This Best Chocolate Cake recipe is delicious, simple, decadent, and gives you homemade flavor with a cake mix shortcut that no one will know!
We’re big chocolate cake fans in our family. For the longest time, this Best Chocolate Cake Recipe Ever from my friend Robyn at Add a Pinch was my go-to. And while it really is THE BEST, Robyn is what I call a true baker, and I don’t really fancy myself a baker. The preciseness of baking gives me anxiety. There’s too much chemistry involved. I wanted to create a super delicious chocolate cake that was more simple to accomplish and started with a cake mix shortcut. So I did just that!
I learned a few years back, that my favorite cakes have both butter and oil in them. The butter adds great flavor and the oil keeps the cake moist. So, I knew it had to include both of those in addition to the cake mix. I’m also a big fan of the ever-popular White Almond Sour Cream Cake (WASC) that many bakers swear by. It starts with a boxed mix. So, I wondered if there was a way to take a chocolate cake mix and use the same method from the WASC cake teamed with my insistence of using both butter and oil.
A quick Google search brought me to the blog of Liz Marek. Sugar Geek Show is all about amazing cake and dessert recipes and cake decorating tutorials. Now that sounds pretty simple, but her blog is so much more. When I tell you this gal is amazing, that’s an understatement. If you’ve got some time to kill, you need to click over and check out some of the ridiculously amazing cakes she’s created. Wickedly talented is how I’d describe Liz.
Anyway, she has a recipe for a Chocolate WASC Cake that met all my criteria. It started with a boxed mix and included both oil and butter. And it was amazingly delicious. So delicious, in fact, that I only made a few tweaks after testing it about 6 times – you know, in the name of science and stuff.
For me, I love the flavor of my Buttermilk Chocolate Cake. Now, I’ve been told that the unique flavor, in addition to the buttermilk, is created by heating the cocoa powder and allowing it to “bloom.” Keeping that thought in mind, I decided to test the recipe using hot coffee rather than the cold coffee Liz calls for. It could all be in my head, but I found that it did make a difference. That said, cold coffee will certainly work.
As for the decadent chocolate buttercream frosting recipe, that’s my own creation and one I’ve been using for years. And now I’ve got the perfect cake to complement my frosting!
And after all those details you never asked for but I provided anyway… Here you have it – My Best Chocolate Cake! And, this recipe makes for excellent cupcakes too! This amped-up cake mix recipe will give you enough batter for about 36 cupcakes, and the frosting will give you more than enough to pipe mile-high swirls on top. Y’all enjoy!
Why do you use a cake mix in this chocolate cake recipe?
This cake gives you the best of both worlds. It’s got the reliability of a boxed mix, but the flavor of homemade with all the added ingredients. Starting with a cake mix offers us several unique advantages. It gives us a head start by eliminating some steps. It also reduces the margin of error when it comes to measuring, meaning that there’s a much greater chance that your cake is going to turn out perfectly. And, Liz’s blog also taught me that it has emulsifiers in it that a scratch cake wouldn’t have. Those emulsifiers also help ensure that the cake turns out perfectly.
And I’m sure you’re wondering why this recipe calls for extra flour, so let’s go ahead and answer that question too. The additional flour, cocoa, and sugar help to work as a cake mix extender so we have more batter which means thicker layers of cake rather than the super thin layers we’d get from a mix alone.
Will the coffee ingredient make my cake taste like coffee?
That’s a good question, but no, your cake won’t taste like coffee. The coffee just works to intensify the chocolate flavor. And, feel free to use hot or cold coffee. Whichever you have on hand will work just fine!
Tips for Perfect Chocolate Buttercream Frosting
- Start with room temperature butter! This ensures that the butter combines more evenly and easily with your other ingredients.
- The length of time you mix the frosting offers you a few different results! For dense, smooth frosting, you want to mix it until everything is just combined. If you want a lighter, fluffier frosting, mixing it a bit longer will give you that.
- Allow your cake layers to chill before frosting! I got this tip from Liz as well. Allowing the cake to chill in the fridge makes it sturdier and a bit easier to coat.
- Allow the whole cake to come to room temperature before serving! This just ensures everything is set perfectly so nothing runs into the other, and your cake and cupcakes stay structured as you indulge. Enjoy!
Ingredients
Chocolate Cake
- 1 (15.25-ounce) box devil's food cake mix (I like Duncan Hines for this recipe)
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup sugar
- ½ cup cocoa powder
- 1 ½ cups hot coffee
- ½ cup butter, melted
- ¼ cup vegetable oil
- 1 cup sour cream
- 3 large eggs
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
Chocolate Buttercream Frosting
- 2 cups unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1 (2-pound) bag powdered sugar (7 ½ cups)
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ¼ cup cocoa powder
- 4 ounces unsweetened chocolate, melted and cooled to room temperature
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 tablespoons heavy cream (or more)
Instructions
Best Chocolate Cake
- Preheat the oven to 325°F and spray two 9-inch light-colored aluminum cake pans with nonstick baking spray with flour. Set aside.
