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
This cake was unbelievable. Chocolate cake is a family standard I’ve been making for decades, but my usual recipes just hadn’t been turning out lately so I tried this one. Made in advance and froze the individual cakes, then defrosted and filled/iced. The cake was simply outstanding and even people who aren’t chocolate cake fans loved it.
I would consider myself a pretty decent home baker, and I had high hopes for this recipe and followed it exactly with no substitutions, and the cakes sunk terribly in the middle during baking. I’ll have to remake as this is for a birthday layer cake and cannot be salvaged.
Hi Kayla, the cakes are quite moist and can sink in the centers as they cool. Was there a way to cover it up with frosting when layering? If they sunk too much to be salvaged, I wonder if they were under-baked?
Made this today for my son’s bday. It is a great cake! Easy recipe. The icing is just sweet enough without overpowering the cake. I had to add a lot more cream 5T more to get it spreadable. Thinking my butter may not have been soft enough. It’s delicious!
This cake turned out so good! One piece of advice for anyone who reads the comments… Do NOT use spring form pans. The batter is think that they will leak all over your oven. Luckily I noticed quickly and was able to mostly fix the issue by putting cookie sheets under my pans. Could have been a real disaster
Hi,
I want to bake this recipe tomorrow and serve it day after tomorrow. Would you recommend doing the cake, frosting and garnishes and then strong it in refrigerator or would you suggest to just refrigirate the cake and do frosting day after tomorrow?
Hi Ammu, Either way will work. Sometimes it’s easier to cover unfrosted cake layers in the refrigerator, but if you have space and a way to cover the finished cake you certainly can do that also.
Hi Stefanie. I’m making this cake today for my son’s birthday. He requested it after i tried it for my husbands birthday in late October. Since then, i baked it twice. It’s awesome. Don’t worry.
Made this wonderful recipe several times and it’s always a great hit!!
I’m making it again soon…and I have egg whites that I will need to use up…can I replace the 2 eggs in this recipe with 4 egg whites?
We don’t recommend using all egg whites here, best to stick with whole eggs!
Hi
Is it okay to put fondant icing on this cake ?
Hi April, using the sour cream method/version from the recipe Notes, this cake should be just find under fondant.
Hi !
First of all, I just want to say that I absolutely swear by your recipes—from your banana bread to your cookies, they’ve all been a hit! This year, I decided to bake my own chocolate birthday cake, and tried this recipe as a “crash test”. It was amazing!
However, I had a quick question about the chocolate buttercream. After refrigerating it, it turned really hard, almost like cold butter so I had to add some milk. Is that normal? Because in your photos, it still looks soft and creamy. Did I do something wrong? Thank you so much for your help and for all your incredible recipes!
Hi Melissa, so glad you enjoy our recipes! See the make ahead instructions – If you’re refrigerating the buttercream, you’ll need to bring it to room temperature then beat the frosting for a few seconds so it’s creamy again before spreading onto/assembling the cake. You may need to add a little milk or heavy cream if it’s still too stiff. Hope this helps for next time!
I cannot stop myself from making (and eating) this cake, so now I make sure I always have the ingredients on hand for when the mood strikes. It is hands-down the best chocolate cake I ever made and probably the best I ever tasted. I make the original version. I use half Hershey’s cocoa powder and half Hershey’s special dark cocoa in both the batter and the icing. I use the espresso powder and I keep super dark Keurig pods around for the brewed coffee in it. I skip the stand mixer and whisk by hand and I weigh the ingredients in the bowl as I add them. That makes it super fast to put together and cuts down on cleanup. One tip, the cakes do come out moist and kind of sticky, so I spray cooking spray on my hand before inverting them so they don’t stick to my hand. I have one sitting on my counter right now, so good. Soft, delicate and delicious. Thank you!
My go to guide whenever I want to bake something.. can’t thank enough for your detailed explanation for d recipes .. much love to you
Made this cake for Thanksgiving… it was a HUGE hit! Next time i’ll try it with the sour cream but the original is great without any changes.
This was awesome but I have a question. I made 2 double layer cake and one turned out lopsided and I don’t know why . The other three were just fine. Please help
Hi David, it’s hard to say what happened if 3 out of the 4 were okay. We don’t use baking strips but we know some readers use and love them!
I love this cake! However one of my twin boys absolutely loves this cake more than any of us in the family!!!!!! Once I make it he will ask for it every day if he could! I make it for the holiday and birthdays for my boys and husband! Thanks for one of the best chocolate cake ever!!!!!
We’re so glad it’s a family favorite!
