Classic Chocolate Cake

This Chocolate Cake Recipe is a classic you’ll want to keep in your recipe box. Made with simple pantry ingredients and finished with rich chocolate frosting, it makes a soft, moist cake that’s perfect for birthdays, celebrations, or just dessert at home. You can also pair it with Cream Cheese Frosting or Vanilla Buttercream, but the chocolate frosting is a classic choice.

slice of chocolate cake with fork taking a piece

If you’re looking for my egg-free, Vegan Chocolate Cake, you can find that recipe here.

Ingredient Notes

Ordinary pantry staples come together to create this amazing chocolate cake. Here’s what you’ll need:

Flour + Dutch Processed Cocoa Powder – The flour gives the cake structure, while Dutch processed cocoa adds a deep chocolate flavor.
Baking Powder + Baking Soda – These work together to help the cake rise and stay light.
Salt – A little salt balances the sweetness and brings out the chocolate flavor.
Buttermilk – This helps keep the cake moist. If you don’t have buttermilk use milk and white vinegar (1 1/2 cups of milk and 1 1/2 teaspoons of white vinegar).
Vanilla – A splash of vanilla rounds out the flavors and adds a little extra depth.
Instant Coffee Granules– This is optional, but a small amount makes the chocolate flavor taste richer without making the cake taste like coffee. I recommend adding 1 teaspoon to your batter. I used Folgers Instant Coffee Crystals and they worked perfectly.
Vegetable Oil – Oil keeps the cake moist and tender.
Sugar – Adds sweetness and helps give the cake a soft texture.
Eggs + Egg Whites – The eggs give the cake structure, while the extra egg whites help keep it light.

Dutch Processed Cocoa Powder Versus All the Others

After testing and re-testing this chocolate cake recipe, I have found the best cocoa that will give you the best chocolatey flavor is Dutch Processed Cocoa Powder.

Regular unsweetened cocoa powder is a little more acidic while Dutch processed is neutral. This just has to do with the way the cocoa beans are processed.

Both will work in this recipe, but Dutch processed is my favorite for this cake. Ghirardelli makes a great Dutch processed cocoa powder that works really well here.

How to Make Chocolate Cake

For full details, including increments, see the printable recipe card down below!

Step 1: Preheat Oven and Prepare Pans

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line three 8-inch round baking pans with parchment paper and/or spray well with nonstick cooking spray and set aside. (See notes)

Step 2: Prepare the Dry + Wet Ingredients

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.

In a liquid measuring cup, stir together the buttermilk, instant coffee granules (if using), and vanilla. Stir to dissolve the coffee granules. They will slowly dissolve over 5-10 minutes as they sit in the buttermilk and as you add them to the chocolate cake batter. Set aside.

pouring in buttermilk into chocolate cake batter

Step 3: Make the Cake Batter

In a large bowl, mix oil and sugar together until combined. Add in the eggs and egg white, one at a time, until the mixture becomes lighter in color. Scrape the sides of the bowl and mix again briefly.

Alternate adding in flour mixture with milk mixture, being sure to start and end with flour. Scrape the sides and mix again to ensure a smooth batter.

chocolate cake batter in glass mixing bowl

Step 4: Bake and Cool

Using an ice cream scoop, divide chocolate cake batter evenly between baking pans and smooth the tops. Bake 22-30 minutes in the lower two-thirds of the oven. Cake will be done when a toothpick comes out clean or mostly clean with a few moist crumbs.

Cool 15-20 minutes in cake pans before trying to invert onto cooling racks. Once you can handle the warm pans with your bare hands, you can flip them out. Cool completely before frosting and decorating.

Make-Ahead Tip: You can make the cake layers ahead of time. Wrap the cooled layers tightly in plastic wrap and store at room temperature overnight or freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw frozen layers in the fridge overnight, then bring to room temperature before frosting.

Frosting Your Chocolate Cake

Make sure the cake layers are completely cool before frosting. Warm cake can soften the frosting and make it harder to spread.

For the best results, the frosting should be smooth, creamy, and easy to spread while still holding its shape. If there are lots of air bubbles, stir the frosting by hand with a wooden spoon to smooth it out.

What Frosting Should I Use?

The best, most classic frosting for this chocolate cake recipe is my Easy Chocolate Frosting Recipe! I have that added to the recipe card below. However, it depends on what kind of overall product you are looking for too. Consider these other great frosting recipes to try:

Same Recipe, Different Cakes!

This Chocolate Cake Recipe will make:

1- 9×13 thick cake (bake for 30-40 minutes)
2- 8 or 9-inch round cakes (bake for 28-35 minutes)
32 cupcakes (bake for 15-22 minutes)

Regardless of how you bake this cake recipe, be sure to use lighter-colored baking pans (or glass). Darker Teflon will make the edges cook much faster than the center, giving you darker, crispier edges, which isn’t what we’re going for with this chocolate cake recipe.

