Decadent, soft, tender and Moist Chocolate Cake recipe made in one bowl using minimal ingredients and no fancy equipments! Always top it off with heaps of Chocolate Frosting. Always!
Try this one layer and the Best Chocolate Cake next. Oh and you are sure to like my Double Chocolate Cookies too!
Looking for more Chocolate Desserts? Ever tried baking a Babka Bread? How about these Fudgy Brownies? These Chocolate Muffins hide zucchini in them, I bet you won't taste it!
Taste and Texture of this cake
- Soft, tender yet fluffy crumb
- Decadent and perfectly sweet Chocolate Flavor
- Covered in rich Chocolate Fudge Frosting
Recipe Ingredients
This cake requires only a few simple ingredients and just a balloon whisk is sufficient to prepare the batter!
- Cocoa: We are using Natural unsweetened cocoa powder for this cake. This recipe is highly versatile though. You can also use dark cocoa (like Hershey's Dutch processed) to make this batter. Good quality cocoa really makes a difference. I like Hershey's brand best.
- Flour: All purpose flour is the base of this cake. Make sure to sift flour and cocoa before adding to the liquids to get rid of lumps.
- Leaveners: They react with the acidity of cocoa. Leaveners help the cake to rise well. Make sure to use fresh baking soda and baking powder here. Yes you will need them both.
- Coffee: Now coffee is absolutely optional but I recommend adding it. Coffee will enhance the flavor of chocolate and you won't taste it at all. Just make sure to add hot coffee in the batter and add it in the end.
- Sugar: Granulated sugar will impart perfect sweetness to this chocolate cake.
- Oil: Any flavorless oil like canola, avocado or even vegetable oil can be used. Oil as opposed to butter creates a very moist cake. Don't substitute it with any other fat.
How to make Chocolate Cake?
This couldn't get any easier. It is the Hershey's Chocolate Cake recipe. It's so easy that you might feel you are doing something wrong.
- Step 1. Mix all wet ingredients (except coffee + water) together with a whisk or hand mixer.
- Step 2. Sift all the dry ingredients over wet and gently fold till the batter is well combined.
- Step 3. Pour hot coffee over the batter and mix again.
- Step 4. Pour batter in lined pans and bake at 350 deg F.
Chocolate Fudge Frosting
This is literally the easiest frosting recipe ever! Plus it tastes so decadent. To make it:
- Heat heavy cream in microwave or on gas top till it barely comes to a boil.
- Pour over good quality chopped semi sweet chocolate.
- Allow to rest for 2-3 minutes and whisk it rigorously.
- Next add in sour cream, honey and vanilla to form a glossy frosting.
- Now mix in the cocoa powder too.
- Allow to set for a few hours at room temperature or in the refrigerator till thickened and ready to be frosted.
Recipe Variations
- Cupcakes: This recipe will make 24-30 cupcakes. Fill cupcake liners up to ⅔ full and bake at 350 deg for about 23-25 minutes or until done.
- Single Layer Cake: Pour the batter into a 9 x 13 inch pan and bake for 35-40 minutes. Or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Frost with this same chocolate frosting.
- 8-inch Square Pan: You can also make this as a snack cake. For this, half the recipe and bake the cake for around 35 minutes at same oven temperature. Half the recipe for frosting too.
- Bundt Cake: This cake can be baked in a 12-cup bundt pan for 55-60 mins. Grease and flour the bundt pan well before pouring the cake batter in it.
Expert Tips
- Use High Quality Ingredients: Using best quality ingredients hands down produces the best bake. Especially cocoa powder and the chocolate. Don't use chocolate chips to make frosting!
- Always sift Cocoa and Flour: Sifting ensures the batter is free of lumps. It also aerates the batter.
- Check the Freshness of Leaveners: Only when the baking powder and baking soda are fresh, your cake will rise to its full potential. Replacing them every month is the best practice.
- To make the Cake Gluten Free: Use a gluten free flour such as Bob's Redmill, Cup4Cup, King Arthur's to make this cake gluten free.
- For a Dairy Free Cake Version: Substitute milk with almond milk/soy milk in 1:1 ratio to make the cake dairy free.
Making Ahead and Storing Information:
Frosted or unfrosted cakes can be stored in the freezer for about 2 months. Although I like to make frosting fresh. Allow to thaw at room temperature on counter top before enjoying.
If you want to frost a frozen cake, no need to thaw it first. Serve it at room temperature.
Frosting can be made ahead and can be stored in the refrigerator for about 7 days. Allow to come to room temperature before attempting to frost your cakes.
Cakes can be also prepared one day ahead and can be frosted the next day. Store them covered tightly at room temperature.
Store cake covered at all times to retain moisture. Chocolate cake will stay good at room temp for 2 days.
