The Best Chocolate Cake

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The Best Chocolate Cake – Homemade chocolate cake from scratch with rich chocolate frosting. This will be your favorite chocolate cake ever!

The Best Chocolate Cake - Homemade chocolate cake from scratch, with  rich chocolate frosting. This will be your favorite chocolate cake ever!

In our home, our children always picked what goody they wanted for their birthday. Sometimes it was a birthday cake, sometimes it was a birthday pumpkin pie. Yes, you read that right.

Jack
Jack on his 10th birthday

But looking back over the years, this cake was picked more than any other – and it was always called the same thing. “The Good Chocolate Cake.” Of course, you don’t need to wait for a birthday to make this…I certainly don’t!

How to Make the Best Chocolate Cake

To begin, preheat your oven to 350 degrees.

Grease & flour a bundt cake pan. (Or use my “pan ease” mixture – a homemade baking spray replacement.) Set it aside for now.

prepared cake pan

In a bowl, combine the flour, salt, baking cocoa, and baking soda. Whisk it together and set it aside.

dry ingredients in mixing bowl

In your mixing bowl, beat the butter and sugar together until they are smooth and fluffy. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, completely mixing in one before adding the next.

Mix in 1/3 of your flour mixture.

Add in the buttermilk.

Stir in the next 1/3 of the flour mixture, followed by the coffee and vanilla extract.

Finally, mix in the remaining 1/3 of the flour mixture, making sure to scrape the bowl with a spatula to get it all thoroughly combined.

cake batter ingredients in a mixing bowl

When it is all combined, pour the cake batter into your prepared cake pan. Spread the batter smooth.

cake batter in a bundt pan

Bake this for 45 minutes, or until it tests done with a toothpick. Cool it 5 minutes in the pan.

cake in a bundt pan

Carefully slide a thin butter knife around the edges. Invert the pan onto a cooling rack.

If the cake doesn’t come out immediately, let it cool 5 more minutes while inverted on the rack – then give it a gentle shake. It normally comes right out when I do this.

Allow the cake to cool completely.

For the Frosting:

Beat butter and cream cheese together until fluffy. Sift in powdered sugar and cocoa. Mix these together and stir in vanilla extract.

Add in milk as needed to make a nice, smooth, and spreadable consistency. Frost the cake.

frosting being spread on cake

As a final touch, grate a little dark chocolate over the top if you like.

chocolate being grated over cake

You will absolutely love this chocolate cake. It is truly the best I have ever made and is far superior than anything that will come out of a boxed mix.

The Best Chocolate Cake - Homemade chocolate cake from scratch, with  rich chocolate frosting. This will be your favorite chocolate cake ever!
The Best Chocolate Cake | Cosmopolitan Cornbread

The Best Chocolate Cake

Constance Smith – Cosmopolitan Cornbread
Rich and moist chocolate cake with a decadent chocolate frosting. Our favorite cake ever.
5 from 1 vote
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 45 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 5 minutes
Course Cakes
Cuisine American
Servings 1 cake
Calories 408 kcal

Ingredients
  

For the Cake

For the Chocolate Frosting

  • 1/2 c butter, room temperature
  • 2 oz cream cheese, room temperature
  • 1/4 c baking cocoa
  • 2 1/3 c powdered sugar
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1/4 c milk, as needed

For Garnish

  • dark chocolate , optional

Instructions
 

  • To begin, preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Grease & flour a bundt cake pan. (Or use my "pan ease" mixture.) Set it aside for now.
  • In a bowl, combine the flour, salt, baking cocoa, and baking soda. Whisk it together and set it aside.
  • In your mixing bowl, beat the butter and sugar together until they are smooth and fluffy. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, completely mixing in one before adding the next.
  • Mix in 1/3 of your flour mixture.
  • Mix in the buttermilk.
  • Mix in the next 1/3 of the flour mixture, followed by the coffee and vanilla.
  • Mix in the remaining 1/3 of the flour mixture, making sure to scrape the bowl with a spatula to get it all mixed.
  • When it is all combined, pour the cake batter into your prepared cake pan. Spread the batter smooth.
  • Bake this for 45 minutes, or until it tests done with a toothpick. Cool it 5 minutes in the pan, then carefully side a thin butter knife around the edges.
  • Invert the pan onto a cooling rack. If the cake doesn’t come out immediately, let it cool 5 more minutes while inverted on the rack – then give it a gentle shake. It normally comes right out when I do this. Allow the cake to cool completely.

