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Chocolate Cake
5 from 716 votes

Chocolate Cake

This chocolate cake blends all-purpose flour, unsweetened cocoa powder, sugar, and leaveners into a batter enriched with eggs, milk, vegetable oil, and vanilla. The addition of boiling water creates a thin batter that bakes into a moist, tender crumb. The cake is baked in two pans and cooled before being frosted with chocolate buttercream for a classic layered dessert with rich chocolate flavor and soft texture.

Prep Time
10 mins
Cook Time
35 mins
Total Time
45 mins
Servings: 8 -10 slices
Calories: 351 kcal
Course: Dessert, Cake, Baked Goods
Cuisine: American

Ingredients

  • 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour plain
  • 3/4 cup cocoa powder , unsweetened (Note 2)
  • 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
  • 1 1/2 tsp baking soda aka bi-carb soda
  • 2 cups white sugar (Note 1)
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 2 egg ~55-65g / 2 oz each
  • 1 cup milk (low or full fat)
  • 1/2 cup vegetable oil (or canola)
  • 2 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1 cup water boiling
Chocolate Buttercream Frosting
  • 1 1/2 batches buttercream frosting slide scaler on recipe, chocolate

Instructions

    Cup of Yum
  1. Preheat oven to 180C°/350°F (160°C fan). Read Note 4 regarding shelf positions.
  2. Grease 2 x 22cm/9" cake pans with butter, then line the base. (Note 3 re: springform pans and other pan sizes).
Batter:
  1. Sift flour, cocoa, baking powder and baking soda into a large bowl. Add Sugar and salt. Whisk briefly to combine.
  2. Add eggs, milk, oil and vanilla. Whisk well to combine until lump free - about 30 seconds.
  3. Add boiling water and whisk to incorporate. The batter is VERY thin (see video).
  4. Pour batter into cake pans.
Baking:
  1. Bake for 35 minutes or until a wooden skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. See Note 4 regarding cook time if pans are on different shelves.
  2. Cool for 10 minutes, then turn out onto wire racks upside down (Note 5).
  3. Cool completely before frosting. I frosted the cake with my Chocolate Buttercream Frosting (scale recipe up by 50%).

Notes

  • Use caster or superfine sugar, though regular sugar works as well.
  • Regular cocoa powder yields a good chocolate flavor; Dutch-processed gives a more intense taste.
  • When using springform pans, prevent batter leakage by greasing the edges and placing a tray under the pans during baking.
  • Line cake pans with custom-cut parchment rounds for a clean base.
  • If your oven requires multiple shelves, remove the top cake first and move the bottom cake up to finish baking.
  • Turn the cakes out upside down after cooling to produce flat tops for frosting.
  • This cake keeps moist for up to 5 days in an airtight container; refrigerate if it's warm.
  • Freezing is not recommended as it can alter crumb texture to a pudding-like consistency.
  • This recipe works with metric and US cup measures; be aware of cup size differences internationally.

Nutrition Information

Calories 351cal (18%)

Nutrition Facts

Serving: 8 -10 slices

Amount Per Serving

Calories 351

% Daily Value*

Calories 351cal 18%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.