You need to make this Chocolate Cake with Chocolate Buttercream Icing! It’s so rich and full of delicious chocolate flavour!

A while ago, it occurred to me that I had never made a chocolate cake. How is that even possible?! I’ve made Rootbeer Chocolate Cupcakes, Chocolate-Beet Cupcakes, Chocolate Cupcakes, Cream Cheese Swirl Brownies and Triple Chocolate Brownies, but never a good old-fashioned chocolate cake! So I set on a mission to find the perfect chocolate cake recipe! And what a better time than for Valentines Day! Let me tell you, there are SO many recipes out there it is mind boggling! Where to start?!
In my search I kept seeing a common theme with the recipes…many of them had coffee in the ingredients. I had always bypassed those recipes because I do not like coffee flavoured anything, except for a cup of coffee. I really, really do not like coffee in my desserts. But I was curious why coffee was even in chocolate cake recipes…so I googled it. Apparently, coffee does not add coffee flavour, but instead it boosts the flavour of the cocoa. And it does. This cake has no coffee flavour at all. Just a really good, rich chocolate flavour.
This cake was so rich, so moist, so chocolatey and so easy to make. Honestly, it really was no harder to make than opening a box of cake mix. Truly. It’s a staple recipe…a go to!

Chocolate Cake with Chocolate Buttercream Icing
Ingredients
Chocolate Cake:
- 1 3/4 cups all purpose flour
- 2 cups sugar
- 3/4 cup cocoa powder
- 2 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp salt
- 2 eggs
- 1 cup strong coffee it can be hot, warm or cool
- 1 cup buttermilk
- 1/2 cup vegetable oil
- 1 tbsp vanilla
Chocolate Buttercream Icing:
- 1 1/2 cups butter
- 3 3/4 cups icing sugar
- 9 tbsp cocoa powder
- 6 tbsp milk
- 1 1/2 tsp vanilla
Instructions
Chocolate Cake:
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
- Prepare 3, 8-inch circle cake baking pans. You can either grease and flour your pans, or use parchment paper to line the bottom of the pan. See tips!
- Into a mixing bowl, sift together flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder and salt.
- Add eggs, coffee, buttermilk, oil and vanilla to dry ingredients, and mix on medium speed for about 2 minutes.
- Pour your batter evenly into your prepped cake pans. Gently tap the pans on the countertop to remove air bubbles.
- Bake for 20 minutes, then rotate your pans. Bake for about 15 minutes more, or until a toothpick inserted in the centre of the cake comes out clean.
- When done, let your pans cool on a wire rack for about 20 minutes, then remove cakes from the pans.
Chocolate Buttercream Icing:
- Beat all ingredients until the icing is nice and fluffy. You will have to scrape the bowl often.
Notes
Recipe from Food Network Magazine

