The BEST Moist Chocolate Cake Recipe
No word of a lie, this is THE BEST MOIST CHOCOLATE CAKE recipe on the internet with rich chocolate taste and ultra soft, moist crumb texture. If you've been looking for it, then look no further... THIS IS IT! It is the #1 recipe here on this website. It is so easy to make without a mixer and in one bowl, and it is incredibly chocolaty with the best chocolate frosting. This recipe is foolproof and has turned out perfectly by home bakers across the world in different kitchens in different countries. Bakery owners across the globe use this recipe and say it is their number one seller and the most requested cake by their clients. I also have milk chocolate version which is equally delicious.
Don't hesitate to make this whole cake even if you live in a small household because it keeps so well. In fact this BEST chocolate cake is so moist that it keeps for over a week without drying out and actually improves with age! It is even soft and moist straight from the fridge. If you prefer a smaller cake, try my single layer Ultimate Moist Chocolate Fudge Cake and you can also check out this One Bowl Chocolate Sheet Cake with Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting.
WHAT MAKES THIS THE BEST MOIST CHOCOLATE CAKE RECIPE
- SO EASY to make - this cake can be made in one bowl with a whisk! You don't need a stand mixer, although sometimes I use my electric hand mixer to make it. Either way it works just as well!
- Moist chocolate cake - the cake is SO super moist! It has the softest texture and stays moist for days without drying out.
- Perfect crumb texture - the crumb structure on this cake is so even that it looks like a store-bought cake that is full of emulsifiers, except this is homemade with real, simple ingredients!
- Rich chocolate flavor - you will love the smooth and rich chocolate taste that shines through these cake layers. The flavor gets even better by the second and third day.
- Fudgy chocolate frosting - I use a rich chocolate ganache made with sour cream for the frosting. It is so easy to make and you don't need softened butter nor icing sugar. It's simple and so decadent and fudgy! Many people have told me this is the best frosting they've ever made!
- No buttermilk - buttermilk is a great ingredient, but it is also not a common ingredient and many people do not stock this in their refrigerator regularly. So, luckily you don't need buttermilk to make the best chocolate cake recipe ever.
INGREDIENTS FOR THE BEST CHOCOLATE CAKE
Here are some notes about the ingredients. For a full list of ingredients, check out the recipe card at the bottom of the page.
- All purpose flour - you do not need specialty cake flour to make a wonderful chocolate cake. Just be sure to measure your flour correctly! Adding too much flour is the most common mistake and leads to tough and dry cake. The most accurate way to measure flour is using a scale. If you don't have one then fluff your flour with a spoon, spoon it into your measuring cup and use a knife to level it off. This batter is meant to be quite runny so refrain from adding more flour to make it thicker.
- Granulated sugar - simple white sugar will keep this cake sweet and moist.
- Brown sugar - a bit of brown sugar will add a hint of molasses flavor for extra richness to enhance the chocolate taste and adds extra moisture with its water-binding properties.
- Pure vanilla extract - vanilla is essential to enhance the flavor of the cocoa to elevate the chocolate flavor. I love this Madagascar Bourbon Vanilla extract.
- Cocoa powder - you can make do with basic quality flour, sour cream, milk and oil but you should get your hands on some good quality cocoa powder! It's the main flavor and you want it to shine so use the best you can find. I love to use this Dutch Process cocoa powder for this recipe. Make sure you use unsweetened cocoa powder and not cocoa mix.
- Salt - this is one of the most important ingredients in chocolate cake. Without salt, cocoa-based desserts can just taste flat no matter how much cocoa you add. I always use fine table salt for baking as the finer crystals disperse and dissolve readily. If you use kosher salt, you will need to use twice as much since it is less dense, and it doesn't have the same impact on flavor enhancement compared to iodized salt for baking.
- Eggs - two whole eggs will set the structure of this cake and help emulsify the batter.
