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
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
Hi Sally,
I want to make this in a 9×13 pan, but am not sure how deep the pan needs to be to hold this quantity of batter? How deep is the pan referenced in the notes?
Thank you!
Hi Janet, a standard 9×13 glass baking dish will be just fine! The Pyrex brand baking dishes we tend to use are linked in the recipe notes. Enjoy!
I have made this recipe myself many times and have asked for it many times for my birthday. It’s excellent! Question though – ho much frosting does this buttercream make? Using it for vanilla cupcakes. Thanks!
Hi Kate! This recipe yields about 3 cups of frosting or so.
Hi Sally,
Thank you for this recipe! We made it twice and everybody in the family loves it! I would like to make it for a birthday party in 9×13 pan to feed about 25 people. Should I double the recipe to make it 2 layer like your 9in round version? Thank you for your help!
Hi Yulia, this batter as written if enough for a 9×13-inch pan; if you want two cake layers, we’d recommend making two separate batches rather than doubling. You can double the frosting if you wish; that should be plenty to fill, cover, and decorate. Enjoy!
Hi Sally, do you have a chocolate ganache recipe?
Yes, Lisa, we do! Here’s our complete guide for making homemade chocolate ganache. Enjoy!
Hey Sally!
If I bake it in one round cake tin and later use a cake layer tool to cut the layers, would the cake hold up, or is it not this strong?
Hi Rauno, There is too much batter to make it all in just one pan; as a best practice, we fill our baking pans no more than half way to make sure they have enough room to rise and bake properly without risking overflow. Instead, you can bake the cake in batches, leaving the remaining batter covered at room temperature while waiting for the current layer to bake and cool. Hope this helps!
Hi Sally, I’m making this cake in 6” x 4 layers with fondant covering for my granddaughters 1st birthday. How far in advance can I make this as fondant can’t go in the fridge? Obviously I need time to finish with decorations!
Hi Sharon! After decorating anything with buttercream or cream cheese frosting, it’s fine for 1 day at room temperature. After that, we would refrigerate it. But, use your best judgment and whatever you are comfortable with- we’ve never had any problems leaving frosted desserts at room temperature for a day.
Hi Sally,
I have tried your recipe and it turns really well. Just wanted to ask, if I want to make half of the quantity in 2 x 6 inch pans, what would be the baking time?
Hi Ruki, 6-inch cake layers generally take about 18-20 minutes to bake, but it would depend on the thickness/how much batter is in each pan. Start checking around 17 minutes and use a toothpick to test for doneness.
Thank you so much and I made it again and this time also it was a hit. Thank you for this amazing recipe.
This is the best chocolate cake I have ever made, so moist, delicious and very easy to bake! Thank you!
Love this recipe! Can you use self rising flour? Thanks!
The best recipe ever!!!! Its a firm favourite at home
Thank you so much Sally – I love your recipes!
What do you wrap your cakes with to leave in the fridge?
Hi Kimberly! To store leftovers, we usually place the cake in a large air tight container.
It’s really soft and tastes pretty close to some of the premade ones at Wal-Mart. I made it with jaggery/turbinado sugar (brown but dry) and clabber instead of buttermilk. I think I’m going to leave out the coffee next time
The temperature of 177 degrees, is that for conventional oven or for a fan oven?
Hi Sarah! All of the recipes on this site are written for conventional settings. Convection ovens are fantastic for cooking and roasting. If you have the choice, we recommend conventional settings when baking cakes, breads, etc. The flow of air from convection heat can cause baked goods to rise and bake unevenly and it also pulls moisture out of the oven. If you do use convection settings for baking, lower your temperature by 25 degrees F and keep in mind that things may still take less time to bake.
Hi,
I’m just wondering if I can use milk instead of Vegetable oil?
Hi Scarlett, this recipe really needs the oil. Let us know if you try it!
I made this cake today and wow! It’s hard to find a good cake recipe that is chocolatey and has a good crumb. I only had 8 in cake pans, and baked it for 23 min. My kids wanted to add piping, so we doubled the frosting recipe…. Probably only needed to make 1.5X frosting. Wonderful. Beautiful and delicious. If you are new to baking, measure by mass, you will get better results!
Hi Sally, I was wondering if I could make this recipe without the buttermilk? Or could I substitute the buttermilk for something else?
Thanks
Hi Emma! See recipe Notes for details on the buttermilk in this recipe.
Hi Sally!
This cake sounds delicious! How could I modify it for high altitude? I live at 6500 feet and would love to make it.
