One of my all time favorites, this is my moist, fudgy, and completely from-scratch chocolate cake recipe. It comes together in one bowl and pairs well with any frosting! Recipe includes a how-to video!
Why You’ll Love This Chocolate Cake Recipe
- One bowl recipe! We’re keeping it super simple here today, just like my yellow cake and my spice cake recipes!
- Basic ingredients. All-purpose flour, natural cocoa powder, and buttermilk (or my easy buttermilk substitute!) are as complicated as this gets.
- No mixer needed! While I often use my stand mixer to make this cake, mixing by hand is absolutely an option here.
- Adaptable: you can make a hefty two layer 8” cake or 9” cake, or you can do a 3-layer cake–instructions for this are in the printable recipe below!
- Very little chance of over-mixing. I use a version of the reverse creaming method, which means it’s highly unlikely (but not impossible!) to over-mix this batter.
A long-time favorite recipe
This chocolate cake recipe is not new to the blog. I originally published it several years ago after a ton of trial and error…a ton. In fact, it took me almost 5 months of failed cakes and frustration to perfect this recipe (not as bad as my macarons, but close!)!
And after many, many, many disappointing cakes, it was clear from the first fudgy forkful that this one was a winner. In fact, it’s one of my proudest creations on the blog to-date, and I even used it as the base for my German chocolate cake and my Ding Dong cake.
Today, I’m bringing it back with more notes and helpful tips, but the recipe remains unchanged (because there’s no need to mess with perfection!).
What You Need
Each ingredient in this chocolate cake recipe was carefully chosen to make for a moist and flavorful chocolate cake recipe.
- Buttermilk gives this cake 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. It’s important that you stick with natural cocoa powder here, since we are only using baking soda. Using dutch process cocoa could cause rising issues in this recipe.
- 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. 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)!
SAM’S TIP: The best way to keep chocolate cake (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.
Remember, this is just an overview of the ingredients I used and why. For the full recipe please scroll down to the bottom of the post!
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 still be pretty thick here, but it will get a lot 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 love using parchment circles 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.
- 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 I like to use.
- Frosting with your favorite frosting and decorate as desired. 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
I typically use 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.
I included a few additional ideas below if you are looking for more. Chocolate Swiss meringue buttercream, coffee frosting, or even Oreo frosting would also be good…so many options!
You absolutely can, but my preference for cupcakes is my easy chocolate cupcake recipe instead; it yields a light, springy texture that just 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.
I perfected this recipe years ago, before I’d developed weight standards for using a kitchen scale across my website. Back then, I would measure everything into my measuring cups and then I would check those measurements on the scale and record them. As I’ve developed a standard, I’ve updated my older recipes to reflect that standard. Weights are the most accurate, so I have kept the weight the same but updated the cup measurement to reflect the standard.
This recipe has already earned lots of 5-star ratings, but I’d love to hear what you think! Leave me a comment and a rating once you try it out (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
Frosting
In the video I used my favorite chocolate frosting (linked in the recipe card) but for the photos in this post I used my chocolate fudge frosting (I love both of these options!). Here are some other frostings that work really well with this cake:- Cream Cheese Frosting
- Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting
- Chocolate Swiss Meringue Buttercream
- Peanut Butter Frosting
- Coffee Frosting
Storing
Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days or in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.Freezing
You can freeze the completely cooled layers by wrapping them very well with plastic wrap and then freezing. You can also freeze the fully frosted cake. To do this, place your cake in the freezer for about 10-15 minutes or until the frosting is firm. Remove it, wrap very well with plastic wrap, and freeze for up to a month.Different sized pans
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.Cupcakes
You’ll get about 24 cupcakes, evenly divide into two lined 12-count cupcake tins and bake for 17-18 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.Gluten-free
Readers have commented that they have successfully made this recipe by substituting Bob’s Red Mill 1:1 baking flour for the flour called for in this recipe.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.
Sarah
I’ve made this cake and icing a few times and loved it. Especially like the addition of the salt to cut the sweetness of the icing…but made it today and it seems way saltier than normal. I triple checked the recipe and the measuring utensil and both were correct. Is there a difference in salt quality?!?! It seemed gritty from the salt as well. I used regular table salt just like I had done any other time.
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
Hi Sarah! Is it possible you accidentally used salted butter?
Sarah
I check that too, and no, I used the unsalted butter. Wondering if humidity would be a factor with the salt at all? At any rate, it still won first place AND Best of Show at the county fair this week, so it wasn’t a total loss, lol!
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
That is very strange! We’re happy you still won though–that’s amazing! 🎉
Sety
Hi, I want to make this for my daughters 4th birthday on Monday! 🙂 just wondering whether I could bake the cakes the day before (wrap and freeze) then defrost the day of the party, thaw for 20mins before icing the cake? I’m just trying to cut back time on baking on the actual day hehe.
