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!
Why This is THE Chocolate Cake Recipe You Need:
- Ridiculously moist, even days later: Most cakes dry out by day two… not mine! 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. While the cake doesn’t actually taste like coffee, it has a deeper, more complex chocolate flavor 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). If you don’t believe me, here’s a recent 5-star review:
“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
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 The Best Chocolate Cake
Step 1: Reverse creaming (sort of!)
We are essentially using a modified version of the reverse creaming method (previously shown in my caramel cake!) for a super moist crumb. This means we first combine the dry ingredients (and the sugar, which is technically a wet ingredient) and then add oil and melted butter. The mixture will be thick and crumbly, but stir until all of the dry ingredients are completely moistened. An electric mixer makes this a bit easier, though I’ve done it by hand before with just a spatula.
Step 2: Add the rest of the wet ingredients
Eggs, an extra yolk, and a healthy pour of vanilla extract go in first. Make sure the eggs are room temperature, or they can make it difficult for the batter to combine, resulting in a wonky, uneven cake. Next stir in the buttermilk, the batter will thin a bit here, but it really becomes thin once you add the (hot!) coffee.
You can use hot coffee or hot water for this step, but the most important thing is that it’s, well, hot! The heat from the warm liquid “blooms” the cocoa, as mentioned in the “Ingredients” section above (see that section again if you’re curious about why I prefer coffee to water, too!).
Be sure to scrape the sides and bottom of your bowl here so the batter is smooth and uniform. And it will seem thin! This is absolutely normal!
Step 3: Bake & cool (then decorate!)
Divide the batter into 8″ round baking 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 (makes things so much easier and less stressful!). Once they’ve finished baking, let them cool in the pans for a few minutes before inverting onto a cooling rack to cool completely before decorating.
If needed/desired you can level your cake layers (this is the inexpensive cake leveler (affiliate) I like to use) and then 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. I’ve updated the post to have new photos, a new video, and more helpful information, but the recipe has been extensively tested and was not in need of improvement, so it remains the same!
Marie
I made this cake but it turned out really dense, but the flavor was wonderful. Would you know what I might have done wrong? Maybe I did not mix it enough ??
Sam
Usually if it comes out too dense it is because it is over-mixed, I would say that is probably the most likely culprit. So glad to hear you enjoyed the flavor 🙂
Sandy
Hi Sam, can this cake be made in a 9 x 13 pan? Thanks!
Sam
Hi Sandy! You can make it in a 9 x 13 but I don’t know what the cook time on it would be. 😃
Brandi
Is the frosting suitable to make rosettes with
Sam
Hi Brandi! It’s a pretty soft frosting but it should hold well enough to make a rosette design. 😃
Sweetstuff Baker
Hi! Is this recipe suitable for a tiered cake using fondant to decorate? Some chocolate cake recipes are so moist and fluffy that it does not work for stacked cakes and the cakes tend to collapse or get smushed in when it is layered.
Sam
The fondant should work, I don’t know about how many tiers you can make with it. I do know it has worked for someone in a two tier cake. 😃
Michelle
Very tasty ! Now I am wondering if you have a chocolate cake recipe that is dense moist and a deep chocolate flavor? My local grocery store sells one that is to die for, however I prefer to make my own but haven’t found a dense chocolate recipe. The challenge is yours!!!
Belle
Great recipe. But I was wondering if I could substitute Caster sugar for the brown sugar
Sam
Sure that would still work
Linda
Thank you so very much for this recipe! I made my son’s and daughter-in-law’s wedding cake. They wanted carrot cake and chocolate cake. I have a favorite carrot cake recipe, but although chocolate is pretty much my middle name, none of my go to cake recipes was exactly what I wanted. I auditioned more cake recipes than I can remember, but wasn’t satisfied with any. Then I found your recipe. It was perfect! I filled the cake with chocolate mousse, and frosted it with chocolate ganache. I’m still getting compliments, a year later.
Thank you!
Sam
I am SO Happy to hear this, Linda!! Thank you for commenting and letting me know how the cake turned out for you!! <3
Rebecca
How would I adjust this recipe if I wanted to make two 10” cakes?
Mikaru86
I added 50% to everything for 2x 10″ cake layers and it worked out perfectly. I scaled up the frosting in the same manner and I either ended up with a bit too much frosting or I did not use enough for in-between the two cake layers. Therefore I’d recommend either scaling up by 25% instead of 50% for the frosting or being more generous with the frosting layer in the middle.
Alyssa
I loved this cake! The flavor and texture were spot on 🙂 Would this recipe Work for 3 6inch cake pans?
Sam
I’m so glad you enjoyed it! I haven’t made it in 6″ pans but I don’t think that would be a problem at all, though the cook time will likely vary so just keep an eye on the layers while they’re baking 🙂
Alyssa
Thanks! I will give it a try tomorrow 🙂
Amelia
Just wondering how your 6inch pans turned out? I am wanting to use 2x 6inch round pans. Not changing the measurements but do we change the baking time? 🙂
Gerald
Hi Sam!
How high was your cake pan? I don’t have a round cake pan with me so I’ll be computing the volume based on the dimensions of the cake pan and how high the batter was on the pan and use whatever resource I have here with me (square and rectangle pans). Hope to hear from you!
Sam
Hi! Mine were 2″ high, I hope that helps!!
Andrea
Can I substitute anything else for the coffee…like hot chocolate or some high% cacoa?
Sam
Hi Andrea! YES, you can actually just use really hot water and it will still be delicious! The important thing is that you’re using the hot water, which “blooms” your cocoa powder and gives your cake a rich chocolate flavor. I recommend coffee because the coffee flavor accents the chocolate really nicely and deepens it, but hot water instead would be totally fine. I’ll add that note to the recipe now that you asked, thank you!
Lori Schrank
This cake was the best I ever ate. A lot of compliments. How many cupcakes would this recipe make?
Lori Schrank
Sam
Hi Lori! I’m sorry, I’m just now seeing this comment. I’m so glad that you liked the cake! I haven’t made this particular recipe into cupcakes yet but I think you should be able to get 24 cupcakes out of the batter. I’d love to hear how the cupcakes turn out, if you try them! 🙂
Joanne
Such a moist looking cake and I like the silky frosting! Can I bake this cake in a 13×9 pan?
Sam
Thank you Joanne! YES, you can bake it in a 13×9 pan, in fact I’ve done it a few times that way, but it looks like I didn’t write down in my notes exactly how long it needed to bake that way. Start checking sooner than listed in this recipe, I hope you love it!
Vanessa Andre
What about a 15×11 pan?
Sam
I’m sorry, I haven’t tried it before so I don’t know how it would fit.
Emma @ Lights, Camera, BAKE!
I agree that cakes are exhusting! I tend to not bake cakes for the same reasons and photographing is always an issue for me. You did a lovely job with these photos and after all tgose tests I bet that cake will be a winner!
Sam
Thank you, Emma! 🙂
Mikaru86
This cake looks amazing. Had this post been a week earlier, I might have used it for my father’s birthday cake. But the adaptation of your Hot Chocolate Cake I used also ended up quite nice: http://i.imgur.com/OYYzONh.jpg
Sam
Thank you! The cake you made looks absolutely amazing (I like the Happy Birthday buttons!)!