The Best Chocolate Cake Recipe

Once upon a college day, I wanted to make a last-minute chocolate cake for my roommate’s birthday. She was heading to dinner with her boyfriend, and I wanted to have the cake done before she got back. Time was limited and so were funds because, well, college. 

I had pretty much everything I needed to make a cake, but I realized once I had already started mixing ingredients that I was short on milk. Although I was a quarter cup of milk short, I did have sour cream, so I improvised, and it was the happiest mistake!

This chocolate cake quickly became well loved amongst my friends, families, and customers. You see, during college, I started Amber’s Crafty Confections (my custom cake business), and this recipe became the most requested for birthday and wedding cakes and cupcakes. 

This cake is incredibly moist, rich in flavor, and sturdy. This recipe is perfect if you plan to make a stacked or carved cake. It also stays moist for several days, and once baked, it freezes well.

One of the things I LOVE about this recipe is that it can all be done in a single mixing bowl. One of the worst parts of baking is often all the dirty dishes. There is no need to use multiple bowls here; dump it all into one bowl and run with it.

I prefer using my KitchenAid mixer when I make this chocolate cake, but you can just as easily mix using a whisk or hand mixer. Whatever your heart desires.

The recipe was adapted from Hershey’s “Perfectly Chocolate” Chocolate Cake. The adaptations include substituting some of the milk out for sour cream and substituting hot water with hot coffee.

The Best Ever Chocolate Cake

This chocolate cake will become a new favorite amongst your friends and family. You’ll never use a boxed chocolate cake mix again.

Ingredients

• 2 cups sugar
• 1 ¾ cups all-purpose flour
• ¾ cup cocoa powder
• 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
• 1 ½ teaspoons baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 eggs
• 3/4 cup milk
• ¼ cup sourcream 
• ½ cup vegetable oil
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 cup hot coffee

Directions

1. Heat oven to 350°F. Spray two 9-inch round baking pans or one 9-inch by 13-inch baking dish with non-stick cooking spray (sometimes the cakes will still stick due to the moisture level, so I like to also line the pans with parchment paper).
2. Stir together 2 cups of sugar, 1 3/4 cups of flour, 3/4 cup of cocoa powder, 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder, 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda, and 1 teaspoon salt in a large bowl.
3. Add 2 eggs, 1 cup of milk, ½ cup of vegetable oil, and 2 teaspoons vanilla; beat on medium speed of mixer 2 minutes (or mix vigorously by hand for 2 minutes).
4. Mix in 1 cup of hot coffee, the batter will be thin (it’ll look too thin, but it’s not).
5. Pour batter into prepared cake pans. Your chosen pans should only be about half full.
6. Bake 30 to 35 minutes (cooking times vary depending on pan size and type) or until a wooden pick inserted in the center comes out clean.
7. Cool for 10 minutes; remove from pans and wire cooling racks. Cool completely before frosting. 

Adapting the Recipe

This chocolate cake recipe is super versatile. The flavor can be adapted by using various extracts, frostings, and pan sizes. It can even be made gluten and dairy-free.

No coffee pot? No problem

If you don’t have a coffee pot, you can use hot water and instant coffee or espresso powder. 

Alternative Flavors

You can swap out vanilla with other extracts, such as almond, coconut, orange, or peppermint, if you’re looking to mix things up a bit. One of the best parts about baking is creating fun flavor combinations, and this cake is perfect for mixing things up.

Make it Gluten or Dairy-Free

This cake recipe can easily be gluten- or dairy-free; I’ve done it many times. To make it gluten-free, I’ve used Namaste and Bob’s 1:1 flour with great success. For a dairy-free version, simply swap out the milk and sour cream with an alternative milk.

The Best option is to use 3/4 cup canned coconut milk and 1/4 cup of the coconut cream. Using all oat or nut milk will work fine as well. It will still be great if you use all milk rather than 1/4 cup of cream. I’ve even made a vegan version by substituting out the eggs for 1/4 cup of mashed banana.

Making Cupcakes

Using a ¼ measuring cup, fill paper-lined cupcake tins about ¾ of the way full and follow the same baking instructions, but the bake time will need to be adjusted. Set the timer for 14 minutes, check using a toothpick once 14 minutes is up, and bake an additional minute at a time until done. Cupcakes may look glossy on the top. This should make about 30 cupcakes.

Other pan sizes

You can also bake in 6” and 8” pans. Keep in mind that bake time will need to be reduced when baking in smaller pans. You can make two 6-inch rounds and

Frosting the cake

You can use store-bought frosting for this cake, but to get the most out of this cake, I highly recommend you use my homemade buttercream or cream cheese frosting. Both of these can be adapted flavor-wise by adding cocoa powder, various extracts, and mix-ins like coconut, cookie crumbs, and nuts.

Other Tips

To line pans with parchment paper, use the pan as a guide for sizing. I typically just use the tip of a sharp knife or kitchen scissors to trace around the pan, and then I cut the shape out. I also still spray the pans with cooking spray.

When making cupcakes, DO NOT overfill the cupcake tins. The cupcakes rise a lot, and if you overfill them, you will get a bit of a mess.

While this cake is amazing with frosting, it’s so moist and decadent that you can enjoy it almost nearly as much unfrosted.

Baking Items I love

I am a huge fan of these measuring cups from Target because, well, they’re pretty. And this covered cake dish is a beautiful addition to any kitchen, whether it’s filled with cake or not.