. Did you know what the temperature of your ingredients has a direct correlation to the success of your recipes? Unless otherwise noted, use room temperature ingredients.
- Buttermilk: This chocolate cake requires the moisture and acidity from buttermilk. Lately I’ve been using a mix of sour cream and buttermilk, as well as reducing the hot liquid. You can read more about this next and see my dark chocolate mousse cake, tuxedo cake, black forest cake, German chocolate cake, and chocolate peanut butter cake recipes.
- Vanilla Extract: Vanilla extract adds flavor.
- Hot Coffee or Hot Water: Hot liquid enhances the cocoa powder’s flavor. It also encourages it to bloom and dissolve appropriately. You’ll notice I don’t use hot liquid in my chocolate cupcakes recipe. That’s because there isn’t the same volume of dry ingredients. With this amount of cake batter, we need a hot liquid to break up the cocoa powder lumps resting in all that flour. If you don’t drink coffee, you can use hot water. For deeper and darker flavor, though, use coffee. (Decaf coffee works!)
How to Make Chocolate Cake
What an easy chocolate cake! No mixer required for the batter, simply whisk the dry ingredients in one bowl and the wet ingredients in another bowl. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients (or vice versa, it doesn’t make any difference), add the hot coffee, then whisk everything together. The cake batter is thin. Divide between 2 9-inch cake pans. You can easily stretch it to 3 or 4 8-inch or 9-inch cakes if needed. Or make a quarter sheet cake using a 9×13-inch cake pan. See my recipe notes for details.
Need a 1 layer cake? Use this mint chocolate cake recipe for 1 9-inch round cake.
Need cupcakes? Use either my super moist chocolate cupcakes or cream-filled chocolate cupcakes recipe.
Lately I’ve Been Using Sour Cream
As mentioned above and in the video tutorial, there are two ways to prepare this cake batter and the slight difference involves the wet ingredients. You can follow the recipe as written using buttermilk and hot coffee/water. Or you can add sour cream. Whichever way you make it, the process is the same. (Just reduce the liquids and add sour cream!)
- Original Version (pictured and written below): The original recipe produces a very thin batter. The cake is extra soft with a deliciously spongey texture.
- Sour Cream Version (written in recipe notes and shown in video tutorial): By replacing some of the buttermilk and hot coffee with sour cream, the cake batter is slightly thicker and produces a slightly denser cake with more structure. I love using sour cream in my vanilla cake, too!
Both cakes are equally moist and chocolatey with the same flavor and ease of preparation. It just depends if you want a spongier cake or not. 🙂
Chocolate Buttercream
Like my yellow cake, I use my favorite chocolate buttercream. I slightly increase the amount of each ingredient to produce extra frosting. If you prefer a thinner layer of frosting, use the chocolate buttercream recipe. But if you crave extra buttercream, follow the frosting measurements below. You need 6 ingredients total:
- Unsalted Butter
- Confectioners’ Sugar
- Unsweetened Cocoa Powder
- Heavy Cream or Milk
- Vanilla Extract
- Salt
Because there is no leavening occurring, you can use either dutch-process or natural cocoa powder in the buttercream. Heavy cream provides an extra creamy frosting, but milk can be substituted if needed.
Love a good chocolate + strawberry combo? Try my strawberry buttercream frosting with this chocolate cake instead!
So, why do I call it triple chocolate layer cake when it only has 2 layers? Well, chocolate is used three times: chocolate cake, chocolate frosting, chocolate chips. Press a handful on top like we do with warm chocolate chip cookies, or go with “the more the better” motto like we did. Let’s eat!
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Triple Chocolate Layer Cake
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Total Time: 4 hours
- Yield: serves 12-16
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Description
This is my favorite homemade chocolate cake recipe. With a super moist crumb and fudgy, yet light texture, this chocolate cake recipe will be your favorite too. Top with chocolate buttercream and chocolate chips for 3x the chocolate flavor. You can also prepare this chocolate layer cake as a sheet cake. See recipe Note.
