How to Make a Chocolate Cake

Co-authored by Quynh La

Last Updated: March 16, 2023 References Tested

Who doesn’t love a chocolate cake? This delicious treat is perfect for everything from a weekday dessert to a special occasion, and making your own is easy! You can start with a basic chocolate cake or try out some variations to suit your dietary needs.

Ingredients

Basic Chocolate Cake

1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
2 cups sugar
1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
3 large eggs, at room temperature
¾ cup vegetable oil
½ cup sour cream
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Moist & Fluffy Chocolate Cake

2 cups all-purpose flour, sifted
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
2 teaspoons baking soda
¾ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2 cups sugar
1 cup hot coffee
1 cup canola oil
1 cup buttermilk
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Eggless Chocolate Cake

4½ cups all-purpose flour, sifted
3 cups white sugar
1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 cup vegetable oil
3 cups water
3 teaspoons baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons vanilla extract

Milkless Chocolate Cake

⅔ cup soy milk or almond milk
1 teaspoon cider vinegar
1¾ cups all-purpose flour, sifted
2 cups white sugar
¾ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
1 cup strong brewed coffee
½ cup dairy-free sour cream
½ cup vegetable oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Gluten-Free Chocolate Cake

1 ½ cups gluten-free flour
½ cup cocoa powder
1 cup sugar
½ teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons baking soda
¾ teaspoon xanthan gum
5 tablespoons cooking oil
1 tablespoon vinegar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 egg
1 cup water

Vegan Chocolate Cake

1½ cups all-purpose flour or rice flour
1 cup white sugar
¼ cup cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
⅓ cup vegetable oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon distilled white vinegar
1 cup water

Method 1

Method 1 of 6:

Basic Chocolate Cake

1
Sift the dry ingredients together. The dry ingredients are the flour, cocoa powder, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Place all the dry ingredients in a sifter and shake it back and forth over a bowl to eliminate the clumps.
2
Stir in the liquid ingredients and mix well. These are the eggs, vegetable oil, sour cream, and vanilla extract. Some people like to add these ingredients individually, but others stir them together in a second bowl and before adding them to the dry ingredients.

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3
Grease and flour an 8 inch round pan. Slowly pour the cake batter in. Make sure to get every bit of the batter into the pan.
4
Bake at 350 °F (177 °C) for 30 minutes.
5
Let the cake cool for five minutes.
6
Wait until the cake is completely cool. Then you may frost or decorate as desired. Enjoy!

Method 2

Method 2 of 6:

Moist & Fluffy Chocolate Cake

1
Prepare to make the cake. Preheat the oven to 325° Fahrenheit or 162° Celsius. Grease and flour two 9-inch round baking pans.
2
Mix the dry ingredients. In a large bowl, combine the flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda, cocoa powder, and sugar. Mix until the dry ingredients are properly folded in.
3
Add the coffee, oil, and buttermilk. Pour in the hot coffee, canola oil, and buttermilk into the dry ingredients. Mix using a whisk or hand blender, until the ingredients resemble a light brown cake batter.
4
Add the eggs and vanilla. Crack in the eggs and pour in the vanilla extract into the cake batter. Mix one last time until there are no more flour streaks and the chocolate cake batter is slightly thick.
5
Pour batter into the cake pans. Using a rubber spatula, scrape the cake batter into both of the cake pans. Remove any leftover batter by scraping the edges of the bowl.
6
Bake the cake. Place both cake pans in the oven to bake. Have the cake bake for about an hour, until the cake rises and is fluffy. Check to see if the cake is ready by sticking a small knife in the middle. If it comes out clean, it is fully baked.
7
Let the cake cool. Remove both pans from the oven and have the cakes cool on a wire rack for about ten minutes. Leave them until they are cool enough to touch.
8
Frost and decorate. Consider stacking both cakes to make a two-layer chocolate cake. Frost with chocolate buttercream frosting and/or decorate with any desired toppings such as berries, powdered sugar, coconut flakes, and sprinkles
9
Serve and enjoy! Slice the chocolate cake and serve on a serving plate. Enjoy!

Method 3

Method 3 of 6:

Eggless Chocolate Cake

1
Prepare to make the cake. Preheat oven to 350° degrees Fahrenheit or 176° Celsius. Grease and flour a 9x13-inch cake pan.
2
Sift the dry ingredients except the sugar. In a large bowl, sift the flour, unsweetened cocoa powder, and baking soda with a whisk. Mix until properly combined.
3
Add the sugar. Carefully pour in the sugar into the dry ingredients. Mix again with the whisk until the sugar combines in with the dry ingredients.
4
Fold in the wet ingredients. Pour in the vegetable oil, water, and vanilla extract into the dry ingredients. Stir with a whisk or a hand blender until the cake batter forms and there are no more flour streaks.
5
Pour the batter into the pan. Using a rubber spatula, scrape the cake batter into both of the cake pans. Remove any leftover batter by scraping the edges of the bowl.
6
Bake the cake. Place the cake pan in the oven to bake. Have the cake bake for about an hour, until the cake rises and is fluffy.
7
Let the cake cool. Remove the pan from the oven and have the cake cool on a wire rack for about ten minutes. Leave the cake until it is cool enough to touch.
8
Frost and decorate. Frost with chocolate chocolate buttercream frosting and/or decorate with any desired toppings such as berries, powdered sugar, coconut flakes, and sprinkles.
9
Serve and enjoy! Slice the chocolate cake and serve on a serving plate. Enjoy!

