The Most Perfect Moist Chocolate Cake [+Video]

A big, tall slice of three layered chocolate cake with chocolate frosting. Each layer is frosted with thick chocolate frosting and the slice is sitting on a white dessert plate.

This is the best Homemade chocolate cake recipe! Cake like this is rare to find. This perfectly Moist Chocolate Cake recipe is rich, decadent, and truly irresistible! Tested and approved by a cake fanatic (Me!)

You all know how I work. It’s why we have the best Traeger Ribs, Buttermilk Pancakes, and Banana Bread recipes among a gazillion others. I get all sucked into finding the best of the best for a specific recipe, and I can’t let it go until I’ve achieved it.

And friends, I’ve discovered which chocolate cake is best. If you need chocolate cake for a birthday or a family celebration, you just step right up. (Who am I kidding? Just make it because you are surviving the crazy these days.)

Creating the Best Chocolate Cake

Everyone I know loves a moist chocolate cake with cream cheese frosting or buttercream frosting, but most people struggle to make a homemade version without reaching for a cake mix. I’m absolutely giddy to share all my secrets, along with the full list of ingredients that make this the best from-scratch chocolate cake.

Here’s the twist: this is a chocolate cake recipe without butter, and that’s intentional! As much as I thought butter would enhance the flavor of the chocolate, it just didn’t. The cake lost too much moisture. Butter has a high water content that evaporates as steam during baking, so it can’t lock in moisture the way oil can. Using oil instead creates a softer crumb and keeps the cake tender and moist. If you prefer, you can swap in equal amounts of butter, or even go half and half, but all oil gave me the richest flavor and the most luscious chocolate layer cake.

Ingredients for The Best Chocolate Cake Recipe

As I already mentioned, the moistness of this homemade chocolate cake is thanks in part to the oil used in the batter. Our other secret? Buttermilk! Yep, this is a buttermilk chocolate cake.

Any time a recipe calls for buttermilk, it makes me think it’s going to be a fancy recipe. But in reality, this chocolate cake from scratch couldn’t be simpler to make.

Chocolate Cake Ingredients:

All-purpose flour: reliable structure for the cake
Unsweetened natural cocoa powder: better rise than Dutch-process
Espresso powder: optional, but enhances chocolate flavor
Baking soda & baking powder: both needed for the right lift
Salt: balances sweetness and boosts flavor
Oil: keeps the cake moist (better than butter)
Eggs: room temperature helps the batter mix smoothly
Buttermilk: adds moisture and tenderness
Hot water: blooms cocoa for deeper flavor

Frosting Ingredients:

Unsalted butter: base for a rich, creamy texture
Cream cheese: adds tang and stability
Unsweetened cocoa powder: deep chocolate flavor
Powdered sugar: sweetness and structure
Vanilla extract: enhances flavor
Whole milk: thins to a spreadable consistency
Salt: balances sweetness

Pro Tip: When you make this chocolate cake for the first time, try it exactly as written. It’s truly the best chocolate cake recipe, and baking it as is ensures you’ll know how it’s meant to turn out before experimenting. If you’d like to tweak it later, we’ve included some substitution ideas below.

For step-by-step instructions and measurements, see the recipe card below.

Substitutes

For each cup of buttermilk, mix 1 tablespoon of vinegar or lemon juice with enough milk to make 1 cup. Stir and let sit 5 minutes.
You can also use half milk and half sour cream in place of buttermilk. Sour cream adds density, so it’s actually a great swap.
For chocolate, 1 ounce unsweetened baker’s chocolate equals 3 tablespoons cocoa. Melt it and add to the sugar and butter (or oil).

How to Make The Best Chocolate Cake

Chocolate Cake Steps

Okay, it’s time to bake the best chocolate cake recipe! Here we go!

Preheat: Set oven to 350 degrees F before baking.
Prepare pans: Spray bottoms of 2-3 9-inch cake pans, line with precut parchment paper, and spray sides.
Sift: Remove lumps from dry ingredients with a mesh sieve.
Mix: Beat eggs, buttermilk, hot water, oil, and vanilla using a hand or stand mixer on medium speed until smooth.
Combine: Add dry ingredients and mix until incorporated.
Divide & bake: Pour the chocolate cake batter evenly into pans and bake.
Cool: Let cakes rest 10-15 minutes on the counter, then turn onto a wire rack.

Unlike brownies, you can use the toothpick trick for cake. Just insert a toothpick into the very center of the cake, and if it comes out clean, it’s time to pull the cake!

Chocolate Frosting Steps

The secret to a good chocolate frosting is actually, in my expert opinion, to use both butter and cream cheese. Each doesn’t hold up to the chocolate enough, but together, man, it’s good! All rich and creamy, totally dreamy.

Soften: Bring butter and cream cheese to room temperature.
Cream: Beat butter and cream cheese together until smooth.
Add: Mix in cocoa, sugar, vanilla, and salt.
Adjust: Add milk as needed for a spreadable, but thick consistency.
Frost: Spread evenly on cooled cake layers and decorate as desired.

