This Perfect Chocolate Cake recipe is moist, flavorful, and inspired by Hershey’s famous chocolate cake, made with a touch of coffee for a unique twist. No more dry cakes! Passed down by my grandma, this recipe is a true classic. The addition of Homemade Chocolate Buttercream takes this cake to the next level and sets it apart from the rest.
Ingredients & Substitutions
Buttermilk: I prefer to use store-bought buttermilk for this cake, but you can absolutely use homemade. I have a post on How to Make Buttermilk should you want to make your own! I like the sour cream method for this cake.
Coffee: I have many recipes on my site for chocolate cake and most of them use coffee. Coffee will enhance the flavor of the chocolate, not overpower it. If your recipe is good (and this one is) you will not taste the coffee at all, you will only taste the richest chocolate cake you have ever had. You may substitute water for the coffee if you prefer, but the chocolate flavor will not be as intense.
Chocolate Buttercream: The recipe for the whipped chocolate buttercream is a large amount. If you don’t plan on piping on embellishment, you can cut the recipe in half. Or, use your favorite kind of frosting.
Can I Make This Chocolate Cake Into Cupcakes?
This recipe has not been tested as cupcakes, but if you decide to make it into cupcakes, here are some guidelines. Fill each cupcake liner 2/3 full with batter and bake at 350°F for 16-22 minutes. Check on the cupcakes starting at 16 minutes to avoid overbaking. For a tried and true cupcake recipe, try my Ultimate Chocolate Cupcake recipe.
Can I Use a 9×13-inch Baking Dish?
Yes, you absolutely can. Bake at 350°F for 28-32 minutes. The cake is done when an inserted toothpick is removed with crumbs, but no wet batter.
Can This Cake be Gluten-Free?
I am often asked how to make this recipe gluten-free. I recommend good quality gluten-free flour that can be used interchangeably with all-purpose flour. (A 1:1 blend) This recipe is best when gluten is used, but will still taste delicious with gluten-free flour.
How to Freeze Chocolate Cake
I don’t recommend freezing with frosting on. To freeze the cake, follow these instructions.
- Allow the cake to completely cool in the pan.
- Place a layer of plastic on top of the cake and then place a cutting board or cooling rack on top.
- Flip the cake over, removing the pan.
- Wrap the plastic up over the edges of the cake and then add another large piece and wrap it again as tightly as possible without crushing the cake. Make sure that none of the cake is exposed in the freezer as this can cause a freezer burn.
- Finally, wrap it in a layer of foil. Label and date the cake. The cake will freeze well for 1 month and should be fine for up to 3 months.
More Chocolate Cakes
The Perfect Chocolate Cake
Ingredients
- 1 ¾ cups (219 g) all-purpose flour
- 2 cups (400 g) granulated sugar
- ¾ cup (90 g) good quality unsweetened cocoa powder
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 cup (240 g) buttermilk, room temperature
- ½ cup (112 g) vegetable oil
- 2 large eggs, room temperature
- 2 teaspoons McCormick pure vanilla extract
- 1 cup (237 g) freshly brewed hot coffee, regular or decaf, or hot water
- chocolate buttercream frosting
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Spray 2, 8-inch x 3-inch round cake pans with nonstick cooking spray. (8-inch cake pans with shorter sides may cause an overflow in your oven.) Set aside.
- To the bowl of a stand mixer, add the flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Mix to combine.
- In a separate bowl, combine the buttermilk, oil, eggs, and vanilla.
- With the mixer on low speed, slowly add the wet ingredients to the dry. With the mixer still on low, add the coffee and stir just to combine, scraping the bottom of the bowl with a rubber spatula.
- Pour the batter into the prepared pans and bake for 30-40 minutes, or until a cake tester or toothpick comes out mostly clean with no wet batter.
- Let the cakes cool in the pans for 30 minutes. Then, turn them out onto a cooling rack to let them cool completely.
- Frost the cake with chocolate buttercream frosting.
Did you make this recipe?
Thank you for making my recipe! You took pictures, right? Well go ahead and post them on Instagram! Be sure to mention me @iambaker and use the hashtag #YouAreBaker.
Hi! I tried to make this georgeous cake but something went wrong. After an hour in the oven the cake still wasn’t dry. I want to try to bake it again 🙁 I’m from spain and maybe I mistook with the cup measure, we don’t use Cup for recipes, so 1 cup i guessed it’s a 250cl cup, is it the same cup measure for any ingredient? Thank you and sorry for my bad english! 😀
Veronica,
European measuring standards use the metric system while American recipes don’t, so if you’re trying to use an American recipe, you should find the metric equivalent measurement before attempting to bake. There are plenty of measuring tools on the internet that will give you the metric equivalent. Also, most American liquid measuring cups give the metric equivalent next to the actual measurement (1 cup=8oz=250 ml). For solid ingredients, you should actually weigh them because depending on the type of flour and the way you put the flour in the cup (spoon vs scoop the cup into the flour), you may get more than a cup because of the volume of the flour and air. Kitchen scales are relatively cheap and they save a lot of heartache in the end.
sweet mmmmmmmmmmma testy
Can I use this recipe to make cupcakes?
Thanks in advance!
For the chocolate buttercream do you mix the powdered sugar, cocoa, and salt with a whisk then you sift? Just want to confirm since it was not super clear. thanks!
Hi I cannot find powdered sugar. I googled it and most ppl suggest normal white sugar but blend it until fine, would that work? Also no kosher salt so will look at using regular salt just half instead
Powder sugar is also known as icing sugar in other countries. If that helps. If you cannot find any I bet there is a how to somewhere on the enter net.
One tablespoon of corn starch to one cup of granulated sugar ground into a coffee grounder make one cup of powder sugar.( I looked it up )
Thank you so much! The instructions were very easy to follow and the cake turned out moist and yummy!
I wrapped the layers in cling film after the cake had cooled for about 5 minutes and I put it into the freezer.
Hi for the 1 cup brewed coffee how many tbsp/tsp coffee did u use if i only gave instant coffee? Thanks. I love ur site
I made this cake and the centre has completely sunk. I’ve not had this problem making other cakes.
I’m in Australia so substitute All-purpose flour for Plain flour (as I normally do) and 2 teaspoons baking soda for 2 teaspoons bicarbonate soda. We have baking powder so followed the 1 teaspoon for that.
Has anyone else had issues? I use an oven thermometer to ensure my oven is at correct temperature when baking so am confident that it was pre heated and remained at 350F for the entire cook.
Maybe your bicarbonate soda or baking powder have expired or gone bad? Or did you open the oven door too early while they were baking?
Hi, I have been making this recipe for years, since I first saw it on tv. I use to have that problem in the beginning I found if I reduced the baking soda to one teaspoon I didn’t have that problem. Also if you cover your cake and tin with a tea towel I found it also helped. I use this tip for all my cakes as a just in case method. It helps the cake to cool down a bit slower rather than getting a cold air shock….
More than perfect….lost count how many times I’ve made this or referred people to your site for the recipe!!!
Really would like to make cupcakes with this recipe…do I need to alter the recipe , except obvious baking time?! Thank you
Can I just make this in a 9 x 13 pan? Thank you! I can’t wait to try it!