Chocolate Cake

This tender and moist chocolate cake is surprisingly easy to make and such a joy to eat! This recipe features layers of outrageously soft chocolate cake made from scratch and a rich and fudgy chocolate frosting. It's a dream dessert for chocolate lovers! The best part? It's a one bowl chocolate cake!

* This recipe was updated with new photos and clearer instructions. The cake recipe is the same, but after some reader feedback, the frosting recipe was tweaked slightly to yield less. If you like the old recipe, you can find it directly below the new one!

what makes this the best chocolate cake?

Moist and tender do not even BEGIN to describe this chocolate cake!! It's seriously the best chocolate cake recipe I've ever had and hands down one of my favorite cakes of all time. And the icing on the cake (pun intended) is the fact that it's so, so easy to make! There are a few main features in this recipe that make this chocolate cake SO incredible.

First is the fact that the cake batter comes together in one bowl and in 3 simple steps. All it really involves is dropping ingredients into the same bowl and whisking. It's such an easy cake recipe and great for beginner bakers because it really is failproof!

Second is the texture! This is such a soft, fluffy, and fudgy chocolate cake and it keeps moist for days. This is an oil based cake, and unlike butter, oil will remain liquid even after the cake cools, which makes for the softest texture. Since there's no butter, you also don't need to bring any ingredients up to room temperature for the cake batter - making for an all around quicker treat!

Third is the flavor and it's largely thanks to the hot coffee in the batter. It's what I'd argue is the key to a seriously. good. chocolate cake. Coffee will draw out the natural chocolate flavor in the cake and make it taste extra chocolatey (without tasting like coffee). Using boiling hot coffee will also help with creating a richer flavor because the hot liquid will "bloom" the cocoa powder - drawing out even MORE flavor. The hot liquid also helps loosen the cake batter and dissolve any large clumps, which makes the texture of the cake more moist, smooth, velvety, and airy.

Finally we can't forget about the fudgy buttercream frosting! It has a smooth and fluffy texture and seriously takes this cake over the top. The frosting is NOT sickeningly sweet thanks to the cocoa powder (which adds the perfect amount of bitterness) and the salt (which dials down the sweetness). It's also so easy to make!

And one little bonus feature of this recipe that makes it so great is how quick and easy it is to whip up. The most time consuming part in this recipe is waiting for the cakes to cool. Otherwise, you really only have about 30 minutes worth of actual work involved. It's also just 2 layers so even stacking and frosting it is a breeze.

the keys to a rich and moist chocolate cake

The texture and flavor of this incredible chocolate cake come from its ingredients. There's really no special technique involved, and all the chocolate cake ingredients are simple, household staples that you probably already have on hand! They come together into a magical, bakery quality chocolate cake that can't be beat. Here's a quick little look at the ingredients involved:

• flour: The only important thing to keep in mind here is to measure the flour accurately. It sounds obvious, but flour is very easy to accidentally overmeasure. Using a food scale to weigh the flour is always the most accurate way to measure it. But if you'd rather measure with cups, use a spoon to scoop the flour into your measuring cup. Don't scoop the cup itself into the bag of flour or you'll pack in more weight and dry out the cake.
• sugar: We're using granulated sugar for the cupcakes and powdered sugar for the frosting. This cake has just the right amount of sugar to make it decadent, indulgent, and tender without being overly sweet.
• cocoa powder: The star of the show! It's used in both the cake and frosting for plenty of chocolaty goodness.
• baking powder & baking soda: The combination yields an ultra soft, moist, and airy cake!
• salt: This helps balance the sweetness in both the cake and the frosting. It rounds out all the decadent flavors and makes for a perfectly balanced cake.
• milk: For the cake and the fudge frosting. It adds some richness and loosens up the batter and the frosting. This cake will also work with a dairy-free milk if you need to make the swap.
• eggs: Two eggs in the batter will help the cake set and add some additional liquid.
• vegetable oil: Like I mentioned above, vegetable oil remains liquid at room temperature so it really makes for a soft and spongy cake.
• vanilla: This adds flavor to both the cake and frosting. Try to use pure vanilla (not artificial) if you can. The flavor just makes it feel a little extra special.
• black coffee: Like I mentioned, this is one of the keys to a chocolate cake with a seriously AMAZING flavor and texture.
• butter: For the frosting. Since the cake is made with oil, this really brings the richness and butter factor! This is the only ingredient you need to bring up to room temperature. So if you take it out of the fridge when you start making the cake batter, it should be perfect to use by the time you get to the frosting.

