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
Mmm tastes so moist and rich beautiful texture…just melts in the mouth. Thanks sally. Put 80g of sugar in the cake, and used melted cooking chocolate in the icing which worked well the mixture is really liquidy so make sure you bake in leak-proof tin (mine started leaking)
Every one LOVED this cake that I m making it again- it’s so rich and moist. I made mine as a 3 layered cake 8 inch pans, DELICIOUS
Would I be able to halve this recipe? My daughter wants a half chocolate, half vanilla cake for her birthday and we wouldn’t need two full cake recipes. Thank you!
Hi Katie, absolutely. Hope it’s a hit!
Amazing, TY! Which vanilla cake recipe would you recommend I halve as well haha
Hi Katie, if you’re looking for just one layer, you could halve this white cake recipe or use the vanilla cake from our strawberry shortcake cake (if using that one, we’d use it as the bottom layer since it’s a bit heavier than the chocolate cake). Let us know what you try!
Sally, do you have a recipe for chocolate pound cake? If so, I don’t see it.
Hi Mary Sue, we don’t have a recipe for chocolate pound cake at this time. You might enjoy this marble loaf—the crumb isn’t quite as tight as a pound cake, but has a classic buttery pound cake flavor. Let us know if you give it a try!
I want to use this cake as a base for a 9 x 13 cake we are decorating to look like a garden for Palm Sunday dinner. Can I stir chocolate chips into the batter instead of putting them on top ? Will that drastically affect the result ? My kids are always looking for more chocolate with their chocolate 🙂
Hi Danielle! You can add 1 cup (180g) of chocolate chips, mini chocolate chips or finely chopped chocolate (semi sweet or dark) if desired. Use the sour cream version detailed in the notes, which creates a slightly thicker batter to hold them up. Enjoy!
Hi Sally, would this cake be ok as a bottom tier cake?
Hi Sarah, this chocolate cake is a bit too light to stand up as a bottom tier. You can, however, use our chocolate cupcakes recipe to make a 3 layer, 6 inch cake for a top tier. This homemade wedding cake post has some helpful tips for tiered cakes.
Thank you for getting back to me. Unfortunately my friend is looking for an all chocolate cake. I’m having trouble finding a reputable recipe. Please let Sally know her followers would like a tiered chocolate cake recipe ☺️
Hi would this recipe be ok for a Harry Potter chocolate cake, was thinking a crumb coat of chocolate buttercream, then the rest in vanilla buttercream to decorate xx
Hi Jacqui, absolutely, feel free to use vanilla buttercream instead!
Hi! I need to make 50 cupcakes and was comparing the supermoist chocolate cupcake recipe to this one…. The recipes differ quite a bit, (water, espresso powder, etc.) Which one has the better flavor? I don’t mind doubling up, just want the better of the two recipes.
Hi Theresa, this cake recipe converted to cupcakes is a very popular one. The super moist chocolate cupcakes do have the tendency to sink. When making a big batch of chocolate cupcakes, I use this cake recipe.
Will this recipe hold up under fondant?
Hi Autumn, Using the sour cream method/version from the notes, this cake should be just find under fondant.
This is THE most amazing chocolate cake recipe! Made it for my mother-in-laws birthday and everyone absolutely loved it. Very chocolatey and wonderful. The nice thing about this recipe is that it’s not overly labor intensive. Will definitely make it again!
I made into cupcakes, can I store on counter overnight if serving the next day? I have not iced them. Will ice in the morning
Hi Jordan, yes you can.
I tried baking the cake as one whole cake instead of spreading out the batter between a few tins, it’s looks cooked on the outside but is jiggly on the inside, how can I fix this without burning the cake?
Hi SR! We don’t recommend baking this batter in one large cake for exactly those reasons. It may be best to start over and bake the layers in two 9 inch cake pans.
Hi just a quick question I was wanting to make a 6 layer cake. Can this recipe be put in 6 inch pans? I could then cut cakes in half. BTW I absolutely love your recipes!
Hi Darcee, this batter as written will be too much for 3, 6 inch pans, but you could divide it among 6, 6 inch pans instead. Or, use our batter for chocolate cupcakes, which makes the perfect amount for a 3 layer, 6 inch cake. Hope you enjoy it!
