Are you in the mood for a moist and delicious homemade chocolate cake with a rich, chocolatey cream cheese icing? This recipe is easy to follow, made with the flavors of buttermilk, coffee, and sweet vanilla. The vegetable oil helps to keep this cake moist while also extending the shelf life, which gives you a little more time to enjoy it!
Chocolate is my son’s favorite birthday cake! Each year, I already know what he wants. He wants a chocolate cake with chocolate ice cream, talk about overload! He loves that this cake gives him the double chocolate flavor he craves. He is the ultimate chocolate lover in our home, but this cake is so good that no one complains if I make it more than once a year.
Whether you are serving this chocolate cake for a birthday, holiday, or a gathering, this recipe is a must-try, and it can even be made ahead of time! No need for store-bought cakes here. You can make this scrumptious cake without sacrificing time or flavor. Just be sure to check a few things before you get started like the expiration date on the baking powder and baking soda. You want these cakes to rise, baby, rise!
CHOCOLATE CAKE INGREDIENTS
Jump to the bottom of the recipe card below this post for full ingredient measurements and instructions.
- The Flour: All-purpose flour is perfectly fine for this recipe. With that being said, you can also use cake flour. Cake flour produces a light, bakery-style cake structure, and in most cases, I would recommend it. This cake is delicious and so moist that you simply don’t need it!
- Baking Powder & Baking Soda: The biggest thing to remember with leaveners is to make sure you are using fresh baking powder and baking soda. Fresh leaveners will help your cake rise evenly when baking in the oven.
- Natural Cocoa Powder: You will want to use natural cocoa powder vs the Dutch process kind here. Some of my favorites include Hershey’s, Ghirardelli, as well as cacao powder (typically more expensive).
- Eggs: Eggs play a big role in this cake recipe. Eggs bring a rich, structure to this cake. You need 2 large eggs in total.
- Vegetable oil: This keeps the cake moist and allows you to enjoy it longer!
- Cream cheese: Makes for a tangy, smooth icing that pairs well with the cake.
- Butter: Unsalted butter at room temperature will whip up nicely when making the icing. I like to remove my butter from the fridge early and place it in a butter keeper to make sure it’s the right temperature.
HOW TO MAKE THE CAKE
Follow these steps to make this recipe:
Sift together the dry ingredients: Flour, salt, cocoa powder, baking soda and baking powder. You can also use a whisk.
Mix the wet ingredients: Mix together all of the wet ingredients until combined.
Combine the wet and dry ingredients. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry, mixing well. Whisk in the hot coffee or hot water.
Bake: Pour the batter into prepared cake pans and bake until the inserted toothpick comes out clean.
THE ICING
I am typically not a huge fan of icing, except when cream cheese is in it! This tangy, sweet icing pairs well with the chocolate cake, making it a dessert you can’t live without! The ingredients you will need to make the icing include cocoa powder, confectioner’s sugar, cream cheese, and vanilla extract. I also like to add a little bit of melted semi-sweet chocolate to this icing because I love the flavor of it.
The instructions to prepare the icing are pretty simple. To make this icing, whip the butter and cream cheese together until light and fluffy, then add the sifted cocoa powder, confectioner’s sugar, vanilla, and melted chocolate. I usually just add my chocolate to a microwave-safe bowl to melt it, then I add it to the icing.
CAN I MAKE AHEAD?
Yes! The icing and cake can be made ahead of time. You can either bake and ice your cake and then refrigerate it for up to 2 days, or you can make the cakes and icing separately and then assemble next day. Wrap the individual baked and cooled cake layers tightly in plastic and refrigerate for 1 day or freeze for up to 3 months. Bring to room temperature (if frozen) before icing.
PRO CAKE BAKING TIPS FOR MAKING THIS RECIPE
- Sift your dry ingredients. Sift together the flour, cocoa powder, leaveners, and all other dry ingredients to remove lumps.
- Weigh the flour. It’s important to add the correct amount of flour by weighing it with a kitchen scale, preferably. If you do not own a kitchen scale, be sure to fluff up the flour in its container, spoon it into the measuring cup, and level the top.
- Use room-temperature dairy. It is important to ensure you start with room-temperature milk, eggs, and butter so that they create an emulsion.
- Egg Free. To make this an egg-free cake recipe, use 2/3 cup of unsweetened applesauce in place of 2 large eggs in the recipe.
- Dividing the batter. If you want even, esthetic cake layers, evenly dividing the batter is a must. For accuracy, I use a food-grade scale to help me with this, and the layers are perfect every time!
- Chill cakes before icing. Make sure the cakes are thoroughly cooled or chilled before icing the cake. Thoroughly chilled cakes are much easier to ice. You can also freeze them for up to 3 months. Bring to room temperature (if frozen) before icing.
Chocolate Cake with Chocolate Cream Cheese Icing
12
servings20
minutes35
minutes55
minutesThis moist chocolate cake is made with buttermilk, warm coffee, and sweet vanilla and is topped with a whipped, decadent chocolate cream cheese icing.
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Ingredients
2 1/2 cup all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled)
2 large eggs (room temperature; see notes)
1 cup buttermilk
1 cup hot coffee or water
3/4 cup cocoa powder
3/4 cup vegetable or light olive oil
1 3/4 cup granulated sugar
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
- For The Chocolate Icing
3 1/2 cups confectioners sugar, sifted
1 cup unsalted butter (softened to room temperature)
1/2 cup cream cheese (softened to room temperature)
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder, sifted
4 oz chocolate (dark, semi sweet, bittersweet)
1/2 tsp salt
Directions
- Preheat oven to 350°F (177°C). Grease and lightly flour three 8-inch cake rounds or two 9-inch cake pans, and line them with parchment paper rounds (see notes in Cake Baking Tips). Parchment paper helps the cakes seamlessly release from the pans. I recommend using nonstick spray for greasing.
- In a large mixing bowl, sift the cocoa powder, flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
- In another large bowl, mix together the eggs, oil, granulated sugar, buttermilk, and vanilla extract until combined.
- Add the wet ingredients to the dry, and stir until well combined. Add the hot coffee, quickly whisking to blend.
- Pour the cake batter evenly into the prepared cake pans and bake in the preheated oven for 30 to 35 minutes, or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean.
- Remove cakes from the oven and place them on a wire rack to cool. While the cakes cool, make the icing, then ice cake the cooled cake and serve.
- Chocolate Icing Directions
- In a large bowl using a handheld or stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter and cream cheese on medium speed until smooth.
- On low speed, add the sifted cocoa powder and the powdered sugar in thirds, scraping the bowl down in between additions. Once all of the powdered sugar has been added, increase the mixing speed to medium-low and continue to mix for 1 minute until fluffy. Add the vanilla extract and beat until combined. Cover and set aside until ready to use.
Notes
- Sift together the flour, cocoa powder, leaveners, and all other dry ingredients to remove lumps.
- It is important to ensure you start with room-temperature milk, eggs, and butter so that they create an emulsion.
- To make this an egg-free cake recipe, use 2/3 cup of unsweetened applesauce in place of 2 large eggs in the recipe.
- Make sure the cakes are thoroughly cooled or chilled before icing the cake. Thoroughly chilled cakes are much easier to ice.
Did you make this recipe?
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Until next time. Keep following and commenting. Join me on Youtube next week where I will be cooking up another recipe and maybe telling a few of my terrible jokes! Yes, that’s right.
