After testing so many chocolate cake recipes over the years, I’ve come really close to perfection only to miss the mark on the essentials of a good chocolate cake: moistness, fluffiness, and great chocolate flavor. You know, the kind with the slightly sticky crumb that just melts in your mouth and almost makes your eyes roll back in your head because it’s just that good. While my chocolate cakes of the past have been acceptable, this one I’m about to share is the absolute best I’ve ever had. No joke. It’s fudgy, moist, decadent, and makes me so giddy I want to shout it from the rooftops!
One reader, Edith, says: “This recipe is aptly named. It is perfect! It came together breathtakingly easily and tasted as though I’d spent all day on it. It was a positively dreamy cake, not too sweet, strong chocolate flavor, ideal texture.” ★★★★★
The best part of this chocolate cake recipe is that it’s about as easy as a cake mix. It’s a one-bowl cake, meaning you basically put all the ingredients into one bowl (in the right order, of course) and whip it up into the smoothest chocolate cake batter ever. There are absolutely no complicated steps to this cake, which makes it super failproof and the perfect go-to chocolate cake recipe for your repertoire.
This cake is ultra-moist due to the vegetable oil base and the addition of buttermilk. If you don’t have buttermilk on hand, you can easily make it from scratch using whole milk. Just mix it with white vinegar (exact recipe is in the notes below), let it sit for about 15 minutes, and voila! Perfect buttermilk every time.
You can pair this chocolate cake with almost any buttercream, but I’ve chosen to pair it with my favorite chocolate buttercream recipe to really enhance the chocolate flavor. In the past I’ve paired it with cherry, raspberry, almond, salted caramel, and vanilla buttercreams and those pairings have been super tasty.
The rope border on top of this cake was created using Wilton Tip 1M to pipe rosettes on top of one another around the edge of the cake. Then I topped it all off with one of my favorite sprinkle mixes ever – Rainbow Road by SprinklePop. I think sprinkles are the perfect finishing touch, but you can decorate however you’d like.
Here’s a video I made to show you all the tips and tricks for making this chocolate cake recipe (below). For more recipe videos like this one + tons of cake decorating videos, head to my YouTube Channel and be sure to click the Subscribe button so you never miss a new one!
Update 2022 – Two things: 1) I realized that you can absolutely make this recipe by hand instead of using a mixer! That makes it an even easier one bowl cake. Exact instructions are in the notes of the recipe below. 2) I prefer using hot coffee in this recipe (enhances the chocolate flavor big time!), but you can absolutely use hot water as an alternative.
Perfect One-Bowl Chocolate Cake Recipe
Ingredients
One-Bowl Chocolate Cake
- 2 Cups (265g) all purpose flour
- 1 2/3 Cups (340g) granulated sugar
- 2/3 Cup (60g) unsweetened natural cocoa powder
- 2 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp kosher salt
- 1/2 Cup (120ml) vegetable oil
- 2 large eggs, room temperature
- 1 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 1 Cup (240ml) full-fat buttermilk*, room temperature DIY recipe in the notes
- 1 Cup (240ml) hot coffee or hot water
Chocolate Buttercream
- 2 batches of my favorite chocolate buttercream
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350ºF and prepare three 6-inch or two 8-inch cake pans by spraying the sides with cooking spray and fitting the bottoms with a wax paper or parchment cake circle.
- Place all of the dry ingredients into the bowl of a stand mixer and stir on low for 30 seconds to fully combine them. Add the vegetable oil, eggs, vanilla, and buttermilk and mix on low until just combined. With the mixer still on low, add the hot coffee (or hot water) in a slow stream, then turn the mixer to medium and beat until smooth, about 2 minutes. The batter will be very thin.
- Pour into prepared cake pans no more than 2/3 full and bake for 32-36 minutes, until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Cool completely before frosting with chocolate buttercream or frosting of your choice.
Notes
Did you make this recipe? Let me know what you think in the comments below, or by tagging me on Instagram! I love to see your creations and hear your feedback.
Hi! Me again!
Can I use any cake pan size for ur recipes or Should I use only the mentioned cake pan size?
Any pan size will do, but the baking times will need to be adjusted for other pan sizes.
Hi! Your chocolate cake looks amazing! Can i use this recipe to make a 4 layers 6 inches cake about a height of 10 inches? Is the sponge stable enough for a tall cake? Thanks
Hi Joshna! I would 1.5x or double the recipe to make a cake with layers that tall. Usually when I make a triple layer 6 inch cake it ends up being about 5.5 inches tall, so you’ll need an additional few layers to stack it to 10 inches tall. The sponge is stable for stacking, but for a cake that tall I would recommend using this method for stability: https://sugargeekshow.com/news/cake-decorating-basics-easy-double-barrel/
Hello! This recipe looks delicious. I am
Planning to make it this weekend but I do not have a stand mixer. I will have a hand mixer/electric whisk though. Will I need to change the recipe? Many thanks!
Hi Jen! No need to change the recipe at all, it’ll work just fine with a hand mixer. I hope you love it!
This is cake is my go-to–always turns out great!
Question: Does this updated recipe (that calls for 2 cups flour) make three 6″ rounds and two 9″ rounds that are 2″ tall?
I have the prior version printed out…the version that calls for 3 cups flour…
How many 2″ tall 6″ (or 8″) rounds did that version make?
(I am trying really hard to measure the batter in my pans so that the layers will be 2″ tall, or a bit higher to allow for leveling.
Thanks for your help.
