One of my all time favorites, this is my moist, fudgy, and completely from-scratch best chocolate cake recipe. It comes together in one bowl and pairs well with any frosting! Recipe includes a how-to video!
Perfect as is no changes needed! This cake yields a tender, moist crumb packed with flavor. I used the hot coffee as suggested and it really helps the flavor pop. I topped it with the oreo icing and and even our picky eaters came back for seconds. Thank You!
– Elayna
Why This is THE Chocolate Cake Recipe You Need:
- Ridiculously moist, even days later: Most cakes dry out by day two. Not this one! Thanks to a strategic combo of buttermilk, oil, butter, and an extra egg yolk you’ll get a moist, tender crumb that stays soft, fudgy and rich–even straight out of the fridge!
- Bold chocolate flavor. No flat cocoa flavor here. By blooming the cocoa with hot coffee we unlock its full intensity–no actual coffee flavor just deeper, more complex chocolate in every bite.
- No mixer, no fuss, no fail! Made in one bowl with no special equipment required, this cake comes together so easily (though of course feel free to use your stand or hand mixer, if you feel so inclined!).
- This is the chocolate cake recipe you’ll come back to. This is the one I make for birthdays, holidays, or any time I need a guaranteed crowd-pleaser. It’s reliable, richly chocolatey, and just plain better than the rest (if I do say so myself).
What You Need
Each ingredient in this chocolate cake recipe was carefully chosen to make for a moist and flavorful chocolate cake. Let’s go over the key players:
Note: This ingredient photo does not include ingredients for the frosting, as you can use your favorite (suggestions below!).
- Buttermilk gives my chocolate cake recipe intense depth of flavor and keeps it soft and moist. If you don’t have buttermilk on hand, you can use my easy buttermilk substitute in a pinch–but real buttermilk is best!
- Oil and butter give us a moist cake with great flavor. This combination is especially important if you need to refrigerate your chocolate cake (which could dry out your cake). I originally used canola or vegetable oil in this recipe, but have learned avocado oil works just as well and this is my current go-to.
- An extra egg yolk contributes to the tender, fudgy, melt-in-your-mouth crumb. If you don’t want to waste your leftover egg white, save it to make some candied almonds.
- Cocoa powder. I recommend using natural cocoa powder for best results.
- Hot water/coffee will “bloom” your cocoa powder, fully developing its flavor. Note that using coffee won’t make your chocolate cake taste like coffee, but it will enhance the chocolate taste even more than plain hot water would (which is why I prefer it to water). On the other hand, if you really like coffee and want a coffee flavor, you can always frost this cake with my coffee frosting (I actually like to use the variation in that recipe to make a mocha frosting with this cake)!
Remember, this is just an overview of some of the key ingredients I used and why. For the full recipe please scroll down to the bottom of the post!
SAM’S TIP: The best way to keep this chocolate cake recipe (or, any cake) moist is to not over-bake it. Make sure that your oven temperature isn’t running hotter than it is leading you to believe (I keep two thermometers in my oven to make sure the temperature is accurate), as an oven that’s too hot will over-bake your cake in your hurry.
How to Make Chocolate Cake
- Whisk the dry ingredients and sugars together in a large bowl.
- Stir in the butter and oil. The batter will be stiff at this stage–this is totally normal, just make sure all the dry ingredients are moistened.
- Add the eggs, extra yolk, and vanilla, then scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl to make sure everything is combining nicely.
- Gradually stir in the buttermilk. The batter will start to thin out some here, and will get even thinner with the next step.
- Pour in the hot coffee/water–slowly and carefully since it is very hot! I recommend scraping your bowl again at this stage just to make sure nothing is hiding on the bottom or sides. It’s important that the batter be smooth and uniform so that it bakes evenly.
- Divide the batter into your pans and bake. I recommend using circles of cut out parchment paper on the bottom of my pans (in addition to greasing/flouring them) to ensure there will be no sticking when it’s time to remove the cakes from the pans.
SAM’S NOTE: The batter will be very thin, this is totally normal and expected!
- Cool the cakes in their pans for a few minutes, then invert to a cooling rack to cool completely.
- Level your cakes if needed/desired. This is entirely optional, and most of the time this cake bakes up pretty level for me! Here is the inexpensive cake leveler (affiliate) I like to use.
- Decorate with your favorite frosting. I have a post on how to decorate a cake if you need help with this step (but you can see I kept things pretty simple here).
SAM’S TIP: A crumb coating is always a good idea! To do this, apply a thin, even layer of frosting to catch all of your crumbs and then place the cake in the freezer for 15 minutes. Remove and finish frosting for a crumb-free finish!
Frequently Asked Questions
The secret to a truly moist, fudgy chocolate cake recipe comes down to a few key ingredients and techniques. Buttermilk (full-fat, and better if it’s the real deal and not a substitute) gives the crumb a soft, tender texture while a combo of oil and butter gives you the bet of both worlds — lasting moisture and rich flavor. An extra egg yolk adds a luxurious fudgy bite, and most importantly don’t overbake it! Pull the cake out of the oven when there are a few moist crumbs on your toothpick (but no wet batter), that’s when the magic happens.