- Sour cream - one of the secrets to the best moist chocolate cake recipe is sour cream! And a lot of it. Sour cream contributes the dairy undertones, rich flavor and body (thanks to its high protein and fat content) that oil-based cakes lack. Full fat sour cream adds richness and dairy notes to this cake in the absence of butter.
- Oil - this is an oil-based cake. Although I LOVE BUTTER, oil makes cakes ultra moist since it is an unsaturated fat that is liquid at room temperature. Plus, with this intense chocolate flavor and the sour cream, you won't miss the butter.
- Hot coffee - this recipe is unique in that uses hot coffee in the batter. The hot liquid dissolves the sugar and activates the leavening agents so that the cake begins to rise and set instantly. It is also the reason why this cake is so moist.
- Dark chocolate - you'll need pure dark chocolate to make the frosting. Anything between 50 and 70% cocoa solids will work, but I highly recommend dark chocolate with 60% cocoa solids. You can blend semisweet chocolate with my favorite bittersweet chocolate callets which are very convenient.
HOW TO MAKE THE BEST MOIST CHOCOLATE CAKE
This recipe is SO EASY and you can make it all with a bowl and a whisk - no mixer required if you don't have one!
- STEP 1). Combine dry ingredients. Sift flour, cocoa, baking powder and baking soda into a large bowl.
- STEP 2). Blend in sugar. Add both sugars and salt and whisk to blend well, pressing out any lumps of brown sugar.
- STEP 3). Combine wet ingredients. Combine eggs, oil, sour cream and vanilla in a medium bowl and whisk to blend well, then add to the dry ingredients. In a pinch you can also add these ingredients directly to the bowl with the dry ingredients.
- STEP 4). Mix wet and dry ingredients. Pour the wet ingredients into the bowl with the dry ingredients and mix with a whisk or an electric hand mixer on medium-low until blended. It will be thick and somewhat dry.
- STEP 5). Mix in hot coffee. Add the hot coffee gradually in two stages to minimize clumps forming and beat until evenly combined and the batter smooth.
- STEP 6). Bake. Divide batter evenly between the prepared pans and bake for 30-33 minutes until cakes spring back when pressed gently and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Transfer pans to a wire rack and let cool for 15 minutes before inverting onto the rack to cool completely.
STEP BY STEP INSTRUCTIONS (watch the recipe video at the bottom of the page for a full tutorial)
Sift together flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Whisk to blend evenly.
Add both types of sugar and blend well.
Add oil, eggs, sour cream and vanilla. Whisk until mostly combined.
When the batter gets thick, begin to add hot coffee.
Whisk in the coffee until batter is completely smooth.
Divide batter evenly into prepared cake pans.
BAKING SCIENCE: WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS
This cake is almost like magic because the batter is so fluid that you will be nervous that it won't work, but trust the process! There's science behind the proportions.
- Sugar:flour ratio - there is more sugar by weight compared to flour in this recipe and mixing the sugar into the flour breaks up the flour particles interferes with gluten development. That's because sugar competes for water and will pull moisture away from flour to prevent gluten network formation during the mixing stage.
- Cocoa particles - cocoa powder has some starch and does contribute some function of flour to provide structure to the cake, however it does not contain gluten proteins. When the cocoa is dispersed into the flour, it helps to break up the flour particles and also interferes with gluten development.
- Water:sugar ratio - there is a lot of moisture in this cake and that wouldn't work if there was less sugar. The sugar binds the water to prevent it from evaporating out, and during baking the starches in the flour and cocoa powder slowly hydrate and swell. They eventually set into a gel network to create the soft moist crumb structure.
WHAT CAUSES TUNNELING IN CAKES AND WHY ARE THERE HOLES IN MY CAKE?
