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
One reader, Greta, commented: “This is, hands down, the best chocolate cake I have ever baked. And I’m not the only one who thinks so… because I have baked and shared this cake with many people… it’s simply the best! Thank you for sharing this recipe with us. ★★★★★“
Another reader, Melanie, commented: “This has become my go-to chocolate cake! My family loves it. The directions are very clear and easy to follow. Before now, I did not consider myself a baker. I had only baked box cakes. Now, this recipe has catapulted me into a from-scratch cake baker. So glad I found this recipe and many others from this site. ★★★★★”
Another reader, Todd, commented: “Outstanding! One of the best cakes I have ever made. Moist, chocolatey, beyond delicious! ★★★★★“
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. Save it for another recipe, like these homemade brownies. 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!
You can find it in the coffee aisle at the grocery store or online. - 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!) You use it in this black velvet cupcakes recipe, too.
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!
Print
Deliciously 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 (62g) 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 find espresso powder in the coffee aisle at the grocery store or online. 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
Reader Comments and Reviews
I love this recipe. I want to make this into a spherical cake (soccer ball). How would I go about that?
Hi Dani, We have not tested this recipe in a 3D sphere pan, but other readers have reported success doing so. We’d recommend you use the sour cream version outlined above in the post and in the recipe notes to make sure it’s sturdy enough. Let us know if you give it a try.
I want to make this cake….but smaller. Do you think if I halved the recipe it would work in 6 inch pans?
Hi Deb, our chocolate cupcakes recipe has the same great taste and texture, but is the perfect amount for a 3 layer, 6 inch cake!
Wowsers! What a spectacular cake. So so easy and such brilliant results. It was made as a gift for my son’s preschool as a thank you and parting gift as he leaves this year after 4.5 years to go to school, and it was a huge hit. Thank you for yet another great recipe and perfect outcome.
Hi, I have made this cake several times and it has turned out lovely and moist..I would like to try it in a dolly varden tin then slice into 3 layers with icing and use the shape for a Xmas tree….could you possibly advise how long I would need to cook it for in this shape tin….and would the amount of ingredients be enough or would I need to add more….regards
Hi Vanc, so glad you love this cake! We haven’t tried making a cake in that type of pan before, so we’re unsure of how it would bake up. We’d love to know if you give it a try.
Can this cake be made using springform pans?
Hi Stephanie, We always recommend using regular cake pans instead of springform pans unless a recipe specifically calls for a springform pan – the extra height on the pans can cause cakes to bake unevenly. That being said, some bakers have reported success baking cakes in springform pans.
I was so excited for this recipe, I love the chocolate chip cookies! But my cake is sooo sponge-e! The icing is amazing! The cake not so much
I made this cake recently and was excellent! I omitted the espresso powder but did use strong regular coffee. Texture of this cake is fabulous.
I made a vanilla buttercream frosting and used it between layers cause I found it too sweet to frost the whole cake with it. I made a whipped cream frosting to cover the whole cake and was yummy!
Next time I will use the buttercream frosting as a crumb coating and then finish with whipped cream frosting over it.
First comment in a recipe board ever but I had to. This cake. Omgosh! It’s to die for. I am now in charge of bringing this to every family event we have. Do it! Make it! Take it! They will love it!!!
I want to make this for Thanksgiving! Can you tell me your favorite cocoa powder to use?
Hi Amanda, Hershey’s cocoa powder is a favorite (not sponsored, just love using it in this cake!), but any brand of unsweetened natural cocoa powder will work great.
Hi Sally! Can I use stevia instead of granulated sugar? Would I have to use the same amount as granulated sugar?
We’d love to help but we are not trained in baking with sugar substitutes. For best taste and texture (and so you don’t waste your time trying to adapt this recipe since it may not work properly), it may be more useful to find a recipe that is specifically formulated for sugar substitutes. Thank you!
Delicious recipe. Nailed it as written less chocolate chips for my first ever scratch cake. It is so good that I made a raspberry filling and topped with chopped butter toasted pecans and a moderate dusting of finishing salt. The second was eaten even faster. You have a great blog, and I am looking forward to trying even more cakes.
Whenever an occasion comes up I am asked to bake this Chocolate Layer Cake every time. It stands out way above any other cake and the most requested than any other I bake. So moist and chocolaty. Simply delicious! My wife’s birthday is this weekend and I will be baking this cake once again. Previously I always went with buttermilk and yes, the batter is quite thin but the results are wonderful. This time around I just happen to have a container of sour cream in the fridge so i’m going to switch it up and go with that this time and see what the difference is. Great recipe, my go to chocolate layer cake!
