Homemade Ultra Moist Chocolate Cake

Looking for the best ultra moist chocolate cake? I’ve got ya covered. Some links in this post are affiliate links that earn me a commission if you purchase through them.

If I’m going to make chocolate cake, I’m going to make it right. That’s means it’s going to be a moist chocolate cake, with a deep, rich, fudgy flavor.

When my son asked for a chocolate cake with chocolate frosting for his 16th birthday, what could I say but yes? Who cares that chocolate cake is my least favorite.

That said, I played around with some of my favorite cakes and found a way to make a super moist chocolate cake that even I liked. My son? He was thrilled.

What’s the best way to keep my cake from sticking in the pan?

When you make cake, you have to grease and flour your cake pans. For chocolate cakes, don’t grease and flour, grease and cocoa powder.

It acts the same as flour in terms of keeping your cake from sticking to the pan, but it keeps the chocolate color.

If you’re really worried, you can also cut a round from parchment paper and add it to your cake pan. However, when I grease and flour my cake pan, I have never had an issue.

What kind of cocoa powder should I use?

You always want to use unsweetened cocoa powder, but there are both alkalized and non-alkalized cocoa powders, and you want to use the right one.

Alkalized (Dutch process) cocoa powder is treated with alkaline, which results in a a less bitter and powerful chocolate, but it isn’t meant for recipes with leavening agents – like this ultra moist chocolate cake.

Instead, you want to go with natural cocoa powder where the acidic properties in it help to counterbalance the alkaline present in baking soda.

Why do you add coffee to this chocolate cake?

Like so many of my chocolate baked goods recipes, I use coffee in this cake.

Brewed coffee brings out the richness and chocolate-y-ness of the chocolate. The coffee complements unsweetened cocoa powder perfectly.

And no, it doesn’t make your cake taste like coffee at all. Just trust me on this one.

What can I substitute for buttermilk?

Don’t have buttermilk? That’s ok. As long as you have milk, you can “make” your own buttermilk.

Just add a tablespoon of lemon juice or vinegar to your liquid measuring cup then fill it to the one cup mark. Let it sit for five minutes, and voila!

If you plan to make this cake dairy free, you can make a dairy free buttermilk. I have done this in two ways.

The easiest way is to use your favorite nondairy milk – I usually use rice milk – and add vinegar or lemon juice to that, just like standard milk. I also find that starting with a quarter cup of mayonnaise and filling the liquid measuring cup the rest of the way with milk and whisking that works well.

Many chocolate cakes call for sour cream, but I’m not a fan. Instead, get the fab texture from buttermilk and vegetable oil – no, you don’t use butter in this chocolate cake.

Can I make this cake in a 9×13 pan?

Yes, you can! While this recipe is written for two round layers, you can also make this ultra moist chocolate cake in a 9×13 pan.

Grease and flour the pan just like you would with the round cake pans. You bake it at the same temperature, but you do need to bake it a few minutes longer.

Definitely keep an eye on it, and use your cake tester to confirm when it’s done.

Any tips to make sure my cake stays moist?

First of all, make sure you don’t accidentally add too much flour. When you measure it, sift it first or at the very least use a spoon to add it so you don’t pack it in by scooping it from the container.

On the flip side, don’t skimp on sugar trying to make it better for you. The sugar needs to be there to help keep your cake moist.

Don’t overbake your cake. It’s tempting to bake it until your cake tester comes out completely clean, but you want it to have a few moist crumbs still attached.

The residual heat continues to bake it a little as it cools in the pan, and yes, you absolutely need to let it cool in the pan before you try to remove it. That helps a lot.

Which brings me to the next point – don’t rush removing your cake from the pan to cool on racks. Let it cool in the cake pan for a good ten minutes. This lets the cake set up so that it’s less likely to break or fall apart when you do remove it let it finish cooling.

What is the best way to ensure my layer cake is even?

When you layer your cakes, put the first layer upside down and the second layer right side up so that the two flat edges touch. This helps your cake stay more level as you frost it and avoids the tendency of the top layer to break.

But first, use a serrated knife to slice off the rounded top of one layer that will become the bottom. This lets it sit evenly on your serving dish.

Choose the layer that looks most uneven to be your bottom layer. You don’t need to cut it off completely either; just slice off enough that it sits flat without rocking.

Another pro tip: When you frost your cake, cut 3-4″ slices of wax paper or parchment paper and lay them in a circle on your serving dish. Place the cake atop them and then frost.

This keeps your dish from getting messy with frosting. When you finish, carefully remove the paper.

Chocolate Cake Ingredients:

• Unbleached all-purpose flour
• Granulated sugar
• Cocoa powder
• Salt
• Baking powder
• Baking soda
• Coffee
• Vegetable oil
• Buttermilk*
• Eggs

*If you do not have buttermilk, you can make your own using the tips shared earlier in this article.

How to Make the Best Ultra Moist Chocolate Cake

Brew your coffee and set it aside. It’s fine if it’s still hot when you add it, but you want to have it ready for when you add the liquid ingredients.

If you need to make “buttermilk,” do so now to ensure it has enough time to curdle.

Preheat your oven to 325 degrees. Grease and cocoa powder two nine inch cake pans, then set them aside.

In a mixing bowl, add the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Stir to combine.

Add the buttermilk, brewed coffee, and oil to the bowl, one after the other. Mix well, then beat for one minute.

Add your eggs, one at a time, beating between each addition. As with all baking, you’re best off with room temperature eggs, so plan ahead if possible.

The resulting cake batter will be very thin, more so than many other cakes. Don’t panic, you did this correctly.

Pour half the cake batter into each of the two prepared cake pans, then place them in your preheated oven for 30-35 minutes, just until your cake tester has a few crumbs remaining.

Let the cakes cool in their pans for 10 minutes, then turn them out onto wire racks to cool the rest of the way. See? Cocoa powder means your cakes don’t have white patches!

Once they are fully cool, frost with your favorite filling and frosting, then serve. For this cake, I used my whipped chocolate ganache for the filling and a chocolate buttercream for frosting.

No surprise, this cake is best the day you make it. However, you can keep the frosted cake on the counter tightly wrapped for two to three days.

Make sure to bookmark this page so you can make this ultra moist chocolate cake again

More of my favorite chocolate recipes:

• Molten chocolate cakes
• No bake Nutella cookies
• Double chocolate cherry crispy treats
• Chocolate chip skillet cookie
• Individual microwave chocolate chip cookie
• Chocolate chip oat bars
• Peppermint chocolate cookies
• Bailey’s chocolate mousse
• Triple chocolate dipped cookies
• Chocolate chip cookie dough truffles
• Chocolate martinis
• Edible s’mores cookie dough
• Mile high chocolate cream pie
• Chocolate glazed tart

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