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
One reader, Greta, commented: “This is, hands down, the best chocolate cake I have ever baked. And I’m not the only one who thinks so… because I have baked and shared this cake with many people… it’s simply the best! Thank you for sharing this recipe with us. ★★★★★“
Another reader, Melanie, commented: “This has become my go-to chocolate cake! My family loves it. The directions are very clear and easy to follow. Before now, I did not consider myself a baker. I had only baked box cakes. Now, this recipe has catapulted me into a from-scratch cake baker. So glad I found this recipe and many others from this site. ★★★★★”
Another reader, Todd, commented: “Outstanding! One of the best cakes I have ever made. Moist, chocolatey, beyond delicious! ★★★★★“
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. Save it for another recipe, like these homemade brownies. 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!
You can find it in the coffee aisle at the grocery store or online. - Oil: Don’t use butter in this cake batter. Cocoa powder is a particularly drying ingredient, so this cake needs oil for suitable moisture. Same goes for my chocolate cake roll recipe, too.
- 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!) You use it in this black velvet cupcakes recipe, too.
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, chocolate cupcakes with vanilla frosting, 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!
Print
Deliciously 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 (62g) 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 buttermilk substitute 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 find espresso powder in the coffee aisle at the grocery store or online. 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
Reader Comments and Reviews
My favorite chocolate cake recipe, hands down! Question: if I needed to make a 9×13 layered cake, how could I do that? Double or 1.5x the recipe and bake in 2 pans? 2x or 1.5x the recipe and bake in one pan and cut in half?
Hi Caitlin, so glad this is a favorite for you! See recipe Notes for details on making a 9×13 cake. The batter as written yields one 9×13 cake, so we would make 2 separate batches (rather than doubling) and bake in two separate pans. (For shorter layers, you could 1.5x the recipe and split evenly between 2 pans, noting that the bake time will be a bit shorter.)
Hi – can I also use the chocolate mouse as a filling in stead of the butter cream? Planning to make a 3 layer cake…?
Hi Jelena, absolutely, you can use chocolate mousse as a filling here.
I hope you or someone from your team can help me out. I’ve made this cake 3 times now, the first time using just the buttermilk but the crumb was too delicate for me to plate safely so I switched to the sour cream and buttermilk combo with reduced coffee. Both recipes are yummy and have wonderful flavor and texture. I am not an experienced cake baker, so having said that, I experienced the same problem all 3 times. Even completely cool, the top of the cake is sticky to the touch and when I inverted the layers to plate, some of the cake top got left behind –not much and the imperfection gets covered with icing but I’ve watched the video and your cakes are perfect on top. Is there a trick for handling those layers you can share?
Hi Kim, this is definitely a very soft and moist cake, which may be the “stickiness” you’re experiencing. Always make sure the cake is completely baked through by using a toothpick to test for doneness, and when storing, make sure it is wrapped tightly or in an air-tight container to prevent any additional moisture from getting into the cake. So glad to hear you enjoy this recipe!
Made this cake for my brother’s birthday. Everyone loved it! Light and moist, delicious. Made it exactly as written no sour cream. Big hit!
A-plus!
I have tried this recently and it’s delicious! How can I modify it to make chocolate orange cake?
This is almost identical to the triple chocolate layer cake recipe that I started using from this site in 2013. The only difference is this one has espresso powder and one extra tsp of vanilla. This has become my go to recipe for chocolate cake, a real winner!
This is the second time I made this cake it is so delicious, moist.
Hi the recipe gave me an absolute moist cake but as I didn’t have buttermilk ,I used same quantity of yogurt and I could taste too much baking soda , so my question is if I add yogurt do I need to lessen the amount of baking soda or should I add some vinegar ,and what can be used as substitute for buttermilk
Hi Shruti, buttermilk is necessary for this recipe (we don’t recommend swapping it entirely), but you could use the sour cream version (see recipe Notes–this uses a combination of sour cream and buttermilk) and swap the sour cream with plain, full-fat yogurt. If needed, you can make a DIY version of buttermilk using regular milk and vinegar/lemon juice (also in the recipe Notes). The amount of baking soda remains the same with either version.
This went down an absolute treat. Even my daughter who is very fussy couldn’t get enough of it.
My family has requested this recipe repeatedly! The cake is so moist and scrumptious.
Hello! I want to make this cake but don’t drink American coffee.I do drink Cuban coffee which is like an espresso.Would it work? If yes do I use same amount?
Hi Denise, we can’t see why not! If it’s quite a bit stronger, you could dilute it a bit with some hot water. Let us know how it goes!
