Easy Chocolate Cake Recipe

4.93 from 155 votes

This easy chocolate cake recipe comes together in one bowl with simple pantry ingredients and bakes up moist, fudgy, and deeply chocolatey every time. Two professional tricks make all the difference: baking at 335°F for naturally flat layers and a splash of hot coffee to intensify the chocolate flavor. Foolproof enough for a beginner, impressive enough for any celebration.

Prep Time10

Cook Time30

Total Time40

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Servings: servings

Calories: 649kcal

Author: Liz Marek

Equipment

Ingredients

Easy Chocolate Cake Recipe

2 cups all purpose flour
1 cup sugar
1 cup brown sugar packed
1 cup cocoa powder Hershey's
1 ½ teaspoon baking powder
2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 large eggs
1 cup buttermilk
1 cup hot coffee or hot water
½ cup vegetable oil
2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Chocolate Buttercream Frosting

2 cups chocolate chips
½ cup corn syrup
¼ cup milk
1 teaspoon vanila extract
2 cups unsalted butter softened
2 cups powdered sugar sifted
1 cup cocoa powder sifted
1 teaspoon salt

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Easy chocolate cake instructions

Heat oven to 335ºF and prepare two 9” cake pans with cake goop or another preferred pan release
Combine the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in the bowl of your stand mixer with the paddle attachment. Mix on low 5 seconds just until combined.
Add in the eggs, buttermilk, oil and vanilla and mix on medium speed for 2 minutes. Scrape the bowl.
Turn the mixer down to low and add in the hot coffee and mix until just its just combined.
Pour the batter into your prepared cake pans.
Bake the cakes for 30-35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
Cool the cakes in the pan for about 15 minutes (or until the pan is barely warm to the touch) then invert onto wire racks to cool completely before frosting.

Chocolate Buttercream Instructions

Combine the chocolate chips, corn syrup, milk, and vanilla in a heat proof bowl. Microwave for 30 seconds and stir and then heat in 10-second increments and stir until it is fully melted and smooth. Let the chocolate mixture cool until it's barely warm.
Mix the butter, sugar, cocoa powder, and salt in the bowl of your stand mixer on low speed with the paddle on high speed for about 1 minute until light and fluffy. You can also use a large bowl and an electric mixer if you prefer.
Add the cooled melted chocolate mixture to the butter mixture and mix until it is smooth and fluffy.
The frosting can be used immediately to frost a cake or put into a piping bag for decorations.
Cover it with plastic wrap and store it at room temperature for 3 days. If you plan to keep it longer, keep it in an airtight container in the refrigerator or freezer.

Video

Notes

Cool Completely: Always let your cake layers cool fully before frosting. Short on time? Pop them in the freezer for 30–60 minutes — the layers will firm up and become even easier to frost cleanly.
Extra Moist: For an even more tender crumb, add an extra ounce of oil to the batter. Small change, noticeable difference.
Egg-Free: Substitute each egg with a commercial egg replacer (King Arthur works great) or an equal amount of unsweetened applesauce.
Freeze Your Layers: Wrap cooled layers tightly in plastic wrap and freeze until needed. Freezing locks in moisture and keeps the cake from going stale — a great make-ahead trick.

Nutrition