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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.
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Collections
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.
I want this cake to stack will that be possiBle or is the cake too moist? Or too soggy? Can i cook it longer so i had get thicker or harder? Or can i stack this cAke without it falling normally?
It is pretty moist & the frosting stays soft, so not sure you would want to stack it.
I loved this recipe! It was my first time making a cake from scratch and it WAS A hit!! I will be using this for future BIRTHDAYS! Thank you 🙂
Way to go!! Glad you tried it! Thank you for letting me know 😉
Delicious! The cake is soft, chocolatey, and the icing is divine! I removed my cake from the pan after 10 minutes and some of it stuck to the pan, so I’d let it cool in the pan a little longer next time. I halved the recipe and made a single layer cake and it was amazing! Thanks!
You are welcome! Yes, I’d let it sit a little longer or spray with non-stick spray more. Happy you like it!
I Only used the frosting recipe but it was great! My only coMplaint is that it was very sweeT! But overall it was DELICIOUS and i will uSe it again!
Thanks for trying it!
CAN YOU BAKE AND FROST THIS CAKE THE DAY BEFORE… OK TO LEAVE ON COUNTER OVERNIGHT? OR DOES FROSTING NEED TO BE REFRIDGERATED?
You sure could. It does not need to be refrigerated 🙂 Enjoy!
thsi recipe worked the cake is great, but the frosting was a little watery but helped a littel when i put it in the fridge for a few minutes. The cake took forevr to cool too but that isn’t The recipe fault. so overall THE turnout was great and my dad loved it for fathers day!
Glad your dad liked it! Glad sticking in the fridge helped 🙂 Thanks!
This isnso good! Made it as per recipe. Icing, i used only 3 cups powdered Sugar. Delicious ans a must try cAke for all OCCASIONS.
Thanks so much for saying that!! Glad you like it!
Best chOc cake recipe and i have tried quite a few! I added 2 TSP espresso powder and it was perfect.
Perfect!! Thank you for sharing that with me! Glad you liked it!
So delicious!!! FIrst time making a chocolate cake feom scratch ans it was a huge success. BeTter than a box cake by faR!! Keeping this rEcipe. Thanks for posting.
You are so welcome & I agree! Glad you tried it!
Hi, i only have 8in pans…how many layers of an 8in cake Can this recipe make? Like, would i have to double it? And if so, does that mean i would need 3 (8in) pans or 4 (8in) pans?
This recipe, as is, will work fine with 8 inch. No need to double or anything. Just follow the recipe as written & it will be great 🙂