Description

This Best Chocolate Cake Recipe delivers a rich, moist, and tender chocolate cake perfect for any celebration or everyday indulgence. Made with simple pantry staples and an espresso boost for enhanced chocolate flavor, it pairs wonderfully with a smooth chocolate buttercream frosting for an irresistible dessert.

Ingredients

Scale

Dry Ingredients

2 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups sugar
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon espresso powder (homemade or store-bought)

Wet Ingredients

1 cup milk (or buttermilk, almond, or coconut milk)
1/2 cup vegetable oil (or canola oil, or melted coconut oil)
2 large eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup boiling water

Chocolate Buttercream Frosting

Chocolate Buttercream Frosting (amount as needed to frost cake)

Instructions

Preheat Oven and Prepare Pans: Preheat your oven to 350º F and prepare two 9-inch cake pans by spraying with baking spray, buttering and lightly flouring them, or brushing with homemade chocolate pan release to prevent sticking.
Combine Dry Ingredients: In a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer, whisk together the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and espresso powder until well combined.
Add Wet Ingredients: Add the milk, vegetable oil, eggs, and vanilla extract to the dry ingredients. Mix on medium speed until smooth and fully combined.
Incorporate Boiling Water: Reduce the mixer speed and carefully pour in the boiling water. Mix gently until the batter is smooth; the batter will be thin, which is expected for a moist cake.
Fill Pans and Bake: Evenly distribute the batter between the two prepared pans. Bake for 30-35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
Cool the Cakes: Remove the cakes from the oven and let them cool in the pans for about 10 minutes before transferring them onto wire racks to cool completely.
Frost: Once completely cooled, frost the cakes generously with your choice of chocolate buttercream frosting.

Notes

Using espresso powder intensifies the chocolate flavor without adding a coffee taste.
Boiling water thins the batter and helps develop a moist texture.
You can substitute milk with buttermilk or non-dairy alternatives like almond or coconut milk.
Make sure cakes are fully cooled before frosting to avoid melting the frosting.
For best results, use room temperature eggs and ingredients.
The recipe can be doubled or halved depending on desired number of layers.

Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 30-35 minutes
Category: Dessert
Method: Baking
Cuisine: American

Nutrition

Serving Size: 1 slice (1/12 of cake)
Calories: 370 kcal
Sugar: 30 g
Sodium: 320 mg
Fat: 18 g
Saturated Fat: 3.5 g
Unsaturated Fat: 13 g
Trans Fat: 0 g
Carbohydrates: 50 g
Fiber: 4 g
Protein: 5 g
Cholesterol: 40 mg

Keywords: chocolate cake, easy chocolate cake, moist chocolate cake, homemade chocolate cake, chocolate cake recipe