The Best Chocolate Cake Recipe

ByBrittany
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This is the best chocolate cake recipe ever! It’s rich, moist, and loaded with chocolate flavor—truly a chocolate lover’s dream. If you’ve been searching for a go-to chocolate cake recipe that checks all the boxes, this is it! With deliciously moist cake layers, milk chocolate chips throughout, and a smooth chocolate buttercream, it’s a show-stopping dessert that’s surprisingly easy to make.

A rich chocolate cake slice, topped with creamy frosting and a black fork digging into it, surrounded by chocolate chips on a plate.

BEST CHOCOLATE CAKE INGREDIENTS

  • Electric Hand Mixer

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  • (3) 8 Inch Round Cake Pans or (4) 6 Inch Round Pans
  • Non-Stick Baking Spray
  • Dark Chocolate Fudge Cake Mix (I prefer Duncan Hines)
  • All-Purpose Flour
  • Granulated Sugar
  • Cocoa Powder
  • Unsalted Butter
  • Sour Cream
  • Vegetable Oil
  • Milk
  • Vanilla Extract
  • Eggs
  • Salt
  • Milk Chocolate Chips
  • Food Scale (Optional, but highly recommended!)
Close-up of a rich, layered chocolate cake with smooth frosting between moist chocolate layers, inviting and decadent.

TIPS FOR PERFECT CAKE LAYERS

This easy chocolate cake recipe is simple to follow, and nearly fail-proof in my opinion. But these baking tips will help you achieve the perfect cake texture, every time!

Before baking:
  1. Room Temperature Ingredients: Let your butter, eggs, milk, and sour cream come to room temperature before mixing. This helps the ingredients combine more evenly, resulting in a smoother batter and a finer crumb.
  2. Precise Measuring: Use a food scale for accuracy, especially when measuring flour. Too much flour can make your cake dry and dense. Spoon flour into your measuring cup and level it off with a knife for the most accurate measurement.
  3. Pan Preparation: Prep your pans with a baking spray, or homemade pan release. My absolute favorite is Wilton Bake Easy Spray. I have never had a cake stick when using this spray! You can also use parchment paper rounds at the bottom of the pans for extra insurance.
mixing ingredients & baking:
  1. Mixing Technique: “Don’t over-mix the batter!” This is a common phrase in the baking world. Believe it or not, with recipes using a box cake mix, this isn’t the case! When you beat air into a cake mix recipe, something special happens. With that being said, don’t be afraid to use your hand mixer on a medium-high setting until your batter is smooth and all ingredients are fully incorporated!
  2. Don’t Overbake: Overbaking can lead to a dry and crumbly texture. Use a toothpick or knife and insert into the center of the cake – if it comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs, it’s good to go. You can also gently press your finger into the top of the cake, if it springs back slowly, it’s done!
after baking:
  1. Cooling: Let your cake cool completely in the pan on a wire rack before removing it. This allows the cake to set and prevents tearing when being moved.
  2. Storage: Be sure to store properly to lock in that moisture! I recommend double wrapping the cake layers in plastic wrap, and storing in the freezer until you are ready to apply the buttercream.
A close-up of a luscious chocolate cake slice with creamy frosting, accompanied by a black fork, revealing its moist texture.

DOCTORED= CAKE MIX MADE BETTER

  1. Easy Upgrades: Doctored box cake recipes are so convenient, and can be unbelievably good. A few added ingredients such as butter, vanilla extract, and sour cream, create a homemade taste with the perfect texture.
  2. Flexibility: You can customize a doctored box cake however you’d like. Add-ins like chocolate chips, pudding mixes, or flavored extracts can transform a basic cake mix into something truly gourmet. People won’t believe it started with a cake mix!
  3. Consistency: Box cake mixes provide an extremely reliable base, no fussing with baking powder or baking soda, and the end result is always consistent. Doctored cake mix recipes also allow you to add your personal touch, and shows off your unique flavor and style.
  4. Time-Saving: Doctored box cake recipes are absolutely delicious, without spending hours in the kitchen. With simple tweaks, you can gift your friends and family with a homemade taste they’ll fall in love with.
A rich chocolate cake slice, topped with creamy frosting and a black fork digging into it, surrounded by chocolate chips on a plate.


Well, there you have it – the best chocolate cake recipe! A fail-proof, and out-of-this-world chocolate cake that will have your friends and family dying for the recipe. Whether it’s for a special occasion, or just because you’re in the mood for a good slice of chocolate cake, this recipe won’t disappoint!

Continue below for the easy-to-follow recipe, dig in, and enjoy every bite!

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A close-up of a luscious chocolate cake slice with creamy frosting, accompanied by a black fork, revealing its moist texture.

Triple Chocolate Layer Cake

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  • Author: Brittany
  • Total Time: 1 hour
  • Yield: 25 Slices 1x
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Description

This triple chocolate layer cake is everything you’re looking for and more! Deliciously moist and decadent chocolate cake layers, with the perfect amount of milk chocolate chips sprinkled throughout.

