This is the Dark Chocolate Cake of my DREAMS! Tender, moist homemade chocolate cake with the best smooth, rich, dark chocolate frosting.

I love any excuse to make a decadent cake.  This dark chocolate cake recipe is one of my favorites but I also LOVE a decadent Carrot Cake, German Chocolate Cake, Coconut Cake with Pineapple Filling and Lemon Cake.

A slice of dark chocolate cake on a white plate and the remaining cake in the background.

I go crazy for all things dark chocolate and there’s nothing more tempting to me than this Dark Chocolate Cake. Between the amazing, flavorful and tender homemade cake and the rich, smooth and fluffy dark chocolate frosting, there is SO much to love about this cake!

How to Make Dark Chocolate Cake:

1. Prep the cake pans: Grease three 9-inch cake pans. I like to cut a circle of parchment paper for the bottom of the pan to make sure it doesn’t stick. Set aside.

2. Make the chocolate cake:

  • Combine dry ingredients: flour, sugar, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
  • Add wet ingredients: add milk, oil, eggs, and vanilla to flour mixture and mix until well combined. Slowly add boiling water to the cake batter and mix for about 1 minute. Pour cake batter evenly between the three cake pans.
  • Bake for 30-35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Allow cakes to cool before frosting.

Three process photos for making dark chocolate cake batter.

3. Make the dark chocolate frosting: Stir together the powdered sugar and cocoa powder. In a separate mixing bowl beat the butter then gradually add the sugar/cocoa mixture alternating with cream and vanilla, beating after each addition, until you reach your desired frosting consistency.

4. Assemble: Lay one layer of chocolate cake on a cake board or platter.  Use a spatula or the back of a spoon to spread a layer of dark chocolate frosting over the top of the cake.  Add the second layer of cake and frost the top and sides of the cake.  Optional: use a wilton decorating tip to add a decorative edge and lightly sprinkle chocolate sprinkles.

Two process photos of assembling a chocolate three layer cake with frosting in between the layers.

To adjust the number of cake layers:

You have the option of making this dark chocolate cake a 2 layer, 3 layer, or 4 layer cake. For a two layer cake, divide the frosting between two cake pans, instead of three, to make 2 thicker cake layers. For a 4 layer cake, bake to layers of cake, then torte each cake round in half, to create 4 layers. Be sure to spread a layer of dark chocolate frosting between each later.

A serving platter with a three layer Dark Chocolate Cake on it.

Freezing Instructions:

This cake freezes well and in fact, I recommend freezing the baked cake rounds ahead of time.  After allowing the cake to cool completely, wrap each cake round in plastic wrap and store in a freezer safe bag in the freezer for a couple days or up to three months.  You can freeze the frosting as well.  Remove the cake rounds from the freezer and frost immediately. Store in the refrigerator and remove to the counter about 30 minutes before eating.

You can also freeze the assembled and frosted cake. Cover it as well as you can (without smashing the frosting) with plastic wrap and then aluminum foil. Freeze for up to 1 week and allow to thaw on the counter for about a 1.5 hours before serving.

Variations to Dark Chocolate Cake:

  • Gluten-free dark chocolate cake: substitute gluten free flour at a 1:1 ratio.
  • Dairy-free dark chocolate cake:  substitute soy or almond milk for the regular milk in the recipe and for the heavy cream in the frosting.  Substitute a dairy free butter in the frosting.
  • Vegan chocolate cake: make dairy- free substitutes and substitute three flax eggs or ¾ cup plain yogurt for the eggs.
Consider trying these popular desserts:

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Recipe

A slice of dark chocolate cake on a white plate and the remaining cake in the background.
Prep 20 minutes
Cook 35 minutes
Total 55 minutes
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Ingredients
  

Cake:

  • 3 cups all-purpose flour
  • 3 cups granulated sugar
  • 1 cup + 2 Tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder (I love to use the Hershey's Special dark, but regular works)
  • 3 teaspoons baking powder
  • 2 1/4 teaspoons baking soda
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
  • 1 1/2 cups milk
  • 3/4 cup oil (vegetable or canola oil)
  • 3 large eggs , room temperature
  • 3 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 1 1/2 cups boiling water

Dark Chocolate Frosting:

Instructions
 

For the cake:

  • Preheat oven to 350º F. Grease three 9-inch cake pans (I also like to cut a circle of parchment paper for the bottom of the pan to make sure the cake doesn't stick). Set aside.
  • In a large bowl whisk together the flour, sugar, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
  • Add milk, oil, eggs, and vanilla to flour mixture and mix until well combined.
  • Slowly add boiling water to the cake batter, while stirring. Beat on high speed for about 1 minute. The batter will be very thin.
  • Pour cake batter evenly between the three cake pans.
  • Bake for 30-35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean or with few moist crumbs.
  • Remove from the oven and allow to cool for a few minutes before inverting onto a cooling rack.

