Chocolate Cake (Classic)

Chocolate Cake

This classic chocolate cake recipe is a double layer of delicious chocolate. The crumb on this cake is perfection. it is an easy cake to make. And even a novice baker can perfect this easy recipe. This is the perfect chocolate cake for all your special occasions.

Serve it with Huli Huli Chicken, Twice Baked Potatoes, and Summer Fruit Salad for the perfect meal!

Today is my birthday! And what better way to celebrate than with the perfect chocolate cake recipe? This is a classic recipe for a double layered chocolate cake that is in my opinion the perfect cake! It is rich and moist, full of chocolate flavor, and so easy to make, even my kids could do it.

The Perfect Chocolate Cake

I have said it a million time, “I am not a great baker.” And then I realized…what comes out of your mouth comes into your life. So it was time for a change. A big chocolaty, two layers of deliciousness change. A Chocolate Cake kind of change. And so I decided it was time stop saying I was a bad baker, and instead find something I couldn’t mess up.

This cake makes me look like a great baker! 

I went on the hunt for an easy, tasty, amazing, double layered chocolate cake recipe that would be easy enough for me to make and succeed at. And I found it! Then I tweaked it to make it just right for me. I can’t leave well enough alone because I want perfection. And I feel like I can firmly stand behind this cake and say it is just that–perfect chocolate cake!

That is all I need, a perfect carrot cake, cheesecake, lava cake, and this!

Why I LOVE this Chocolate Cake

• Easy– This is a bowl and a whisk kind of cake. It is super simple, easy chocolate cake that doesn’t require a bunch of tools or skills.
• Tastes like chocolate– This is a really big deal to me. Why bother with the calories of a chocolate cake if you aren’t going to get the taste of chocolate? I didn’t want sweet with a hint of chocolate. I wanted rich and full bodied chocolate. So I went to work researching what it takes to get a cake to really actually taste like chocolate, and there are two methods I used to achieve this.
  • Add Boiling Water: While doing my research I learned that in order to really get a cake to taste like chocolate you have to use boiling water in the batter. Say what???
    It is true, by pouring boiling water in, it helps the cocoa powder bloom, and intensifies the chocolate taste.
  • Add Coffee: I am not a coffee drinker, but I learned a long time ago that adding a little coffee to your chocolate cake batter will intensify the flavor, and really enhance it. So I added it to this recipe. Of course, you can skip it and just add a little more water if you don’t want to add the coffee.
• Great crumb– Just watch the video above if you want to see how awesome the crumb is on this cake. It is the perfect density, with some spring to it, and boy is it ever tasty.
• Moist– This cake stays moist for up to 5 days. I am not a fan of dry cake. Who is? And so this was one of my main concerns when looking for the perfect recipe. The use of oil instead of butter in the actual cake is why this cake stays so moist and delicious.

Simple Chocolate Cake Recipe

I am a pretty simple girl. Don’t get me wrong, I love luxury and gourmet, and living the high life as much as the next person, but when it comes down to it, I only really NEED a few things.

And one of those things are recipes that use stuff I already have. I hate having to run to the store to pick up a special ingredient. This is one of the best parts about this easy chocolate cake recipe. It is a one bowl, one whisk, use the stuff you already have in your pantry kind of recipe.

It doesn’t get much easier than this. This is the kind of cake you make when you want to impress someone, say for their birthday, but are feeling a little lazy. So instead of a fancy decoration, or tons of layers, you just let the flavors, and moist chocolate cake layers speak for you.

Tips for Moist and Easy Chocolate Cake

As a novice baker myself, I think it is important to explain some of the aspects of making this cake that will help you make it the best ever, instead of mediocre. So if you are an expert, skip to that recipe, and enjoy! Otherwise, here are a few things to note:

1. Sift flour, cocoa, baking powder and baking soda together. Do not mix it, or whisk it, trust me on this one, you want to sift. It adds some oxygen in, and gives you a lighter, fluffier, better mixed version of this cake. 
2. Mix dry, then wet. One of the keys to a good crumb on a cake is not over-mixing it. And you can’t do this if you don’t mix your dry first. So, sift it all together, make sure it is well mixed, then add the wet. And mix until combined, no more.
3. You could skip the coffee in this recipe, but if you can help it, don’t. The cake is not going to taste like coffee. It will taste like a richly decadent chocolate cake. The coffee simply enhances the flavor of cocoa powder, resulting in a more chocolaty cake.
4. Use the boiled water. Don’t get lazy. This is another trick for enhancing the cocoa powder flavor. It is worth the extra time to get boiling water.
5. Let it cool all the way.
6. Use a generous amount of frosting.

