Today I’m sharing our FAVORITE classic chocolate cake recipe of all time. This amazing Chocolate Cake from scratch is our go-to recipe, and always gets rave reviews! It is rich, moist, and absolutely delicious!
For years, we searched for the perfect chocolate cake recipe, but were never satisfied. They were either too dry, too crumbly, too soft, not chocolatey enough, and so on. When we finally tried this cake, we knew that our search was over! It’s super moist, has the perfect amount of chocolate, and is sturdy enough to hold up to fondant if your design calls for it.
As a side note, this chocolate cake recipe (along with several of our other popular recipes) uses the Reverse Creaming Method of Mixing. This is a popular method for creating a slightly denser, more melt-in-your-mouth texture. If you are new to this method, you may be interested in watching our free video here: The Reverse Creaming Method of Mixing.
If you would rather not go the Reverse Creaming Method route, don’t worry! We’ve also put this Classic Chocolate Cake scratch recipe into the standard Conventional Method of Mixing as well. This also makes for a perfect chocolate cake! It’s the same decadent chocolate taste but with a fluffier texture. When making chocolate cupcakes, this conventional version is the recipe that we use! Here is the link:Classic Chocolate Cupcakes Recipe
Classic Chocolate Cake {Scratch Cake Recipe}
Ingredients
- I use the reverse creaming method with this recipe
- 2 cups (400g) granulated sugar
- 2 3/4 cup (322g) all-purpose flour
- 1 cup (82g) unsweetened cocoa (lightly spoon into cup then sift)
- 2 teaspoons ((10g) baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon (2g) baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon (2g) salt
- 1 cup (2 sticks) (226g) unsalted butter, softened (do not soften in microwave) I cut the butter into 1 inch pieces onto waxed paper leaving on the countertop for 8 to 10 minutes it will still be quite cool when adding to the dry ingredients. If it becomes too soft, just refrigerate a few minutes
- 1/4 cup (54g) vegetable oil
- 4 large eggs at room temperature
- 1cup (220g) milk
- 1 teaspoon (4g) vanilla extract
- 1 cup (220) hot coffee, it can be instant or brewed
Directions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees
- Grease and flour THREE 8 inch cake pans
- In a mixing bowl, add the dry ingredients: sugar, flour, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Whisk for 1 minute to blend.
- Add softened butter a few pieces at a time while the mixer is on low speed. Mix until the dry ingredients look like coarse sand and the dry ingredients are moistened. Scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl.
- In a separate bowl whisk the eggs, milk , oil and vanilla until blended.
- Method is important when using the Reverse Creaming Method. With the mixer on low speed, SLOWLY add approximately 1/2 of the egg mixture to the dry ingredients. Increase the speed to medium and mix for 1 1/2 minutes at medium speed. Don't mix above medium speed. Scrape the bottom and sides of bowl. Add the remaining egg mixture in 2 pourings, beating for 20 seconds after each pour. Scrape the sides and bottom of bowl.
- Slowly add the cup of hot coffee and mix another 30 seconds until blended. The batter will be very runny. Don't worry!
- Pour into 3 prepared 8" pans and bake at 350 degrees for 25 to 30 minutes or until the center of the cake springs back to the touch and a toothpick comes out clean.
- Cool the cakes 10 minutes on a rack and then turn out of the pans.
- *Yields approx 9 cups of batter.
- Making cupcakes? Check out our Classic Chocolate Cupcake Recipe (conventional method of mixing for fluffier cupcakes) Holds up well to fondant
Notes:
- CAKE TIP: To increase moistness of layers, cool another 10 minutes and while still very warm double wrap the individual layers in plastic wrap and freeze for up to a week. To freeze longer, use plastic wrap then put into a freezer bag or aluminum foil and freeze for up to 2 months. If you need the cake right away, even freezing for a couple of hours will increase the moistness.
