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.
Mine’s are in the oven right now, fingers crossed! I have a feeling they will be super cool.
This cake looks amazing! I’m really looking foward to make this one. I was wondering if you used the same buttercream in between the cake layers. Would this batch of frosting be enough to put in between the cake layers?
Yes and yes! 🙂
Greetings from Ohio! I’m bored to tears at work so I decided to browse your website on my iphone
during lunch break. I enjoy the info you provide here and
can’t wait to take a look when I get home. I’m surprised at how fast your blog loaded on my mobile ..
I’m not even using WIFI, just 3G .. Anyhow, very good blog!
Oh mercy! Here I stand with my newly purchased wilton cake tools all prepared to take on the faith cake and frost it with roses! A “Happy Birthday, Jesus” cake for Christmas. All thanks to you. Wish me luck!!!
Hi I’m so excited to make this chocolate cake for the New Year with the salted caramel frosting my mouth is already watering!! Can you tell I love desserts? But this is the first time I’m making a cake from scratch and was wondering for the buttermilk does it need to be liquid or can I use the powder version? Thanks for your help!!
I have never used powder buttermilk, so I cannot speak to its effectiveness. Sorry!
I am absolutely in awe of your talents, Amanda! This cake looks perfect, and I can only imagine how incredible it tastes. Thank you for continuing to inspire me!
This is Ina Garten’s Chocolate cake recipe. Very good. Almost too moist. I’d pull back on the coffee by a half of a cup. If you still want the strong coffee flavor, use instant coffee.
Did you read my post Emily? I not only credited Ina, but Hersheys, where Ina got HER recipe from. 🙂
Sorry, I was licking the screen, how embarrassing is that!!! OMG!!
I am going to make this.
Oh, Yeah. This is THE perfect chocolate cake. So happy I found your site and this recipe.
Thank you for letting me take all the credit from my friends! 🙂
I made this cake yesterday and I must admit I was very apprehensive because it is so hard to make a good chocolate cake from scratch. My roses look nothing like yours, but I have to say this IS the best Chocolate Cake. Thank you so much for sharing and I am going to make sure to make this anytime someone asks for Chocolate Cake..
Thats great Kim!!! I am sure your Roses were beautiful… and I am SO glad it tasted great!!
i dont like coffee can i use something else instead
Yes, just substitute hot water. 🙂
Thank you.. I hate coffee too.. how about hot cacao? would that work as well as the hot water?
Thats a great idea! There is something about the coffee that compliments and enhances the chocolate in the cake, but cocoa might add another layer of flavor as well! 🙂