For the frosting:

  • Stir together the powdered sugar and cocoa powder. In a separate mixing bowl beat the butter on medium speed until pale, about 2 minutes. 
  • Gradually add the sugar/cocoa mixture alternating with the cream and vanilla, beating after each addition, until you reach your desired frosting consistency.
  •  Beat on high speed for 3 minutes, until fluffy.

Assemble the cake:

  • Lay one layer of chocolate cake on a cake board or platter.  Use a spatula or the back of a spoon to spread a layer of dark chocolate frosting over the top of the cake.  Add the second layer or cake and frost the top and sides of the cake. 
  • Optional- use a wilton decorating tip to add a decorative edge and add chocolate sprinkles.

Notes

Freezing Instructions: After allowing the cake to cool completely, wrap each cake round in plastic wrap and store in a freezer safe bag in the freezer for a couple days or up to three months. Remove the cake rounds from the freezer and frost immediately. Store in the refrigerator and remove to the counter about 30 minutes before eating.
You can also freeze the assembled, frosted cake. Cover it as well as you can (without smashing the frosting) with plastic wrap and then aluminum foil. Freeze for up to 1 week and allow to thaw on the counter for about a 1.5 hours before serving.
Variations to Dark Chocolate Cake:
  • Gluten-free dark chocolate cake: substitute gluten free flour at a 1:1 ratio.
  • Dairy-free dark chocolate cake:  substitute soy or almond milk for the regular milk in the recipe and for the heavy cream in the frosting.  Substitute a dairy free butter in the frosting.
  • Vegan chocolate cake: make dairy- free substitutes and substitute three flax eggs or ¾ cup plain yogurt for the eggs.

Nutrition

Calories: 887kcalCarbohydrates: 144gProtein: 10gFat: 36gSaturated Fat: 14gCholesterol: 94mgSodium: 572mgPotassium: 542mgFiber: 8gSugar: 105gVitamin A: 680IUVitamin C: 0.1mgCalcium: 131mgIron: 4.9mg

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Have you tried this recipe?!

RATE and COMMENT below! I would love to hear your experience.

I originally shared this recipe February 2017. Updated September 2020.

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This is the Dark Chocolate Cake of my DREAMS! Tender, moist homemade chocolate cake with the best smooth, rich, dark chocolate frosting. | Tastes Better From Scratch

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Lauren Allen

Welcome! I’m Lauren, a mom of four and lover of good food. Here you’ll find easy recipes and weeknight meal ideas made with real ingredients, with step-by-step photos and videos.

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Comments

  1. 2 stars
    The salt ratio to sugar is not correct. Ratio should be 1/4 teaspoon per cup of sugar/flour .Cake was almost salty.
    The crumb was otherwise soft and moist.

  2. 4 stars
    It tastes great but the center stayed liquidy. I measured everything out perfectly and for some reason it just won’t cook all the way. Ive added time

  3. My family loves this recipe!!! Do you know what is the purpose of the boiling water? I am interested in making a similar cake in vanilla – and I wonder the impact of using boiling water for part of the ingredients.

  4. 5 stars
    SO good! I made this for a birthday, and it was a hit with white chocolate frosting and a raspberry compote in the middle. It only has a little bit of the bitterness of dark chocolate, mostly tastes like normal chocolate cake. Also, when you x1 x2 x3 the recipe, the x1 is three cakes, the x2 is six, and x3 is nine. I was confused because the ingredients changed, but the instructions did not. It said to grease 3 cake pans even when you x2 or x3.
    Overall, this was a delicious cake! Thank you!

  5. 5 stars
    I used 2/3 C. dark cocoa and the rest regular and it was great!
    Under “Adjust number of cake layers” for 2 layers, you divide the cake batter, not the frosting.

  6. 5 stars
    i (13F) made this cake for my aunts birthday. it was AMAZING. i added freshly sliced strawberries in between the layers. it was a hit. everyone loved it! it’s easy ti make, and tastes great. it did take me 3 1/2 hours to make though. and i am an experienced baker, i bake all the time, so… other than that, i would definitely recommend!!

  7. 5 stars
    I’m a long time baker and this cake was excellent. Added a couple teaspoons of King Arthur Expreso.

    Super moist!

  8. 5 stars
    This chocolate cake is AMAZING! I used the Hershey’s Special Dark cocoa powder for both the cake and the buttercream. The cake tasted like a giant, fudge brownie. SO good. I refrigerated the cake overnight so I could decorate with fondant. It stayed moist and held up like a champ under the weight of the fondant. This is now my go to chocolate cake recipe. Thanks so much for sharing the recipe!

  9. This cake was delicious… after the cake is baked and iced can it be stored at room temperature or should it be stored in the refrigerator since the frosting is made with heavy cream?