This was the best chocolate cake I’ve ever made and the feedback was awesome, every single person that tried was over the moon. I look forward to trying the next recipe from Sally. My daughter wants this cake x 4 for her birthday!
Came out perfectly when baked as 9×13 sheet cake. Will be making again for the next birthday!
This turned out absolutely perfect. It blew everyone away. Thank you Sally for always having reliably amazing recipes, this is my new go-to chocolate cake. INCREDIBLY moist and rich, the fudgy icing was perfect, it was decadent.
Loved this cake! Only problem was there was not enough icing to cover the cake. In the video, she had a LOT more icing in her bowl than we did, and we followed the recipe exactly.
I love this recipe this is my second cake. The last time I made this for a dinner party I was told it was the best cake ever! This time I added the sour cream for a change. Would love to attach a photo not sure how?
Thank you for the recipe! However, my frosting is so dry and I have to add a lot of milk. I don’t know what I did wrong. It’s too bad that the part you make frosting is not in the video.
This recipe is great! Is there a way to make this recipe for fewer servings? I would love to make it again, but there’s a lot of cake left! Thank you!
Hi Elizabeth, you could try use our chocolate cupcakes recipe instead—same great taste and texture, but yields the perfect amount of batter for a 3 layer, 6 inch cake. Glad you enjoyed this one!
This cake is amazing! I follow it to a T and it’s perfect every time. Made it for my husband’s birthday this week and added in a layer of ice cream and hot fudge and frosted it with your chocolate PB frosting. It was delicious!!
Soooooo darn good! My family absolutely loved it!! I had to make it again the following week for them!:) Now i will be making for Easter and decorate It with dyed coconut and little chocolate eggs. Maybe a small plastic bunny on top. Thanks for the GREAT recipe. A DEFINITE KEEPER!!
Hello!
Would I be able to increase the espresso powder to 5 teaspoons similar to your espresso chocolate chip cake for a more mocha/espresso chocolate cake??
Hi Jess, feel free to increase the espresso powder to your liking. Enjoy!
I have made this recipe a ton of times and it’s always great. I just noticed your other variation of sour cream, which I am going to try tomorrow. My question: I also just watched your video. You used a whisk and did it all by hand, but in your written instructions you say to use a stand or handheld mixer. Do you recommend making this cake by hand, using a whisk as in your video?
You can do it either way. I like to show that a whisk can be used, but of course a mixer works as well.
Hands down THE most delicious chocolate cake ever!! Got rave reviews. This is my go to from now on. Thanks Sally
I’m about to make the cake when I discover that one of my cake pans has a removable bottom. Can I somehow prepare it so that it doesn’t leak? Hoping to make it for a birthday guest tonight. Thanks so much!
Hi Judy, is it a springform pan? 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. However, just to be safe, you can bake the cake layers individually in your regular cake pan. Leave the leftover batter covered at room temperature while the first layer is baking. Hope the cake is a hit!
Can I use yogurt instead of the buttermilk?
Hi Fiona, buttermilk is necessary for this recipe, but you could use the sour cream version (see recipe Notes–this uses a combination of sour cream and buttermilk) and swap the sour cream with plain, full-fat yogurt. If needed, you can make a DIY version of buttermilk using regular milk and vinegar/lemon juice (also in the recipe Notes).
Will this cake taste good without the frosting? Do you have a recipe for a single 9” or 10” round or bundt chocolate cake without frosting?
Hi Jaymee, you can certainly make this cake without frosting. Or you can make this mint chocolate cake (just the cake part, omit the frosting and ganache) for a single 9-inch round. Or here is our chocolate Bundt cake (feel free to omit the cheesecake swirl if you’d like).
I would nix the expresso powder, I think it made the cake not sweet enough. The frosting was FABULOUS ! Sally, what cocoa powder do you recommend?
Hi Denise, so glad you enjoyed the cake! Unsweetened natural cocoa powder is required for the cake, but you can use unsweetened natural cocoa powder or Dutch process cocoa powder in the frosting (since there aren’t leavening agents). We often use Hershey’s brand, but you can use your favorite!
Made this for my sons birthday and worked out so well
Thank you
Wow, this cake is like velvet. The flavor was great even though I did not add vanilla, espresso powder, and swapped the hot coffee for hot water. The frosting is also perfection. Highly recommend!!