Other Favorite Desserts:

• Triple Chocolate Chunk Edible Cookie Dough
• Lemon Shortbread Cookies
• Eclair Ice Box Cake
• Snickerdoodle Cookies
• Key Lime Pie

Chocolate Cake (Classic)

Divinely rich and decadent, this classic chocolate cake recipe is the perfect cake for celebrating special occasions. It is moist, has a great chocolate flavor, and is the perfect density.

5 from 4 votes

Print Pin Rate

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American Dessert

Keyword: chocolate cake, chocolate cake classic, chocolate cake recipe

Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 35 minutes minutes

Total Time: 45 minutes minutes

Servings: 12 people

Calories: 648kcal

Author: Rachael

Ingredients

• 1 3/4 cups all purpose flour
• 3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 2 cups white sugar
• 1 tsp salt
• 2 eggs
• 3/4 cup milk
• 1/4 cup brewed coffee
• 1/2 cup canola oil
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 cup boiling water

Chocolate Buttercream Icing

• 1 1/4 cups unsalted butter softened to room temperature
• 3 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar
• 3/4 cup natural unsweetened or dutch-process cocoa powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1/4 cup heavy cream half-and-half, or whole milk

Instructions

Cake

• Preheat oven to 350 F.
• Position racks in the middle of the oven so the cake layers will cook evenly.
• Grease 2 - 9" round cake pans with butter, then line the base or flour the base so the cakes will come out smoothly.
• Sift flour, cocoa, baking powder and baking soda into a large bowl.
• Add sugar and salt.
• Whisk to combine.
• Add eggs, milk, coffee, oil and vanilla.
• Whisk well to combine until lump free - about 30 seconds. But don't over whisk.
• Add boiling water and stir to incorporate. The batter is very thin, this is normal.
• Pour batter into cake pans.
• Place cake pans side by side in the oven. If they won't fit side by side, place one above the other, and check doneness, the bottom cake may need to cook longer.
• Bake for 35 minutes or until a knife or toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
• Cool for 10 minutes, then turn out onto wire racks to cool.
• Cool completely before frosting.

Chocolate Buttercream Icing

• Add butter to a large bowl, and beat at high speed with a hand mixer, until butter is smooth and creamy. About 1 minute.
• Turn mixer to low, and while still mixing, add confectioners' sugar, cocoa powder, salt, vanilla, and cream to the butter bowl.
• Increase mixer speed to high and beat for 3 full minutes.
• Add additional confectioners' sugar if frosting is too thin, 1 -2 Tbs. Or add more cream if frosting is too thick, 1-2 more Tablespoons.
• Taste frostind. Adjust if desired. Add a pinch of salt if too sweet.

Frost and Assemble cake

• Once cake is cooled, place one layer on a cake stand or large plate. Level cake if needed to create a flat surface.
• Place about a cup of frosting on top of the cake, and evenly spread it around
• Top with second cake layer, and use remaining frosting to cover top and sides! Spread evenly.

Notes

This recipe was adapted from Hershey's Perfectly Chocolate Chocolate Cake from the Hershey's cookbook.

Nutrition

Calories: 648kcal | Carbohydrates: 89g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 33g | Saturated Fat: 15g | Cholesterol: 86mg | Sodium: 426mg | Potassium: 286mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 68g | Vitamin A: 730IU | Calcium: 74mg | Iron: 2.6mg

Our recipe card software calculates these nutrition facts based on averages for the above ingredients, different brands, and quality of produce/meats may have different nutritional information, always calculate your own based on the specific products you use in order to achieve accurate macros for this recipe.

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