Hi Susan! So happy you love this recipe! It’s the same exact recipe as before, only reduced the amount of batter it makes because I kept getting complaints that it made too much. So the recipe you have printed out is the same, it just makes four 6″ rounds or three 8″ rounds instead of the amount that this recipe specifies 🙂
Hi, I’m planning to make this cake this week and am beyond excited. It sounds delicious! I’m only wondering, what are your thoughts on adding espresso powder to the batter? thanks!
So excited for you to try this recipe, Isa! Instead of adding espresso powder to the batter, I recommend dissolving it in the hot water (or just using hot coffee in place of the hot water) to add a little bit of coffee flavor!
Hello!! I can’t wait to make this cake but I cannot find natural cocoa powder. Could you please help me with the measurements if I were to use my dutch process cocoa?
Thanks a lot!
Hi Line! I haven’t ever tried this recipe with Dutch Process Cocoa, so I can’t say for sure how to alter it. From a quick Google search, it seems like you can substitute the all-natural cocoa powder with an equal amount of dutch process, but then replace the baking soda in this recipe with twice the amount of baking powder (dutch process cocoa powder has a negative reaction with baking soda). Seems like following that rule would require you to use a lot of baking powder.. but you can try using an equal amount of dutch process cocoa + a total of 5 tsp baking powder (omit the baking soda) and see how it turns out. Let me know if you do!
Hi,
I am totally smitten by your recipes & the pictures.
I am an amateur baker & would be thankful if you could help me out. My oven is small & cannot fit more than one cake pan at a time. So, my question is can I mix the batter all at once & then bake one by one? Meaning to say that, while one layer is getting baked, the prepared batter for other layers would be sitting out on the counter.
Lots of love & best wishes from India 🙂
Thanks!!
Hi Priti! Thanks for the kind words. You can definitely leave this batter out at room temp (covered loosely) while the other layers bake.
I want to make this into a 3 layer 8-inch cake, and since I need to 1 and 1/2 the recipe how much eggs would that require?
This looks delicious can’t wait to make it
Hi Angel! 1.5 times this recipe would equal 3 eggs. Excited for you to make this!
This is probably one of THE best chocolate cakes I have ever made/tasted. I love all your recipes! <3
However, I have made it twice and both times I have had trouble stacking it to decorate. It's so light and fluffy that my cake has been collapsing on itself. Which isn't a problem when it comes to taste just when it comes to presentation.
Any idea what I may be doing wrong? Maybe I should make the cake the day prior to decorating? Thank you so much!
So happy you love this recipe, Dani! Are you making sure the cakes are completely cooled before stacking them? I usually let mine cool for a minimum of two hours and ideally, overnight. That’s the only thing I can really think of that would make this cake collapse or crumble. Another tip: once the cakes are completely cool, be sure to fill and crumb coat the cake, then stick it in the refrigerator for at least 20 minutes to let the crumb coat set firm. That will give your cake the perfect amount of structure for the final frosting.
I do not have 6” cake pans. Can I use 8” pans?
Thank you.
Carolyn
Hi Carolyn, you can certainly use 8-inch pans! This recipe makes enough for two 8-inch layers.
Should I use cake flour instead of all purpose on this recipe?
Hi Terrah, for this recipe you should definitely use all-purpose flour. Since chocolate cake has cocoa powder in it (also a very fine ingredient), using cake flour would mess with the chemistry of the cake recipe because it’s too fine.
I have an electric fan oven – if I convert 350F to celsius it is 175 degrees – do you think I should reduce the temperature by 20 degrees to compensate for the fan? Many thanks x
Hi Sharon! From what I have read on the internet that is correct. Fan assisted ovens must be reduced by 20 degrees celsius to mimic a conventional oven’s temperature. I have never baked in a fan assisted oven before though, so I am just going based off what I’ve read.
This cake was so tender and delicious!! I combined recipes to make filling and a glaze for a cookies and cream cake – and it was a big hit! This is definitely and keeper.
I had enough batter to make 2 – 8 inch rounds.
Yay, Heather! So happy this recipe was a hit!
Hi Whitney! I’m so excited to try this recipe for my son’s birthday. He’s requested a cookies and cream cake, and your chocolate cake sounds like it will pair deliciously!!!
I have reduced fat buttermilk. Do you think it will work alright?
Thanks so much!!
Hi Heather! This chocolate cake recipe pairs so well with cookies and cream buttercream that I actually used it for my Oreo Cookies & Cream Cake recipe here: https://sugarandsparrow.com/oreo-cake-recipe/ you can use reduced fat buttermilk for this cake and it turns out just fine. Excited for you to try this recipe!
Thanks so much!! I’ll report back!!
Love, love, love this one! It’s one of my favorite go-to recipes. I usually put some raspberry jam in the middle to give it an extra punch. It always gets devoured immediately
Oooh raspberry jam filling sounds amazing with this cake! Gonna have to try that. So happy you love this recipe!!
Yes, it combines perfectly with the tangy raspberry jam! Just a quick question: how to adapt the recipe if using Dutched cocoa?
Thanks!
Hi Maja, so happy it pairs well with raspberry jam! Unfortunately I don’t recommend using Dutch process cocoa because it has been alkalized with potassium, meaning the acidity gets neutralized. It upsets the chemistry of the leavening agents, so my only recommendation is to get natural, unsweetened cocoa to use.
Hi, I cannot seem to find it here. It’s all Dutched…
Found it, works a dream
Yay, Maja!
Hi Whitney,
I did half the receipe and made the most moist chocolate cake!!That’s a big hit! I used melted butter as a substitute for vegetable oil. In this case do I need to alter any other ingredient quantity?Thanks for the wonderful recipe
I’m so happy to hear that you loved this cake recipe, Benazir! You shouldn’t need to substitute anything else in the recipe.