The Stay At Home Chef’s recipe for The Most Amazing Chocolate Cake has been tried and loved by tens of thousands of people worldwide, all of whom agree that it is the most amazing chocolate cake ever. In fact, it has gained the nickname “The Matilda Cake” because it looks just like the decadent cake eaten by Bruce Bogtrotter in the movie Matilda.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- One Bowl – The batter is made in just one bowl, so no combining wet and dry ingredients separately.
- Rich Chocolate Flavor – This cake is rich and fudgy, making it a true indulgence for any chocolate cake lover.
- It’s Moist! – One of the key measures of a chocolate cake is whether or not it is moist. This one checks every box!
- Every Option – Not only is this cake the best, we’ve given you every option we can for various pan sizes, frosting options, and subtitutions.
Are you ready for the most heavenly chocolate cake you’ve ever tasted? After years of testing, we have finally perfected the ultimate chocolate cake recipe. This rich, fudgy chocolate cake will melt in your mouth with every bite. Its fluffy, moist crumb is coated in a thick layer of decadent chocolate frosting, making it a true indulgence for chocolate lovers. And the best part? It’s so easy to make, with just one bowl for the batter.
Indulge in the ultimate chocolate experience with The Most Amazing Chocolate Cake. Moist, rich, and made in a single bowl, this chocolate cake has received thousands of rave reviews. Satisfy your chocolate cravings with the chocolate cake of your dreams.
Substitutions
Buttermilk is a liquid that is left over after churning butter. It is an important ingredient in this recipe due to the way it interacts with other ingredients. Buttermilk can be easily substituted with a mixture of milk and vinegar or lemon juice, or with almond or soy milk and white vinegar. You can also find more in-depth information on how to make a buttermilk substitute in this post.
Yes, you can make this recipe dairy-free. Simply add 2 tablespoons of white vinegar to almond or soy milk, let it stand for 5 minutes, and use the mixture in place of the buttermilk. You can also use a dairy-free frosting option for the frosting.
Yes, you can easily adapt this recipe to be gluten-free by using a “Cup for Cup” gluten-free flour blend in the same amounts as the regular flour called for in the recipe.
There are several options that work well as egg substitutes 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
Adapting the Recipe for Different Sizes and Shapes of Cakes
This chocolate cake recipe yields approximately 9 cups of batter total, or 3 cups for each of the 9-inch layers. Here are some popular pan sizes and the approximate amount of batter needed for each individual pan:
- 9×2-inch round pan: 3 cups batter
- 8×2-inch round pan: 2 1/4 cups batter
- 13×18-inch sheet cake pan: 6 cups batter
- 9×13-inch pan: 6 cups batter
- 12 standard cupcakes: 3 cups batter
- 10-12 cup bundt cake pan: 8 cups batter
As a general rule, cake pans should be filled 2/3rds of the way full for cake baking, unless otherwise specified in the recipe.
It’s always a good idea to check for doneness by inserting a toothpick or cake tester into the center of the cake. If it comes out clean or with just a few crumbs attached, the cake is likely done. You can also gently press the center of the cake with your finger – if it springs back, it is probably ready to be removed from the oven.
Keep in mind that these are just general guidelines and the actual baking time may vary depending on factors such as your oven’s temperature accuracy, the type of pan you are using, and the altitude at which you are baking. It’s always a good idea to keep an eye on your cake as it bakes and to make any necessary adjustments to the baking time as needed.
Types of Cocoa Powder
Cocoa powder is an important ingredient in many baked goods and can affect the flavor and texture of the final product. It is important to use the type of cocoa powder specified in a recipe, as using the wrong type can alter the balance of flavors and sweetness. There are several types of cocoa powder available, each with its own distinct flavor and properties.
- Unsweetened Cocoa Powder, specifically Hershey’s brand, was used in this cake recipe as it is the most widely available to readers. You can also use higher-quality cocoa powders such as Ghiradelli or those from specialty chocolatier shops, but they can be expensive. It is recommended to avoid using inexpensive store brands as they tend to not produce the best results.
- For the dark-colored frosting in these photos, Hershey’s Special Dark Unsweetened Cocoa Powder was used.
- Dutch-process cocoa powder is a type of cocoa that has been treated with an alkali to neutralize its acidity. It has a milder flavor and darker color than natural cocoa powder, and is also easier to dissolve in liquids. When using dutch-process cocoa powder in place of unsweetened cocoa powder in a recipe, it is important to consider that it may behave differently due to its lower acidity. However, in this recipe, dutch-process cocoa can be used without making any other modifications.