This is literally the best chocolate cake recipe. I’ve made it countless times, for many occasions. Flavorful, texture is perfect, buttercream to cake ratio spot on. Incredible!
Hi Sally,
I know you dont recommend this far a bottom layer in a tiered cake, but could it be uses as a middle layer in a three layer cake between two layers of your yellow cake?
Hi Claudia, Unfortunately we don’t recommend it as a middle tier either. Although the sour cream version is sturdier, it’s not quite stable enough for holding any tiers on top. We do recommend some other flavor options in this post. Hope this is helpful!
I made this for a birthday cake yesterday. I followed every step as listed for the original, including the espresso powder and the hot cup of freshly brewed coffee. It was perfection! The buttercream came out a bit thick despite extra tbsps of heavy cream, so I very carefully added a little more. Delectable. ❤️
I made this cake. It was moist, soft, and spongy. It was quite good! The only problem I faced was that I don’t use espresso or chai at home, so I added only boiling water. The amount was not mentioned in the recipe (or maybe I missed it). So, I went by the guideline that the batter would be quite thin. I added as much water that would result in a thin batter. And I kept it at 175C or 350F for about 50 minutes for the cake to get baked! It was definitely domed, but that quickly sunk to a reasonable dome height when cooling. All in all, a rich and delicious cake.
Hi MJ, we’re so glad you enjoyed the cake! You can swap the coffee/chai tea for the same amount of hot water (1 cup). See recipe note on Espresso Powder/Coffee for more details.
This cake is so moist I serve it without frosting! When I give my grandson a cupcake with frosting he only eats the frosting, then asks for another cupcake! So I didn’t frost the cake this time, and he inhaled it. Easy recipe to follow. I wonder if cake flour will change the texture of the cake?
Hi Sally,
I was hoping to make this recipe for my 2 year old son’s birthday this week. Do you have any other buttercream suggestions that would work well with this cake? Perhaps a vanilla buttercream? My husband doesn’t love chocolate (but my son does!) so trying to compromise!
Thank you!
Hi Theresa, yes, you can absolutely use vanilla buttercream for this cake. To make the right amount for frosting this 2-layer cake, follow the ratios for the vanilla frosting in this white cake recipe. Salted caramel frosting would also taste great on it (1.5x the recipe for a 2-layer cake) or try this peanut butter frosting!
Thank you so much! And do you have a specific brand of cocoa powder that you prefer for the cake?
I‘ve made this cake three times and my family adores it. I have substituted King Arthur Black Cocoa for 1/4 cup of the cocoa powder in the cake and the color and flavor is just wonderful.
Can I use plain yogurt in place of
the buttermilk? I use them interchangeably in other recipes. Your thoughts?
Hi Laura, what you could do it follow the sour cream version outlined in the recipe notes, and swap the sour cream for an equal amount of yogurt. Let us know how it goes!
Love this recipe , thanks for your time and dedication to make this wonderful recipes available.
Hi! I love this recipe and am planning on using it to make a 9” 4 tier wedding cake. I’m just not sure about quantities. Would you recommend doubling or tripling this recipe?
Many thanks.
Hi Rachel, We don’t recommend this cake for the bottom or middle of a tiered cake (it’s not sturdy enough). We do list some tiered layer flavor suggestions in this post. Perhaps you could do another flavor on the bottom and a chocolate tier on top? We’d love to know what you try!
Hi Sally. Love and have tried many of your cupcakes,muffins and cake recipes. You are actually the reason for me starting baking. I had made many birthday cakes with you recipies. I was just good at at decorating before. I am planning to do this chocolate cake for my son’s birthday as he loves chocolate. I was wondering how could I substitute the espresso as he is 7 years old and don’ like even the coffee flavour! Thanks
Hi Lila, you can omit the espresso powder and use extra hot water or hot chai tea in place of the brewed coffee. Hope it’s a hit!
Wow! I have learned so much from you and I’m so appreciative, Thank you!
I want to make this cake and use some of your other recipes to finish it. I’ve always loved chocolate with berries of nearly every type – even other non-berry fruit. I’m curious, can I add fruit jelly to this recipe, and to your ganache recipe as well?
