If you’re looking for a rich, moist chocolate cake recipe that’s going to satisfy your sweet cravings, then this cake IS IT! The velvety soft chocolate cake layers are packed with chocolate flavor, and paired with an indulgent chocolate fudge frosting. I would go so far as to say that this is the best chocolate cake recipe I’ve ever had!
Why You’ll Love This Chocolate Cake
There is SO MUCH to love about this chocolate cake, but here are a few notable mentions:
Rich in flavor: When it comes to chocolate cake, it should taste like chocolate, but in cake form! When developing this recipe, I really wanted to pack in as much rich chocolate flavor as possible. To do this, I decided to use a ‘mud cake’ style chocolate cake recipe that uses actual chocolate in the cake batter (not just cocoa powder). I find that using good quality semi-sweet chocolate in the cake batter really takes the flavor to another level.
Moist: Not only is this cake packed with chocolate flavor, it’s also soft and has a wonderfully moist crumb. This recipe uses both butter and oil to provide wonderful moisture to the cake. Oil in particularly is a fat that is liquid at room temperature, so it provides unmatched moisture when it comes to cakes. This is the main reason I use it in most of my cake recipes 🙂
Easy: This recipe doesn’t require any hand or stand mixer to make, and comes together really easily! If you have a few bowls and a whisk, you’re good to go!
The best frosting ever: The base chocolate cake layers are paired with an incredibly delicious chocolate fudge frosting, that takes this chocolate cake recipe as a whole to another level! The chocolate frosting is so decadent and has the most wonderful velvety texture. Just be careful though, you may end up eating too much of it with a spoon before you even get to frosting the cake! This frosting is a softer frosting and not ideal if you’re doing a lot of piping, in which case you may want to try my chocolate buttercream frosting with a twist (it’s a cream cheese frosting and tastes incredible!) or a firm chocolate ganache.
Loved by my ‘chocolate cake hating’ husband: Now here is how I REALLY knew this cake was good. My husband is not a huge cake person, and in particular despises chocolate cakes 😂. So when I gave him this cake to try, to my surprise he asked for seconds, and the next day he basically finished most of the cake! My husband is also super honest (sometimes a bit too honest – ha ha!), so when he said this cake was good, I knew it was next level good!
Updated Recipe
I’ve recently updated this recipe (April 2024), as some readers were having issues with the cake layers sinking in. I experimented with different ways to add a little more structure to the cake layers to help prevent this issue, and finally settled on an updated recipe that had additional structure, but still had the same great flavor and texture to the original.
The main changes to the original recipe include an additional egg and additional flour – both of which add more structure to the cake layers.
I know there are many of you who LOVE the original version, so I have kept the original quantities in the notes section of the recipe card (towards the bottom of the blog post). I want to assure you though, that the updated version (in my opinion) is even better than the original, so don’t be afraid to give it a go 😀
How to make chocolate cake
This cake comes together really easily, which is another reason why I love it so much!
Begin by preheating your oven to 180 °C (350°F) conventional (lower the temperature to 160C/320F if using a convection oven with a fan) and grease two 8-inch round cake pans. You also want to line the bottoms with parchment paper. This chocolate cake is fudgy and delicate, so you need to line the bottom of the cake tins with parchment paper just to make sure they come out in one piece!
In a bowl, sift together all purpose flour, unsweetened cocoa powder (use dutch process cocoa if you can), baking soda, baking powder and salt. Using a whisk, mix together until well combined. Set aside.
In a large bowl (make sure it’s microwave safe), add in butter and dark chocolate. I use 50% dark chocolate, but a good quality semi-sweet chocolate will work well. Melt in the microwave for 30 second bursts at a time, mixing in between each burst until fully melted.
Pour in cold milk and using a whisk, mix until well combined. This will help cool down your mixture.
Next add in sugar, coffee powder, vegetable oil, vanilla extract/essence and eggs. Using a whisk, mix until well combined.
Add in your pre-sifted dry ingredients to your wet ingredients and mix until just combined.
Lastly, add in your hot water and mix until just combined. Do not overmix the batter.
Evenly distribute the batter into your prepared pans and bake for 38-40 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. 
Allow the cakes to cool in the cake tins for 30 minutes, before turning them out onto a wire rack to completely cool.
How to make chocolate fudge frosting
This chocolate fudge frosting is so easy to put together! It’s basically a double batch of my original fudge frosting recipe.
Place a saucepan or pot over a medium heat and add in whipping/heavy cream. Heat until you start to see little bubbles forming around the edges of the pan. The cream shouldn’t be boiling.
Turn the heat down to low and add in the remaining ingredients and continue to gently stir until all the solid ingredients are melted and you have a very smooth mixture.