Looking for a FABULOUS Chocolate Doctored Cake Mix Recipe? We have an amazing recipe just for you!: Chocolate Sour Cream Cake (Doctored Cake Mix Recipe)
As we mentioned above, you can make this same Classic Chocolate Cake recipe but using the conventional method of mixing that you may be more used to if you prefer a fluffier cake. This is the method that I use when making chocolate cupcakes also. : Classic Chocolate Cupcakes
Thanks for stopping by! It seems like the perfect day to make a chocolate cake. Enjoy the recipe!
Hi !
Just read the recipe and seems great, one question regarding the cocoa, I always use and prefer Dutch processed cocoa powder, which is more alkalized, can I use it here ? Cuz I noticed the recipe has more baking soda than baking powder…
Thanks!
Hi Hudase, Since this recipe uses both baking soda and baking powder you will need to follow the recipe and use natural unsweetened cocoa to get the proper balance of acid and alkaline
Hi, when you make this cake, you weight every ingredient or you just use the cup method? Also I thought a cup of cocoa is around 118 grams, in your ingredient list you have 82 grams, please advise, i want to give it a try.
Hi Maria, Yes, I weigh all the ingredients. The gram weight for the 1 cup of cocoa is 82 grams. I sifted the cocoa then lightly spooned it into a cup and level off with the back of a knife. If your cocoa was not sifted that may be the reason your weight was more. I hope you enjoy the cake, so happy you are going to make it!
Hi I am having a problem that the cake has a huge craks on top of the pan when it is still in the oven do you have any idea why this is happening
I tried this recipe and I must say it is the BEST chocolate recipe I’ve ever had. It was moist, chocolatey, and delicious. I loved it!!!! This is going to be my go to chocolate recipe.
Hi Mariam, If you are having large cracks on the top of your cake, it could be that your oven is too hot. If you buy an oven thermometer, you will be able to check the accuracy of your oven. It could also be that you oven rack is placed too high.
Hi Aisha, Thank you so much for your review of the recipe, so happy you like it!!
Question. I want to make this cake for a funeral dinner that will serve about 100. I was planning on making this cake as a 13×9 cake. Would the bake time change or would this work well for a 13×9 cake?
Hi Beth, Yes, this recipe works well as a sheet cake. Here is a link to Karen’s Kitchen serving chart I often use, link to fromkarenskitchen.com
This link is for Wilton’s Serving Chart, it typically uses more cake batter per pan, link to wilton.com
I would use a couple of rose nails in the pan for more even baking.
This will be my first scratch cake containing milk. Since I’m baking the milk, it doesn’t need to be refrigerated, does it?
Hi Jacqueline, no it does not need to be refrigerated. Hope you like the recipe!
I have never tried the rose nail in baking. Do I put it in the top or bottom? And I bake it with the nail in it?
Also, would I need to do the batter twice or double it, for a cake that is the half sheet size?
Hi Beth, The rose nail is greased and floured (or sprayed with non-stick baking spray) and placed flat side down into the cake pan and the cake batter poured around it. If you forget to put in the rose nail, it can also be placed in after the batter is in the pan. Bake with the nail in. When the cake is baked and turned out you will see the round flat end and just pull it out leaving only a small hole. Here is a link with pictures, link to cakecentral.com. This recipe makes 9 cups of batter so you would need to double the recipe. Click on the links I sent earlier to see the Wilton chart or Karen’s Kitchen chart for the number of cups you will need for the number of servings needed. The size varies, but the typical half sheet size is 12×18. I just want to add that the Chocolate Cake doctored recipe (using cake mix) is also good.
Thank so very much for the help and for teaching. 😊 I’ll make sure and attach a picture when the cake is completed.
Hi I can not drink coffee can I replace that for something else?or simply not used it?thank yoy
Do I need to make adjustments for high altitude? I’m at 4,800 ft, which has had an affect on many recipes. Not sure if anyone has experienced altitude issues with this recipe?
Hi Julie, I have never baked at high altitude but this is a link to tips that I think will be helpful to you. link to thekitchn.com Advice from Shirley Corriher, author of BakeWise the Science of Baking, is within the information. Hope this helps.