So if you are looking for a good old-fashioned chocolate cake with chocolate icing, this is it. Search no further. Trust me!
36 Comments
Tonia L
February 15, 2012 at 4:07 PMI’m on my way over…do you have the coffee on? 😉 Seriously? That looks delicious!
Cas
November 27, 2018 at 8:32 AMHi my oven only takes two pans at a time what do I do please help
CherryMakeUp
February 15, 2012 at 4:28 PMUhhhh…that´s the perfect Cake for my husband, he is chocolat addicted!!!
Natasha d
February 15, 2012 at 7:25 PMThat cake looks amazing!!! Here is the question….where did you get that awesome cake plate with the lid? Do you put the whole thing in the fridge? Love it!!! I want one of those!
Barb
February 15, 2012 at 8:17 PMI could use a piece of that right now – my mouth is watering! And yes, that is a beautiful cake plate and cover! 😉
Amber - Binkertation
February 15, 2012 at 8:55 PMI’m drooling all over – that looks amaaaaaaaaazing. Hmmm need an excuse to bake a chocolate cake now… my birthday is coming up!
Pam
February 15, 2012 at 10:24 PMThe cake and the photo is the picture of “Comfort” I’m putting the coffee on right now.
Ali Richardson
February 15, 2012 at 10:47 PMOh my yummy! I have been having SERIOUS chocolate cravings lately. This post is dangerous!
Stephanie @ henry happened
February 16, 2012 at 12:50 AMHow delicious! I’ve never heard that about the coffee – good to know! I have to make Henry a b-day cake and chocolate sounds like just the thing!
A Pretty Life in the Suburbs
February 16, 2012 at 2:49 AM@Pam Thanks Pam! Your comment was so lovely! 😉
Jo-Anna
A Pretty Life in the Suburbs
February 16, 2012 at 2:52 AM@Natasha d Thanks Natasha! The cake plate came from my mom who found it years ago while treasure hunting with my Grandma and uncle! Isn’t it fabulous!! It’s so big that I can’t get it into the fridge, but I just leave my cakes on the counter because they don’t last too long around here, hee hee! Jo-Anna
Lindsay @ Delighted Momma
February 16, 2012 at 4:44 AMDrooling over this!! I wish I could eat this entire cake…I probably could 😉
Miss Kitty
February 16, 2012 at 4:52 AMOMG…that looks wonderful…I hope your Valentine enjoyed it. I am pinning this for future reference. I saw your post over at
“Crafty Scrappy, Happy” blog party.
Talar
February 16, 2012 at 11:49 AMthis looks so delicious! i have to make cupcakes for a birthday party this weekend — i wonder how many this would make if it put them in muffin tins instead of cake pans? i’ll have to try it out!
Elena @ La Petite Vie
February 16, 2012 at 5:54 PMYUM! this sounds and looks amazing! Thanks for the great recipe. Love your photos!
NRBeilby
February 17, 2012 at 4:38 AMJust made this cake tonight, and it. is. amazing! I had wanted a go-to chocolate cake recipe, and this one is for sure it. The cake is perfectly moist, and the icing is the right consistency making it easy to frost the cake.
Oh, and you are right… you don’t taste the coffee at all, but it sure does make the chocolate stand out.
Thanks for sharing!
Bekki
Amanda Jones
February 17, 2012 at 6:59 AMThis cake is making me so hungry! It looks amazing!! I am stopping by from Whipperberry and I would love if you’d visit me too!!
Amanda
everycreativeendeavor.com
Me and My Pink Mixer
February 17, 2012 at 1:53 PMYour cake looks amazing! I just pinned it 🙂 I love, love, love your cake plate with the beautiful lid!! Happy Friday.
Sugarr2518
February 17, 2012 at 8:44 PMI love chocolate cake and this is like double the helping! Yummy!
Kristen @ My Covered Bridge
February 17, 2012 at 10:38 PMThis cake looks delicious! I’ve already pinned it! I’m your newest follower!
Tracy S
February 18, 2012 at 10:22 PMI have this in the oven now! yummy!! can’t wait!!
A Pretty Life in the Suburbs
February 18, 2012 at 11:16 PM@Tracy S I hope you LOVE it!! Jo-Anna
[email protected]
February 19, 2012 at 3:50 AMyum! following you now on the linky follow. Is this the new way to follow with GFC leaving? I just added it and would love a linky follow back!
[email protected]
ps i have to make this!
Jessica @ Stay at Home-ista
February 19, 2012 at 2:21 PMThe frosting won me over. Where did you get that amazing blue pail(?) in the background? I love that color, and it works so well with the chocolate brown:)
Stephanie
February 24, 2012 at 11:01 PMI make a very similar cake but minus the coffee.. now I’m thinking I should add a bit to get more chocolate flavor out of it!
Carrie Burrill
August 23, 2012 at 2:21 PMI want a bowl of this frosting! Thanks for sharing today =)
Tanya
September 16, 2012 at 12:29 PMThis is seriously the best chocolate icing and my whole family agrees 🙂 I have yet to attempt to make the cake but I’m sure it’s going to be just as delicious as the icing. I’ve tried a few recipe’s for chocolate icing but this one is the perfect combination of flavor and sweetness – love it!
A Pretty Life in the Suburbs
September 16, 2012 at 4:10 PMSO awesome Tanya! Thank you so much for letting me know! I LOVE comments like these!
Jo-Anna
Cindy
March 23, 2013 at 5:00 PMHow can you go wrong with Chocolate Cake EVER !
Every Day Celebrations - A Pretty Life In The Suburbs
February 18, 2015 at 3:01 AM[…] can keep it as simple as your heart desires by buying a dessert, or if you feel like it bake up a traditional chocolate cake, or fluffy coconut cake, or this moist and delicious Vanilla Cake with Vanilla Buttercream […]
Rajiv Kumar
July 12, 2017 at 1:44 AMIt is very simple to making this cake after reading ths article Heartyyy Thankssss!!!
https://www.cakengifts.in/cake-delivery-in-gurgaon
Deborah
December 28, 2017 at 3:06 AMI’ve seen a cake plate and cover like this at cost plu’s world market. I’m getting one for myself
Jo-Anna Rooney
December 29, 2017 at 11:30 AMCake carriers are always great to have!
Eric
June 12, 2020 at 1:23 AMI have made this cake three times and I love it!!! This is the best chocolate cake and frosting recipe I have come across. It is now my go to recipe! I even made it for my sisters birthday and she loved it!! So did my family! Now my mother would like one for her birthday. But she wants a white vanilla cake. Do you have recipe for a white vanilla cake? Or could I leave out the cocoa and get the same taste in a white cake form?
Jo-Anna Rooney
June 12, 2020 at 11:21 AMHi Eric! I’m so happy you enjoy this cake recipe!! I actually don’t have a white vanilla cake recipe as of yet…I’m working on having one ready for this summer! I wouldn’t use this chocolate cake recipe as a base, as I haven’t tried it…I’m not sure it would work.
Eric
June 13, 2020 at 7:31 AMThanks for letting me know. You may have save me from a disaster lol. I will be patiently waiting for that recipe!!!