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
I cannot wait to make this for my FIL birthday. I plan on trying this with your vanilla Swiss meringue buttercream. I thought about using some of the batter to make cupcakes as well but saw that there is a difference in your recipes. Would this be okay for cupcakes?
Hi Madeline! You can make cupcakes with this batter – it yields a large amount which is why we usually recommend our chocolate cupcakes instead. This cake batter will make 2-3 dozen cupcakes with the same baking instructions as the chocolate cupcakes.
Really easy cake to make and was absolutely delicious. Only problem I had was I used a deep 9 inch tin and cooked for 50 mins but it sunk very badly, so didn’t look great! Any suggestions?
Hi Mandy, usually a sunk cake indicated under-baking. Did you bake all the batter in one pan? We always recommend using multiple shallower pans (two in this case) to ensure even baking, especially with a delicate chocolate batter like this one.
Thanks Trina I’ll try that
Excellent recipe, excellent cake. Made it for a family celebration and it was a HUGE hit.
probably a silly question, but I am not a coffee drinker and have no coffee making supplies at home. In order to add the “hot brewed coffee”, can I just buy instant coffee powder and mix that with hot water or do I need a higher quality brewed coffee?
Hi Laura, absolutely! Any kind of hot coffee will work – instant included. Prepare according to the instant coffee directions to get the one cup needed for the batter.
This recipe is amazing, my go to chocolate cake recipe!
Could this recipe be used to make a vanilla cake with the same moistness by just taking out the cocoa powder?
Hi Mo! We’re so glad this cake is a favorite for you. Cocoa powder is a very finicky ingredient, so omitting it would require changing the rest of the recipe as well. We suggest our white layer cake, or, for a 3 layer cake, use our vanilla cake recipe. Both are soft and fluffy. Or you can try this vanilla sheet cake.
I prepared this last year and it was great! But Can I prepare the batter, refrigerate it overnight and bake it the next day? Thanks
Hi Rebeka, we don’t recommend it — the leaveners are activated when the wet and dry ingredients are mixed together, so it’s best to bake right away. See recipe notes for a few other make ahead options, though!
Hello, I made this cake a few months back and it was wonderful. I am going to be making a 4-inch diameter round cake for my daughter’s birthday soon, and if I use this same recipe for the cake layers, what would you recommend as the oven temperature and baking time?
Hi Danielle! Here is everything you need to know about converting recipes to different Cake Pan Sizes. Our chocolate cupcakes recipe will be much closer to the amount of batter you need – it’s what we recommend to make 6 inch cakes. The bake time will be shorter in smaller pans, but we aren’t sure of the exact time. Same oven temp. Let us know how it goes!
Hi Sally! I made this cake last year for my partners birthday and it was a huge hit! I am going to make it again for this year’s birthday. I would like to use my 7×3 spring form cake pans. How would you suggest I alter the temp and time?
Hi Carly, we’re unsure of the exact bake time for that size pan. Be sure to only fill half way. Same baking temperature!
I am trying this recipe out for my moms birthday next month. I understand about the texture being a sturdier crumb with the sour cream version but what are the main taste differences (if any) between the regular recipe and sour cream versions?
Hi Rachel, same great taste! The difference, as you mention, is just a sturdier crumb with the sour cream version. We tend to make that version the most. Hope it’s a big hit for your mom’s birthday!
can i split this recipe in half? i only want to make a small cake and i know i love this recipe
Hi Victoria, you can cut this recipe in half for a single layer round cake.
Hi Sally, I love this recipe, as well as many others… you are my go to for all baking recipes!
I have a question I haven’t found in the comments. I want to use this recipe with your vanilla swiss meringue on the outside (bc we are doing mermaid icing decoration). I planned to double the cake recipe for 4 layers and was wondering if a chocolate pastry cream would be too heavy as the “frosting” between the layers. Doing the cake in a sour cream version, do you think this cake can hold 3 layers of pastry cream?
I wanted something to use up the egg yolks from the swiss meringue and my daughter loves chocolate/chocolate.
Hi Erin, the cake will certainly be rich with the chocolate pastry cream. The cake could certainly hold it between its layers, though. May I suggest this chocolate mousse cake instead? You don’t even need to double the recipe and you could skip the ganache and do the Swiss Meringue Buttercream. (The cake layers here are quite thick and 4 layers would be an extremely tall cake!)
I Jove this recipe, but the last time I made it the cake came out super dense, although the batter was liquidy and all the ingredients were the same. I wonder what my mistake was… any ideas on what could’ve gone wrong?
Hi Crys, Thank you for trying this recipe. When your cakes are too dense, the first thing you can check is to make sure your baking soda and baking powder are fresh. We find they lose effectiveness after 3 months. For more tips on how to prevent a dense cake, see this post: How to Prevent a Dry or Dense Cake
I just made this cake (sour cream version ) with Bob’s 1:1 gluten free baking mix. It turned out phenomenal!! Thank you!
Thanks for your comment, I was just reading through for extra recipe notes because I’m about to make a GF version too! I know I *should* use the sour cream version, but I really want to try the original. I guess I need to make 2 versions and do a taste-off! I’ll report back!
