What makes this Chocolate Chip Cake Great? The brown sugar!
The brown sugar, in addition to the amazing flavor combination of butter, vanilla, and chocolate chips gives this cake all of the familiar deliciousness that we love in a chocolate chip cookie!
This recipe is the first chocolate chip cake that I’ve tried that contains brown sugar and it really makes a difference!
Brown sugar not only adds wonderful flavor to the cake recipe, but it also makes for a cake that is even more moist and tender.
How to Make a Chocolate Chip Cake
You can find the full, printable recipe further down in this post but here is a quick rundown of our steps!
- Preheat the oven, prepare three 8 inch cake pans (grease & flour- I also line the pans with parchment)
- In the bowl of your mixer add the dry ingredients (flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt.) Hand whisk for at least 30 seconds to make sure that the ingredients are evenly distributed.
- In a separate bowl, add the eggs, buttermilk and vanilla. Stir with a fork to combine.
- With the mixer on low speed gradually add the slices of butter, a few pieces at a time. Increase the mixer to medium speed and beat until the dry ingredients look crumbly and moistened. Scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl.
- Next, add half of the egg mixture, ( do not beat above medium ) for 1 1/2 minutes. The batter will become thick and fluffy Add the remaining egg mixture in two pourings, beating for 20 seconds after each addition.
- Fold in the chocolate chips
- Bake at 350 degrees F for 30 – 35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean or with just a few crumbs attached.
- Allow the cakes (in their pans) to cool on a wire rack for about 10 minutes before flipping out.
What Pairs well with Chocolate Chip Cake?
Also, this recipe uses the Reverse Creaming Method of mixing. We use this method of mixing for many of our recipes because we find that it gives the cakes a slightly denser, velvety texture.
This Chocolate Chip Cake uses the Reverse Creaming Method of Mixing
We have more Chocolate Chip Cake Recipes to Share!
Chocolate Chip Cake Recipe
This homemade Chocolate Chip Cake recipe has all of the flavors that you love in a chocolate chip cookie. You'll love the hint of brown sugar flavor!
Ingredients
For the Cake
- 2 3/4 cup (332 g) all purpose flour
- 1 1/2 cups (325 g) light brown sugar (packed into the cup)
- 1 1/2 teaspoons (7 g) baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon (3 g) baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon 3 g) salt
- 10 Tablespoons (1 1/4 sticks) (141 g) unsalted butter.... softened (do not microwave). I cut the butter into 1/2 inch slices onto waxed paper to soften a short while before needed.
- 3 large eggs
- 1 1/3 cup (302 g) buttermilk (low fat or full fat)
- 2 teaspoons (8 g) vanilla
- 1 cup (170 g) mini chocolate chips
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees, grease and flour two 8 inch round cake pans
- In the bowl of your mixer add the dry ingredients, flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Hand whisk for at least 30 seconds so the ingredients are well combined.
- In a separate bowl, add the eggs, buttermilk and vanilla. Stir with a fork to combine.
- With the mixer on low speed gradually add the slices of butter, a few pieces at a time. Increase the mixer to medium speed and beat until the dry ingredients look crumbly and moistened by the butter. Scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl.
- Add 1/2 of the egg mixture, beating at medium ( do not beat above medium ) for 1 1/2 minutes, the batter will become thick and fluffy. Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl. Add the remaining egg mixture in 2 pourings, beating for 20 seconds after each addition.
- Fold in the chocolate chips
- Bake at 350 degrees for 30 - 35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean or with just a few crumbs attached.
- Let the cake cool in the pans 10 minutes, then turn out.
- Makes 7 cups batter
- Will hold up to fondantThis recipe works well for cupcakes, they will have very little dome.
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Sounds delicious. I’ll print it off and give it a try – in my own way of course :) So many recipes and so little time :)
I’m with MsGF! Sounds absolutely delicious…not nearly enough time to get all these new recipes and designs done!
This cake is a winner Melissa, come over and we’ll bake one! ♥
I am not a chocolate fan, but I do love chocolate chip cookies! This one sounds like the perfect recipe for ME!!!
@ Barb Cox – I can’t imagine life without Bebe and Melissa!!!
I just had someone ask for cupcakes for a childrens party in June. I am going to suggest this recipe. Cannot wait to try. May make a trial run for the grand children who love chocolate chip cookies. Thanks Melissa and Bebe.
Hi!! Can I use this witb fondant instead of buttercream??
Thanks
Thank you all so much for your comments!! xoxo I’m so glad that you like it!