how to make chocolate cake with chocolate frosting

I know I keep saying that this cake is seriously easy to make... but I'm not kidding! It really is just a bunch of whisking. As always, you can find the full ingredient amounts and detailed recipe instructions further down in this post, but here's a quick look at how this chocolate cake is made.

the fudgy chocolate cake

1. Whisk together dry ingredients in a large bowl.
2. Add most of the wet ingredients. Pour in the milk, eggs, vegetable oil, and vanilla. (So everything aside from the coffee.) Whisk it all together until you have a streak free batter. The batter will be a bit thick at this stage. Just be careful not to overmix to ensure the cake comes out soft and moist.
3. Add hot coffee. Now the coffee is poured over the batter and whisked to combine. Make sure the coffee is HOT. The batter will be super loose and thin now - that's what you want! Now it's ready to bake!
4. Portion and bake. Pour the batter into your cake pans and bake until cooked through. If you only have one cake pan, you can bake the cake in batches. If you do make the cakes in the same pan, let the cake pan cool completely to room temperature before greasing and pouring in your second round of batter. The batter can be left out at room temperature for up to an hour.
5. Cool the cakes. Let the cakes cool for about 10 minutes in the pans then turn onto a wire rack and set aside to cool completely to room temperature before frosting. They shouldn't be warm AT ALL when frosting or it will melt the buttercream.

the rich chocolate buttercream frosting

I've slightly tweaked the recipe for the buttercream frosting over the years after some readers mentioned that they had a bit leftover. I'd say it's now the perfect amount with the perfect level of sweetness to truly compliment this amazing chocolate cake! To make the frosting:

1. Sift together powdered sugar and cocoa powder. These 2 ingredients LOVE to clump, so it's important to sift them to ensure your frosting comes out velvety smooth.
2. Mix in the butter. Mix everything together until the powdered sugar and cocoa have dissolved. This is easiest to do with an electric mixer, but you can do it by hand if you want a little workout!
3. Add the remaining frosting ingredients. Start with slightly less milk - it's easier to add liquid than to have to add more dry ingredients. Whip until light and creamy. If you need more liquid, slowly mix in more milk to get the frosting to your desired consistency.
4. Frost, layer & decorate the cake! Stack one of your cakes onto your serving platter and spread about ⅓ of the frosting overtop. Top with the second cake layer and frost the outside of the cake with the remaining frosting.
5. Slice & serve! The best part of the whole recipe, time to grab a fork and dig in!

chocolate cake FAQs

Can you make this cake gluten free?
Make my gluten free chocolate cake instead!

Can you substitute the vegetable oil?
If you don't have vegetable oil, you can use any other neutral flavored oil like canola, corn, peanut, etc. You could also use olive oil if you like the taste, but it will flavor the cake. Melted butter also works, but the cake will be a bit on the drier side - you'd also need to bring the other ingredients up to room temperature.

Do you have to use hot coffee?
The coffee itself won't flavor the cake, but it'll enhance the chocolate flavor and make the cake taste richer. If you prefer to leave it out, you can just use an equal amount of plain boiling water.

How do you store chocolate cake?
Keep your cake covered with a cake dome or plastic wrap and stored in the fridge. If you're using plastic wrap, a nice trick for keeping your frosting design intact is to chill the cake (uncovered) for about 1 hour to allow the frosting to harden and set. Then cover the cool cake with the plastic wrap and your decorations won't get squished!

