The Best Chocolate Cake Recipe {Ever}
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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 them with baking spray or buttering and lightly flouring them. You can also spread the pans with my homemade chocolate cake goop (pan release).
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, buttering and lightly flouring, or brushing them with homemade chocolate pan release.
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.
Hi – this looks exactly the sort of cake I want to make for my son’s 18th birthday this weekend as he is a chocoholic – but we live in the UK and we have no idea what a “cup” measurement is – do you have this in grams / mls ? That would be SO helpful as it looks lovely!
Thank you.
Hi Nicky! Here is my Conversion Chart. I hope this helps! I hope your son has a wonderful birthday and you all enjoy the cake! Thanks!
Thanks for the recipe it’s really moist I enjoy it
I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
I made this for my 6 year old’s birthday party. I’m not a great baker, but it was easy to make and none of the kids would share – they polished off the lot! The tiny pieces I managed to sneak away were delicious! I’ll definitely make it again, but for the adults next time. I hate coffee so was worried about adding espresso powder, but couldn’t taste it in the cake, it was just beautifully rich. With thanks from London x
Hi Sascha!
I’m so happy the children loved this at the birthday party! I hope your 6 year old had a great birthday!
I definitely hope you give this a try for yourself and the adults soon – it’s amazing! You can certainly omit the espresso if you wish – but I don’t think it gives the cake a coffee flavor at all, only enhances the richness of the chocolate. Enjoy! Thanks! xo
My cake is in the oven right now:)))
I halfted the recipe to get 1 cake sheet. I didn’t have espresso powder so I used instant coffee mix. I was afraid it won’t be mixted evenly and too lazy to grind it so mixed it in the boiling water. I used 75% of sugar and used brown sugar instead of white. I also added 1 tsp of limoncello while reducing the vanilla a bit. also upped the flour by 1/4cup, after reading the comment I upped cocoa powder by 2TBS.
Also, the batter was very very thin…. I undoubtedly thought, yup! I did something wrong when halfing(?) the recipe. So I came back to read the note:)) I did it right this time!!!
Oh, the cake is rising now!!!
This recipe is amazing, it’s my new “go-to” for everything from afternoon tea to birthday cake. The whole family loved it. Thank you!
I’m so happy you enjoyed it, Kris! Thanks! xo
I have tried many chocolate cake recipes, only to be left unsatisfied with the results. Either the cake is too dry, or there just isn’t enough chocolate flavour.
I don’t know why I haven’t commented before, as I have been using this recipe for a few years now! This chocolate cake is perfect! My personal holy grail of cakes. I don’t have to alter a single thing in this recipe. Everyone raves about it when I make it.
Thank you so much for posting this!
I’m so happy to hear from you, Katie! Thank you! xo
Can I make this on a bunny pan
I tried this recipe without the coffee and with peppermint chocolate genache and peppermint choc chip buttercream. Worked really well This is a great, rich, moist, chocolatey recipe thats simple to make.
I’ve been looking for a staple chocolate cake recipe and now I’ve found it! Thank-you 🙂
Sounds delicious, Kat! I’m so happy you like the cake! Thanks!
So did you just use water with no coffee powder in it or did you omit the water too?
Hi Meren,
The boiling water is very important to this recipe, so I would not suggest omitting it. If you choose not to use espresso, the cake will still be delicious. I do enjoy it with the espresso though as it enhances the richness of the chocolate. I hope you enjoy it! Thanks!
I was craving for chocolate cake one evening and was just googling for an easy recipe with ingredients that I had at home. It took me less than 30mins to make this cake and I did it without a machine. Just a whisk. I didn’t have a full cup of milk so I added a big dallop of Greek yoghurt. I only had 1 9″ pan. So I baked it 40mins. It turned out fantastic. I also reduced the sugar slightly. I am eating it without frosting and still warm with a cup of tea. Thank you so much for this amazingly delicious and easy recipe.
So glad you enjoyed it! Thanks so much! xo
I made this chocolate cake a few months back and it was awesome. So Simple and delicious!! Everyone loved it. Today I am trying to bump it up by adding 3 types of chocolate chips, milk, semi mini’s and white chocolate chips, along with some chopped walnuts as well. Instead of frosting I am going to either dust it with alittle powder sugar or make a simple glaze to add on top. Smelling yummy in my house right now!! Won’t let me give you 5 stars which you’re recipe is 5 STAR WINNER
Hi LuAnne!
I’m thrilled to hear your house was smelling awesome with this cake in the oven – and that you’d rate it 5 stars! (I am not sure why it wouldn’t let you)
Thanks so much for sharing your thoughts on the cake! xo
I’ve used many of your recipes & have never been disappointed. This cake sounds great but I would like to make a 12X18 cake, do you by chance know what measurements I would use or the cooking time? Thanks!
Hi Julie,
I am glad you enjoy the recipes – I appreciate that! I have not made that size cake with this recipe, so I can’t say how much you’d need. You can always make what you think you’ll need and if you have extra, bake some cupcakes! Thanks!
Hi there, this is am amazing recipe, so delicious that I am having it as my wedding cake in November. I want to add dried cherries to the cake mix but they sink to the bottom, how can I prevent this from happening. Please Help Me.
Thanks
One happy soon to be Bride.
Best wishes on your upcoming marriage, Cortney! Such a special time!
I’ve not added dried cherries to this cake recipe before, so I can’t say exactly. This is such a liquid texture cake batter, so that could be why they sink. Have you thought about adding cherries on top or in the frosting?
I wish you all the best! Thanks so much! xo
The cake looks great! I’ve made the Ina Garten’s chocolate cake before but it was actually too moist for me. This has more flour so I think the texture would be more to my liking. Do you weigh out your ingredients or just use cup measures?
Hi Nirvana,
I use measure my ingredients by American Standard measurements (cups, etc) instead of volume. I hope you enjoy the cake! It’s delicious and one of our favorites! Thanks!