Cakes are simply the best. A perfectly baked moist cake is one of lifeโ€™s simple pleasures. Baking cakes at home can be just as fun as eating them as long as you have the right recipes! I am going to share The 50 Best Cake Recipes in the World, as rated by you! All of the frosting recipes can be found here.

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The Best Cake Recipe

What makes one specific recipe “the best cake recipe”? It is based on a couple of key factors.

Popularity & Consistency: Year after year Chocolate Cake is rated the most popular by people all over the world. There is something magical about a perfectly moist cake that is packed with rich chocolate flavor. Not only does it taste amazing, but it often takes us back to the wonderful memories of childhood.

Now, I know that some people like a sheet cake and some like a layer cake piled high with frosting and some folks just want to enjoy a cake that reminds them of special occasions growing up but that also adheres to their current dietary needs. The recipe I am sharing below is all of that! Perfect every time and beyond delicious.

The best recipe you will ever try!
4.91 from 21 votes

The Perfect Chocolate Cake

Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 40 minutes
Total Time 55 minutes
Perfectly moist and delicious, every time!

Ingredients

  • 1 ยพ cup (210 g) all-purpose flour
  • 2 cups (400 g) granulated sugar
  • ยพ cup (90 g) unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1 cup (240 g) buttermilk, room temperature
  • 2 large eggs, at room temperature
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • ยฝ cup (112 g) vegetable oil
  • 2 teaspoons baking soda
  • 1 cup (237 g) freshly brewed coffee

Instructions

  • Sift the flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder, and salt into the bowl and mix until combined.
  • In another bowl, combine the buttermilk, oil, eggs, and vanilla.
  • With the mixer on low speed, slowly add the wet ingredients to the dry. With mixer still on low, add theย coffee and stir just to combine, scraping the bottom of the bowl with a rubber spatula.ย 
  • Pour the batter into two 8-inch round prepared pans and bake for 30-40 minutes at 350ยฐF, until a cake tester or toothpick comes out mostly clean (not wet).
  • Cool in the pans for about 10 minutes, then turn them out onto a cooling rack and cool completely.

Notes

If you need to make this cake gluten-free, I recommend a gluten-free flour that has been formulated to be a 1:1 substitute.ย 

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More Chocolate Cakes

Chocolate Craving Cake

Chocolate Craving Cake has the most decadent, rich chocolate flavor without a whole lot of fuss. Then, it’s paired with a chocolate frosting that is nothing like I have ever imagined!

Chocolate Mayonnaise Cake

Chocolate Mayonnaise Cake is a moist and rich chocolate cake with mayonnaise as a key ingredient. This unexpected twist on a classic favorite is sure to delight your taste buds. And, this recipe is made with only seven ingredients that you probably already have on hand!

Chocolate Espresso Cake

I love what coffee does to chocolate. I decided to kick it up a notch and create a Chocolate Espresso Cake recipe. As you can imagine, it is a magical experience!

One Bowl Chocolate Fruit Cake

One Bowl Chocolate Fruit Cake is two layers of chocolate cake, separated with homemade whipped cream and topped with more whipped cream and fresh fruit. And, the cake batter is all combined in one bowl, which makes this cake as easy to make as it is delicious and beautiful!

Chocolate Peanut Butter Ooey Gooey Cake

Chocolate Peanut Butter Ooey Gooey Cake takes my Chocolate Ooey Gooey Cake to a new levelโ€“a peanut butter level! With a layer of peanut butter in the cake as well as a chocolate peanut butter ganache, this cake will be your new favorite variety of my Ooey Gooey Cakes!

Oreo Earthquake Cake

This gooey, rich, delicious Oreo Earthquake Cake is layered with Oreo cookies, chocolate cake, cream cheese, and more chocolate that is an explosion of flavor in every bite!

White Cakes

WASC Cake

Most experienced bakers have tried this WASC Cake Recipe (a white almond sour cream cake) at least once in their career, and there is a reason that folks keep coming back to it. It works!

The Perfect {Bakery Style} White Cake

The Perfect {Bakery Style} White cake is a beautiful, moist, and light cake with the perfect crumb. The cake has a soft, velvety texture, a subtle sweetness, and a delightful combination of vanilla and almond flavors. It is perfect for any occasion, whether it’s a birthday celebration or a simple treat for yourself! Not only is the cake delicious on its own, but it is also a wonderful base for decorating.

White Cake Recipe

I love a good white cake (some folks call this โ€œplain cakeโ€ or โ€œvanilla cakeโ€). But sometimes I just want it for a snack and not make a layer cake. In those moments, this is my go-to recipe!

Coconut Cake

This light and fluffy coconut cake is made with coconut oil, coconut milk, and pure coconut extract for rich tropical flavor in every bite.

