One of my all time favorites, this is my moist, fudgy, and completely from-scratch best chocolate cake recipe. It comes together in one bowl and pairs well with any frosting! Recipe includes a how-to video!
Why This is THE Chocolate Cake Recipe You Need:
- Ridiculously moist, even days later: Most cakes dry out by day two… not mine! Thanks to a strategic combo of buttermilk, oil, butter, and an extra egg yolk you’ll get a moist, tender crumb that stays soft, fudgy and rich, even straight out of the fridge!
- Bold chocolate flavor. No flat cocoa flavor here. By blooming the cocoa with hot coffee we unlock its full intensity. While the cake doesn’t actually taste like coffee, it has a deeper, more complex chocolate flavor in every bite.
- No mixer, no fuss, no fail! Made in one bowl with no special equipment required, this cake comes together so easily (though of course feel free to use your stand or hand mixer, if you feel so inclined!).
- This is the chocolate cake recipe you’ll come back to. This is the one I make for birthdays, holidays, or any time I need a guaranteed crowd-pleaser. It’s reliable, richly chocolatey, and just plain better than the rest (if I do say so myself). If you don’t believe me, here’s a recent 5-star review:
“Perfect as is no changes needed! This cake yields a tender, moist crumb packed with flavor. I used the hot coffee as suggested and it really helps the flavor pop. I topped it with the oreo icing and and even our picky eaters came back for seconds. Thank You!“
– Elayna
What You Need
Each ingredient in this chocolate cake recipe was carefully chosen to make for a moist and flavorful chocolate cake. Let’s go over the key players:
Note: This ingredient photo does not include ingredients for the frosting, as you can use your favorite (suggestions below!).
- Buttermilk gives my chocolate cake recipe intense depth of flavor and keeps it soft and moist. If you don’t have buttermilk on hand, you can use my easy buttermilk substitute in a pinch–but real buttermilk is best!
- Oil and butter give us a moist cake with great flavor. This combination is especially important if you need to refrigerate your chocolate cake (which could dry out your cake). I originally used canola or vegetable oil in this recipe, but have learned avocado oil works just as well and this is my current go-to.
- An extra egg yolk contributes to the tender, fudgy, melt-in-your-mouth crumb. If you don’t want to waste your leftover egg white, save it to make some candied almonds.
- Cocoa powder. I recommend using natural cocoa powder for best results.
- Hot water/coffee will “bloom” your cocoa powder, fully developing its flavor. Note that using coffee won’t make your chocolate cake taste like coffee, but it will enhance the chocolate taste even more than plain hot water would (which is why I prefer it to water). On the other hand, if you really like coffee and want a coffee flavor, you can always frost this cake with my coffee frosting (I actually like to use the variation in that recipe to make a mocha frosting with this cake)!
Remember, this is just an overview of some of the key ingredients I used and why. For the full recipe please scroll down to the bottom of the post!
SAM’S TIP: The best way to keep this chocolate cake recipe (or, any cake) moist is to not over-bake it. Make sure that your oven temperature isn’t running hotter than it is leading you to believe (I keep two thermometers in my oven to make sure the temperature is accurate), as an oven that’s too hot will over-bake your cake in your hurry.
How to Make The Best Chocolate Cake
Step 1: Reverse creaming (sort of!)
We are essentially using a modified version of the reverse creaming method (previously shown in my caramel cake!) for a super moist crumb. This means we first combine the dry ingredients (and the sugar, which is technically a wet ingredient) and then add oil and melted butter. The mixture will be thick and crumbly, but stir until all of the dry ingredients are completely moistened. An electric mixer makes this a bit easier, though I’ve done it by hand before with just a spatula.
Step 2: Add the rest of the wet ingredients
Eggs, an extra yolk, and a healthy pour of vanilla extract go in first. Make sure the eggs are room temperature, or they can make it difficult for the batter to combine, resulting in a wonky, uneven cake. Next stir in the buttermilk, the batter will thin a bit here, but it really becomes thin once you add the (hot!) coffee.
You can use hot coffee or hot water for this step, but the most important thing is that it’s, well, hot! The heat from the warm liquid “blooms” the cocoa, as mentioned in the “Ingredients” section above (see that section again if you’re curious about why I prefer coffee to water, too!).
