The best chocolate cake recipe. Ever? There are plenty of claims for the best chocolate cake recipe. I get that. But with one bite of this chocolate cake with chocolate frosting, every single person around the table commented that this was the best chocolate cake they’d ever tasted.
So as for my house, this chocolate cake recipe now holds that honor.
As the compliments continued, I didn’t begin to tell them how easy it was to make.
In all honesty, it is probably one of the easiest cakes I’ve made in a long time, really, but I just smiled and thanked them.
As we continued on gobbling up the cake, drinking our coffee or iced cold milk, the compliments just kept coming.
Then the requests for the recipe started.
That’s generally when you know that folks really like what you’ve made if they ask for the recipe and tell you for what event they plan to serve it.
As a cook, that really is one of the highest compliments you can receive – well, at least in my book.
It was great to hear that they thought the cake was just as good after their last bite as they thought it was with their first.
Here’s another great thing about this recipe. The cake batter really can be made in a bowl without the use of a heavy duty mixer. Of course, that just makes things easier, but this is easily a recipe my Grandmother would have enjoyed making in her tiny kitchen with a whisk and a bowl. And I’m sure it would have turned out perfectly, too.
I’m not going to kid you, this makes a very rich, moist, and absolutely luxurious chocolate cake recipe. So if you are a faint of heart chocolate cake person, this is not the cake for you.
Based on the Old Fashioned Hershey’s Chocolate Cake Recipe, I sort of went a bit heavy-handed with some changes testing cake after cake until I got it just the way I wanted it, but the end result was oh so worth it.
The few crumbs left on plates gave that away.
One of the ingredients that really made this chocolate cake recipe come to life, in my opinion, was the addition of espresso powder in both the chocolate cake and in the chocolate frosting.
If you’ve not tried a bit of espresso when baking with chocolate, you really should.
The espresso works to elevate the flavors in much the same way as vanilla extract and I now think of it as an essential part of my spice cabinet.
Espresso powder is easy to find at the grocery store or even online if your grocer doesn’t stock it normally.
Believe me when I say, it is very much worth the effort to have just for those times you are baking with chocolate!
So my friends, if you have a chocolate lover in your midst, make them this cake. If they’ve had a bad day this is certainly something that will brighten it for them. If they’ve had a great day, then this chocolate cake is a great way to celebrate with them!
It just needs to happen.
Promise.
Let me just say again, This Chocolate Cake Recipe + this Chocolate Frosting Recipe = The Best Chocolate Cake Recipe {Ever!}
And here it is.
- Chocolate Cake
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 cups sugar
- ¾ cup cocoa
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1½ teaspoons baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon espresso powder
- 1 cup milk
- ½ cup vegetable oil
- 2 eggs
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 cup boiling water
- Chocolate Frosting
- 1½ cups butter (3 sticks)
- 1 cup cocoa
- 5 cups confectioner’s sugar
- ½ cup milk
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon espresso powder
- Preheat oven to 350º F. Prepare two 9-inch cake pans by spraying with baking spray or buttering and lightly flouring.
- For the cake:
- Add flour, sugar, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, salt and espresso powder to a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer. Whisk through to combine or, using your paddle attachment, stir through flour mixture until combined well.
- Add milk, vegetable oil, eggs, and vanilla to flour mixture and mix together on medium speed until well combined. Reduce speed and carefully add boiling water to the cake batter. Beat on high speed for about 1 minute to add air to the batter.
- Distribute cake batter evenly between the two prepared cake pans. Bake for 30-35 minutes, until a toothpick or cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Remove from the oven and allow to cool for 10 minutes.
- Frost cake with Chocolate Frosting.
- For the Chocolate Frosting:
- Add cocoa to a large bowl or bowl of stand mixer. Whisk through to remove any lumps.
- Melt butter and pour into bowl with cocoa powder. Whisk together until well-combined.
- Add sugar and milk to cocoa mixture by adding 1 cup of sugar followed by about a tablespoon of milk. After each addition has been combined, turn mixer onto a high speed for about a minute. Repeat until all sugar and milk have been added.
- Add vanilla extract and espresso powder and combine well.
