Make a chocolate layer cake for your next birthday or celebration. Two layers of moist and rich chocolate cake are topped with a velvety whipped chocolate buttercream frosting.
Recipe summary
Flavor/texture: Moist, rich chocolate cake topped with sweet, velvety whipped chocolate buttercream frosting.
Cake size: 8 or 9-inch round two layer cake
Serves: 16 or more
More chocolate cake: Chocolate Sheet Cake, Homemade Chocolate Cupcakes
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Cake ingredients
- Wet ingredients - Oil, buttermilk, granulated sugar, eggs, water, and vanilla add moisture to your cake base and balance with the dry ingredients. Reducing or omitting these ingredients can result in a dry cake.
- Dry ingredients - All-purpose flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt balance with the wet ingredients and help your cake rise in the oven.
- Cocoa powder - You'll need natural cocoa powder for this recipe, not Dutch-processed cocoa powder. Natural cocoa powder is more acidic than Dutch cocoa powder. When paired with the leavening agents in this recipe it gives your cake the proper rise. What happens if you use Dutch cocoa anyway? Your cake will rise less in the oven and have a darker color.
- Frosting ingredients - Unsalted butter, confectioner's sugar, natural cocoa powder, and heavy cream are the base of the frosting recipe. Make sure your butter is room temperature (not melted, not cold) to create a smooth, even frosting. Heavy cream can be substituted with whole milk if needed (your frosting will turn out slightly thinner).
- Flavor - Vanilla extract and salt add flavor to your frosting and balance with the sweetness of the sugar. Don't omit the salt unless you're using salted butter!
How to make chocolate layer cake
- Whisk dry ingredients in a small bowl to remove clumps.
- Whisk wet ingredients in a separate bowl.
- Combine wet ingredients and dry ingredients and stir until just combined.
- Divide batter evenly between two cake pans and bake until the center pops back when gently pressed.
- Allow your baked cakes to cool before removing from the pans. Trim the rounded tops with a serrated knife.
- Place the first cake cut side down then frost with an offset spatula.
- Top with the second cake cut side down and add remaining frosting.
- Cake can be frosted with thick middle and top layers and bare sides, or frosting can be spread to cover the sides.
Heather's top tip
To test for doneness, gently press the top of your cake. If it springs right back, it's done. If an indent is left, it needs more time. For accurate results every time, use an instant read thermometer. Cake is done when it reaches 210F in the center.
Tips and tricks
Buttermilk substitute - In a liquid measuring cup, add 1 tablespoon of white vinegar. Fill to the 1-cup line with whole milk and allow to set for 5 minutes, then continue with the recipe.
Use room temperature eggs - They blend seamlessly into the batter without leaving and streaks or lumps. To bring eggs to room temperature, place on the countertop 30 minutes before beginning. For quicker warming, place whole eggs into a bowl and cover with warm tap water. Your eggs will be ready in about ten minutes.
Use a sift or whisk - Whisk your dry ingredients together to remove lumps. This ensures a smooth, even batter.
Batter look thin? - This is normal. Your batter should look a bit thin and bubbly when poured into the cake pans. The bubbles are your leavening agents reacting with acidic ingredients and it means they're ready to help your cake rise in the oven.
Testing for doneness - I use these three methods every time I bake a cake.
- Jiggle test - Gently jiggle the pan. Is your cake still jiggly and liquid in the middle? It needs more time.
- Spring back - Gently press the top of your cake. If it springs right back, your cake is done. If it leaves an indent, it needs more time.
- Thermometer - Use an instant read thermometer to test for doneness. Cake is done when it reaches 210 degrees Fahrenheit in the center.
Do not frost a warm cake - Buttercream frosting melts around 90 degrees Fahrenheit. Adding frosting to a hot cake will cause it to melt. Wait until your cake is completely cooled.
Frequently asked questions
This layer cake can be prepared in 9-inch or 8-inch round cake pans. This amount of batter can also be baked in a 13x18 or 9x13 sheet pan - see my recipe for chocolate sheet cake for full details! It's the same exact recipe made as a sheet cake.
Buttercream frosting is a traditional, very sweet frosting that is often found in grocery store bakeries and on birthday cakes. It is popular because it's easy to prepare with just two main ingredients - butter and confectioner's sugar. Since buttercream includes so few ingredients, it is not easy to alter to make less sweet. Adding less sugar makes the frosting too soft to pipe and also tastes like sweetened butter.
Instead, I'd suggest making a less sweet frosting recipe. All of these frostings are less sweet that buttercream: ermine frosting, chocolate ermine frosting, homemade whipped cream, chocolate Italian meringue buttercream, and chocolate Swiss meringue buttercream.
Baked goods can be frosted with buttercream the day before an event and left at room temperature in a sealed container. Keep in mind that butter (and in turn, buttercream) melts around 90 to 95 degrees Fahrenheit.
If your location is nearing this temperature, refrigerate your baked goods until an hour before you're ready to serve them. Refrigerating frosted baked goods for a short amount of time will not hurt them. However, you will want to give them some time to come to room temperature before serving.
Here's a fantastic article about how frosting holds up to heat: The Best Cake Frosting For Hot Weather
Yes, this frosting pipes beautifully and can be used for rosettes, borders, and topping cupcakes.
