Homemade chocolate cake is topped with a rich dark chocolate frosting, a sprinkle of sea salt, and a hint of coffee mixed in to intensify the flavor. It’s a moist and delicious cake that’s delightfully indulgent and easy to make. It’s the perfect cake for any occasion!

Why This Recipe Works
There are so many moist chocolate cake recipes out there (I even have a few variations on my blog), but this one is definitely worth trying out. Here’s what I love about this chocolate cake recipe:
- It’s so easy to make! The cake batter is made in one bowl. You don't need any fancy mixers or equipment. A simple whisk does the job here!
- The ingredients are simple and you probably have most of them in your pantry and refrigerator already.
- It's a sheet cake which means that there is no need for stacking layers or crumb coats!
- Has a moist and fluffy crumb with a rich chocolate flavor.
- It's topped with an easy chocolate buttercream frosting that makes this simple chocolate cake taste so indulgent!
- My family loved this chocolate cake, and I'm sure yours will too!
Recipe Ingredients
Let’s go over the ingredients you will need for this homemade chocolate cake recipe. Using high-quality ingredients is key to producing the best chocolate cake!
Chocolate Cake
- All-purpose flour: I always use unbleached all-purpose flour in my baking. You can also use pastry flour or all-purpose gluten free flour with great results as well!
- Cocoa powder: Use a high quality cocoa powder for the best tasting chocolate cake. I prefer to use dark chocolate cocoa powder for a very chocolate-y taste and look, but regular cocoa powder works just as well!
- Instant espresso powder: Espresso powder is totally optional, but highly recommended. Coffee enhances the flavor of the cocoa powder, producing a richer chocolate cake. This is my favorite espresso powder.
- Baking powder
- Salt
- Eggs: Make sure that your eggs are room temperature for the best results.
- Sugar: Use your favorite granulated or organic cane sugar!
- Brown sugar: Brown sugar adds a great flavor to the cake, as well as adding moistness. I like to use dark brown sugar, for a deeper flavor! Use your favorite brand of brown sugar. This is the one that I use in all of my baking.
- Vanilla extract: Always use pure vanilla extract (not imitation) for the best tasting baked treats!
- Oil: Any neutral tasting oil like canola oil works great in this chocolate cake recipe. For a richer and more robust cake, try using a light olive oil! I love using oil in chocolate cakes because it adds great moisture.
- Milk: Use whole fat milk for the best results. For a dairy free version, replace the milk with any plant based milk.
Chocolate Buttercream Frosting
- Dark chocolate: Chocolate combined with cocoa powder in the frosting helps boost the flavor without altering the texture.
- Butter: I always bake with salted butter. It doesn’t contain any natural flavorings that unsalted butter has. Just two ingredients; cream and butter. You can use unsalted butter if you prefer, you may just need to increase the sea salt by ½ teaspoon in the recipe!
- Powdered sugar
- Salt
- Vanilla extract
- Cocoa powder
- Strong brewed coffee: Make sure that the coffee is room temperature before using it in the frosting. If the coffee is too hot, it will melt the butter and you will end up with a runny frosting.
- Heavy cream
How to Make Chocolate Cake from scratch
This moist Chocolate Cake recipe is so easy to make. It requires only one bowl and minimal ingredients you probably have on hand already! Let’s go through the steps to make sure you end up with the perfectly moist and rich Chocolate Cake.
- Prepare and preheat oven to 350 degrees F: Prepare an 8-inch square pan by lightly greasing it and lining it with parchment paper. For a thiner cake, use a 9-inch square pan.
- Combine the dry ingredients. Mix the flour, cocoa powder, espresso powder, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl. Set aside.
- Beat eggs with sugars and vanilla: In a large bowl, using a whisk or a hand mixer, beat together the brown sugar, granulated sugar, eggs, and vanilla extract until pale.
- Mix in oil. Add the oil to the egg/sugar mixture and whisk to combine.
- Add half of the dry ingredients. Add half of the dry ingredients and mix until just combined.
- Pour in milk then add remaining dry ingredients: Mix in the milk, then add the remaining dry ingredients. Mix until the batter is smooth and there are no dry spots.
- Pour the batter into the prepared pan: Bake for 40-45 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out with just a couple of crumbs. Make sure that you do not over-bake the cake.
- Cool the cake: Remove cake from the oven and cool in the pan for 10 minutes. Use the parchment paper to lift the cake out of the pan and transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Make the chocolate frosting: To make the frosting, melt the chocolate over a double boiler, then set it aside to cool down for 5 minutes. In a mixing bowl, beat the butter, powdered sugar, and salt until light and fluffy. Add in the melted chocolate and beat to combine. Mix the cocoa powder into the coffee, then add it to the rest of the ingredients. Finally, add the cream and beat until the frosting is smooth.
- Frost the cake: Once the cake has cooled completely, it is time to frost the cake. Use a large serrated knife to remove the dome top. Place a generous amount of frosting on top and smooth it into an even layer. Top the cake the flaked sea salt or chocolate sprinkles and serve!
Frequently Asked Questions
It's possible to use crunchy peanut butter, but it may make the cookies more crumbly and change the texture. Creamy peanut butter is recommended for the best texture and consistency.
I tested this cookie recipe with a few different varieties of peanut butter, and found that natural creamy peanut butter produces the best results. When choosing a peanut butter to bake with, make sure that the only ingredient listed on the back is peanuts. Avoid peanut butters with added ingredients like sugars, stabilizers, and oil. Unsalted peanut butter is ideal for baking, so that you can control how much salt goes into your recipe. You don’t want to end up with salty cookies!
