You're not going to believe how perfectly moist and intensely chocolatey this cake is! This easy one-bowl, do-it-all recipe can be used to bake a sheet cake, layer cake, or cupcakes, so it's perfect for any occasion. If you need a chocolate cake recipe for a birthday celebration, graduation party, bridal or baby shower, or just because... this moist and fudgy chocolate cake is it!
"The best chocolate cake recipe! Made this with my 7 year old and it was so easy to follow. In her words decadent and mommy can we make this again. This is now a staple!" - Tanisha, ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
This cake is giving serious Matilda chocolate cake vibes. I know my fellow '90s kids know what I'm talking about... the scene in the 1996 movie when Matilda's classmate, Bruce, devours Miss Trunchbull's chocolate cake. The scene is gross, but the cake looks totally indulgent and delicious.
I may be biased, but I can't get over how perfect this cake is! It's seriously chocolatey with the perfect balance of fudgy flavor and moist texture. And it's incredibly simple to make. This is about to be your favorite chocolate cake recipe!
Here's what I love most about this recipe:
- Easy to Make - This chocolate cake could not be easier to make! The recipe uses simple ingredients and comes together in just one bowl.
- Versatile - This cake recipe is so versatile! Need a layer cake to celebrate your spouse's birthday? Check! Need a sheet cake for a graduation party? Check! Need to make a bunch of cupcakes for your child's birthday party? Check! This cake recipe can do it all!
- Flavor & Texture - I worked hard to really nail the flavor and texture of this cake. It needed to be deeply chocolatey with fudgy, dark chocolate flavor and also be perfectly moist without feeling too dense. And since cocoa powder is very absorbent and can dry out a cake batter, I needed just the right mix of liquid ingredients to achieve the luscious texture I wanted. Many recipe tests playing with different combinations and ratios of liquid ingredients led me here. Using a mixture of oil, milk, sour cream, and hot coffee keep this cake batter moist and luxurious.
- Crowd-Pleasing - I served this cake (in sheet cake form) at my kids' birthday party and also made it for each of their birthdays (in layer cake form) at their requests! I always receive rave reviews on the flavor and how perfectly moist the cake is.
Oh, and for a holiday version of this crowd-pleasing chocolate cake, check out my easy Yule Log Layer Cake recipe.
Ingredient Notes & Substitutions
See recipe card at the bottom of this post for full ingredient list and measurements.
All-Purpose Flour - This cake manages to be tender and moist without cake flour, so we're sticking with pantry staple all-purpose flour.
Cocoa Powder - You can use natural unsweetened or Dutch process cocoa powder to bake this chocolate cake. The decision comes down to what kind of chocolate flavor you want.
Natural unsweetened cocoa powder will give you a classic, slightly acidic chocolate flavor that's lighter in color, while Dutch process cocoa powder (my personal preference) adds a smooth dark chocolate flavor that's darker in color. The cakes and cupcakes shown in this post were all made using Dutch process cocoa.
Whole Milk - Milk adds moisture and richness to the cake batter. I always recommend whole milk for baking, though you can substitute a lowfat milk if you prefer.
Vegetable Oil - Vegetable oil adds needed moisture and fat to the cake batter. Compared to butter it creates a cake with a more tender crumb, which is why we're using oil instead of butter in this recipe.
Sour Cream - Sour cream helps to create a moist cake. Because of its acidity, it's also responsible for activating the baking soda, which helps the cake to rise when baking. You can substitute Greek yogurt for the sour cream, but note that doing so may add a subtle tangy flavor to the cake.
Hot Coffee - The hot liquid blooms the cocoa powder, deepening its chocolate flavor, while the coffee enhances the flavor of the chocolate (without making it taste like coffee - promise!). If you prefer, you can substitute an equal measure of boiling water.
Special Equipment
This recipe requires no special equipment! All you'll need is a mixing bowl, whisk, and wooden spoon. Then choose your baking pan based on the type of cake you want to bake:
- 9x13 metal pan OR
- Two 9 inch round cake pans OR
- Cupcake pan
Step-By-Step Recipe Instructions
See recipe card at the bottom of this post for detailed recipe instructions.
Step 1: Make the cake. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
Step 2: To the dry ingredients add milk, oil, sour cream, eggs, and vanilla. Stir until well combined.
Step 3: Add hot coffee to the batter, carefully mixing with a whisk until well blended.
Step 4: Add batter to a parchment-lined pan. Bake at 350º F for 35 minutes. Let cool.