Or would you not recommend pre-baking? Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
Hi Sety! If you’re planning on baking a day in advance, wrapping the cakes well and storing them at room temperature should be just fine. We hope your daughter loves her cake ❤
Marcy
Made this cake for the first time—delicious!!! Reminded me of the chocolate cake I used to get from my hometown bakery. Used a different chocolate frosting recipe. Will definitely make again this cake again. Thank you!!!
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
Thanks for your review, Marcy! We’re so happy it was a hit for you ❤
Meghan
I’m looking to use my 6 inch round pans for this recipe. Do you think that will work? If so, how many should I use and at what temperature and cooking time. Thanks so much!
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
Hi Meghan! This recipe will make enough for three 6 inch pans. You will use the same temp but will need to bake them for less time. Enjoy! 🙂
Carlia
You are 100% allowed to claim that this is the BEST chocolate cake. I baked it yesterday and between 5 people, we finished the cake within an hour. Will be baking it again this weekend. The cake is also easy to make by hand instead of using an electrical mixer.
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
Thank you, Carlia! We are so happy it lives up to its name 😊
Sara Bauer
I love this recipe as is, but I am going to make it as a grooms cake for my sister’s wedding. I’ve been researching how to stabilize buttercream to be more heat resistant (it is an outdoor wedding 😭) and if I sub 1/2 of the butter for crisco, and add 1tbsp of merengue powder for each lb. of powdered sugar, do you think that will still do the trick for this icing?
Thank you!
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
Hi Sara! Without trying it ourselves, we aren’t sure how it will turn out. The heat is always challenging when it comes to frosting though 🙁
Bridget
Any suggestions for a triple layer 8″ round? I haven’t made this yet, but am looking for a somewhat sturdy cake recipe for my peanut butter buckeye cake. It looks like it slices well in the photo?
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
Hi Bridget! This cake is pretty sturdy. If you’d like three 8″ layers, you’ll need to increase the ingredients by 50%. Hope that helps 🙂
Becky Rodrigues
Hey Sam!
I’m excited to make this cake this weekend. I’m also making your red velvet :).
For this chocolate recipe, could I use the same amount for three 6 inch pans? And what would you suggest for bake time/temperature?
Thank you!!
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
Hi Becky! This recipe will make enough for three 6 inch pans. You will use the same temp but will need to bake them for less time. Enjoy! 🙂
Tash
Hi I’ve not tried this yet but is there a reason why the sugar is 200g for both types? Rather than half n half? Will it not be over sweet with the added 200g of sugar?
Sam
Hi Tash! I have found that the combination of the 2 gives you the best flavor. 🙂
Deb
I am planning to try this recipe. It looks and sounds delicious I do have a question. Would it work for me to substitute half of the canola oil with unsweetened applesauce to cut down a bit of the fat? If not, I will stick to the recipe as it is written 😊
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
Without trying it ourselves, we can’t say how that would turn out. If you try it, please let us know how it works for you!
Simcha
This cake is SO good! I paired it with your vanilla frosting and they went together so well!
Janne Smith
I only have dutch processed cocoa will this work well?
Sam
Hi Janne! I really don’t recommend it here. 🙁
Alyssa
i haven’t made this yet, but do you know if it would be possible to cut each cake layer in half (to make four layers) once baked or would they break? thanks
Sam
Hi Alyssa! That will work just fine. 🙂
Anju
I tried this cake and it was one of the best moist chocolate cake I made. Thank you very much Sam for sharing this receipe.
Sam
I’m so glad you enjoyed it so much, Anju! 🙂
Sharon
Just getting ready to make this for my third time. It’s now my go-to chocolate cake….so delicious! The first time was the two round layers, the second was in a larger sheet pan, which made the cake about 2″ deep, and this time I’m doing a 9 x 13 pan.
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
We’re so happy you love it so much, Sharon ❤
Tui-Maira Ross
Omg! Soo good. Not one to rate recipes but this was as stated. The best chocolate cake. Yummm
Samantha
For making a bigger cake, how high up should I fill the pan with this batter? Thinking of making a 12″ round.
Sam
Hi Samantha! About 2/3 of the way full. 🙂
Anne
Oh my, this recipe was just fantastic. never making a boxed cake again! The boxed ones always turn out so dry and crumbly. This cake was the opposite! Perfectly moist and the crumb texture was amazing. The addition of the hot coffee really brought out the flavor! I paired this with Sam’s vanilla frosting recipe and it was divine.
a bonus was that this cake baked nice and flat with no dome (a struggle I have with cakes) which made the decorating a breeze!
10/10
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
Sounds like your cake was absolutely perfect, Anne! We are so happy our recipe was such a success for you. Thanks so much for your review–enjoy! ❤
Becky
Hello Sam!
Thank you so much for this recipe!
I was wondering if I could do this a week in advance and store the full frosted/decorated cake in the freezer? If so, how would you do that?
Thank you!
Becky
Sam
Hi Becky! To freeze it you’ll want to stick the finished cake in an air tight container in your freezer, and of course remember to pull it out with enough time for it to thaw. I always forget to leave thawing time. 🤦♀️ 🙂