Recipe FAQs
Number one ingredient that makes a cake soft and moist is the use of oil as opposed to butter. Worry not. You wont miss out on the flavors of butter with all the chocolate flavor.
Secondly adding hot coffee to this batter makes it very liquidy. Again, panic not! This will produce the most fluffy and moist Chocolate Cake that you will ever taste.
Leaveners like baking soda and baking powder help the cake rise! Make sure to use freshness of leaveners before putting them in the batter.
Short answer is OIL. Adding oil to chocolate cake batter makes a very moist cake that stays moist for days.
Make sure you are not over-beating or over-baking your cake. Getting the ratio of wet to dry ingredients in a cake right helps too.
Also make sure to add just the right amount of fat (like butter/oil) in the batter as recipe suggests. Keep your baked cakes covered at all times. Taking care of these little things goes a long way to make moist cakes.
Baked cakes can be moistened with a few tablespoons of milk or cream. You can also moisten a cake with simple syrup. Simple syrup is made with equal parts sugar and water. Cook/microwave it till sugar dissolves. Cool it down and spray/sprinkle the cake with this syrup.
More Cake Recipes:
Recipe
Moist Chocolate Cake Recipe
Equipment
- 2 9-inch Pans
Ingredients
- 1 and ¾ Cups All purpose flour
- ¾ Cup Unsweetened Cocoa Powder (I used Hersheys)
- 1 and ½ teaspoons Baking Powder
- 1 and ½ teaspoons Baking Soda
- ¼ teaspoon Salt
- 2 Cups Granulated sugar
- 2 large Eggs (at room temperature)
- 1 Cup Milk
- ½ Cup Oil
- 2 teaspoons Pure vanilla extract
- 1 Cup Hot Coffee (or you may use 1 cup hot water)
Chocolate Frosting:
- 16 oz semi sweet Chocolate (Good quality, chopped)
- 1 and ½ Cups Heavy cream
- 4 Tablespoons (60 ml) Honey
- 1 teaspoon Pure vanilla extract
- ⅔ Cup Sour Cream
- ¼ Cup Cocoa Powder
To Decorate:
- ¼ Cup Chocolate Sprinkles
- ¼ Cup Mini Chocolate Chips
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350˚F and line two 8 inch pans with parchment paper and set aside.
- Sift flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt in large bowl. Now add in sugar, eggs, milk, oil and vanilla. With a hand mixer, beat on medium speed for about 2 minutes or till everything gets combined well.
- Now add a cup of hot coffee over this mixture and form the batter. Batter will be runny, worry not. It is supposed to be runny. Do not over mix it.
- Pour batter in the prepared liners and bake for 30-35 minutes or until the cake passes tooth pick test. Take cakes out of oven and allow to rest for 5 minutes in the pans and then invert on wire rack to cool completely.
Chocolate Frosting:
- Microwave or heat heavy cream on gas top till it just comes to a boil. Add it to chopped chocolate and let stand for 2 minutes. Stir until smooth. Add sour cream, honey and vanilla. Stir till smooth. Now add cocoa powder and give it a quick stir again.
- Cover and allow to set on room temp. for about 5-6 hours or in the refrigerator for about 20 minutes. Frost on cool cakes. Top with sprinkles and mini chocolate chips as desired.
Notes
- Adding coffee to the batter is optional but I recommend it highly. It will enhance the flavor of chocolate in the cake and you won't taste coffee in the baked cake at all.
- Always frost on completely cooled cakes. You may even bake these cakes a day ahead. Store them covered at room temp and frost the next day.
Nate
Amazing recipe for all chocolate lovers
Rach
That chocolate cake is looking quite delicious! I would love to try this sometime and I'm sure the family would enjoy this.
Alita Pacio
I love this recipe. I have printed it already and will try to make 🙂
Rosey
Ganache frosting is the best. I could go for something sweet right now.
Olga
My son loves chocolate cakes, and I love coffee. We will try this recipe next weekend. Thank you for idea.
Grasyah [Of Coffee and Crackers]
Wow!! I love chocolate cakes!! Yours looks so yummy and I bet they sure taste delish!!
Moreda Kock
Moist and nice taste
linda
omg love this recipe so much!Thanks for sharing with us.
CA
Who doesn't love chocolate cake? But since I cannot bake, I'll send this to someone who does, so that I can have my taste of this chocolatey treat!
Anonymous
Who doesn't love chocolate cake? But since I cannot bake, I'll send this to someone who does, so that I can have my taste of this chocolatey treat!
Ivan M. Jose
Oh, wow. That looks like heaven! Who doesn't love chocolate cake? A slice of that can do wonders for your mood. Thanks for the recipe!
Elise Ho
I love the idea of coffee in the chocolate cake. It sounds divine.