dark chocolate cake

A rich, fudgy dark chocolate cake made with real melted chocolate, cocoa, and a hint of coffee. Easy one-bowl batter and pantry staples make it a crowd favorite for birthdays, potlucks, or a simple chocolate craving.

5 from 1 vote

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Course: CAKE, Dessert

Cuisine: American

Keyword: Best dark chocolate cake, Best dark chocolate cake recipe, dark chocolate cake, Dark chocolate Cake Design, Dark chocolate cake near me, Dark chocolate cake recipe

Prep Time: 15

Cook Time: 35

Cooling & Resting: 1

Total Time: 1 50

Servings: slices

Calories: 460kcal

Cost: $ 11

Equipment

2 9-inch round cake pans (Lined with parchment)
1 Large mixing bowl (For batter)
1 Electric mixer (Hand or stand)
1 Rubber spatula (For folding and scraping)
1 Cooling rack (For even cooling)
1 Digital kitchen scale (Optional, for accuracy)
1 Sifter (Optional, for dry ingredients)
1 Offset spatula (Optional, for frosting)

Ingredients

The Chocolate Foundation:

170 g Dark chocolate - 60–70% cocoa ,melted
60 g Dutch-process cocoa powder - Bloomed in coffee
240 ml Fresh brewed coffee - Hot
2 teaspoon Vanilla extract - Pure
200 g Brown sugar - Packed

The Structure Team:

200 g All-purpose flour - Spoon & leveled
1 teaspoon Baking soda
1 teaspoon Baking powder
½ teaspoon Fine sea salt
2 large Eggs - Room temperature
240 ml Buttermilk - Room temperature

The Moisture Makers:

115 g Unsalted butter - Softened
60 ml Vegetable oil - Neutral-flavored
120 g Sour cream - Full-fat ,room temperature

Optional Flavor Boosters:

1 tablespoon Instant espresso powder - Intensifies chocolate

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease and line two 9-inch round cake pans with parchment paper.
Melt the dark chocolate gently and stir the cocoa powder into the hot coffee to bloom. Let both cool.
In a large bowl, cream the butter and half the brown sugar until light and fluffy (about 3 minutes).
In a separate bowl, whisk the eggs with the other half of the brown sugar until thickened and pale.
Add the egg mixture to the creamed butter and stir in the melted chocolate and vanilla.
Mix together flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Alternate adding dry ingredients with buttermilk.
Fold in sour cream and oil gently until just combined.
Divide batter between pans, tap to release air, and bake 30–35 min until a toothpick has moist crumbs.
Cool in pans 10 min, then transfer to a wire rack. Wrap and rest overnight if desired.

Notes

Nutrition information is automatically calculated and should be considered an approximation. Actual values may vary based on specific ingredients used and portion sizes.

Nutrition