The Best Chocolate Cake Recipe – A one bowl chocolate cake recipe that is quick, easy, and delicious! Updated with gluten-free, dairy-free, and egg-free options!
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 decadent, moist 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.
The Best Chocolate Cake Recipe Ever
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 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 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 crumbs left on the plate gave that away.
Ingredients
For this chocolate cake, you’ll need the following ingredients.
- all-purpose flour
- sugar
- unsweetened cocoa powder
- baking powder
- baking soda
- salt
- espresso powder – I give more information on the espresso powder below
- milk – you can also use buttermilk, almond milk, oat milk, or coconut milk
- oil – you can use vegetable, canola or melted coconut oil
- eggs – when baking, I like to use room temperature eggs
- vanilla extract
- boiling water
Step-by-Step Instructions
Prep. Preheat the oven to 350º F. Prepare two 9-inch cake pans by spraying with baking spray or buttering and lightly flouring.
Whisk dry ingredients. 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.
Mix in wet ingredients. 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 until well combined.
Bake. 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 of the chocolate cake comes out clean.
Frost. Remove from the oven and allow to cool for about 10 minutes, remove from the pan and cool completely. Frost with Chocolate Buttercream Frosting.
Espresso Powder
One of the ingredients that really made this 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, but I use it fairly frequently and it can become a little pricey. I’ve started making my own homemade espresso powder and since I have I’m not looking back! It is so easy to make and have on hand!
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 cake 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!
Let me just say again, this amped up classic chocolate cake + this Chocolate Buttercream Frosting Recipe = the best chocolate cake I’ve ever had!
How to Make Ahead and Store the Homemade Chocolate Cake:
Both the cake and the chocolate frosting can be made ahead. Allow the cakes to cool completely, wrap them well in plastic wrap and place each layer into a gallon zip-top freezer bag. Freeze the cake layers for up to one month.
To frost the cake, simply remove from the freezer and allow to thaw in the refrigerator with wrapping intact. Then, frost the cake once it has completely thawed.
Store the cake at room temperature on the counter. I like to store under a cake dome to keep the cake fresh.
Chocolate Cake Modifications You May Be Interested to Know About:
Note that I have updated the recipe to include some additional ingredients that I have tested through the years. I have found that this chocolate cake is even more versatile than I originally imagined! I’ve listed some of the modifications I’ve tested that I think may be of interest to you.
As a Gluten-Free Chocolate Cake Recipe:
To make the cake as a gluten-free chocolate cake recipe, I’ve successfully used an equal amount of gluten-free flour in place of the all-purpose flour listed in the recipe.
As a Dairy-Free Chocolate Cake Recipe:
To make the cake a dairy-free chocolate cake recipe, I’ve used almond milk as well as coconut milk in place of the dairy. While not dairy-free, I’ve also used buttermilk in place of the milk with great results.
As an Egg-Free Chocolate Cake Recipe:
To make the cake an egg-free chocolate cake recipe, I’ve used 2/3 cup of unsweetened applesauce in place of the 2 large eggs in the recipe. You will note that you may have to bake the cake just a few minutes more. Be sure to check with the skewer for doneness.
I’ve also used Bob’s Red Mill Egg Replacer with great success.
To Use Butter and Other Oils:
I have tested the chocolate cake recipe with additional oils, as well as butter. I’ve tested using an equal amount of melted coconut oil to the vegetable oil called for in the recipe. I’ve also tested using the same volume of melted butter in place of the oils in the chocolate cake. While it does make the cake texture slightly different, it is still delicious and worth trying if you’d prefer to use butter in place of oils in your chocolate cake.
Whew! See what I mean! This is the chocolate cake of everyone’s dreams, I think!
The Best Chocolate Cake Recipe {Ever}
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 cups (240 g) all-purpose flour
- 2 cups (396 g) sugar
- 3/4 cup (63 g) unsweetened cocoa powder
- 2 teaspoons (8 g) baking powder
- 1 1/2 teaspoons (9 g) baking soda
- 1 teaspoon (2.8 g) kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon (2.3 g) espresso powder, homemade or store-bought
- 1 cup (227 g) milk, or buttermilk, almond, or coconut milk
- 1/2 cup (99 g) vegetable oil, or canola oil, or melted coconut oil
- 2 large (100 g) eggs
- 2 teaspoons (9.4 g) vanilla extract
- 1 cup (227. g) boiling water
- Chocolate Buttercream Frosting Recipe
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350º F. Prepare two 9-inch cake pans by spraying with baking spray or buttering and lightly flouring.
For the chocolate 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 until well combined.
- 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 of the chocolate cake comes out clean.
- Remove from the oven and allow to cool for about 10 minutes, remove from the pan and cool completely.
- Frost the cake with Chocolate Buttercream Frosting.
Notes
1. Kosher salt – I use Diamond Crystal Kosher Salt. If you substitute with Morton’s Kosher salt, fine sea salt, or table salt, you will only need half the amount of the salt called for in the recipe. 2. Milk – The grams in the recipe are for whole milk and buttermilk.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Do let me know how you like it.
Here are a few additional ways I like to make this cake!
Chocolate Cupcakes
If you are looking for cupcakes from this recipe, I’ve shared my recipe for the best chocolate cupcakes with vanilla buttercream frosting. This recipe makes a perfect dozen so that you can scale the recipe to make as many chocolate cupcakes as you need! Talk about easy! 🙂
9×13 Chocolate Cake
I love this version! It is a delicious, scaled-down version that is just the thing for potlucks, reunions, tailgates, and travels perfectly! I’ve also scaled-down the frosting so that has the frosting to cake ratio that my family prefers. It is a definite winner!