Allison's Top Tips
When the dry and wet ingredients in the cake batter are mixed together, the batter will be thick and look a lot like brownie batter. When you add the hot coffee, it will at first seem like it won't blend into the batter, but keep mixing. It will eventually come together and the batter will be thin and pourable.
Be sure to line the cake pan with parchment paper to ensure the cake doesn't stick. Here's a tutorial for the easiest way to line cake pans with parchment paper.
The recipe explains how to bake this cake in a 9x13 pan, but the same recipe can easily be adapted for other pans and sizes. You'll find instructions for baking this recipe as a layer cake or cupcakes in the Notes section at the bottom of the recipe card below.
Frosting Suggestions
This cake is really versatile and could be frosted with just about any frosting you like. Here are some of my favorite pairings:
- You can't go wrong with a classic all-butter buttercream frosting. This recipe makes the best-tasting American buttercream frosting, includes detailed-step-by-step instructions, and explains multiple ways to customize the flavor, from vanilla to chocolate to strawberry to cookie butter.
- Chocolate ganache buttercream frosting plays up the richness of this cake to create a truly decadent chocolate cake. You see this frosting on the sheet cake and layer cake in this post, and this is the frosting to use if "Matilda cake" is your goal!
- Fans of the classic chocolate peanut butter combo will love this cake paired with peanut butter cream cheese frosting. That's exactly what I did to create this chocolate peanut butter sheet cake (plus peanut butter cups and drizzles of chocolate ganache and melty peanut butter to take it over-the-top in the best way!).
- To create the ultimate cookies and cream cake, pair this cake with Oreo buttercream frosting!
- For an adults-only spin on chocolate frosting, try this Irish coffee chocolate frosting. It might be my favorite flavor of chocolate frosting, and it would be so fun for a St. Patrick's Day cake! You see this frosting on the cupcake photo above in this post.
- Classic cream cheese frosting would also pair beautifully with this cake! This recipe also includes fun flavor variations like brown butter and vanilla bean.
Love this recipe? Please leave a star rating and review on the recipe below! And don't forget to subscribe to Always Eat Dessert for even more easy dessert recipes and helpful baking tips.
Recipe
Moist & Fudgy Chocolate Cake (One-Bowl)
Special Equipment
- Cake pan (round or rectangular) or cupcake pan
Ingredients
Chocolate Cake
- 2 cups (240 grams) all-purpose flour
- 2 cups (396 grams) granulated sugar
- ¾ cup (63 grams) cocoa powder (Dutch processed or natural unsweetened)
- 2 teaspoons (8 grams) baking powder
- 1 ½ teaspoons (10 grams) baking soda
- 1 teaspoon (6 grams) fine sea salt
- ¾ cup (170 grams) whole milk
- ½ cup (100 grams) vegetable oil
- ¼ cup (56 grams) full-fat sour cream
- 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
- 2 teaspoons (10 grams) vanilla extract
- 1 cup (227 grams) hot coffee
- Chocolate Ganache Buttercream Frosting (or other frosting of your choosing)
Instructions
Make the cake batter.
- Preheat oven to 350º F. Line a 9x13 metal baking pan with parchment paper and set aside. *See recipe note for baking round cake layers or cupcakes.
- In a large bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.2 cups (240 grams) all-purpose flour, 2 cups (396 grams) granulated sugar, ¾ cup (63 grams) cocoa powder, 2 teaspoons (8 grams) baking powder, 1 ½ teaspoons (10 grams) baking soda, 1 teaspoon (6 grams) fine sea salt
- To the dry ingredients add milk, oil, sour cream, eggs, and vanilla. Stir until well combined. The batter will be thick, similar to the texture of brownie batter.¾ cup (170 grams) whole milk, ½ cup (100 grams) vegetable oil, ¼ cup (56 grams) full-fat sour cream, 2 large eggs,, 2 teaspoons (10 grams) vanilla extract
- Add hot coffee to the batter, carefully mixing with a whisk until well blended. The batter will now be very thin.1 cup (227 grams) hot coffee
Bake the cake.
- Pour the cake batter into the prepared cake pan.
- Bake the cake for 30-35 minutes, or until the top sprigs back when gently poked and a cake tester inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean or with just a few moist crumbs.
- Let the cake cool completely before frosting or storing.
Melv says
Awesome cake but I work in grams and there is a big difference in your flour and sugar measurements but the cup measurements are the same also 1.5 tsp is not more than 2 top a bit confusing but got round it
Allison Ferraro says
Hi Melv! I'm glad to hear you measure your ingredients by weight in grams since this is most accurate! Sugar is heavier than flour, so a cup of sugar weights more in grams than a cup of flour does. I've thoroughly tested this recipe and can confirm that both the grams and volume (cup/teaspoon/etc.) measurements listed in the recipe are accurate.