Large holes through the baked cake crumb can form for several reasons. This is called "tunneling" and it is often caused by too much chemical leavening, uneven distribution of leavening agents and/or over-mixing which creates tunnels through cakes. In this recipe, it is important to mix the baking powder and baking soda into the dry ingredients very evenly so there are no lumps and the particles are uniformly incorporated into the flour to ensure the cake rises evenly. It is also important not to over-mix the batter after the hot coffee or water is added. You can read all about what causes tunneling and learn how to prevent tunneling in cake in this article.
WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN DUTCH COCOA POWDER AND NATURAL COCOA POWDER?
Dutch cocoa powder is cocoa powder that has been treated with an alkalizing agent (a basic ingredient) such as potassium carbonate or sodium carbonate. This treatment, combined with certain parameters of pressure and temperature will increase the pH (decrease the acidity) of the cocoa powder to give it a less sour taste, darken the color and help it become more dispersible in water. My preferences for Dutch cocoa powder ones with a higher fat content and they are this Cacao Barry Extra Brute, Ghirardelli Majestic and Green & Blacks Organic.
Natural cocoa has not been alkalized and is 100% cocoa powder. It has a lighter color and has a very lovely fruity flavor with some pleasant acidity and slight bitterness that is inherent to the cocoa bean. My preferences for natural cocoa are Ghirardelli 100% Cocoa and Hershey's Unsweetened.
EXPERT BAKING TIPS
- Sift the dry ingredients, especially the cocoa powder. I use a fine mesh sieve to sift the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder and baking soda. This removes lumps since cocoa powder tends to be lumpy (due to its fat content). If your flour has been sitting in it's container for a while, it may also be lumpy. Sifting also helps to evenly distribute the leavening agents which prevents tunneling in cakes.
- Whisk the dry ingredients thoroughly to distribute the baking powder and baking soda evenly. This will ensure the cake rises evenly with a uniform crumb.
- Use a neutral tasting oil like vegetable, canola or pure sunflower oil for the cleanest flavor to let the chocolate taste stand out.
- Do not reduce the sugar. The right amount of sugar will make cake moist because it binds water so that it stays tightly in the batter and doesn't evaporate excessively during baking.
- Keep an eye on the baking time. Set a timer for the first time stated in the recipe and check with a skewer - it should come out clean.
- Make cupcakes too! You can also use this recipe to make cupcakes. It makes about 18 cupcakes that will take 15-20 minutes to bake.
- Use a kitchen scale. For best results, weigh your ingredients according to the measurements in the recipe card below using a kitchen scale.
RECIPE FAQ
Firstly - use a fresh oil! Do not use anything that's been opened for a long time and when you store oil, it should be in a cool dark place. Light and heat accelerate oxidation reactions that can make the flavor turn rancid. My oil of choice for baking is sunflower oil for its clean and neutral taste, but any other oil such as canola or safflower will do. You can even use olive oil, but keep in mind that it will add the taste of olive oil to the cake.
This recipe works with both Dutch process and natural cocoa powder. For a darker color like in this photo, I use high fat Dutch cocoa powder. My preference is this one and this one. Natural cocoa has a wonderful fruity flavor and I like to use it as well. You can use Hershey's natural cocoa or this one that I love.
Sour cream really makes this cake delicious, but if sour cream is not available to you where you live, you can also make this recipe using an equal amount of full fat Greek yogurt. I have tested this and it worked well! Another suitable substitution is crème fraîche which is a type of fermented dairy product somewhere between yogurt and sour cream.
The coffee or hot water should be very hot. If you brew fresh coffee, then use it immediately when you make the batter sot it is hot and if you use hot water, then bring a kettle to the boil, measure it out and then start making the batter. It's fine if it cools for 2-3 minutes. If you're making instant coffee, do the same as just mentioned and prepare the coffee fresh off the boil and then start preparing the batter.
Yes! You can use hot water if you cannot drink caffeine. Or, you can use decaf coffee. You can also make instant coffee instead of brewing a fresh pot, and for this I suggest using 1-2 teaspoons of instant coffee for 1 cup of hot water.
