Best Chocolate Cake

5 from 1 vote

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By: Jill Mills Updated: Apr 25, 2025

The moist cake layers, rich chocolate flavor, and cream cheese frosting are some of the things that make this the Best Chocolate Cake Recipe. It’s super easy to make too!

It takes a lot of confidence in a recipe to believe you can call it the best. We have all of that confidence and more in this recipe. When we say it’s the best chocolate cake recipe we have ever made, we mean it! Rich chocolate cake layers with homemade chocolate frosting in between and the bonus…it’s easy to make!

Why This Is The Best Chocolate Cake Recipe

What exactly makes this the best chocolate cake? Here are just a few reasons.

• Made with one bowl. I love to keep things simple, so for this cake, I whisked together the dry ingredients and then added the wet ingredients straight into the same bowl. It keeps the prep super easy and means there are fewer dishes to wash after!
• ALL of the chocolate flavor. There’s chocolate cakes and then there’s CHOCOLATE cakes. This moist chocolate cake recipe is definitely the latter! The cake layers have a rich chocolate flavor, in part because of a secret ingredient I talk about below. The frosting adds even more chocolate flavor.
• The frosting! You can’t have a true chocolate cake without chocolate frosting. The frosting used in this recipe is thick, creamy, and full of rich chocolate flavor.

Recipe Ingredients

Unsurprisingly, cocoa powder is one of the main ingredients in this recipe, both in the cake and the frosting. The other ingredients are mostly pantry staples. Scroll down to the recipe card below for the exact measurements.

For the Cake:

• All-purpose flour
• Sugar
• Unsweetened cocoa powder – Adds the rich chocolate flavor to the cake.
• Baking soda & baking powder – Help achieve the perfect rise and texture in the cake.
• Salt – Balances out the sweet flavors.
• Eggs
• Buttermilk – Buttermilk adds some acidity to the cake and helps create an extra tender crumb.
• Black coffee – See below for why I love this secret ingredient!
• Vegetable oil – Adds moisture to the cake.
• Vanilla extract

For the Frosting:

• Butter – I like to use unsalted butter in this frosting as I don’t think the salt is necessary.
• Cream cheese – I recommend brick-style cream cheese. It should be softened to room temperature.
• Unsweetened cocoa powder – For that extra chocolate flavor!
• Vanilla extract
• Powdered sugar – Sweetens and stabilizes the frosting.
• Milk – Helps achieve the perfect spreadable consistency. Only use as much as necessary.

Why Add Coffee To Chocolate Cake?

This chocolate cake recipe we’re so obsessed with has a secret ingredient: coffee. It may be a surprising ingredient but it’s one I definitely don’t recommend leaving out. It’s part of what makes this cake the best chocolate cake!

Coffee in chocolate desserts does not make them taste like coffee! What coffee does do, however, is enhance the flavor of the chocolate. It makes the chocolate taste more, well…chocolatey! Just be sure to use a strong black coffee or even use espresso powder for an even stronger flavor.

How To Make Chocolate Cake

One of the things that makes this the best chocolate cake recipe is definitely how easy it is to make! The printable version of the instructions can be found in the recipe card below.

Chocolate Cake Directions:

• Prep. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Lightly spray the sides of the round 9-inch and parchment paper in the bottom of each pan.
• Make the batter. Whisk the dry ingredients in a large bowl. Add the eggs, buttermilk, hot coffee, oil, and vanilla. Beat on medium speed until well combined.
• Bake. Divide the cake batter evenly among the three pans. Bake on the middle rack for 25-30 minutes. The cakes are done when they easily spring back after being touched.
• Cool. Remove the cakes from the oven and let cool.

Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting Directions:

• Combine the ingredients. Beat together the butter and cream cheese until smooth and creamy. Beat in the cocoa powder, vanilla, and milk to form a thick batter.
• Add the powdered sugar. Gradually mix in the powdered sugar until fully combined.
• Add more milk. If necessary, add more milk one tablespoon at a time. The frosting should be easily spreadable onto a cake but not too thick.

Proper Storage

• Fridge. This chocolate cake can be stored in the fridge for up to 4 days. Keep it covered tightly with plastic wrap or in an airtight container, such as a cake carrier.
• Freezer. The cake can also be frozen. I like to flash freeze individual slices on a baking sheet, then wrap them tightly in plastic wrap. Freeze for up to 3 months and thaw in the fridge.

More Chocolate Cake Recipes

• Mint Chocolate Cake
• German Chocolate Cake
• Triple Chocolate Cake
• Chocolate Depression Cake
• Sour Cream Chocolate Cake
• Chocolate Poke Cake

5 from 1 vote

Best Chocolate Cake Recipe

The moist cake layers, rich chocolate flavor, and cream cheese frosting are some of the things that make this the Best Chocolate Cake Recipe.

Servings: 18 servings

Prep: 10 minutes mins

Cook: 25 minutes mins

Total: 35 minutes mins

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Ingredients

  

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• ▢ 3 cups all purpose flour
• ▢ 3 cups sugar
• ▢ 1 ½ cups unsweetened cocoa powder
• ▢ 1 Tablespoon baking soda
• ▢ 1 ½ teaspoon baking powder
• ▢ 1 ½ teaspoon salt
• ▢ 4 large eggs
• ▢ 1 ½ cups buttermilk
• ▢ 1 ½ cups black coffee
• ▢ ½ cup vegetable oil
• ▢ 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting

• ▢ 1 ½ cups unsalted butter softened
• ▢ 8 ounces cream cheese room temperature
• ▢ 1 ½ cups unsweetened cocoa powder
• ▢ 3 teaspoons vanilla extract
• ▢ 7 cups powdered sugar
• ▢ 4-6 Tablespoons milk

Instructions

Cake Directions:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
• Lightly spray the sides of three 9 inch round pans, and place a round piece of parchment paper in the bottom of each pan. You can also lightly butter or grease and then flour each pan.
• In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda and powder, and salt until combined.
• Add in the eggs, buttermilk, coffee, oil, and vanilla. Beat the ingredients until they are well combined, on medium speed.
• Evenly divide batter and pour into the prepared pans.
• Place the three pans in the oven on the middle rack and bake for 25-30 minutes. Cakes will be done when it springs back to the touch.
• Remove from the oven and let cool while you prepare the frosting.

Frosting Directions:

• In a large bowl, mix together the butter and cream cheese until it is smooth and creamy.
• Add in the cocoa powder, vanilla, and milk. Continue to beat until the ingredients form into a thick chocolate batter.
• Gradually add in the powdered sugar, allowing it to combine with the chocolate mixture.
• Add additional milk one tablespoon at a time, if the frosting is too thick to spread onto the cake.

Last Step:

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Notes

Frosting – This frosting recipe makes enough frosting for each layer and the outer cake, so generously spread enough frosting in between each layer.  If the frosting is too thin, you can add additional powdered sugar, one Tablespoon at a time until it reaches your desired thickness, or you can chill the frosting for about 10-15 minutes, and it will become more firm.

Nutrition

Calories: 684kcal | Carbohydrates: 106g | Protein: 8g | Fat: 30g | Saturated Fat: 15g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 5g | Monounsaturated Fat: 8g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 92mg | Sodium: 459mg | Potassium: 353mg | Fiber: 6g | Sugar: 81g | Vitamin A: 733IU | Calcium: 87mg | Iron: 3mg

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