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.
Amanda, are there any changes needed for high altitude bakers?
Here is some general info:
https://www.kingarthurflour.com/learn/resources/high-altitude-baking
We are gluten free and dairy free in our house with the exception of butter. No one is allergic to that. I have subbed bob mills gluten free flour in this recipe and it turns out perfect. Also I use unsweetened organic almond milk plus one tablespoon lemon juice in place of buttermilk and I believe this is the best cake I’ve ever eaten. People cannot tell that it is a gluten free cake.
Brilliant!
This has been my go to chocolate recipe for years…thank u
Can I make this into cupcakes , and if so what you’d the time and temperature be
Hi, Susan! I work with iambaker and am happy to help with questions. We have not tried making this recipe as cupcakes, but generally, most cake recipes can be made as cupcakes. However, you will need to watch the baking time because the cupcakes will take less time (up to half the baking time) compared to the cake. The cupcakes are done when a clean toothpick comes out with a few crumbs on it, but not wet batter. Let us know how they turn out and have a great day!
Hi,
Does this recipe call for Dutch process cocoa or non dutched?
Thanks!
Maja
Hi, Maja! I work with iambaker and am happy to help with questions. Look for unsweetened cocoa for this recipe. I hope this helps, and have a great day!
I have not made this recipe yet and I’m considering using cake flour instead of AP flour. Is this a good idea?
Hi, Krissy! I work with iambaker and am happy to help with questions. We have not made this recipe with cake flour, but if you use cake flour in place of all-purpose flour, use 1 cup + 2 tablespoons of cake flour for each cup of all-purpose flour. I hope this helps, and have a great day!
Hi! I really love this recipe and, for me, is one of the besta chococolate cake ever! But for no reason, lately my cakes are having problems. The center is collapsing every time and I don’t know what’s happenning 🙁 I really want to bake them even. Please help me!
PD:I use room tempeture ingredients and I sift my ingredients 3 times.
Thank you!
Hi, Saray! I work with iambaker and am happy to help with questions. It could be the oven temperature. Use an internal thermometer to make sure your oven is the temperature that it is set. I hope this helps, and have a great day!
Hi
Baked this cake and it was an absolute delight however I got a sandy texture in my cake. Why do you think I got that texture?
I could feel some sandy thing in my cake
I make this recipe all the time and it’s AMAZING. making it for a smash cake for my friends 1yo’s bday and she would like less sugar. Could I cut it back without making the cake flop? Or maybe substitute the sugar with coconut sugar so it’s not so “bad” lol.
Hi! I tried this cake recipe and the centers fell in. Any recommendations on how to fix this next time? I used an oven thermometer and my oven was set to the correct temperature. I’m wondering if it could be climate-related (I live in a very humid area). Thank you!
Hi, Mayia! I work with iambaker and am happy to help with questions. Humidity can definitely affect baking. A couple of things you could try are reducing the liquid in the recipe and increasing the baking time. I hope this helps, and have a great day!