Method 4

Method 4 of 6:

Milkless Chocolate Cake

1
Prepare to make the cake. Preheat oven to 350° degrees Fahrenheit or 176° Celsius. Grease and flour two 9-inch cake pans.
2
Combine the dry ingredients. In a large bowl, mix the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Mix the ingredients with a whisk and then form a well in the middle of the bowl.
3
Add the wet ingredients. Pour in the soy or almond milk, vinegar, eggs, brewed coffee, and dairy-free sour cream into the well. Use a blender to mix for about two minutes until the cake batter forms and there are no more flour streaks.
4
Pour batter into cake pans. Using a rubber spatula, scrape the cake batter into both of the cake pans. Remove any leftover batter by scraping the edges of the bowl.
5
Bake the cake. Place both cake pans in the oven to bake. Have the cake bake for about 30-40 minutes, until the cake rises and is fluffy.
6
Let the cake cool. Remove both pans from the oven and have the cakes cool for about twenty minutes on a wire rack. Leave both cakes until they are cool enough to touch.
7
Frost and decorate. Consider stacking both cakes to make a two-layer chocolate cake. Frost with chocolate buttercream frosting and/or decorate with any desired toppings such as berries, powdered sugar, coconut flakes, and sprinkles
8
Serve and enjoy! Slice the chocolate cake and serve on a serving plate. Enjoy!

Method 5

Method 5 of 6:

Gluten-Free Chocolate Cake

1
Prepare to make the cake. Preheat oven to 350° degrees Fahrenheit or 176° Celsius. Grease and flour a 9-inch square pan.
2
Combine the dry ingredients. In a large bowl, mix the gluten-free flour, cocoa powder, sugar, salt, and xanthan gum. Stir with a whisk until well-combined.
3
Add the wet ingredients. Pour in the cooking oil, vinegar, vanilla extract, water, and egg. Mix well with the whisk or use a hand-mixer and blend until the cake batter forms and there are no more flour streaks.
4
Pour the batter into the pan. Using a rubber spatula, scrape the cake batter into both of the cake pans. Remove any leftover batter by scraping the edges of the bowl.
5
Bake the cake. Place the cake pan in the oven to bake. Have the cake bake for about 30-35 minutes, until the cake rises and is fluffy.
6
Let the cake cool. Remove the pan from the oven and have the cake cool on a wire rack for about ten minutes. Leave the cake until it is cool enough to touch.
7
Frost and decorate. Frost with chocolate buttercream frosting and/or decorate with any desired toppings such as berries, powdered sugar, coconut flakes, and sprinkles.
8
Serve and enjoy! Slice the chocolate cake and serve on a serving plate. Enjoy!

Method 6

Method 6 of 6:

Vegan Chocolate Cake

1
Prepare to make the cake. Preheat oven to 350° degrees Fahrenheit or 176° Celsius. Grease and flour a 9x5-inch loaf pan.
2
Combine the dry ingredients. In a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt. Mix using a whisk until the dry ingredients are well-combined.
3
Add the wet ingredients. Pour in the vegetable oil, vanilla extract, white vinegar, and water. Stir using a whisk or blend using a hand blender, until the cake batter forms and there are no more flour streaks.
4
Pour batter into cake pans. Using a rubber spatula, scrape the cake batter into both of the cake pans. Remove any leftover batter by scraping the edges of the bowl.
5
Bake the cake. Place both cake pans in the oven to bake. Have the cake bake for about 45 minutes, until the cake rises and is fluffy.
6
Let the cake cool. Remove both pans from the oven and have the cakes cool for about twenty minutes on a wire rack. Leave both cakes until they are cool enough to touch.
7
Frost and decorate. Consider stacking both cakes to make a two-layer chocolate cake. Frost with chocolate buttercream frosting and/or decorate with any desired toppings such as berries, powdered sugar, coconut flakes, and sprinkles
8
Serve and enjoy! Slice the chocolate cake and serve on a serving plate. Enjoy!

Expert Q&A

Question

How can you get a baked cake out if it is stuck in the pan?

Quynh La
Professional Baker
Quynh La is a Professional Baker and the Owner of Sugar Bakery & Cafe in Seattle, Washington. With over seven years of experience, she specializes in baking cakes, cookies, croissants, and bread. Quynh holds an AAS in Culinary Arts from South Seattle College and a second AAS in Specialty Desserts & Bread from Seattle Central College.

Quynh La

Professional Baker

Expert Answer

Run a paring knife along the edge of the pan. If you do not have a paring knife at home, a butter knife or a small offset spatula would be a good tool to use to run along the side of the pan. Then just pop the pan upside down to release the cake.
Question

Is it necessary to add vanilla extract?

Qamar

Top Answerer

No, it only adds flavor.
Question

How do I bake this in an oven?

Community Answer

Put the mix in the oven. Set it to 180°C (350°F). Do not open the oven door for the first 20 minutes. Your cake should be ready between 30 to 45 minutes, depending on your oven. You can check whether your cake is baked by putting a toothpick or a knife in it. If there is dough on the utensil, you should continue cooking.