For the Frosting:

  • Beat the butter and cream cheese together until fluffy.
  • Sift in the powdered sugar and cocoa. Mix these together and stir in the vanilla.
  • Add in the milk as needed to make a nice, smooth, and spreadable consistency.
  • Frost the cake.
  • To finish, grate a little dark chocolate over the top if you like.
  • Enjoy!

Notes

This recipe can also be made as cupcakes. Line your muffin pans with papers. Bake the cupcakes for 18-20 minutes, or until they test done with a toothpick. Cool on a rack. As cupcakes, it will make about 24 standard size.
For a round, layer cake – bake in 2, 9″ round cake pans for about 20-25 minutes, or until the cakes test done with a wooden pick.

Nutrition

Serving: 1cCalories: 408kcalCarbohydrates: 85gProtein: 7gFat: 5gSaturated Fat: 2gPolyunsaturated Fat: 2gCholesterol: 53mgSodium: 480mgFiber: 2gSugar: 58g

If nutritional values are provided for this recipe, they are an estimate and will vary depending on the brands of ingredients you use. The values do not include optional ingredients or when ingredients are added to taste or for serving. If nutritional values are very important to you, I suggest using your favorite nutritional calculating tool with the brands you use.

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5 from 1 vote (1 rating without comment)

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31 thoughts on “The Best Chocolate Cake”

  1. It is indeed an indulgence. Bundt cakes are definitely my weakness…they're just so quick and easy to throw together and they look lovely without a lot of fuss. I'll be saving this one for a special occasion!

    Reply
  2. Are you sure you don't want to retitle the divine dessert as the "Great Chocolate Cake?" The repeat request for a sweet speaks volumes. And just looking at your photos makes me hungry…Well, for now, at least I can grab the recipe you've shared and enjoy a bite (okay, many bites) later =)

    Reply
  3. The "please let the Bundt cake come out" prayer is a staple in my kitchen as well, Constance. That and lots of non-stick spray and flour always see me right. I love that your children call it "the good chocolate cake!" Any recipe that has stood the test of time like this must be great!

    Reply
  4. Ok…I literally had to close my mouth when I saw the picture of your chocolate cake. Oh my sweet Lord that looks amazing!

    Reply
  5. Everything about this cake is right up my alley! I am a chocolate lover, I admit it. lol I can not wait to try your frosting recipe. Yum!

    Reply
  6. LOL! Fun post… and loved 21 Jump Street too!!! This cake looks incredible… I'm thinking it will go over VERY well in my family too ;-)

    Reply
  7. Oh, my. Fantastic cake! I must try this!!!
    My recent post Croque-Monsieur..#SundaySupper, #MovieInspiredRecipes

    Reply
  8. ok don't shout at me but I haven't seen the movie. I know I know something must be wrong with me because if there is chocolate in it and Jonny then of course I should have known it. Can I still have a slice of your gorgeous chocolate cake now? please! =D

    Reply
  9. Your cake is gorgeous, and the like your idea of a Girls' movie night with your cake.Chocolat is one of my favorite movies. If you didn't bring chocolate with you to the movie, you had to find some ASAP after the movie .I would have run home and make your Chocolate cake:) Love Johnny Depp, too.

    Reply
  10. If only I could conjure up a fat slice of this cake and a side of Johnny Depp, I would be set for life. ;) It looks amazing!
    My recent post Beet Chips …inspired by Food Matters {#SundaySupper Movie-inspired Recipes}

    Reply
  11. I have never seen Chocolat – I'll have to get on that. I always get super nervous when inverting a bundt cake too. I have had one stick and it was so upsetting to have to go bake it again. Flour and butter in the pan is my secret now.

    Reply
  12. Gorgeous and so easy Constance! The kind to make all the time, you´re right. Chocolat is one mandatory movie, and one of the best ever.

    Reply