This batter is supposed to be quite fluid from the hot coffee or hot water that is added in. It will bake up to create a wonderfully moist crumb.
It's not more fat! Moisture comes from liquid, not fat. So you can add more butter and more oil, but it will really just make the cake more dense and more tender by shortening the texture. Fat will not make a cake moist as only liquids can add moisture. This cake is moist because of the amount of liquid.
This cake is moist because of the hot coffee or water added to the batter. It accelerates the gelatinization of the starch to trap in moisture. I normally scoff at a cake recipe that uses only oil and no butter since butter is superior for its flavor. However, oil makes the texture very soft and in turn gives the perception of "moistness". That's because oil is made up of mostly unsaturated fats that are liquid at room temperature. Butter contains more saturated fats that are solid at room temperature, therefore the texture of a butter cake will be more crumbly and firm.
If your cakes baked up flat, it may be that your raising agents are no longer active, so be sure to use fresh baking soda and fresh baking powder. It may also happen if you let the batter sit out for too long before baking. In this case the leavening agents will react in the batter and release gases before the batter sets and the gas will escape through the surface of the batter instead of being trapped as air bubbles in the cake crumb structure.
If you see large holes through the cake crumb, this is called tunneling. It is a common phenomenon that happens for various reasons including uneven distribution of leavening agents or over-mixing the batter. You can read all about the science of tunneling in cakes in this article.
I'd say it's Hershey's Perfect Chocolate Cake recipe from an old cookbook I have. Ina Garten's Beatty's Chocolate Cake is also quite popular, however this recipe is not to my taste due to the imbalance of chemical leavening (far too much baking soda) and high amount of sugar. My recipe has the right amount of baking soda that won't leave you with a soapy taste and creates nice lightly domed even layers. It's also just the right amount of sugar to make this cake moist without being too sweet or gummy.
Sugar and liquid will create a moist cake among several other things. Having the right proportions of wet and dry ingredients is important when creating a moist cake recipe. Sugar is hygroscopic which means that it strongly binds water and will hold moisture in. Being cautious to not over-mix will also ensure that the cake is soft.
This recipe for chocolate frosting makes just enough to fill the cake and lightly coat the sides. I don't prefer a heavy coat of frosting, however if you prefer more you can easily double it or make 1.5x the recipe. The main change will be that it will take longer for it to thicken to a spreading consistency.
Yes you can! It works great. In this case, bake them for 18-20 minutes.
If you prefer to use a 9x13-inch pan, then try my One Bowl Chocolate Sheet Cake recipe! It is so fluffy, moist and fudgy with a dark chocolate cream cheese frosting.
STORAGE AND FREEZING
Store this cake at room temperature, covered or in an airtight container for up to 3 days. You can also store it in the fridge for up to 1 week and bring it to room temperature before serving.
Yes! I often make the cake layers in advance and freeze them for when I need them. To do this, let the cake layers cool completely on a wire rack. Once cool, wrap them individually in plastic wrap, and then wrap them in aluminum foil. Place them in a resealable plastic bag and freeze for up to 3 months.
HOW TO MAKE THE BEST CHOCOLATE FROSTING
Ohhhhh... this frosting. It, too, is made with sour cream and holy heaven! It is smooth, dense, fudgy and not too sweet. You can make it with just a bowl and a whisk - no mixer required. I highly recommend you top this cake off with this recipe for the BEST Chocolate Frosting.
If you love cake, check out these recipes!