I’m normally not a big fan of chocolate cake, but a family member requested this to be made so I tried a piece and it definitely changed my mind – I really liked this. The cake portion is moist and fluffy. We generally like frosting a little less sweet, so we used 100g less of powdered sugar for the buttercream, and that turned out to be the perfect flavor.
Hey Sally, I’ve made your cakes in the past before and I love them all. My son asked me to make his wedding cake, chocolate for the first tier and vanilla for the top tier. Would you recommend using the sour cream version of this recipe for a more sturdy cake. I want to do 9” for the bottom tier with 3 layers and filling and then a 7” for the top tier but with vanilla cake. Would you use this recipe and your vanilla cake recipe? Any help is appreciated….I don’t want to mess up the cake.
Hi Kelly, Unfortunately, we haven’t tested a chocolate cake yet that is sturdy enough for a bottom tier. We do list some tiered layer flavor suggestions in the post Simple Homemade Wedding Cake. You can definitely do vanilla on the bottom and chocolate on the top! We’d love to know what you try!
Just tried this cake – absolutely amazing! This is the best chocolate cake recipe I have ever used. Will be making this again and again! Thanks for the tip about using a bench scraper for the frosting – makes it much easier to frost the sides. It does sink when it’s cooling but is so moist and tasty that it just doesn’t matter. Many thanks for all your recipes, Sally, they always work out and taste wonderful!
Question: I only have one cake tin for baking. If I split the mixture in 2, will the second half of the mixture be OK to sit and wait for the first pan to cook?
Yes! You can leave the extra batter covered at room temperature.
Hey Sally! My dad is obsessed with Ferrero Rocher chocolates and I want to make a cake version for his birthday. From what I read, replacing some flour with hazelnut flour adds to the flavor. Should I just do half hazelnut and half all-purpose or would that change the texture of the cake too much? I want to do your Nutella buttercream with it; should I keep it as is or change the proportions? Any other advice would be appreciated. Love all of your recipes and wouldn’t go anywhere else!
Hi Izzy! We haven’t tested this cake using hazelnut flour, so we’re unsure of the results. Oftentimes, substituting different flours in place of all-purpose flour requires quite a bit of recipe testing, since they each react with and soak up the wet ingredients at a different rate. If you do any experimenting, we’d love to know how it goes! Our Nutella frosting is enough for a 2 layer cake like this, or feel free to 1.5x the recipe if you’d like to have a bit extra.
Best. Chocolate. Cake. Ever.
Can I use buttermilk for the icing?
Hi Haley! Buttermilk will add a tart taste to the buttermilk that most wouldn’t prefer.
Can you give me conversions for high altitude for this recipe?
Hi Julie, I wish we could help, but have no experience baking at high altitude. Some readers have found this chart helpful: https://www.kingarthurflour.com/learn/high-altitude-baking.html
Wow – I love this cake and have made it a few times. This time I used spring form pans and although I lined the bottom with baking paper the thin batter leaked out into the oven. I have used these pans previously with other thicker batters with no issues.
Note to self – use my normal tins as I fully intend to keep making it!!
This should have coffee in the name of the cake….spend ages looking for a chocolate cake recipe and think I’ve found the one to use… read all the tips etc, scroll down and it has coffee in it!!
Not everyone likes coffee and especially not my 6 year old.
Hi Linda! Espresso powder and coffee will not make the cake taste like coffee. Instead, they deepen the chocolate flavor. See recipe notes for details if you would like to substitute those ingredients.
What do you use if you don’t have vegetable oil?
Hi Evette, we recommend sticking with vegetable oil for best results (you can also use canola or coconut oil as noted in the ingredients list).
This was spectacular- my husband on his birthday says thank you!
I made this cake for my husband’s birthday. He loved it! I used the sour cream version and was pleased with how easy the recipe was to make.
Love this recipe! Instead of vanilla I use almond extract. I also fold in half can cherry pie filling and some chocolate chips. I call it chocolate cherry cake ❤️. The frosting recipe is fantastic and not too sweet! ☺️
Made this cake and frosting twice now. It’s come out delicious each time! Absolutely moist and full of flavor! Thanks!
I love this recipe as does my extended family, I get requests to make this for everyone’s birthday. Also love experimenting with different decorating ideas.
Cómo puedo hacer el suero de leche ya que en mi país no existe buttermilk. Muchas graciasb
Hi María! See recipe notes for details on making your own DIY buttermilk.
This cake was delicious! I omitted coffee granules, but added 3/4 cup hot expresso to recipe as well as 1/4 cup sour cream. When you bake cake layers, while cake is still in pan and warm, gently press the top of cake and layers will flatten out and not make a dome you have to cut off.
Made this with the sour cream and got lazy and folded in some semi sweet morsels in the cake batter. I used part cream cheese and part butter in the frosting. This was a birthday/father’s day cake for my husband. He loves cakes that are not too sweet and this one was a big hit. Thank you for coming up with a keeper!