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Give this “Best Ever Chocolate Cake” a try and you’ll quickly understand how it got its name! Made in a 9×13 pan, this moist, rich & chocolatey sheet cake is great for any occasion, big or small!
When I think about my favorite desserts, there are always three things that come to mind: Ice cream, apple crisp and chocolate cake. However, I’ll admit that when it comes to cake, I’m pretty particular!!
Amazing!!!!! I was looking for a perfect chocolate cake and checked out the recipe which looked promising and WOW! Was not disappointed! 🤤
–Rachel
To me, a chocolate cake must be moist, full of fudgy flavor and perfectly dense. And I can promise you than this cake hits the mark on all of the above!! If you’ve been searching and searching for the perfect homemade chocolate cake recipe, good news – you’ve found it! Seriously. Give this one a try and you won’t look back!
Ingredients Needed
- All-Purpose Flour
- White Sugar
- Cocoa Powder – Unsweetened
- Salt, Baking Powder & Baking Soda
- Vegetable Oil
- Buttermilk – You can use store-bought buttermilk or make your own.
- Eggs – I always use “large” eggs when baking.
- Vanilla Extract
- Coffee – If you don’t have coffee, hot water will work great too.
How to Make a Homemade Chocolate Cake
This recipe makes a moist and fudgy cake baked in a 9×13″ pan. I also have a round layer cake recipe if you prefer to go that route!
You’ll start by prepping your pan by greasing it with cooking spray. Also, you’ll want to turn the oven on so it’s nice and hot by the time the cake goes into the oven.
Then, you’re going to mix together the dry ingredients in one bowl and the wet ingredients in another bowl. If your cocoa powder looks clumpy at all, I’d recommend sifting it so you don’t have pockets of dry cocoa powder throughout.
Next, you’ll pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix. Be sure to scrape down the sides of the bowl a time or two to make sure everything gets well-incorporated. Pour the batter into the pan.
Time to bake!! As I mentioned above, make sure your oven is preheated before putting the cake into the oven. Then, set your timer for 28 minutes and check to see if it’s done. How do you know if the cake is done? Stick a toothpick into the center of the cake and pull it out.
If the toothpick is clean or has just a few moist crumbs, it’s done. If it’s a bit gooey, it’ll need more time.
Recommended Frostings
- My Glossy Chocolate Fudge Frosting is my favorite. It’s silky smooth, fudgy and not-too-sweet. It’s what I use for my Matilda Chocolate Cake!
- Chocolate Whipped Cream Frosting is another delicious option! This one is light and fluffy – the perfect contrast to this moist, fudgy cake! (Simply use the recipe in the link, but use chocolate pudding mix instead of vanilla)
- A classic chocolate buttercream is always a good choice!! It’s rich, but soooo tasty!
Of course these are just a few options for chocolate frosting. Vanilla frosting would also be wonderful, as would a peanut butter frosting, or how about a caramel buttercream?! Sooooo many possibilities!
Frequently Asked Questions
Absolutely. This cake freezes really well as long as it’s in a sealed freezer bag or tightly wrapped in plastic wrap and stored in an airtight container.
Seems crazy, but you really cannot taste the coffee in the recipe. Coffee actually enhances the flavor of the chocolate without adding the coffee flavor. However, if you don’t have coffee, hot water will work great as well.
Yes! Adding a hot liquid to the cocoa powder will help “bloom” the cocoa. In other words, it’ll help bring out more of the chocolatey goodness!
Other Favorite Chocolate Cake Recipes
- Homemade Chocolate Layer Cake – Similar to this one, but baked in layers and coated in a chocolate buttercream. Also super moist and perfectly dense!
- Matilda Chocolate Cake – This is a chocolate layer cake too, but with a beautiful, not-too-sweet glossy chocolate frosting. Looks just like the cake from the classic movie, Matilda!
- Chocolate Zucchini Cake – This sheet cake is perfect during zucchini season!! It’s easy to put together and has a simple frosting poured overtop!
- Moist Chocolate Bundt Cake – This cake is a chocolate lover’s dream! It starts with a cake mix and pudding packet, is rich and perfectly dense with a thick layer of fudgy icing!
- Chocolate Peanut Butter Poke Cake – This cake, my friends, is a MUST! Starts with this yummy cake, then gets dolled up with a peanut butter filling and topped with a flavored whipped cream.
Best Ever Chocolate Cake
Equipment
- 9 x 13" pan
Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 cups sugar
- 3/4 cup cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1/2 cup vegetable oil
- 1 cup buttermilk
- 2 eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 cup hot coffee
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F and grease a 9×13" pan with cooking spray.
- In a large mixing bowl or bowl of a stand mixer, add the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, salt, baking powder and baking soda; stir to combine.2 cups all-purpose flour, 2 cups sugar, 3/4 cup cocoa powder, 1 teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon baking powder, 2 teaspoons baking soda
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the oil, buttermilk, eggs and vanilla.1/2 cup vegetable oil, 1 cup buttermilk, 2 eggs, 1 teaspoon vanilla
- Pour the wet ingredients into the mixing bowl with the dry ingredients.
- Stir until well-mixed, scraping down the sides of the bowl a time or two.
- Slowly add the coffee and mix until combined.1 cup hot coffee
- Pour the batter into the prepared pan.
- Bake for 28-32 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean (or with a few moist crumbs).
- Let cool completely before frosting.
Notes
Nutrition
Recipe Update
New photos and more descriptive notes were added to this recipe in February 2025.
This looks delicious! I’m going to have to try your recipe. My normal go to chocolate cake recipe doesn’t rise very much but yours looks fluffy and moist!
Delicious moist, dense, and very flavorful . Didn’t have buttermilk so I substituted sour milk. I then made your Chocolate Peanut Butter Poke Cake….out of this world delicious…..I will making this delicious cake again !!!
yum
Can I use butter in place of oil?
You can use melted butter in place of the oil, but I really like the texture with the oil. Totally a preference thing! 🙂
Amazing!!!!! I was looking for a perfect chocolate cake and checked out the recipe which looked promising and WOW! Was not disappointed! 🤤
SO happy to hear this, Rachel!!! I’m also a huge chocolate cake fan and this one always does the trick! 🙂 ~Kelsey
what frosting do you use??
Hi Carole – You can use chocolate buttercream or my favorite glossy chocolate frosting I use on my Matilda Cake!
Hi, do you use unsweetened cocoa powder?
Yes! I do.
The baking temp and time are off on this receipt. My stove is 2 years old. I cook at 375 for 30mins.
the cake looks good but I would have to omit the coffee since I can’t stand it and don’t like the stuff in my bake goods
You can use hot water instead! 🙂
It’s in the oven right now and it smells sooo good!!! I’ll rank it as soon as we try it!
Any alternative for buttermilk l?
Yes! Pour 1 tablespoon of white vinegar into a liquid measuring cup and add enough milk to make 1 cup. Give it a stir and you’re good to go! ~Kelsey