Once frosted, your chocolate cake is ready to impress! Rich, creamy, and utterly irresistible! Every bite is pure chocolate bliss.

Do You Have to Use Coffee for This Recipe?

You might have noticed coffee or espresso powder in the ingredients list, and it’s actually one of the secrets to making your chocolate cake taste extra chocolate-y. Almost every chocolate cake uses a little coffee to enhance the chocolate flavor, even if you can’t taste it.

I don’t drink coffee for religious reasons, but I still add just a tiny bit of Baking Espresso Powder, and it really does deepen the chocolate flavor. Here’s why I love it:

No bitterness like regular coffee
Conveniently stored in a jar
Adds richness and depth without tasting like coffee

Tips for A Perfect Chocolate Cake

Always start by sifting your dry ingredients for a cake. This is especially important when making chocolate cake from scratch, as the cocoa powder often has lumps and you want a perfect cake texture.
Please note that cake flour will not work in this recipe. Cake flour is too fine and cannot hold up the chocolate cake. All-purpose flour is a must here.
When making the chocolate cake frosting, it’s important that you use real butter and full-fat cream cheese. You need the fat in both to create a fluffy, rich frosting. I’m not sure how the chocolate frosting will turn out if you use margarine and/or low-fat cream cheese.

How to Store Chocolate Cake

Chocolate cake will stay fresh at room temperature for up to 2 days if it’s covered. After that, it should be refrigerated to maintain its texture and flavor. A whole cake can be stored in the fridge for up to 1 week when covered with foil, plastic wrap, or placed in an airtight container. For cut and frosted cake, the best method is to slice it with a sharp knife, wrap each piece individually in plastic wrap, and place in the refrigerator. This keeps the slices moist and makes them easy to grab whenever you want a piece.

For longer storage, chocolate cake freezes beautifully. Frosted cake can be kept in the freezer for up to 3 months. First, place the cake in the freezer uncovered until it’s completely solid, then wrap it tightly in plastic wrap followed by a layer of aluminum foil to prevent freezer burn. When you’re ready to enjoy it, just thaw the cake at room temperature and serve.

Whether it’s a holiday, birthday, or just a Tuesday, this chocolate cake makes every moment feel special!

More Easy Cake Recipes:

The Most Perfect Moist Chocolate Cake

This is a perfectly moist chocolate cake recipe that has the BEST chocolate frosting I’ve ever had! So easy to make, and totally homemade!

Course 500+ Best Dessert Recipes, Easy Cake Recipes For Beginners

Cuisine American

Keyword cake, chocolate, chocolate cake, chocolate frosting, dessert, frosting

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 35 minutes

Total Time 45 minutes

Servings

Calories 491kcal

Author Carrian Cheney

Ingredients

Chocolate Cake:

3 Cups All-Purpose Flour
3 Cups Granulated Sugar
1 ½ Cups Unsweetened Cocoa Powder
1 Tablespoon Baking Soda
1 ½ teaspoons Baking Powder
1 ½ teaspoons Salt
4 Large Eggs room temperature
1 ½ Cups Buttermilk
1 ½ Cups Warm Water
1 teaspoon Espresso Powder
1/2 Cup Vegetable Oil
1 Tablespoon Vanilla Extract

Chocolate Frosting:

1 Cup Unsalted Butter softened
12 Ounces Cream Cheese
1 ¼ Cup Unsweetened Cocoa Powder
7-8 Cups Powdered Sugar
2 teaspoons Vanilla Extract
1-2 Tablespoons Whole Milk more if needed
1 Pinch Salt

US Customary – Metric

Instructions

For the Cake:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Butter three 9-inch round cake pans and dust with flour, dumping out excess.
Mix flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder and salt in a bowl.

3 Cups All-Purpose Flour, 3 Cups Granulated Sugar, 1 ½ Cups Unsweetened Cocoa Powder, 1 Tablespoon Baking Soda, 1 ½ teaspoons Baking Powder, 1 ½ teaspoons Salt
In a standing mixer, mix the eggs, buttermilk, warm water, espresso powder, oil and vanilla until combined.

4 Large Eggs, 1 ½ Cups Buttermilk, 1 ½ Cups Warm Water, 1 teaspoon Espresso Powder, 1/2 Cup Vegetable Oil, 1 Tablespoon Vanilla Extract
Add the dry ingredients and mix until smooth.
Divide batter evenly between three pans. * (see note)
Bake for 30-35 minutes, or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean.
Cool on wire racks, then after 20 minutes turn out to cool completely.
Frost and enjoy!

For the Frosting:

In a large bowl using a hand mixer, beat the butter and cream cheese until fluffy.

1 Cup Unsalted Butter, 12 Ounces Cream Cheese
Add in the cocoa powder, powdered sugar, vanilla extract and salt, beating until smooth and adding 1 tablespoon at a time of milk if needed to make it spreadable.

1 ¼ Cup Unsweetened Cocoa Powder, 2 teaspoons Vanilla Extract, 7-8 Cups Powdered Sugar, 1-2 Tablespoons Whole Milk, 1 Pinch Salt