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
Key Chocolate Cake Ingredients & Why
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!)
What an Easy 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. 🙂
Silky 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.
While I love chocolate frosting here the most, this cake is also wonderful with vanilla buttercream or strawberry buttercream frosting 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!
PrintDeliciously Moist 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 (282g) 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 Round Cake Pans | Electric Mixer (Handheld or Stand Mixer) | Glass Mixing Bowls | Whisk | Cooling Rack | 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
Hello! Could I use mayonnaise instead of sour cream in the sour cream version?
I haven’t personally tested it, but some readers have made that substitution and reported back with great results.
Thanks Sally! I am going to try it out, and will comment the results to you!!!
Ciao Sally, erano anni che cercavo una torta cosi, con questa texture,meravigliosa non ci sono parole giuste, i miei figli l’hanno adorata. Ti scrivo dalla Sicilia. Grazie anche per la conversione in grammi,io ho messo solo 200 grammi di zucchero e un po meno caffè
Would it be possible to make two 9” round cakes with 2 cups of batter each and use the remaining 2 cups for cupcakes?
Hi Vera, sure can!
How do I make a chocolate orange version? I was thinking about using orange emulsion instead of vanilla extract, then frosting in a vanilla buttercream flavored with orange. Please help with suggestions!
Hi Laura, We haven’t tested it ourselves, but you can try adding orange zest to this cake batter and try replacing *some* of the buttermilk with freshly squeezed orange juice. You could also try adding some orange extract in addition to the vanilla extract (don’t leave out the vanilla completely). Let us know what you try!
Hi I’ve made this cake today and followed instructions bar halving amount and dividing between 2 x7” cake tins. Baked for 22 minutes. Perfectly baked but literally each layer only half inch tall . Where have I gone wrong?
Ps im a regular baker but wanted to try a slightly different chocolate recipe to the one I normally use. Thanks
Hi Jan, I haven’t tested this recipe by halving it and using 2 7 inch cake pans, so I can’t offer any advice on the thickness of the layers. My advice would be to make the recipe as written, fill your greased pans halfway full, then use any extra batter for some cupcakes on the side.
Hi, do you think using your chocolate whipped cream frosting would work well with this cake?
Definitely!
I’ve made this recipe for my friend a and family. My oldest son turned and slapped me (not for real ). He said I had to cause this is slap yo mama good. Most def is a go to for me from here on out!!!!!
I love this recipe! I know you said not to use butter but I do need to use a special herbal butter, if you know what I mean, and I was wondering if I could use half butter and half oil. Im obsessed with all your recipes thanks so much!
My family LOVED this recipe! I substituted the flour for Bob’s Red Mill 1 for 1 Gluten Free Baking Flour and it turned out perfect! My family couldn’t even tell it was gluten free until I told them!
Hi there. I’m not a coffee drinker, however when utilizing coffee in this recipe I presume I actually make the coffee (whether from beans or instant) and then add it to the batter? I just wanted to verify that freshly brewed didn’t mean exclusively from beans. Thank you for this recipe and your talents.
Hi Brittney! Yes, you want to make one cup of hot coffee. You can definitely use instant coffee for this if that is what you have.
Finally, the search for a perfect chocolate cake recipe has come to an end. I came across this recipe yesterday and tried it…it was so yummy. I’ve never made a chocolate cake that I enjoy like this one. Thank you
Just wanted to say I used this recipe for a birthday party yesterday and got rave reviews. Everyone loved how moist the cake was! I followed the recipe exactly for the cake but then my kids wanted a different flavor combination. So, I used cream cheese frosting and blueberry pie filling in between the layers and lathered cream cheese frosting on the outside of the cake. My guests were amazed at how good the blueberry/chocolate combination was! Thank you for yet another great recipe!
This was my first time using this recipe . I will be using it time after time. This cake is super moist and fluffy.
ooops nevermind, i see the answer to my query!! thanks
I make this well loved cake quite often, for cake orders as well as family birthdays. Yesterday i had someone requesting chocolate chips in a chocolate cake. I use the sour cream version of this recipe, and i find the batter quite thin, still. Would it hold up to chocolate chips( mini ones maybe?) or would they sink to the bottom. have you tried? Let me know! TIA
I have made this cake twice now and it is a hit each time. I want to make it into a sheet cake, how much more would I need to fit a 9×13 (or whatever a sheet pan size is)?
Hi Dani! See recipe notes for instructions on baking this cake in a 9×13 pan.
I have a question….I see you adapted this from Ina’s recipie. She uses an 8″ pan and you use a 9″ pan. Do you find the 9″to be a better size to use? Does the 8″ come out less moist because its higher?
This cake is great with your chocolate cream cheese frosting. I cant decide which I like better!
Hi Lorraine, I find the cakes a little too thick in 8-inch pans. (This is a lot of batter.) You can certainly try either pan if you’d like. And I also love this recipe with the chocolate cream cheese frosting (maybe even more than this buttercream!).