Be sure to scrape the sides and bottom of your bowl here so the batter is smooth and uniform. And it will seem thin! This is absolutely normal!
Step 3: Bake & cool (then decorate!)
Divide the batter into 8″ round baking pans and bake. I recommend using circles of cut out parchment paper on the bottom of my pans (in addition to greasing/flouring them) to ensure there will be no sticking when it’s time to remove the cakes from the pans (makes things so much easier and less stressful!). Once they’ve finished baking, let them cool in the pans for a few minutes before inverting onto a cooling rack to cool completely before decorating.
If needed/desired you can level your cake layers (this is the inexpensive cake leveler (affiliate) I like to use) and then decorate with your favorite frosting. I have a post on how to decorate a cake if you need help with this step (but you can see I kept things pretty simple here).
SAM’S TIP: A crumb coating is always a good idea! To do this, apply a thin, even layer of frosting to catch all of your crumbs and then place the cake in the freezer for 15 minutes. Remove and finish frosting for a crumb-free finish!
Frequently Asked Questions
The secret to a truly moist, fudgy chocolate cake recipe comes down to a few key ingredients and techniques. Buttermilk (full-fat, and better if it’s the real deal and not a substitute) gives the crumb a soft, tender texture while a combo of oil and butter gives you the bet of both worlds — lasting moisture and rich flavor. An extra egg yolk adds a luxurious fudgy bite, and most importantly don’t overbake it! Pull the cake out of the oven when there are a few moist crumbs on your toothpick (but no wet batter), that’s when the magic happens.
Final tip: I recommend if you haven’t already, learn how to use a kitchen scale to consistently have best results with all of your baked goods.
I typically use chocolate buttercream or my favorite chocolate frosting; however my chocolate fudge frosting works just as well (and that’s what I used in the photos here!). The fudge frosting is thicker, richer and, well, fudgier, while the “favorite” frosting is lighter, sweeter, and more buttercream-esque.
Chocolate Swiss meringue buttercream, coffee frosting, brown butter frosting, peanut butter frosting, caramel frosting, or even Oreo frosting would also be good as decadent options, or lighten things up with fresh fruit and try my strawberry frosting, raspberry buttercream or even my blueberry frosting!
Yes, you can use my chocolate cake recipe for cupcakes, but my recommendation is to make my easy chocolate cupcake recipe instead; it yields a light, springy texture that suits the cupcake form so well.
However, if you want to make this cake as cupcakes, know you’ll get approximately 24 cupcakes. Fill your liners ⅔ of the way full and bake for 16-18 minutes.
Perfect Frosting Pairings:
This chocolate cake recipe has already earned hundreds of 5-star ratings, but I’d love to hear what you think of it! Leave me a comment and a rating once you try it (please!).
Enjoy!
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The BEST Chocolate Cake Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 ⅔ cup (208 g) all-purpose flour
- 1 cup (200 g) light brown sugar firmly packed
- 1 cup (200 g) granulated sugar
- ¾ cup (75 g) natural cocoa powder
- 1 ½ teaspoons baking soda
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup (113 g) unsalted butter melted
- ½ cup (118 ml) neutral cooking oil (use avocado, canola, or vegetable oil)
- 2 large eggs + 1 egg yolk, lightly beaten room temperature
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 cup (236 ml) buttermilk
- ½ cup (118 ml) hot coffee or hot water
- 1 batch chocolate frosting see note
Recommended Equipment
- Kitchen Scale recommended
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F (175C) and prepare two 8" round cake pans by lining the bottoms with parchment paper and lightly greasing and flouring the sides. Set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl (or the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment) stir together flour, sugars, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt until well combined.1 ⅔ cup (208 g) all-purpose flour, 1 cup (200 g) light brown sugar, 1 cup (200 g) granulated sugar, ¾ cup (75 g) natural cocoa powder, 1 ½ teaspoons baking soda, ¾ teaspoon salt
- Add melted butter and oil, stir well. Batter may be thick, this is fine, just stir until all of the dry ingredients are moistened.½ cup (113 g) unsalted butter, ½ cup (118 ml) neutral cooking oil
- Add eggs, egg yolk, and vanilla extract and stir until well combined. Pause occasionally to scrape sides and bottom of bowl.2 large eggs + 1 egg yolk, lightly beaten, 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- Gradually add buttermilk and stir well.1 cup (236 ml) buttermilk
- Add hot coffee or water, stirring carefully until ingredients are well-combined (be sure to scrape sides and bottom of bowl to ensure batter is uniform).½ cup (118 ml) hot coffee or hot water
- Evenly divide batter between prepared pans. Transfer to center rack of 350F (175C) and bake for 35-40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean or with moist crumbs.