Frosting Options
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.
Has anybody frozen this cake? Would like to make this for a party but won’t have much time before!
Lots of people have reported freezing it. Just make sure you are only freezing layers and not the assembled cake.
I have made this recipe twice now and everytime I do the cake sinks in the middle and is undercooked when it comes out. Everything I’ve read indicates this has to do with the baking power/soda amounts being used. This is the ONLY recipe this happens to when I”m baking my cakes. I’m using three 6×2 pans and EVERY TIME it happens to each cake. anyone else having this problem?
I’ve not had this issue at all – I’ve made it twice now. I use the 3 – 9″ pans as recommended. I think your pans are too small to bake properly. If you only have the 6×2, you should reduce the amount of batter you’re putting into your pans so that the cake doesn’t exceed the halfway mark.
Hi! I made your white cake and it truly was AMAZING! I like cream cheese when it comes to cheesecake, carrot cake and red velvet cake. As far as when it’s combined with brownies, not so much. I apologize if you have been asked about this already but there are a lot of comments and questions to read through and I probably would be here for a few hours doing so! Does the frosting recipe have a strong taste of cream cheese, is it subtle or pretty much you can’t tell it’s there? Thank you in advance for your time and assistance with my question! Keep on baking and coming up with AMAZING recipes!
You can use any frosting you’d like on the cake if you are worried about the cream cheese. Cream cheese frosting definitely has its own unique flavor.
Can you use store bought buttermilk instead of the homemade one? will it be a drastic difference?
Yes, store bought buttermilk will be fine.
My go to cake recipe used to be the cake on the back of the hershey’s cocoa box, but i came across the amazing coconut cake recipe (WHICH I LOVE AS WELL) on facebook, i wanted to try the other amazing cake recipes! In just a little under 1 week, i have made this cake twice- once with the frosting recipe with the recipe, but also with a piped ganache and i got nothing but rave reviews for the cake. And i do agree, any subsitutions, would not make the cake AMAZING! i love the texture, the color and the perfect density. I do suggest using high quality cocoa, REAL buttermilk, and room temperature ingredients. For the Frosting, i added as needed which was about 6 1/2 cups of confectioners sugar, but also added an additional 1/4 cup. And i used black onyx (guittard) cocoa powder (hersheys special dark is good too) for the real intense and deep chocolate flavor. Instead of milk i used heavy cream, just because i had a small amount left over from ganache 🙂
Next time i will try the cupcake recipe (thank you for the cupcake version recipe as well)
Hi, I went through the comments and you mentioned that you used salted butter for the frosting but what about the cake? Did you use salted butter for the cake also as you are also adding salt in it.I want to make sure before I bake this so my cake doesn’t taste salty.Thanks!
I design all my recipes to use salted butter whenever possible.
I only ever use unsalted butter, I made this cake twice the first time I adjusted the salt up to accommodate the unsalted butter, the second time I did not. Could not tell the difference between the two, the difference it nominal.
I was wondering if this recipe works as a cupcake as well? Thank you!
It sure does! https://thestayathomechef.com/chocolate-cupcake-recipe/
Hi, for those who made the cake already,
Isn’t 7-8 cups of powdered sugar an enormous amount for the frosting?
Appreciate any view on that
It is an enormous cake which tends to require an enormous amount of frosting.
There was quite a lot of extra icing left over when I made it. But we keep it quite frugal as we’re not big on frosting. If you make the full frosting recipe you NEED the sugar, it’s not too much in terms of sweetness.
Made this into cupcakes today! Made about 48 and they are AMAZING! The best chocolate cupcakes I’ve ever had. Made it exactly as the recipe says!
I made this cake last week – fabulous. Even my daughter who doesn’t like chocolate cake liked this one. I would most certainly use a white icing next time to break up the chocolate a bit (was a little overwhelming with the chocolate icing IMO). However, this was also the best chocolate icing I’ve ever had too and would be wonderful paired with a white cake.
I was hoping to find a white icing/frosting recipe similar to this chocolate one amongst Rachel’s recipes, but couldn’t find one, just standard buttercream or cream cheese icing. I may need to start experimenting with these two recipes to create a white icing that is as good as the chocolate!