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Our easy chocolate cake recipe is topped with a delicious chocolate frosting and is made with pantry staples.
The Easiest Chocolate Cake
This is our FAVORITE chocolate cake recipe!!!
We love dessert, and especially cake! There are a few kids who choose chocolate cake for their birthday treat every year (who can blame them?). We’ve tried several made-from-scratch chocolate cake recipes over the years, and we finally found a winner that is the tastiest and easiest of all!
This easy chocolate cake recipe is a family favorite that is so soft, delicious, and MOIST. If you love chocolate cake too, you’ll also love our Chocolate Sheet Cake. Serve it with homemade Vanilla Ice Cream, and you’ll be in heaven!
WHY WE LOVE IT:
- Pantry staples. This easy chocolate cake calls for simple ingredients that we always have on hand so it can easily be made without a trip to the store!
- Best chocolate cake. It is fudgy and moist – just the way a chocolate cake should be!
- Party perfect. You can’t beat a slice served with Ice Cream!
Ingredients
PREP TIME: 10 minutes
COOK TIME: 30 minutes
COOL TIME: 10 minutes
Cake Layers
- 2 cups all-purpose flour – or cake flour for a silkier crumb, see How to Measure Flour
- 2 cups sugar
- ¾ cup cocoa powder – Since the recipe also uses baking powder, you can use natural or Dutch-processed cocoa powder.
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup milk
- ½ cup vegetable oil – or canola oil
- 2 large eggs – room temperature
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup boiling water
Chocolate Frosting
- ½ cup unsalted butter, softened – see How to Soften Butter Quickly
- ½ cup unsweetened cocoa powder – natural or Dutch process cocoa
- 4 cups powdered sugar (confectioners’ sugar) – sifted to remove clumps
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 pinch salt
- 6-8 tablespoons half and half – or whole milk
- optional decorations – sprinkles and birthday candles, frosting flowers, a worded message, beautiful berries, or sliced almonds or chopped walnuts
How to make Easy chocolate cake
- PREP. Grease two 9″ round pans, line with parchment paper, and set aside. Preheat oven to 350°F.
- BATTER. Whisk 2 cups all-purpose flour, 2 cups sugar, ¾ cup cocoa powder, 2 teaspoons baking powder, 2 teaspoons baking soda, and 1 teaspoon salt in a large bowl.
- Whisk in 1 cup milk, ½ cup vegetable oil, 2 eggs, and 1 tablespoon vanilla extract.
- Pour in 1 cup of boiling water and stir everything together.
- BAKE. The cake batter will be thin. Pour the batter into greased 9-inch round cake pans lined with parchment paper. Bake at 350°F for 30-35 minutes.
- COOL. Let the cakes cool for about 10 minutes in the pan, then invert onto wire racks. Cool completely, level the top of the cakes, and frost with chocolate frosting.
Make It Into Cupcakes
Add cupcake liners to a muffin tin and fill to about ⅔ full. Bake for 17-19 minutes. Makes about 24-30 cupcakes.
The Frosting
- BEAT. Beat ½ cup softened butter, ½ cup unsweetened cocoa powder, 4 cups powdered sugar, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, and 1 pinch salt in a medium bowl until smooth. Add 6-8 tablespoons half and half to get it to be the frosting consistency you desire.
- FROST. Spread this delicious frosting over your cake and add any sprinkles before it sets.
PRO TIP: Add A Crumb Coat
Add a thin layer to coat the crumbs. Let it set and then add a thicker layer of frosting without worry that the crumbs will get caught up in it.
Easy Chocolate Cake Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- 2 cups sugar
- ¾ cup cocoa powder
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup milk
- ½ cup vegetable oil
- 2 eggs
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup boiling water
Chocolate Frosting
- ½ cup butter, softened
- ½ cup cocoa powder
- 4 cups powdered sugar, sifted
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 pinch salt
- 6-8 tablespoons half and half
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Line two 9-inch round pans with parchment paper and spray with non-stick spray.
- Whisk 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 until smooth.
- Divide the batter evenly between the two pans. Bake at 350°F for 30-35 minutes or till a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Cool for 10 minutes in the pans, then invert onto cooling racks. Cool completely.
