Legendary Chocolate Cake Recipe (with THE BEST Chocolate Buttercream Frosting)

March 1, 2025

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Moist and exploding with chocolate taste, this basic chocolate cake options 2 cake layers plus chocolate buttercream! The chocolate buttercream frosting is wealthy and creamy and completes this chocolate cake recipe. Chocolate sprinkles are non-compulsory however are a enjoyable garnish. In the event you like my chocolate cupcakes recipe, it is advisable to bake this cake.

Slice of chocolate cake on a dark table topped with chocolate buttercream frosting.

Well-known Chocolate Cake Recipe

In my household, I’m “well-known” for 4 recipes: chocolate chip cookies, brownies, lasagna, and chocolate cake. But it surely’s the chocolate cake that’s the preferred and requested!!! From birthday events to dinner events, it’s all the time an enormous hit! Right here’s why I believe this basic chocolate cake recipe is one of the best:

Plentiful chocolate taste because of cocoa powder within the cake batter and actual chocolate within the chocolate buttercream frosting!
The cake layers are gentle, fluffy, and melt-in-your-mouth moist.
Decadent and wealthy, it’s a basic dessert everybody loves.
This recipe makes use of fundamental substances, and I present some ingredient substitutes under.
My chocolate buttercream frosting is wealthy, fudgy, and filled with chocolate taste!

You can also make cake layers prematurely, wrap in plastic wrap, and freeze for as much as 2 months.

Slice of chocolate cake on a white dessert plate.

Elements for Chocolate Cake

Sugar: This recipe makes use of granulated sugar, gentle brown sugar, and confectioner’s sugar.
Flour: Crucial of the dry substances. I solely recommend utilizing all-purpose flour, however for a gluten free chocolate cake, a 1-for-1 gluten free flour may go.
Unsweetened Cocoa Powder: This shouldn’t be changed with Dutch course of cocoa.
Baking Soda: Helps the cake batter unfold evenly within the cake pans, making certain even cake layers.
Baking Powder: Helps the cake batter rise within the cake pans, avoiding overly dense cake layers.
Salt: Enhances the chocolate taste and balances sweetness in each the cake batter and chocolate buttercream frosting.
Eggs: You’ll use 2 giant eggs plus an egg yolk. Be sure your eggs at room temperature earlier than use within the cake batter.
Bitter Cream: In a pinch, this can be replaces with full-fat plain Greek yogurt.
Milk: Complete milk works greatest, however lowered fats milk will work in a pinch. I don’t recommend subbing plant primarily based milks. However for those who should, coconut milk will work greatest. However it’ll add a delicate coconut taste.
Oil: For a impartial taste, use canola oil or vegetable oil. In the event you don’t thoughts a delicate taste from the oil, you might use a gentle olive oil or coconut oil (melted).
Vanilla Extract: Actual vanilla extract provides wealthy taste and enhances the opposite flavors within the cake.
Sizzling Espresso: Or freshly boiled water. You possibly can learn the professionals and cons of every under.
Chocolate: For a sweeter chocolate buttercream frosting, use semi-sweet chocolate. For a darker buttercream frosting, use darkish chocolate or bittersweet chocolate. I recommend a much less candy chocolate because the buttercream has a variety of sugar.
Butter: You possibly can’t make chocolate buttercream frosting with out butter! Use a top quality butter model you benefit from the style of and you should definitely convey it to room temperature earlier than use.

Batter for devil's food cake in cake pans.

Cake Batter

Oven Prep: Preheat the oven to 350 at the very least half-hour earlier than you propose on baking.
Prep Cake Pans: Use parchment paper rounds to line your cake pans! Be sure you spray every pan generously with nonstick baking spray.
Mix Dry Elements: Mix the sugars, all function flour, cocoa powder, baking energy, baking soda, and salt. Use an additional giant bowl right here!
Mix Moist Elements: In a separate giant bowl whisk the eggs, egg yolks, milk, bitter cream, oil and vanilla extract. Pour this combination into the dry substances. Add the recent espresso to the cake batter and blend till mixed.
Bake Cake Layers: They’ll take about 26 to half-hour, relying in your oven. Pull the cake pans when a toothpick inserted within the heart of every cake layer comes out clear.
Cool Cake Layers: Cool within the cake pans for 10 minutes. Then invert onto a cooling rack to chill fully. Don’t try and trim the cake layers or frost till the muffins have cooled fully.

Sizzling Espresso vs Sizzling Water

On the subject of this moist ingredient, you’ve got an choice. Listed below are the principle professionals and cons of scorching espresso versus simply utilizing scorching water:

Sizzling espresso enhances the chocolate taste within the cake batter.
Sizzling espresso additionally provides a delicate mocha taste with out making the cake style like espresso.
Nevertheless, for those who’re delicate to espresso or completely hate the flavour, you might wish to depart it out.
The professional of utilizing scorching water is it’s free and all the time readily available, assuming you’ve got a kettle and working water.
The con of utilizing scorching water is it received’t improve the chocolate taste or add any taste dimension to the cake batter.

Chocolate Buttercream Frosting

Soften the Chocolate: Utilizing a double boiler or microwave, soften the chocolate. Enable the chocolate to chill to room temperature earlier than use.
Make the Frosting: Use a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment – or a big bowl and a handheld electrical mixer. Beat the butter till creamy then regularly add the confectioner’s sugar, beating properly after every addition. When you add all of the sugar, beat for two minutes on medium-high. Lastly, add the vanilla and melted chocolate and proceed beating till properly mixed and creamy!
Unfold: Use a big frosting spatula (or a butterknife, no matter you’ve got readily available!) and unfold the frosting on the cake. I like to position one cake layer on a cake stand, add frosting, add one other cake layer, then frost the edges and high of the cake.

Because the chocolate buttercream frosting has a variety of chocolate, I like to recommend making it not more than 1 hour forward.

Slices of chocolate cake on a dark table with a cake server.

Tips on how to Retailer Chocolate Cake

To retailer leftover chocolate cake, wrap tightly in plastic wrap. Make sure the plastic touches the cake and that no spots stay uncovered to air.
You possibly can retailer this cake at room temperature or within the fridge. It’ll keep recent for as much as 2 days.
In the event you’d wish to bake the muffins prematurely of frosting, you may. Bake them and funky fully, then wrap in plastic wrap and retailer at room temperature for as much as 24 hours. Or freeze for as much as 2 months.

Greatest Cake Pans for Chocolate Cake

You’ll want (2) 9-inch cake pans for this chocolate cake recipe.
For greatest outcomes, use metallic or metal pans.
Glass pans or ceramic pans will take longer to bake, and should yield uneven cake layers.
In the event you don’t have 2 cake pans, you may bake these muffins in batches, nevertheless it’s extra time consuming.
You’ll have to let the cake pan cool fully earlier than utilizing it to bake one other cake, in any other case the cake batter received’t bake evenly.
You possibly can wrap the baked muffins in plastic wrap to maintain them moist when you bake the opposite muffins.
You possibly can bake this cake in a 9×13-inch baking pan. The baking time will probably be totally different, probably it’ll take nearer to 35 minutes. In the event you determine to make use of this measurement pan, regulate the cake and understand it’s prepared when a toothpick inserted within the heart comes out clear.

Please not the final 3 ideas above are in reference to baking the muffins in the identical cake pan (for those who don’t have 2 cake pans to make use of).