- Allison
Edith Thronesbery says
Will this recipe work in a 11 x 15 sheet pan? If so, how long would I bake it?
Allison Ferraro says
Hi Edith! I haven't tested this recipe as an 11x15 sheet cake. If you're looking to serve it as a classic frosted sheet cake you would need to double the recipe, but I worry the pan wouldn't be deep enough to hold the batter. You could bake a single recipe in a sheet pan (reducing the bake time), if a thinner cake layer is what you're after, but note that this cake is very soft and tender, so a thinner cake may not be sturdy enough for what you need. I hope this helps!
- Allison
Anna says
Everyone loves this, mixed strawberries into it and it was wonderful!
Ellie says
Hey! Can I cut down the sugar to 1 1/12 cups to make it less sweet?
Allison Ferraro says
Hi Ellie! I do not recommend changing the amount of sugar in the recipe. In addition to sweetness, sugar helps to add structure to the cake, so reducing the sugar will also impact the cake's texture.
- Allison
Carol Anita Nair says
Hi Ellie,..I would like to try making this cake but can I use 2 8inch cake tins instead?
Allison Ferraro says
Hi Carol! I have not tested this cake in 8 inch round pans to confirm it will work, but I expect it would turn out fine. You will need to increase the bake time slightly, since you'll be baking smaller, thicker cake layers.
- Allison
Laurie Sutter says
Love this cake !!
Julia says
Hi, this cake looks amazing and I plan to make it for guests next week. But can you please confirm if there are 2 eggs or 3? 2 eggs are listed in the recipe, but the photo shows 3. Thanks in advance!
Allison Ferraro says
Hi Julia! The recipe card is correct... the recipe includes 2 eggs. Happy baking!
- Allison
Taryn says
Best cake recipe!
Aly C says
Hello, I am making this cake this weekend, for just 3 people, and I would like to make it in an 8x8 pan. If so, will the cook times be the same?
Allison Ferraro says
Hi Aly! The bake time will be slightly shorter for a half recipe baked in an 8x8 pan compared to full recipe baked in a 9x13 pan. An 8x8 pan should take 25-30 minutes to bake.
- Allison
Aly says
I made the cake this weekend and it was fantastic! Very moist and a great chocolate flavor! I'm not a coffee drinker and was hesitant about the coffee but you can not taste it at all, so don't be afraid of that part. This was THE best cake and will be my go to from now on.
Allison Ferraro says
Hi Aly! Thanks for this awesome review! I'm so glad you love this cake recipe! And I appreciate your note about the coffee flavor not coming through... I get lots of questions about this, so it's helpful to have another baker share their opinion. I'm also not a coffee drinker and would never want unexpected coffee flavor in a dessert.
- Allison
Cheryl Otwell says
The first time I made this I thought I’d died and gone to heaven it was so so moist. The second time not so much. Third time better than the second but not near as moist. Yesterday again not as moist. I’ve been following the recipe to the tee. I went 29 minutes on cooking and still not as moist as the first time. Any ideas?
Allison Ferraro says
Hi Cheryl! I know how frustrating that can be, and I would love to help you troubleshoot! Are you measuring the dry ingredients (or at least the flour and cocoa) using a scale to ensure that you're using the same amount each time? It sounds like you didn't make any changes or substitutions to the ingredients, but did you use different brands of ingredients or use different baking pans for different batches? And are you using an oven thermometer to be sure that your oven is running at the right temperature?
- Allison
Steve says
My wife made this cake for my birthday and it is the BEST chocolate cake I've ever had. Rich and moist; just perfect. And the frosting was one of the suggested frosting on this website. It was the Irish Coffee Chocolate frosting which is also delicious and combined with the chocolate cake was just heaven!
Sherry says
Hi Allison, I wanted to bake your cake but I don’t have a metal pan only a glass one what temp and how long would you suggest I bake it for?
Allison Ferraro says
Hi Sherry! If possible, I recommend purchasing a metal baking pan. Because of the way metal conducts heats (more quickly than glass), a metal pan will help treats like cakes and brownies bake more evenly and rise properly. I have not tested baking this recipe using glass pans, but if you do choose to give it a try I would recommend dropping the temperature to 325ºF and adding at least 10 minutes to the baking time (assuming you're baking in a 9x13 pan).
- Allison