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Slice of homemade chocolate cake with rich chocolate frosting showing moist layers on a white plate. Close-up view of a classic chocolate cake with soft crumb and creamy chocolate buttercream.

Homemade Chocolate Cake

This homemade chocolate cake is ultra-moist, rich, and bakery-quality, made with cocoa powder and hot coffee for deep chocolate flavor. Perfect for birthdays, parties, and celebrations, this classic chocolate layer cake stays soft for days.
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Prep Time 25 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Cooling Time 1 hour
Total Time 1 hour 55 minutes
Servings: 12 slices
Course: Cake, Dessert
Cuisine: American
Calories: 520
Ingredients Equipment Method

Ingredients
  

For the Chocolate Cake
  • 2 cups All-purpose flour
  • 2 cups Granulated sugar
  • ¾ cup Unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 2 teaspoon Baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon Baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon Salt
  • 2 large Eggs Room temperature
  • 1 cup Vegetable oil
  • 1 cup Buttermilk
  • 1 cup Hot coffee Or hot water
  • 2 teaspoon Vanilla extract
For the Chocolate Buttercream Frosting
  • 1 ½ cups Unsalted butter Softened
  • 4 cups Powdered sugar
  • 1 cup Unsweetened cocoa powder
  • ⅓ cup Heavy cream Or milk
  • 2 teaspoon Vanilla extract
  • ¼ teaspoon Salt

Equipment

  • 3 Round cake pans 8-inch or 9-inch
  • 1 Electric mixer Hand or stand
  • 2 Mixing bowls Large
  • 1 Whisk For dry ingredients
  • 1 Offset spatula For frosting
  • 1 Serrated knife For leveling
  • 1 Wire rack Cooling
  • 1 Cake stand Optional

Method
 

  1. Frost and decorate.
  2. Mix dry – Whisk dry ingredients together.
  3. Mix wet – Combine eggs, oil, buttermilk, vanilla.
  4. Combine batter – Add dry ingredients and hot coffee.
  5. Bake – Bake until just set.
  6. Cool – Cool completely before frosting.
  7. Make frosting – Beat buttercream until fluffy.
  8. Assemble – Stack layers with frosting.
  9. Crumb coat – Apply thin base layer.
  10. Final frost – Frost and decorate.