Ultimate Moist Chocolate Fudge Cake Lemon Pistachio Cake Sticky Toffee Date Cake Chocolate Mousse Cake One Bowl Vanilla Cake with Chocolate Frosting Best Vanilla Cupcake Recipe with Chocolate Fudge Frosting Chocolate Truffle Cake White Chocolate Raspberry Cake Dark Chocolate Raspberry CakeFor the love of chocolate
Looking for more decadent chocolate recipes? Try these:
Chocolate cake love
Here are more delicious chocolate cake recipes:
Video
The BEST Moist Chocolate Cake recipe
Ingredients
- 1 ¾ cup (250g) all-purpose flour
- ⅔ cup (56g) cocoa powder (I prefer this Dutch cocoa or this one)
NOTE: if you prefer natural cocoa, my preferences are Ghirardelli 100% Cocoa and Hershey's Unsweetened
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 cup (200g) granulated sugar
- ½ cup (110g) packed light brown sugar
- ¾ teaspoon (4.5g) fine table salt
- 2 large eggs
- ½ cup (120ml) vegetable oil (I prefer sunflower oil)
- ¾ cup (180ml) full fat sour cream
- 1 teaspoon (5ml) pure vanilla extract
- 1 cup (240ml) hot coffee
To make a single layer chocolate cake, try my ULTIMATE Moist Chocolate Fudge Cake.
If fudgy chocolate brownies are your thing, try my BEST Thick Homemade Brownies.
NOTE: for best results, use a kitchen scale to weigh the ingredients.
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly grease two 8-inch round cake pans, dust lightly with flour or cocoa powder. The cocoa powder helps the batter cling to the sides of the pan to help it climb up and rise higher. Line the base with rounds of parchment paper. Do not use springform pans since this batter is very fluid and it can leak out.
- First prepare the coffee and keep it hot. If you are using instant coffee, add 1 tablespoon of instant coffee granules or 2 teaspoons of espresso powder to 1 cup of just boiled water and set it aside while you prepare the batter.
- Combine dry ingredients. Use a fine mesh sieve to sift flour, cocoa powder, baking powder and baking soda into a large bowl. Add both sugars and salt and whisk to blend very well so the ingredients are evenly combined, pressing out any lumps of brown sugar.
- Combine wet ingredients. Add eggs, oil, sour cream and vanilla to a medium bowl and whisk to blend well. Use a spatula to make a well in the center of the dry ingredients, then pour in the wet ingredients. Mix with an electric handheld mixer on medium-low speed until blended. You can also mix it in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment on medium speed or mix by hand using a wire whisk starting in the center and slowly dragging the dry ingredients in from the sides to combine evenly with the wet ingredients. It will be thick and somewhat dry. Add the hot coffee gradually in two stages to minimize clumps forming and mix until evenly combined and the batter is smooth. The batter will be quite thin.
- Bake. Divide batter evenly between the prepared pans and tap the pans on the countertop to allow any large air bubbles to surface and pop. Bake for 30-33 minutes until cakes spring back when pressed gently and a skewer inserted into the center comes out clean. Transfer pans to a wire rack and let cool for 15 minutes before running a knife or offset spatula around the sides and inverting the cakes onto the rack to cool completely.
- While the cakes are cooling, prepare my BEST Chocolate Fudge Frosting.
- Assemble the cake. Once cakes are cooled, place one cake layer on a serving plate. Use a large offset spatula to spread about ¾ cup of frosting over the top, spreading it out to the edges. Place the other cake layer on top so it aligns with the sides of the bottom layer. Cover the entire cake with frosting and use the offset spatula to even out the sides and make swooshes and swirls on the top layer. Enjoy!
I made this cake recently for a friends birthday while in a rush and haviing a lack of actual chocolate for my regular recipe. This is going to be my go-to from now on. So easy, and came out perfectly.
Love all your recipes. Wanted to make this diary free. Anything I can substitute the sour cream with? Thank you
Oh my! I made this recipe for a friend‘s birthday today. I followed the recipe exactly as written and it turned out PERFECT! I loved the simplicity of one bowl - which means only one bowl to clean. I used the recipe for the icing as well and it was so delicious. I did over whisk the icing just slightly, but the taste was not affected. So creamy and decadent. I will be using this recipe as my go-to in the future.