- If frosting appears too dry, add more milk, a tablespoon at a time until it reaches the right consistency. If it appears to wet and does not hold its form, add more confectioner’s sugar, a tablespoon at a time until it reaches the right consistency.
Do let me know how you like it.
If you are looking for cupcakes from this recipe, I’ve shared my recipe for the best chocolate cupcakes with vanilla buttercream frosting for ya.
Love ya!
Robyn
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I found your recipe by Googling “chocolate cake” and gave it a try. I don’t have any round cake pans, so I used a 13×9 sheet cake pan. It took a little longer (I baked it for 42 minutes) but came out beautifully! I also didn’t have any espresso powder, but the cake and frosting were AMAZING without it. I can only imagine how delicious they would be with it. I’ll definitely be saving this recipe and trying it with the espresso powder next time.
I just made this cake, I’ve used Turkish coffee instead of espresso powder… OMG, THIS IS THE BEST CHOCOLATE CAKE I HAVE EVER HAD! You will NEVER go back to the box stuff after you try this!
Thank you!!!
I couldn’t find espresso powder at my grocery and i wanted to make this cake tomorrow (so no time to order it through the mail). I have both instant coffee and espresso grounds, would either work, and which is better?
I just made this cake with instant coffee and it came out great. I really didn’t feel like running out for espresso so I used what I have on hand. It worked great for me.
Thanks Michelle, I ended up using the instant coffee and it worked great. I only wonder if the espresso would have been a bit stronger and made the flavor come through even more? Maybe next time I’ll try it. King Arthur sells some on their website.
It really is the Best Chocolate cake recipe that I have ever made! I have been looking for a awesome recipe but seemed to always come up short with all the other ones out there. Definitely gong to make this one my go too chocolate cake. The name really should be the ULTIMATE Chocolate Cake!!! Thanks for sharing this one!
oh i’m going to try this out tonight but i feel a bit scared too…… i don’t understand the vegetable oil part? is it melted margarine? or does it have to be REAL oil?
Hi Nabilaah,
It is a vegetable oil and not melted margarine.
I am eager to try the recipe, but I wanted to comment on the beautiful cake plate. I am a collector of milk glass and noticed yours. Love it!
Do you really mean to frost the cake only 10 minutes after it’s out of the oven??
Hmm, I really wanted to like this recipe. I’ve made it twice now and it’s just not very chocolatey. The frosting is fantastic, but the cake is more like a chocolate flavored snacking cake. Maybe I’m looking for a dark chocolate cake instead of a milk chocolate cake.
This looks like a great recipe and I’d like to try it out this weekend for a birthday, but I have one question. Does the boiling water not cause the egg in the batter to cook? Do you have to add it very slowly to avoid this? I hope this doesn’t sound like a dumb question, but I’ve never added boiling water to cake batter before and I’m nervous! Thanks ♡
How much sugar is in this cake? More than a kilo? How much is cup in grams? 250gr?
ok. where do I start? I’d never seen a cake recipe where it called for boiling water, then again, haven’t been baking for that long either. But, with all the positive comments, surely this must be the best chocolate cake.
OMG! this IS the best chocolate cake!!!! I will NEVER make another recipe again, the search is over!
And the icing you ask??? Heavenly! Thank you so much for posting this, and thank you Google for helping me find you!! 5 stars doesn’t even cover the amount of yummm!
Thank you for sharing this recipe! This chocolate cake is AMAZING. My son and my daughter both requested chocolate cakes for their birthdays, but the recipe I used for my son ended up rather dry. I found this recipe when I went looking for a moist, rich chocolate cake for my daughter. It is incredible. Cake is not generally something I get overly excited about, but this recipe may change that forever. AND, the frosting is amazing, too. Since I was decorating the cake, I used the vanilla cream frosting from the cupcakes and simply doubled it. It worked perfectly. Also, I used instant espresso coffee granules, for those who are wondering about espresso powder options.
Thanks again for sharing this recipe!
Just tried this recipe for my honorary niece’s birthday party! What a hit. I added about a TB of cinnamon about just because we love Mexican chocolate. mmmmm is all I have to say. Also I ran out of vegetable oil and used coconut oil. Turned out REALLY moist and delicious!