- In the bowl of a mixer, combine the cake mix, flour, salt, sugar, and cocoa powder until well mixed. Add the hot coffee and mix to combine.
- Add the melted butter, oil, and sour cream, mix to combine. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add the eggs and vanilla extract and mix for about 2 minutes.
- Divide the batter between the two prepared pans and bake for 35 to 45 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of each cake comes out clean.
- Allow to cool for about 10 minutes in the pan, then turn the cakes out onto a wire cooling rack to cool completely.
Chocolate Buttercream Frosting
- Add the butter to the bowl of a mixer and mix until smooth. Gradually add the powdered sugar, mixing well after each addition.
- Add the salt and cocoa powder. Mix well. Add the cooled chocolate and vanilla and mix well.
- Add the heavy cream to thin the buttercream to spreading consistency and mix to combine. Add more cream to make it thinner or more powdered sugar if you get it too thin.
- Once the cake is cool, trim off the domed part of each cake, and frost with the chocolate buttercream.
Notes
Nutrition
* If nutritional values are provided, they are an estimate and will vary depending on the brands used. The values do not include optional ingredients or when ingredients are added to taste. If calorie count and other nutritional values are important to you, I recommend grabbing your favorite brands and plugging those ingredients into an online nutritional calculator.
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I’m going to make this chocolate cake for my husband’s birthday. If it’s even half as good as your strawberry cake it’ll become my new go to. I made your strawberry cake for Easter and the family ate it all, like every bit of it…gone! It was so good.
Love hearing that! Sure hope he enjoys it!
how long should i bake if using 9×13 pan. i assume longer than normal box times. thanks.
I can’t say for sure, but I’d guess at 325°F it will likely be in the 40 to 45 minute timeframe.
THIS cake!!! One of the best cakes I have ever made! I made it exactly as directed but did have to use quite a bit more of heavy cream in the icing. I would say I used about a half a cup.
Does this cake need to be refrigerated due to the butter? I never can decide if I need to refrigerate a cake or not.
Thanks, Jen! I’m so glad to hear you’ve enjoyed it! The answer to your question about refrigeration is a little complicated. Some would say that the use of butter and cream require refrigeration. And while they’re technically correct, folks have been leaving buttercream like this out for generations. I’d say if you’re going to eat it all within a few days, it’s just fine on the counter. Any longer, and I might refrigerate it.
If I want vanilla frosting, do I just leave out the chocolate? Do I add anything else?
Thanks
Yep, that should work.
This IS the best chocolate cake! I have made it several times. So moist and delish. Bakes up beautifully!!
So glad to hear it turned out great for you!
I want to try this recipe using a Bundt Cake pan. Will the measurements for the cake/frosting differ?
You might have a little extra frosting, but that’s never a bad thing. 🙂 Enjoy!
Oh my goodness this look wonderful! This is definitely worth trying.
Thanks, Shweta!
I love chocolate cake and this one looks so delicious. Thanks for sharing it with us.
I made this today. WOW! I believe it is one of the BEST chocolate cake recipes I have ever made. The frosting/icing (I use them both, too.) is OUT OF THIS WORLD! The cake was so velvety and had an awesome moist texture. Very decadent. The frosting/icing is TO DIE FOR! The perfect frosting/icing for this cake or ANY cake for that matter. My husband LOVED it, too. He said it was one of the best cakes he has ever eaten. Thank you, Stacey, for sharing another WONDERFUL recipe!
(I did make the cake in a 9×13 pan & I halved the frosting/icing recipe. Turned out great!)
Awesome! I’m just tickled to hear you enjoyed it so much!
Hi , can you use lactose free butter .
I’ve not tried that, so I can’t say for sure, but I would imagine it should work just fine.
I’m excited to try this as I’ve loved your other recipes I’ve tried. I’m not a coffee drinker so no coffee or coffee pot in my house. Could I buy coffee at a local restaurant and reheat it?
I calculated that 7.5 cups of powdered sugar would be a 2 pound bag. Please clarify.
That’s correct. A 2 pound bag of powdered sugar – which is roughly equivalent to 7 1/2 cups.
Absolutely! That should work just fine. You could even use instant in a pinch.
Would you still need to add the flour if you are using a 9×13 pan?
Yes, I would recommend it.
Alright, you’ve sold me Stacey! I love chocolate cake as well and starting with a cake mix is okay in my book. And I say frosting and icing interchangeably, too. 🙂
Ha! I hope you’ll enjoy it!
Why add the flour? What does it do for the cake, since you are already using cake mix?
Great question! It adds to the volume of the cake mix to make more batter so you have thicker layers.
Could I make a 9 x 13 cake with this recipe?
Absolutely!
I think this cake sounds perfect. Can’t wait to try it. I like to make cakes in a 9 x 13 pan. Would this be possible with your chocolate cake? If so, what temp and how long do you recommend.
Thanks!
Yes, it should work just fine. At 325°F, the cook time should be roughly the same.