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This recipe makes the BEST Homemade Chocolate Cake and it’s the only recipe you need! NEVER buy a box again! This is an easy cake recipe with my absolute favorite fudgy chocolate frosting. This chocolatey cake has a moist crumb and fudgy frosting – it’s my new go-to chocolate cake recipe!
If you’re looking for a moist and rich homemade chocolate cake, this is the recipe you need. It really is the best chocolate cake recipe – rich chocolate flavor with a fudgy whipped chocolate buttercream frosting between the gorgeous chocolate cake layers. This has become the only chocolate cake recipe I make!
Whether you’re looking to make a perfect 8-inch or 9-inch layer cake, a 9×13-inch sheet cake, or 24 wonderful cupcakes, this chocolate cake recipe is the only one you need in your arsenal. You can use any frosting, but my fudgy chocolate frosting is by far my favorite.
Important Chocolate Cake Ingredients
- It has the usual cake making suspects: sugar, all-purpose flour, and eggs.
- Cocoa is a usual ingredient in chocolate cake, and you can use natural unsweetened cocoa powder or special dark (that Hershey’s one) but this recipe has not been tested with Dutch process or black cocoa powder. Natural cocoa powder is best.
- Oil: I love using oil instead of butter in a lot of my cakes. I find that a liquid fat gives more moisture in a cake than a solid one, hence using oil or melted butter.
- Baking Soda and Baking Powder: The two work in tandem to create lift and keep the cake light and airy. Baking soda requires an acid to help it activate (like buttermilk). Baking powder is made up of baking soda and enough acid to already cause the reaction. Using them both gives the extra lift needed that baking soda alone wouldn’t be able to give. (Learn more about baking soda vs baking powder.)
- Buttermilk: Since baking soda requires an acid to activate it and make it work, that’s why I used buttermilk. That tanginess of the buttermilk acts as an acid that helps the baking soda work. Make your own buttermilk with vinegar and milk (or nondairy milk).
- Hot water: when added to a chocolate cake recipe, it helps to bloom the cocoa. Blooming the cocoa is an important step because it brings out the flavor and adds depth to the cake. Don’t skip the hot water!
- TIP: Add a teaspoon of instant coffee or espresso powder to the hot water – it will deepen the chocolate flavor even more!
How to make Chocolate Cake Tips
- You could also use Vanilla frosting or cream cheese frosting, Brown Butter Chocolate Frosting, or my classic chocolate buttercream.
- See under the recipe card for all the process photos.
- You can make this with a hand mixer or a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment.
- This really is a simple chocolate cake recipe – you whisk the dry ingredients and then you whisk the wet ingredients and then mix them together.
- Pan options: You can bake the cake in two 9-inch round pans, three 8-inch round cake pans, a 9×13-inch pan or as 24 cupcakes.
- Be sure to bake until a toothpick or cake tester comes out clean from the center of the cake.
- We love the best chocolate fudge frosting recipe for this cake – it uses melted butter and it’s the recipe my grandma used. It uses whole milk as well, not heavy cream. You can also use coconut milk or any nondairy milk.
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Expert Tips
- If a recipe calls for baking soda (especially a cake), it needs to be baked ASAP. There’s no wait-and-let-it-sit with this batter. Make it then bake it! The baking soda chemical reaction begins right away and if you don’t bake it quickly enough, your cake won’t rise.
- Measure your flour the right way.
- Grease your cake pans properly for easy release (using baking spray or butter and flour – I also use parchment paper to line the bottoms of my pans).
- The most important thing about the frosting is that, because it starts with melted butter, you have to make it right before you use it. It will start to harden after a little bit, so have the cakes all ready to frost BEFORE making the frosting, and it’ll spread just fine.
FAQ
How do you keep chocolate cake moist?
Make sure not to over bake the cake or it will be dry. This cake is super moist thanks to the baking soda and vinegar!
How to store chocolate cake?
Store the frosted cake loosely covered. You don’t have to chill it but you can, although the refrigerator can dry it out. Once it’s sliced I recommend storing it on the counter for up to 3 days.
Can you freeze a simple chocolate cake recipe?
You can freeze the layers before you assembling, just wrap them well in plastic wrap first. You can freeze the whole cake frozen but I don’t really recommend that unless you’re just freezing leftovers.
BEST Chocolate Cake Recipe
This is the only chocolate cake recipe you need! Skip the box and make my Best Chocolate Cake recipe. This cake recipe makes a layer cake, a sheet cake, or 24 cupcakes!