Tips for Success

Don’t let the batter sit too long. Once you’ve combined the wet and dry ingredients, move the batter into the pans and into the oven so it can rise properly.
Rotate carefully if needed. If your oven has a hot spot, rotate the pans once the cakes have started to set. Avoid opening the oven too early, since this can cause the centers to sink.
Watch for overbaking. Chocolate cake can go from moist to dry quickly. Start checking toward the earlier end of the baking time, especially if your oven runs hot.
Level the layers before stacking. If the cakes have rounded tops, trim them with a serrated knife once they are completely cool. This makes the layers easier to stack and frost evenly.
Use a cake board for layered cakes. It gives the cake a sturdy base and makes it easier to move while frosting and decorating.

What to Serve With Classic Chocolate Cake

A slice of chocolate cake pairs well with something creamy, fruity, or a little extra chocolatey. Here are a few easy recipes to serve alongside it:

Vanilla Ice Cream – A scoop of cold, creamy vanilla ice cream is a simple match for rich chocolate cake.
Strawberry Sauce – Sweet strawberry sauce adds a fruity contrast to the deep chocolate flavor.
Cheesecake – For a larger dessert spread, creamy no-bake cheesecake pairs well with chocolate cake.
Rocky Road Ice Cream – Chocolate ice cream with marshmallows and almonds pairs well with a slice of chocolate cake.
Whipped Cream – A spoonful of light, fluffy whipped cream adds a simple creamy finish to each slice.

whole chocolate cake with pieces missing

This classic chocolate cake is rich, soft, and simple to make. I hope you enjoy making it as much as I do!

This Chocolate Cake Recipe is quick, easy and most importantly delicious! Pair it with your favorite frosting recipe and you’ve got dessert!

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Keyword chocolate cake recipe

Prep Time 40 minutes

Cook Time 30 minutes

Cooling time 1 hour

Total Time 2 hours 10 minutes

Servings servings

Calories 613kcal

Author Katie Cooksey

Ingredients

For the Chocolate Cake:

1 3/4 cups all purpose flour
3/4 cup dutch processed cocoa powder
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups buttermilk
1 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 teaspoon instant coffee granules such as Folgers (optional)
3/4 cup vegetable oil or canola oil
2 cups granulated sugar
2 eggs
1 egg whites

For the Chocolate Frosting:

1 1/2 cups butter softened
1 1/2 pounds powdered sugar
3/4 cup dutch processed cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
1/3 cup heavy cream or more, as needed

US Customary – Metric

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line three 8-inch round baking pan with parchment paper and/or spray well with nonstick cooking spray and set aside. (See notes)
In a large bowl, whisk flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda and salt together to combine. Set aside. In a liquid measuring cup, stir buttermilk, vanilla and instant coffee granules (if using) together. Set aside.
In a separate large bowl, mix oil and sugar together until combined. Mix in eggs and egg white, one at a time, until mixture becomes lighter in color, about 90 seconds.
Alternate adding in flour mixture with milk mixture, being sure to start and end with flour. Scrape the sides and mix again to ensure a smooth batter.
Divide evenly between baking pans and smooth the top. Bake 22-30 minutes in the lower 2/3rds of the oven. If you’re using two cake pans instead of three, you will need to bake this cake 28-35 minutes. Cake will be done when a toothpick comes out clean or mostly clean with a few moist crumbs. Cool 15-20 minutes in cake pans before trying to invert on cooling racks. Once you can handle the warm pans with your bare hands, you can flip them out. Cool completely before frosting and decorating.

For the Chocolate Frosting:

See recipe notes for how much frosting you will need to make. In a large bowl, measure and add butter, powdered sugar, cocoa, salt and vanilla. Stir with beaters on low (or paddle attachment on stand mixer) to mix and break up the butter. It will still be very powdery and dry.
Slowly add in the heavy cream. Once you notice the frosting start to come together stop adding the cream. You may need to add more than the amount listed. This is also normal. Increase mixer speed to medium to get rid of any lumps and create a smooth frosting.
Scrape the sides and the bottom of the bowl and mix again to ensure a completely smooth frosting. Chocolate frosting will be done when it can hold its shape, but you can easily move a butter knife through it. If its too thick, add more cream and mix. If you’ve added too much cream and the frosting is too soft, add more powdered sugar. If you notice there are a lot of air bubbles in your frosting, use a large wooden spoon to beat a lot of the air out of the frosting by hand.

Video

Notes

How much frosting should I make? The listed recipe makes enough frosting to fill and frost a three layer cake. If you’re only baking two layers, I recommend cutting the recipe down. Use the following increments: 1 cup softened butter, 1 pound powdered sugar, 1/2 cup cocoa powder, 1/3 teaspoon salt (or a scant 1/2 teaspoon), 1 teaspoon vanilla, 1/4 cup heavy cream (or more, as needed). Use the same directions to make the frosting as listed in the recipe card.

Nutrition

More Chocolate Cake Recipes!

Be sure to check out the rest of my cake recipes while you’re at it

Storing Chocolate Cake

Store the frosted cake covered at room temperature for up to 2 days. For longer storage, keep it refrigerated and let it come to room temperature before serving for the best texture.

Individual cake layers can also be wrapped tightly and frozen for up to 3 months.

If you make this recipe, I would really appreciate it if you would give it a star rating and leave your review in the comments! If you have a picture of your finished dish, post it on Instagram using the hashtag #laurenslatest and tag me @laurens_latest.

Classic Chocolate Cake

Ingredient Notes

Dutch Processed Cocoa Powder Versus All the Others