Easy Chocolate Cake Recipe
Aug 28, 2026
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What could be better than chocolate cake? Not much! This easy chocolate cake recipe is moist, rich, and made from scratch for the perfect homemade chocolate cake.
Easy Homemade Chocolate Cake Recipe
I’m such a softie when it comes to cake! My family knows it, too, and cake has always been one of our favorite ways to celebrate. I love making everything from tres leches cake to carrot cake from scratch, but when chocolate is called for, this is the cake I make.
This easy chocolate cake is rich, fudgy, and incredibly moist. The crumb is soft and tender without being overly dense, and the cake is simple enough to make even if you’re not an experienced baker. And because every chocolate cake needs a good frosting, I finish it with a fluffy whipped chocolate buttercream that makes it even better.
It’s also become one of my kids’ favorite birthday cakes, which is probably the best review I can give it!
Easy Chocolate Cake Ingredients
Even though this chocolate cake feels extra special, it’s made with simple ingredients that you probably already have in your kitchen! It’s a great recipe to pull out when you don’t have time to run to the store but still want to make something homemade and delicious.
- Sugar: You’ll need two cups of plain ol’ granulated sugar. You can substitute raw sugar here if you’d like.
- Flour: No need for cake flour; just use 1 ¾ cups of all-purpose flour.
- Cocoa Powder: To make this cake perfectly chocolatey, we’ll be using ¾ cup of cocoa powder in the batter.
- Baking Powder & Baking Soda: Using both together gives this cake its light quality, making each bite both delicate and rich.
- Salt: I typically use sea salt.
- Eggs: You’ll need two whole eggs.
- Milk: Creamy and dreamy! I use one cup of whole milk in this recipe.
- Oil: You can substitute butter if you want a richer cake, but I find that oil gives a great texture and moistness.
- Vanilla: Go for pure vanilla extract for the best flavor.
- Boiling Water: This old-fashioned technique of adding boiling water will make the batter seem very liquid-y, but don’t be alarmed! The results will be amazing!
How to Make Chocolate Cake From Scratch
One of the best things about this chocolate cake recipe is how easy it is to make. Unlike traditional sponge cakes, which rely on whipped egg whites for their light and airy texture, this easy chocolate cake gets its lift from baking powder and baking soda.
- Prep: Preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly spray two 9-inch round cake pans with cooking spray, and dust them with flour. Line the bottom of each pan with a circle of parchment paper for easy removal.
- Combine Dry Ingredients: In a large mixing bowl, combine the sugar, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Mix until combined.
- Add Wet Ingredients: Add the eggs, milk, oil and vanilla to the bowl. Stir until just combined. Pour in the boiling water and mix until smooth. The batter will seem a little runny.
- Bake: Pour the chocolate cake batter evenly into the two prepared cake pans. Place the pans in the preheated oven for 30 minutes, or until the center of each cake round is set.
- Rest: Let the chocolate cake completely cool before frosting it.
Recipe Success
Here are a few helpful tips to keep in mind when baking this chocolate layer cake!
- Trace the Parchment: For an even circle on the bottom of your pans, place a pan on the parchment paper and trace around the base. Cut the circle just slightly inside the tracing, and it should fit perfectly into the pan.
- Toothpick Test: To check the cake for doneness, insert a toothpick or fork into the center and remove it. It should come out clean, with maybe a few crumbs attached, but no wet batter.
- Cool Thoroughly: Let the cake cool completely to room temperature before frosting. If the cake is still warm, even slightly, the frosting can melt right off—not in a pretty, glaze-like way, but in a disappointing puddle-of-gunk kind of way. (Ask me how I know!)
Simple Chocolate Cake Decorating Ideas
I love to frost this cake with a homemade chocolate buttercream, but you could also use your favorite vanilla frosting, or make a marshmallow fluff frosting. To decorate, are a few ideas to try:
- Chocolate Curls: With my chocolate eclair cake, I drag a sharp knife across a bar of chocolate to make shavings or curls. Scatter over the frosted cake.
- Pearls: Shimmery candy pearls (find them on the baking aisle, near the frosting) look beautiful on a dark, chocolatey cake.
- Ganache: Equal parts of cream and high-quality chocolate make a lovely ganache. Cool it well, then drizzle over the cake for a fancy effect.
- Crushed Candies or Cookies: Crush up your favorite candy or cookies and sprinkle over your cake! Heath bars, Oreos, or even peppermints as I do with my Grinch cake!
- Chopped Nuts: Go for easy chopped walnuts or pecans here. Sprinkle them over the top and press them gently into the sides of the cake.
Easy Chocolate Cake Recipe
Video
Ingredients
FOR THE CAKE
- 2 cups sugar
- 1 ¾ cups all-purpose flour
- ¾ cup cocoa powder
- 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- 2 eggs
- 1 cup milk
- ½ cup vegetable oil
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 cup boiling water
FOR THE FROSTING
- 12 ounces chocolate chips,, finely chopped
- 1½ cups heavy whipping cream
- 8 tablespoons butter
Instructions
- Prep: Preheat the oven to 350°F. Prepare the Pan: Lightly spray two 9-inch round cake pans with cooking spray and dust with flour. Line the bottom of the cake pans with a cutout of parchment paper for easy removal.
- Dry Ingredients: In a large mixing bowl, combine sugar, flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Mix until combined.
- Wet Ingredients: Add two eggs, milk, oil and vanilla to the bowl. Stir until just combined. Mix: Pour in boiling water and mix until smooth. (The batter will seem a little runny). Pour batter evenly into the two prepared cake pans.
