My husband’s fave birthday cake has insanely moist and soft layers plus a super creamy chocolate frosting. It’s everything a birthday cake should be.
This post may contain affiliate links. Read our disclosure policy.
Chocolate Birthday Cake Ingredients
- Large Eggs: Make sure these are room temp.
- Granulated Sugar: Swap in homemade brown sugar for an even more tender cake.
- Cocoa Powder: I use unsweetened cocoa powder here.
- Instant Coffee Powder: This intensifies the chocolate flavor. Swap in your fave cup of coffee and just leave out the coffee powder.
- Salt: Just a pinch is all that’s needed.
- Hot Water: Again, you can use coffee here.
- All-Purpose Flour: I don’t recommend using cake flour here since it will make our cake too soft to work with.
- Baking Soda & Baking Powder: Make sure you check the expiration dates on these before using.
- Vegetable Oil: Any neutral oil like canola will also work here.
- Buttermilk: None around? 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.
- Pure Vanilla Extract: Don’t use artificial here.
- Unsalted Butter: Just leave out the salt if you use salted butter here.
- Confectioner’s Sugar: I like to sift this so the frosting turns out smooth.
- Cocoa Powder: Unsweetened is best here.
- Milk: Use any you prefer. It just helps smooth the consistency.
How to Make Chocolate Birthday Cake
Make the Batter
Step 1: Add eggs and sugar to bowl of your stand mixer and beat on high speed for 2-3 minutes.
Step 2: In a separate bowl, mix together cocoa, instant coffee, and a dash of salt with hot water.
Step 3: Pour the hot cocoa mixture into the egg and sugar party happening in your mixer.
Step 4: Sift flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt in small bowl.
Step 5: Decrease the speed to low and add to stand mixer. Add in buttermilk, vegetable oil, and vanilla and beat until just combined. Batter will be thin; this is normal.
Bake the Layers
Step 6: Divide that batter evenly between the prepared pans.
Step 7: Bake for 22-25 minutes at 350 F. You’ll know they are ready when a toothpick comes out clean.
Want to Save This Recipe, Boo?
I'll email this recipe to you, so you can come back to it later!
Step 8: Cool the cakes in pans for 10 minutes. Then gently remove cakes from the pans and place on a wire rack and allow to cool fully.
Frost the Cake
Step 9: Add butter and confectioner’s sugar to bowl of mixer and mix on high speed until smooth then add in cocoa powder.
Step 10: Lastly add in vanilla extract, milk and salt until frosting is fluffy and smooth.
Step 11: Add frosting between each layer then frost the outsides, add sprinkles if ya want and serve it up.
Chocolate Birthday Cake Recipe
Want to Save This Recipe, Boo?
I’ll email this recipe to you, so you can come back to it later!
Ingredients
For the Cake:
- 2 large eggs room temperature
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon instant coffee powder
- 1 cup hot water
- 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup vegetable oil
- 1 cup buttermilk room temperature
- 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, and instant coffee powder 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.
Notes
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.Nutrition
Recipe Tips
- Don’t Skip the Coffee: This really does add a richer chocolate flavor to the mixture. 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.
Recipe Help
I like to grease my round pans with cake release then add parchment to the bottoms so 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.
pinterest 
facebook 
twitter 
email
best ever choclate cake recipe i have ever found; i tried it last night and it turn a yummies cake; thanks for such a wonderfull sharing Jocelyn 🙂
Hooray I am so glad you enjoyed it!
Two for two! I made your caramel cake last weekend. Then, I made this chocolate cake for my husband’s birthday this week. Both cakes were SO good, and devoured in just two days. I need to stop cutting the recipe in half and just made the entire cake! That’s it! I’m buying your cookbook!
Hooray thank you so much Tina! I am so glad you enjoyed the recipes. They are faves of mine too. I can’t wait to share the book with you!!
Congratulations, Jocelyn!!! How exciting! I know it will be a fantastic book! And this cake looks amazing!
Such an elegant and classical chocolate cake! I love it. Congratulations on your new book, how exciting! And I love that you involving your readers in the process. One of my favourite cakes, growing-up, was a layered ice cream cake…it always made me smile ear to ear!
Thank you so much Emily! I really appreciate your kind words. I love ice cream cake too! And you can bet that you will see a couple in the book!
Hi Jocelyn
CONGRATULATIONS!!! on your first cookbook if it’s anything like your blog I know it is going to be a big seller. I would like to see a coconut cake recipe in your book with a deep coconut flavor with no 7 minute frosting. A lot of coconut cake recipes use a white or yellow cake batter with no coconut flavor to it at all use that 7 minute frosting and put coconut flakes on top of cake and call it a coconut cake. It’s just lacks in flavor. I’m not a food blogger, but I like to bake so if you want me to be a tester, I will volunteer.
What an awesome suggestion! Thank you so much Jackie! I will send you an email about testing if you are still interested and I love your suggestion for the traditional coconut cake! Thank you for all of your kind words too!
Yayayayayayay!!! I’m super duper excited for you, pretty girl!! 🙂 I can’t wait until your cookbook is out!
Hooray thanks so much my dear!
FABULOUS news, big congrats to you Jocelyn!! 🙂
I can’t wait to see your book.
WoW! Talk about a chocolaty-chocolate cake, I want a slice.
Chocolate cake is the one and only cake my hubs and son will accept on their birthdays.
If I don’t make their special chocolate cake for them on their special day they ask me to NOT bake them anything at all….LOL!!
So, chocolate cake is it for my two special guys.
Wow! Congratulations on your upcoming cookbook! I can’t wait to see it. Good for you, Jocelyn.
Awww thanks so much Andrea! I really appreciate the love!
Jocelyn! What awesome news! Congratulations on the book. I know the final product with all those amazing cake recipes will be simply amazing. And I love your idea to add stories. My favorite cookbooks are ones that are personal. 🙂
You are so sweet! Thank you so much Ashley! I can’t wait to share it!
Congratulations on your upcoming book – that’s so exciting! If you need any Chicago bloggers to test out your recipes (or taste-test….), I’m in!
Hooray thank you sooo much Jenny! I am so grateful for your help! I will send you an email with information.