Chocolate cake is one of my favorite desserts to make and especially to eat. When I was little I would help my grandma frost her cakes (and would lick the spatula!) I definitely credit my love of baking and cooking to her. This recipe reminds me of that time and now I love baking with my toddlers!
This chocolate cake and frosting is rich and decadent without being overwhelmingly sweet. It’s moist and so delicious and is great for birthdays or just a random cake craving!
Ingredients:
Chocolate Cake:
- Cake Flour (Recipe for a homemade version included)
- Granulated Sugar
- Baking Powder
- Cocoa Powder
- Salt
- Softened Butter
- Egg
- Milk
- Vanilla Extract
Chocolate Frosting:
- Melted Butter
- Cocoa Powder
- Powdered Sugar
- Milk
- Vanilla Extract
*Optional – Chocolate Ganache (Dripping Decoration):
- Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips
- Heavy Whipping Cream
How to Make the Chocolate Cake & Chocolate Frosting:
Preheat your oven to 350º.
Take a small to medium size bowl and combine your dry ingredients – cake flour, baking powder, cocoa powder, and salt. Whisk together and set aside.
Next, using either a hand mixer or stand mixer, cream the softened butter and granulated sugar. Be sure to fully combine until light and fluffy. Save the wrappers from your butter to grease your cake pans at this point.
Grease and flour two 6” round cake pans and set aside.
Add the room temperature egg and vanilla extract to your butter and sugar. Scrape the sides of the bowl and mix thoroughly.
Alternate adding your flour mixture and your milk to your wet ingredients. While continuously mixing, start with the milk and add a little, then add a little of the flour mixture, and alternate until you’ve fully added both. Your cake batter will be light and smooth with a whipped like texture.
Split the cake batter evenly between both pans and bake for approximately 50 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. As all ovens bake differently, I would suggest checking your cake at 45 minutes and adjusting the time as needed.
While your cake is in the oven, make the chocolate frosting.
How to Make the Chocolate Frosting:
Using a stand or hand mixer, combine your melted butter and cocoa powder thoroughly.
While continuously mixing, add in your powdered sugar, vanilla extract, and milk, and mix until fully combined and fluffy.
How to Assemble the Cake:
Let your cakes cool fully before assembling. I like to put mine in the fridge to speed up the process.
Once fully cooled, take a serrated knife or cake leveler and cut the domes off the tops of your cakes. *Tip – you can save the extra cake pieces and combine with any leftover frosting to make cake pops!
Place one cake on a cake plate or cake stand and place a generous amount of frosting on the top. Spread to cover the top.
Take the other cake and place on top of the first, upside down with the bottom of the cake being on top.
Take a generous amount of frosting and frost the top and sides of the cakes.
Enjoy!
*Optional – Chocolate Ganache Drip – Extra Decoration
A chocolate cake with chocolate frosting is perfect on its own, but if you’re looking to take your cake to the next level decor wise, you can add a chocolate ganache drip. This part is definitely not necessary, but can be a fun extra step and it’s super easy as well.
Melt heavy whipping cream in the microwave for a minute or until just boiling.
Remove from microwave and add in the chocolate chips, stirring to cover all chips with the cream.
Let sit for a few minutes and then whisk until smooth.
Let cool down some before adding to a squeeze bottle.
To create the drips, take the bottle around the perimeter of the cake and squeeze to create the drips. Squeeze and move slightly, squeeze and move slightly, and repeat until you’ve made drips around the edges.
Then fill in the top of the cake with the ganache.
I then piped a design around the top of the cake with the chocolate frosting just for an extra touch.
Again, this is all for the decor aspect, feel free to stop after you’ve made the cake and frosting!
Rich & Decadent Chocolate Cake With Chocolate Frosting
Ingredients
Chocolate Cake
- 2 cups cake flour *see notes for homemade version of cake flour
- 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
- 2 tsps baking powder
- 1 cup cocoa powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 1/2 cups softened butter
- 2 eggs room temperature
- 1 cup milk
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
Chocolate Frosting
- 1 cup melted butter
- 1 1/2 cup cocoa powder
- 6 cups powdered sugar
- 1 cup milk
- 2 tsps vanilla extract
*Optional for Decor – Chocolate Ganache – For the Drips
- 1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
- 1/4 cup heavy whipping cream
Instructions
Chocolate Cake
- Preheat oven to 350º.
- Take a small to medium size bowl and combine your dry ingredients – cake flour, baking powder, cocoa powder, and salt. Whisk together and set aside.
- Using either a hand or stand mixer, cream together the softened butter and granulated sugar. Fully mix until light and fluffy. Save the wrappers from your butter to grease your cake pans at this point.
- Grease and flour two 6” round cake pans and set aside.
- Add the room temperature egg and vanilla extract to your butter and sugar. Scrape the sides of the bowl and mix thoroughly.
- Alternate adding the flour mixture and your milk to the wet ingredients. While continuously mixing, start with the milk and add a little, then add a little of the flour mixture, and alternate until you’ve fully added both. Your cake batter will be light and smooth with a whipped like texture.
- Split the cake batter evenly between both pans and bake for approximately 50 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. As all ovens bake differently, I would suggest checking your cakes at 45 minutes and adjust accordingly.
- While your cakes are in the oven, make the chocolate frosting.
Chocolate Frosting
- Using a stand or hand mixer, combine your melted butter and cocoa powder thoroughly.
- While continuously mixing, add in your powdered sugar, vanilla extract, and milk, and mix until fully combined and fluffy.
Assembling the Cake
- Let your cakes cool fully before assembling. I like to put mine in the fridge to speed up the process.
- Once fully cooled, take a serrated knife or cake leveler and cut the domes off the tops of your cakes. *Tip – You can save the extra cake pieces and combine with any leftover frosting to create cake pops!
- Place one cake on a cake plate or cake stand and place a generous amount of frosting on the top. Spread to cover the top.
- Take the other cake and place on top of the first, upside down with the bottom of the cake being on top.
- Take a generous amount of frosting and frost the top and sides of the cake.
- Enjoy!
*Optional – Chocolate Ganache Drip – Extra Decoration
- Melt heavy whipping cream in the microwave for a minute or until just boiling.
- Remove from microwave and add in the chocolate chips, stirring to cover all the chips with the cream.
- Let sit for a few minutes and then whisk until smooth.
- Let cool down some before transferring to a squeeze bottle.
- To create the drips, take the bottle around the perimeter of the cake and squeeze to create the drips. Squeeze and move slightly, squeeze and move slightly, and repeat until you’ve made drips all around the edges.
- Fill in the top of the cake with the ganache.
- Pipe a design around the top of the cake with the chocolate frosting as an extra touch if you’d like.
- Again, the ganache is for the decor aspect, feel free to stop after you’ve made the cake and frosting!
