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.
This cake was moist and chocolatey!! I love chocolate! Only thing was everyone got big pieces of salt from the kosher salt?? Did I do something wrong? I loved it but didn’t get any pieces of salt. Thank you.
Hi, Etin! I work with iambaker and am happy to help with questions. You could try fine kosher salt next time for a smaller grain of salt. I hope that helps, and have a great day!
I made this cake today with chocolate buttercream frosting (on the same website) for my husband’s birthday and I must say this is the best chocolate cake I have made so far. I would love to try more recipes from here. Thank you so much for sharing the recipes.
How do i make buttermilk for this recipe?
Can I use nescafe and what is the measurement?
Can I add extra egg if large eggs are not available at home?
Hi, Mashruka! I work with iambaker and am happy to help with questions. You should be fine using large or extra-large eggs in this recipe. Have a great day!
I am gong to make this recipe – you list cocoa power for the frosting but don’t say if it is sweetened or not. Can you clarify?
It’s unsweetened cocoa powder.
Hey .. i love this cake receipe.i would love to try it.can u tell what should i use if i dont get kosher salt??
my email address is an
@mail.com, not Gmail. You site won’t accept it as valid.
Hello. I have been baking this cake for several years now, with the frosting, and it is a huge family favorite. In fact, extended family love it too. Could I bake this recipe as cupcakes? If so, how many would I get, I wonder, and how long should I bake them? Thank you!
Hi, Shireen! 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! Exactly how big are those extra-large eggs you are using? G?
Hi, Anna! I work with iambaker and am happy to help with questions. You could use large or extra-large eggs in this recipe, for the same result. I hope that helps, and have a great day!
I love your recipes