Description
This dark chocolate cake recipe creates the most moist, tender, and deeply chocolatey cake you’ll ever taste. Made with Special Dark cocoa powder and a secret ingredient (hot water!), it delivers rich flavor and bakery-worthy texture. The silky chocolate frosting is the perfect finish. Simple ingredients, foolproof method, and absolutely delicious results make this the only chocolate cake recipe you’ll ever need.
Ingredients
For the Cake
- 2 cups all-purpose flour – the foundation for our tender crumb
- 2 cups granulated sugar – balances the deep cocoa and keeps everything moist
- 3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder – I love Special Dark for that extra-rich flavor, but regular works too
- 2 teaspoons baking soda – helps the cake rise beautifully
- 1 teaspoon salt – don’t skip this! It makes the chocolate flavor pop
- 2 large eggs – room temperature works best for smooth mixing
- 1 cup buttermilk – the secret to that soft, tender texture (see notes below for a substitute)
- 1/2 cup vegetable oil – keeps the cake incredibly moist for days
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract – adds warmth and depth
- 1 cup hot water – yes, really! This is what makes the batter so silky
For the Dark Chocolate Frosting
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature – must be soft for smooth frosting
- 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder – Special Dark again for consistency
- 4 cups powdered sugar – sifting helps, but isn’t mandatory
- 1/2 cup milk or whipping cream – cream makes it extra luxurious
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract – always
- A pinch of salt – balances the sweetness perfectly
Instructions
Preheat your oven to 350°F and get those pans ready. Grease them well with butter or cooking spray, then line the bottoms with parchment paper. If you don’t have parchment, coffee filters work perfectly and fit right into the bottom of round pans.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt until everything is evenly distributed.
In your large bowl, whisk together the buttermilk, vegetable oil, eggs, and vanilla extract until smooth and well combined.
Add your dry mixture to the wet ingredients, then alternate adding the hot water, mixing well after each addition. The batter will look thin—almost like hot chocolate—and that’s exactly what you want. Don’t panic! This loose batter is what creates that incredible moist texture. Just give it a good stir to make sure there are no flour pockets hiding at the bottom.
Pour the batter evenly between your two prepared pans. I like to use a kitchen scale for this if I’m feeling precise, but eyeballing it works fine too. Slide them into your preheated oven and bake for 34 minutes.
Let the cakes cool in their pans for about 10 minutes—this gives them time to set up so they don’t fall apart. Then carefully turn them out onto a wire rack and let them cool completely before frosting. I know it’s tempting to frost a warm cake, but trust me on this one. Warm cake plus frosting equals a melty mess. Give it at least an hour.
While your cakes are cooling, beat the softened butter and cocoa powder together until smooth and fluffy. Then add the powdered sugar and milk alternately, mixing until fully combined.
Add the vanilla and that important pinch of salt, then beat on high speed for a few minutes until the frosting is creamy, spreadable, and absolutely irresistible. If it’s too thick, add a splash more milk. Too thin? Add more powdered sugar.
Place one cake layer on your serving plate and spread a generous, thick layer of frosting on top. Add the second layer, then frost the top and sides
Notes
- Room temperature matters – Let your eggs and buttermilk sit out for 30 minutes before baking. Cold ingredients don’t mix as smoothly and can create a denser cake.
- Sift your cocoa – If your cocoa powder has lumps, sift it before adding. You don’t want little cocoa bombs in your batter.
- The toothpick test isn’t perfect – A few moist crumbs on the toothpick are fine. Completely clean means you might be overbaking.
- Level your cakes – If they dome in the middle, use a serrated knife to slice off the top for perfectly flat layers that stack beautifully.
- Crumb coat first – Spread a thin layer of frosting all over the cake, refrigerate for 15 minutes, then add your final frosting layer. This traps all the crumbs and gives you that professional bakery finish.
- Coffee boosts chocolate – Add a teaspoon of espresso powder to the batter for even deeper chocolate flavor without tasting like coffee.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 34 minutes
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American