Tessa’s Recipe Rundown
Taste: Loaded with chocolate flavor and just the perfect balance of sweetness.
Texture: Crazy moist, tender, and fudgy with the silkiest and creamiest chocolate frosting ever!
Ease: The cake batter is crazy quick & easy. The frosting is a little more involved, but totally doable, promise.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe: Best ever chocolate cake… need I say more?!
This post may contain affiliate links. Read our disclosure policy.
This Best Chocolate Cake recipe is your new go-to cake recipe! Birthdays, Christmas, dinner parties, you name it – this cake is the perfect crowd-pleasing dessert.
I have a confession to make. I’m not a big cake fan. As a professional baking blogger, I know this is basically heresy.
But I just find the majority of cakes out there to be either dry and bland, sickly sweet and artificial tasting, or so light in texture that I would rather have a brownie.
Free Baking Science Mini-Course!
From cookies that spread to undercooked brownies, this FREE 5-day Baking Science course helps you conquer common baking challenges and make bakery-worthy treats every time.
That is, until I met this cake! This is the BEST chocolate cake recipe I’ve EVER tried!
I could eat this cake and the chocolate frosting weekly… for eternity!
When this best chocolate cake comes out of the oven, the tops of the layers are actually shiny and slightly crackled, almost like a brownie. That’s how fudgy it is.
The cake batter itself is so crazy easy to whip up. You don’t even need a mixer for the batter. That allows you to focus your energy on the Chocolate Swiss Meringue Buttercream, which truly takes this cake to another level.
You could also have fun and get creative with flavors and fillings here. Maybe add some orange zest to the cake & frosting, some raspberries or jam to the filling, or some salted caramel for good measure?
But sometimes there’s nothing better than pure chocolate indulgence. You’ll want to go totally Matilda on this cake!
I hope you make this chocolate cake from scratch for someone special soon!
Sprinkle of Science
How to Make the Best Chocolate Cake Recipe
The Chocolate
We can’t make the best Chocolate Cake without paying attention to the chocolate ingredients! The cake contains:
- Both bittersweet chocolate AND Dutch-process cocoa powder, for as much chocolate flavor as possible.
- The chocolate frosting uses melted chocolate for the most intense and pure chocolate flavor.
- I like to use semisweet chocolate in the frosting but feel free to use milk or bittersweet chocolate, noting that this will also alter the sweetness levels.
- Just make sure you’re using the highest quality chocolate you can.
- Learn more about Chocolate in Baking here.
Do I Have to Use Dutch-Process Cocoa Powder?
I recommend sticking with Dutch-process cocoa as it works differently on a chemical level compared to regular natural cocoa. So why am I using Dutch-process cocoa with baking soda for this recipe? Shouldn’t it be baking powder? Here’s why:
- Dutch-process cocoa has more fat than most grocery store natural cocoa powder products, so it’s actually used for flavor and moisture in this specific recipe.
- The vinegar in this recipe activates the baking soda. Do not substitute or skip this.
- You can find Dutch-process cocoa at many gourmet food stores, like Target, Whole Foods, Sur la Table, and Williams-Sonoma.
- You can also buy it easily online from Amazon.
- If you can’t find it, you can use regular unsweetened cocoa powder – just remove the vinegar in the recipe completely.
- You can learn more about the differences between cocoa powders here.
Why is There Espresso Powder in Chocolate Cake? Can I Omit it?
- You may have noticed that some chocolate cake recipes utilize hot water or hot coffee.
- When hot liquid is combined with the cocoa powder, it helps to dissolve and ‘bloom’ the cocoa to bring out as much flavor with as few cocoa lumps as possible.
- In this recipe, I use a combination of hot water and instant espresso powder.
- The espresso simply enhances the chocolate flavor without actually tasting like coffee.
- Alternatively, you could use strong hot coffee for the same effect.
- I never have coffee on hand so for me, espresso powder + hot water is easier.
- If you don’t like the taste of coffee or espresso, just use hot water and omit the espresso powder completely.
What’s the Best Pan for Baking Chocolate Cake?
This recipe uses two 8-inch round cake pans. I love these Fat Daddios pans because they bake evenly and come out cleanly.
How to Make Moist Chocolate Cake
The ingredients below all help to create a moist, tender, and fudgy cake, for the BEST chocolate cake ever.
Oil vs. Butter in Chocolate Cake
- This chocolate cake recipe calls for vegetable oil instead of melted butter.
- Oil creates an ultra-moist texture and open, slightly spongy crumb.
