Delicious Two Layer Chocolate Cake with homemade chocolate frosting. This cake is simple, perfectly moist and the homemade chocolate frosting is simply divine!
You can’t beat a slice of chocolate cake served with ice cream. If you love chocolate cake, you’ll also love our classic chocolate sheet cake and our flourless chocolate cake.
a family fav – homemade chocolate cake
We love dessert, and especially cake which is why we have so many cake recipes here on the site (have you tried our Cream Puff Cake and Favorite Sheet Cake recipes?!)
I’ve tried several made from scratch chocolate cake recipes over the years, and I finally found a winner! I prefer cakes that are dense and tender, more like brownies than cake from a cake mix. This homemade chocolate cake was perfectly fudgy and moist.
Another thing I love about this cake recipe is that it calls for simple ingredients that I always have on hand. Nothing beats being able to make one of your favorite cakes without having to run to the store for ingredients.
How to make chocolate cake
You don’t even need a mixer for this cake, a whisk will do just fine.
DRY INGREDIENTS. You whisk together flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together in a mixing bowl.
ADD WET INGREDIENTS. Then whisk in milk, oil, eggs, and vanilla. To finish it off, you pour in a cup of boiling water and stir everything together.
BAKE. You will end up with a very thin better. Pour the batter into two well greased 9″ round pans that have been lined with parchment paper. Bake at 350° for 30-35 minutes.
COOL. Let the cakes cool for about 10 minutes in the pan, then invert onto cooling racks. Cool completely and frost with chocolate frosting.
the buttermilk Frosting
It’s hard for us not to make a delicious buttercream chocolate frosting for this cake. It’s the perfect touch that takes the cake to a whole new level of delicious-ness. These are the ingredients needed to make the frosting:
- butter
- cocoa powder
- powdered sugar
- vanilla
- salt and milk
Again – ingredients we almost always have on hand. The frosting is best when the butter is already softened. Once it is, beat all the ingredients in a small bowl until smooth. You can add or take away milk to get it to be the frosting consistency you desire.
Spread this delicious frosting over your cake and add any sprinkles before it sets up.
RECIPE FAQ
How to store Chocolate Cake? If the cake is baked but unfrosted, it’s best STORED when tightly wrapped in plastic wrap and then placed in a Ziploc bag and stored on the kitchen counter for up to 3-4 days. This can be extended placing it in the fridge for an extra day.
You can also FREEZE these layers if needing to use later than 5-6 days. If already frosted, you can cover and keep on the counter for up to 5 days or in the fridge for up to a week, but you will need to cover the cake to keep from drying out.
How to freeze chocolate cake? As mentioned above, you can freeze cake layers unfrosted by wrapping tightly in aluminum foil or Saran Wrap, placing in a freezer safe bag and then freezing for up to 4-6 months. If frosted, you can still freeze your cake.
To do this, we recommend placing the cake on a cookie sheet, unwrapped and placing in the freezer for about 4 hours. Take out and wrap in plastic wrap followed by a layer of aluminum foil. This can also stay in the freezer for up to 4-6 months. Let defrost in fridge over night before enjoying.
We love this homemade chocolate cake with chocolate buttercream frosting. It really can’t be beat!
For more chocolate cake recipes, check out:
- Reese’s Peanut Butter Chocolate Cake
- Miracle Whip Chocolate Cake
- Sour Cream Chocolate Cake
- Flourless Chocolate Cake
- Chocolate Sheet Cake
- Chocolate Zucchini Cake
Chocolate Cake Recipe
Ingredients
Instructions
- Line two 9" round pans with parchment paper and spray with non-stick spray. Preheat oven to 350°.
- Whisk together the flour, sugar, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a large mixing bowl.
- Whisk in the milk, oil, eggs, and vanilla till smooth. Stir in the boiling water, mixing till smooth.
- Divide batter evenly between the two pans. Bake at 350° for 30-35 minutes or till toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes in the pans, then invert onto cooling racks.
- Cool completely. Place one cake on a cake stand or serving tray. Spread about a cup of frosting on the top. Place the other cake on top. Frost sides and top of the cake. Serve immediately or cover and let sit overnight.
- For frosting, beat all ingredients in a bowl till smooth, adding enough milk to get a spreadable consistency.
Made this for my son’s birthday and he said it was the best cake he’s had! Thanks for all the tips
Honestly, I didnt know how much it would rise. I ended up filling them 3/4ths full and they ended up overflowing. I could have made a 3rd layer if I had known 😑
I am in the middle of the bake time, I took a peak only to see it overflowed as well…could have made a 3rd layer, hope it turns out ok once I am done hacking into what will resemble a a round 2 layer
My cake was flat Like a brownie basically. I bake all the time And I just can’t imagine what went wrong. Any ideas?