Can I add chocolate chips to the cake batter without messing anything up?
Hi Olivia! You can add 1 cup (180g) of chocolate chips or finely chopped chocolate (semi sweet or dark) if desired. Use the sour cream version detailed in the notes, which creates a slightly thicker batter to hold them up. Enjoy!
Can I make this in a single 24 cm round pan…
Hi Alphons, we don’t recommend that — it will be too much batter for one pan and will not bake evenly. You can bake the layers one at a time, leaving the leftover batter lightly covered with a clean towel at room temperature while the first layer is baking. Allow the baked layer to fully cool, remove the cake from the pan, and then use the remaining batter to make the second layer. Hope this helps!
I’ve made this twice and it is the best flavor and texture of chocolate cake I’ve ever experienced, even better than cake at a restaurant.
This recipe had too much sugar for my taste, so I reduced the sugar by approx 30%. I compensated for this redution in dry volume by reducing the liquid in the coffee and buttermilk (made vegan buttermilk with almond milk and lemon) by around 10% each. I also substituted 10% of the flour with almond meal to help get a nice moist cake. I also added so melted chocolate into the cake to make it a little fudgie.
Then I did a bit of math to determine how much baking powder vs baking soda was needed given the change in pH caused by some of my substitutions. I ended up still using less than Sally recommended as I believe the reason her cake collapses is due to the quick rise causing instability and not due to the structural integrity of th cocoa powder.
I made all these changs and my cake was perfect 🙂 . It was moist, had a nice delicate sponge cake crumb, and best of all was dairy free and low FodMap for my sister to enjoy. They didn’t deflate at all and you can’t even tell it’s dairy free or low sugar.
Full disclosure, I’m not a professional baker. I’m just a baker for fun with a science degree / career who’s huband also has a science chemistry and statistics background which he uses to help advise on matters.
Is this the same cake? I’m sure your cake is great for vegan/fodmap, but hardly the chocolate cake recipe here – sounds like a whole different animal. I made Sally’s recipe and believe me, it needed no changes. 🙂
Hello, does it actual taste of coffee if you put that cup of coffee in? Lol, thanks.
Hi Jennifer, see blog post above – it doesn’t taste like coffee. If you don’t drink coffee, you can use hot water. For deeper and darker flavor, though, use coffee.
Hi can I use butter instead of oil in this recipe? Will it harden the cake?
Hi Nazia, Don’t use butter in this cake batter. Cocoa powder is a particularly drying ingredient, so this cake needs oil for suitable moisture.
Hey, can I ask if you weighed the ingredients to tell us the amount of each one in grams or converted from cups to grams online? Reversing from 219g to 1.75 cups gives us 125g of flour per cup, which is exactly what most people use as a standard, but some people say the correct is 128g, 130g, 120g, etc. I want to try to bake a cake for my mum’s birthday instead of ordering one, but I want to make sure everything is correct. Thank you a lot
You can read more about measuring baking ingredients (including a conversion chart) in this helpful post!
I don´t have measuring cups, only scale
Yummy cake, perfect recipe just as it is.
Sally, thank you so much for this recipe. My girlfriend requested a coffee + espresso cake for her birthday party, so I made the sour cream version of this chocolate cake and frosted it with your coffee buttercream from the espresso cake recipe with some fancy piping. She said it was the best thing anyone has ever made for her, and nobody at the party could stop talking about it.
I’ve been a pretty serious home baker for a few years now, and when I want to make something new, your site is the first place I look. You don’t miss, and thanks to you, I don’t either! I’m a fan for life.
This is my third or fourth time baking this cake. It is deeelish! Super moist and rich. I use two 6×3” pans and bake longer, around 50 min. Ive tried it with a couple different frostings, tonight just chocolate whipped cream slathered all over it. Yummy! It is my go to chocolate cake recipe now, thank you so much. Love your recipes. Everyone should bake this cake!
Hey, I wanna make this a three layer cake and wanted to ask if I just have to scale up the cake part by 1.5 because the recipe said the buttercream will be enough anyways?
Hi Max, Yes you can 1.5x this recipe for a three layer cake. Happy baking!
Hi, can I use 26cm pan? Which changes would I need to do? Thanks so much, it sounds delicious
Hi Nicole! The cake layers would be quite thin in a pan that large. Here is everything you need to know about converting recipes to different Cake Pan Sizes.
Amazing stress free recipe!
Oh boy. I remembered the night before that I Needed a cake for an event and didn’t have time to test a recipe so I chose this one because everything I’ve made from Sally’s site has been perfect. This recipe did not disappoint. So rich and moist and I impressed my guests. I will definitely make again!
I have used this recipe for the last 2 years. It is always my go to! I absolutely love it! I switch some of the amounts around and it always turns out perfect. I do use a wet wrap around the outside of the baking dish to give a more uniform bake. I would highly recommend this recipe to anyone!