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. 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!)
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!
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 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 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 make this cake for daughter in law. Amazing will never use any other recipe for chocolate. I used peanut butter frosting
Hi, I need to make this for Tuesday, is it ok to make it tomorrow or is it best to make it in Monday?
Hi Sarah, here are the make-ahead instructions: Prepare cake through step 4. Wrap the individual baked and cooled cake layers tightly and refrigerate for up to 2 days. 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. I recommend assembling the cake as close to when you’ll serve it as possible.
Hey Sally! I’ve made many of your recipes and they are always successful due to your testing and specifics. This isn’t a comment on this cake but instead a request. I have a great friend who loves chocolate cake BUT doesn’t like an airy cake. Instead, she’s always asking if I can bake something denser – more like a mud cake but actually leaning even more towards the density of a brownie. I’ve found some random recipes on the internet, but I don’t trust other bloggers out there. So…if you’re considering future recipes, could you consider developing a recipe for a brownie/mud layer cake? Thank you so much
Hi Jay, your friend might love this flourless chocolate cake! It’s dense and fudgy and so delicious.
I’m home on paternity leave at the moment and was recently gifted a KitchenAid stand mixer, so I’ve been doing more baking. This recipe was my first time ever making a cake and it turned out pretty good! Cake is very rich and moist. My frosting turned out much darker and a bit too thick, wasn’t sure whether to add more cream as I’ve never frosted a cake before so didn’t have a reference for what’s “too thick” or “too thin”. But a good learning experience! Thanks very much for the detailed recipe, and wishing you well from New Zealand. 🙂
Made this last week and was asked to make this for my son’s 4th birthday next weekend, he loves the cake that much! Thanks for this lovely recipe!
Is this recipe suitable for a double layer half sheet cake? If yes, how many times the recipe per layer.
Hi Noel, yes, you can stack this as a 2-layer sheet cake. Here’s everything you need to know about cake pan sizes and conversions.
Hi, this is awesome. Best chocolate cake. Made this as a double and a triple round cake before. Used chocolate chips one time and the other didn’t both versions still very tasty. Used espresso powder and espresso hot coffee turned out very rich and tasty.
Have a question. I would like to make a double 9 x 13 what I just double the recipe? It should hold? And would that be enough icing?
Thank you for this recipe
Hi Christy, we’re so glad you enjoyed this cake! This batter as written if enough for a 9×13-inch pan; if you want two cakes, we’d recommend making two separate batches rather than doubling. You can double the frosting if you wish; that should be plenty to fill, cover, and decorate.
Just an FYI for those that didn’t read further about natural cocoa powder. Special Dark does not qualify. Cake did not rise well and took longer to cook. A baking lesson for sure.
What a delightful, moist chocolate cake a must for my recipe box. Can’t wait to bake it with my so!
Cake fell in the middle; never even opened the oven door till bake timer went off 🙁
Hi Susan, is it possible the cake was under-baked? Cakes will sink when under-baked. Did you use a toothpick to test for doneness?
I added coffee to the mix as it says in the instructions. When I tasted the batter I could taste the coffee flavor. I think I might have made my coffee a little too strong. When it bakes will the coffee flavor go away?
Hi Addy, the coffee will just accentuate the chocolate flavors—it shouldn’t be noticeable at all once baked.
I was looking for a mocha cake recipe, and happened to find this. This is one of the best chocolate cake recipes I’ve tried. The cake was super moist, had great flavor, and it was very easy to make!
Tried this recipe twice. Both times stuck to the recipe and both times the cakes deflated and can’t be used. Pointless.
This recipe was deemed “the best chocolate cake I’ve ever had” by several people. I make them in mini loaf pans and bring them to work. My coworker has asked me to make them for her wedding guests!
Nice what were the baking times for the mini loaf pans?
Made as originally written with espresso powder and hot coffee. Delightful chocolate-y flavor.
I tried this recipe before and it was so so good! Best chocolate cake out there.
I tried it today with less sugar and it showed. Also my buttercream turned out spicy. Like actually spicy. Bitter spicy. Sweet. But spicy. I can’t figure out why
Hi! Can I divide the batter evenly in two 8-inch pans?
