This is the BEST and easiest chocolate cake recipe!!! Hands down!!
We love dessert, and especially chocolate cake! Over the years, we’ve tried dozens of from-scratch versions and today’s is our favorite easy chocolate cake recipe. It’s beyond simple and is the one the kids request for so many of their birthday parties.
This simple chocolate cake recipe is a family favorite that is so soft, delicious, and MOIST. If you love chocolate cake too and want to feed a crowd, try our Chocolate Sheet Cake. Serve it with homemade Vanilla Ice Cream, and you’ll be in heaven!
Why we think you’ll 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 and has the best chocolate flavor.
- Party perfect. You can’t beat a slice served with Ice Cream!
Easy Chocolate Cake Ingredients and Substitutions
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 or avocado 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, sliced almonds, or chopped walnuts
How to Make Easy Chocolate Cake
- PREP. Grease two 9-inch round pans, line with parchment paper, and set aside. Preheat oven to 350°F.
- BATTER. Whisk all-purpose flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl.
- Whisk the milk, vegetable oil, eggs, and vanilla extract into the dry ingredients.
- Pour in boiling water and stir everything together.
- BAKE. The cake batter will be thin. Pour the batter into prepared round cake pans and bake for 30-35 minutes.
- 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.
- FROST. Beat softened butter, unsweetened cocoa powder, powdered sugar, vanilla extract, and a pinch of salt in a medium bowl until smooth. Add half and half to get it to be the frosting consistency you desire.
- Spread the chocolate buttercream frosting over your cake and add any sprinkles before it sets.
Kristyn’s Recipe Tips
- For a perfect frosted cake add a thin layer of frosting to coat the crumbs. Let it set, and then add a thicker layer of frosting without worrying that the crumbs will get caught up in it.
- We use all-purpose flour and love the taste and texture, however, cake flour can be used instead and helps produce a silkier crumb.
- We prefer to line the cake pans with parchment paper, but you can grease and flour the cake pans instead.
- Want different variations? Bake in a 9×13 pan for about 30-35 minutes, or make cupcakes and bake for 17-19 minutes.
Easy Chocolate Cake Recipe
Our deliciously easy chocolate cake recipe topped with homemade chocolate frosting is a no-fuss family favorite for good reason!
Video
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.
Notes
Recipe Tips.
- Add a thin layer of frosting to coat the crumbs. Let it set, and then add a thicker layer of frosting without worrying that the crumbs will get caught up in it.
- We use all-purpose flour, however, cake flour can be used instead and helps produce a silkier crumb.
- We prefer to line the cake pans with parchment paper, but you can grease and flour the cake pans instead.
- Bake in a 9×13 pan for about 30-35 minutes, or make cupcakes and bake for 17-19 minutes.
Nutrition
Calories: 562kcal, Carbohydrates: 96g, Protein: 5g, Fat: 20g, Saturated Fat: 7g, Cholesterol: 50mg, Sodium: 449mg, Potassium: 289mg, Fiber: 3g, Sugar: 74g, Vitamin A: 320IU, Calcium: 89mg, Iron: 2.4mg
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Recipe FAQ
How to store an unfrosted cake?
Tightly wrap in plastic wrap and place in a Ziploc bag on the kitchen counter for up to 3-4 days, or wrap again with foil and place in the freezer for 6-8 weeks.
How to store?
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.
How to freeze?
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.
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Caramel Cake
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This recipe was originally published February 2019.
This is the best cake I’ve made and I’ve used it several times now and it’s so moist and delicious
Yay! I’m so glad you love the cake!
The best chocolate cake I ever made! Thank you for this recipe. Easy and delicious!
You’re welcome!! I’m so glad you enjoyed the cake!
Can you make this as cupcakes?
You bet! You’ll just want to reduce/adjust the baking time. Cupcakes are done when you insert a toothpick and it comes out clean/just a few crumbs.
I absolutely love this recipe I have you used it dozens of times. I even substitute the water with coffee to add an extra depth to the cake! Thank you so much for this wonderful recipe!
I loved it it turned out amazing, but it needed to cook for an extra 1 min, Thanks for the recipe.
You’re welcome!! So glad you enjoyed the cake recipe!
Made this for my husband’s birthday today. The cake is lovely, moist, and has a well-balanced flavor using Nesley’s chocolate powder. The frosting recipe is very too sweet, though. Four cups of sugar is twice as much as we needed here. I filled the cake with fresh roasted pumpkin puree and covered it with a chocolate ganache of my own instead of using your frosting. A big hit with the family, and THANK YOU for the basic recipe! 🙂
You’re welcome! I’m glad you enjoyed the cake. Thanks for sharing what you did!
This is my go to chocolate cake recipe! It is so delicious! I’m looking for some advice though on how to turn this into a two tier cake? I’d like two 9” layers and two 6”. Any suggestions?
I’m so glad you love the cake recipe!! One recipe yields two 9 inch cakes. I haven’t tried doing it with tiers, but I’m thinking if you wanted to add 2 6 inch cakes, you could probably half the recipe and it would fill the two 6 inch cake pans? You’ll have to let us know how it turns out if you make the two tiers! So fun!
Riki,
One thing we’ve done is to put a cardboard round support between the tiers; but you can’t cut or eat it and would have to be warned that it was there. You can also use plastic straws or dowels inserted vertically to help stabilize the tiers. Even with this additional support, you might have trouble stacking four of these cakes into two or four tiers because of how moist they are. The bottom tier may collapse like quick sand under the weight of the top tier, especially if the filling is very moist or watery, like fresh fruit, for example. Recommend you not add any more moisture to the cake with your filling or you can almost guarantee that it won’t stand up.
Good luck!
how many cupcakes will this recipe makeD
It should make about 24.
I’ve made this once and it was DELISH!
I’d like to try it with almond milk, have you ever tried a Dairy free milk with this recipe?
I’m so glad you loved the cake!! I haven’t tried this recipe with almond milk, but if you do, you’ll have to let us know how it turns out.
Absolutely my new go to chocolate cake recipe! It is so delicious and everyone raved about it! The only thing I did differently was I used Bob’s Red Mill one to one gluten free flour. The cake is moist and the flavor is fantastic! I was a little nervous with how runny it was when I put it in the oven but I just went with it and so glad I did, it came out perfect!
Hooray!! I’m so glad you enjoyed the chocolate cake. And great to hear about the gluten free flour too. Thanks for sharing!