The Best Chocolate Cake Recipe {Only One I Ever Make!}

This chocolate cake recipe will end your search for the "perfect" chocolate cake. It's rich and moist with a deep chocolate flavor, and the texture is very forgiving when decorating or shaping. It really is the only chocolate cake recipe that I've made for over 25 years!

Prep Time 15

Servings

5 from 19 votes

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Equipment

Stand mixer or hand mixer (optional but helpful)
3 9 inch cake pans
Parchment rounds (optional, see Notes)

Ingredients

2½ cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoon baking soda
¾ teaspoon baking powder
½ tsp salt
1½ cups hot strong coffee
4 oz chopped semisweet or bittersweet chocolate (or chocolate chips)
3 large eggs, room temperature
¾ cup canola, vegetable, or safflower oil
3 cups granulated sugar
1½ cups cocoa powder, sifted if there are visible clumps
1½ cups buttermilk (see Notes)
2 teaspoon vanilla extract

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Instructions

Preheat the oven to 300F degrees. Spray cake pans with non-stick baking spray and line the bottoms with parchment paper rounds. Spray the parchment paper.
In a medium bowl, whisk flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.
In a heat proof bowl or glass container, mix hot coffee with chocolate, stirring to blend. Set aside so the chocolate can melt.
In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or using a hand mixer, beat the eggs at medium speed until they are slightly thickened, about 2 minutes. Slowly add the oil, and mix for 1 minute more. Gradually add the sugar, mixing until well combined.
On medium-low speed, mix in the cocoa powder and then the buttermilk, mixing until thoroughly combined and stopping to scrape the side of the bowl with a spatula as necessary.
Gradually add the flour mixture, mixing until well blended and smooth.
Give the coffee mixture good stir to blend the coffee with the melted chocolate. With the mixture on low speed, slowly pour in the coffee mixture, mixing until blended and stopping to scrape the sides of the bowl if necessary. Increase the mixer speed to medium high speed and beat for 1 minute, until the batter is shiny and smooth.
Divide the batter among the prepared pans and bake in the center of your oven until a toothpick inserted into the center emerges with a few moist crumbs attached, 45-60 minutes. Cool the layers for 15 minutes in the pans, and then carefully invert them onto wire racks to cool completely.
Tightly wrap and chill the layers overnight or frost right away and serve!

Notes

If you don't have parchment rounds, make your own by tracing the bottom of your cake pans on regular parchment paper and cutting out rounds.
You can also spray the pans well with nonstick baking spray, which adds flour to the spray to help release cakes.
Make your own buttermilk by combining 1 cup milk and 1 tablespoon lemon juice or cider vinegar. Let the mixture sit at room temperature for 10 minutes until thickened and then add to the recipe.

Nutrition

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