Chocolate Layer Cake

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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.

A slice of chocolate cake on a serving plate.

After several reader requests, I turned my chocolate cupcakes recipe into a chocolate sheet cake. This layer cake uses the same ingredients and has the same rich, chocolatey flavor. You're going to love it!

If you're a chocolate fan, this recipe is for you. This cake starts out with a moist, tender, and incredibly rich chocolate cake. Spread on top is a velvety whipped chocolate buttercream frosting that's perfectly sweetened and smooth.

Chocolate layer cake is great any time of year. Whip up a homemade layer cake for your next birthday party, celebration, or holiday.

Cake ingredients

All-purpose flour - I use all-purpose flour in my chocolate cakes because the wet ingredients are heavier and thicker (specifically the oil and buttermilk), so the batter benefits from the added structure of AP flour.
Cocoa powder - You'll want to use 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.
Leavening - You'll need a combination of both baking soda and baking powder to get the proper lift.
Salt - Enhances the flavor of your cake without making it "salty".
Granulated sugar - Sugar adds sweetness, moisture, and acts as a preservative in your cake. I have not tested this recipe with sugar substitutes. If you don't want to use granulated sugar in your cake, I highly recommend searching for a chocolate cake recipe made with the sugar substitute you'd like to use.
Eggs - Eggs add structure and moisture to your cake. Room temperature eggs are best for baking because they blend seamlessly into the batter without lumps or streaks.
Buttermilk - Adds moisture, a hint of tang, and the proper acidity to your cake batter. If you don't have buttermilk on hand, a buttermilk substitute can be made. 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. This makes a proper buttermilk substitute with the right amount of acidity for the recipe.
Warm water - Added to the batter to thin it slightly so your cake rises properly. Without water, the batter is too dense and heavy, making it likely to sink in the center.
Vegetable oil - Adds moisture to your cake. I prefer to use oil in chocolate cake for a few reasons. Oil gives cake a velvety, extra-moist texture that can't compare to cakes made with butter. While butter adds a better overall flavor to recipes like vanilla cake, it can't compete with the strong flavor of cocoa powder, making it an unnecessary addition.
Vanilla extract - Enhances the flavor of your cake.

Frosting ingredients

Butter - Make sure your unsalted butter is room temperature before beginning. Cold butter or melted butter will not work for this recipe. You'll be whipping your butter and other ingredients together. This requires room temperature butter for a creamy, smooth consistency. To speed up the process of warming cold butter, slice your butter into smaller pieces and set out on the kitchen counter. Sliced butter will warm up faster than a whole stick of butter.
Cocoa powder - Cocoa can be natural or dutch process. Keep in mind that natural cocoa powder will give your frosting a brown color (like in the photos shown) and dutch process frosting will look more grey.
Confectioner's sugar - May also be labeled as powdered sugar, 10x sugar, or icing sugar. It cannot be substituted with granulated sugar.
Vanilla extract & salt - Adds flavor to the frosting. The small amount of salt helps to cut through the sweetness of the frosting.
Heavy whipping cream - Also called heavy cream, this ingredient is needed to whip your frosting to a light and fluffy consistency. Regular whipping cream will also work. If you only have milk on hand, reduce the amount to ¼ cup. Your frosting will not be quite as fluffy when using regular milk.

Cake tips and tricks

Preheat your oven before beginning - For best results, your cake should go in the oven as soon as the batter is poured into the pan.

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 faster 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.

Mix batter by hand - There's no need to use a hand mixer or stand mixer for the batter. Use a spoon and gently stir until ingredients are just incorporated. Overmixing can cause a cake to turn out tough because the gluten has been overworked.

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 like to use a few methods. First, gently jiggle the pan. Is the cake jiggly in the center? It's not done. If it's not jiggly, I then use the spring back method. Gently press into the center of the cake. If it springs right back, it's done. If an indent is left, your cake needs more time. You can also use the classic toothpick method. Insert a toothpick into the center of the cake. If it comes back dry or with a few dry crumbs, your cake is done. If it comes back with wet batter or very moist crumbs clinging all over the toothpick, it needs more time.

Frosting tips and tricks

Assembling a chocolate layer cake with layers of chocolate buttercream frosting in between.

Use a hand mixer or stand mixer - This frosting must be whipped with a whisk attachment for several minutes, so I recommend using a mixer instead of trying to mix it by hand.

Don't skip the salt - The salt listed in this recipe helps balance with the sweetness of the frosting and enhances the flavor.

Use heavy cream - To ensure your frosting whips up nice and fluffy, use heavy cream. If you need to use milk, use less (start with a few tablespoons at a time) because milk won't whip up like heavy cream does. Adding extra milk will cause your frosting to turn out thin.

Frosting quantity - This recipe makes enough frosting to add a thick layer in the middle and on top of your cake with bare sides, or thin layers all over, including the sides. If you'd like thick layers of frosting all over, make an additional half batch of frosting. If you'd only like a thin layer of frosting in the middle and on top, make a half batch.

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.

Storage

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 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.

Chocolate buttercream frosting will keep for 1 week in a sealed container in the refrigerator or up to 3 months in the freezer. Refrigerated frosting will harden but can be brought to room temperature to soften to a spreadable consistency.

Frequently asked questions

A slice of chocolate layer cake pulled from a sliced cake with a metal server.

What size pans do I need for this recipe?

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.

How do I make buttercream frosting less sweet?

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.

How should I store a frosted cake before serving?

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, I'd recommend refrigerating your baked goods until an hour before you're ready to serve them. Refrigerating your 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

Can I pipe decorations with this frosting?

Yes, this frosting pipes beautifully and can be used for rosettes, borders, and topping cupcakes.

How do I know when my cake is done?

Check your cake for doneness by jiggling the pan - if it moves, it's not done yet. If your cake isn't jiggly in the center, gently press onto the top with a finger. If an indent is left, it needs more time. When it pops right back, your cake is done.
The toothpick method is another popular way to check for doneness. Insert a toothpick into the center of your cake. If the toothpick comes back dry or with a few dry crumbs your cake is done. If the toothpick has wet batter or very moist, clingy crumbs, your cake needs more time.

How many people does this recipe serve?

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.

Troubleshooting

Why did my cake turn out dry?

One of the most common complaints I see in baking is that the recipe is followed "to a T" and the cake/cookies still turn out dry. Dry baked goods can happen for several reasons:
- Ingredients were substituted/omitted/reduced - The fats and sugar (oil, buttermilk, eggs, and granulated sugar) help keep your cake moist. Using lower fat substitutions, reducing the sugar, or omitting an ingredient entirely will cause your cake to turn out dry.
- Too much flour was added to the recipe - Either use a kitchen scale to weigh your flour accurately (which is how I measure flour and highly recommend to others), or spoon the flour into your measuring cup and level off with a knife. Scooping with the measuring cup directly from a bin of flour compacts it into the cup, adding up to 25% extra flour to the recipe.
- Cake was overbaked - Baking a cake for too long will dry it out in the oven. Ovens are inconsistent and can run hotter or colder than the next oven. The time that worked for me may not work for you, so I recommend using other cues to tell when your cake is done.

How do I add moisture to a dry cake?

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.

Why did my cake turn out dense?

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.

Why did my cake sink in the middle?

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.

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