The Best Chocolate Cake Recipe {Ever}
This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy.
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.
This IS THE BEST cake I ever ate. I thought the buttercream frosting recipe called for too much sugar. The one I made instead came out just right, semi-sweet to match the cake. Raves!
Love this recipe . This cake is soo delicious that i will like to try a vanilla version. Can i leave out cocoa to make a vanilla cake if not is there an oil and boiling water recipe for a vanilla cake like this 1
Thank you
Naaz, you can make a vanilla cake by just omitting the cocoa and espresso powder and adding an equal amount of all-purpose flour as the cocoa in the recipe. Some people were having some problems with this cake falling but others were successful. Since people were having problems with the vanilla cake based upon my chocolate cake recipe, I developed my Best Vanilla Cake Recipe you might want to try.
This is my go to cake! Great every time. Everyone loves when I make.
From my first comment many years ago from my homeland, Fiji Islands and traveling to USA over the years and discovering “Add a Pinch” again..
Then, I baked on the stove-top with a large pan turned upside down over the cake-pan to retain the heat.
It turned out perfect and the aroma was amazing…!
Now that I have found you again, I’m going to start all over again and this time with a proper oven.
Thanks so much, Robyn!
Welcome back! I’m so happy you are joining us again. Hope you enjoy your cake!
Absolutely delicious!!! And the homemade espresso powder was just PERFECT. My mom told me that if she knows I put it in, she’ll just taste coffee. So I didn’t tell her, she forgot I had made the powder, tasted the piece I had to cut off to make flatter tops, and LOOOOOVED IT!!! This is a cake my grandma would have been proud to make!! As a matter of fact it’s being served tomorrow on her cake plate. Thank you for sharing this recipe!!! I didn’t use the frosting, since I prefer lighter textured frostings that aren’t quite as sweet.
Thanks, Kari. I hope your grandmother has a very happy birthday!
Melbourne, Australia here! Made this recipe for my husband’s birthday and wow, one of the best chocolate cakes ever. So moist and yummy!!! Shared with our neighbours who wholeheartedly agreed! Thanks.
Thanks so much, Tanya. I hope your husband had a very happy birthday!
Hi, I’m excited to try out this recipe and surprise my wife for her birthday. This will only be the 2nd cake I’ve ever made, but she requested chocolate and after reading so many amazing reviews, this is definitely the recipe to go with! Do you have any advice on decorating the cake for a birthday?
The cake came out absolutely amazing!! But I do have a question if anyone knows why: When I took out both cakes from the pan after it cooled off, a chunk of the bottom got stuck to pan and it left each piece of cake missing some. Why would that be and how can I fix for next time? Thanks!
If you left the cake in the pan longer than 10 minutes to cool after taking it out of the oven, the cake would stick to the bottom of the pan, Aileen. I would recommend placing the pans on a wire rack when you take them out of the oven to allow them to cool in the pans for the 10 minutes described in the instructions to get more air underneath the pan. Once the cakes have cooled, place a wire cake rack on top of the cake pan and turn the cake upside down onto the rack. Take a second rack and place over the bottom of the cake and, similar to a sandwich, turn the racks so that the bottom of the cake layer is resting on the rack. Remove the rack from the top of the cake and let the cake cool completely. Once the cakes have cooled thoroughly, you can then frost them. Also, make sure your pans are buttered and floured well to prevent the cake from sticking. I hope this helps.
I was wondering if you’ve tried adding a box of instant pudding to the mix. My sister does it when using boxed cake mixes.
I have never added instant pudding to my cake, Theresa. Adding instant pudding to boxed cake mix helps to make the cake moist. This chocolate cake is a moist cake without it.
Theresa, My grandma did that when she made boxed cakes, too. I just made this cake today, and Robyn is 100% correct – there is no need for extra moisture. It is perfect as is, and I HAAAAATE even minimally dry cakes.
I crave this cake now! I thought for sure it would be soupy…not at all. The best chocolate cake I have ever had and ever made. I never leave comments but I was compelled I had to this time. I used lactose free milk and some Starbucks powdered instant iced coffee from a packet. Absolutely amazing!
Amanda, thank you for taking the time to leave your comment. I’m glad to know it works well for you with the lactose free milk.
How dense is this cake? I keep seeing comments about it being light and airy but I actually prefer a more dense cake. Is there a way to do that with this recipe?
I own a coffee and pastry shop and this recipe is by far the best we made. After 10 min out of the oven we brush the cake with sugar syrup glaze combined with an espresso shot. Doing this while the cake is still warm allows the syrup to absorb more quickly. And, this will result in the most amazing moist cake. For the syrup we boil 100 grams of sugar with 100 ml water and 1/2 oz espresso shot.
Thank you, Fernando! It sounds delicious.