Large Chocolate Sheet Cake
Scaled for a crowd, this recipe bakes beautifully in a rimmed half sheet baking sheet and is perfect for all sorts of get-togethers. Think of it as the 9×13’s big brother! 🙂 This recipe features Fudge Icing, but you can definitely substitute the icing for whatever you fancy!
And there you have it. There are so many ways to enjoy this delicious cake. Practically one for whatever need you might have. But, if I’ve missed one, be sure to let me know and I’ll work on it for you! 🙂
Many of you have asked if there is a way to make a Vanilla Cake Recipe that is just as delicious. Well friends, I’ve tested and tested and tested and now can proudly say – YES! I’ve shared the best Vanilla Cake I’ve ever tasted, too! 🙂
Enjoy!
Robyn xo
From the Add a Pinch recipe archives. Originally published 2012.
What an amazing cake! I have made this twice now and the second time I added salted caramel in the middle. It works incredibly well. Thank you oh so much for the recipe 🙂
My brother requested a ‘very chocolatey chocolate cake’ for his 24th birthday party last night, so I turned to Google to find a recipe that didn’t yield the sort of chocolate cake that tastes as though chocolate was a seasoning and not the flavour. I used the recipe exactly as written, except I made one large sheet cake instead of two rounds, and I used a modified version of Robyn’s vanilla buttercream to frost it (which I will discuss in a moment). In my experience, it’s not easy to convince a group of kids our age to even try any kind of dessert that can’t be picked at, but I had partygoers actually sitting at the table or coming back for seconds last night when I served this. *Everyone* raved about both the cake and the frosting. I heard ‘This is the best chocolate cake I’ve ever had’ more than once, and one girl even said that she ‘hate[s] chocolate but love[s] this cake!’ The cake is light, richly flavoured, and absolutely delicious.
Regarding the frosting, my brother decided that he wanted coconut frosting, but not the kind on German chocolate cake, so I made Robyn’s vanilla buttercream and replaced the milk with coconut milk (not the kind that people use as a substitute for drinking milk; the thick kind you find tinned in the Asian foods section at your grocery store) and folded flaked coconut into the finished frosting. I loved the tip about mixing on the highest setting between adding cups of sugar, which I’d never heard before. The frosting was absolutely wonderful and very popular, though I honestly think the cake would have worked just as well without any frosting at all.
Honestly, I’ve received two compliments on the cake since I started writing this review I am so glad I found this recipe, and I’ll be sharing it with everyone.
Hi, I’m planning to make a 9 x 13 in. cake tomorrow and I wanted to know if you doubled the recipe or used the same measurements, and how long did you bake it for, it would be really helpful! Thanks in advance!
This is by far THE BEST chocolate cake recipe for this chocolate lover!!! Very moist, rich, & delicious! Addictive in fact!!! The chocolate butter cream icing is the perfect accent to the taste of chocolate heaven!
*perfect compliment
I just tried to make this cake for my daughter’s birthday party tomorrow and it was a disaster! I’m not a good baker so I followed the recipe exactly. When I opened up the oven to pull them out, half of the batter had raised over the pans and fallen onto the bottom of the oven. The middles of the cakes were sunken. I re-checked the recipe and I still can’t see what I did wrong. I’m crying. I don’t know what to do. Help?
Lillan, you might want to check your oven calibration. That was the trouble when this sort of thing happened to me. You’ll need to place an oven safe thermometer in your oven. Then set it for 350 and see if the thermometer also reads 350. If that checks out, doublecheck your measurements on your baking soda and baking powder. Make sure the sides of your cake pans aren’t too shallow. Finally, don’t let anyone bang around the house while the cake is baking. That will make it fall every time. Hope this helps!
Sounds like a temperature issue in the oven.
Hi Robyn,
I’m making a cake for my dear friend’s baby shower. I’m crossing my fingers I’ll get a reply relatively soon: would this cake work as 8″ 3 layer cake? Would I need to increase the recipe by another 1/2 (recipe 1.5 x)? I’ve read through all of the reviews and can’t find that anyone has inquired or tried it. If not, is there some way to utelize 8″ pans (that’s what I have – 3 of them)? If I were just baking for myself and not on a busy work schedule – I would wing it and post my results! As an aside: what do you think of using a vanilla buttercream frosting to cover the cake and then drizzeling chocolate ganache over that? Thanks so much! I may just end up winging it because this cake looks great. My one bowl chocolate cake go-to recipe includes vinegar, but I’ve never tried a cake with boiling water! Thanks so much 🙂
I was nervous making this at first because this was my first attempt a”from scratch” cake and the 2 cups of flour and 2 cups of sugar seemed wrong… little did I know it was perfect. This was a great cake, I had several marriage proposals at work after making this and using the supplied buttercreme frosting. It was a huge hit, you really can’t go wrong with this cake, thank you for posting it!
Bob
Absolutely delicious
Hi! I am planning to make this for my sons birthday cake, birthday cake from scratch?! My family is full of die hard publix cake fans so I am hoping it is as much as a hit as everyone has been commenting!! I have a question though, can i substitute butter for the canola/vegetable oil?
Did you try this with butter instead of oil how did it turn out?
Yes!! Butter is 20% water so add that much more butter, and reduce the boiling water or coffee by the 20% extra utter you add. I guess thats a few tablespoons. I guesstimate and it comes out great everytime. I never use veg oil..
CAN BUTTER BE USED INSTEAD OF OIL ?
How many cupcakes does the recipe make and how long should I bake them for?
Hi. I made cupcakes yesterday using this recipe. I got 24 cupcakes and baked them for 25 minutes and they were delicious.
Hi Robyn, I have made your cake several times, it has been loved by all.
I was wondering I want to make it in a square 10 inch cake tin, should I double the recipe
Thanks