Ina Garten’s Chocolate Cake recipe ~ it’s a classic! When I hear the word dessert, this homey, rich, chocolatey cake is what springs to mind. Everybody should make it at least once.
Ina Garten’s chocolate cake is hands-down one of my favorite chocolate cakes I’ve ever baked, (or tasted!)
It will take a lot for me to look for another chocolate cake recipe in the near future. The texture and flavor of Ina Garten’s chocolate cake is just my style — it’s very moist without being dense or heavy at all, and has just the right balance of sweetness with rich chocolate flavor. I can see why this is a beloved recipe, and will be my go-to from now on.
This easy chocolate cake has the light, even texture of a boxed cake mix
The chocolate cake itself is similar to my Chocolate Cake with Cranberry Buttercream, but even a little bit simpler to put together as it calls for oil and cocoa powder rather than melted butter and chocolate. You can feel confident going with either one, depending on whether you’re in a butter creaming mood or not. They both bake up perfectly with a nice deep rich color and fabulous chocolate flavor.
A pinch of salt and some silky sour cream makes chocolate frosting even better!
I did make a couple of changes to the original frosting recipe to suit my preferences ~ I added a pinch of salt, a bit of sour cream, and increased the amount of powdered sugar. These changes help to bulk up the frosting a bit so that there’s plenty to generously frost a double layer cake (I’m paranoid about running out!)
I feel that the salt and sour cream help offset the added sugar a little bit. The added sour cream also makes for a slightly softer frosting that doesn’t go quite as crusty over time as a plain buttercream frosting tends to do.
I kept my cake as plain and simple as can be, but of course this is a wonderful base for all kinds of variations and decorations. The cake would be amazing with a vanilla frosting, a peanut butter frosting, a blackberry buttercream, whatever you like!
Suggestions for decorating a chocolate layer cake
If your occasion calls for a little more frippery, here are some ideas…
- One of my favorite ways to decorate any chocolate surface is with chocolate shavings: just take a bar of chocolate and a vegetable peeler and peel off little curls. If your chocolate is dry you can microwave it for a few seconds to soften it so that you can get it to curl beautifully.
- Chocolate sprinkles look pretty on a chocolate cake, you can decorate the top, or press them into the sides.
- If it’s the season, pop some berries on top, strawberries and raspberries are perfect. Intersperse some green mint leaves.
- Arrange malted milk balls or other chocolate candy around the perimeter of the cake.
How to crumb coat a layer cake
The moist, delicate texture of this cake mean that it is a little bit trickier to frost without getting crumbs in your frosting, so I recommend doing a quick “crumb coat,” which, if you’ve never bothered with one in the past, really isn’t as complicated or annoying as it might sound!
- To make a “crumb coat,” simply frost the top and sids of the cake with a thin layer of frosting, getting everything as smooth as you can. Don’t worry if there are crumbs showing.
- Then, refrigerate the cake for at least 15 minutes. This sets the frosting and effectively locks all those crumbs in place before you move on to your next coat of frosting, so they won’t be floating around and getting in your way! That’s it!
I think this cake is the perfect celebratory cake for any and all occasions ~ it’s a great recipe to have in your back pocket for birthdays, anniversaries, graduation parties, you name it.
More luscious layer cakes ~
- Banana Cake with Spiced Vanilla Buttercream
- Orange Creamsicle Cake
- Raspberry Lemon Cake
- Blueberry Lemon Layer Cake
Ina Garten’s Chocolate Cake
Equipment
- 2 8-inch round cake pans Note: this cake is thick, so make sure your cake pans are at least 2 inches tall to accomodate the batter.
Ingredients
Dry Ingredients
- 1 3/4 cup all purpose flour
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- 3/4 cup cocoa powder
- 2 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp salt
Wet Ingredients
- 1 cup buttermilk (I used half-and-half, which worked fine, too!)
- 1/2 cup vegetable oil
- 2 large eggs
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 cup hot coffee
For the frosting
- 6 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped
- 1 cup unsalted butter (2 sticks), room temperature
- 3 cups powdered sugar, sifted
- 1 pinch salt
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup sour cream
Instructions
For the cake
- Preheat oven to 350F. Butter two 8-inch round cake pans and line the bottoms with parchment paper discs.
- Whisk all the dry ingredients together well in a large bowl.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together all the wet ingredients EXCEPT the coffee.
- Slowly add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients, mixing as you go. Once incorporated, add the hot coffee, and mix everything until there are no pockets of dry flour left. The batter will be very thin.
- Divide the batter between the two cake pans, and bake for 35 minutes until risen and a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out without wet batter clinging to it.
- Allow the cakes to partially cool in the pans, then turn out onto a cooling rack to completely cool before frosting. The cakes can be made a day or two ahead and kept in the refrigerator before frosting.
For the frosting
- Melt the chocolate in a double boiler or in the microwave using short bursts. Stir until smooth and set aside to cool slightly.
- Beat the room temperature butter in the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment for a couple minutes until smooth and noticeably paler in color. Slowly add the powdered sugar, salt, and vanilla, beating on a low-medium speed until everything is smooth.
- Whisk the sour cream into the partially cooled melted chocolate. This both cools down the chocolate and warms up the sour cream so that both are more-or-less room temperature before adding to the butter mixture.
- Add the chocolate and sour cream mixture to the mixer bowl and beat on low speed until everything is smooth and combined.
- If your frosting seems a little too loose, you can refrigerate it for 10-15 minutes to allow it to firm up a little bit. Then give it a good stir before frosting the cake.