Baked this one today, but it cracked into 3 parts. I must admit I used Orgran egg replacer as I am vegetarian.
Also ,can butter be used Instead of oil for the cake? I live in India and is it ok to use sunflower oil? Is the cake batter supposed to be very watery, cause 1 cup of water did make it watery, is that why it cracked?
Hi Vaishu,
The cake batter is a thin batter. I’m not sure what results the substitutions you made could have had on the final result of the cake. I’ve made it hundreds of times and not had any issues with it cracking. It really is a very sturdy cake when made as listed. Good luck next time!
I’m german and live in Germany and was looking for a recipe for an american chocolate cake. I found this site in google and this is really the best chocolate cake recipe EVER! Thank you so much for this recipe. I made it for my mother for mathers day and everyone loved it!!!
Made this cake for my mom for Mother’s day. It was excellent! Moist and very chocolatey. The frosting scared me though. I mixed it a few seconds and it looked weird –like brownie batter. Mixed some more and it was nice and spreadable. Very good and simple to make.
I made this cake for my mom for mothers day and she loved it. My family considers it to be my best chocolate cake yet. Instead of all purpose flour i used whole wheat flour. And instead of regular white sugar I used organic sugar. Instead of espresso I used coffee. It still came out perfect. I loved your recipe thanks!!
I just made this cake for Mother’s Day and it was really delicious! I ran out of confectioners sugar so I ended up only using 3 cups for the frosting. It still tasted great.
wowee this cake is amazing, I even went one step further and put a layer of marmalaide in between the halfs, then some mandarin segments on top. delish
3 words: excellent, excellent, excellent!
I’m going to try this for my daughter’s 4K Graduation party. I need to make it the day before. Will it be okay? Should I refrigerate it? Thanks!
Hi! I am from Greece and I want to try this cake for my son’s birthday.
I just want to ask you if the cake withstand the weight of a fondant covering.
Also, can I use olive oil instead of vegetable oil?
Thank you!
Hi,
Is the baking time the same if I were to use only a 9 inch cake pan?
Hi um my cake is in the oven right now and it smells AMAZING!!!! i have a few questions though. Is it ok that i put it in a bunt pan? and it came out almost liquidy at the end…. was that it was supposed to be????????
dear robyn,
just want to tell ,it was really the best chocolate cake recipe i’ve ever made.thank you for the recipe ,i received many nice comments.
That cake is excellent! If you have an email address where I can contact you, I’d love to tell you my whole baking story.
Thanks for this great recipe!
Hi Christina,
So glad you loved it. My email information is on the contact page. Would love to hear from you! http://addapinch.com/contact-robyn/
Hi
Can I use single 9 inch tray and later slice it for frosting? Need a quick answer as my sons bday falls on Saturday, and looking forward to making this delicious cake?
Thank you
The cake yields two 9-inch cake layers and the frosting yields enough for a generously frosted cake. You may want to look at the recipe for the 12 cupcakes as it should also yield one 9-inch layer.
Thank u so much for the quick reply. I shall post my comments after tasting it.
I made this cake today for my sister in law’s birthday tomorrow. It’s good, but it fell in the oven. I’ve never had a cake fall before, so I was a little disappointed as to why. I didn’t add the espresso powder as I didn’t have any but used all of the other ingredients listed. I’m thinking maybe it was the boiling water that cause it to fall? It’s not that bad and something I can cover up with frosting.
Hi Kate,
I’ve not had an issue with the cake falling.
hi want to make this for mt sons 5 birthday in a no 5 cake tin do you think it would work ok
going to use froting in the middle and decorate outside as themed
Hi Mags,
I’ve not baked this cake in that size cake pan, but have made it as cupcakes and it was very successful. The frosting recipe makes a good bit, so plan to have halve the frosting recipe or to have a good bit left over for another recipe.
Hi there, will this cake still be delicious if you don’t like coffee? Or does the coffee flavour come through? Many thanks
Hi Lucy,
The espresso powder only enhances the flavor of the chocolate and works much like using vanilla in recipes.
Is it okay if I didn’t put coffee powder?