Ingredients

Units Scale

Chocolate Cake Layers

  • 1 Box Dark Chocolate Fudge Cake Mix (Duncan Hines)
  • 1 cup Granulated Sugar
  • 1 cup All-Purpose Flour
  • 1 Teaspoon Salt
  • 1 Tablespoon Cocoa Powder
  • 3 Eggs
  • 1/2 cup Unsalted Butter (melted)
  • 1 cup Sour Cream
  • 1/4 cup Vegetable Oil
  • 1 cup Milk
  • 1 Tablespoon Vanilla Extract
  • 1/4 cup Milk Chocolate Chips (optional)

Chocolate American Buttercream

  • 7 1/2 cups Powdered Sugar
  • 1 cup Unsalted Butter
  • 1/2 cup Cocoa Powder
  • 1 Teaspoon Vanilla Extract
  • 1/2 Teaspoon Salt
  • 1/2 cup Milk or Heavy Whipping Cream (see notes)

Instructions

For the Cake Layers:

  1. Preheat & Prep: Preheat oven to 345°F. Prepare (4) 6 inch cake pans or (3) 8 inch cake pans with baking spray or a homemade pan release. You can also use parchment paper rounds at the bottom of the pans for extra insurance.
  2. Melt Butter: In a microwave-safe bowl, microwave the butter at 15-30 second intervals until completely melted. Set aside.
  3. Wet Ingredients: Measure sour cream and milk into a small, microwave-safe bowl. If not already at room temperature, microwave for 30 seconds to bring to room temperature and set aside.
  4. Eggs: If eggs are not room temperature, add whole eggs (with shell) into a bowl with warm water and let sit for 5-10 minutes. Crack eggs into a separate bowl, and set aside. Doing this gives you a chance to fish out any unwanted egg shells!
  5. Dry Ingredients: Add flour, sugar, chocolate cake mix, cocoa powder, and salt to a large mixing bowl. Use a whisk or spoon to gently combine the dry ingredients.
  6. One Bowl: Combine all ingredients into the larger bowl containing the dry ingredients. Don’t forget to add the vegetable oil and vanilla extract (or imitation vanilla)!
  7. Mix It Up! Whisk or mix ingredients together with an electric hand mixer

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    , starting on low and increasing speed to med-high. Scraping bowl periodically to make sure all ingredients are incorporating and not stuck on the bottom. Mix until batter is smooth and fluffy, usually 1-2 minutes!
  8. Pour into Pans: Pour batter into prepared cake pans. If you can, use a food scale

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     to evenly distribute batter between pans for consistent cake layer size.
  9. Chocolate Chips: Using a fork, gently press about 1 tablespoon of chocolate chips evenly into the batter in each pan. Then, use the fork to lightly move the batter around, just enough to cover any exposed chips—this helps prevent them from burning while baking. (optional)
  10. Bake: Bake for 30-32 min for 6 inch pans, and 28-30 min for 8 inch pans. Insert a toothpick or knife into the center of the cake – if it comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs, it’s good to go. You can also gently press your finger into the top of the cake, if it springs back slowly, it’s done!
  11. Cooling: Let cakes cool in pan for 10-15 minutes, and transfer to a wire cooling rack to finish cooling.
  12. Buttercream: Try this Chocolate Buttercream Recipe to bring these delicious chocolate cake layers together!

For the Chocolate Buttercream

  1. Whip the Butter: Start by adding the room temperature butter to a stand mixer, fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix the butter on medium-high for 30 seconds-1 minute, scraping the sides of the bowl at least once during this time.
  2. Vanilla & Salt: Add the vanilla extract and salt. 
  3. Start Heavy Cream: Add 2 tablespoons of heavy cream and continue mixing until incorporated. Scrape the bowl.
  4. Powdered Sugar: Lower mixer speed to the lowest setting, and start adding the powdered sugar in 1-2 cup increments. Add a tablespoon of heavy cream or milk between each.
  5. Mix It Up! Slightly increase the mixer speed to help blend these ingredients, but do not turn on too high or you will whip too much air into the buttercream.
  6. Reminder: Scrape the sides and bottom of the mixing bowl to make sure all of ingredients are incorporated and to avoid any clumps of butter or powdered sugar. 
  7. Cocoa Powder: After all ingredients are combined, finish by adding the unsweetened cocoa powder.
  8. Last Step: Mix on low-medium until all ingredients are incorporated, this could take a few minutes. At this point you should have perfectly smooth, chocolate buttercream!

Equipment

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Notes

For a stiffer buttercream, add less than recommended amount of heavy cream.

For ultra-creamy buttercream, add a max of 10 tablespoons of heavy cream.

For a taller cake, use the (4) 6 inch cake pans.

Chocolate Buttercream Recipe

  • Prep Time: 15 minutes
  • Cook Time: 30 minutes
  • Category: Dessert
  • Method: Bake
  • Cuisine: American

Did you make this recipe?

Share a photo and tag @coveandkitchen — I can’t wait to see what you’ve made!

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11 Comments

  1. Looks fabulous! Love the website as well. Will be making this cake soon for sure. I love doctored cake mixes.

    Reply
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  9. Excited to try this recipe, but need it doubled . When I do “2x”- everything doubles except the box cake mix…shouldn’t that be doubled as well?

    Reply

    1. Hi Dana! Yes, you’re absolutely right. Double EVERYTHING listed, it must be a glitch in the system if the box mix isn’t doubling as well when you click “2x”. Please come back and leave a review on the chocolate cake! Hope you love it as much as I do 🙂

      Reply

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