When I think about a chocolate layer cake, I want it to be moist. I want them to be packed with chocolatey flavor and to have a soft, tender texture.

The baker in me also wants the cake layers to have structure, so that they don’t fall apart as you try to frost and stack them.

I also wanted a chocolate cake recipe that could be carved for sculpted cakes!

The Perfect Chocolate Layer Cake Recipe

That’s how this recipe came to be. I had been playing around with different chocolate cake recipes for years, and they all were delicious. 

Each recipe had some of these attributes, but none of them had it all.

Was it greedy to demand so many things from one chocolate cake recipe?? No. We deserve it!

If we’re going to take the time to make a cake recipe from scratch, we deserve to have cake layers that are moist and keep their shape (as seen below).

My First Chocolate Cake Recipe

Speaking of my past chocolate cake recipes, I’m not saying they’re not great in their own way. The first chocolate cake recipe I really fell for was my moist chocolate cake recipe.

It is incredibly soft and fluffy, and I love the way it tastes!! It’s a great recipe for new bakers and is really easy to make.

My moist chocolate cake recipe actually can be made in one bowl AND you don’t need an electric mixer!! Talk about the perfect starter recipe, right?

The only downside is that it isn’t the easiest to stack and frost with perfectly smooth sides!

When I was first getting into baking, taste was my #1 priority, so this didn’t bother me much.

My Chocolate Butter Cake Recipe

As I became more interested in cake decoration, I was obsessed with frosting cakes with smooth sides.

It was so much easier to frost cake layers that had a bit more structure, like my favorite vanilla layer cake recipe.

I fell in love with the strength of the layers, and how well they help up while being frosted.

I altered the recipe to a make a chocolate version, and used this as my chocolate layer cake recipe for a while.

The only downside is that I like to trim my layers to remove the caramelization on the sides.

This means an extra step in the process, and I wasn’t completely satisfied with the texture of the layers.

Classic Chocolate Sponge Cake Recipe

This led me to continue to try out new chocolate cake recipes, and experiment. I really loved using Yolanda Gampp’s chocolate sponge cake recipe, but didn’t like that they baked with such huge domes!

I felt like i was cutting off 2/3 of each layer when I leveled them. However, the layers tasted great with simple syrup, and had great structure.

My Favorite Chocolate Layer Cake Recipe

I used Yolanda’s recipe as the starting point, then combined my favorite elements from all my past chocolate cake recipes.

The other element I really wanted to change was the size of the domes on top of each cake layer.

While creating this recipe, I chose to use black cocoa instead of regular baking cocoa. I love the taste and color it creates!! 

You can see what a beautiful color the black cocoa adds to the cake layers by looking at this slice of my raspberry chocolate cake.

I also swapped some of the water for buttermilk to add more moisture and used less baking soda.

The result?? A soft, tender chocolate cake that doesn’t need simple syrup, and that holds its shape well while being frosted and stacked. 

I’m obsessed with this recipe and hope you will be too!

If you don’t have access to black cocoa or don’t want to buy it, you can also use regular baking cocoa in this recipe! That’s exactly what I did in my triple chocolate wrap cake below, and it was delicious. 

You can add a splash of simple syrup if you love using it or think that the cake layers will be exposed to air for long period of time.

I highly recommend adding simple syrup if you’re making a carved cake or a wedding cake!

Tips for Making the Best Chocolate Layer Cake

• Properly measure your flour (spoon into the cup measure, then level) or use a kitchen scale.
• Make sure your ingredients are at room temperature. It helps them mix together better.
• Don’t level your cake layers until they are completely cooled.
• Use a serrated knife to level your cake layers once they’re fully cooled.
• If your cake layers turn out less than perfect, read my cake troubleshooting guide to see where things might’ve gone awry.
• Chill your cake layers in the freezer for about 20 minutes before assembling the cake. It makes them so much easier to stack and frost.
• Make sure your buttercream is the right consistency. This will help give your cake proper structure and make it easier to decorate.
• I do NOT recommend using this recipe to make cupcakes! Instead, I highly recommend trying my chocolate cupcake recipe (I like the texture better for cupcakes)
• Use my small batch chocolate cake recipe to a 6-inch layer cake.

Making These Cake Layers in Advance and Storage Tips

• Make your cake layers in advance and freeze them. It breaks the process up and makes it more approachable.
• Make your frosting ahead of time too or save any leftover frosting! It can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a month, or in the freezer for up to 3 months. Be sure to give it a good stir once it thaws to get the consistency nice and smooth again.
• A frosted cake can last in the fridge for up to a week, or in the freezer for up to a month. The buttercream locks in all the moisture, keeping the cake fresh and delicious!
• If you cut into the cake and have leftovers, use any remaining frosting to cover the cut section to keep it moist and store in the fridge for up to a week.

Let Me Know What You Think!

If you try this chocolate layer cake recipe, please tag me @chelsweets and use #chelsweets so I can see your beautiful creations!!

Other Recipes You Might Like:

• 

• 

• 

•