- Bake: Place filled pans in the preheated oven for 30 minutes, or until the center is set. Remove from oven and let cool completely before frosting.
FOR THE FROSTING
- Chop Chocolate: Place the chopped chocolate in a mixing bowl and set aside.
- Heat Cream: Place the whipping cream and butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Heat until just boiling.
- Melt Chocolate: Pour the hot cream mixture over the chopped chocolate. Whisk vigorously until the chocolate is completely melted and the mixture is smooth.
- Refrigerate: Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour.Remove from fridge and stir; refrigerate about 1 more hour, or until it reaches a spreading consistency.
- Frost the Cake: Spread about 1/3 of the frosting over one cake layer. Top with the second cake layer, then spread the remaining frosting over the top and sides of the cake.
- Cut and Serve: Slice the cake and serve.
Equipment
- Oven
Nutrition
Nutritional info is an estimate and provided as courtesy. Values may vary according to the ingredients and tools used. Please use your preferred nutritional calculator for more detailed info.
How to Store and Freeze Easy Chocolate Cake
To Store:
- Store the cake, covered, at room temperature for up to 3 days.
- To refrigerate, cover the cake and store it in the fridge for up to 1 week.
- Let the cake sit at room temperature for about 10 minutes before serving.
To Freeze:
- Yes, you can! Freeze the cake, well-covered, for up to 2 months.
- Thaw the cake overnight in the refrigerator, then let it sit at room temperature for about 30 minutes before serving.
More Easy Dessert Ideas
A homemade dessert makes any meal extra special. You’ll love the recipes below!
Hi! I’ve made this cake three times now and it’s been amazing every time! So moist and I love how easy it is. The only thing I add is about a tablespoon of instant coffee. I want to use the recipe to make into cupcakes for my sons preschool party. How long do you think I should bake them for?
Hi!
I suggest to start checking for doneness around the 20 to 22-minute mark.
This cake looks so good and will have to try it but will put peanut butter frosting on it and make it into a 9 by 13 pan
I like to make chocolate cake because it is one pf my favorite dessert
That’s great! I hope you’ll enjoy it! Thank YOU! 🙂
My sister’s cake came out watery. She used melted chocolate chips since she had no cocoa. Could that be the reason
PS she baked it fit almost an hr, never turned into a cake. She is a beginner and a so sad
All the instructions are there step by step and so very easy to follow and use. All you have to do is tap the jump to recipe at the very top of the page and everything is there in a step by step very easy to understand format. I’ve been baking pies, cookies, cakes, brownies, muffins.. you get the picture. Lol. Quite a few years now and this is by far one of the easiest and best tasting recipes I have yet had the pleasure of coming across. I baked one cake for my son and his family and they absolutely destroyed it. I baked another for my neighbor and her family and they devoured that one as well. Thank you so very much for this outstanding 10 star Michelin quality recipe.
That is so great to hear! I am very glad you enjoyed it! Thank you for chiming in! 🙂
This was the best texture cake I’ve ever had. Better than any bakery. Better than Costco. Haha. Do you have a vanilla or funfetti version too?
My 13-year-old loves baking. She came across your recipe and decided to try it while I was out running a quick errand (we were gone 30 min at best). We came home, and she was so excited to show us the cake she had made. She pulled it out, and the whole thing was a disgusting, oily mess.
My husband and I read through the recipe and ingredients and realized that your recipe calls for a HALF CUP of OIL. Seriously? Most recipes call for half a tablespoon / whole tablespoon. You actually put a half a CUP in your instructions. My oven is a mess, my daughter feels terrible especially since she followed your directions explicitly, and the “cake” is just a goopy mess. You might want to try following the recipe before you post it. I would give zero stars if I could.
I’m sorry this happened. I have made this cake numerous times, so I know it works, but since I wasn’t there, I can’t see what went wrong, obviously. I think maybe the problem is that she didn’t add enough flour, or maybe she didn’t scroll down to the recipe card – everything is there, listed in a step by step format. For the amount of dry ingredients, you do need all that liquid, even 1/2-cup vegetable oil.
When I made it the cake crumbled when I frosted it, and the batter was runny and soupy.
To avoid crumbly cake, the cake should be completely cooled before frosting it.
Literally just happened to me lol. Oh well I needed to clean the stove anyway
How much flour and cocoa powder did you use? I make this cake all the time and I can’t see why this happened to several readers. If you can, please let me know if there’s something in the instructions that may not make sense to one reader, but total sense to another. Thanks!
Hi – Denver is high altitude so recipes would naturally need to be adjusted for that. Also, 1/2 a cup of oil is standard for cakes, including boxed cakes from the grocery store (again, altitude adjustments might change this). Hope your daughter is still baking! We all have our catastrophes.
One half cup of oil is not excessive in a cake or brownie recipe. My guess is your 13 year old made an error. You stated you were gone “30 minutes At best) The recipe provides a 10 minute prep time and an additional 35 minutes for baking. How would a 13 year old expert baker finish this cake in the time you referenced? Maybe she didn’t bake long enough? Rude to rate “0 stars” to someone kind enough to share their recipes
Easy, quick and delicious recipe. All the ingredients are available and easily accessible. Love it! We made this cake for a quick dessert when we had some company over. Topped it with ice cream.
That’s great! I’m very glad you enjoyed it! Thank YOU! 🙂
No bad comments, I have made this cake many times and it is always a crowd pleaser. I like to add powered sugar and raspberries on top.
Great recipe!
Thank you so much! I am very happy you loved it! 🙂