- Allow to cool for 15 minutes before inverting onto cooling rack to cool completely before frosting with your favorite frosting (I recommend the one linked in the recipe above, or one of my favorites linked in the notes below!).1 batch chocolate frosting
Notes
- Two 9″ pans: Cakes will need to bake for less time, start checking at 27-30 minutes. Please keep in mind that if your pans are dark-colored the cake may need less time to bake.
- Three 8″ pans: Bake approximately 23-26 minutes.
- Three 9″ pans. Cake layers will be quite thin. Bake approximately 20-23 minutes.
Nutrition
Nutritional information is based on third-party calculations and should be considered an estimate only. Actual nutritional content will vary based upon brands used, measuring methods, cooking method, portion sizes, and more.
Recipe originally published 02/27/2017. I’ve updated the post to have new photos, a new video, and more helpful information, but the recipe has been extensively tested and was not in need of improvement, so it remains the same!
Hannah
I made this cake last week and my whole family LOVED it. I used your raspberry filling recipe to but between the layers, and it turned out perfect. This was the first cake I’ve ever baked so I was worried that the cake was a little underdone when I took them out of the pans, but it turns out that it was perfectly moist. I love your recipes and look forward to making many more!
Sam
I am so glad you enjoyed it so much, Hannah! Chocolate and raspberry are an awesome combination! 🙂
Sarah
Hi Sam! Thank you so much for sharing this cake recipe. My family and I enjoyed it very much. I cut the recipe in half and used 3 6-inch pans and it turned out super cute. I want people to try this recipe with confidence. I am a huge fan of yours and a subscriber to your youtube channel. Thank you so much and keep up the good work!
Sam
Thank you so much, Sarah! I am so glad you enjoyed it so much! Thank you for your support. Happy baking! 🙂
Rj
This was the best chocolate cake recipe I have ever used online and I’ve tried quite a few. This cake is very delicious and super moist. The chocolate frosting recipe that goes with this cake, is even better. Yummy!
Sam
I am so glad you enjoyed it so much, RJ! 🙂
Marley schrepfer
hi there! I love this recipe but how much batter do I need to make for a 3 layer, 6-inch cake? thank you! 🙂
Sam
Hi Marley! This should make enough batter to fill 3 6 inch pans, maybe with a little bit left over. 🙂
Paramesh
I made this cake for Father’s Day and it was simply fabulous, I just added some orange juice to the chocolate buttercream and it turned out so delicious.
Thank u so much for sharing the recipe we had a special celebration.
Sam
I am so glad you enjoyed it so much! 🙂
Chitra
I have just prepared this batter and placed it in the oven but tons of worry as batter was utterly liquid… We followed the recipe to the T…. I just hope it nothing off… All was good till just before adding coffee…
Now it’s in 8ven and tiny light colored bubbles have formed a froth on top… Fingers crossed
Sam
Hopefully it turns out for you. This batter is a pretty runny batter. 🙂
Chitra
Hi the cake was a little rubbery and very oily… Greased up fingers… Same happened with marble cake…
Though I made your upside pineapple cake and recipe came out DIVINE…
That’s why I am hell bent on not giving up these other recipes… Help.
Sam
Hi Chitra! Again I am very sorry for the delayed response. I think you may be having the same issue as the marble cake. Try not mixing it so much next time and see how it goes. 🙂
Chetana
I tried your recipe, I think you have written 1 and 3/4th cup as 205 g. It think the measurement 250g. It’s very very soft and doesn’t hold shape. I did check with a toothpick. Its comes out clean. But its way to soft and I tried the same recipe twice and both of them got wasted. Sorry. But I am huge huge fan of your brownie recipe !! It’s a big hit. But this cake recipe turned bad for me. Twice.
