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
Made this for my son’s birthday…SO GOOD. I left out the espresso/coffee because he didn’t want any hint of coffee flavor. I didn’t miss it, it was so chocolatey and yum, but maybe I’ll use it next time just to try it. Our cakes occasionally come out a bit too dense, so I opted for Sally’s original recipe, all buttermilk and no sour cream, and it was a soft, springy, super-moist crumb–perfect. Used chocolate cream cheese frosting because we love that bit of tang. Kept the sides naked, and it looked great. This and her carrot cake recipe are now our top two favorites.
Hi Sally, for the espresso powder, can it be freshly ground (I make espresso every morning) or does it have to be instant espresso powder, or either? Excited to try this recipe; thanks!
Hi Jill, it needs to be instant, which dissolves. You don’t want espresso grounds in your cake!
HI, I love the sound of this recipe. Could the ingredients be multiplied to bake a 12 inch square cake? I have been asked to make a large retirement cake and would love to do this recipe. Many thanks.
Hi Rosie, Here is everything you need to know about converting recipes to different Cake Pan Sizes.
Hi sally! Could I take this cakerecipe and make it into cupcakes?
Definitely! See the Notes after the recipe for cupcake instructions (the last note!).
I’ve made a lot of chocolate cakes but this is the best recipe I have ever used. It has a rich, chocolaty flavor and the texture is not dense or crumby but not too spongy either. It is my absolute favorite.
Also, the cocoa powder I use is CACAO BARRY EXTRA BRUTE 22/24% Fat
Hello Sally, I’ve been using your recipe for years now and I love it and had many compliments. But I feel I am missing rise in the end result. What flour brand do you use please?
Hi Karine, 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.
The best chocolate cake recipe I have found. Super moist, great taste topped with a fabulous buttercream. The recipe works exactly as presented. No need to modify or substitute – it is perfection as it is. Thanks.
We normally order a cake for my birthday at a local bakery, but I have not been impressed with the quality that I have been receiving over the last few times we ordered from them- too much icing and not enough flavor in the cake.
This year for my birthday, I wanted to break the norm and use this recipe from Sally’s Baking. I have made other Sally’s Baking recipes for cookies and brownies, and they all turned out great. Let me say, this cake was PHENOMENIAL. The entire family loved it, and for myself, it was the perfect cake I could have had for my birthday, I was 100% satisfied! I highly recommend this recipe!
Just a note, we made the cake and icing the day before. We set the icing in the fridge, but when it came time to put the icing on the cake, the icing was way too stiff, and clay-like, even after sitting out at room temperature. We resolved this by following the method that Sally suggested in using heavy cream to loosen the icing, but I should say it took much more than 2-3 tablespoons, more like 1/3 – 1/2 cup to get it to a spreadable consistency.
Can I use 6 inch cake pans?
Hi Sandra, this will be too much batter for a 6 inch cake. Instead, you can use the batter from these chocolate cupcakes. It yields the perfect amount for a 3 layer, 6 inch cake. You can follow the baking times and directions for 6 inch cake recipes. Let us know how it turns out!
Could I double this to make a four layer cake?
Hi Rachael, you can make two separate batches (rather than doubling) for 4 layers, or you could 1.5x the recipe for 4 slightly thinner layers. We’d recommend making the sour cream version outlined in the recipe Notes for a bit of extra structure. This is a light and delicate cake, so using cake dowels to support that many layers is recommended. OR, you could simply use the cake portion of this chocolate mousse cake to yield 4 chocolate cake layers. Hope it’s a hit!
Can you just add milk instead of the cup of coffee?
Hi Vic, you can use extra hot water or hot chai tea instead of the coffee.
Question – will this recipe work in three (3) 6″ cake pans?
Hi Marcia, this will be too much batter for a 6 inch cake. Instead, you can use the batter from these chocolate cupcakes. It yields the perfect amount for a 3 layer, 6 inch cake. You can follow the baking times and directions for 6 inch cake recipes. Let us know how it turns out!
Hi Sally, Im also thinking of making a three layer 6 inch cake. How should I change the amount of butter cream? Thank you!
Hi Pris, the buttercream from the chocolate cupcakes recipe should be the right amount.
Sally, would it be ok to use avocado oil in place of the oil listed in this recipe?
Hi Julie, that will work in a pinch.
