Easy Chocolate Cake Recipe

Yes, you read that correctly, this one is easy-peasy. Believe me. You don't even need to break out a mixer to make this batter! Or if you want to use mixer, you can whip this batter up in under just 2-3 minutes. This easy chocolate cake recipe produces a super decadent, moist yet tender crumb cake.  

Decorate with rainbow sprinkles and this cake is perfect as a Chocolate Birthday Cake! Looking for more Chocolate Dessert Recipes? I've got quite a few for you.

Check out these recipes: Single layer Chocolate Cake, Small Chocolate Cake or these Chocolate Cake Pops.

TASTE AND TEXTURE:

This cake is brimming with chocolate flavor. Even though we are only using cocoa powder in the batter (and frosting), the cake yields a perfectly decadent and moist crumb.

This is a moist cake that stays moist for days. Dust it with some powdered sugar, pour in some chocolate sauce or eat as is, this cake does not disappoint!

Yet decorating it with heaps of frosting is always a good idea!

Once again, this cake has-

• soft and moist texture with the most perfect chocolatey crumb
• creamy and luscious chocolate frosting to sink your teeth into
• deep, decadent rich chocolate flavor with the right amount of sweetness

RECIPE INGREDIENTS:

You require minimal pantry staple ingredients to create this beauty. You will need-

• Flour: Use pantry-staple all purpose flour for the ultimate cake texture and crumb.
• Sugar: Granulated sugar, another pantry staple gives this cake the perfect touch of sweetness.
• Cocoa powder: We are using special dark cocoa powder for a rich chocolaty taste.
• Eggs: Use large eggs for this recipe for a soft, springy feel. All types of eggs are good; brown, white, free-range or organic. Just make sure to use room temperature eggs.
• Buttermilk: Buttermilk gives cake an ultimate soft and light texture as it reacts with baking soda.

Recipe Instructions

1. Prepare cake pan. Butter and flour cake pans. Alternatively, you can line them with parchment paper and lightly spray them with oil spray.
2. Combine dry ingredients. Sift the dry ingredients to get rid of any lumps in the cocoa and flour. Sifting will also incorporate air and make these ingredients light. I pre-measure my ingredients and sift them directly over wet ingredients sometimes.
3. Mix wet ingredients with dry. After mixing wet and dry ingredients you will notice that this batter is very thin. Do not be tempted to add any more flour into this batter. This thin batter consistency bakes the most soft and moist cake. 
4. Divide the batter. Pour the batter into prepared pans.
5. Bake the cakes. Bake the cakes in oven till done. These cakes take around 30-35 minutes in oven. Don't leave them for too long in oven. Check with a wooden skewer or toothpick for doneness around that time.
6. Let cool. Allow the cakes to cool completely before frosting. If you wish to speed up cooling process, stick your cake pans in the freezer for about 20-30 minutes.
7. Frost the cakes. Frost and layer the cakes. Cover with chocolate buttercream and decorate with swirls! Tip with sprinkles and indulge!

Chocolate Buttercream:

This buttercream is made using cocoa, butter, powdered sugar, vanilla and milk. You can use both natural or dutch processed cocoa powder here since no leavening is been used.

I opted for natural one here.

Tips to make perfect cake every time:

• Always use room temperature eggs, because it allows for better blending.
• Use vegetable, canola or avocado oil for this cake. Any flavorless oil would do here.
• Do not overmix the batter and take care not to over bake the cakes as it might dry them out.
• Add 2 teaspoons of instant coffee to hot water and mix in the batter. Coffee only enhances the chocolate flavor and I promise you wont taste coffee in your cake. Adding coffee is totally optional though!
• Allow the cakes to cool down completely before frosting. QUICK TIP: You can freeze the cake for about 20-30 minutes to speed up this process.

Why do you put coffee in a chocolate cake?

Adding coffee to intensify the chocolate flavor is something I do all the times. I cannot recommend it enough. You will never taste coffee, only very intensified chocolate flavor.

If you are a chocoholic like me, frost your cake with chocolate ganache frosting as opposed to chocolate buttercream made with cocoa.

DAIRY FREE OPTION?

Use almond or soy milk with 2 tablespoons of white vinegar instead of the buttermilk. Let stand 5 minutes to curdle. Use a dairy-free prepared frosting or substitute non-dairy alternatives for the butter, cream cheese and milk. 

GLUTEN-FREE OPTION:

Use the same amount of “Cup for Cup” gluten free flour blend or Bob's Red Mill 1-1 Baking Flour.

CAN I MAKE THIS CAKE WITHOUT EGGS?

You can substitute one of the following, though the texture will be a little different:

• ¼ cup of plain yogurt for each egg
• ¼ cup of buttermilk for every egg
• 1 tablespoon vinegar+ 1 teaspoon baking powder whisked together per egg
• ¼ cup unsweetened applesauce per egg

TO MAKE THE CAKES AHEAD OF TIME:

Bake and cool cakes completely and them wrap them individually in cling wraps. Freeze the cakes without frosting. When you are ready to serve them, remove from the freezer, defrost completely and then add the frosting. You can even frost them without defrosting. Allow the cakes to thaw completely before serving.