Ingredients
Cake
- 1 and 3/4 cups (219g) all-purpose flour (spooned & leveled)
- 3/4 cup (62g) unsweetened natural cocoa powder
- 1 and 3/4 cups (350g) granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons espresso powder (optional)
- 1/2 cup (120ml) vegetable oil (or canola oil or melted coconut oil)
- 2 large eggs, at room temperature
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 1 cup (240ml) buttermilk, at room temperature
- 1 cup (240ml) freshly brewed strong hot coffee (regular or decaf)
Chocolate Buttercream
- 1 and 1/4 cups (2.5 sticks or 290g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 3 and 1/2 cups (420g) confectioners’ sugar
- 3/4 cup (65g) unsweetened cocoa powder (natural or dutch process)
- 3–5 Tablespoons (45-75ml) heavy cream (or half-and-half or milk), at room temperature
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- optional for decoration: semi-sweet chocolate chips
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F (177°C). Grease two 9-inch cake pans, line with parchment paper rounds, then grease the parchment paper. Parchment paper helps the cakes seamlessly release from the pans. (If it’s helpful, see this parchment paper rounds for cakes video & post.)
- Make the cake: Whisk the flour, cocoa powder, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and espresso powder (if using) together in a large bowl. Set aside. Using a handheld or stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment (or you can use a whisk) mix the oil, eggs, and vanilla together on medium-high speed until combined. Add the buttermilk and mix until combined. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients, add the hot water/coffee, and whisk or beat on low speed until the batter is completely combined. Batter is thin.
- Divide batter evenly between pans. Bake for 23-26 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Baking times vary, so keep an eye on yours. The cakes are done when a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. (Note: Even if they’re completely done, the cooled cakes may *slightly* sink in the center. Cocoa powder is simply not as structurally strong as all-purpose flour and can’t hold up to all the moisture necessary to make a moist tasting chocolate cake. It’s normal!)
- Remove the cakes from the oven and set on a wire rack. Allow to cool completely in the pan.
- Make the buttercream: With a handheld or stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter on medium speed until creamy – about 2 minutes. Add confectioners’ sugar, cocoa powder, 3 Tablespoons heavy cream, salt, and vanilla extract. Beat on low speed for 30 seconds, then increase to high speed and beat for 1 full minute. Do not over-whip. Add 1/4 cup more confectioners’ sugar or cocoa powder if frosting is too thin or 1-2 more Tablespoons of cream if frosting is too thick. (I usually add 1 more.) Taste. Add another pinch of salt if desired.
- Assemble and frost: If cooled cakes are domed on top, use a large serrated knife to slice a thin layer off the tops to create a flat surface. This is called “leveling” the cakes. Discard or crumble over finished cake. Place 1 cake layer on your cake stand or serving plate. Evenly cover the top with frosting. Top with 2nd layer and spread remaining frosting all over the top and sides. I always use an icing spatula and bench scraper for the frosting. Garnish with chocolate chips, if desired.
- Refrigerate uncovered cake for at least 30-60 minutes before slicing to help set the shape. After that, you can serve the cake or continue refrigerating for up to 4–6 hours before serving. Cake can be served at room temperature or chilled.
- Cover leftover cake tightly and store in the refrigerator for 5 days. I like using a cake carrier for storing and transporting.
Notes
- Make Ahead & Freezing Instructions: Prepare cake through step 4. Wrap the individual baked and cooled cake layers tightly and refrigerate for up to 2 days or freeze up to 3 months. Bring to room temperature then continue with step 5. You can prepare the chocolate buttercream 2-3 days in advance. Cover and refrigerate, then bring to room temperature before spreading onto/assembling the cake. Frosted cake freezes well, up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator, then bring to room temperature or serve cold.