I made this cake it turned out great! Definitely will make it again.
I have made/baked this chocolate cake many times! It really is the best! I cannot bring myself to ever make/bake a ‘box cake’ again. Thank you!
Could I substitute the eggs for something? One of my kids has an egg allergy!
Hi Agnes, we haven’t tested an egg-free version of this cake, but let us know if you do.
hellooo? alternative to 1 cup (240ml) freshly brewed strong hot coffee? thank you so muchh
Hi Iya, you can use hot water instead of the coffee. Enjoy!
This is the best chocolate cake ever and I make it all the time. Unfortunately, we are experiencing a cocoa shortage and only dutch-processed cocoa is available — and it costs a fortune. Would it be possible to explain how to compensate for using dutch process cocoa in this recipe?
Hi Sharon, Unsweetened natural cocoa powder is required for the cake. It would take some testing to use Dutch process. You can use unsweetened natural cocoa powder or Dutch process cocoa powder in the frosting (since there aren’t leavening agents). Here’s more on the difference between the two if you’re interested.
Hi Sharon, I also couldn’t get my hands on natural unprocessed cocoa, only Dutch..
I found a good resource that said if you want to use Dutch, you have to replace the baking soda with double the amount of baking powder.
So in this recipe I omitted the 2 tsp of soda and replaced with 4 top of baking powder.
So in total I put 5 top on baking powder and no baking soda.. and it came out perfectly! Hope that helps 🙂
I have been able to find unsweetened Cocoa at Walmart. The great value is unsweetened and the ingredients say natural cocoa. Hope this helps!
Hi sally! Been trying your chocolate chip cookies and it was perfect! May I know for this moist chocolate cake recipe, can I use self raising flour instead of AP flour? And how about the measurements, do I need to adjust it?
Hi Nana, we don’t recommend using self rising flour in this recipe. It would take additional recipe testing to ensure accurate results.
I made this for a dinner party and it was a smashing success. Great recipe! I made peanut butter frosting with it. Thanks, Sally
This was definitely the best chocolate cake my family and I have ever eaten. It’s so rich and perfectly sweet. They said it’s the best cake they’ve ever eaten so I will definitely be making again!
Made this for my boyfriend and his dads birthdays and we all looooooved it. I also added some lindor balls on top and it was very rich and delish! Lots of work and ingredients but it was worth it.
I’ve used this recipe for years and absolutely love it!!! But can this recipe be cut in half?
Hi Paige, yes, you can halve the recipe for a single 9 inch round layer. Or, here is our recipe for a single-layer, 9-inch chocolate cake.
Hi Sally! Love baking with you!
Please tell me what brand of chocolate chips you use on the cake. They seem larger and glossier than the semi-sweet ones I use in cookies. Thank you.
Hi Deegie, the pictured chocolate chips are dark chocolate chips. We believe the brand we used for that cake was Nestlé Toll House.
Hi,
Love this recipe! I was just wondering if I’d need to make any adjustments if using gluten free four?
Thank you
Hi Alicia, we haven’t tested a version using gluten free flour, but let us know if you do!
I was wanting to know how the cake turned out with GF flour? If it worked, could you please share exactly which GF flour you used and if you made any recipe adjustments?
Thank you
I have used this recipe quite a number of times and it is my favourite Chocolate cake recipe, everyone loves it when I make it and I have just realised I have never thanked you for it, thank you Sally for this amazing chocolate cake recipe.
I used half butter and half oil. Still had a moist and tender texture. Very good flavor. Next time I make this, will try more butter to oil. The icing is divine.
Hi Sally, do we have to whisk the eggs and oil until fluffy?
Hi Reena, mix until just combined.
Omg this cake sounds delish! Would love to bake this for my daughter’s first birthday! Alas, we’re in Europe and don’t have standard 9″ cake tins, we have 26cm tins (10.2″) – do we need to increase the recipe somehow? Any recommendation on how we should best do that? Thank you!
Hi Dahlia, here’s everything you need to know about cake pan sizes and conversions. Enjoy!
How much buttermilk to use if I want to make a single layer cake. I looked at the mint cake recipe but want to make this one but in one layer. The mint cake one doesn’t seem to have buttermilk or coffee.
Hi Lucy, for a single layer you can halve all of the ingredients, so 1/2 cup of buttermilk.