- Cakes made with oil feel more “moist” because the fat is a liquid at room temperature, so it coats the tongue and gives the sensation of moisture.
- Be sure to use fresh vegetable oil. Give it a sniff before using to make sure it doesn’t have any off flavors.
- Feel free to use melted coconut oil instead of vegetable oil!
The Sugar
This recipe uses a combination of granulated and brown sugars. Here’s why:
- This sugar combination creates a flavorful, moist, and fudgy cake.
- Brown sugar is more hygroscopic, which basically means it draws and attracts moisture more than granulated white sugar.
- I also like the slightly complex butterscotch flavor it adds.
- Don’t reduce the amount of sugar in this chocolate cake recipe! Sugar does so much more than simply sweetening your baked goods. Learn all about sugar’s role in baking here.
The Eggs
The more whole eggs in a cake recipe, the richer it’ll be. Since the yolk contains most of the fat in an egg, it also lends richness to cakes. Adding an egg yolk to this recipe also helps increase the fudge factor. Be sure your eggs are at room temperature so they blend into the batter smoothly.
Can I Bake a Chocolate Cake Without Eggs?
Eggs are a critical part of this particular recipe. If you replace them with a substitute, you’ll likely end up with a texture that’s much less rich and fudgy. However, if you can’t have eggs, check out my friend Gemma’s tutorial on replacing eggs in baking recipes.
Sour Cream
Sour cream also adds richness and a nice balance of flavor to this Best Chocolate Cake. It helps make the cake more tender and fudgy. Be sure to use full-fat sour cream that’s at room temperature. Full-fat Greek yogurt should work just fine if that’s all you can find. I haven’t tried any dairy substitutes.
Chocolate Swiss Meringue Buttercream Frosting
- This recipe uses my all-time favorite frosting: Chocolate Swiss Meringue Buttercream.
- It is a little more advanced, but the result is a frosting so silky, smooth, creamy, and not too sweet. It’s 100000% worth the effort.
- The ingredients & directions are included in the cake recipe below, but I also have an entire step-by-step tutorial on how to make chocolate Swiss meringue buttercream here.
- I think the best part about this buttercream frosting is how easy it is to work with. It just glides right onto the cake effortlessly.
- Since it is so silky, it’s not the best frosting to use for any super intricate cake decorating.
- If you don’t want to make Swiss Meringue Buttercream, you could make a double batch of this Dark Chocolate Buttercream instead, or even use my decadent chocolate ganache recipe!
Do I Have to Keep This Cake Refrigerated?
Since frosting acts as a protective seal that keeps the cake moist and fresh, frosted cakes can be stored at a cool and dry room temperature for up to 2 days. Here are my best tips:
- Cover Best Chocolate Cake with a cake keeper to keep the chocolate buttercream frosting intact.
- Don’t use plastic wrap, which will not only ruin your frosting but also create condensation that can cause the frosting to separate.
- I personally don’t worry about keeping frosting at room temperature since the sugar acts as a preservative, but if this concerns you, store the cake in the fridge.
How Can I Turn This Into Chocolate Cupcakes?
Lucky for you, I already have a Best Ever Chocolate Cupcakes Recipe here! It’s the same base as this recipe.
More Cake Recipes You’ll Love:
- Best Ever Chocolate Cupcakes (the cupcake version of this recipe!)
- Chocolate Bundt Cake
- Easy Chocolate Sheet Cake
- Chocolate Zucchini Cake
- Chocolate Lava Cakes
- Flourless Chocolate Cake
My Favorite Cake Tools:
Best Chocolate Cake
Email This Recipe
Enter your email, and we’ll send it to your inbox.
Ingredients
For the cake:
- 8 ounces (227 grams) bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
- 2/3 cup (57 grams) Dutch-process cocoa, sifted
- 2 teaspoons instant espresso powder*
- 1 cup boiling water
- 1 3/4 (222 grams) cups all-purpose flour
- 1 cup (200 grams) granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup (100 grams) packed light brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 cup (227 grams) sour cream, at room temperature
- 1/2 cup vegetable oil**
- 4 large eggs plus one egg yolk, at room temperature
- 1 tablespoon white vinegar
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
For the frosting:
- 2/3 cup (133 grams) granulated sugar
- 4 large egg whites
- 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 3 sticks (340 grams) unsalted butter, cut into 12 pieces and at room temperature
- 12 ounces (340 grams) semisweet chocolate, melted and cooled slightly
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
Make the cake:
- In a medium heatproof bowl, add the chocolate, cocoa powder, and espresso powder. Pour hot water over mixture. Cover and let stand for 5 minutes. Whisk mixture gently until smooth then set aside to cool.
- Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 350°F. Butter and flour two 8-inch round cake pans.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, sugars, salt, and baking soda.
- Whisk sour cream, oil, eggs, egg yolk, vinegar, and vanilla into the cooled chocolate mixture until smooth. Stir in the flour mixture until smooth, being careful not to overmix. Batter will be thin.
- Pour the batter into the prepared pans and bake for 35 to 40 minutes, or until a cake tester or toothpick comes out clean. Cool in the pans for 30 minutes, then carefully turn them out onto a cooling rack to cool completely.
Make the frosting:
- Combine the sugar, egg whites, and salt in the bowl of a stand mixer. Set bowl over a saucepan filled with 1-inch of gently simmering water. Whisking gently and constantly, heat mixture until sugar is dissolved and mixture is slightly thickened and foamy and registers 150°F on a candy thermometer or a digital thermometer, about 3 minutes. Remove from heat and carefully wipe the bottom of the bowl dry.
- Fit stand mixer with whisk attachment (not the paddle attachment) and beat the egg white mixture on medium speed until cooled and thickened, about 5 minutes. Add the butter, 1 piece at a time, until smooth and creamy. If the mixture looks curdled, that’s okay. Just keep beating until it becomes smooth. If the butter becomes too warm and greasy, refrigerate the bowl for 10 to 15 minutes then continue to beat until smooth.
- Add chocolate and vanilla and mix until combined. Increase speed to medium-high and beat until light, fluffy, and well combined, about 30 seconds, scraping down the sides of the bowl as necessary.
Assemble:
- Place one cake layer on a cake turntable or cake stand. Spread an even layer of frosting all over the cake layer, pushing it out over the edge slightly. Place the other cake layer upside-down on top of the frosting so that the top of the cake is nice and flat. With an offset spatula, spread the remaining frosting evenly all over the cake, smoothing the edges. Serve or cover and store in the fridge for up to 2 days. Let come to room temperature for an hour before serving.
Recipe Notes
Cake Layers: Wrap unfrosted, un-cut, cooled cake layers in several layers of plastic wrap and place inside a freezer bag. Store at room temperature for up to 5 days, or in the freezer for up to 2 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge.
Frosting: Frosting can be made 1 day ahead of time and stored in an airtight container in the fridge. Let come to room temperature and beat on low with a paddle attachment until creamy. If frosting appears runny or curdled, microwave about 1/4 cup for 5-10 seconds, then mix back into bowl and beat on medium-high until smooth.
Alternatively, freeze the frosting in a ziptop bag or airtight container for up to 1 month. Defrost in the fridge overnight, then let come to room temperature before whipping in the stand mixer on low until light and smooth.
The Ultimate Cookie Handbook
Learn the sweet SCIENCE of cookie baking in a fun, visual way to customize your own recipes frustration-free. Plus, my best 50+ homemade cookies!
This post was originally published in 2018 and has been updated with additional baking tips and recipe improvements. Photos by Ashley McLaughlin.
Delicious flavor! But I made a couple mistakes. I accidentally put the fifth egg white in the cake and I think it made it more cakey vs fudgey.
Also, my frosting ended up really runny. What did I do wrong? I swear I followed the directions. I ended up putting in some powdered sugar to thicken it up so I could use it. The only thing I can think is that I could have refrigerated the egg mixture after heating it with the sugar on the stove. It was very smooth and the sugar was dissolved.
Hi Joanna! I’m so glad your cake still turned out delicious 🙂 For your frosting, we actually have a step-by-step tutorial included in the pink tip box above the recipe. Runny Chocolate Swiss Meringue Buttercream is usually from either using too warm of butter, not whipping the mixture enough, or from using too warm of melted chocolate. How long did you place your buttercream in the fridge to cool when you noticed it was runny?
Hi, I will be making this tomorrow and I am using regular cocoa powder, so eliminating white vinegar completely as you mentioned, so does that mean eliminating baking soda as well? Or do I still add the baking soda?
Thank you
Hi Nina! For future reference, be sure to check out the pink tip box above our recipes as we usually discuss ingredients like that 🙂 When using regular cocoa powder, you’ll just need to remove the vinegar in the recipe. Please let us know what you think!
The absolute hands down best chocolate cake I’ve ever made! I made this cake for my daughters wedding-it got rave reviews and it was still moist and delicious a week later!