Hi Babette, I wish we could help, but have no experience baking at high altitude. Some readers have found this chart helpful: https://www.kingarthurflour.com/learn/high-altitude-baking.html
Hi Sally. Can I use SR flour for this recipe?
Hi Deborah, we don’t recommend using self rising flour in this recipe. It would take additional recipe testing to ensure accurate results.
Hi Sally, I have been making this cake for several years now. Lately when I have made it seems to be very crumbly, so much so I have difficultly frosting it without there being crumbs in the frosting despite doing a crumb coat. I made two batches over the weekend to make a 4 layer cake and one of the batches broke apart beyond being able to stick back together coming out of the pan. I weigh my ingredients and used your sour cream addition over the weekend. Any insight as to why it would be so crumbly? Too many wet or dry ingredients? Baking to long? Thank you in advance!
Hi Jillian, we’re happy to help troubleshoot! If you’ve had success with this recipe in the past, is there anything that has changed about your process recently? For example, a new oven? Or different ingredients/brands? When cakes are too dry, it’s often because they were over baked (especially easy to do with chocolate cake!). You might also use an oven thermometer to check that your oven isn’t running hotter than it reads, which can dry out the cake, too. This post on how to prevent dry and dense cakes will also be a helpful resource. Hope this helps for your next cake!
Love this cake SO much! I’m wondering why you mix the sugar with the flour rather than beat it with the eggs. That seems different from what I normally see in cakes like this. Thanks!
Are your chocolate/vanilla buttercream recipes good for decorating cakes? Or do you recommend another?
Hi Hanna, yes, absolutely!
Hello, could I use 2 8 inch pans instead of 9? Thanks!
Hi Anna, you can use the recipe as is for a 2 layer, 8 inch cake (bake time will be a bit longer for the thicker layers but same oven temperature).
This was by far the best chocolate cake I’ve ever tasted. Thank you for taking the time to put this recipe on.
Hi Sally, I was wondering why some of my cakes turn out dry on the outside but gooey in the center? What can do to avoid it?
Hi SR, happy to help troubleshoot here. What kind of cake pans are you using? And what oven setting are you using–conventional bake or fan-assisted?
Is it ok to bake on convection bake? Or are we supposed to use bake?
Hi Cathy, We always recommend conventional settings for baking (not convection/fan). The flow of air from convection heat can cause baked goods to rise and bake unevenly and it also pulls moisture out of the oven. If you do use convection/fan settings for baking, lower your temperature by 25 degrees F and keep in mind that things may still take less time to bake.
Hello! Can you use cake flour in this cake?
Hi Chloe, cake flour is much too light to use in this recipe, since we also use cocoa powder (another very light ingredient). For best results, we recommend sticking with all-purpose flour.
This chocolate cake was perfect. The frosting was fantastic. It was a crowd pleaser.
As a chocaholic, I’m wondering if chocolate chunks would be too much? On second thought, I’ll just try it and post the results here if that’s okay. To report success/failure, that is.
Hi Ruth, we haven’t tried this cake with chocolate chunks, but would recommend starting with mini chocolate chips tossed in a Tbsp of flour. Let us know how you like it!
Looks great, but will this cake hold up under fondant? I am planning to make a Lego cake for a birthday party, but I am not sure whether this cake will squish under the weight of fondant.
Hi Janet, using the sour cream method/version from the recipe Notes, this cake should be just find under fondant. Hope it’s a hit!
How much orange liqueur, zest and extract do I need to make it Orange chocolate cake like a Terrys orange?
Hi D, we haven’t tested an orange chocolate cake, but adding zest and extract are a great start! We caution against adding too much extra liquid to the batter. Let us know what you try!
Question: How much whipped ganache would I need to ice and fill this cake as a three layer cake? Also, with other cake recipes I’ve had trouble with the cake being dry but the middle being gooey, so I’m going to try this recipe. Why was that happening and how can I prevent it? By the way, all of the recipes I have used from your site have turned out perfectly, including a vanilla cake, so I was elated to find a chocolate cake recipe, which is what I usually do.
Hi S.R., this recipe yields about 3 cups of frosting, so you’ll need closet to 4 cups for a three layer cake. Happy baking!
Hello, is there a vanilla version of this delicious moist cake? Or what would happen if you didn’t use the Cocoa powder so it wasn’t chocolate flavour?
Hi Maryanne, here is our favorite vanilla cake. Very soft, light, and moist like this chocolate cake!