Frosting
- Beat all ingredients in a bowl until smooth, adding enough half and half to get a spreadable consistency.
- Place one cake on a cake stand or serving tray. Spread about one cup of frosting on the top. Place the other cake on top. Frost the sides and top of the cake with the remaining frosting.
- Serve immediately or cover and let sit overnight.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Recipe FAQ
Tightly wrap in plastic wrap and place in a Ziploc bag on the kitchen counter for up to 3-4 days or in the wrap again with foil and in the freezer for 6-8 weeks.
Cover and store the cake on the counter for 4-5 days. Once cut, press a piece of plastic wrap directly onto the exposed cake, or cover it with more frosting to prevent drying out. Store for 3-4 days at room temperature.
Place the frosted cake in the freezer for 4-5 hours, or until the frosting is solid. Wrap it tightly with plastic wrap and then again with aluminum foil for 4-6 weeks. Unwrap the plastic wrap, recover it lightly with the foil, and allow the cake to thaw.
This RECIPE is delicious and this website Has options to change the amount of servings. Chocolate is the best flaVor and this is the best chocolate cake. Without this RECIPE my life would not be complete!
Made this for my sisters birthday. Except I m them as cup cakes and bake for 15 minutes.
Love, love, love this recipe. This will now be my go to cake recipe from now on.
My sister liked it so much that she asked me for the recipe.
I love hearing that they were a hit!! Thank you for sharing what you did!
I am now going to make the cake and make a raspberry filling to put between the layers. This will be for my boyfriends birthday.
That’s a nice birthday cake! Hope he liked it!
This is my favorite chocolate cake recipe. Mosist and just the right amOunt of sweetness. My family loved it. Thank you!
You are so welcome!! Thank you for trying it 🙂
This is The best CHOCOLATE cake and frosting ever ! Thanks so much fOr This recipe, I also love your cinnamon coffee cake recipe i make it all the time for my family ? Thanks for the yummy Recipes
You are so welcome! I am glad to share 🙂 Thank you for trying them & for letting me know!
I’d like to say I love your post and that your cake is gorgeous. I have picked this as my first cake to bake and I am super scared. What is the difficulty level of this for a cake novice on a scale from 1-10 would you say? I’d like to make the layers a few days ahead and freeze them. ANy additional advice on this? Also, is frosting the night before and refridgerating it over night going to still be delicious. I will accept any and all advice you might want to offer me on this.
thank you kindly
Nicole
This recipe is from my contributor Kara, but making ahead & freezing should work & frosting it will be ok, if left in the fridge 🙂 It is an easy cake to make & you’ll do great!
THIS WAS A GREAT RECIPE. I WILL DEFINITELY MAKE THIS AGAIN FOR SOMEONES BIRTHDAY. the cake was so moist and flavourful and the frosting was so delicious, i have nothing bad to say at all. I ran out of vanilla extract so i used the same amount of brewed coffee instead and it turned out fab.
Thank you for saying that!! I am so glad you liked it & improvised!
How long would you bake This for cupcakes?
I have not tried this specific recipe as cupcakes, but usually the bake time is anywhere between 18-23 minutes, so I would start with 18, then you can add a couple minutes at a time 🙂
I’d start with 15-18 and then add more time if you need it. I’ve had these come out finished at 12 minutes in a cupcake. 18 will give you charcoal.
It’s just me and my husband so I cut the recipe in half, cut the baked cake in half, filled it with blackberry jam, frosted it and decorated with sliced almonds! It’s fantastic!
Sounds perfect!! Thank you for sharing that!!
I can’t wait to make this. This sounds unbelievably yummy
It is! I hope you like it!
OMG! Made this recipe today and it was so good. Very moist and love the frosting. Definitely will be making for my kids birthdays. It’s better than the store bought ones
Love hearing that! Thank you for saying that 🙂
Chocolate Cake is my Weakness! This Recipe Did Not Disappoint!
THIS is the recipe my kids request for their birthday cakes- and I’m not mad about it. lol.
Wow.I made it in cooker. My kids love this.
Glad they do 🙂 Thank you so much for sharing that!