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.
I made this cake today, it smells just heavenly, it was so easy to make, but it has a bitter unsweet taste. Has this happened to anyone else?
I’m sorry your cake is bitter, Lori. I bake this cake often and have never had that happen. I’m wondering if you used espresso powder like in the recipe or did you perhaps use any substitutions for it or any other ingredient… I’ve never had it taste bitter. I hope if you figure out what happened and make it again that you enjoy it. Thanks!
Thank you for this! I have tested two other vanilla and two other chocolate cake recipes for my nephew’s wedding this weekend. THIS is the recipe I’ll use. That bit of espresso really turns it up! This is going to be the perfect trifecta of chocolate cake, Nutella filling and whipped white icing. I was thrown at first by how thin the batter was but it turned out perfect 10″ and 6″ layers. Not too dense but stable enough to move around to layer, frost and decorate without falling apart.
I’m stoked!!
I’m so happy you enjoyed it Rosemary! Thanks so much!
Hi, your cake looks amazing and I would love to make it for my nephew’s upcoming surprise birthday party. While I’m great at decorating cakes, I have to say that baking is not necessarily my strong suit. I’m going to make a test cake using this recipe just to make sure I have it down, but, that said, if all goes well, I’d like to make a large, sheet cake version of this cake. It needs to feed about 75 people.
It would be a double layer cake – I’d use fresh strawberries with a light strawberry mousse for the center. So, my dilemma is, I have no idea how much batter I should prepare for a cake that size. Would I just make this particular recipe twice, or would I need to double all of the ingredients, then make two batches?
Any help or insight you could give would be super appreciated!
Hi Leo,
I’ve not made that size cake before with this recipe, so I don’t have the exact measurements. There is a link within the writing of this post for a Sheet Cake, but it has about the same amount of servings.
This cake has approximately 12 nice size slices (you could probably cut smaller slices to get a couple extra servings from it)
I always suggest when changing a recipe to make it larger or whatever for the first time for a special event, give it a “test bake” before the big day to make sure you get it just as you wish.
As far as mixing the cake and doubling the ingredients, etc., I don’t know how many recipes-worth of cake batter it will take to accomplish the size you need, but unless you have a commercial size mixer, I think you will want to mix it one recipe’s worth at a time.
I hope this helps – enjoy the cake! Thanks!
Do you happen to k now if there should be any adjustments at high altitude? I am at 6700ft in Wyoming and often have trouble with cakes rising too much and bubbling over, then being flat. Any suggestions?
Hi Eva,
You will probably need to make some adjustments for high altitude. There should be information online for your area that should help you know what those adjustments need to be.
I hope you enjoy the cake! thanks! xo
Hi
How would you adapt the recipe for a 10″ cake pan and a 9″ cake pan. I am trying to make a special birthday cake essentially shaped like the number 8 (so layer chocolate and layer vanilla)
Many thanks
My new pastor said for his birthday he would like a chocolate fudge cake. I know your frosting is not cooked on the stove but does it still have that fudge flavor. I want to make sure it is what he is wanting.
Made this for my son’s birthday and it was hands down the best cake I have ever made.
Thanks !
Please tell your son happy birthday! I’m so happy you enjoyed it Shaunna!!!
Hello! The cake is so easy to make and it tastes supeeeer good! However when I turned it, half of it stayed in the pan. I put oil on the pan and flower because I didn’t have butter. I also put the pan on the second rack towards the bottom in my 4 layer oven. The cake took 45 to 50 min for the toothpick to come out clean. What do you suggest?
Hi Paty,
I’m sorry your cake stuck. I’ve never had one take that long to bake. I’m wondering if it’s possible that the oven temperature may need to be calibrated…not sure. The cake could have stuck to the pan for a few reasons, either it baked too long, the oil and flour didn’t prep the pan enough to make the cake release as it should, or when the cakes are left in the pans too long to cool they sometimes can stick.
I’m not certain what happened, but hope some of these ideas may help. I’m glad you enjoy the cake though. Thanks xo
This is the BEST chocolate cake recipe I have ever tasted! I followed the recipe as written and it came out delicious! Thanks for that.
Thanks so much Chris! Happy you liked it!
I wanted to bake a cake for my grandma’s birthday yesterday but was out of baking soda like my normal recipe uses. Found yours, saw it used only baking powder, and decided to give it a try. I frosted the finished cake with a chocolate rum ganache and oh my word, it was delicious! A moist, perfect crumb.
Thanks, Senza!