@Barb- Thank you!! I’ve just sent you an e-mail ;0)
@Melissa, lol! Yes we’ll have to have a cake date!
@Jennifer- ;0) Thank you!! xoxox And I hope that you love it ;0)
@Colleen- So glad you’re going to try it!
@Carirma- Yes, this recipe is sturdy enough for fondant!
Wonderful recipe. Going to use for my daughter’s birthday cake.
Quick question…the 8″ pans you are using. Are they 8″x2″ or 8″x 3″??
I have the Cake Bible by Rose…great book and cake reference. That’s where I first learned the alternative creaming method. My Mom use to do something similar, she said it was her “hurry up” method!!
Hi June, We used 8″ x 2″ pans. I think your mom’s definition of reverse creaming as the “hurry up method” is true. Once you get accustomed to using reverse creaming, I think you can get the batter in the oven more quickly.
Thanks BeBe for your prompt reply. 8″ x 2″ pans it shall be. Can’t wait to try this recipe. Adding some Skor bits as well. One of my daughter’s favs.
Guess my Mom was ahead of her time and she didn’t know it. ?
I made this cake recipe last night – it smells amazing!!! I noticed you did not torte this cake. Is there a reason? Will this be too crumbly to torte? or will I be ok to torte it. I usually torte all my cakes to get more filling in the cake.
Hi Janet, Yes, with well chilled layers it will be fine to tort this cake. The chocolate chips are mini so it shouldn’t cause a problem.
Thinking of making this soon. Probably will fill and ice with just the Classic Chocolate Buttercream but I do plan to pipe the shells around the sides…do you think I need to make a double recipe of frosting?
Hi Dene! We just made one batch of the chocolate frosting. It makes about 6 cups, and even though we used a different frosting for the filling, we had leftover chocolate frosting that we could have used for filling. Glad that you are making it!
I usually have problems with the Chocolate chips sinking to the bottom even when dusted lightly in flour first
…anyway to prevent this from happening?
HI Tori, In this recipe I used all-purpose flour because when making the cake with cake flour the batter could not support even the mini chocolate chips and most of them sank. A cake batter that is thicker will help. Also, using mini sized chips will help. You could also try filling your cake pans with batter and at that point sprinkle the chocolate chips (especially if using the full size chips) on top of the batter, then gently press with the back of a spoon the chips into the cake batter. Quickly put into the oven, hopefully the chips will not have time to sink very far down as the cake bakes up around them.
Finally had time to make this cake…everyone loved it!
Looks yummy.
I also made this cake for my daughter’s birthday this past weekend. Filled inbetween with homemade caramel and skor toffee bits. Was loved here too…none left!!!
@Dene- Your cake looks fabulous! So happy that you made it & loved it! ;0) —
@June- Thanks so much! The caramel & Skor toffee bits sound awesome! xoxo
Yes Melissa..your chocolate chip cake and the caramel/skor bits…totally devine…
Is this cake study enough to make a tiered cake? I think this would be so fun for the inside of my son’s Sesame Street cake!
Hi Ainsley, Yes, this recipe will be fine for a tiered cake. If it is the bottom tier, the dowels support the weight of the upper tier (that is on it own cake board).
Hi. I know I ask this a lot. But is this recipe okay to support fondant tiers? (I make a lot of fondant cakes)
Thanks as always
HI Wendi, Yes, it will support fondant. I will post that to the end of the recipe, other members may have the same question.
Cant beat this recipe. So delcious, thanks for sharing.
Simon
I’m completely out of mini chocolate chips!
If I’m going to make cupcakes, can I use regular
chocolate chips?
Thank you so much for sharing this delicious recipe.
Hi Lilly, We like to use mini chocolate chips because they are lighter and less likely to sink to the bottom of the cake. You can use regular chocolate chips. I would stir half of the chocolate chips into the batter, fill your cupcake liners and then sprinkle the remaining chips over the tops of the cupcakes. Press these chips down slightly below the surface of the batter using a knife or toothpick ( whatever works best for you). Those chips should not sink totally to the bottom. I hope you don’t have many cupcakes to make because this does takes a little extra time.
I just made this recipe! It made 12 cupcakes and 2 6″ cake layers. I just had one of the cupcakes hot out of the oven…delicious!! Well done, ladies! Keep up the yummy recipes!
Hi Natalie, So happy you like the recipe, and thank you so much for posting your review!!