Sprinkles Cake

If you are looking for a delicious and FUN cake to make this is it! This sprinkles cake recipe is a big cake, 3 full layers, that packs a big flavor punch!

Yellow Cakes

Happy Birthday Cake!

UPDATE: I have updated this recipe and created the ULTIMATE Birthday Cake! Happy, Happy Happy Birthday Cake! This sweet cake is easy to do and tastes SO good! Happy Birthday Cake Today I just used my new favorite white cake recipe and then a rich chocolate buttercream. The pairing is easy, the result is fantastic!…

Pound Cakes and Bundt Cakes

I prefer to use my GOOP recipe on bundt pans, as the cakes always release so beautifully!

Cream Cheese Pound Cake

By far the best Cream Cheese Pound Cake I have ever eaten or shared! This pound cake recipe will surely become a classic in your home. I canโ€™t recommend it enough!

Chocolate Pound Cake

Chocolate Pound Cake is a decadent treat that combines the best of chocolate and cream cheese for a dessert that’s sure to satisfy anyone with a sweet tooth. Whether enjoyed on its own or paired with a scoop of vanilla ice cream, it’s a delightful indulgence for chocolate lovers! I love this recipe because those glorious chocolateย crumbs seem to melt into your mouth.

Lemon Surprise Cake

Why did I call this a lemon โ€œsurpriseโ€ cake? Because it has lemon-lime soda as an ingredient! I was a bit shocked that one little can of soda can make such a wonderful difference in a cake, but it did

Strawberry Cream Cheese Pound Cake

Strawberry Cream Cheese Pound Cake starts with the perfect delicate yet dense cake crumb of my Cream Cheese Pound Cake. It is then filled with strawberry sauce and topped with a strawberry cream cheese frosting so every bite is full of that sweet strawberry flavor!

Cinnamon Apple Moonshine Cake

Super moist and loaded with apples and the best McCormick Ground Cinnamon, Cinnamon Apple Moonshine Cake is topped with a moonshine caramel glaze that takes the cake to the next level!

Seasonal/Carrot Cakes

Carrot Cake

Carrot Cake is a classic dessert made with shredded carrots, spices, oil, pineapple, and added pecans for a nutty crunch in every bite. Then, the cake is topped with cream cheese frosting. Itโ€™s the perfect cake to share at celebrations, potlucks, or if you are simply craving carrot cake!

Easy Carrot Cake Recipe

This semi-homemade Easy Carrot Cake Recipe is the recipe everyone will be begging you for. I have fooled everyone with this cakeโ€ฆ it tastes 100% homemade, but I use a time saving (and flavor adding) trickโ€ฆ find out what secret ingredient I use to add depth and richness to my cake!

Hummingbird Cake

This classic southern Hummingbird Cake has a flavorful light and moist crumb full of bananas, cinnamon, and pineapple, all surrounded by a smooth cream cheese frosting. The decoration is simple but elegant, sure to be a family favorite!

Maple Pecan Snack Cake

There is something deliciously great about the blend of maple syrup and pecans. This easy to make cake is the perfect combination of the maple flavor and nutty crunch. It goes wonderfully with a cup of coffee, or simply as a snack on its own.

Lemon Earthquake Cake

Lemon Earthquake Cake is a dessert that starts with a layer of coconut and macadamia nuts, followed by a lemon cake and cream cheese swirl, all topped and baked with white chocolate chips.

Sheet Cakes

White Almond Pecan Sheet Cake

Seasonal/Occasion Cakes

Mother's Day Cake

Zucchini Cakes

Blueberry Lemon Cake

Cheesecakes

 

Cookie Recipes Ingredients

 

Cake Basics

Most traditional cakes call for a standard mix of ingredients: sugar, butter, leavening, and gluten (flour). Keeping a few basic ingredients on hand, and using them correctly, will ensure that your cakes are perfect every time!

Sugars

Sugar is essential in cakes as itโ€™s what makes them taste sweet. When you mix up a cake batter and beat sugar into fat or eggs the sugar crystals cut into the mixture, creating thousands of tiny air bubbles that lighten the batter. While baking, these bubbles expand and lift the batter, causing it to rise in the pan.

Altering the sugar in a recipe can have a dramatic effect. When a white cake turns out moist and tender the sugar ratio is good. But if you try changing the recipe by using more or less sugar than the recipe calls for, the result may be a dense, flat or tough cake.

The most common sugar for cakes is granulated.

Fats

The function of fat in cakes is an interesting one! There are two general methods for utilizing fats in cake baking; the creaming method and the all-in-one method. Fats are used differently in each case.

Creaming Method

The creaming method produces a soft, yet sturdy cake. The cake is usually great for stacking in layers as well for bundt cakes.

