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A slice of chocolate cake with a glass of milk in the back along with some flowers, a fork, and linen napkin.
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Chocolate Cake Recipe

Once you try this easy chocolate cake, you’ll never go back to store-bought! Simply whisk the ingredients together for a tender and moist chocolate cake.
Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 35 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 5 minutes
Servings 12 servings
Calories 763kcal
Author John Kanell

Equipment

  • 9" round baking pans
  • Mixing Bowls
  • Electric mixer
  • Wire cooling rack

Ingredients

For the Cake:

  • 2 cups all-purpose flour (240g)
  • 2 cups granulated sugar (400g)
  • ½ cup unsweetened cocoa powder (50g)
  • 1½ teaspoons baking powder
  • 1½ teaspoons baking soda
  • ½ teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1 cup whole milk (240mL)
  • 2 large eggs
  • ½ cup vegetable oil (120mL)
  • 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
  • 1 cup boiling water or hot coffee (240ml)

For the Chocolate Buttercream:

  • 1½ cups unsalted butter room temperature (338g)
  • ¼ cup unsweetened cocoa powder (25g)
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 6 cups powdered sugar (680g)
  • 3 to 4 tablespoons whole milk (45-60mL)

Instructions

For the Cake:

  • Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease 2 (9-inch) round cake pans with butter or baking spray and line the bottom of each pan with parchment paper. (I highly recommend using cake strips for a more even bake.)
  • Sift the flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder, and salt into a large mixing bowl and whisk to combine.
  • In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the milk, egg, oil, and vanilla. Add to the flour mixture and whisk together until well combined. Pour in the boiling water or coffee and whisk until well combined. (The batter will be runny.)
  • Divide the batter between the prepared cake pans.
  • Bake for 35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let the cakes cool in the pans on a wire cooling rack for 15 minutes. Carefully invert the cake layers onto the wire rack, remove the parchment paper, and let cool completely.

For the Chocolate Buttercream:

  • In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter on medium speed until soft and creamy, about 2 minutes. Add the cocoa powder and salt and mix on low speed until combined. Scrape the bowl down.
  • While mixing on low speed, gradually add in the powdered sugar alternating with a little bit of milk on occasion up to 4 tablespoons. Once the sugar is added, beat in the vanilla. Scrape down the bowl and beat on medium-low speed until light and fluffy, about 1 minute.

For the Assembly:

  • Place a cooled cake layer on a cake stand. Top with 1 cup of frosting and spread it out the edges in an even layer. Place the remaining cake layer on top and spread the rest of the frosting all over the outside of the cake. You can reserve some of the frosting to pipe decorations if desired.

Video

Notes

  • Make sure the cake layers are cooled before frosting. A warm cake will melt the butter-based frosting, causing the frosting to slide off the cake or the layers to slide around when frosting the outside of the cake.
  • Once the cake is frosted, you can chill it for 30 minutes to quickly set the frosting if you plan on slicing and serving it soon. Otherwise, the cake can be held at room temperature until you are ready to serve.

Nutrition

Calories: 763kcal | Carbohydrates: 114g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 35g | Saturated Fat: 17g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 6g | Monounsaturated Fat: 9g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 91mg | Sodium: 361mg | Potassium: 161mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 93g | Vitamin A: 788IU | Calcium: 81mg | Iron: 2mg