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.
Pros: Best ever chocolate cake… need I say more?!
Cons: Nope, none.
Would I make this again? This is my go-to chocolate cake recipe!
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.
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
What Kind of Chocolate is Best in Chocolate Cake?
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 possible.
- 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.
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!
Sugar in Chocolate Cake
This best chocolate cake 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 in Chocolate Cake
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.
Why Use Sour Cream in Chocolate Cake?
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 Best Chocolate 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
Find all my best Birthday Cake Recipes here!
My Favorite Cake Tools:
- Guittard Dutch-Processed Cocoa Powder
- Offset Spatulas
- Fat Daddio’s 8-inch Round Cake Pan
- Cake Turntable
Become a Baking Genius!
Sign up for our free email newsletter for NEW recipes & baking science secrets.
Best Chocolate Cake
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 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 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.
This post was originally published in 2018 and has been updated with additional baking tips and recipe improvements. Photos by Ashley McLaughlin.
I have not made the cake yet , but would like to cut white sugar and brown sugar in half. I do this which other things I bake and it’s fine. Too much sugar , ruins things for me
We wouldn’t recommend reducing the sugars in this recipe as it will drastically alter the outcome. Sugar does more than just sweeten! I’d encourage you to look for a cake recipe that was tested and created with less sugar. Good luck!
can I use avocado oil instead of vegetable oil? Will I need to change the measurement if so?
Hi there! We haven’t tried that, so we can’t say for sure! Let us know how it goes if you give that a try 🙂
I only have 10 inch round pans. Should I double the recipe?
Hi Michelle! We have only tested this recipe in 8-inch round cake pans, and it’s tough to say exactly how doubling in 10-inch pans will go, as they’re not quite twice the volume of 8-inch pans. Check out this article by The Food Network for more info and help with the math here! I hope that helps! Let us know how it goes 🙂
This frosting looks amazing! Would it also be really good to pipe on cupcakes? Will it be stable enough and hold up? It looks amazing.
Hi Deb! Yes, this frosting is perfect for piping on cupcakes! It’s a softer frosting, so it won’t hold up super well to very intricate piped designs, but it will look beautiful and hold up well with a simple star tip. If you find the frosting is a little too soft, refrigerate for 5-10 minutes to firm up slightly, refrigerating a few minutes longer if needed until it’s slightly firmed but still pipeable. Keep the frosted cupcakes refrigerated until about 1 hour before serving, for best results. Let us know how it goes 🙂
I am confused about this meringue buttercream. I noticed in your freebie download it says to whip it until stiff peaks but this one did not say that. is that correct? of so, why?
Hi Debbie! This Swiss meringue style buttercream uses a different method compared to American-style buttercream, so reaching stiff peaks isn’t as important here. Feel free to use either variety of frosting on this cake, but in our opinions, nothing beats the silkiness of this style of buttercream 🙂 Follow Tessa’s directions in the recipe for beautifully smooth, delicious Swiss meringue buttercream! Enjoy!
This is probably a long shot, but have you ever made a Barbie cake? I want to recreate one for my sister. Any tips on how I might adjust the ratios for this recipe? Thank you!!
Hi Elizabeth! We haven’t tried that, so I can’t say for sure. Let us now how it goes if you give that a try 🙂
I have made some recipes that claim they are the “Best Chocolate Cake.” They were not! But this one….it’s easy, it’s moist and delicious. The flavor is amazing. I was worried about the vinegar but it’s fine. The espresso powder is a must! Thank you for this! I made my own birthday cake with this recipe and it was perfect!
Wow, thank you so much for choosing our recipe to make for such a special occasion! We’re thrilled to hear how much you enjoyed it 🙂 Happy belated birthday from Team HTH!
Could you put this cake in a tube pan or a Bundt pan? I have a recipe for a coconut filling that you put in the middle of the cake by putting some batter in the Bundt or tube pan then put spoon fulls of the coconut filling and then top with the rest of the batter.
Hi Nancy! We haven’t tried baking this cake in a bundt pan, but Tessa has lots of delicious chocolate bundt cakes you could try this with – such as this cheesecake-filled chocolate bundt cake, or this chocolate sour cream bundt cake, or this chocolate peppermint bundt (just leave out the mint extract). I hope that helps!
Is there a reason that you don’t use cake flour instead of regular AP? Also, do you think King Arthur AP flour would work well? It has a higher protein content than most AP flour and it works beautifully for my pie crust recipe, but I used it to make brownies and thought it made them too cake-y.
Hi Mary Lynn! We wanted to create a recipe that used more readily available ingredients, so we stuck with AP flour during the development of this recipe. If you’ve found that you notice a more cakey texture using King Arthur AP flour, I’d recommend trying Gold Medal Bleached All-Purpose Flour, Tessa’s go-to!
My frosting did not come out light and fluffy. Kind of runny. What did I do wrong?
Hi Beth! When Swiss meringue buttercream gets too runny, it usually just means it’s too warm. Try refrigerating it for 15 minutes or so, and re-whip until creamy and smooth. If it looks curdled at any point, don’t worry – it’ll come back together! This frosting won’t be quite as thick as typical American buttercreams, but it will taste SO delicious, and glide beautifully onto the cake. Let us know how it goes! Happy baking 🙂
Hi! I’m glad I came across your recipe for this chocolate cake. The instructions were very thorough. I’m a novice baker, and I have a question about how my layers turned out. Initially when I checked my cake layers at the 28 minute mark, I was a little scared the batter was going to overflow, as it was all the way to the very top. When I wet back to check at 32 minutes, my layers deflated by about 1/4″. Is this normal or did I affect the cake layers setting when I opened the oven?? I’m wondering if I should rebake the cake as it is for a birthday celebration next week (my judgment call obviously). Right now the layers are in the freezer, so I have no idea of the texture. Thanks for any guidance you can provide!
Hi Brandy! I’m glad to hear that the instructions Tessa provided here were clear and easy to follow! It is normal for cakes to rise in the oven, thanks to chemical leavening agents (baking powder and/or soda), along with various other factors (such as creamed butter/sugar, eggs, and more). The batter will rise and it may shrink down a tiny bit as the batter sets into cake and bakes all the way through, but if the cake sinks substantially or very suddenly, there may be several reasons why. Tessa actually just published an article on How to Prevent Cakes & Cupcakes From Sinking – check it out here! I hope that article helps and provides some insight into what causes sinkage. Let us know if you have any further questions! 🙂
I have made this before, and it is by far the best chocolate cake ever. So, can it be made in three 8 inch cake pans. Yes, the layers will be smaller, but would the sturdiness be compromised?
Hi there! We haven’t tried that, so I can’t say for sure! You would need to carefully watch the bake time and reduce it quite a bit, to ensure the cake layers didn’t get overbaked and dry out. They also would be a little less sturdy, because they would be thinner. Let us know how it goes if you give this a try!