Thrilled you chose this recipe to celebrate your daughter’s marriage with, Lisa! What an honor for us, I’ll be sure to let Tessa know it was a huge hit! Thanks for the comment!
It really looks delicious. thanks for this informative blog
The flavor and moistness of this cake is incredible but I have to say that the frosting was difficult to work with for me. The frosting came out a little on the oily and runny side. Not sure what may have caused this problem, but I would love some tips to make it better next time.
Hi Caroline! In the pink tip box located above this recipe, we actually have a link to the Chocolate Swiss Meringue Buttercream’s personal blog post, which includes a lot of tips, plus a video with step-by-step instructions. I’m happy to hear your cake turned out beautifully and hope you try the frosting out again after checking out that post. Can’t wait to hear how it goes!
Hi! I’ve been looking for a highly rated chocolate cake recipe and I really want to try this one. I was wondering how this cake holds up as a tall cake? I’ve been wanting to make a tall 8inch cake for my birthday, about 5 to 6 cake layers. Does anyone know if this will be sturdy enough for the weight or will it fall? I use Italian meringue buttercream so it’s not heavy like American buttercream. The pictures makes it look dense, but the description says it’s soft….thanks kindly in advance!
Hi Rachel! We haven’t tried this cake with more than 2 layers, but my concern is that it’s such a moist and rich cake, I don’t know if it would be sturdy enough to hold up that many layers. Please let us know if you give it a try!
Hey Tessa..! Hope you are doing great.!! I just made this recipe of yours but I halved the recipe because I needed just one cake. I used a seven inch pan but the cake turned dense and rubbery at the bottom half however the upper half was fine. What could be the reason for that
The primary reason cakes turn out dense and rubbery is due to overmixing, so it’s interesting to hear that the texture of the cake wasn’t consistent throughout! I haven’t halved this recipe before, but I would recommend using an 8-inch pan. Do you measure your ingredients with a digital scale?
Could I make this into 3, 5in round cake pans and stack them? I would have leftover batter but it shouldn’t change the taste with small pans, right? Just need to use a different heat setting and/or cooking time? Unsure what those adjustments should be however.
I haven’t tried this recipe with smaller pans, so I can’t say for sure! I always recommend using Wilton’s Cake Serving Guide. Good luck!
Made it for my guest. Everybody just loved it.
I used the regular cocoa powder and skipped the vinegar. Still came out perfect… shared it with my Neighbours too amd got great compliments!
It’s a fool proof recipe… must try!
Just wasn’t sure about how to make the frosting… any videos? I couldn’t see the link too:( so whipped out my own frosting but would love to try this one too:)
I’m so happy everyone enjoyed your cake! If you check out the pink tip box above the cake recipe, I talk about the Swiss Meringue Buttercream Frosting and provided a link to a step-by-step tutorial with a video 🙂
Hello, sounds delicious! I’d like to make a 6 inch 4 layer cake….can I double the cake reciepe?
I haven’t tried baking this recipe in 6-inch pans, so I can’t say for sure how it’d turn out. Will you be baking all four pans at the same time? How deep are your cake pans? Make sure they’re at least 2 1/2-inches deep (I use 3-inch deep pans myself to guarantee they won’t overflow). I normally suggest following cake recipes with the recommended pans to ensure a great outcome or finding a recipe that uses the pans you’d like to use.
The cake looks divine but I’m struggling with the frosting. My whisk attachment I discovered to be missing (I know – how do you lose it?!) and am whisking by hand. Afraid the butter wasn’t fluffy enough before I added the chocolate, so the frosting is beautifully silky but not thick enough. It is chilling now to see if that will help. Will try again after I have replaced the mixer attachment!
You’ll definitely want your whisk attachment for this buttercream recipe to ensure the best outcome, hope you can find it!
Hello, I love and respect the hardworking you put into your recipes but I came across this recipe and your chocolate sheet cake recipe and got confused. I assumed it will be the same ingredients but they are not, is there any reason for using sour cream here versus buttermilk in the sheet cake version, different measurements of granulated sugar and brown sugar compared to the sheet version , different amounts of eggs …
I just wanted to know if there is any reason with regard to taste, type of baking pans , if both recipes can be interchanged or if you have a preference.
I know this is a lot , I over analyze a lot and that’s how I function. I am sorry
No reason other than for the Easy Chocolate Sheet Cake, I went with easy ingredients for people to find and that even possibly already had in their pantry 🙂 I haven’t tested these recipes by switching out ingredients, you’d have to experiment on your own.