Layers of made-from-scratch chocolate cake meet the easiest ever 5-minute chocolate frosting in this irresistible, two layer cake. Both parts are easy, can be made ahead, travel well, and are a total crowd-pleaser!
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There are never too many chocolate cake recipes and I come bearing another one.
This is a simple recipe with great flavor and good moistness that delivers.
A well-rounded type of chocolate cake that comes together easily since it uses oil instead of the classic butter, so it's quick to make.
Ingredient list
- Chocolate: use your favorite dark semisweet chocolate for this recipe. I like Callebaut 54% chocolate wafers or Ghirardelli Premium baking bar.
- Cocoa powder: always use unsweetened. I like Hershey's unsweetened cocoa powder, Ghirardelli Premium baking cocoa, and Scharffen Berger natural cocoa powder. And, in my experience, the dark ones are the best (this does not apply to the super dark used for making homemade oreo cookies known as dark cocoa powder).
- Coffee: I strongly encourage you to use prepared coffee. The cake will be richer, with a deeper chocolate flavor. But water works too. Just make sure it's very, very hot so it can melt the chocolate pieces.
- Oil: I like sunflower, but coconut, canola, or even olive oil work.
- Eggs: fresh, large.
- Brown sugar: light or dark. It's wonderful in chocolate cakes because it adds moistness and a caramel undertone. But you can use white sugar if that's all you have.
- Vanilla: I use pure vanilla extract or pure vanilla paste when available, but a good vanilla essence (artificially flavored) also works and is infinitely cheaper.
- All-purpose or cake flour.
- Salt: I like to use kosher salt when baking. But regular table salt works just fine.
- Baking powder and baking soda: are used as leaveners to help the cake rise, so make sure they aren't expired.
- Sour cream: the regular type, full-fat sour cream that adds richness and creaminess.
For quantities go to the recipe card towards the end of this post.
Steps to make chocolate cake
Coffee: it's essential to add it very hot and let it stand a little bit, giving the chocolate time to melt. It enhances the chocolate flavor, but the cake won't taste like coffee.
Chocolate mixture: this part is similar to a devil's food cake, where the cocoa powder is mixed with liquid to make it 'bloom' and open the flavors. This will be the liquid part of the cake.
Since this recipe uses oil, the mixture won't look creamy as when you use butter.
Make sure the dry ingredients are sifted and beat them until incorporated, but don't overmix as this will make the cake tougher and drier.
Filling and frosting
I love using our super easy 5-minute easy chocolate frosting both as a filling and frosting for this cake.
It's easy to make and can be made ahead, making this a double chocolate decadent cake, the type we all love!
This frosting recipe makes enough to fill and frost a 9-inch two-layer cake. And you can use it as soon as it's mixed, no need to wait until it thickens.
Spread the filling leaving half an inch or so of unfilled cake around the edges. So when you cover it with the top round and press slightly, the filling will spread out. An offset spatula is a great tool for this.
Cover the whole cake with the chocolate frosting. I put pieces of paper beneath the cake on the cake stand I plan to serve it. Then simply remove them when the frosting starts to set.
I frost it with a metal spatula and do a swirl with it. Nothing fancy.
But you can use a piping bag and make any pattern or drawing you want. Depending on where you're serving it.
Filling alternatives
- Dulce de leche: if you never tried a simple chocolate cake filled with this amazing sweet milk jam, you're missing out, big time!
- White chocolate ganache: this filling can be used by itself or with some peppermint extract for a more festive cake. The recipe can be found in the Triple Brownie Cake post.
- Whipped cream: another simple filling that can be whipped in a few minutes. Find the recipe in the Black Forest Tart post.
Storing
As with most cake layers, this one can be refrigerated for several days or frozen for a month or more.
Always ensure the layers are well wrapped and placed on a flat surface in the freezer so they don't lose their shape.
You can find more info in the post about Freezer Baking & Desserts.
Eat it at room temperature. The flavors are mellower and have more depth. Cold can numb some flavors, including chocolate.
Kitchen notes
- Organization: read the recipe first and ensure you have ingredients at the correct temperature, equipment, and enough workspace. This will make the process so much easier.
- Baking time: keep in mind that all ovens and pans are different, even if they look similar. The baking time in my recipes is as accurate as it can be, but it might take you more or less time. You can use a thermometer(like the OXO oven thermometer) to check that your oven is at the right temperature. I recommend you keep track of how your oven works and what tiny details you might need to adjust.
