This is the Dark Chocolate Cake of my DREAMS! Tender, moist homemade chocolate cake with the best smooth, rich, dark chocolate frosting.
I love any excuse to make a decadent cake. This dark chocolate cake recipe is one of my favorites but I also LOVE a decadent Carrot Cake, German Chocolate Cake, Coconut Cake with Pineapple Filling and Lemon Cake.
I go crazy for all things dark chocolate and there’s nothing more tempting to me than this Dark Chocolate Cake. Between the amazing, flavorful and tender homemade cake and the rich, smooth and fluffy dark chocolate frosting, there is SO much to love about this cake!
How to Make Dark Chocolate Cake:
1. Prep the cake pans: Grease three 9-inch cake pans. I like to cut a circle of parchment paper for the bottom of the pan to make sure it doesn’t stick. Set aside.
2. Make the chocolate cake:
- Combine dry ingredients: flour, sugar, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
- Add wet ingredients: add milk, oil, eggs, and vanilla to flour mixture and mix until well combined. Slowly add boiling water to the cake batter and mix for about 1 minute. Pour cake batter evenly between the three cake pans.
- Bake for 30-35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Allow cakes to cool before frosting.
3. Make the dark chocolate frosting: Stir together the powdered sugar and cocoa powder. In a separate mixing bowl beat the butter then gradually add the sugar/cocoa mixture alternating with cream and vanilla, beating after each addition, until you reach your desired frosting consistency.
4. Assemble: Lay one layer of chocolate cake on a cake board or platter. Use a spatula or the back of a spoon to spread a layer of dark chocolate frosting over the top of the cake. Add the second layer of cake and frost the top and sides of the cake. Optional: use a wilton decorating tip to add a decorative edge and lightly sprinkle chocolate sprinkles.
To adjust the number of cake layers:
You have the option of making this dark chocolate cake a 2 layer, 3 layer, or 4 layer cake. For a two layer cake, divide the frosting between two cake pans, instead of three, to make 2 thicker cake layers. For a 4 layer cake, bake to layers of cake, then torte each cake round in half, to create 4 layers. Be sure to spread a layer of dark chocolate frosting between each later.
Freezing Instructions:
This cake freezes well and in fact, I recommend freezing the baked cake rounds ahead of time. After allowing the cake to cool completely, wrap each cake round in plastic wrap and store in a freezer safe bag in the freezer for a couple days or up to three months. You can freeze the frosting as well. Remove the cake rounds from the freezer and frost immediately. Store in the refrigerator and remove to the counter about 30 minutes before eating.
You can also freeze the assembled and frosted cake. Cover it as well as you can (without smashing the frosting) with plastic wrap and then aluminum foil. Freeze for up to 1 week and allow to thaw on the counter for about a 1.5 hours before serving.
Variations to Dark Chocolate Cake:
- Gluten-free dark chocolate cake: substitute gluten free flour at a 1:1 ratio.
- Dairy-free dark chocolate cake: substitute soy or almond milk for the regular milk in the recipe and for the heavy cream in the frosting. Substitute a dairy free butter in the frosting.
- Vegan chocolate cake: make dairy- free substitutes and substitute three flax eggs or ¾ cup plain yogurt for the eggs.
Consider trying these popular desserts:
- German Chocolate Cake
- Snickerdoodles Bars
- Mississippi Mud Brownies
- Chocolate Mousse Cheesecake
- Mrs. Fields Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Apple Crisp
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Recipe
Dark Chocolate Cake
Equipment
Ingredients
Cake:
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 3 cups granulated sugar
- 1 cup + 2 Tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder (I love to use the Hershey's Special dark, but regular works)
- 3 teaspoons baking powder
- 2 1/4 teaspoons baking soda
- 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
- 1 1/2 cups milk
- 3/4 cup oil (vegetable or canola oil)
- 3 large eggs , room temperature
- 3 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 1/2 cups boiling water
Dark Chocolate Frosting:
- 5 1/2 cups powdered sugar
- 1 1 /3 cups unsweetened cocoa powder
- 12 Tablespoons unsalted butter , softened to room temperature
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Instructions
For the cake:
- Preheat oven to 350º F. Grease three 9-inch cake pans (I also like to cut a circle of parchment paper for the bottom of the pan to make sure the cake doesn't stick). Set aside.
