Easy chocolate cake is the perfect chocolate cake recipe for beginner bakers! Chocolate cake mix serves as the base for this recipe, but I promise you, the cake tastes like it is completely made from scratch! If you are looking for a fast and easy chocolate cake recipe, look no further.
Ingredients for Easy Chocolate Cake
Chocolate cake mix serves as the base for this recipe. The other ingredients take this cake to the next level and make it taste just like homemade!
- Chocolate cake mix: Use your favorite brand of cake mix. I have tested with several brands with similar results with each kind. You can use regular chocolate, dark chocolate or devil’s food cake mix.
- All-purpose flour: Regular all-purpose flour.
- Granulated sugar: To add some sweetness.
- Dark cocoa powder: You can also use regular, but I love using dark cocoa powder for an extra chocolatey flavor.
- Milk: Room temperature. Use what you have!
- Butter: Salted or unsalted melted butter. Use what you prefer.
- Vegetable oil: Adds a bit of moisture to the cake.
- Eggs: Room temperature.
- Sour cream: Also room temperature. Adds moisture to the cake layers.
- Vanilla extract: Pure vanilla extract enhances the chocolate flavor.
Tools & Supplies for Making Easy Chocolate Cake
How to Make Easy Chocolate Cake
This cake is incredibly easy to make and requires just one bowl to make the batter! I recommend using an electric hand mixer to make this recipe. You can also use a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and prepare cake pans with nonstick cooking spray and parchment circles. (You can use four 6-inch round pans; three 7-inch or 8-inch pans; or two 9-inch round pans).
- Combine the dry ingredients (cake mix, flour, sugar, and cocoa powder). Whisk to combine.
- Add in the remaining wet ingredients (milk, butter, oil, eggs, sour cream, and vanilla extract).
- Mix on low speed until the ingredients are just combined.
- Mix the batter on medium speed for 2 full minutes.
- Using a kitchen scale, portion the cake batter into your cake pans.
- Bake the cake layers for approximately 30-35 minutes in the oven until the cakes spring back when gently touched or toothpick comes out clean. *Baking times may vary slightly depending on the size cake pans you use.
- Remove the cake pans from the oven and allow the cakes to cool in the pan for 15 minutes. Remove to a wire rack to cool completely.
Easy Chocolate Cake Recipe Tips
Bake perfect cakes
Check out my blog post on 10 Tips to Bake Perfect Cakes to learn more in depth strategies to make your chocolate cake perfect!
Level the cake layers before frosting
To create flat cake layers that are great for stacking and filling, I recommend using a serrated knife to cut off the cake humps that form during baking. Wait until your cakes have completely cooled before leveling the layers. Hold the knife parallel to your countertop and using a sawing motion, gently cut off the top of the cake. Then, enjoy your snack!
Mix the cake batter for 2 minutes
Be sure to mix your cake batter for a full 2 minutes. Usually I’m a stickler for not overmixing batter, but for this recipe, it is a must. The cake mix contains emulsifiers which are activated when mixed.
Frosting the cake
This chocolate cakes pairs well with so many different types of frosting! Here are some great options you should check out!
- Chocolate buttercream frosting
- Peanut butter buttercream frosting (pictured)
- Vanilla buttercream frosting
- Strawberry buttercream frosting
- Salted caramel buttercream frosting
- Coffee buttercream frosting
- Chocolate hazelnut buttercream frosting
Storing and serving
Store your frosted cake in an airtight container in the refrigerator. I love using a cake container to prevent the cake from drying out. You can also use a cake box. Another great tip for preserving your cut cake is covering the exposed cake with plastic wrap to prevent it from drying out. The cake is best served at room temperature. Remove from the refrigerator about an hour before serving to soften the buttercream.
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Easy Chocolate Cake
Equipment
- Electric hand mixer or stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment
- Three 6-inch or 7-inch round cake pans or two 8-inch or 9-inch round cake pans
Ingredients
- 1 chocolate cake mix
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- â…“ cup dark cocoa powder
- 1 ¼ cup milk room temperature
- ½ cup unsalted butter melted
- ¼ cup vegetable oil
- ¾ cup sour cream room temperature
- 3 eggs room temperature
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350° F and prepare your pans. For cake pans, spray with nonstick cooking spray and line with parchment circles. For cupcakes, line a cupcake pan with cupcake liners.
- In a large mixing bowl, add chocolate cake mix, all-purpose flour, granulated sugar, dark cocoa powder, milk, melted butter, vegetable oil, sour cream, eggs, and vanilla extract.
- Using an electric hand mixer, mix on low speed until the ingredients come together.
- Once the ingredients are combined, turn the speed on the mixer to medium and mix for a full 2 minutes.
- Portion the cake batter into your cake pans or cupcake liners.
- Baking times will vary depending on the size of your pans or if you are making cupcakes. For cupcakes, baking time is approximately 20 minutes. For 6-inch or 7-inch cakes, baking time is approximately 30 minutes and for 8-inch or 9-inch cakes, baking time is approximately 35 minutes. When the cakes are perfectly baked, they will bounce back when gently touched or an inserted toothpick will come out clean.
- Remove the pans from the oven. Allow cakes to cool in the pan for about 15 minutes and cupcakes to cool for 5 minutes.
- Remove the cake/cupcakes from the pan and transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
Notes
Made This Recipe?
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Comments & Reviews
The notes say that this will make three 8 inch cakes but the directions say two. Which would be the better choice? Thanks
Hi Chris! It really would depend on how deep your pans are. If you have three inch deep cake pans, you could do two 8-inch layers. If they are only two inches deep, go with three! I will update the blog post to make sure it is clear! Thank you so much for pointing that out! 🙂
Thank you!
Do you have a recipe like this but for vanilla cake!?
Yes! Check out my recipe for “easy confetti cake” and simply leave out the sprinkles! https://cakemehometonight.com/easy-confetti-birthday-cake/
Hi. Is it possible to get the measurements in metrics? It only shows cups and I just can’t figure how to measure butter in cups. Thanks
Hi there! Yes! I just updated all of my recipes to include metric measurements! Hope that helps!
So are we to ignore what is on the box for the cake mix and instead put in what you suggest?
For this recipe, yes. This is considered a “doctored cake” recipe, where you add additional ingredients to make the boxed mix taste more like it is from scratch!
I sure want to make this but I can’t find the size pa(s) or bake times HELP
Hello! I apologize for the confusion. I added the cake pan sizes to the recipe and clarified the bake times a bit more. I hope this helps! Please reach out if you have any further questions!