I have been searching for a great chocolate cake recipe for years. I have found it. My search has ended. I now have THE recipe. If you have ever seen the movie Matilda you will surely remember the scene where the boy is forced to eat the most delicious looking chocolate cake ever. I feel just like that boy when I eat this cake. It is my Matilda chocolate cake for sure.
This cake is moist and has the perfect crumb. I cannot imagine making a chocolate cake using any other recipe. It is so easy to make and puts doctored cake mix recipes to shame. I’m eating a piece of the cake as I’m writing this, drooling all over my keyboard. It is insanely delicious. A decades search was worth the wait. Every…decadent…bite. Who wants cake?
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What is buttermilk? Is there a substitute for buttermilk?
Buttermilk is necessary for this recipe. It has to do with the way it interacts with other ingredients. Buttermilk is the liquid leftover after churning butter. Check out my more in depth post about how to make buttermilk substitute.
Can I make this a dairy free chocolate cake recipe?
Yes! Add 2 tablespoons of white vinegar to almond or soy milk. Let stand 5 minutes and use in place of the buttermilk. For the frosting, use a dairy free frosting option.
Can I make this a gluten-free chocolate cake recipe?
Yes! Use “Cup for Cup” gluten-free flour blend in this recipe in the same amounts.
Can I make this an eggless chocolate cake recipe?
Yes! There are several options that work well when substituting for eggs in this recipe.
- 1/4 cup of plain yogurt per egg
- 1 tablespoon vinegar+ 1 teaspoon baking powder whisked together per egg
- 1/4 cup mashed banana per egg
- 1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce per egg
Can I make this recipe into only two layers? Can I make this recipe in a 9×13 pan?
Yes you can, for both you’ll need to divide the recipe by 2/3rds. I realize that there are 4 eggs in this recipe so that’s the hard part. Just use 3 eggs.
What kind of cocoa powder did you use?
I used Hershey’s Unsweetened Cocoa Powder in order to use a brand that is most widely available to my readers. I’m also fond of using higher quality cocoa powders like Ghiradelli’s or cocoa powders from specialty chocolatier shops, but those are pretty pricey. I don’t recommend using cheap store brands.
How did you get your frosting so dark?
I used half Hershey’s Special Dark Unsweetened Cocoa powder to achieve the dark looking frosting.
If you like this recipe, be sure to check out my other amazing cake recipes:
Watch the video below where Rachel will walk you through every step of this recipe. Sometimes it helps to have a visual, and we’ve always got you covered with our cooking show. You can find the complete collection of recipes on YouTube, Facebook Watch, or our Facebook Page, or right here on our website with their corresponding recipes.
The Most Amazing Chocolate Cake
Ingredients
The Most Amazing Chocolate Cake
- butter and flour for coating and dusting the cake pan
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 3 cups granulated sugar
- 1 1/2 cups unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 tablespoon baking soda
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
- 4 large eggs
- 1 1/2 cups buttermilk
- 1 1/2 cups warm water
- 1/2 cup vegetable oil
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Chocolate Cream Cheese Buttercream Frosting
- 1 1/2 cups butter softened
- 8 oz cream cheese softened
- 1 1/2 cups unsweetened cocoa powder
- 3 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 7-8 cups powdered sugar
- about 1/4 cup milk as needed
Instructions
The Most Amazing Chocolate Cake
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter three 9-inch cake rounds. Dust with flour and tap out the excess.
- Mix together flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder, and salt in a stand mixer using a low speed until combined.
- Add eggs, buttermilk, warm water, oil, and vanilla. Beat on a medium speed until smooth. This should take just a couple of minutes.
- Divide batter among the three pans. I found that it took just over 3 cups of the batter to divide it evenly.
- Bake for 30-35 minutes until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
- Cool on wire racks for 15 minutes and then turn out the cakes onto the racks and allow to cool completely.
- Frost with your favorite frosting and enjoy!
Chocolate Cream Cheese Buttercream Frosting
- In a large bowl, beat together butter and cream cheese until fluffy. Use a hand mixer or stand mixer for best results
- Add in cocoa powder and vanilla extract. Beat until combined.
- Beat in powdered sugar, 1 cup at a time. Add milk as necessary to make a spreadable consistency. The frosting should be very thick and will thicken even more if refrigerated.
Notes
**For Cupcakes: https://thestayathomechef.com/chocolate-cupcake-recipe/
Nutrition
This recipe first appeared on The Stay At Home Chef on February 26, 2013
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Mary says
Do you know if this cake is firm enough to cover with fondant after the chocolate buttercream?
Mary T Feeney says
A very good cake if you like a dark and heavy chocolate cake that’s moist but not too sweet. It looked exactly as it should when it turned out so the instructions were excellent. It’s not my favourite chocolate cake because I prefer a lighter, sweeter cake and I found the icing a bit too dense for me also. If you like a dark, rich, thick chocolate cake though, this is the one!
Kim Christensen says
One of the best chocolate cakes I have ever made. I made it for Christmas Eve and it was a great success! no changes to the recipe other than a little more milk in the frosting.
Lilo says
I love love love it! I supplemented with crushed cookies and sliced chocolates. Served with custard. I almost cried. Thanks 😊
Melany Van Rooyen says
The best cake ever. Made it twice now and always a winner.
Patty says
Made this cake for our family Christmas celebrated on New Years Day. Wow! What a hit. It make 4 9” cakes. I only had 2 9” pans. The first 2 cakes baked up high. I cut those in half and had a 4 layer cake. I used raspberry filling to cover the layers and frosting on top The frosting made enough frosting to frost between the remaining 2cakes and a light frosting overall. I froze that for another event. I will keep this recipe and make it again.
Abbi L. says
This was a fantastic recipe! The cake and frosting both turned out great and it was a hug hit.
The only thing I’ll say is that using half dark cocoa powder definitely did not give the icing the dark color that’s pictured. The second time I tried it, I used all Hershey’s special dark cocoa powder and it turned out much closer to the picture! I preferred it this way for the flavor as well; the bitterness of the cocoa cut the sweetness of the powdered sugar and made a perfect frosting for me.
Thank you so much for the recipe!
Mari says
Amazing recipe. Made as directed. Used 7 cups confectioners sugar in icing, it was plenty. Will definitely be my go to chocolate cake. Can’t wait to make the coconut cake. Thanks