TO MAKE THIS RECIPE IN A DIFFERENT PAN:

You can use a rectangular pan or a Bundt pan. You will need to monitor the bake time closely.

If you are a chocolate fiend like me you will agree this is the best cake recipe and it is perfect for any occasion. Especially for those Birthday Cake requests. Kids and adults alike will love it. It's the ultimate indulgence.

You can easily customize this cake to your liking; use coffee instead of water, or add chocolate or butterscotch chips to the batter prior to baking.

Once frosted you can also top with fresh fruit like raspberries or strawberries. Or better yet, for even more indulgence top with your favorite flavor ice cream or gelato. 

More Easy and Simple Dessert Recipes:

Chocolate Swiss Roll

Easy Vanilla Cake 

Simple Banana Cake

Black Forest Cake

If you liked this cake recipe, please give it a star review. I would really appreciate it. Also, tell me in the comments below, how did it turn out for you! How did your family or guests like it? How did you personalize it? And don’t forget to share your  wonderful creations with me on Instagram at #greedyeatsblog And let's be friends on Pinterest and Facebook too!  

Recipe

Easy Chocolate Cake Recipe

The only chocolate cake recipe you'll ever need!

4.85 from 13 votes

Print Pin Rate

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

US Customary - Metric

Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 35 minutes minutes

Cooling Time: 1 hour hour

Total Time: 1 hour hour 45 minutes minutes

Servings 16 Slices

1x2x3x

Calories: 380kcal

Author: Neha

Equipment

• Stand/hand held mixer
• 3 9 inch Baking pans
• 2 Mixing Bowls

Ingredients

• ▢ 3 cups all purpose flour
• ▢ 3 cups granulated sugar
• ▢ 1 ½ cups cocoa powder (I used special dark, unsweetened)
• ▢ 1 tablespoon baking soda
• ▢ 1 ½ teaspoon baking powder
• ▢ 1 teaspoon salt
• ▢ 4 eggs (large, room temperature)
• ▢ 1 ½ cups buttermilk
• ▢ 1 ½ cups warm water (mixed with 2 teaspoon instant coffee, optional, but highly recomended)
• ▢ ½ cup vegetable oil
• ▢ 2 tsps pure vanilla extract

Chocolate Frosting

• ▢ 1 cup butter (softened to room temperature)
• ▢ 1 ⅓ cup cocoa powder (unsweetened, natural)
• ▢ 6 cups powdered sugar
• ▢ ⅔ cup milk
• ▢ 2 tsps pure vanilla extract

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Butter three 9-inch round cake pans. Set them aside.
• Whisk flour, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder, sugar and salt in a large bowl and set it aside too.
• In a stand mixer/hand held mixer using whisk attachment, mix eggs, buttermilk, warm water, oil, and vanilla in a large bowl. Add all the sifted dry ingredients into wet. Meanwhile add coffee into water and heat it for a minute.
• Beat on medium speed until the batter is well combined and smooth. Add hot coffee in the batter and give it a quick mix. Take care not to overmix it. Divide the batter amongst three pans.
• Bake for 30-35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Every oven is different. So I suggest to keep an close eye on your cakes after 30 minutes have passed. You don't want to serve a dry cake! Cakes are done baking as soon as they pass toothpick test.
• Cool on a wire rack for 10-15 minutes then turn out the cakes onto the racks and allow to cool completely.
• Layer and frost with your favorite frosting and enjoy!

For Chocolate Frosting

• Melt butter. Stir in sifted cocoa powder. Alternatingly add powdered sugar and milk and beat to a smooth, spreading consistency.
• Add a small amount of milk, if needed to reach desired consistency. Stir in vanilla.

Assembling and Frosting:

• If you notice a bulge on your cakes on top, slice a thin layer of that top off to obtain flat top cakes. This process is called as leveling the cakes. You can discard that thin layer or you can crumble it and use it decorate your cake.
• Now place one layer of cake over cake stand or any serving plate. Top with frosting and spread it evenly. Now place second layer of cake over the frosting. Repeat this step one more time. Once you have all the three cakes on stand, frost with remaining frosting on top and sides. Then use either a bench scraper or icing spatula to level the cake or create swirls. Pipe on top as desired and decorate with sprinkles if desired.
• Allow the cake to set in the refrigerator for a minimum of 30 minutes before slicing for neat slices. After 30 minutes either serve the cake or you can continue to refrigerator it for 4-5 hours before serving. Serve either cold or at room temperature.

Notes

Bake your cakes ahead of time:

The cake will stay fresh on counter for a 1-2 days however, if you want to store the cakes for later, it is best to cover them in plastic wrap and freeze them in freezer safe bags.

Coffee: The easiest way to accentuate chocolate flavor in a cake is to add instant coffee to it. Always opt for high quality cocoa and chocolate for best taste and flavor. Adding coffee is totally optional and is a personal preference though!

Buttermilk: Add a tablespoon of vinegar/lemon juice in a liquid measuring cup. Fill rest of the cup with whole milk till it reaches one cup measurement. You can easily substitute whole milk with 2% milk. But the cake won't bake as rich in that case.

 

Nutrition

Serving: 1Slice | Calories: 380kcal | Carbohydrates: 94g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 16g | Sodium: 263mg | Sugar: 84g

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