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A cream cheese frosting chocolate cake on a plate with a fork and chocolate curls.

Chocolate Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

An incredibly moist and intensely chocolate cake with cream cheese frosting. This is an incredibly easy cake to make and a very versatile recipe.
I streamlined the instructions to make the recipe a convenient one bowl process. It is the same favorite chocolate cake but the order of ingredients have been swapped.
4.68 from 485 votes
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Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 50 minutes
Servings: 12 servings
Calories: 752kcal
Author: Dahn Boquist

Ingredients

  • 1 cup 80g unsweetened cocoa powder (not Dutch-processed)
  • 1 cup hot coffee (240 ml)
  • 2 cups sugar (400g)
  • ½ cup vegetable oil (120 ml)
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 cup milk (240 ml)
  • 2 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1-¾ cup (210g) all-purpose flour
  • 1-½ tsp baking powder
  • 1-½ tsp baking soda
  • 1 tsp salt

Cream Cheese Frosting

  • 20 ounces cream cheese softened
  • 16 tablespoons unsalted butter softened (240 grams/ 8 ounces)
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 4-½ to 6 cups (560 grams) powdered sugar (confectioners sugar), sifted

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 350°. Line the bottom of two 8 or 9-inch cake pans with parchment paper, grease and flour the sides. (The parchment paper will make the cake come out much easier than just grease and flour).
  • If you prefer to bake the cakes in 4 separate pans, see the notes at the bottom.
  • In a large mixing bowl, whisk the hot coffee and cocoa together until smooth. Let the mixture sit for 2 to 3 minutes to let the cocoa solids bloom.
  • Add the sugar and vegetable oil and stir well. Whisk in the eggs, then stir in the milk and vanilla extract.
  • Sift the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt over the chocolate mixture. Stir until well incorporated. Make sure to scrap the bottom and sides of the bowl. The batter will be thin.
  • Pour the batter into the two prepared pans and place in the center of the preheated oven. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes for the 9 inch pans or 33 to 37 minutes for the 8 inch pans (a toothpick inserted in the center of the cakes should come out clean).
  • Let cool in the cake pans for 5 to 10 minutes then run a knife around the edge of the pans to loosen the cake from the pans. Invert the cakes onto a cooling rack and remove the parchment paper. (At this point if you re-invert the cakes onto another rack and let them cool with their tops up, they will retain more height and the tops of the cakes will not stick to the cooling rack.)

Cream Cheese Frosting:

  • To make the cream cheese frosting, combine the cream cheese and butter in a large mixing bowl, and beat until soft and creamy.
  • Add 4-½ cups of the powdered sugar and vanilla and beat on low speed until the sugar is mixed in then beat on high speed until smooth, about 2 to 3 minutes. Add additional sugar if desired.

Assemble the cake:If you baked in two pans:

  • Slice each layer of cake in half horizontally by using a cake leveler or by placing each layer of cake on a turntable and use a serrated knife to slice through the cake as you turn the turntable. This will give you 4 layers to fill and stack. To transfer each layer, use a thin plastic cutting board to slide under the layers.
  • Optional: Place the cake layers in the freezer for 20 minutes to firm them up and make them easier to frost.
  • Put a dab of frosting on a cake plate and place a cake layer on top of the plate. Use 3/4 to 1 cup of frosting to spread between each layer of cake then use an off-set spatula or knife to ice the top and sides of the cake.

If you baked in four pans:

  • Put a dab of frosting on a cake plate and place a cake layer on top of the plate. Use 3/4 to 1 cup of frosting to spread between each layer of cake then use an off-set spatula or knife to ice the top and sides of the cake. 

Notes

  • If you prefer to bake the cakes in 4 separate pans, line four 8-inch pans with parchment paper and divide the cake batter into the four pans. You will have about 1 1/3 cups or 350 grams of batter in each pan. Bake the cakes, two pans at a time, for 15 to 18 minutes. (you can bake all four pans at the same time if you rotate the pans halfway through the bake time)
  • To get a higher rise to the cake, use natural cocoa not Dutch processed which does not react to the baking soda
  • Store this cake unfrosted at room temperature for up to one day or frosted for up to two hours. In the refrigerator, it keeps well for six days, and when wrapped airtight, it can be frozen for three months.
  • Here is a tip to make it easier to frost the cake: Partially freeze the cake layers for approximately 20 minutes before frosting. After keeping it in the freezer for a short time, the partially frozen cake will be firmer and easier to frost. 
  • This recipe does well with cupcakes. For standard sized cupcakes, bake at 350°F for 22 to 24 minutes. For mini cupcakes, bake at 350° for 10 to 12 minutes
  • For a 13 x 9 inch cake, bake at 350°F for 35 to 40 minutes. 
  • The cream cheese frosting recipe makes a large batch so you will have enough to frost between all four layers. If you do not want to make four layers, you will only need a half batch of frosting.

Video

Nutrition

Serving: 1 slice | Calories: 752kcal | Carbohydrates: 99g | Protein: 9.3g | Fat: 39g | Saturated Fat: 20g | Cholesterol: 111mg | Sodium: 598mg | Fiber: 2.9g | Sugar: 79g