Thank you again for sharing all this wonderful knowledge. My husband couldn’t be happier about me finding your website, that is until he steps on the bathroom scale or tries to close jeans he’s worn for years.
Hi Gary, thank you so much for your kind feedback! We’re thrilled to hear you’ve been enjoying the site. We haven’t tried adding jelly or jam directly to the cake batter or our ganache. Adding liquids like that to either recipe would require some recipe testing so that the batter and ganache do not become too thin. You could, however, layer your favorite jam or jelly with ganache between the layers of this cake. Let us know if you give it a try!
This was the BEST chocolate cake I have ever made in my life! It was so incredibly moist and delicious! I used a salted vanilla buttercream as I wanted my frosting to be pink, and the salt really complimented the richness of the chocolate cake wonderfully. I would recommend putting the cakes in the fridge for a bit before frosting, or wait to frost until the next day, just to let the outside of the cakes dry out a bit – mine were so moist that even though they were completely cooled, the frosting pulled a bit of the cake away until I put them in the fridge for a bit. My thighs don’t thank you for this recipe since I can’t stop eating it, but my tastebuds sure do!
Love it – my favourite chocolate recipe
Any suggestions on an egg substitute? not ready to say goodbye to this recipe now we have an egg allergy..
Hi KB! We haven’t tested any egg substitutes in this cake recipe, but let us know if you do!
Hi sally! I tried the recipe for the first time and used the same measurements as written. I used a 10×13 dish. However the cake turned out dense… but moist. Almost like a chocolate pudding…
How can I avoid that if I make it again?
And any tips on how to use that pudding-like-cake..
Hi Maky, overly dense cakes are usually the result of over mixing the batter. This post on how to prevent dry and dense cakes may be helpful to review. If the cake is pudding-like, though, it sounds like it may have been under baked. In that case, a few extra minutes in the oven will help for next time. Thank you for giving this one a try!
I’d like to try this cake in a pretty Bundt pan and then split it and fill it w raspberry jam. Would this recipe work with a Bundt pan?
Hi Barb, we recommend following our Chocolate Cream Cheese Bundt Cake recipe, but you can leave out the cream cheese swirl. It has the same great taste as this cake but is a little sturdier to hold up to a shaped pan.
I highly recommend this recipe! I made it yesterday for my husbands birthday cake and he said it was the best cake he ever had! Next time I Probably would not add the espresso in I could personally taste it even though it was such a small amount. I can’t wait to make this cake again!
This is my go to chocolate cake recipe, and any time I need to bake something new, I check your site first.
Do you think the sour cream version woule also hold up in a homemade ice cream cake? I usually make the non sour cream version and can’t imagine it would be sturdy enough.
Hi Tisha, we haven’t tried it ourselves but the sour cream version should work just fine with an ice cream layer in between the two chocolate layers. Let us know if you give it a try!
It held up great in the ice cream cake! Highly recommend.
FYI, I actually just used one layer of cake, then a layer of fudge sauce and crumbled Oreos, then the ice cream and whipped cream frosting.
Hello,
I have made this cake many times (too many to count) and it’s my families favourite. I plan on making it for my sons 2nd birthday, however I wanted to use 6 inch cake pans, simply because I want the cake to be taller. Would you recommend using 2 or 3 cake pans (6 inch) and what would be your recommended bake time?
Thanks in advance 🙂
Mary
Hi Mary! This would be too much cake for 2 or 3 6 inch cake pans. We recommend using our super moist chocolate cupcakes recipe for a three layer 6 inch cake – you can read more about making 6 inch cakes from cupcake recipes!
Mary, I use this recipe for my 6” cakes! I actually increase the amount, 1.5x the recipe, because I find I don’t get enough height. When I make just 1x this recipe, it only gives me 4-6” of height, and I like mine between 7-9” in height. 1.5x this recipe gives me the exact amount I need.
And I actually forgot to answer your question lol. I use 3-4 pans, just depends on how thick you want your layers. I have a confection oven, and I bake at 320F and for roughly 40-45 mins.
This is my absolute favorite chocolate cake. Have you ever tried to make it as a vanilla cake?
Hi Heather, for a vanilla cake, we suggest our white layer cake, or, for a 3 layer cake, use our vanilla cake recipe. Both are soft and fluffy — same great texture as this cake! Or you can try this vanilla sheet cake.
This is one of my favourite cake recipes and is a big favourite with my friends and family.
Do you have any tips for stacking it?