This cake will keep for up to 5 days in the fridge and it'll stay moist right until the very end! Because the buttercream stiffens when cold, before serving, let the cake sit at room temperature for about 30 minutes to allow it to soften. It just makes for a better texture. If you covered the cake with plastic wrap, make sure to peel it off before bringing the cake up to room temperature so it doesn't stick to the frosting.

Can you freeze chocolate cake?
You can freeze the unfrosted cake layers if you'd like! To freeze, wrap each individual layer in plastic wrap followed by aluminum foil (to prevent freezer burn). Freeze for up to 3 months. You can frost and assemble the cake while it's still frozen (which I like to do because it makes it so much easier to work with!) Or let your cakes defrost at room temperature before frosting and layering.

Check out these other chocolate recipes!

• Nutella Chocolate Lava Cookies
• Moist Chocolate Cupcakes
• Chocolate Mousse Cake
• Brown Butter Brownies
• Double Chocolate Chip Muffins
• Moist Double Chocolate Banana Bread

Lastly, if you made this or any of my recipes, be sure to leave a comment and review below! I love hearing your thoughts! Also tag me on Instagram @eatsdelightfulblog so I can see what you're making.

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Old Recipe:

Ingredients:

For the chocolate cake:

• 2 cups (240g) all-purpose flour
• 1 ½ cups (300g) granulated sugar
• 1 cup (90g) unsweetened cocoa powder
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 2 large eggs
• 1 cup (240mL) milk
• ½ cup (120mL) vegetable oil, or any neutral flavored oil
• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 1 cup (240mL) hot black coffee (*see notes)

For the chocolate fudge frosting:

• 1 ½ cups (180g) cocoa powder
• 6 cups (800g) powdered sugar
• 1 ½ cups (3 sticks / 340g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 10 to 12 tablespoons milk

Instructions:

1. Preheat your oven to 350°F. Butter 2 (9 inch) round cake pans, and line the bottoms with parchment paper circles. Lightly dust the sides of the pans with cocoa powder and tap out any excess. Set aside.
2. Make the chocolate cakes: In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Whisk to combine.
3. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and pour the eggs, milk, vegetable oil, and vanilla into the well. Whisk the wet ingredients in the center to break up the eggs roughly then gradually work your way out to the edges to mix in the dry ingredients. Whisk until it just combines into a thick batter. Take care not to over mix.
4. Pour your hot coffee into the thick batter and whisk right away to combine. The batter should be very thin at this point - that's what you're looking for!
5. Pour the chocolate cake batter into your prepared cake pans. Bake in the center of your preheated 350°F oven for 20 to 25 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean with a few moist crumbs.
6. Cool the cakes for about 10 minutes in the pans then turn onto a wire rack. Peel off the parchment paper and set aside to finish cooling completely to room temperature.
7. Make the chocolate fudge frosting: Sift your cocoa powder and powdered sugar into a large bowl. Add your butter in and cut the butter into the cocoa powder and sugar until the pieces are about the size of a pea. You can do this with a fork, pastry cutter, or an electric mixer set to low speed. The mixture will be crumbly.
8. Add your salt, vanilla extract, and 5 tablespoons of milk, and mix to combine. Gradually beat in more milk until you have a smooth and spreadable frosting (it should take about 10 to 12 tablespoons of milk in total).
9. Layer the cake: Place one of your cooled chocolate cakes onto your serving platter and spread about ⅓ of the frosting over the top. Layer your second cake on top and use the remaining frosting to cover the top and sides of the cake. Enjoy!

Notes:

* Make sure to use coffee that is strongly brewed. I like to just make my own by dissolving 2 teaspoons of instant espresso powder in 1 cup of boiling water. If you'd prefer to leave out the coffee, use an equal amount of plain boiling water instead.

Enjoy!

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