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A picture of the best moist chocolate cake with candles and a fork

The Best Moist Chocolate Cake

Cara Campbell
This chocolate cake gets it's intense flavour from the addition of coffee, and the moist and tender texture from using vegetable oil. It also all comes together in one bowl. Bust it out for birthdays, Christmas, or any special occasion you have coming up - it's a total crowd pleaser!
4.89 from 43 votes
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 35 minutes
Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Servings 8 people
Calories 693 kcal

Equipment

  • Two 8" baking rounds **see notes**

Ingredients
 
 

For the Cake

  • C flour
  • 2 C sugar
  • ¾ C cocoa powder
  • teaspoon baking soda
  • teaspoon baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 C milk
  • ½ C vegetable oil
  • 2 teaspoon vanilla
  • 1 C hot coffee

For the Chocolate Icing

  • 2⅔ C icing sugar
  • C cocoa powder
  • ¼ C margarine
  • ¼ C hot coffee

Instructions
 

Bake the Cake

  • Preheat your oven to 350°F.
  • Prepare your baking rounds: Trace the bottom of your 8" rounds onto parchment paper. Cut the circles out, and then line the bottom of your pans with them. Spray the parchment and the sides of the rounds with cooking spray. Set aside.
  • Combine the dry ingredients into a large bowl. Whisk until combined.
  • Add the eggs, milk, oil, and vanilla. Slowly stir until just combined. Add the coffee, and stir until just mixed. There might be a few lumps - this is totally fine.
  • Pour the batter (it should be quite runny) equally into each pan. Place in the oven and bake for 30-35 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. Let the cakes cool in the pans for 15 minutes, then turn upside-down on a cooling rack to get them out. Flip them right side up again and let them cool completely, then frost.

Make the Frosting

  • Combine the icing sugar, cocoa and margarine in a large bowl. Using a stand mixer or a hand mixer, start on a low speed to mix the frosting. Gradually add the coffee, one tablespoon at a time. You may not need to use the full amount. Gradually increase speed until all the ingredients are combined, and the icing has a smooth and silky consistency. (See notes).

Video

Notes

I have always made this cake recipe with 8" round pans, and have never had any issues. However, they definitely are rather full, so if you're worried about overflow, simply use 9" rounds instead. 
You can also use three 8" rounds to divide the batter if you want a three layer cake. Just make sure you don't cook them as long!
This is a fairly runny cake batter, so don't worry if you're thinking it looks thin. It's supposed to be!
I often double the frosting - I just find it makes the entire cake easier to decorate. 
You may need to use more coffee in the frosting depending on the conditions at your place. I've had to adjust the amount of coffee pretty much every time to make sure that the icing isn't going to dry out. 

Nutrition

Serving: 250gCalories: 693kcalCarbohydrates: 122gProtein: 8gFat: 24gSaturated Fat: 5gPolyunsaturated Fat: 10gMonounsaturated Fat: 7gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 44mgSodium: 677mgPotassium: 347mgFiber: 6gSugar: 91gVitamin A: 363IUVitamin C: 1mgCalcium: 113mgIron: 4mg
Keyword best moist chocolate cake, best moist chocolate cake recipe, moist chocolate cake recipe
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