    1. Yes, that should be fine. Don’t overfill the pan (if you have excess batter, use it to make a few cupcakes.)

  10. 4 stars
    The cake was delicious, and I’ll know the next time I make it, but when you said the batter was thin it would have been a helpful suggestion to advise your readers to not use pans with removable bottoms. A lot of the batter leaked out but it tasted good. Next time, I’ll use solid baking pans.

  11. 3 stars
    This cake tastes super good, would be perfect for cupcakes or cakepops. My issue came when I made it into a layered cake. I found the cakes were too crumbly to crumb coat. When trying to ice, the cake underneath would crumble off in large chunks. This might have been because I used the gluten-free version of the recipe? But it seems the cake is too fragile to teir.

  12. 5 stars
    I loved this recipe! Though I used hot coffee instead of boiling water, and it was Chefs 💋. Seriously though, it was moist, and super chocolaty, and yum. I used a ganache frosting though too. Rave reviews! Saving this one…thank you!

  13. This has become a Christmas family tradition. I make every year. Even my neighbors have asked for the recipe.
    So Rich light delicious!

  14. 5 stars
    Great recipe! I used hot coffee instead of water and found it to be delicious. Didn’t change anything else. My family loved the cake and I’ve already had a request put another.

  15. This mile high cake is SO DELICIOUS. Moist, chocolaty and so irresistible. I made vanilla custard cream and placed a large dollop on top of each slice. It was to die for. Thanks so much for the recipe. It will be my go-to chocolate cake recipe.

  16. 5 stars
    The cake was heavenly, however, the frosting was or I should say should be changed. It calls for 5 1/2 cups of powdered sugar. Nope, not good at all, I had to add 1/2 of whole milk to thin it out some. I will only use 4 cups next time with the same amount of the other ingredients. It was a hit. My son loved his bday cake. Thank you. I am thinking that maybe it was a typo for the amount of powdered sugar.

    1. This usually means you took it out of the oven too soon. Try letting it cook just a little bit longer next time 🙂

  17. 5 stars
    ♥️The most delicious 😍cake ever..very easy and quick to prepare..everyone who ate it loved it ♥️as if it was a ready-made cake from the shop..thank you for sharing this unique recipe with us…go on.🥰

  18. This cake is delicious, however I did not have parchment for the bottom of the pan. I greased generously but it still stuck in places. I was able to salvage but I should have gone with my instinct and greased and floured.

  19. I used Hershey’s Special Dark Cocoa for a “darker” flavor which I loved.
    I found I didn’t have near enough frosting for a 3 layer cake. I was able to combine only half of the confectioners sugar and cocoa into 12 tablespoons of butter. If I were to do it again I would double the butter and incorporate all of the sugar cocoa and cream to cover the entire cake or cut the cake recipe by a third and make only two layers. Nonetheless, the cake and frosting were AWESOME!

  20. Waaaaay too much sugar listed here. I used 2 cups (instead of 3) for the sponge and 1 for the filling (instead of 5 1/2!!) and it was plenty sweet. A great cake though, exactly what I wanted.

  21. 5 stars
    I made this cake for my dad’s birthday. It was so simple and easy to make and my dad was raving about it all day. He loves dark chocolate, and he said it tastes similar to the Hershey’s dark chocolate kisses. Not too rich and very moist.

  22. Hi Lauren ,

    I would like to make this a mini cake .
    How much of the recipe should I use to make a mini cake.

    Thanks,
    Mayanka

  23. How can I turn this cake into a red velvet cake recipe? Is it even possible? Thanks, Jessica

  24. 5 stars
    I recently did a head-to-head chocolate cake recipe taste test with four recipes and can say, without a doubt, this is easily the best chocolate cake recipe out there! Tender and moist but not too dense or wet, super chocolatey but not bitter at all, fluffy but holds up to cutting, and transfers seamlessly to a cupcake (makes 27 cupcakes and bake for 21 minutes!)

    Cannot wait to keep coming back to this simply perfect recipe!

  25. When I made the cake it sunk in the middle. What did I do wrong? Fortunately it still tasted good but it did make for a very flat cake.

  26. 5 stars
    OMG! THE BEST chocolate cake I have ever made. I have never gotten so much positive feedback from one of cakes. This was absolutely delicious and will be my go-to from now on. Thanks!

  27. The cake was great but only 12 tablespoons of heavy whipping cream was not near enough unless I did something wrong. I added way more whipping cream to have a smoothable consistency for the frosting

  28. 5 stars
    I made this cake for a church function and it was very well received so much that four people have ask me to make it for them.

  29. Will the layer cake fit in a 9×13 inch pan? I am looking for the chocolate cake recipe for the Mississippi Mud cake recipe.
    Thanks!
    JoAnn