Final tip: I recommend if you haven’t already, learn how to use a kitchen scale to consistently have best results with all of your baked goods.
I typically use chocolate buttercream or my favorite chocolate frosting; however my chocolate fudge frosting works just as well (and that’s what I used in the photos here!). The fudge frosting is thicker, richer and, well, fudgier, while the “favorite” frosting is lighter, sweeter, and more buttercream-esque.
Chocolate Swiss meringue buttercream, coffee frosting, brown butter frosting, peanut butter frosting, caramel frosting, or even Oreo frosting would also be good as decadent options, or lighten things up with fresh fruit and try my strawberry frosting, raspberry buttercream or even my blueberry frosting!
Yes, you can use my chocolate cake recipe for cupcakes, but my recommendation is to make my easy chocolate cupcake recipe instead; it yields a light, springy texture that suits the cupcake form so well.
However, if you want to make this cake as cupcakes, know you’ll get approximately 24 cupcakes. Fill your liners ⅔ of the way full and bake for 16-18 minutes.
Perfect Frosting Pairings:
This chocolate cake recipe has already earned hundreds of 5-star ratings, but I’d love to hear what you think of it! Leave me a comment and a rating once you try it (please!).
Enjoy!
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The BEST Chocolate Cake Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 ⅔ cup (208 g) all-purpose flour
- 1 cup (200 g) light brown sugar firmly packed
- 1 cup (200 g) granulated sugar
- ¾ cup (75 g) natural cocoa powder
- 1 ½ teaspoons baking soda
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup (113 g) unsalted butter melted
- ½ cup (118 ml) neutral cooking oil (use avocado, canola, or vegetable oil)
- 2 large eggs + 1 egg yolk, lightly beaten room temperature
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 cup (236 ml) buttermilk
- ½ cup (118 ml) hot coffee or hot water
- 1 batch chocolate frosting see note
Recommended Equipment
- Kitchen Scale recommended
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F (175C) and prepare two 8" round cake pans by lining the bottoms with parchment paper and lightly greasing and flouring the sides. Set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl (or the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment) stir together flour, sugars, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt until well combined.1 ⅔ cup (208 g) all-purpose flour, 1 cup (200 g) light brown sugar, 1 cup (200 g) granulated sugar, ¾ cup (75 g) natural cocoa powder, 1 ½ teaspoons baking soda, ¾ teaspoon salt
- Add melted butter and oil, stir well. Batter may be thick, this is fine, just stir until all of the dry ingredients are moistened.½ cup (113 g) unsalted butter, ½ cup (118 ml) neutral cooking oil
- Add eggs, egg yolk, and vanilla extract and stir until well combined. Pause occasionally to scrape sides and bottom of bowl.2 large eggs + 1 egg yolk, lightly beaten, 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- Gradually add buttermilk and stir well.1 cup (236 ml) buttermilk
- Add hot coffee or water, stirring carefully until ingredients are well-combined (be sure to scrape sides and bottom of bowl to ensure batter is uniform).½ cup (118 ml) hot coffee or hot water
- Evenly divide batter between prepared pans. Transfer to center rack of 350F (175C) and bake for 35-40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean or with moist crumbs.
- Allow to cool for 15 minutes before inverting onto cooling rack to cool completely before frosting with your favorite frosting (I recommend the one linked in the recipe above, or one of my favorites linked in the notes below!).1 batch chocolate frosting
Notes
- Two 9″ pans: Cakes will need to bake for less time, start checking at 27-30 minutes. Please keep in mind that if your pans are dark-colored the cake may need less time to bake.
- Three 8″ pans: Bake approximately 23-26 minutes.
- Three 9″ pans. Cake layers will be quite thin. Bake approximately 20-23 minutes.
Nutrition
Nutritional information is based on third-party calculations and should be considered an estimate only. Actual nutritional content will vary based upon brands used, measuring methods, cooking method, portion sizes, and more.
Recipe originally published 02/27/2017.
Elayna
Perfect as is no changes needed! This cake yields a tender, moist crumb packed with flavor. I used the hot coffee as suggested and it really helps the flavor pop. I topped it with the oreo icing and and even our picky eaters came back for seconds. Thank You!
Jen
Can I use a substitute for the butter milk?
Also can this be cupcakes ?
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
Hi Jen! Yes you can. We actually address both of these questions within the post 😊
Luisa
the best chocolate caket I ever baked, my sons and husband loved it 😉
picard102
Really need a black forest cake recipe.
Sam
I have been working on it for a while. I haven’t quite perfected it yet, but it is on the list. 🙂
Blessings
Hi!!
I have a question if I use 3 9″ cake pans do I have to double the recipe? or will the measurements you posted evenly divide the batter into 3 9″ pans? Thanks
Sam
If you use the recipe as is, divided into 3 pans the layers will be rather thin. You could increase the recipe by 50% to make that third layer. 🙂
Jules
Hi Sam
I want to make 4 layers using 6″ pans
How much batter & how long to bake for?