Delicious and easy! Made it in a 9×13 and it was perfect at 35 minutes. My husband told me it was just as good as the local bakery we have purchased cakes at before. I’ll definitely make this again.
Will this make a 6inch tall cake of 6 layers?? Thanks
Hi Michelle, this cake pan sizes and conversions guide will be a helpful resource for scaling this recipe.
I made this cake for a dinner party, and everyone said it was the best chocolate cake they’ve ever tasted!! One question: Can this cake be baked ahead of time and frozen? If so, does it need to be completely thawed before frosting? TIA!
Hi Donna, we’re so glad it was a hit! Yes, you can absolutely freeze the baked cake layers. See recipe Notes and this post on how to freeze cakes for more details. We like to let the cake layers thaw completely before frosting, but some bakers swear by frosting semi-frozen layers. Let us know what you try!
I almost always freeze my cakes (cooled first, then double wrapped in plastic wrap). They’re much easier to frost that way, and I don’t get nervous when lifting up the top layer to assemble. I’ve never had a problem with it. Of course, once it’s frosted I have to let it sit for a few hours to completely defrost and come to room temperature. This is a delicious cake!
Could you add a chocolate ganache drip to this cake?
Hi Andrea, I don’t see why not! Here is our chocolate ganache recipe.
I finally found my go to homemade chocolate cake!! Thank you!
Can you eliminate the cocoa powder from the icing to make this more of a vanilla icing?
Hi Jess! You can use the vanilla buttercream from this white cake recipe instead. Happy baking!
I’ve made this cake 3 times. It is absolutely delicious. I followed the directions exactly (non-sour cream version) except for adding another teaspoon of espresso powder to the buttercream icing. Everyone loves this cake! I served it at a party with Trader Joe’s coffee bean blast ice cream, and someone told be that it was the best cake and ice cream he had in his whole life (and he was 50yo!).
I loved the Re yams followed it to a tee! Not sure why but the cake was a little dry and not as moist as I hoped it would be. What do you think?
Can’t wait to make this for my sister’s birthday! The chocolate chips you’re using to decorate look like larger chips than normal. Is that right and where did you get them? Thanks!
Hi Vicki, the pictured chocolate chips are dark chocolate chips. I believe the brand I used for that cake was Nestlé Toll House.
Thank you!
Hi Sally. Can I use 8 inch pans for this recipe? If so, how do I adjust my oven temperature?
Hi Norma, 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 but same oven temperature).
This recipe was a hit with my family. I made an 8 inch -3 layer cake and it took 25 minutes in my oven. I followed the sour cream version since you mentioned the crumb would be sturdier and I will continue to use that version. No one noticed the use of espresso powder/coffee in the recipe, just delicious chocolate.
Hi Sally. Just to clarify… Recipe calls for 2 tsp espresso & again 1 c of hot coffee. Is this correct?
Hi Ani, that is correct. Although the espresso powder is optional (but highly recommended), and you can swap the hot coffee for hot water or hot chai tea if needed.
Tq! By the way, I hv made your 6inch choc cake TWICE in the last 4 days… Keeper!!
This recipe is the ONLY chocolate cake I’ll eat. I’ve always disliked chocolate cake and I was so happy to finally find a recipe that I loved!
Theee BEST chocolate cake recipe! This will be the only recipe I will use for a great chocolate cake. I made this cake several times already and every cake comes out fabulous along with the frosting. Thank you for sharing and happy baking!
how much coffee do you put into a cup of hot water really dont want it to taste of coffee thanks
Hi Chey, we use freshly brewed coffee. If coffee isn’t your thing, you can leave out the espresso powder and use extra hot water or hot chai tea.
I measure out a cup of hot water and use a spoonful of instant coffee if I don’t feel like brewing a cup just for the recipe. Works great and you won’t taste the coffee in the cake at all. The coffee only really just enhances the chocolate flavor. Hope that helps.
I have several birthdays. They all like a brat chocolate cake. Can’t air to make this one. They will be delighted!
I read all tips and followed recipe exactly, no substitutes or add ins… and the cake was beautiful and tasted awesome! I appreciate the time and thought you obviously put into your recipes and even though sometimes I am frustrated at the amount of steps, I am happy with the results!
I have baked your cake 6 times. It is fabulous! I cut the recipe in half to make a single layer for myself & my husband. I have prepared your frosting but usually use an entire can of frosting on our single layer! Thank you very much!
What other buttercream do you recommend for this cake?
Hi Ana, vanilla frosting is another great option, as well as peanut butter frosting. Here are all of our frosting recipes if you’re interested in browsing.