What if I only have salted butter or salted “I can’t believe it’s not butter”? I read that I can just use less salt….Going to try this tomorrow night and probably won’t be able to stop at the store…
Would love to try this recipe, but what can I substitute the buttermilk with pls??
hey there I would like to know, what is the filling in this cake. I was thinking about making this cake for my sons birthday it looks absolutely delicious
Hi Bridget, I’m glad that you’d like to try this cake! We used a chocolate chip buttercream for the filling. Our Classic Vanilla Buttercream Recipe linked below, with mini chocolate chips mixed in!
https://www.mycakeschool.com/recipes/classic-vanilla-buttercream/
@Mohneen- I’m sorry that I missed your question about buttermilk– Here is a link for you!:
http://www.food.com/recipe/substitute-for-buttermilk-124413
I just made this cake & did a couple of cupcakes for taste testing. Omg!! it is so delicious I had to come here & post. Cupcakes came out great too if anyone was wondering? Thank you once again for another go to recipe?
So happy to hear it! Thanks so much for posting your feedback! xo
Hi Kristina, It will be fine to keep the crumb coated cake out overnight and decorate tomorrow to serve on Tuesday.
I made this cake yesterday to take to a baby shower, and it was a hit! It did fall apart when I was removing it from the pans, but that was probably my fault for not flouring the pans after greasing them, as well as my lack of expertise — it was my first shot at making a cake from scratch. I was able to stick it back together with some icing (I used a different recipe, since I didn’t have powdered sugar), so it was still presentable.
Now that I’ve made a cake from scratch, I’m afraid I’ll never be able to go back to the boxes again :). It was so much fun to make and so much more scrumptious than a cake mix. Have you ever made this cake with white chocolate chips or used another recipe to make a white chocolate chip cake? I turn eighteen next week and feel the need to celebrate with a big white chocolate chip cake.
Hi Anna, I’m happy that you were able to save the cake and that you enjoyed it. Yes, you should flour the pans. Turning the cake out of the pan immediately out of the oven can also cause it to break apart. Let it cool 5 to 10 minutes before turning out. If you leave in the pan too cool for too long (20 or 30 minutes) it can cause the cake to stick to the pan. We have not tried adding white chocolate chips to the recipe but there should be no problem in doing so. I don’t think the white chocolate chips are available as mini chips so you may have a few more sinking to the bottom of the pan. Thanks so much for posting and best wishes for a Happy 18th Birthday,
Made this cake today. Very soft and yummy!!
Just had a problem of the chips going to the bottom of the cake
I didn’t use the reverse creaming method, don’t know if that caused it
Also I tapped the pans on the counter a few times to release any air bubbles before putting in the oven, will that have caused them to move down?
I made this cake for a birthday and it was so delicious!! I might even use it sans chips as my standard yellow cake. Love the cookie-ish feel the brown sugar adds. Thank you!
Hi KG, Wonderful! I’m very happy you gave the recipe a try and enjoyed it. Thanks so much for posting!!
Can I substitute cake flour for all purpose flour? I read I should add 2 TBS of extra cake flour per cup of all purpose flour. Is this correct? Will the cake be too fluffy/tender?
Hi Jennifer, When we used cake flour for the recipe, it did not support the chocolate chips. If you decide to give it a try, you should add 2 additional Tablespoons cake flour for each cup of cake flour used in the recipe. So for this recipe you would use 2 3/4 cup cake flour plus 5 additional Tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon cake flour.
This recipe looks so good especially with the brown sugar and mini chips. I want to make it but I do not have eight inch cake pans. Will nine inch cake pans work? That’s all I have.
Hi Cathy, Yes, you can bake this recipe in 9 inch pans. I hope you will enjoy the cake.
can i still use this recipe even if the pans are not the same? i mean, maybe a larger or smaller one than yours?
Hi Althea, You can use a different size pan but the baking time will change. If you bake in two 9 inch round pans the baking time will be shorter because there will be less cake batter than in two 8 inch round pans. Keep an eye on the cakes if you change the pan size. Hope you will enjoy the recipe.
Hello! So would you say to make a chocolate chocolate chip cake, one would use a chocolate cake recipe and simply add the mini chips? Any other suggestions? Thank you!
Hi Janie, Yes, you could use your favorite chocolate cake recipe and add mini chocolate chips. It would need to be a recipe that has a batter that is somewhat thick, this will keep the mini chips suspended so that will not sink to the bottom of the cake pan. We use our Classic Chocolate Cake recipe for most of our chocolate cakes, but I don’t think the batter is quite thick enough for the chocolate chips.