Strain the mixture into a heat proof bowl to get rid of any lumps, and then cover the top with plastic wrap so that the cling wrap is directly touching the top of the frosting. This will prevent a skin from forming as it cools down.
Place the frosting into the refrigerator for 2 hours to allow it to set.
Decorating Chocolate Cake
Once your cake layers are cool and your frosting is at a spreadable consistency, you can decorate your cake however you like! I placed layers of frosting in between my cake layers, and then covered the outside in a thick layer of frosting too.
I then finished off by piping some frosting on the top of the cake using a 1M star piping tip.
Commonly Asked Questions:
How to store chocolate cake?
This chocolate cake can be left at room temperature in an airtight container for 2-3 days, after which it should be placed into the fridge.
Can I use this recipe to make chocolate cupcakes?
You can totally use this recipe to make chocolate cupcakes, though I do have another chocolate cupcake recipe that is equally as delicious!
Rich Chocolate Cake Recipe
Print Pin VideoIMPORTANT: For accuracy, I would recommend using the gram measurements provided, as those are the exact quantities I use. Cup measurements are given as estimates (based on US cup measurements) to make it easier for those who do not have a scale.
Ingredients
Chocolate Cake
- 1¾ cups (210 g) flour - regular all purpose
- ½ cup (50 g) cocoa powder - unsweetened, dutch process preferred
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1½ tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp salt
- ¾ cup (170 g) unsalted butter
- 1¼ cups (200 g) dark chocolate - I use 50% dark but any good quality semi-sweet chocolate will work
- ⅓ cup (80 g) milk - cold
- 1½ cups (300 g) white granulated sugar
- 1½ tbsp instant coffee powder
- ⅓ cup (70 g) unflavoured vegetable oil - I use canola oil
- 2 tsp vanilla essence/extract
- 3 large eggs - room temperature
- ½ cup (110 g) hot water
Chocolate Fudge Frosting
- 1 cup (226 g) whipping/heavy cream
- 4 tsp cocoa powder - unsweetened, dutch process preferred
- 2½ cups (400 g) dark chocolate - I use 50% dark but any good quality semi-sweet chocolate will work
- 1 cup (226 g) unsalted butter
- 1⅓ cups (170 g) powdered sugar - also known as icing/confectioners sugar
- ½ tsp instant coffee powder
- ½ tsp salt
- 2 tsp vanilla essence/extract
Instructions
Chocolate Cake
- Preheat oven to 180C/350F conventional (see note 1 if using a convection oven with a fan) and grease the bottom and sides of two 8 inch cake tins (mine are 3 inch deep), and also line the bottom of the pans with parchment paper (see note 2).
- In a bowl, sift together flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Using a whisk, mix together until well combined. Set aside.
- In a large microwave safe bowl, add in butter and dark chocolate. Melt in the microwave for 30 second bursts at a time, mixing in between each burst until fully melted.
- Add in cold milk and using a whisk, mix until well combined. This will help cool down your mixture.
- Next add in sugar, instant coffee powder, vegetable oil, vanilla and eggs. Using a whisk, mix until well combined.
- Add in your pre-sifted dry ingredients and mix with a whisk until combined. Avoid over-mixing.
- Lastly, add in your hot water and mix until well combined. Avoid overmixing the batter.
- Evenly distribute the batter into the prepared cake tins and bake for 38-40 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. IMPORTANT: Do not open the oven door too early to check the cakes otherwise this can cause the cakes to sink in the middle.
- Allow the cakes to cool in the cake tins for 20 minutes, before turning them out onto a wire rack to completely cool (see note 3).
Chocolate fudge frosting
- Place a saucepan or pot over a medium heat and add in heavy cream. Heat until you start to see little bubbles forming around the edges of the pan. The cream shouldn't be boiling.
- Turn the heat down to low and add in the remaining ingredients and continue to gently stir until all the solid ingredients are melted and you have a very smooth mixture.
- Strain the mixture into a heat proof bowl to get rid of any lumps, and then cover the top with cling wrap so that the cling wrap is directly touching the top of the frosting. This will prevent a skin from forming as it cools down.
- Place the frosting into the fridge for 2 hours to allow it to set (see note 4).
- Once your cake layers are cool and your frosting is at a spreadable consistency, frost your cake (you can see how I did mine in the recipe video or blog post pictures above). Enjoy!
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional information are estimates only as they are automatically calculated by a third party application. Actual values may differ based on brands and types of products used.