I am such a science nerd and love your scientific approach to this recipe as well! Kudos for also giving us a science lesson in the process.
I wish I could share pictures of how amazing this looked straight out of the oven! I could tell it was going to be super moist. So glad that it puffed up a bit so I could shave it and enjoy the trimmings. 🤤
Hi Kim, thank you! Yes I always snack on the trimmings too 🙂
I want to try this for Father's Day Hope it's as good as you all say
Hi Kim, thank you so very much for this review. I'm so glad you enjoy it this much!
Made this the other day and it was divine! I used hot water and olive oil. So moist! Which is what I’ve been searching for. I’ve had trouble with having a moist vanilla cake (I’ve tried so many recipes and have failed terribly! ) so I’m wondering if I was to use this recipe but leave out the cocoa powder/hot water.. maybe add an extra tsp of vanilla extract if it would still work well? Super specific question lol but I am really just so impressed with how moist and delicious it was! Hope to hear from you soon & thank you!!
Hi Darla! Thanks so much. Unfortunately it will not work by just omitting the cocoa powder to make a vanilla version. I'll work on developing a separate vanilla cake for that, but in the meantime you can try my One Bowl Vanilla Cake recipe which is super taste and also moist.
This is the best chocolate cake I’ve ever had in my life and it’s so easy too!
Thanks Tania!
OK, made this for today's Easter lunch with the family. I made in 2 23cm (9") cake tins, so multiplied by 1.5 as suggested in 1 of the comments here.
At 30 minutes, they were still a little under, so I set the timer for an extra 5 minutes, but left them for about 10 as I got distracted. They had risen very well, but were quite domed, and I thought I was going to have to cut the top of the bottom layer, but as they cooled the tops deflated a bit.
The frosting recipe linked was just enough to cover the outside, and I made a filling using puréed Griottines as a jam, and some Mascarpone stabilised Chantilly Cream - of which 3/4 was reserved and put in the freezer and used as a side along with some more whole Griottines.
Here are the final ingredients lists I used.
CAKE
• 375g McDougalls Speciality '00' Extra Fine Plain Flour
• 85g Dr Oetker Fine Dark Cocoa Powder
• 1½ tsp Dr Oetker Baking Powder
• 1½ tsp Dr Oetker Baking Soda
• 300g Billingtons Golden Caster Sugar
• 165g Billingtons Dark Muscovado Sugar
• 1⅛ tsp Salt 2
• 3 Large Eggs
• 180ml Olivado Extra Virgin Avocado Oil
• 270ml Tesco 17% Fat Soured Cream
• 15ml Dr Oetker Madagascan Vanilla Bean Paste
• 360ml Hot Coffee (2x Lungo (110ml) Nespresso Voluto + 140ml Hot Water)
FILLING 1
• 340g Grande Distilleries Peureux Griottines
1. Drain the Griottines (~210g) and reserve the syrup (~130ml).
2. Lightly blitz the Griottines in a food processor until you have a rough/chunky purée.
FILLING 2
• 130ml Grande Distilleries Peureux Griottine Syrup
• 900ml Tesco 50.5% Fat Double Cream
• 45ml Dr Oetker Madagascan Vanilla Bean Paste
• 25g Billingtons Golden Icing Sugar
• 450g Tesco 41% Fat Mascarpone
1. Chill a metal mixing bowl and whisk attachment in the freezer.
2. Combine heavy cream, powdered sugar and Griottine syrup and beat until soft peaks begin to form.
3. Add in the mascarpone and continue to mix until stiff peaks form.
4. Reserve 3/4 of the mix and put in the freezer to chill.
Serve with a scoop of the chilled cream, and a spoonful of Griottines on the side and a drizzle of the syrup over the cream
Fingers crossed point. I have this in the oven right now and I have never seen a batter so thin! No mention in the recipe about the batter being thin so I am worried. I read through a lot of comments, and I did find one that said the batter should be thin, so I am hopeful
It's a VERY thin batter, but mine turned out OK, hope yours did too.