Simply put, it is mixing sugar into butter (fat) to help produce air bubbles that will expand during baking due to vaporization. This helps make the final product rise. Sugar and butter will also lighten in color and expand in volume during creaming. Eggs are beaten into the batter one at a time. Typically, the additional liquids and dry ingredients are then added alternately.

When using the creaming method, all ingredients should be at room temperature. The creaming method is best utilized with a stand mixer or hand-held mixer, as it can take anywhere from 3-8 minutes. The best speed for combining sugar and butter is medium to low as a high speed could heat up the fats too quickly.

All in One Method

If you have ever seen a recipe that says “one bowl” or “pour batter into the pan” it is probably an all-in-one method cake. They tend to be very moist and use oil instead of butter. (Such as Carrot Cake)

The all-in-one method is the easiest of all the cake baking methods. These cakes tend to have more liquid than others.

Eggs

Eggs play an important roll in cakes. They add structure, color, and flavor to our cakes and cookies.

There are two main components to an egg, the whites, and the yolks.  For instance, a whipped egg white can help and Angel Food Cake rise. An egg yolk can transform a white cake into a beautiful yellow cake. Most recipes call for a whole egg.

It is important to use eggs at room temperature and to make sure you have the right size. I prefer large to extra large eggs in my cakes and will often specify for you. The difference between the two is usually 1-2 teaspoons in volume and while interchanging them won’t destroy a recipe, using the right size can help to create the perfect cake.

Leaveners

In cake recipes, the two most common leaveners are baking soda and baking powder.

Baking soda is bicarbonate of soda. It neutralizes the acidity of certain ingredients in the batter, allowing the cakes to turn golden brown in the oven.

Baking powder is a combination of bicarbonate of soda plus cream of tartar, an acidic ingredient. Baking powder alone can give cakes a lighter texture.

Flour

The main difference in flours found in the grocery store is the amount of protein they contain. A cake recipe should have the specific flour listed that is uses, but if it doesn’t, you can usually assume they mean all-purpose.

All-purpose flour, or plain flour, is an all-around good flour to use for baking. All-purpose has a protein content of 10-13% and it consistently performs well.

Cake flour is best for cakes and bakes very tender layers. It has 8-9% protein, one of the lowest in protein content.

Bleached and unbleached flours are basically interchangeable in cake recipes.

Salt

Without a doubt, this is one ingredient I use in all my baking. Salt enhances flavor and without it, the cake could just taste like a sugar overload. Without this flavor enhancer, the secondary flavors in a cake fall flat as the sweetness takes over. Salt can also act as a protein strengthener, helping to achieve the perfect cake.

Once you have all the basics covered, creating the perfect cake is easy no matter what the recipe.

My list of cake recipes is always expanding and I love being able to add tried and true recipes. If there is a cake recipe that you love that you don’t see here, please feel free to comment below! And as always, if you make any of these recipes tag @iambaker on Instagram and use the hashtag #iambaker. Happy Baking!

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Meet Amanda Rettke

Amanda Rettke is the creator of I Am Baker, and the bestselling author of Surprise Inside Cakes: Amazing Cakes for Every Occasion โ€“ With a Little Something Extra Inside.Over the course of her 15+ year blogging adventure, she has been featured in and collaborated with the Food Network, New York Times, LA Times, Country Living Magazine, People Magazine, Epicurious, Brides, Romantic Homes, life:beautiful, Publishers Weekly, The Daily Mail, Star Tribune, The Globe and Mail, DailyCandy, YumSugar, The Knot, The Kitchn, and Parade, to name a few.

Reader Comments

  1. I like ur recipe ,I want to be like u ,advice me pls am into snacks business I want to learn more Abt cakes

  2. hello, i just want to know before making the cake, the coffe should be hot or normal temprature?

  3. What is a stick of butter? I am in Australia and our butter comes in 250g.
    Love your recipes. Thank you ๐Ÿ˜Š

  4. Hello I am simply thrilled to have found you and your recipes .I saw an Apple Bundt cake recipe you offered,but unfortunately my cell battery died at that time. Would you please consider installing an area to allow me to find that particular recipe rather than looking at all those many pages of cake recipes.Also do you have a lemon Bundt cake recipe that includes lemon I stand pudding,as it was great but I lost the recipe .Thank you so much for your amazing ability. Sincerely Sharon

    1. Hi Sharon – just click the link to the recipe you want or use the magnifying glass icon in the upper right hand corner of the page to search for any recipe you would like.

  5. I love them all๐Ÿ˜˜๐Ÿ˜˜๐Ÿฅฐ๐Ÿ˜Š๐Ÿ˜‹๐Ÿ’ž๐Ÿ’ž๐Ÿ’ž

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