Thanks 😀
Sam
Hi Jules! I would probably just split the recipe between 4 6 inch pans. The layers will be a little bit thinner, but you would only need to increase the recipe by something minor like 10-15% to get 4 normal layers. I’m not sure on a bake time.
Donna Boyce
This cake is delicious, chocolate and moist. Look no further. Try it with her best cream cheese icing recipe. Use o my 3 cups of powdered sugar for the frosting. Perfection!
Emily G
Will this recipe work for a 9×13 cake?
Sam
Hi Emily! It will work in a 9 x 13, but I’m not sure on a bake time. Enjoy! 🙂
Stella
So good with your peanut butter icing!
Casey @ Sugar Spun Run
Hi Stella! That combo is the best! So glad you enjoyed it! ☺️
Clare Bradley
Wonderful cake! The only thing I changed was replacing the butter with butter flavored crisco, I found it makes everything moister and delicious!
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
We are so happy you enjoyed it, Clare ☺️
Hayyati
Love the texture and how chocolatey this cake is. I finally found the best chocolate cake recipe. I love the idea of mixing butter+oil in this cake. The cake is just a little sweet for me I would cut down the white sugar to half next time.
Nichole
made this recipe into cupcakes, let me just say that this is by far the best choc cake I’ve ever had!!! However, this cupcakes kind of just crumbled apart, do you know what I could’ve done wrong?
Sam
Hi Nichole! Is it possible they were slightly over-baked? I do have a chocolate cupcake recipe that you could try. 🙂
Kim Hamilton
Hi Sam,
I am making your chocolate cake for my son’s wedding, I am using it in a 10 inch x 2inch cake pan I am using the whole cake batter. I am poured 1,185 grams of batter into my pan, just slightly over 1/2 full. Baked 3 pans at 325 for approximately 45 minutes but the cake is falling slightly in the middle, I checked the cake with a toothpick and did the finger spring back test and all seems to be good. Not sure what I am doing wrong can you offer some suggestions please.
Sam Merritt
Hi Kim! I’m so sorry to hear this! Normally this happens if it’s slightly under-baked but if you did the toothpick test it sounds like that isn’t the issue. 🙁
Paula
Really chocolatey and moist! Thank you!
Aaliyah
Bestest cake everr
Karyn
I live at high altitude, do you recommend any particular changes/allowances?
Sam
Hi Karyn! Unfortunately I am not familiar with high altitude baking so I can’t say for sure what/if anything would need to be done. 🙁 If you do try it I would love to know how it goes. 🙂
Mark
I LOVE Sam’s recipes but also live at high altitude (~5000ft), and I’ve found for this cake halving the baking soda (I use a scant 3/4tsp), upping the flour to 215g, adding ~1tbsp of liquid (usually coffee, but I’ve tried buttermilk and it hasn’t differed much), and baking at 360° for the high end of time suggested or a minute or two longer seems to have worked for me. Hope that helps as a starting point! Altitude baking can be a pain!
Jiniya
your tips are so easy to follow—thank you for making it seem possible!
Joey
how could i use a 9×13 pan for this recipe?
Sam
Hi Joey! The batter should fit in a 9 x 13 as is, but I am not sure on a bake time.
Christina
Hey Joey,
I just tried this recipe in a 9×13 pan and baked it for a total of 48 mins. Checking in on it after the first 20 mins then 2 10 min increments then 5 mins and finishing it up with 3 mins.
Kim
Looking for a good chocolate cake for a wedding cake. Would this cake be suitable for that purpose?
Sam
Hi Kim! I’m not sure exactly what kind of cake you are going for, but I would be very happy if this was served at my wedding. 🙂
Mindy
can this cake be stacked for a wedding cake?
Sam
Hi Mindy! It is a pretty tender cake so it is good for a few layers but if you go too tall it may not hold up.
Ash
So I’m not sure if anybody else has tried this or if I’m just an idiot, but I tried to bake this in a half sheet pan which typically holds the amount of batter for two 8-in cake pans pretty darn well. Well…this did not work, lol, and it overflowed (badly) and my oven needs to be cleaned now. I’m not saying this because I’m dissatisfied with the recipe, because the part that was cooked tasted DIVINE and I’m that when baked into the round cake pans (per the directions) that this would have turned out wonderful. But because I tried to be a rebel and use a sheet pan it didn’t quite turn out right, and I wanted to warn anybody else that tries it to scale back on the amount of batter that you pour into the sheet pan. l
A lot. But the flavor is ON POINT, it’s so good. Thank you!!
Sam
Oh no! I’m so sorry to hear this happened! This should fit in a 9 x 13 without any issues. I wonder what happened. 🙁 I’m glad you do enjoy the cake though. 🙂
Deepthi
Made this cake yesterday with your chocolate buttercream frosting for a dinner party. It was a big hit. I did reduce the sugar to half in the buttercream. Thank you for the delicious recipe!