Recipe Video
Prep Time 45 minutes
Cook Time 40 minutes
Total Time 2 hours
Ingredients
For the Cake
- 1 ¾ cups granulated sugar (350g)
- ¾ cup unsweetened cocoa powder (60g)
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
- 1 ½ teaspoons baking soda
- 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour (304g)
- ½ cup vegetable oil (119 ml)
- 2 large eggs
- 1 cup hot water (237ml)
- 1 cup buttermilk (237ml)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract (5ml)
For the Fudgy Chocolate Frosting:
- 1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder (85g)
- 5 cups powdered sugar (565g)
- 1 cup unsalted butter, melted (227g)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract (5ml)
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 5 tablespoons milk (75ml), use regular milk for best results
Instructions
Make the Cake:
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Prepare cupcake pans with liners or grease and flour cake pan(s).
- Whisk together sugar, cocoa, salt, baking powder, baking soda, and flour in a large bowl. Set aside.
- Whisk oil, eggs, water, buttermilk, and vanilla in a large measuring cup or bowl.
- Pour wet ingredients into dry ingredients and whisk until smooth. Batter will be thin.
- Pour into prepared pans and bake as directed, or until a toothpick comes out clean from the center. Cool completely before frosting.
Make the Frosting right before using:
- Add powdered sugar and cocoa to a very large bowl. Whisk to combine and get out any lumps.
- Pour in unsalted butter and mix with a hand mixer or stand mixer until crumbly, then add vanilla and salt.
- Add milk and mix until frosting is smooth and the desired consistency. Use immediately.
- Bake Time:24 cupcakes: 13-16 minutesTwo 9-inch rounds: 28-35 minutes9×13-inch pan: 35-40 minutes
Recipe Notes
- Use Unsweetened Cocoa or Hershey’s Special Dark Cocoa but NOT Dutch Process
- Substitute 1:1 gluten free AP flour to make these gluten-free
- For the buttermilk, you can substitute milk or non-dairy milk by adding 1tsp vinegar or lemon juice to the wet ingredients.
Recipe Nutrition
Serving: 1slice | Calories: 664kcal | Carbohydrates: 103g | Protein: 7g | Fat: 28g | Saturated Fat: 13g | Cholesterol: 72mg | Sodium: 566mg | Fiber: 6g | Sugar: 73g
Nutritional information not guaranteed to be accurate
Substitutions (GF, Dairy-Free)
- If you don’t have buttermilk you can substitute milk but you also need to add an acid or the baking soda won’t work. If you’re substituting milk, add 1 teaspoon of white vinegar or lemon juice to the milk; that will create buttermilk!
- To use non-dairy milk, just make sure to add 1 tsp vinegar or lemon juice to the wet ingredients. This will create the chemical reaction needed to activate the baking soda.
- To make a gluten free chocolate cake, just substitute 1:1 gluten free all-purpose flour (my favorite is the light blue Bob’s Red Mill package).
Step-by-Step Photos
- Whisk granulated sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and flour in a large bowl.
- Stir together buttermilk, hot water, oil, eggs, and vanilla extract.
- Add the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and whisk until batter forms without lumps.
- Pour into prepared cake pans or cupcake pans. Bake until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool before frosting.
- Whisk powdered sugar and cocoa in a large bowl. Add melted butter and stir, then mix in powdered sugar and milk until smooth and creamy. Use immediately.
I am wanting to make this cake for Valentine’s Day, my husband has been asking for chocolate cake. And this recipe looks amazing and simple.
My question is; I only have two, 6 inch cake pans. Could I use these and with the leftover batter for cupcakes?
How full should I fill the cake pan?
They are tall cake pans. Thank you sooooo much.
Yes you can make cupcakes with the extra – it’s best to only fill the cake pans about half full
Thank you Dorothy for getting back to me. I ended up filling the two 6-inch cake pans with the cake batter. Turned out wonderful!!
This is an amazing chocolate cake – so moist and delicious!!! I used your chocolate cheesecake frosting for it!!! Yummy!!!!
I’ am so so happy to have tried your chocolate cake recipe. The family loves it and simple to make it.
thank-you this is a keeper.
I really appreciate this description! It’s so encouraging and makes the recipe sound incredibly versatile, perfect for layer cakes, sheet cakes, or cupcakes. The assurance that it’s easy to make, even for those who might not be confident in their baking skills, is so motivating. Plus, the mention of the fudgy chocolate frosting just adds to the excitement. This is definitely the go-to chocolate cake recipe I’ve been looking for!
I’m looking for the best chocolate fudge frosting that is pictured and written about above—the one with melted butter and milk, NOT heavy whipping cream. I’ve made both over the last few years for my son’s birthday, and we prefer the fudge one! I can’t find it anywhere on the site. Please help!
I don’t have a post specific to that but I have that frosting on my zucchini brownies – you’d want to at least double it – https://www.crazyforcrust.com/zucchini-brownies/
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