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.
This was the first time I ever baked a cake from scratch.
Your instructions were very easy to follow making my cake turn out a smash!
I baked this for or my in-laws (one who’s a chocoholic 😁) Everyone loved it, it turned delicious 🤤!
I am ready to bake more now!
Thank you
Donna
Yay! You’re welcome! So glad you all enjoyed the chocolate cake. It’s a yummy one! And yes, keep up the baking. I’m sure you will be amazing at it!
Easy and delicious! I substituted the boiling water with coffee and it was awesome!
That sounds like a fun twist. Glad to hear that you enjoyed the cake!!
Hi, would the baking time or temperature need to be adjusted if I’m baking the cake in a single tin ? Don’t have 2 pans of the same size so planning to slice the cake in two equal portions.
Yes! It definitely would. What size of pan are you planning on using? A little rule of thumb, you want to make sure to only fill the pan about 2/3 full to leave room for the cake to rise. Another way to bake this cake is in a 9X13 pan and then just spread the frosting on top. Baking time should be similar since both pans would be 9 inches deep, but just keep an eye on it and start checking for doneness 10 or so minutes early, just to be sure.
OML SO GOOOODDDD
Thank you! I’m so glad to hear you liked the cake!!
The powdered sugar was a bit much (the frosting was a little too sweet) , but other than that it was great!
Thanks for your feedback! Glad you mostly enjoyed it.:) You could definitely cut down on the sugar or even add a pinch of salt to counteract the sweetness.
Made this for my daughter’s birthday and everyone loved it. It was by far the best cake I’ve ever made!
Oh that’s so great to hear!! Glad the cake was a hit! Thanks for sharing.
I’ve made this recipe several times and it’s a hit every single time.
What kind of oil do you use?
I typically use canola oil, but you could use vegetable oil or coconut oil too.
Yay! So happy to hear the cake is a hit for you!
OMG BEST CAKE EVER!! THIS IS THE FIRST CAKE IVE EVER MADE AND TASTED LIKE A STORE BOUGHT PROBABLY EVEN BETTER. I’m not a frosting person but this was the PERFECT frosting not creamy not sugary!I AM DEFINETLY GOING TO MAKE THIS CAKE AGAIN AND TELL MY FRIENDS ABOUT THIS! ALSO FREE PALESTINE 🇵🇸
I’m so glad you loved it so much! Thanks so much for trying the recipe. 🙂
How much is a pinch of salt
They say it is about 1/16 tsp. But since most measuring spoons aren’t that small, I just literally grab a pinch of salt and it works!
Can one add chocolate pieces to the cake mixture? If so how much?
I have never tried adding chocolate, but you could certainly try. I’d recommend using mini chocolate chips or finely chopped chocolate chunks so that they don’t sink to the bottom of the batter. You can also try tossing them in a bit of flour before folding into the batter. That may help them not sink too. Not sure how much… that’d totally be a personal preference thing. However much extra chocolate you enjoy. You’ll have to let us know how the cake turns out if you add extra chocolate! 🙂