- Special Tools (affiliate links): 9-Inch Cake Pans | Electric Mixer (Handheld or Stand Mixer) | Glass Mixing Bowls | Whisk | Cake Stand, Serving Plate, or Cake Turntable | Icing Spatula | Bench Scraper | Cake Carrier (for storing)
- 3 Layer Cake: You can also prepare this cake as a 3 layer cake. Divide batter between three 8-inch or 9-inch cake pans in step 1 and bake for 22-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. This frosting will be enough for 3 layers. If desired, use the frosting recipe from my Piñata Cake if you want extra frosting.
- Cocoa Powder: Use natural cocoa powder in the cake, not dutch-process. (See dutch-process vs natural cocoa powder for more information.) Since there is no leavening occurring in frosting, you can use either natural or dutch-process in the chocolate buttercream.
- Buttermilk: Buttermilk is required for this recipe. You can make your own DIY version of buttermilk if needed. Add 2 teaspoons of white vinegar or lemon juice to a liquid measuring cup. Then add enough room temperature whole milk to the same measuring cup until it reaches 1 cup. (In a pinch, lower fat or nondairy milks work for this soured milk, but the cake won’t taste as moist or rich.) Stir it around and let sit for 5 minutes. The homemade “buttermilk” will be somewhat curdled and ready to use in the recipe.
- Sour Cream Version: Lately I’ve been using a mix of sour cream and buttermilk, as well as reducing the hot coffee. Reduce the buttermilk and hot coffee to 1/2 cup (120ml) each. Add 3/4 cup (180g) of room temperature full-fat sour cream with the wet ingredients. You can see this described above, in the video tutorial, and in my dark chocolate mousse cake. That cake and this cake are both fantastically moist, but the sour cream version has a slightly sturdier crumb.
- FAQ: The sour cream version (note above) makes a sturdy enough cake that will hold under fondant.
- Amount of Cake Batter: This recipe (and the sour cream version) yields about 6 cups of batter, which is helpful if you need it for different Cake Pan Sizes & Conversions.
- Room Temperature Ingredients: All refrigerated items should be at room temperature so the batter mixes together easily and evenly. Read more about why room temperature ingredients are important.
- Espresso Powder/Coffee: Espresso powder and coffee will not make the cake taste like coffee. Instead, they deepen the chocolate flavor. I highly recommend them both. You can use the same amount of instant coffee (the powder) instead of espresso powder if desired. If coffee isn’t your thing, you can leave out the espresso powder and use extra hot water or hot chai tea.
- Bundt Pan: I recommend my chocolate cream cheese bundt cake but without the cream cheese filling. Reduce buttermilk in that recipe to 1/4 cup and increase sour cream to 1 cup.
- 9×13 Inch Pan: You can bake this cake in a 9×13-inch baking pan. Same oven temperature, about 35-40 minutes bake time.
- Chocolate Cupcakes: Here is my favorite chocolate cupcakes recipe. Same unbelievable texture as this cake! (You’ll notice I don’t use hot liquid in that recipe. That’s because there isn’t the same volume of dry ingredients to break up. If you need more than 1 dozen chocolate cupcakes, use this chocolate cake recipe for 2-3 dozen. Same baking instructions as my chocolate cupcakes.
Recipe adapted from Ina Garten and originally from Hershey’s
Keywords: cake, chocolate cake
My dad is SO boring and only ever want chocolate cake…after making this recipe for his birthday earlier this year, I now have to make it for fathers day and every summer picnic bc it’s his new favorite! I will say, I’m usually not one for chocolate on chocolate but this cake is excellent and worth repeating! I usually make a half batch of the chocolate buttercream and a half batch of Sally’s vanilla buttercream (put this in between the layers) to balance out the rich chocolate. Make this recipe, it won’t disappoint!
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This is my absolute go-to, I always make this cake! I’d like to do it as a 10in bottom tier with an 8in tier (both tiers will have 3 layers each) on top for a 2 tiered cake for my husband’s 50th. If I do the sour cream version, do you think it’s sturdy enough?