Hi Wendy, yes the batter is thin from the hot water and it will work great.
What fat content do you class "full fat" sour cream? I'm in the UK (and I am guessing this is an American based site). We don't seem to have Sour Cream on our supermarket shelves, but we do have Soured Cream. But Google is confusing me on the fat content, with some products suggesting they have as much as 35%-40% fat.
This is then further confused with the substitutes, with Crème Fraîche having a 35%-40% fat content, but Full Fat Greek Yoghurt only having 5%. In comparison the Soured Cream available in the UK is around 17%-18% fat content.
Is UK Soured Cream compatible?
Hi Jonathan, great question! Sour cream has 14% milk fat. You can find full fat Greek yogurt here with 10% milk fat which is why I recommend it as a good substitute.
So the 17% "Soured" cream should be fine then?
Here's an example: tesco . com / groceries / en-GB / products / 265166150
Typical Values Per 100ml
Energy 719kJ / 174kcal
Fat 17.0g
Saturates 11.3g
Carbohydrate 2.7g
Sugars 2.7g
Fibre 0g
Protein 2.6g
Salt 0.06g
Can I omit the sour cream for something else, I have heard about the Greek yogurt but are there any other options, or could I even just skip the whole thing?
Thanks
Hi Sarah, you can use Greek yogurt or try full fat plain yogurt. You cannot leave it out entirely though.
I made it three times but with small variations. And the three times came out very delicious, rich and fudgy, but still fluffy. What I did was replacing the sour cream with yogurt (regular, not greek) because sour cream is definitely not a common ingredient like buttermilk is, as opposed to what you said, especially in my country. Here I can't find either, but buttermilk can very easily be recreated with milk and lemon juice or vinegar. I also made the hot coffee with milk instead of water, because I read some time ago a person describing the flavor of a chocolate cake (not yours) as "hot chocolate made with water, not milk, it lacked depth", and I felt like that would be the end result (it would be worse in those recipes that call for boiling water instead of coffee), so instead of water I used very hot milk. And, finally, I also added the tiniest bit of white vinegar (around two drops) to ensure the cake would rise and fluff up well. And a question, let's say I want to replace the sour cream with "buttermilk" (milk + vinegar) because it's cheaper, would I use the same amount? Less? More?
Hi, can this be made in two 9 inch round cake tins ?
Hi Tan, the layer will be too thin, so I suggest making 1.5x the recipe for 9-inch pans.
If I don't want to use coffee. What can I use instead
Hi Haley, you can use hot water. The answer is in the FAQ section in the post.
Yes I am
I've made this cake a few times and as much as I always get amazing comments it always seems a little dense. I've bought new baking powders. What could I do to help?
Hi Teresa, are you using a scale to measure the ingredients?
Yes I am, any ideas please?
Hi, it could be that the batter is over-mixed or you oven runs cold.
Hi, I have frozen this in preparation for a party on Saturday. I am assembling it on Friday and decorating from Wednesday onwards. When should I get it out the freezer? I had quadrupled the recipe due to the pans being so big 🙂 TIA
Hi there, is there a suggested substitute to use in place of the sour cream?
Hi Bray, yes there is up in the FAQ section. You can use full fat Greek yogurt.
Hi what is the best cake flour to use?
Hi Judith, this recipe works well with all-purpose flour.
Simple the greatest chocolate cake ever!
Thank you so much!
Can I use a 9in pan?
Hi Lucy, the layers will be too short in an 9-inch pan. I do recommend 8-inch pans.
I just made this and it is great! I splurged on the cocoa powder and dark chocolates you recommended, made 9” rounds and baked for 28 minutes and used avocado oil instead of sunflower—amazing! I also was unsure about the frosting because I’m a huge fan of buttercream, but dang… this one is a keeper 🙂