Homemade Chocolate Cake is a staple must have recipe in your baking repertoire. It is the best birthday, celebration, or no occasion cake, because this cake comes out perfect every time!
Homemade Chocolate Cake is like a hug, you need it often and sometimes for no reason but you always feel better after you have one.
This Homemade Chocolate Cake is moist, rich, and very satisfying.
Why this Homemade Chocolate Cake Works
This homemade chocolate cake works because it is so simple. You will not believe how quick it can be made and how delicious it is. The best part is that you made it from scratch and can take all the credit!!
How to Make This Moist Chocolate Cake Recipe
- Step One: First, preheat oven to 350 degrees and then place all your dry ingredients for this moist chocolate cake recipe in a bowl. (Photo 1 below)
- Step Two: Next, combine all the dry ingredients in a bowl. (Photo 2 below)
- Step Three: Then add the melted butter to the dry ingredients. (Photo 3 below)
- Step Four: Next, add the rest of the liquid ingredients. (Photo 1 below)
- Step Five: Then mix all the ingredients until well combined (Photo 2 below)
- Step Six: After well blended, place in baking dish lined with cocoa powder. Bake and allow to cool. (Photo 3 below)
- Step Seven: First, in another bowl place the powdered sugar and butter. (Photo 1 below)
- Step Eight: Next, add milk and blend (Photo 2 below)
- Step Nine: Continue to blend until smooth. Add additional milk until the right consistency. (Photo 3 below)
- Step Ten: Set cake out to cool. (Photo 1 below)
- Step Eleven: Spread icing liberally and enjoy. (Photo 2 below)
LOVE CAKE RECIPES? TRY THESE FAVORITES
Looking for more? Check out all of the Easy Dessert Recipes on It Is a Keeper.
Recommendations for Making Best Chocolate Cake
This best chocolate cake has very few ingredients so you should use the best ingredients that you can. Therefore, use really fresh ingredients and the best cocoa that you can get.
How to Tell When your Homemade Chocolate Cake Recipe is Done
It can be hard to tell when this homemade chocolate cake recipe is done because of the color. You can’t really see if it is brown. Therefore, there are few tried and true ways to check to see if it is done.
- Check to see if the cake around the pan has pulled away from the sides and looks dry. If it has it is probably done.
- Place a skewer or tooth pick in the middle of the cake and see if comes away clean.
If you are new to baking, wikihow has a lot of great tips and tricks for baking a cake here.
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Expert Tips for Making the Best Chocolate Cake Recipe
- Pan Trick: Use shiny cake pans if you have them, dark pans can dry out the cake.
- Enhance the Flavor: Add cayenne pepper or espresso powder or brewed coffee for a unique flavor.
- Chocolate Surprise: Try upping the chocolate. More chocolate to the cake, dark, milk, white or semi sweet chocolate will add extra moisture and flavor.
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If you’ve tried this recipe, please rate it in the comment section below.
Homemade Chocolate Cake
Ingredients
Cake
- 3 cups flour
- 2 cups sugar
- 1 tsp salt
- 2 tsp baking soda
- 2/3 cup cocoa
- 2 tsp white vinegar
- 2 tsp vanilla
- 2 cups water
- 2/3 cup melted margarine or butter
Buttercream Frosting
- 3 cups powdered sugar
- 1/3 cup butter or margarine - softened
- 1 1/2 tsp vanilla
- 1 Tbsp to 2 milk
Instructions
Cake
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Mix dry ingredients in a bowl.
- Add melted butter, vanilla, water and vinegar.
- Grease a 13x9 inch pan and coat with cocoa.
- Bake for 30 minutes or until a cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean.
- Allow to cool before frosting.
Frosting
- In a medium bowl, mix powdered sugar and butter with a mixer on low speed.
- Stir in vanilla and 1 tablespoon of milk.
- Gradually mix in additional tablespoon of milk until the frosting is smooth and spreadable.
- If frosting is too thick, add more milk, a few drops at a time.
- If frosting is too thin, gradually add small amounts of powdered sugar until thickened.
Notes
- Pan Trick: Use shiny cake pans if you have them, dark pans can dry out the cake.
- Enhance the Flavor: Add cayenne pepper or expresso powder or brewed coffee for a unique flavor.
- Chocolate Surprise: Try upping the chocolate. More chocolate to the cake, dark, milk, white or semi sweet chocolate will add extra moisture and flavor.
Nutrition
- Want to scale a recipe up or down? Simply type in a new serving amount and the recipe will automatically adjust!
- When a recipe call for House Seasoning Blend, you can use this recipe or substitute salt and pepper to taste.
- I always use unsalted butter in my recipes.
- I always use a meat thermometor to test for doneness when cooking meat. This one is my favorite.
- When a recipe is made in the oven, it should be pre-heated to the temperature in the recipe, unless otherwise noted.
- The nutritional information provided in this recipe is an estimate. Learn more on how I calculate nutritional information for my recipes.
Shera D McDaniel says
I’ve been looking for a recipe like this!!! I hope you don’t mind that I plan to alter it just a bit. You see, my son’s birthday is coming up, and he LOVES mochas, mocha lattes, and coffee with chocolate flavored creamers (coffee helped get him through high school!) So I’m planning to add a couple tablespoons of his favorite instant double mocha capacino to the batter. And instead of a butter cream icing (he doesn’t care for it) I’m thinking a light chocolate whipped cream frosting to off set the bold flavor of the cake. I’ll let you know how it turns out!
Oh, and I never thought to use bakers cocoa to ‘flour’ a chocolate cake. That’s brilliant!
Amanda says
If I am using this recipe to make a sphere cake how would I adjust the temp and time?
Christina Hitchcock says
I’m not sure. I haven’t tried it in a sphere cake pan. I would leave the temperature the same and just test for doneness every few minutes (beyond the time in the recipe) with a cake tester.
sandra says
Hello,
What is it mean 2/3 cub? would be easier if it would written gram. Tai n my country we dont count 2/3 or 1/3 how much it is? im confused. I really want to try to cook it. Looks amazing tasty and easy.
Christina Hitchcock says
It’s 2/3 cup…typo on my part.
Sheree says
Hi …. I made this cake this weekend for my husbands birthday but in 2 8” rounds it turned out perfect and so moist. It was so good he went back for another slice lol …, the only thing I changed was the buttercream frosting I added cocoa to make it chocolate because my husband is addicted to chocolate and it was his DAY! Thanks for the recipe.
Christina Hitchcock says
I’m so glad you enjoyed it! 🙂 Happy birthday to your hubby!
Karen says
This recipe is the classic “Wacky cake” also called a “crazy cake” or “Despression cake” (eggs were hard to come by during the depression.
LOVE this cake – plus there are tons of variations online too – my fav (other than chocolate of course!) is a wacky spice cake.
Thanks for sharing!
Christina Hitchcock says
I’ll have to check out the variations! Thanks for sharing the back story! 🙂
Jenny says
How would I change the time/temp to make 2 round cakes? Making for my daughter’s birthday and I want to make a round cake. Thank you!
Kristi Rein says
Am I seeing this right??? NO eggs in this recipe???
Christina Hitchcock says
Yes, ma’am!
Lindsay says
Looks delicious. Just wanted to see what size cake this makes. Hoping to make a 2 tiered 8 inch cake. Should I double? Thank you!!
Christina Hitchcock says
I made it in a 13×9 baking dish, but two 8 inch cake pans should work too.
Marion@Life Tastes Good says
Ooooh I’ve had a craving for a good chocolate cake and that frosting sounds amazing!