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
I really really loved this recipe. She demonstrated it very nicely so it was easy to prosecute. I am never gonna try any other mud cake recipes other than this one. Big hit for me. And MK… She is just love. Such a cute lovely girl. Lots of love and dua for you girl ❤️
So so happy to hear you loved the recipe Zarin 😀
And thank you for your kind comments and duas too, really appreciate all the love and support 🙂
May I use this recipe for a 9×13 cake without any adjustments to the recipe? I need it to be at least 2 inches tall. Thank you. 🙂
Hi Pam! 🙂
Yes 1x this recipe should be perfect for a 9×13 inch sheet cake 🙂
Hope you enjoy the recipe!
Hi! I was wondering if it would be easy to scale up the recipe and make it to 3 eight inch layers. Thanks!
Hi Addie! 🙂 Yes you could totally do that, you would just want to make 1.5x the recipe 🙂
Hope that helps!
This was the most AMAZING chocolate cake I have ever made! I don’t understand all the “mine sunk in the middle?” comments? Did they take it out too soon? ANYWAY for me, I have never made a better chocolate cake! The frosting was so AMAZING! I have made many of your cakes and they all turn out wonderful!! THANK YOU!!
Aww yay! Thank you so much for the wonderful feedback Joan 😀
So so glad to hear you enjoyed the recipe 🙂
Hi Maryam
Thank you for the recipe! This is the 2nd time I’m making your cake for a birthday as the 1st was a big hit! Everyone loved the cake.
Both times my cakes rose a lot in the middle and so had to trim off quite a bit for it to stay flat. Another issue I had is I left the cakes in the oven at 180 (not fan forced) for 30 min and both times my cakes came out a bit dry. Next time I will check the cakes at around 20 min.
Any thoughts on my 2 issues please?
Much love from a fellow Aucklander!!
Hi Lovelyn! So happy to hear you’re enjoying the recipes 😀
So usually when the cakes rise a lot in the middle and come out a little dry it’s most likely because there is a bit too much flour (or dry ingredients) in the batter. May I ask if you use gram or cup measurements? I would recommend using the gram measurements for best results (if you didn’t already).
It could also be that your oven just runs a little hotter than mine, so checking the cakes earlier will also prevent them from overbaking 🙂
Hope that helps and so lovely to meet another Aucklander on here! 😀
Hey, I have tried this rich chocolate cake several times and only once did I succeed. The rest of the times it has sunk. I have followed through carefully but still the same. What could be the problem. I really love it and I want to perfect it please.
Pam
Hi Pam! So sorry to hear about the trouble you’re having with the cakes. So my top tips to prevent sinking would be to ensure there isn’t too much batter in one pan (for this recipe distribute the batter into two 8 inch tins or one larger 10 inch tin), don’t check the cake too early as the rush of cold air into the oven can cause the cake to sink (only check it earlier than the stated cook time if you think it’s ready), and lastly I would recommend using the gram measurements if you haven’t already as slight changes in the ingredient quantities can impact the structure of the cake. For more tips check out this blog post: https://cakesbymk.com/recipe/why-did-my-cake-sink-in-the-middle/
Hope that helps for next time Pam! 🙂
Hi Maryam! I have two questions about possible replacements for this cake. 1) Is it possible to add half the amount sugar? I feel like 300 gr of sugar is A LOT, and unlike other people I have zero problems with sugar but even for me that sounds like a lot. 2) Is it possible to either add less butter, switch the amount of butter and oil (I mean make it 170 gr of vegetable oil and 55 gr of butter) or maybe even skip the butter completely? I never had success with butter-based cakes as they tend to turn dense, hard and dry, and I’m used to baking cakes in advance and on summer days putting them in the fridge, so now I try to bake exclusively with oil. I can also imagine that adding melted chocolate, which is solid at room temp, will already have a hardening effect on the cake, so that’s why I’m even less convinced about the butter in the recipe. And if maybe someday you could make an adapted recipe that only uses oil (with melted chocolate, of course, haha, don’t skip the chocolate!) I’ll be super grateful!