Can I use this recipe classic chocolate with fondant?
Yes, this is dense enough for fondant.
I don’t drink coffee and I don’t cook with it. Can I replace it with hot water?
Help!!! I did everything exactly to the recipe, but it overflowed the pans and made a huge mess in my oven! What did I do wrong? I put 4 cups of batter in each 8 in pan. Are they supposed to be tall pans? My pans are 2 in high.
Hi Amy, I am very sorry you had that problem. The instructions say to prepare three 8 inch round pans. Pans that are 8×2 are usually filled 1/2 to 2/3’s full. I think you must have looked at the picture of the cake and assumed that you only needed 2 cake pans. The day we made that cake we also needed cupcakes, so after filling 2 pans the extra batter was for cupcakes.
Hi!!! Amazing receipt but…what about the cream? I would like to do the same in the picture and i can not see the receipt of the cream to cover the cake (excuse me i cant remember the name) ahhh frosting right??? I will wait for your answer.
Thanks!
Hi Lavi, We used the Classic Chocolate Buttercream from the recipe section. Here is a link, link to mycakeschool.com. Hope you enjoy it!
Hi
Just read the recipie
Could you advise how many tsp coffee powder to use to make the 1cup coffee and can I just use regular Nescafé?
Thanks
Hi Monia, One rounded teaspoon instant coffee to 1 cup of hot water. Yes, using regular Nescafe is fine.
Can buttermilk be used instead of milk?
Hi Indira, we have not tried using buttermilk, it would change the acidity level so I cannot say for sure. Let us know how it goes if you decide to use buttermilk.
I just found your site and am loving it. I used to own a bakery, but we didn’t do cakes. I enjoy baking cakes and am looking forward to doing this chocolate one. I have been trying to do a copy recipe for Nothing Bundt Cakes chocolate chocolate chip cake and so far haven’t had any success. If you are familiar with this cake, can you tell me if this would be one of your best recipes to try to get close to the taste and texture, or if there is another one that would be better. Will this work in a bundt pan, since I would want that shape. Thanks for a great blog.
Hi I cannot get unsweetened cocoa in any of the shops where I live. Can I use Bourville 100% cocoa instead?, and if so would I need to adjust sugar, baking powder and baking soda amounts?. Also I can only just get 2×8″ cake tins side by side in my oven, where should I put the 3rd tin?, how should I position 3×8″ tins. Thank you.
Sorry, meant to say I live in the UK
Hi Helena, I am not familiar with that brand. I looked it up online and it saw that it is a powdered baking cocoa, it had a low sugar amount so I think it should be fine to use in this recipe without other adjustments. For you question of being able to bake only 2 cake tins in your oven. Pour the remaining cake batter into a 3rd tin and refrigerate while the other 2 are baking. Don’t refrigerate the bowl with batter in it, do put the batter into the cake tin. I hope you enjoy the cake.
Hi
I just bake the cake but with 3 cake tins the cakes came out with not equal flat surface. I did level it by cutting off the top. But when i did my frosting with thin ganache all the 3 cakes look slanted to one side. Do i need to freeze the cake after i had layered it with ganache.? I can’t seem to put another thin layer of orea buttercream on it as my ganache is quite runny. Do i need to wait till the ganache set? Can i bake in 8×3 inch round pan and level it with my knife?
Thank you.
Hi Evelyn, I am sorry you had a problem. I am not sure why the cakes became slanted after you leveled. Slight unevenness can usually be corrected with extra frosting. The ganache should cool to room temperature before spreading. It thickens as it cools. Do you usually bake in three inch pans? This recipe has too much batter for one 8 x 3 inch pan.
I will try the recipe with the Bournville cocoa and I didn’t know you could refrigerate the cake mix, that is so helpful, thank you
Hi I was thinking to dissolve the cocoa in hot water or coffee first and then add to batter as this will release the chocolate flavour would this be ok
Can you leave eggs out to make it vegan ir usevan egg replacer (flaxseed and water)? I can replace the butter with vegan butter. A friend asked me to bake vegan cupcakes…thank you!
