No exaggeration, this is the best moist chocolate cake recipe on the internet. If you’ve been searching for it, look no further—this is the one! It’s incredibly easy to make without a mixer and only requires one bowl. The result is an intensely chocolaty cake with the best chocolate fudge frosting.

Warning: This post mentions the word “moist” at least 10 times. You know when you bake a whole cake for just two people and it only lasts four days… not because it doesn’t keep well, but because it’s irresistibly good. In fact, this best chocolate cake stays moist for over a week and actually gets better with age! If you prefer a smaller cake, try my Ultimate Moist Chocolate Fudge Cake.

WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS

• SO EASY to make – this cake can be made in one bowl with a whisk! You don’t need a mixer, although I often use my electric hand mixer to make it.
• 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.
• 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!

• Lemon Raspberry Cake
• Sour Cream Lemon Curd Cookies
• Giant Frosted Strawberry Pop Tart
• Chocolate Chip Banana Bread Cookies
• 5 Ingredient Brownies
• Strawberry Shortcake Cake
• Strawberry Shortcake Bars
• Maple Strawberry Coffee Cake
• Chewy Cookies and Cream Cookies
• Strawberry Shortcake Cupcakes
• The BEST Bakery Style Chocolate Chip Muffins
• Strawberry Shortcake Cookies

Home » Chocolate

THE BEST MOIST CHOCOLATE CAKE RECIPE

Published: Sep 21, 2020 · Modified: May 28, 2024 by christina.marsigliese · 699 Comments

 Jump to Recipe  Jump to Video

No word of a lie, this is THE BEST MOIST CHOCOLATE CAKE recipe on the internet. If you’ve been looking for it, then look no further… THIS IS IT! It’s so easy to make without a mixer and in one bowl, and it is incredibly chocolaty with the best chocolate fudge frosting. But WARNING: This post contains the word “moist” at least 10 times. You know when you make a whole cake for a household of two (that’s 1, 2 people!) and the cake lasts maybe 4 days… and when I say “lasts” I mean against its will because we ate it all and not because it doesn’t keep 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! If you do prefer a smaller cake, try my smaller Ultimate Moist Chocolate Fudge Cake.

WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS

• SO EASY to make – this cake can be made in one bowl with a whisk! You don’t need a mixer, although I often use my electric hand mixer to make it.
• 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.
• 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!

INGREDIENTS FOR THE BEST MOIST 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.
• Pure vanilla extract – vanilla is essential to enhance the flavor of the chocolate. Do not leave it out!
• Cocoa powder – you can make due with cheap 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.

• 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 flavour 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 liquid at room temperature. Plus, with this intense chocolate flavour 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.

• Lemon Raspberry Cake
• Sour Cream Lemon Curd Cookies
• Giant Frosted Strawberry Pop Tart
• Chocolate Chip Banana Bread Cookies
• 5 Ingredient Brownies
• Strawberry Shortcake Cake
• Strawberry Shortcake Bars
• Maple Strawberry Coffee Cake
• Chewy Cookies and Cream Cookies
• Strawberry Shortcake Cupcakes
• The BEST Bakery Style Chocolate Chip Muffins
• Strawberry Shortcake Cookies

Home » Chocolate

THE BEST MOIST CHOCOLATE CAKE RECIPE

Published: Sep 21, 2020 · Modified: May 28, 2024 by christina.marsigliese · 699 Comments

 Jump to Recipe  Jump to Video

No word of a lie, this is THE BEST MOIST CHOCOLATE CAKE recipe on the internet. If you’ve been looking for it, then look no further… THIS IS IT! It’s so easy to make without a mixer and in one bowl, and it is incredibly chocolaty with the best chocolate fudge frosting. But WARNING: This post contains the word “moist” at least 10 times. You know when you make a whole cake for a household of two (that’s 1, 2 people!) and the cake lasts maybe 4 days… and when I say “lasts” I mean against its will because we ate it all and not because it doesn’t keep 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! If you do prefer a smaller cake, try my smaller Ultimate Moist Chocolate Fudge Cake.

WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS

• SO EASY to make – this cake can be made in one bowl with a whisk! You don’t need a mixer, although I often use my electric hand mixer to make it.
• 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.
• 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!

INGREDIENTS FOR THE BEST MOIST 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.
• Pure vanilla extract – vanilla is essential to enhance the flavor of the chocolate. Do not leave it out!
• Cocoa powder – you can make due with cheap 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.

• 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 flavour 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 liquid at room temperature. Plus, with this intense chocolate flavour 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 BEST MOIST CHOCOLATE CAKE: STEP BY STEP INSTRUCTIONS

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. Add both sugars and salt and whisk to blend well, pressing out any lumps of brown sugar.
• STEP 2). Combine wet ingredients. Combine eggs, oil, sour cream and vanilla in a medium bowl and whisk to blend well.
• STEP 3). 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 4). 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 5). 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.

EXPERT BAKING GUIDES FOR THE BEST MOIST CHOCOLATE CAKE

• Use a neutral tasting oil like 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.

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 and reduces the risk of gluten-development. That’s because sugar competes for water and will bind the water to prevent it from being absorbed by flour during the mixing stage so that the risk of developing gluten is less.
• 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.