Hi Emily! 🙂
In regards to the sugar, because this recipe has cocoa and dark chocolate which are both a bit bitter, the sugar is there to balance out the bitterness so I would recommend only reducing it by about 1/4 cup (50g) max. This recipe makes two 8 inch cake layers so that may be why the sugar seems like a lot as well 🙂
With regards to the butter, it does add a lot of flavor to this cake, but yes you can substitute it for oil if you wish. Butter cakes do tend to firm up in the fridge due to the butter solidifying, but should become soft again when left at room temp to soften up. Cakes also tend to dry out when kept in the fridge, so to help prevent this you can pop the cakes into an airtight container before refrigerating 🙂
Hope that helps and hope you enjoy the recipe Emily!
Hey MK!!! I have tried a couple of your recipes and they are all amazing!
Now I want to try out your chocolate cake. I need to do just half of the recipe, but would like to keep the two layers thick. What pan size would you recommend to use, in order to have thick layers, but less inches/cm?
Best regards <3
Hi Anastasia! 🙂 So happy to hear you’ve loved the recipes you’ve tried so far 😀
For half the recipe, I would recommend using two 6 inch cake tins 🙂
Hope that helps and hope you enjoy the recipe!
Hi there. Thanks for sharing this recipe! Any reason/benefit to incorporating buttermilk or sour cream in the cake batter? I only ask because I have extra buttermilk and sour cream in the fridge and I know some recipes call for them. Any thoughts?
Hi Jonathan! 🙂 As I haven’t tried using those ingredients in the recipe myself, I wouldn’t recommend it as I am not sure how it will impact the batter. If you do really want to try it, then I would go with sour cream over buttermilk, as it helps to create a more dense cake which may work a bit better with this recipe 🙂
Hope that helps and hope you enjoy the recipe!
My cake sunk in thin middle at the last 5 mins of baking! I didn’t open the oven. Any ideas why this may of happened ?
Hi Sarah! 🙂 So sorry to hear your cake sunk in the middle. Was the batter distributed between two 8 inch cake pans? I noticed you mentioned one cake, so if all the batter was placed into one pan that was too small then this can result in the cake sinking 🙂
If using one cake tin, then I would recommend using a large 10 inch cake tin for 1x this recipe. Another reason could be that there was not enough flour or too much liquid in the batter. I would recommend using the gram measurements for best results (if you didn’t already).
For more troubleshooting tips check out this blog post: https://cakesbymk.com/recipe/why-did-my-cake-sink-in-the-middle/
Hope that helps for next time Sarah 🙂
Hi, I have made a lot of your cakes and they are always really delicious and my whole family loves it. But I have a doubt with the recipe, if I want to use only 1 cake tin, do I have to half the recipe?
Hi Maheen! So happy to hear you and your family are loving the recipes 😀
Yes that’s correct, for one 8 inch cake tin simply half the recipe 🙂
Hope that helps and thanks so much for the wonderful feedback 🙂
Hey MK
I made this cake and followed all led all the instructions to the tea. My cakes sunk in the middle😩 I didn’t open the door too soon as suggested not to. What could I have done wrong?
Hi Shaymah! 🙂 So sorry to hear you had some issues with the cakes sinking in the middle – that can be frustrating! It could be because of too much liquid/not enough flour in the recipe (I would recommend using the gram measurements if you didn’t already), slightly undermixing the batter or the oven temperature may be too cold. If you notice the cake took a bit longer to bake than the recommended cook time, you could try increasing the oven temperature a bit. I would also check that your raising agents are still active.
Check out this blog post for some more troubleshooting tips: https://cakesbymk.com/recipe/why-did-my-cake-sink-in-the-middle/
Hope that helps for next time Shaymah 🙂