Hi Sev, I am sorry I can not help you with this. We do not have experience baking with vegan ingredients so I do not know how it will affect the outcome of the recipe.
plez post me eggless cake recipe and fundant methods and chocolate recipes
What a lovely cake this is!!! Really it can be the best gift for my friend at her birthday, which is coming soon it means 21 june.
I ask a question on May 10 and haven’t received an answer. Could you tell me if I can bake this cake in a bundt pan. I have done the recipe in the pans suggested and followed all the measurements exactly. It rose fine in the oven but sunk down when it was out. The whole cake deflated. Can you tell me what to do so this doesn’t happen?
Hi Deborah, I’m sorry that your question was missed. Thanks for following up. We have not tried this cake recipe in a bundt pan although generally speaking it is usually a safe bet (although they often bake up slightly denser than the original version.)
I’m not sure why your cakes deflated…if you have not tried the Reverse Creaming Method of mixing before, you may want to watch our video as it takes a little getting used to. However, I would recommend trying the “conventional mixing” version of this chocolate cake recipe which you can see linked above under the name “Classic Chocolate Cupcakes”. This may be the better choice anyway since you are baking in the bundt pan.
I’ve never had a cake from Nothing Bundt Cakes- but I did notice some copycat recipes floating around online. I’m guessing that you’ve tried those already. This chocolate cake recipe is our favorite, and one of our most popular on the site. Let us know how it goes!
Dear Melissa,
Thanks so much for your prompt reply. I haven’t used the reverse creaming method before but I did watch the video and tried to follow all the times and methods exactly. I’ll try again and see if I have a taller cake this time. I think the texture of the Nothing Bundt Cakes is very close to the texture of your cake with the reverse creaming method rather than the traditional method. It is very soft with a compact crumb rather than bigger holes and a more coarse look, and doesn’t feel gummy or extra moist in your mouth when you chew it but very light. I will try the reverse creaming method in a bundt pan and see what happens. Thanks for all your specific directions and weights. Yes, I did try some of the copycat recipes and none of them are right, in my opinion. They are way too wet and moist.
I don’t like coffee so is there something I can replace it with
Hi Sarah, You can add 1 cup of water without the instant coffee in it
Hi can you advise the amount of flour in this receipt is 322 g sifted or sifted 322g
Hi Mariam, The 322g of all purpose flour (plain) is not sifted. I hope you like the recipe.
Hi Melissa when making the chocolate cake from scratch, which method of mixing i.e. reverse mixing or classic, produces a higher rise, that will hold up to fondant?….I need a cake that will be 4″ tall. Also have you made these cakes, using using one deep 3″ or 4″ cake pan?…I wonder whether it would cook in the middle ok, or might it sink?. Here in the UK, we tend to cook in one deep pan, then cut into layers. Many thanks for your help.
Hi Helena, The conventional mixing method will give you a slightly higher rise than the reverse creaming method. Melissa and I do not use 3 inch deep pans. We use 2 inch deep pans. It is a matter of personal preference but we feel we get better results using that depth pan. Sometimes the outer portion of the cake would be overdone while waiting for the center of the cake to be fully baked. If you have experience and success using deep pans it should work for you. Hope all goes well.
Hi Bebe thank you for your quick response. I might do a trial run using the classic way and then do a comparison. I did wondered whether that would be the case, of not cooking evenly in the centre, using the deeper pans. I have had some success cooking with deeper pans, but was not so keen on the recipe, the cake was rather dry, and as the chocolate recipe is so moist, I don’t think I’ll risk it, and stick to the 2″ pans instead. Really love your website, so helpful and I’ve learnt so much.
Helena, thank you so much for your nice comments about the site.
I did not know, how to make a cake but with the help of this recipe I made it successfully. It’s taste was marvellous!!!!!!!! I would like to recommend this cake to all my friends.