Wonder if you could make this as a 13x 9 recipe? how long to bake? And could you bake in two 13 x 9 pans and use the vanilla buttercream in the middle? Trying to make a baptism cake and 13×9 size would be better.Thanks for the advise. Can’t wait to try this recipe.
Hi Carrie, This recipe makes 7 cups of batter. It could be baked in a 13 x 9 pan. Seven cups batter would give you a sheet cake about 1 1/4 to 1 1/2 inches high. This would be fine for a 2 layer sheet cake with vanilla buttercream in the middle. Below are 2 charts for batter amounts that you will find helpful. Karen’s chart recommends 7 cups for a 13×9 and Wilton recommends 10 cups for the same size pan.
http://www.fromkarenskitchen.com/tips/party_cake_batter_amounts_baking_times_2inch_pan.php
http://www.wilton.com/cake-serving-guide/cms-baking-serving-guide.html
Hi BEBe,
Thanks for replying.l to my question about the 13 x9 cake. Would you recommend doubling the recipe to make 2 sheets? And then will I have enough of the chocolate buttercream frosting if I don’t double that recipe? Thanks for the guidance- have but allergy so trying to make a nice cake that I know is safe for me to eat.
Hi Carrie, You would need to double the recipe or make it twice for a 2 layer 13×9. I am not sure what size mixer you have, if it is not an oversized bowl you may need to make each layer individually. This recipe uses the Reverse Creaming Method, are you familiar with that method? If not Melissa has a video on the method. The layers can also be made in advance and frozen (wrapped air tight with plastic wrap and aluminum foil). Even if you are using Vanilla Buttercream for the filling, I think you will need to double the Classic Chocolate Buttercream recipe so you will have enough for decorative piping around the top and bottom edges. Hope all goes well.
I made this cake today with your chocolate buttercream frosting for my husband’s birthday. It made 2 perfect 8″ round layers and was very moist, almost too moist to frost. I should’ve put it in the fridge to firm up a little before frosting it, but it was OK after adding a little more liquid to the frosting, as it was extremely stiff when made as indicated. The taste was just like a chocolate chip cookie and everyone enjoyed it. Thank you for a great recipe. I’ll make it again and try frosting it with buttercream next time.
Hi Leanne- I’m so happy to hear that you liked the recipe!
Can I use the traditional method to make this into cupcakes?
Hello BeBe! Can I make this with the traditional method? Thanks!
Hi Lyanna, Yes, you can make this using the traditional method of mixing. I suggest writing out the recipe and counting the ingredients to make sure nothing is left out, it is so easy to overlook something. Hope you enjoy the cake.
Hello!
I see that the cake has light brown sugar instead of white sugar, is it supposed to be packed?
Hi Teresa, Yes, the brown sugar is packed into the cup. I will add that to the recipe.
Hi, your recipe look amazing. I have a question can I add unsweetened cocoa powder to the recipe? I want to make a chocolate chocolate chip cake. Thank you for your help.?
Hi Linda, I suggest you use our Chocolate Sour Cream Cake recipe. Just fold in 1 cup of mini chocolate chips into the batter. This recipe uses the Reverse Creaming Method. If you are not familiar with this method, you might want to watch Melissa’s video on the method. In the written text above the ingredients you can click on her link. Recipe link below
https://www.mycakeschool.com/recipes/chocolate-sour-cream-cake-scratch-recipe/
Hi there! I am so excited to make your rcipe today, I just have a quick question: I will be making a 3 layer 10 inch cake – should I double the recipe?
Hi Haleigh, This recipe makes 7 cups of batter. Suggested amount of batter for a 10 inch round pan is 6 cups per pan. If you double the recipe you will have 14 cups batter, enough for a little over 5 cups per pan, and that will be fine. Are you familiar with the Reverse Creaming Method of mixing? If not, you should click on the link below to watch Melissa’s video on the method.
https://www.mycakeschool.com/blog/reverse-creaming-method-of-mixing-a-cake-video-tutorial/
Love your recipe but can I add the brown sugar to the flour when mixing the dry ingredient
Love your recipe but I add the brown sugar to the flour when mixing up the dry ingredients
Yes, the brown sugar is added with the flour and dry ingredients. This recipes uses the Reverse Creaming Method. If you are not familiar with that method of mixing, click on the link below to watch Melissa’s video.
https://www.mycakeschool.com/blog/reverse-creaming-method-of-mixing-a-cake-video-tutorial/
Hello! This recipe sounds delicious and I am planning to make it for my daughter’s
Birthday. I am pretty sure my round pans are 9 inch and not 8 inch. Will that be an issue you think? Thank you!