- Flavorings: add spices such as ground cinnamon, almond extract in addition to vanilla, or a couple tablespoons of your favorite liqueur (subtract it from the coffee amount).
- Transporting this cake: the frosted cake travels very well. I place the serving plate in a cake container that is almost the same diameter so it doesn't have much space to move.
Related recipes you might like:
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Double Chocolate Cake
Layers of made-from-scratch chocolate cake meet the easiest ever 5-minute chocolate frosting in this irresistible, two layer cake. Both parts are easy, can be made ahead, travel well, and are a total crowd-pleaser!
*The nutritional values given after the recipe are for the chocolate cake (not including the frosting)
- Total Time: 50 minutes
- Yield: 8 servings
Ingredients
For the cake:
- 3 ounces (85g) semisweet chocolate, chopped
- 2 tablespoons (18g) unsweetened cocoa powder
- ½ cup (125g) very hot coffee (or boiling water)
- ½ cup (120g) sunflower oil
- 1 cup (200g) brown sugar, packed
- ¼ cup white granulated sugar
- 2 eggs, at room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup (140g) all-purpose or cake flour
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ cup (60g) sour cream, at room temperature
For the frosting:
- 1 recipe for Easy 5-minute Chocolate Frosting
Instructions
For the cake:
- Mix chocolate and cocoa powder in a medium bowl.
- Add boiling water all at once, leave for 30 seconds and then stir until the chocolate is completely dissolved. It might seem at first that it won’t but it will. That’s why we add almost boiling coffee or water, to soften the chocolate.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F/180°C.
- Grease or spray an 8 or 9-inch (22 or 24cm) round cake pan with removable bottom. Sprinkle with fine breadcrumbs or flour and refrigerate while making the batter.
- Beat oil and sugars for 1 minute in a large bowl.
- Add eggs one at a time, and beat well each time.
- Add the vanilla and mix.
- Sift flour, bicarbonate, baking powder, and salt.
- Add to the oil mixture in 3 parts, alternating with the chocolate mixture and sour cream in 2 parts. That means that you start and end with flour.
- Mix very well but do not overbeat the batter at this point.
- Pour into the prepared (cold) pan.
- Bake for about 40 minutes, or until a tester comes out dry. If you use 2 pans it will take between 30-35 minutes.
- Let it cool on a wire rack.
- Carefully remove from the pan and let it cool completely before filling (even better if you do it the next day).
- If not using immediately, wrap well and either refrigerate for a few days or freeze for a month or more.
For the filling:
- Make filling as directed in the recipe, above in the Ingredients
- Cut the cold cake in two and put the bottom layer on a flat surface.
- Fill with about half the chocolate mixture and spread, leaving about half an inch without filling near the edges.
- Top with the remaining cake round and press lightly. The filling will squish to the edges.
- Frost sides and top with a metal spatula or knife. Let dry until it develops a harder outer layer.
Notes
- Chocolate: use your favorite dark semisweet chocolate for this recipe. I like Callebaut 54% chocolate wafers or Ghirardelli Premium baking bar.
- Cocoa powder: always use unsweetened. I like Hershey's unsweetened cocoa powder, Ghirardelli Premium baking cocoa, and Scharffen Berger natural cocoa powder. And, in my experience, the dark ones are the best (this does not apply to the super dark used for making homemade oreo cookies known as dark cocoa powder).
- Coffee or water: I strongly encourage you to use coffee. The cake will be richer, with a deeper chocolate flavor. But water works too. Just make sure it's very, very hot so it can melt the chocolate pieces.
- Oil: I use sunflower oil, but coconut, canola, or even olive oil work.
- Sugar: brown sugar is wonderful in chocolate cakes because it adds moistness and a caramel undertone. But you can use only white sugar.
- Flavorings: add spices such as ground cinnamon, almond extract in addition to vanilla, or a couple of tablespoons of your favorite liqueur (subtract it from the coffee amount).
- Storing: as with most cakes, this one can be refrigerated for several days or frozen for a month or more. Always ensure the layers are well wrapped and situated on a flat surface in the freezer; otherwise, they will not keep their shape.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 35 minutes
- Category: Cakes
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: International
Nutrition
- Serving Size: â…›
- Calories: 358
- Sugar: 29.5 g
- Sodium: 333.9 mg
- Fat: 18.7 g
- Carbohydrates: 45.3 g
- Fiber: 1.3 g
- Protein: 4.4 g
- Cholesterol: 49 mg
Keywords: chocolate layer cake
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