Legendary Chocolate Cake Recipe (with THE BEST Chocolate Buttercream Frosting)

February 24, 2025

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Moist and exploding with chocolate taste, this traditional chocolate cake options 2 cake layers plus chocolate buttercream! The chocolate buttercream frosting is wealthy and creamy and completes this chocolate cake recipe. Chocolate sprinkles are elective however are a enjoyable garnish. Should you like my chocolate cupcakes recipe, it is advisable to bake this cake.

Well-known Chocolate Cake Recipe

In my household, I’m “well-known” for 4 recipes: chocolate chip cookies, brownies, lasagna, and chocolate cake. But it surely’s the chocolate cake that’s the most well-liked and requested!!! From birthday events to dinner events, it’s at all times an enormous hit! Right here’s why I believe this traditional chocolate cake recipe is the perfect:

Ample chocolate taste because of cocoa powder within the cake batter and actual chocolate within the chocolate buttercream frosting!
The cake layers are smooth, fluffy, and melt-in-your-mouth moist.
Decadent and wealthy, it’s a traditional dessert everybody loves.
This recipe makes use of fundamental substances, and I present some ingredient substitutes beneath.
My chocolate buttercream frosting is wealthy, fudgy, and full of chocolate taste!

You may make cake layers upfront, wrap in plastic wrap, and freeze for as much as 2 months.

Slice of chocolate cake on a white dessert plate.

Components for Chocolate Cake

Sugar: This recipe makes use of granulated sugar, gentle brown sugar, and confectioner’s sugar.
Flour: Crucial of the dry substances. I solely counsel utilizing all-purpose flour, however for a gluten free chocolate cake, a 1-for-1 gluten free flour may match.
Unsweetened Cocoa Powder: This shouldn’t be changed with Dutch course of cocoa.
Baking Soda: Helps the cake batter unfold evenly within the cake pans, making certain even cake layers.
Baking Powder: Helps the cake batter rise within the cake pans, avoiding overly dense cake layers.
Salt: Enhances the chocolate taste and balances sweetness in each the cake batter and chocolate buttercream frosting.
Eggs: You’ll use 2 giant eggs plus an egg yolk. Be certain that your eggs at room temperature earlier than use within the cake batter.
Bitter Cream: In a pinch, this can be replaces with full-fat plain Greek yogurt.
Milk: Complete milk works finest, however diminished fats milk will work in a pinch. I don’t counsel subbing plant primarily based milks. However for those who should, coconut milk will work finest. However it is going to add a delicate coconut taste.
Oil: For a impartial taste, use canola oil or vegetable oil. Should you don’t thoughts a delicate taste from the oil, chances are you’ll use a gentle olive oil or coconut oil (melted).
Vanilla Extract: Actual vanilla extract provides wealthy taste and enhances the opposite flavors within the cake.
Scorching Espresso: Or freshly boiled water. You may learn the professionals and cons of every beneath.
Chocolate: For a sweeter chocolate buttercream frosting, use semi-sweet chocolate. For a darker buttercream frosting, use darkish chocolate or bittersweet chocolate. I counsel a much less candy chocolate for the reason that buttercream has numerous sugar.
Butter: You may’t make chocolate buttercream frosting with out butter! Use a top quality butter model you benefit from the style of and be sure you convey it to room temperature earlier than use.

Batter for devil's food cake in cake pans.

Cake Batter

Oven Prep: Preheat the oven to 350 a minimum of half-hour earlier than you propose on baking.
Prep Cake Pans: Use parchment paper rounds to line your cake pans! Make sure you spray every pan generously with nonstick baking spray.
Mix Dry Components: Mix the sugars, all goal flour, cocoa powder, baking energy, baking soda, and salt. Use an additional giant bowl right here!
Mix Moist Components: In a separate giant bowl whisk the eggs, egg yolks, milk, bitter cream, oil and vanilla extract. Pour this combination into the dry substances. Add the new espresso to the cake batter and blend till mixed.
Bake Cake Layers: They’ll take about 26 to half-hour, relying in your oven. Pull the cake pans when a toothpick inserted within the heart of every cake layer comes out clear.
Cool Cake Layers: Cool within the cake pans for 10 minutes. Then invert onto a cooling rack to chill fully. Don’t try and trim the cake layers or frost till the muffins have cooled fully.

Scorching Espresso vs Scorching Water

Relating to this moist ingredient, you have got an choice. Listed here are the principle professionals and cons of sizzling espresso versus simply utilizing sizzling water:

Scorching espresso enhances the chocolate taste within the cake batter.
Scorching espresso additionally provides a delicate mocha taste with out making the cake style like espresso.
Nonetheless, for those who’re delicate to espresso or completely hate the flavour, chances are you’ll need to go away it out.
The professional of utilizing sizzling water is it’s free and at all times readily available, assuming you have got a kettle and working water.
The con of utilizing sizzling water is it received’t improve the chocolate taste or add any taste dimension to the cake batter.

Chocolate Buttercream Frosting

Soften the Chocolate: Utilizing a double boiler or microwave, soften the chocolate. Enable the chocolate to chill to room temperature earlier than use.
Make the Frosting: Use a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment – or a big bowl and a handheld electrical mixer. Beat the butter till creamy then regularly add the confectioner’s sugar, beating effectively after every addition. When you add all of the sugar, beat for two minutes on medium-high. Lastly, add the vanilla and melted chocolate and proceed beating till effectively mixed and creamy!
Unfold: Use a big frosting spatula (or a butterknife, no matter you have got readily available!) and unfold the frosting on the cake. I like to put one cake layer on a cake stand, add frosting, add one other cake layer, then frost the perimeters and prime of the cake.

For the reason that chocolate buttercream frosting has numerous chocolate, I like to recommend making it not more than 1 hour forward.

Slices of chocolate cake on a dark table with a cake server.

Tips on how to Retailer Chocolate Cake

To retailer leftover chocolate cake, wrap tightly in plastic wrap. Make sure the plastic touches the cake and that no spots stay uncovered to air.
You may retailer this cake at room temperature or within the fridge. It’ll keep recent for as much as 2 days.
Should you’d prefer to bake the muffins upfront of frosting, you’ll be able to. Bake them and funky fully, then wrap in plastic wrap and retailer at room temperature for as much as 24 hours. Or freeze for as much as 2 months.

Finest Cake Pans for Chocolate Cake

You’ll want (2) 9-inch cake pans for this chocolate cake recipe.
For finest outcomes, use steel or metal pans.
Glass pans or ceramic pans will take longer to bake, and should yield uneven cake layers.
Should you don’t have 2 cake pans, you’ll be able to bake these muffins in batches, however it’s extra time consuming.
You’ll have to let the cake pan cool fully earlier than utilizing it to bake one other cake, in any other case the cake batter received’t bake evenly.
You may wrap the baked muffins in plastic wrap to maintain them moist when you bake the opposite muffins.
You may bake this cake in a 9×13-inch baking pan. The baking time will likely be totally different, probably it’ll take nearer to 35 minutes. Should you resolve to make use of this measurement pan, regulate the cake and realize it’s prepared when a toothpick inserted within the heart comes out clear.

Please not the final 3 suggestions above are in reference to baking the muffins in the identical cake pan (for those who don’t have 2 cake pans to make use of).