Hi Lisa, You can make the recipe in two 9 x 2 inch round pans. You will have 3 1/2 cups per pan. Keep an eye on it as it bakes. When a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean or with just a few crumbs attached, it is done. The layers won’t be quite as tall as they would using 8 inch pans, but it will be fine.
Thank you for the info and the prompt
reply!
Hello! Hey your cake look so yum.i am vegetarian & dont eat egg. Do you have eggless receipe with same look and taste. Thankyou! Much love.
Hi Priya, I am sorry but we have not made this cake using an egg substitute so I am not sure of the outcome. Below is a link to possible substitutes
https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/egg-substitutes
Hi!Can you substitute the buttemilk for regular milk in this recipe? Also would dark brown sugar work or does it need to be light?
Hi Jess, If you have vinegar, you can make buttermilk. To a measuring cup add 1Tablespoon +2 teaspoons vinegar, then add milk to the 1 1/3 cup mark. Let it sit for 10 minutes then stir. If you do not have vinegar, you can use regular milk, just leave out the baking soda in the recipe and change the baking powder to 3 teaspoons. I don’t know the outcome of using dark brown sugar. It can be a substitute for light brown but it contains more molasses giving it a darker color. This also adds a bit more moisture to it. I’m not sure if this will affect the cake.
Hi love your recipes I use regular chocolate chips than mini chocolate chips
Hi Chinyere, You can use regular chocolate chips in the recipe. We used mini chips because they are less likely to sink to the botton of the cake pan. Also, a recipe that has a batter that is a bit thick helps to keep the chips suspended.
Love your recipes! I’d like to make this cake for my grandsons birthday and make it into the dump truck cake. Do you think I can make this in a 9×13 pan?
Hi Debi, This recipe makes 7 cups of batter and that is the amount you need for a 9×13 pan. Click on the link below for a cake batter amount and baking time chart. I think you will find it helpful
http://fromkarenskitchen.com/tips/party_cake_batter_amounts_baking_times_2inch_pan.php
Can I use oil instead of butter ?
Hi Mell, I have not tried with this recipe using only oil. I would love to know what you think if you give it a try. I would use canola oil. It has the most neutral flavor.
Looking for the icing recipe for this choc chip cake? Looks like two different kinds
Hi Karen,
We used our Classic Chocolate Buttercream for the outer frosting, and Chocolate Chip Buttercream for the filling. The Chocolate Chip filling is our Classic Vanilla Buttercream with mini chocolate chips mixed in. (You can find the links in the post above under “What Pairs Well with Chocolate Chip Cake”, or you can just hop over to our Frosting section.) Enjoy the cake!
Hi Melissa!
I’m sorr.. until I was too late. It’s delicious but I have no skills decorating. The crumb is super moist and light. My hubby loved it!
Hi Karen, I am so happy you like the recipe. Thank you for posting.
I’m attempting this cake right now but I did cut the recipe in half for 1-8″ cake layer and I do measure by weight now and absolutely feel it is the best way to go. Im thinking about a brown sugar frosting. Not sure i saw a recipe for that here though. Thank you for the recipe and I’ll post once complete!
*Brown sugar buttercream.
Happy with the outcome! Thank you.
Hi Karen! I’m glad that you made the recipe, it looks perfect! Hope that you enjoy it. We don’t have a brown sugar buttercream recipe on our site but it sounds good! ;0)
Hello! Thank you for replying previously. This cake is by far one of my favorites. I did pair it with a brown sugar buttercream. Unbelievably tender and moist and yummy. One question: could I swap out part or all light brown sugar with dark brown in the cake? I love the taste of brown sugar and I know the dark will be even more flavorful. Thank you again for the recipe!
Karen
I have a question and not a comment because I want to bake this Saturday. Can I bake in 9″ pans?
Thank you.
Hi Louise, Yes, you can use two 9 inch round pans to bake this cake.
The recipe makes 7 cup of batter. Bake at 350 degrees for 25 to 30 minutes. The cake will be done when a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean or with just a few crumbs attached. I hope you will enjoy the recipe.
I made this cake and it came out with a line in the bottom of it. Where did i go wrong
Hi Stacey, Do you mean there was a dense gluey streak near the bottom of the cake layer? If so, this can be caused by mixing the batter at a speed that is too high or mixing for too long. Don’t mix above medium speed. Once you beginning adding the flour you could mix even a bit slower.