- In a large bowl whisk together the flour, sugar, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
- Add milk, oil, eggs, and vanilla to flour mixture and mix until well combined.
- Slowly add boiling water to the cake batter, while stirring. Beat on high speed for about 1 minute. The batter will be very thin.
- Pour cake batter evenly between the three cake pans.
- Bake for 30-35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean or with few moist crumbs.
- Remove from the oven and allow to cool for a few minutes before inverting onto a cooling rack.
For the frosting:
- Stir together the powdered sugar and cocoa powder. In a separate mixing bowl beat the butter on medium speed until pale, about 2 minutes.
- Gradually add the sugar/cocoa mixture alternating with the cream and vanilla, beating after each addition, until you reach your desired frosting consistency.
- Beat on high speed for 3 minutes, until fluffy.
Assemble the cake:
- Lay one layer of chocolate cake on a cake board or platter. Use a spatula or the back of a spoon to spread a layer of dark chocolate frosting over the top of the cake. Add the second layer or cake and frost the top and sides of the cake.
- Optional- use a wilton decorating tip to add a decorative edge and add chocolate sprinkles.
Notes
- Gluten-free dark chocolate cake: substitute gluten free flour at a 1:1 ratio.
- Dairy-free dark chocolate cake: substitute soy or almond milk for the regular milk in the recipe and for the heavy cream in the frosting. Substitute a dairy free butter in the frosting.
- Vegan chocolate cake: make dairy- free substitutes and substitute three flax eggs or ¾ cup plain yogurt for the eggs.
Nutrition
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Have you tried this recipe?!
RATE and COMMENT below! I would love to hear your experience.
I originally shared this recipe February 2017. Updated September 2020.
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SO good! I made this for a birthday, and it was a hit with white chocolate frosting and a raspberry compote in the middle. It only has a little bit of the bitterness of dark chocolate, mostly tastes like normal chocolate cake. Also, when you x1 x2 x3 the recipe, the x1 is three cakes, the x2 is six, and x3 is nine. I was confused because the ingredients changed, but the instructions did not. It said to grease 3 cake pans even when you x2 or x3.
Overall, this was a delicious cake! Thank you!
I used 2/3 C. dark cocoa and the rest regular and it was great!
Under “Adjust number of cake layers” for 2 layers, you divide the cake batter, not the frosting.
i (13F) made this cake for my aunts birthday. it was AMAZING. i added freshly sliced strawberries in between the layers. it was a hit. everyone loved it! it’s easy ti make, and tastes great. it did take me 3 1/2 hours to make though. and i am an experienced baker, i bake all the time, so… other than that, i would definitely recommend!!
I’m a long time baker and this cake was excellent. Added a couple teaspoons of King Arthur Expreso.
Super moist!
This chocolate cake is AMAZING! I used the Hershey’s Special Dark cocoa powder for both the cake and the buttercream. The cake tasted like a giant, fudge brownie. SO good. I refrigerated the cake overnight so I could decorate with fondant. It stayed moist and held up like a champ under the weight of the fondant. This is now my go to chocolate cake recipe. Thanks so much for sharing the recipe!
This cake was delicious… after the cake is baked and iced can it be stored at room temperature or should it be stored in the refrigerator since the frosting is made with heavy cream?
Either is fine. I usually cover it well and store it in the fridge.
Could I use a Bundt pan instead of three round pans?
Yes, that should be fine. Don’t overfill the pan (if you have excess batter, use it to make a few cupcakes.)
The cake was delicious, and I’ll know the next time I make it, but when you said the batter was thin it would have been a helpful suggestion to advise your readers to not use pans with removable bottoms. A lot of the batter leaked out but it tasted good. Next time, I’ll use solid baking pans.
This cake tastes super good, would be perfect for cupcakes or cakepops. My issue came when I made it into a layered cake. I found the cakes were too crumbly to crumb coat. When trying to ice, the cake underneath would crumble off in large chunks. This might have been because I used the gluten-free version of the recipe? But it seems the cake is too fragile to teir.
How long should the baking time be if I use a 9″ x 13″ pan?