Cakes are simply the best. A perfectly baked moist cake is one of life’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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50 Best Cake Recipes

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!
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Ingredients

  • 1 ¾ cup (210 g) all-purpose flour
  • 2 cups (400 g) granulated sugar
  • ¾ 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
  • ½ 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 the coffee and stir just to combine, scraping the bottom of the bowl with a rubber spatula. 
  • Pour the batter into two 8-inch round prepared pans and bake for 30-40 minutes at 350°F, 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. 
Course: Dessert
Keyword: The Perfect Chocolate Cake
Servings: 12 slices
Author: Amanda Rettke

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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 it’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 – 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

  3. Wow. It looks delicious. I love vanilla cakes. So, I will try to make it. Your recipe will help me. Thanks for sharing.

  7. Could you give a recommendation on baking in high altitude? I made the cake with recipe as is and it ran over the edge of cake pans into the oven. I wonder if I should have added a little more flour into the mix.

  10. Hi Amanda, a big “Namaskar” from Odisha, India. Cakes been always special to us coz it’s our profession. Really awesome & helpful articles to refer for. Looking forward to read more. Thanks

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