Notes
Best Chocolate Cake Ever (overview of reader comments)
The comments on this cake have been overwhelmingly positive:- “the BEST chocolate cake I have ever made”
- “the only chocolate cake I will ever make”
- It’s frequently called a “perfect chocolate cake”
- and a forever go-to recipe.
Quick Troubleshooting Guide to Ina Garten’s Chocolate Cake
Even a reliable recipe can have its quirks, but don’t worry! Here’s a handy, to-the-point guide to solve some of your common issues with this beloved cake:- Batter looks too runny ~ This batter is meant to be very thin (thanks to the buttermilk and hot coffee). That’s normal, so trust the process! It will bake up into an ultra-moist, tender cake every time.
- Cake sinks in the middle ~ A sinking center usually means it needed a few more minutes in the oven or the leaveners were past their prime. Use fresh baking powder/soda and avoid overmixing the batter. Bake until a toothpick comes out clean (no wet batter clinging) and resist opening the oven door too early.
- Cake pulled away from the sides ~ If your cake shrank a lot from the pan sides, it may be slightly over baked. Double-check your oven temperature (an oven thermometer is a baker’s best friend) and consider reducing the bake time by a few minutes next time. The cake is done when it’s set in the center and just starting to pull away, not drastically.
- Cake is dry or crumbly ~ Over baking or too much flour can dry out your cake. Measure flour using the spoon-and-level method (or weigh it) to avoid packing in extra, and set your timer a few minutes early to check for doneness. The layers should spring back lightly when touched and still feel moist.
- Cake sticks to the pan ~ To prevent sticking, generously butter or spray your pans and line the bottoms with parchment paper. After baking, let the cakes cool about 10 minutes in the pans, then run a thin knife around the edges before gently turning them out. This helps release the cake cleanly for picture-perfect layers.
- Frosting is too runny ~ If Ina’s chocolate frosting turns out thinner than you’d like, pop it in the fridge for 10–15 minutes, then give it a good stir. Make sure the melted chocolate isn’t too hot when you add it to the butter (warm, not steaming). A short chill firms up the frosting so it’s lush and spreadable.
- Frosting looks curdled or grainy ~ Don’t panic ~ this can happen if the ingredients were different temperatures. Keep beating the frosting; it often comes together with a bit more mixing. Next time, ensure the butter is room temp and the chocolate has cooled slightly (so they blend smoothly). A tablespoon of sour cream or milk can also help bring a broken frosting back to silky bliss.
- Getting crumbs in your frosting ~ For a crumb-free finish, do a quick crumb coat: spread a thin layer of frosting over the cake to trap any loose crumbs, then refrigerate the cake for 20 minutes. Once set, frost the cake with the remaining icing. This two-step frosting technique gives you a clean, crumb-free final coat (and extra deliciousness!)
Nutrition
The sugar amount is definitely geared more towards an American taste but we made it with 3/4 of a cup of sugar for the cake and 1 cup powdered sugar for the frosting and it was plenty sweet enough for our European taste. Great cake though! And will make again with less sugar! Thanks for the recipe!
I’m glad to know it worked so well with less sugar, it is a lot!
This delicious cake turned out perfect for me. I made it to celebrate my chocolate loving son’s birthday. This recipe was made once but will absolutely be made over and over again!
I used Ghirardelli semisweet chips for the frosting. The frosting, like the cake, was perfection.
Great recipe, have used it many times. Can I make it in 11*15 rectangle cake pan?
I’ve made it many times in a 9×13 pan and it takes about 30-35 minutes. If you bake it in the larger pan you’ll need to be on top of the time, this cake bakes relatively quickly.
Can I use this cake for an ice cream cake
Sure, it would be delicious!
Made this twice. It was good but is it the best I ever had? Nope. I honestly can say it wasn’t. I’ll go on exploring other chocolate cake recipes.
Thanks for giving it a try (twice!) and for taking the time to leave a comment. I totally get that chocolate cake is personal ~ and there are so many styles out there to explore. I’m glad it was still a good one for you, and I hope you find your best ever soon!
This is the best chocolate cake recipe I’ve found! I made this for my papa and he said it reminded him of his mother’s chocolate cake when he was a boy! Best compliment I could have received.
Thanks for the review Taylor! That’s interesting because this cake recipe is similar to ones popular in the last century.
I had the same experience! Made for my 90-year-old grandpa and he said it brought him back to my childhood. Totally unexpectedly!
Any tips on how to incorporate banana? My kiddo wants a banana chocolate cake with a peanut butter frosting. This is the best chocolate cake I’ve made and I’d love to make this one and adapt to his three year old specifications if possible.
Just off the top of my head I would reduce the buttermilk and hot coffee by half (so 1/2 cup buttermilk and 1/2 cup hot coffee) and add in 1 cup mashed banana.
I know some people add pudding mix to cake recipes, not sure how you’d adjust this but they do make banana pudding. Or you might get lucky and find banana extract
Hiya
please could you let me know how much of the coffee should we mix into the hot water.
The recipe calls for one cup of hot brewed coffee. If you want to use instant coffee, follow the directions on the package to make 8 ounces.
Hi there, any idea how much to increase the ingredients by for using 9inch cake tin?
You can use the same recipe for 9 inch pans, but check them 5 minutes earlier since they’ll bake slightly faster.
I dislike coffee sooooo much, but this recipe is fabulous!! I could not taste the coffee, at all. Neither could my coffee loving husband. Thank you!!
This cake is moist and full of flavor . Love it and will nake again. Thank you.
Thanks Laurie 🙂