Hi Cassie, at this time we don’t have a sturdy enough chocolate cake for the bottom tier. Check out the post: Simple Homemade Wedding Cake Recipes for ideas of cakes that make a great bottom tier.
This is really the GOAT of chocolate cakes, I’ve made it twice now and my family will not let me make anything else now for birthdays and family gatherings. It is so easy for such an amazing cake that has out of this world chocolate flavor. I add a layer of caramel in the middle along with pecans and caramel on top to make a turtle cake that is to die for. Love love love this cake!!
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Hi! Would this recipe be firm enough to make a 12×18 sheet cake with some fondant toppers? I am making two of them and frosting in between. Also, for two 12×18 cake, would you recommend I quadruple this recipe or would that be too much?
Hi Alexandra! We would use the sour cream version detailed in the recipe notes to go under fondant. Here is everything you need to know about converting recipes to different Cake Pan Sizes. This recipe (and the sour cream version) yields about 6 cups of batter
This recipe was killer. My son has celiac so I subbed Bob’s all purpose cup for cup GF flour and followed the recipe to a T. Came out amazing. Like any GF cake, it was very fragile but tasted fantastic. Can’t wait to make this again.
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Love this recipe! This is my go to recipe for moist chocolate cake. Instead of espresso powder and hot coffee, I made a quad shot of espresso and added hot water to it until it was 1cup. It turned out wonderful and I can really taste the coffee.
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I tried it and it was a rubbery slab, not for the faint hearted. I followed each instruction and yet it was just oily, not moist.
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Everytime I want to make a cake I browse around but nothing compares to Sally’s cakes.
Also, appreciate how cohesive her pages are and how you can scroll a little up from the recipie to see what pairs great with what.
I share your infinite love for baking and your witty humor. Thank you for being amazing.
★★★★★
This is now my go-to cake for chocolate! This recipe is amazing! I got rave reviews!
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Love this cake!!! Finally made the sour cream version and it was absolutely fantastic!! I make 2×6 inch layers using 2 cups of the batter but it takes 43 minutes at 350° and I can’t for the life of me figure out why. My thermometer says 350, gas mark 6 here in the UK but at 26 minutes you can tell it`s raw in the center. Anyways it’s an awesome go to when i want to impress. Love the taste and texture. Do you have a similar vanilla cake recipe with the same texture.
Thanks
Hi Mike, so glad you enjoyed it! Chocolate cakes will always have an extra light texture due to the cocoa powder, but we love our go-to vanilla cake (inherently a more dense cake) as well!
This cake turned out super delish. Made the sourcream version for my husband’s birthday and it was a great hit. Made ganache frosting instead of the chocolate buttercream and turned out great.
Also, cake was so moist that I decided to keep it one layer. Love you’re recipes, it was a first try for an important ocasion but I decided to risk it because all your recipes always turn out great. Thanks for sharing them.
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So glad it was such a hit!
This was a huge hit at my daughter’s birthday party. I used the buttermilk/sour cream modification printed in the recipe instructions and it was so good. Thank you!
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I made this cake for my husbands 20th anniversary at work using the swap out of some of the buttercream and coffee for full fat sour cream and for the chocolate buttercream (which is by far the best chocolate buttercream I’ve ever had) I used Hershey’s Dark chocolate cocoa powder and I used a chocolate ganache recipe found on this site for the filing & to drizzle over the top and it was a hit! A really big hit! I can honestly say it is one of the best chocolate cake recipes I’ve ever made. I’d give it 10 stars out of 5! Highly recommend!
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Would it be ok to use this cake as the bottom tier of a two tier cake? Planning to fill with edible cookie dough and chocolate ganache (for top and bottom tiers, top tier will be chocolate chip cake), I will be using milkshake straws as support and a center dowel. But I’m nervous because this cake is so soft!