I’m sorry, I wish I knew. There are different reasons, cakes may turn out flat, but it’s hard to know since I wasn’t there. Usually, it’s because of the wrong raising agent or using the wrong flour.
This was my first chocolate cake from scratch and it was amazing. Easy to bake and everyone loved it and wanted seconds. It will now be my go to birthday cake. Thanks so much!
Woohoo!! Happy to hear that! Thank you for letting me know 🙂
Do you think this would be good with a hint of orange
Oh, yes! Great idea! Thank you!
This was my first chocolate cake and it turned out Fabulous!! Thanks
You are so welcome!! I am so glad you gave it a try & liked it! Thank you!
Hi,
It’s my first attempt on making a chocolate cake from scratch! I would like to know what would be the best type of oil and milk (1% vs 2%) to use with this recipe!
Thank you 😊
I use vegetable oil & 2% 🙂 Enjoy!!
Hi, can this delicious looking cake be made in a Bundt pan?
Thank you for sharing.
Linda
Glad to share! I have never tried, but I am sure it could. There would be adjustments to time, but I am not sure what they’d be, since I haven’t done that. I’m guessing longer.
I am going to try this recipe for the first time, I want to make it for my wife’s birthday. I think I will try substituting coffee for the hot water because I have read it enhances the chocolate taste.
The other thing I want to substitute is soar cream for the milk, hear it makes it very moist. Has anyone ever tried that with this recipe and how did it turn out?
It was pretty easy to make and also had a lot of flavor in the littlest of peices. I would definitely use this recipe again!
Happy to hear that! Thank you for trying it 😉
Oh my God I love this chocolate cake it was wonderful I made it for my daughter‘s birthday yesterday one of the most delicious chocolate cakes I ever ate my husband loved it and my daughter thank you for sharing❤️❤️❤️😋
You are so welcome!! Thank you for trying it! Glad it was a hit!
I have made this recipe about 4 times and each time it is absolutely delicious and so moist. Thank you!
Perfect!! Thank you for letting me know that!
Hello! I’m planning to make this recipe, but I’m wondering if you can bake the batter in one mold, and then cut the whole cake into two layers? Thank You!
I personally have not tried, but I am sure you could.
Great and easy cake. Have you tried to do a vanilla version? Would that just require no cocoa powder and maybe adding more flour or vanilla to it? I am also wondering if berries could be mixed in the frosting, making it a fruit version…I know that will not be a chocolate cake no more but the recipe is so easy that I am wondering what options can I open this recipe to.
I haven’t tied a lot of other options with this recipe, but I would love to know how it turns out, if you try other things. Thank you!
I made the recipe without the cocoa powder and added one extra tbs of vanilla. That made of an easy vanilla cake. I filled it with the berry cheesecake salad and covered it with vanilla filling. It turned out pretty good.
Thank you for letting me know! That sounds good!
Would the recipe be able to fill 24 cupcakes?
This recipe is from my contributor, but I think it would be close 🙂
I made this cake tonight for a birthday tomorrow. I cut just a little of the raised top off to level it and it is absolutely delicious! I had all the ingredients on hand…this is now my “go to” chocolate cake recipe and I have tried many recipes.
Thank you!
You are so welcome! Love when I have everything on hand! Thank you!
How would you incorporate coffee into this recipe? It’s my moms birthday and she loves chocolate coffee cakes!
That’s a great question! I personally have not tried. I’ve heard some use it in place of milk or at least half the amount of milk & the other half coffee, but I can’t say for sure.
5 stars bc it’s still in bake mode but even if it’s not good it’s my fault. (Also bc this is the only recipe I found that doesn’t require sour cream or buttermilk!) I used hot but not boiling water and cake flour (bc that’s all I had besides bread flour) and I read belatedly on the box that with cake flour it is recommended to use butter and not oil. I’ll let you know how it turns out!!
Yes I would love to know how it turns out! Thanks so much for trying it!
This was my first time making a cake from scratch. I added a few tablespoons of raspberry jam, and it turned out great!
Raspberry jam sounds like a delightful addition! Thanks for sharing!
Beautiful recipe. God bless you.
Thank you so much! I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
This cake is so easy to make and so delicious!! Very moist and very yummy! Everyone loved it. This will be the only chocolate cake I will ever make!
Awe, that makes me so happy to hear that you liked it so much! Thank you!
Excellent, easy cake. I added a little maraschino liqueur to the frosting which gave it just a hint of cherry. Fantastic, will make again.
A hint of cherry sounds delicious for this cake. I’m so glad you loved it!