Chocolate Cake from Scratch
This amazing Chocolate Cake from Scratch is ultra moist and so rich and decadent!
We always get rave reviews from this chocolate cake recipe. It is one of our go-to chocolate cakes for all sorts of fillings and frostings (from Almond Joy Cake and Mint Chocolate Chip Cake to Chocolate Oreo Cake and more.)
Table of Contents
Why we Love It
There are so many reasons to love this amazing chocolate cake. Here are just a few:
- Velvety soft, moist texture
- Decadent and rich cake for chocolate lovers
- Makes plenty of batter for an impressive three layer cake
- Perfect go-to chocolate cake for birthdays and other special occasions
How to make a Scratch Chocolate Cake
*You can find the full, printable recipe for this rich chocolate layer cake further down in this post, but here is a quick rundown of how we made the cake!
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- Grease and flour three 8 inch cake pans (We often line our pans with parchment paper as well)
- In a mixing bowl, add the dry ingredients: sugar, all purpose flour, unsweetened cocoa, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Whisk these dry ingredients 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.
- With the mixer on low speed, SLOWLY add about half of the egg mixture to the dry ingredients. Increase the speed to medium and mix for 1 ½ minutes at 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.
- Next, slowly add the cup of hot coffee (prepared instant coffee or brewed) and mix another 30 seconds until blended. The chocolate cake 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 or a small wooden pick comes out clean or with just a few moist crumbs attached.The cake layers will pull away ever so slightly from the sides of the pan.
- Cool the cakes 10 minutes on a wire rack and then turn out of the pans.
- *Yields approximately 9 cups of batter, plenty for three 8 inch cake pans and a nice, tall cake!
Recipe FAQs
More Chocolate Cakes
Aside from today's rich chocolate cake, we have created many more Chocolate Cakes that we love!
Some of our most popular are: Marble Cake, Chocolate Velvet Cake, German Chocolate Cake, and Black Forest Cake.
Chocolate Cake from Scratch
This moist, decadent classic chocolate cake from scratch is the BEST! This cake recipe uses the Reverse Creaming Method of mixing, creating an extra moist cake with a tight crumb and velvety texture.
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Ingredients
- 2 cups (400g) granulated sugar
- 2 ¾ cup (322g) all purpose flour
- 1 cup (82g) unsweetened cocoa (lightly spoon into cup then sift)
- 2 teaspoons (10g) baking soda
- ½ teaspoon (2g) baking powder
- ½ teaspoon (2g) salt
- 1 cup 2 sticks (226g) unsalted butter, softened (do not soften in microwave)
- ¼ cup (54g) vegetable oil (we use Canola oil)
- 4 large eggs at room temperature
- 1 cup (220g) milk
- 1 teaspoon (4g) vanilla extract
- 1 cup (220g) hot coffee, it can be instant or brewed
Instructions
- 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 ½ of the egg mixture to the dry ingredients. Increase the speed to medium and mix for 1 ½ 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
- These cake layers can be wrapped individually in plastic wrap, followed by aluminum foil, and frozen for up to three months.
- Thaw at room temperature, removing the wrapping after 30-45 minutes.
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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 2x8" cake tins side by side in my oven, where should I put the 3rd tin?, how should I position 3x8" 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 8x3 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?