318 Comments
Hi! Just wanted to know if I can use brewed coffee instead of instant coffee powder? If yes, what would the quantity be? Thanks so much! Baking it for a birthday 😬
Hi Aby! 🙂 Yes that should be fine – you can replace the water in the recipe (110g/half cup) with brewed coffee. So the brewed coffee would be a substitute for both the water and instant coffee powder, but add it in at the end where you would normally put the hot water (just make sure the coffee is hot). Hope that helps and hope you enjoy the recipe 😀
Can I substitute the dark chocolate for milk cooking chocolate?
Hi Anna-May! 🙂 You could do that for the cake layers, but just keep in mind that the cake will be sweeter due to milk chocolate being sweeter than dark chocolate. In terms of the frosting, I would recommend using dark chocolate for extra stability and to also make sure the frosting isn’t too sweet 🙂
For how many days We can store frosting in fridge?
Hi Seema! 🙂 The frosting should stay good in the fridge for just over a week or so 🙂
Hi MK I have loved all your recipes but not tried a chocolate one yet. Is this recipe suitable for layered cakes? With Swiss Meringue buttercream? Also for children I’ll need to exclude coffee. Is there a substitute or just exclude?
Hi Pree! So happy to hear you’re enjoying the recipes 😀
Yes this cake will work great as a layer cake and will go so well with vanilla or chocolate SMBC 🙂
For a chocolate cake recipe that doesn’t have any actual chocolate in the cake batter (only cocoa), you could also try my other chocolate cake recipe: https://cakesbymk.com/recipe/easy-rich-chocolate-cake-recipe/
You can simply exclude the coffee 🙂
Hope that helps and hope you enjoy the recipe!
I baked this and it was GORGEOUS. Am making two more to this afternoon to take to work tomorrow. I’m making two so people don’t have to fight over getting a piece 😊
Yay! So so happy to hear you loved the recipe Claire and really appreciate the feedback 😀
Love the idea of making two haha your colleagues are very lucky!! 🙂
I made this cake for my mom for Mother’s Day, it was good but quite sweet, also very dense and not as fluffy/soft as I’d like. It’s very much like a brownie texture rather than a soft cakey texture. I followed the recipe exactly and mixed it by hand too. It seemed to get harder in the fridge overnight which is to be expected. Overall it was good!
Hi Annie 🙂 Glad to hear you enjoyed the recipe and thank you for your feedback!
In terms of the texture of the cake, it should be rich but still soft – more like a regular chocolate cake than a mud cake or brownie. I wonder if perhaps it was the type of chocolate used (I would recommend not using compound chocolate), not enough of the leavening agents (double check to make sure they’re still active too) or maybe the batter was slighlty overmixed? I would also recommend using the gram measurements (if you didn’t already) just to make sure the ingredient amounts are accurate 🙂
Due to the butter/chocolate in the cake, it will harden in the fridge, but should become soft again when brought back to room temp/slightly heated. Hope that helps and so glad you still enjoyed the cake 😀
Hope you had a wonderful mothers day celebrating with your mum! 🙂
This cake was a huge hit! I followed the exact recipe and used the gram measurements.
I used Guittard brand 46% semisweet baking chips and Cafe Bustelo instant espresso powder. I could taste the coffee flavor, which I enjoyed. Someone who wants that flavor less pronounced could probably get away with using less.
I cut the cake into 12, and they were pretty big pieces.
I had a lot of extra frosting left over using this recipe. I frosted one layer, stacked the other on top, and frosted that all together. I don’t personally like a thick layer of frosting so that might be why I had extra. It turned out perfectly fudgy, not too sweet, and was a good consistency after letting it come to room temperature.
I think I’ll have be getting requests to make this cake again!
Awesome!! So so happy to hear you loved the recipe Alyssa 😀 really appreciate the detailed feedback!
Which brand of cocoa powder and semi chocolate do you use for the cake and also for the ganache? It would be very helpful if you mention the specific brands.
Thank you. ❤️
Hi Nipa! 🙂 For the cocoa powder I use Pams here in NZ but any Dutch processed cocoa powder will work great. For the chocolate I use either Whittakers 50% dark chocolate or Cadbury Old Gold Original 🙂
Hope that helps and hope you enjoy the recipe 😀
Hi MK.
Your recipe of marble cake was a hit in my family.
Can I use cake flour in this recipe? If yes, how many grams would I require?
Hi Sharmishtha! 🙂 So so happy to hear your family loved the marble cake 😀
For this recipe, cake flour may lack the structure that’s required to hold the cake together. I would recommend sticking to all purpose flour for this recipe 🙂
Hope that helps and hope you enjoy the recipe!
Wallah, this is the best chocolate cake I have ever make in my life.
It’s fluffy and smooth and everybody who taste it, fall in love with the cake.
Thank you MK, Jazakallah Kheir.
Aww thank you so much for the wonderful feedback Yusra! 😀 So so happy to hear everyone loved the recipe – waiyyakum! 🙂