So my long distance partner and I had been planning a baking date for months now and he loves a good chocolate cake. I actually have one baker that I’ve been following for years so I thought we’d try her recipe but it turned out she’d made all her recipes into a paid app. I started searching the internet for the next best thing and after narrowing down my options I decided we’d be baking this cake recipe of yours (but instead of the buttercream we used your ganache recipe). My point being, this wasn’t the next best thing. It was “The” best chocolate cake and ganache recipe I’ve ever had. Super simple, supremely balanced. My partner baked a cake for the first time and he nailed it. I’m not a huge fan of chocolate so this was a big deal for me too. We are in awe, our friends and family are in awe and I just wanted to thank you for this wholesome day I just had.
We are so glad you both loved this, J!
I just made this and the cake is so moist that after cooling and I try to frost it, it is falling apart on the sides. I had to make another batch of frosting to make it presentable. I realized that the frosting was too thick, my second batch of frosting I used 5 tablespoons heavy cream as the heat is on in my house and it is a bit dry in here.
Let’s just say the first time I had ever made this cake was about 4-5 years ago. It is still being requested. It was so moist, rich and delicious. My absolute favorite chocolate cake recipe!!! It was eaten for breakfast with coffee, lunch and dinner.
I have never successfully made a layer cake. This one was perfect. Moist, but didn’t fall apart when I stacked the layers. The chocolate buttercream was delicious!
I am making this tomorrow, (saturday) to serve on Sunday. So I have to keep it refrigerated overnight. Taking it out about an hour before serving. Is that Okay?
Hi Mimi, yes, that’s totally fine. Enjoy!
Could I use Hershey’s special dark cocoa powder? Is that considered Dutch processed?
Hi Bluestone, Hershey’s Special Dark is Dutch-processed, so we don’t recommend it for this cake. You can definitely use it in the frosting, though!
I’d like to adjust the amounts to make both a 9×13 and a one layer 6” for my granddaughter’s smash cake and for the adults. Can you please advice?
Hi Alison! This recipe, as written, can be baked in a 9×13 pan – see recipe Notes. Here’s our one layer 6 inch chocolate cake recipe you can make for the smash cake. It would be easier to make both than trying to adapt this recipe to be slightly larger. Let us know how it goes!
Hi I would like to make this gluten free…I typically just sub the flour for bobs red mill 1 to 1, but I wonder if anyone has tried it without looking through all of hte comments…thanks so much!
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!
If I want to put raspberry extract in the batter would I use 1 tsp of vanilla ALONG with 1 tsp of raspberry extract? I’ve made the cake several times following your recipe and I thought I might try the raspberry. What do you think?
Hi Nancy! We would add both, yes. You may also love our chocolate raspberry cake!
This recipe says that after frosting the cake, it needs to be refrigerated uncovered for 30-60 minutes to help set up the shape, but the white cake recipe says to slice and serve immediately or keep at room temperature for a few hours before serving; if I were to make this chocolate cake but with the vanilla buttercream from the white cake recipe, which one do I do?
Also, can individual cake slices be frozen?
Hi CH! This chocolate cake recipe is quite light and soft, so benefits from the quick refrigeration. If you frost it with vanilla buttercream we would do the same. Cake slices can definitely be frozen. We usually wrap in plastic wrap and then add then seal in a container or large zip top bag.
Made this recipe for my husbands birthday and he’s already eaten almost half the cake! It came out perfectly moist and delicious. I stuck mini chocolate chips to the sides and topped with shaved chocolate. Oh my gosh so good!!
I made this recipe following the steps exactly! The batter is VERY thin and made a huge mess when poured in springform cake pans. The oven looks awful too, but the whole house smells amazing. Hopefully it will be all worth the afterwards scrubbing. Just a heads up in case someone else planned to use springform pans.
Dear sally,
You changed my life. I am a different person than I was before I ate this cake. Thank you.
Hi Sally. Once I remove cakes from their pans once cooled, they are still a little moist on the bottom. Do I still wrap them at this point (won’t be putting frosting on until tomorrow) or wait until they dry out more.
Thank you,
Brenda
Hi Brenda! If they’re totally cooled, we would wrap them up to preserve their moistness!
Hi sally! loved this recipe so good! do you have a lamington recipe? may i suggest trying one, i love your recipes sooooooooo much!!
We have made this recipe a few times exactly as written and using the coconut oil. It was moist, delicious and a delight to the eye each time. Thank you for this recipe! It’s a keeper!
Thank you for this recipe, because it is delicious! I used King Arthur espresso powder and also used a tablespoon of the powder in a cup of hot water for the cup of coffee addition, and that worked well. I also made the chocolate buttercream for it, and it is just a beaurtiful cake.