Hi Tatiana, you can use the recipe as is for a 2 layer, 8 inch cake (bake time will be a bit longer for the thicker layers but same oven temperature).
Wondering if I can use olive oil instead
Hi Jennifer, olive oil would work, but would change the flavor.
i havent made it yet, but is it okay to assemble and frost the day before use? what happens if i do?
Hi Amelie, that’s fine! You can store this cake covered at room temperature for up to 1 day before serving. After that, we would refrigerate it.
This recipe is amazing. I’ve made it several times, and I find that subbing the eggs for half a cup of full fat plain yogurt, makes the cake even more moist and delicious! My family requests this cake all the time.
I haven’t made it yet, but it looks delicious! I do have a question though, does the cake taste like coffee from the espresso powder and hot coffee? I really dislike coffee and want to know if it tastes like it. Thanks 🙂
Hi Kadence, no, it doesn’t taste like coffee at all! It just helps deepen the chocolate flavor.
Best!! Thank you for sharing xo
This is a fantastic recipe!
I would like to use it for a birthday cake but as 2 thin layers of chocolate with 2 thin layers of vanilla, interspersed. Will the crumb of this cake work well with the crumb of the best vanilla cake?
And is this cake strong enough for a two tiered cake with dowels and a pinata cake on top (so not solid cake). Thanks!
Hi Marie, this cake would work well layered with the vanilla cake—we would use the sour cream version for a slightly sturdier crumb. We do not recommend using this chocolate cake for a bottom tier of a tiered cake, since it simply is too light (even the sour cream version), but if layered with the vanilla it *may* work out okay with the proper dowel support. And since the top tier is pinata style, it won’t be as heavy. Please do let us know if you give it a try!
It is by far the best recipe yet!!!
This is a winner recipe. Chocolate cake is tricky and this is superb. Thank you
Hi can I make this cake in 6 inch pans and make it three layer?
Hi Angela, instead, you can use the batter from these chocolate cupcakes. It yields the perfect amount for a 3 layer, 6 inch cake. You can follow the baking times and directions for 6 inch cake recipes. Hope you enjoy it!
Can a cover it in fondant
Hi Angela, Using the sour cream method/version from the recipe Notes, this cake should be just find under fondant.
Hi i’m 12 and love baking for people. I’m making cakes for my two little cousins and want to know if I could make three separate batches (so their will be 6 layers) and do three for each cake. They are 5 and 7 and very specific they wanted three layers of cake covered in fondant and I wasn’t sure if this cake would be able to support all that. Would that work?
Ps: I love all your recipes ❤️
Hi Gemma, you can certainly do that, or, you can bake the batter as-is in 3, 9-inch pans instead of 2. Divide batter between three 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, and you can use fondant on this cake. Hope it’s a hit!
Hi there, does it matter if I use square 9 inch pans versus round 9 inch pans? I’ve made this recipe tons of times in round pans and it is absolutely the best chocolate cake I’ve ever made!
Hi Sherene, this recipe as written will fit into 2 9-inch square pans. The layers will be a little thin. Feel free to 1.5x the recipe if desired. Here’s everything you need to know about cake pan sizes and conversions.
Easy to make, cake was moist, frosting tastes great. Everyone loved it .
I am baking this cake for my MIL right now. It’s been in 25 minutes and still liquid in the middle! Any idea what I’ve done wrong? I think I followed the recipe exactly 🙁 keeping it in the oven for now… hoping it’s just the oven and it needs extra time!
Hi Luna, it could be that the cake needs a bit more time to bake. Did you divide the batter evenly between 2 pans?
Hi, my question is:
Can you use gluten free flour?
If so, which flour and brand would you recommend?
Thank you,
Hi Cys, we haven’t tested this recipe with gluten free flour. If you wish to try it, many readers have reported success using a 1:1 gluten free all-purpose flour blend, like Bob’s Red Mill, in many of our recipes. Again, the results may vary, but let us know if you give it a try! Or, here is our flourless chocolate cake instead.
Wonderful moist chocolate cake and best chocolate frosting. I have never been disappointed with your recipes.
Wish I could include a picture.