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Rich & Moist Chocolate Cake

This ultra-moist, deeply chocolatey cake is the stuff dessert dreams are made of. With an intense cocoa flavor, a tender crumb, and a luscious buttercream frosting, this revamped Rich Chocolate Cake is made to impress. Whether you're baking for a birthday, a celebration, or a simple weekend treat, this cake brings bakery-level quality straight to your home kitchen.
Print Recipe
Prep Time 25 minutes
Cook Time 33 minutes
1 hour
Total Time 1 hour 58 minutes
Servings 12

Ingredients
  

For the Cake:

  • 2 cups granulated sugar
  • 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
  • 3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder preferably Dutch-processed
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
  • 1 1/4 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 cup whole milk
  • 1/2 cup canola or vegetable oil
  • 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
  • 1 cup very hot water just boiled

For the Chocolate Buttercream:

  • 1/2 cup 1 stick unsalted butter, softened
  • 2/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 3 1/4 cups powdered sugar
  • 1/3 cup whole milk plus more as needed
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Instructions
 

  • Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease two 9-inch round cake pans and line the bottoms with parchment paper.
  • In a large mixing bowl, sift together flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.
  • Stir in the sugar until well blended.
  • Add eggs, milk, oil, and vanilla to the dry ingredients. Beat with a hand or stand mixer on medium speed for 1 minute until smooth.
  • Slowly pour in the hot water while mixing on low speed. The batter will be thin.
  • Divide batter evenly between the prepared pans. Bake for 30–33 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
  • Let cakes cool in the pans for 10 minutes. Then invert onto wire racks to cool completely.

Make the Buttercream:

  • In a large bowl, beat the softened butter until creamy.
  • Add cocoa powder and mix until well combined.
  • Gradually beat in powdered sugar and milk, alternating between the two. Adjust consistency with more milk if needed.
  • Add vanilla and beat on high speed for 2 minutes until light and fluffy.

Assemble:

  • Place one cake layer on your serving plate. Spread a thick layer of frosting on top.
  • Top with the second layer and frost the top and sides.
  • Decorate as desired with chocolate shavings, sprinkles, or fresh berries.

Notes

  • Use quality cocoa for deeper flavor.
  • Let the cake layers cool completely before frosting.
  • Add a pinch of espresso powder to the batter to intensify the chocolate.
  • For extra-moist cake, brush layers lightly with milk before frosting.
  • Cake layers can be made ahead and frozen for up to 1 month.