Hi Danielle, at this time we don’t have a chocolate cake recipe that can serve as the bottom tier for a cake. As you suspect, we fear this recipe would be too moist and light to support a top tier. You can, however, use it for a top tier if desired! Our homemade wedding cake post has more details on 2-tier cakes and support, if it’s helpful.
Ok, thank you so much! I’m so glad you guys answer comments and I didn’t just try it without asking!
Can I use a bundt pan for this recipe?
Hi Janet! See recipe notes for Bundt Cake details.
I made this for my husband’s 25th birthday because he is a chocolate lover! I don’t make cakes often, but I followed the recipe exactly and it came out great! Everyone enjoyed it!
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Why do I *ever* go to any site for recipes? I just made a cake…. no flavor, no texture, “Let me find a Sally recipe”
Perfect. Every time.
Thank you.
This is the third cake I have made from this blog and honestly I will never go anywhere else for a cake recipe. These are the best cakes I have ever made. Better than restaurant cakes. If you really want to impress your guests make it the day ahead and refrigerate. The flavors seem to shine even more the next day.
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Sally, if you’re using this recipe for cupcakes (instead of your actual chocolate cupcake recipe), how full do you fill your liners? I need to make 3 dozen for Mother’s Day, so I need to use this recipe.
Thanks, Risssa
Hi Rissa, for chocolate cupcakes, be sure to only fill your cupcake liners 1/2 way full. Hope the cupcakes are a hit for Mother’s Day!
Loved the cake! Got a request to add walnuts and shredded coconut. Can I just mix that in the batter towards the end so I don’t over mix? Would you suggest adding any coconut extract or anything else to help boost the flavor? Thanks!!!
★★★★★
Hi Amy! We haven’t tested those add-ins but it sounds delicious! Adding coconut to the batter may dry out the cake. You may love our German chocolate cake or these chocolate coconut cupcakes as more inspiration for that flavor combination!
Delicious! I have been baking occasionally for 25 years and this is the best frosting ever!
★★★★★
Can I use this to make 3, 8in tier cake
Hi Nate, you can use the recipe as is for a 2 layer, 8 inch round cake (bake time will be a bit longer for the thicker layers). You can try dividing the cake batter among 3 pans, but we fear the layers would be quite thin and delicate to handle once baked.
The most delicious, decadent chocolate cake. My husband’s very favorite birthday treat!!
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Why is it recommended to store this cake in the fridge? I know most of the time that dries cakes out. Is it okay to store it in a cool, dry place instead? Thanks for your help!
Hi Emily, you can store this cake covered at room temperature for up to 1 day before serving. After that, we would refrigerate it.
Hi! This is my go to recipe. I never change a thing and it’s awesome! Will it hold up to being baked in a bowl or should I try a type of bundt batter for that? Trying to make a half moon cake.
We recommend following our Chocolate Cream Cheese Bundt Cake recipe, but you can leave out the cream cheese swirl. It has the same great taste as this cake but is a little sturdier to hold up to a shaped pan.
Hi Sally
Can I use Avacado oil?
We haven’t tested it but can’t see why not!
I use avocado oil exclusively and it’s wonderful! Always turns out great.
The chocolate cake was absolutely amazing. I was surprised at how thin the batter was, but it was very moist. I frosted it with peanut butter frosting (your recipe) but next time I will make more frosting and make it a little sweeter since the chocolate cake is so chocolatey and not all that sweet. And my family likes a lot of peanut butter frosting. Your site is always my first choice for baking.
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Hii, I absolutely love this recipe! I made it for a nice little treat over the weekend. You are truly a baking genius! However I was wondering if there was anyway we could make this without buttermilk and if not are there any alternatives to buttermilk?
Hi Shumi, buttermilk is required for this recipe, but see recipe Notes for how to make a DIY version using milk and vinegar or lemon juice. Hope you enjoy this cake!