You can use gluten-free all-purpose baking flour in place of regular flour.
You can make the dough and store it in the fridge for up to 3 days, or in the freezer for up to 3 months. If you're freezing the cookie dough, use a cookie scoop to form cookies, and then freeze the cookie dough balls in a freezer safe container.
You can try using other types of nut butter like almond butter or cashew butter, but it will change the flavor of the cookies. Keep in mind that the texture may also be affected.
Storage Instructions
To store this chocolate cake, cover with a cake keeper or plastic wrap. The cake can be kept on the counter for up to 3 days or in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. When storing frosted cakes in the refrigerator, I always chill them for about 15 minutes to harden the frosting. Then, I loosely cover the cake in plastic wrap or place it in a cake keeper.
More Chocolate Cake Recipes You’ll Love
- Perfect Triple Layer Chocolate Cake
- Vegan Chocolate Cake
- Red Wine Chocolate Cake
- Chocolate Tahini Layer Cake
- Molten S’mores Chocolate Lava Cakes
If you make this recipe, take a photo and tag #bakedambrosia on Instagram and Facebook so that I can see your creations and feature them on Instagram! To stay up to date with the latest recipes, follow Baked Ambrosia on Pinterest, Facebook, Instagram, and Youtube. ♡
Easy Chocolate Cake Recipe
Ingredients
Chocolate Cake
- 2 cups 250 g all-purpose flour
- ⅓ cup 30 g cocoa powder
- 1 tablespoon instant espresso powder
- 2 ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 4 eggs
- ¾ cup 150 g sugar
- ½ cup 50 g brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- ¾ cup 178 ml oil
- ⅔ cup 150 ml milk
- Frosting
- 3 ½ oz 100 g dark chocolate, chopped
- ½ cup 113 g butter, room temperature
- 1 ½ cups 187 g powdered sugar
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ⅓ cup 30 g cocoa powder
- ⅓ cup 80 ml strong brewed coffee, room temperature
- 2 tablespoon heavy cream
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Prepare an 8-inch square pan by lightly greasing it and lining it with parchment paper. For a thiner cake, use a 9-inch square pan.
- Mix the flour, cocoa powder, espresso powder, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, using a whisk or a hand mixer, beat together the brown sugar, granulated sugar, eggs, and vanilla extract until pale.
- Add the oil to the egg/sugar mixture and whisk to combine.
- Add half of the dry ingredients and mix until just combined.
- Mix in the milk, then add the remaining dry ingredients. Mix until the batter is smooth and there are no dry spots.
- Bake for 40-45 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out with just a couple of crumbs. Make sure that you do not over-bake the cake.
- Remove cake from the oven and cool in the pan for 10 minutes. Use the parchment paper to lift the cake out of the pan and transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Chocolate frosting: To make the frosting, melt the chocolate over a double boiler, then set it aside to cool down for 5 minutes. In a mixing bowl, beat the butter, powdered sugar, and salt until light and fluffy. Add in the melted chocolate and beat to combine. Mix the cocoa powder into the coffee, then add it to the rest of the ingredients. Finally, add the cream and beat until the frosting is smooth.
- Once the cake has cooled completely, it is time to frost the cake. Use a large serrated knife to remove the dome top. Place a generous amount of frosting on top and smooth it into an even layer. Top the cake the flaked sea salt or chocolate sprinkles and serve!
Erica says
BEST CAKE EVER!!!! THANK YOU!!!!
Angelina says
Thank YOU, Erica!!
Grace says
Love this recipe! I swapped out the flour with all-purpose gluten free flour and it worked perfectly.
Angelina says
I'm so happy you were able to make it gluten free!
Jill Marshal says
Love your recipes and this one is no exception!
Angelina says
Thanks, Jill!!
Alisha says
This was awesome! Making cake from scratch always left me disappointed, but this recipe is better than the boxed stuff. I will definitely be making this again
Angelina says
Yay!! I'm so happy you had great success with this cake recipe!
Samantha says
Hi Angelina, I just love this chocolate cake recipe! I’m so glad I found it. This was the BEST chocolate sheet cake I had ever tasted. Thank you so much!
Angelina says
I'm so happy you enjoyed this cake, Samantha!
Hannah says
Lovely!! Perfect texture and taste.
Thank you
Angelina says
Thanks, Hannah!
Mary Louise says
Hi Angelina,
I recently started trying some of your recipes and have been very impressed. I love how detailed and easy to follow your instructions are. I keep raving to my friends and family about your website!
This is the best homemade chocolate cake I have ever made!
Thank you
Angelina says
thank you SO much!!! 🙂
Michaela Rose says
Hi Angelina. I just wanted to let you know that we loved your recipe. It was the perfect treat after dinner and I'll be enjoying a slice for breakfast as well 🙂
Angelina says
Yay! Thank you!
Angelina says
It's definitely great with a cup of coffee! 🙂
Matt K. says
so moist and chocolate-y!
Brenda says
This recipe is a keeper! My family ate the whole pan in one night.
Angelina says
Thank you!!!!!!
Priya S. says
Not only was this cake SO easy to make, it's also so delicious!! Safe to say my family loved it.
Angelina says
I'm so happy you and your family enjoyed this cake, Priya!
Angelina says
I'm SO happy you and your family loved this cake, Priya 🙂
Danielle says
5 stars! thanks for the recipe
Laura K. says
Seriously so moist and so good! Thank you!
Angelina says
THANK YOU!!!
Christa says
Such a simple recipe, yet SO delicious. Definitely worth trying right away!
Angelina says
Thanks Christa!