Delicious and Moist Chocolate Cake Recipe

I have been, or can be if you click on a link and make a purchase, compensated via a cash payment, gift, or something else of value for writing this post. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. Please read my full Affiliate Disclosure for more information.

Looking for the most delicious and moist chocolate cake recipe ever??! Don’t worry, I got you 😉 This recipe is so easy, chocolatey, delicious, and moist, and won’t give you a toothache after having a slice 🙂

With a few easy techniques, you too can recreate this decadent chocolate cake! Add chocolate buttercream, a chocolate drip, and mini chocolate bars for a chocolate explosion cake! Or maybe a white chocolate drip and Ferrero Rocher on top? OR! Maybe a cookies n’ cream buttercream instead?! The possibilities are endless!

what you need for this chocolate cake recipe

preparing the butter

Start with your butter and sugar. In a medium saucepan, melt these two ingredients together until the butter is completely melted! Until it even bubbles a little bit, creating some caramelization.

Once melted, transfer this mixture to your mixing bowl and mix on medium speed until the mixture is light and thick. Also, the bowl isn’t too hot to the touch.

While the butter and sugar are cooling down in your mixer, I like to combine my cocoa powder and hot water – I mix these together with a whisk. I also combine my dry ingredients and weigh out all of the other ingredients. Just so everything is ready and available when it’s time to add them (blame the super-organized Virgo in me!).

Once the butter mixture has thickened, add your eggs – one at a time. MAKE SURE THE BUTTER HAS COOLED!! You don’t want your eggs to cook 😐 Then add the cocoa mixture, and the vanilla extract.

Time for your flour mixture and sour cream! Slowly add these ingredients to your mixing bowl. Add the flour first – you’ll add these in 3 additions, alternating with the sour cream.

a quick tip for this cake recipe!

I find there’s a little bit of the butter mixture that stays at the bottom of the bowl, so scrape the bottom and sides as needed so everything gets incorporated. And of course, try not to overmix your batter.

Once everything is nice and smooth, divide the batter between your pans and bake! Assemble with your favourite buttercream frosting (I’ve included my recipe below) and nom! nom! nom! 🙂

I’ve been using this chocolate cake recipe for so long, I can’t even find the original recipe. But I have made my own moderations. If you think this is similar to your recipe, please let me know!

Tried this recipe? Comment below and let me know how it turned out!

Happy baking and munching!

xo

Mich

Chocolate Cake Recipe

Yield: 8″ Cake

Ingredients

Chocolate Cake

• 3 cups All Purpose Flour (500g)
• 1 1/2 tsp Baking Powder (10g)
• 1 tsp Baking Soda (7g)
• 1 tsp Salt (7g)
• 1 Cup Sour Cream – room temperature (250g)
• 1 1/2 Cups Unsalted Butter (340g)
• 2 Cups Sugar (400g)
• 4 Large Eggs – room temperature (200g)
• 1/2 Cup Cocoa Powder (50g)
• 1 Cup Hot Water (225g)
• 2 tbsp Vanilla Extract (30g)

chocolate ButTercream

• 2 Cups Unsalted Butter (454g) – room temperature
• 1 1/2 Cups Icing Sugar (160g)
• 1/4 Cup Whipping Cream (50g)
• 1/2 Cup Semi-sweet Chocolate Chips (90g)
• 1 tsp Vanilla Extract (5g)
• Pinch of salt

directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 Degrees Fahrenheit. Prepare 3 8″ pans with parchment paper and cooking spray.
2. Whisk together cocoa powder and hot water, until no clumps remain.
3. In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Whisk to combine.
4. In a medium saucepan, melt together butter and sugar on low heat. Stirring occasionally.
5. Once the butter is completely melted, pour it into the bowl of your stand mixer. Mix on medium-low speed until cooled.
6. On medium speed, add eggs to the butter mixture one at a time. Then vanilla, then cocoa mixture. Scraping the sides of the bowl as needed.
7. Reduce to low speed. Add flour mixture in 3 additions, alternating with sour cream until just combined. Scraping the bottom of the bowl to make sure all of the butter mixture is incorporated.
8. Divide the batter between your cake pans, and bake for about 25-30 minutes – until toothpick comes out clean (or the cake starts to pull away from the sides of the pan).
9. When the cake is cooled completely, assemble your cake with the buttercream – creating a 3-layered cake.
10. Enjoy!

making the buttercream frosting

1. Make the chocolate ganache by combining chocolate chips and whipping cream in a small bowl. Microwave for 30 seconds, then mix with a spoon. Then microwave for another 30 seconds, and mix until the chocolate has melted completely. Set aside.
2. In the bowl of your stand mixer, beat the room-temperature butter until smooth and creamy.
3. On low speed, slowly add the icing sugar. Scraping down the sides of the bowl as necessary.
4. Add the chocolate ganache, vanilla and salt.
5. Continue mixing on high speed until the buttercream is light and fluffy.

need help masking your cake?

Check out the video below for a tutorial on masking your cake smoothly 🙂

RECIPE NOTES

• Be careful not to overmix and overbake. Mix until combined and check the cake every few minutes after you’ve hit the 20-minute mark in the oven.
• Cake didn’t come out as moist as you wanted? Add a little bit of simple syrup to each cake layer. I usually use a 1:1.25 parts sugar to boiling water for my simple syrup.
• I always recommend using cake strips when baking cakes. I find the cake strips aren’t as helpful with this recipe, but I still use them.