I don’t usually like chocolate frosting. Will the cake still be good without it? Or will it be too dry? i might use vanilla frosting instead, or none at all.
All i can say is wow!!!! Its really d best chocolate cake ever. Thanks so much for this recipe.
Hi! I am from Greece and I want to try this cake for my son’s birthday.
I just want to ask you if the cake withstand the weight of a fondant covering.
Also, can I use olive oil instead of vegetable oil?
Thank you!
Can’t wait to try this out I love chocolate cake but have boxed! Homemade is the way to go. Question: do you use sweetened or unsweetened cocoa powder? There is no sugar in the cake so I feel sweetened would be needed but there is sugar in the frosting so do you use two different kinds? It’s unclear
I made this cake today (in a yacht kitchen
) and it turned out great so far. Only problem is, my icing broke. I think I didn’t add enough milk at the right time and the emulsification of the butter (which was still warm) and the icing sugar exceeded it’s capacity. Unfortunately, I had to throw away all the icing but I will try once again. I have to go buy more icing sugar tomorrow now that we’re at port. Looks like it will be delicious though. Thanks
I made this cake on the weekend and thought there was something wrong with the icing too – fortunately for me my daughter was there and pointed out that in step 11 it says “After each addition has been combined, turn mixer onto a high speed for about a minute. Repeat until all sugar and milk have been added.” If you don’t use high speed after each addition the icing is just lumpy and stays separated. I turned my mixer on high only after 2 additions and voila – the mess became icing. Hope this helps!
Hi,
Does it have to be vegetable oil? I was hoping to use sunflower oil if it won’t ruin the recipe.
Thanks
I made this cake for a family dinner on Sunday. The only 9″ pan I have is a spring form so I decided to split the batter and use it twice. I was a little worried as the batter was thinner than most and I hadn’t read about this in the comments but all was fine – well except my concept of half was off. I ended up with one thin and one thicker layer but still no problem. The icing recipe makes a LOT, I think if I was making a 9×13 I would make only half. I just read one comment about a problem the icing and while making it I thought something was wrong too – very important to follow step 11 (After each addition has been combined, turn mixer onto a high speed for about a minute. Repeat until all sugar and milk have been added. Add vanilla extract and espresso powder and combine well.)
The cake was devoured and I will definitely be making this again and again….
Soooo….are you coming this direction around September? I kinda need this for my birfday
I am trying this recipe right now, I just put the cakes in the oven. I have to say the batter alone is so yummy!! I have been on a baking kick lately, trying out all sorts of new recipes, and most of the cakes I have tried thus far have fell short. My husband and I are trying a new recipe every Sunday, he usually makes the main course and I the dessert. I am hoping this will be a good choice. I do have a question though, the recipe says cool in pans for 10 minutes and then frost, are you not supposed to cool completely after taking it out of the pans? will that not make the frosting melt?
Ok the cake came out AMAZING!!! my frosting was a little grainy. I ran out of powdered sugar so I made my own in the blender using granulated sugar and cornstarch, I guess I didn’t pulverize it long enough. Still the best chocolate cake ever!! I will definitely make this again!!
Anyone who tries this may be initially dismayed by the very liquid nature of the batter; don’t be! I made it today in an angel food cake pan; it worked out just fine and made a wonderful cake.
P.S. I give it four stars but can’t get the widget below to show that.
I needed a “better than a bakery” chocolate cake for my 19 year old daughter’s birthday. She’s a chocolate-holic with VERY picky taste. The cake and icing came out perfect–made a mistake and mixed all the icing ingredients together at the same time, and it still came out wonderful. Was a big hit with my daughter, and will definitely be made again in our family!!! Thanks for sharing an amazing recipe!!!!
Does this hold up layered under fondant? Please need answer right away
I’m not certain as I don’t use fondant, but maybe someone else has made it and used fondant and can answer you. Good Luck!
I saw this recipe on Pinterest and had to try it. Thank you so much for sharing it! It is definitely THE best chocolate cake I have ever had!! I made a peanut butter buttercream for mine and it was a huge hit. I love how moist it is even after a few days (I know, I know…as if there was any left!!
) Fantastic and a keeper for sure.