Sam
Hi Chetana! I just double-checked and the amount listed is correct. Were any substitutions made? I just want to check that natural cocoa powder (and not dutch processed) was used? I’m happy to help troubleshoot further, this is one of my all-time favorite cakes and I’d love for you to have the same result!
Jo
Hi there.
Is it okay if I only use brown sugar instead of both white & brown?
Sam
Hi Jo! That should work just fine here. 🙂
Charlotte
Hey Sam! I love your recipes so much, especially this chocolate cake one. Though I’ve made it many times before, this time I have no brown sugar or vanilla extract on hand and I just want to know whether this will completely alter the end result? My local grocers are all out of these 2 ingredients but I still want to make this cake – so any tips would be really appreciated. Thanks!
Sam
Hi Charlotte! You could substitute granulated sugar for the brown sugar but the cake won’t be quite as moist. The vanilla just adds a little extra flavor. The cake will still turn out though. 🙂
Jody Friedman
I was wondering why you use oil in this recipe, and softened butter in the best vanilla cake recipe? I have been trying to understand the science behind the baking.
Thank you
Sam
Hi Jody! I actually use a half cup of each in both recipes. The reason to use both is because butter adds an excellent flavor and the oil adds a nice moist texture. 🙂
Cherline
Hi how do I amend the recipe measurements to make this into a 3 layer cake with 8 inch pans?
Sam
Hi Cherline! You will want to increase the recipe by 50%. 🙂
Emily Robin
Sam,
How do I get the cakes to rise leveled? They have risen a bit in the center unfortunately.
Thanks!!!
Emily
Sam
Hi Emily! They typically rise leveled for me but if yours rise in the center (and don’t settle down after being inverted and cooled) I think the best thing to do would be to let the cakes cool completely and then use a sharp serrated knife to level them. I hope that helps!
Julia
I made this cake for my sister’s birthday and it was a hit! I used a vanilla buttercream and white chocolate ganache to apply drips and decorated it with paper flowers I made! It turned out beautifully and tasted even better (and I’m not a huge chocolate person!) I have also made homemade pizza using your pizza dough recipe and I made your homemade biscuits to go with chicken a la king and they tasted amazing! This website is definitely my go to for new recipes from now on!
Sam
Thank you so much, Julia! I am so glad you enjoyed the cake so much. It sounds like it was absolutely beautiful. 🙂
Alice
Sam, it’s absolutely delicious!!! I want to make sure I don’t ruin the delicious cake. Do you recommend it be stored in the refrigerator or in an air tight container room temperature?! It’s about 75 degrees in my house these days. I made the cake with the buttercream icing you provided recipe for (thanks!) but I also made a raspberry jam (raspberry, water, sugar, corn starch) and put it in between the cake layers on top of your chocolate buttercream icing. Thanks so much for your time!
Sam
Hi Alice! I generally like to store mine at room temperature in an airtight container, but with the jam layer and with it being 75 degrees I think I’d recommend keeping it refrigerated in an airtight container just to be safe. I’m so glad you love the cake!! <3
Sheeela
What do I do if I want to use a 9×13 pan instead of a 8” pan? Can I do this?
Sam
Yes you could! The baking time will vary though, I’m not entirely sure how long it will take but others have said it’s around 30 minutes, definitely keep an eye on it to be safe! Enjoy 🙂
Uma G
I made a chocolate cake with raspberry jam filling. Turned out great!! I did reduce the granulated sugar to 100g. The buttercream was too sweet for me. I would probably half it for my recipe next time. Overall the chocolate cake was the best i’ve had. Thank you.
Sugar Spun Run
I am so happy to hear that you enjoyed it, Uma! Thank you so much for trying my recipe and for commenting. 🙂
uma g
Hi there, i made the cake again but i had an issue. It didn’t rise and it looked like it had 2 layers…batter turned lumpy. Could it be that my buttermilk/melted butter was not at room temperature?
Sam
Hmm that is really odd. I wonder if one of your ingredients was bad. That would be my best guess, because you should be able to combine everything together pretty easily. Hopefully this doesn’t happen again. 🙁