This recipe can be sliced to serve as many as 30-40 people with small slices (think wedding cake slices). Slicing large wedges will yield about 12-16 servings.
Unfrosted or frosted chocolate cake will keep in a sealed container at room temperature for 2-3 days, in the refrigerator for 3-4 days, or frozen for up to 2 months. If you've refrigerated your cake, allow it to come to room temperature for one hour before serving.
Troubleshooting
Baked goods can turn out dry for a few reasons:
- Baking too long.
- Adding too many dry ingredients.
- Adding too few wet ingredients.
- Butter-based cake is refrigerated (it feels dry when chilled, but softens when it comes back to room temperature).
It's important to follow the recipe exactly, including the measurements and exact ingredients listed. I recommend using an instant-read thermometer to make sure your cake doesn't get overbaked in the oven.
This is a baker's secret that's optional but effective! Brush simple syrup over your cake before frosting. A layer of simple syrup helps keep the cake moist for longer. Simple syrup is a 1:1 ratio of water and granulated sugar, brought to a boil on the stove top until dissolved, then cooled to room temperature. I'd suggest about ¼ cup or more for this size cake.
Cake can turn out dense from expired leavening, overmixing the wet and dry ingredients (this overworks the gluten), not whipping the butter and sugar long enough, or adding extra wet ingredients (like adding sour cream or applesauce to make cake "extra moist"). If the balance of wet and dry ingredients is off, this can cause a change in texture, preventing your cake from rising properly in the oven.
Sinking can happen for many reasons. Overmixing the batter (which adds extra air that's released during baking), underbaking, using expired leavening, using the wrong leavening, or accidentally doubling the leavening can all cause your cake to sink in the middle.
Recommended
📖 Recipe
Chocolate Layer Cake
Ingredients
Cake
- 1 ¾ cups (210 g) all-purpose flour
- ¾ cup (63 g) natural cocoa powder
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 ¾ cups (345 g) granulated sugar
- 3 large eggs, room temperature
- 1 cup (227 g) buttermilk, room temperature
- 1 cup (226 g) warm water
- ½ cup (100 g) vegetable oil
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Frosting
- 1 cup (227 g) unsalted butter, room temperature
- 3 cups (342 g) confectioner's sugar
- ½ cup (42 g) natural cocoa powder
- ⅓ cup (75 g) heavy cream, cold
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon salt
Instructions
Cake
- Preheat oven to 350℉. Generously grease two 8-inch or 9-inch round cake pans, line the bottoms with parchment circles, and set aside.
- In a bowl, add flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Sift or whisk to remove clumps. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, add granulated sugar, eggs, buttermilk, warm water, vegetable oil, and vanilla extract. Whisk or stir until evenly incorporated.
- Add half of the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients. Gently stir until just combined. Add remaining dry ingredients and stir until just combined (do not overmix). Batter should look thin and a little bubbly.
- Pour batter evenly between your two prepared round cake pans. Gently tap on the countertop to remove air bubbles.
- Two 9 inch round cake pans: 26-30 minutesTwo 8 inch round cake pans: 28-34 minutesBake your cake using the time frames above as a reference. To test for doneness, gently jiggle the cake pan. If your cake is jiggly in the center, it needs more time. if it's not jiggly, gently press into the center of your cake with a finger. If it springs back, it's done. If it leaves an indent, the cake needs more time. You can also test with a toothpick - if it comes out dry or with a few dry crumbs, it's done.
- Remove cake from oven and allow to cool completely in the pan(s) on a wire cooling rack.
Frosting
- In a large bowl, add room temperature butter. Using a hand mixer or stand mixer, beat until creamy (about a minute). Gradually add confectioner's sugar and cocoa powder and mix slowly until ingredients are fully combined. Then, whip at high speed for about 2-3 minutes, or until light and fluffy.
- Add heavy cream, vanilla extract, and salt. Whip for an additional 2-3 minutes, or until light and fluffy. Add additional heavy cream as needed to reach desired consistency.
- Gently flip and remove cakes from their pans. Trim the rounded tops with a serrated knife to make flat layers.
- Place one layer, top side down, onto a cake stand or serving plate. Top with frosting and spread into an even layer. Add second layer of cake, top side down, and top with another layer of frosting. If frosting the sides, spread remaining frosting onto the sides of the cake.
Equipment Recommendations
Notes
- Serves: Layer cake can be sliced to serve up to 30-40 guests when serving small slices (like wedding cake slices). If slicing into wedges, cake will yield 12-16 slices.
- Baking is an exact science: I do not recommend substituting any ingredients. The oil, buttermilk, eggs, and sugar keep your cake moist - substituting any of these ingredients can change the texture and make your cake dry.
- Storage: Unfrosted or frosted cake will keep in a sealed container at room temperature for 2-3 days, in the refrigerator for 3-4 days, or frozen for up to 2 months. If refrigerating or freezing unfrosted cake layers, wrap tightly in plastic and place in a tightly sealed container. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator, then bring to room temperature for an hour before serving.
- Top tips: Be sure to check out my 10 tips for baking cake, based on reader comments and questions!
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