Listen boos, you will never want to celebrate your birthday again without my chocolate birthday cake recipe! The layers are beyond soft and moist with bomb chocolate intensity. Then we top each of those layers with the most creamy, buttery chocolate frosting. That first bite will legit make you weak in the knees like SWV. Get ready to leave all your other chocolate birthday cakes behind and get into this one!
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They’re Lovin’ It! Here’s what They’re Sayin’:
“BEST. Cake. ever. I made it for my brother’s friend’s birthday, they said they loved it.”
—DAVID N.
This is my husband’s birthday cake y’all. I’ve been making it for almost 20 years back to the days of our early courting. It is such a tradition, and it’s because this cake is such a hit! It’s insanely moist, filled with intense chocolate flavor, incredibly fudgy and has the perfect texture. I can’t take the credit though. This cake recipe belongs to my auntie Rose, and it’s everything a birthday cake should be. Let’s get into it!
The Lowdown of This Chocolate Birthday Cake
Cuisine Inspiration: Classic American
Primary Cooking Method: Baking
Dietary Info: Rich and Indulgent
Key Flavor: Chocolate reigns supreme, delivering a rich and satisfying taste in every bite.
Skill Level: Not too hard. You just need some cake decorating skillz.
The Ultimate Duo
When you slap together the rich layers of moist chocolatey goodness with smooth, velvety frosting, you get something truly special. No other birthday cake can compete!
Celebration Ready!!
It’s perfect for birthdays and special occasions. Simply put, this cake knows how to party.
Prep This Baby Ahead!
If you gotta get party ready but don’t have the time, you can prep this cake ahead! Bake the layers and freeze them until you need them.
Ingredients You’ll Need to Make this Chocolate Birthday Cake recipe
For the Cake:
- Large Eggs: These are the foundation of our cake structure, holding it all together.
- Granulated Sugar: This is what is making our cake indulgently sweet.
- Cocoa Powder: The cocoa is where the deep, rich chocolate flavor kicks in.
- Instant Coffee Powder: It’s our little secret weapon that enhances and intensifies the chocolate flavor.
- Salt: Just a pinch balances the sweetness and elevates the flavors.
- Hot Water: It’s going to mix with our cocoa to create a smooth texture.
- All-Purpose Flour: The backbone of our cake, it provides structure and softness.
- Baking Soda & Baking Powder: These are the lift providers, ensuring our cake rises to the occasion.
- Vegetable Oil: The oil keeps each and every bite super moist and tender.
- Buttermilk: It’s here for moisture and a tangy delicate crumb.
- Pure Vanilla Extract: Just a splash of sweet, aromatic essence rounds out the flavors.
For the Frosting:
- Unsalted Butter: Soft and creamy, it’s the base of our frosting.
- Confectioner’s Sugar: This makes our frosting sweet and smooth.
- Cocoa Powder: Back at it again with more chocolate flavor.
- Pure Vanilla Extract: Just a hint is needed to add sweet aroma and flavor.
- Milk: A dash for consistency, making our frosting spreadable and silky.
- Salt: You gotta add a pinch to balance the sweetness.
How to Make Chocolate Birthday Cake
What to Serve with Happy Birthday Chocolate Cake
- Cake and Ice Cream: All b-day celebrations deserve a slice of chocolate cake with homemade vanilla ice cream.
- Dollop it Up: Serve some dollops of fresh whipped cream on the side.
- Drizzle it Up: Add a little drizzle of caramel sauce on each slice.
- Get Fruity: Top with fresh berries or add a spoonful of fresh strawberry preserves on the side to brighten up the chocolate flavors.
- Elegant Adult Birthday Party: For the grown folks, start with bomb crab cakes then add pan-seared steaks along with garlic mashed potatoes, some au jus, creamed spinach and lobster mac and cheese. And don’t forget to save room for a big hunk of this birthday cake. You deserve it boo!
Recipe Substitutions
- Granulated Sugar: Swap in homemade brown sugar for an even more tender cake with more nuance from molasses flavor.
- Hot Water: Swap in your fave cup of coffee and just leave out the coffee powder.
- Buttermilk: None around? Quickly make some by adding a tablespoon of lemon juice or vinegar to 1 cup of milk and letting it sit for 5 minutes until it thickens.
- Unsalted Butter: It’s totally fine to use salted butter here instead. Just leave out the salt boos.
Recipe Variations and Additions
- Gluten-Free: Replace the flour with your fave 1:1 ratio gluten-free baking flour. The texture may change slightly but it will still be amazing boos.
- Swap the Frosting: Switch it up with a caramel frosting, cream cheese frosting, a silky chocolate Swiss meringue buttercream or even a classic American buttercream.
- Get Decadent with Ganache: Sandwich some chocolate ganache in between the layers to make this super indulgent.
Expert Tips and Tricks
- Don’t Skip the Coffee: That little kick really does add a richer chocolate flavor to the mix. You won’t even taste the coffee boos, trust me.