This was the BEST chocolate cake I have ever eaten, let alone made. Thank you so much for this recipe, this website has made feel so much more confident baking cakes!
Hi Michelle, You have made our day with you nice comments!! Thank you!
Do both methods result in a cake that can stand up to fondant or just the reverse creaming method?
Yes, both methods will hold up to fondant.
Hi Melissa,
I would like to bake a 9×13′ sheet cake pan. Can i use the Classic Chocolate Cake from Sratch recipe? Do I need to increass the ingredients or I shall just follow the original recipe for that size of pan?
Thank you and appreciate your respond.
Hi Evelyn, yes, this recipe can be baked in a 9 x 13 pan, just follow the original recipe. This recipe makes 9 cups of batter. Below are links to two Cake Batter Amounts and Baking Times that we often use. I think you will find them helpful. One chart suggest using 7 cups of batter and the other 10 cups of batter, so you will be fine using 9. Bake at 350, if the cake is not done at 40 minutes, I would cover loosely with a piece of aluminum foil so it will not become too dark.
link to wilton.com
link to fromkarenskitchen.com
thank you Bebe for your reply. And sorry for the wrong name! Can I substitute coffee for other ingredient? I am baking a soccer field cake for my son 8th birthday party. I m trying to avoid caffeine for young kids.
Thank again .
Hi Evelyn, The coffee enhances the chocolate flavor but it will still be good without it. Use 1 cup hot water instead of 1 cup coffee. Use hot water because it helps to dissolve the cocoa powder more easily into the batter.
The texture and flavor of this cake was perfect! I made four, 6 inch cakes and froze them as recommended, and was very happy with how moist they were. Will freezing the individual layers increase the moistness for all types of cakes (conventional vs. reverse creaming, butter only vs. butter and oil)? Thanks!
Hi Jean, Yes, freezing will help increase the moistness of cake layers in all the types you mentioned in your post. Even if you can freeze for only a couple of hours will help. I’m so happy the recipe worked well for you.
Could you do anything similar with cupcakes (freezing)? Maybe put them in a Ziplock bag, or would you have to wrap them individually? Thanks again!!
Hi Jean, We let cupcakes cool before freezing because of the condensation that can form, some brands of cupcake liners pull away from the cupcake. We often put our cupcakes on a cake cardboard (sheet cake size), wrap in plastic wrap and then aluminum foil. Some members have told us they have success using an airtight plastic container. If the plastic container is deep you could place parchment paper over the first layer of cupcakes and stack another layer of cupcakes on top. The plastic container would give the cupcakes more protection from getting dented while in the freezer.
Hi,
I tried this chocolate cake recipe and I must say… It is THEE BEST chocolate cake I have ever tasted!!!
My family has tried it and they are hooked!!!!
Thanking you all the way from South Africa!!!
Your website is awesome!!!
Greetings, Melissa and BeBe :-) It’s Fall, time to start baking! This is a wonderful recipe. My question, your thoughts re adding coffee (stirring while adding to prevent curdling) to the egg, oil milk, liquids mixture vs at the end of the blending process. Overall liquid will have cooled a bit. Any “harm” in doing things that way? Lisa G.
Hi Lisa, I don’t think there would be any problem at all. If you are using instant coffee, you could make it with 1/2 cup hot water, stirring to dissolve the granules then adding cold water to reach the 1 cup mark.
Hi BeBe, thank you for your reply to my question. That’s great news, really! This is delicious cake and I love the idea that all liquid and all dry “each” have their own container and associated steps. I should also ask in the interest of science and structure, that at the end of all the steps as described in your recipe, now that I have eliminated the addition of coffee at the end of the process (having combined it with the egg, milk, etc), there’s a 30 second final stage mixing which I would think relates to a final reinforcement of structure. Give things a final scrap and still do the remaining 30 seconds of beating? Or would this be “over-beating”. Thank you again for your assistance and this delicious recipe. :-) Lisa G.