- Don’t Overbake: Make sure you watch that bake time so you don’t dry out your cakes.
- Cool Completely Before Frosting: If you don’t want a super melty cake sliding around everywhere, make sure that the cake layers have cooled completely before frosting.
How to Decorate Your Birthday Cake
Now that you have your chocolate cake and chocolate frosting done, your chocolate birthday cake is not complete without sprinkles, candles and other birthday cake toppers.
Some of my fave topper ideas are:
- Sparklers
- Edible prints with cartoon and comic book characters
- Edible flowers
Whatever topper you decide, your cake is complete. Get ready to surprise the birthday boy or girl!
How to Store
Wrap your leftovers tightly in plastic wrap or place it in an airtight container or cake carrier to keep it fresh and fab for up to 3-4 days at room temp. If you need to keep it longer than that, slide the extra cake into the fridge.
Just a little tip: if you’re diving back in for another slice, let it sit out for a bit to get back to room temperature – it’ll taste just like it did on day one!
How long will chocolate birthday cake last in the fridge?
It’ll stay scrumptious for up to 6 days.
Can I freeze ?
Absolutely boos! I like to chill the cake in the fridge first to get that frosting firmed. Then I cut individual slices and wrap them tightly in plastic wrap then add to freezer bags releasing all the air. Add the date. It should last in the freezer for up to 3 months. Thaw in the fridge then bring back to room temperature before indulging.
Frequently Asked Questions
I like to grease my round pans then add parchment to the bottoms to ensure the layers come out super clean y’all.
Absolutely boos. In fact, you can bake the cake layers and freeze them by wrapping them tightly with plastic wrap a few times. When you are ready to serve, pop them in the fridge to defrost. Then make the frosting fresh, ice your cake and serve it up.
I usually use unsweetened cocoa powder. It has a stronger chocolate flavor versus Dutch-processed with is less acidic and has a smoother, milder flavor. But you can do whatever you want here because this recipe contains both leavenings so it will work out. Do you boos!
Other Chocolate Cake Recipes
Chocolate Birthday Cake
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Ingredients
For the Cake:
- 2 large eggs room temperature
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon instant coffee powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup hot water
- 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 cup vegetable oil
- 1 cup buttermilk
- 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
For the Frosting:
- 1 1/2 cups unsalted butter room temperature
- 6 cups confectioner’s sugar
- 3/4 cup cocoa powder
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 1/4 cup milk
- pinch of salt
Instructions
For the Cake:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees and spray 3 9 inch round pans with non-stick baking spray.
- Add eggs and sugar to bowl of your stand mixer and beat on high speed for 2-3 minutes.
- While mixture beats, add cocoa powder, instant coffee powder and salt to hot water in a separate bowl. Slowly add this mixture to the eggs and sugar.
- Sift flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt in a small bowl. Turn the speed down to low then add in the dry ingredients in intervals. Next, add vegetable oil, buttermilk and vanilla extract to the mixer and beat until just combined. Batter will be sort of thin but this is normal.
- Evenly divide cake batter to all three pans and bake for 22-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Allow to rest for 10 minutes before removing from pans to cool completely.
For the Frosting:
- Add butter, confectioner's sugar to bowl of mixer and mix on high speed. Then add in cocoa powder and continue mixing until smooth.
- Lastly add in vanilla extract, milk and salt until frosting is fluffy and smooth.
- Add frosting to each layer and stack on each other. Finally frost the sides and top of cake and serve it up.
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I baked this cake for my 55th birthday!!! It was delicious, moist and very easy to make. This recipe is definitely a keeper!! Thanks for sharing!!
Do you definitely use 9″ cake tins? The photo looks more like 8″. It looks delicious and I am going to make it today.
You can definitely use either.
Brilliant recipe, risen really well, soft, moist and not too rich! To be honest I thought it was going to be sickly sweet with the amount of sugar used but was not at all, even the frosting was just right. Would definitely recommend using this recipe
Wonderful cake recipe that was super simple to follow! Moist and not too rich (for those in the family that complain of such things). The buttercream wasn’t overly sweet and oh soo good. This will be my go to birthday cake from now on. Thank you!
Hello, I was wondering if I can make this cake 4 days earlier? Thank you
I would freeze the layers if making that far ahead.
This truly is the best cake I have EVER tasted! I never wrote reviews but I just couldn’t believe how amazing this was. Wow. Make it!!
HOW TO BAKE IF USING 9X13 GLASS PAN??? HELP!
It should work in a 9×13 but you will just have to adjust the bake time.
Excellent recipe! I made this cake for my son’s birthday and everyone LOVED it! The cake was very moist and light. Chocolate cake is often dense and dense it was not! Next time I will try this cake with strawberries inside. I bet it would take it to the next level. 5 STARS!
I made this cake a while back and it’s awesome! My husband isn’t a big cake fan (yeah, I don’t get it) but he LOVED this! I will definitely make it again!
Will it make any difference in the cake taste if I don’t add the instant coffee powder?
You can remove this.