This might be the best chocolate cake with vanilla frosting! This is my go-to easy chocolate cake recipe that doesn't need a mixer, just a bowl and a whisk. It's topped with the creamiest vanilla frosting and rainbow sprinkles. Plus, you only need 13 simple pantry ingredients!
Save This Recipe! 💌
I'll email this recipe to you, so you can come back to it later!
I think it's pretty obvious by now that I'm a cake fiend. I have been making cakes for over 20 years, and there is no stopping me! This chocolate cake with vanilla frosting is basically the inverse of my birthday vanilla cake with chocolate frosting and nostalgic yellow birthday cake!
I'm using the same chocolate cake recipe that I use in Matilda's chocolate cake, my triple chocolate layer cake, chocolate cake with chocolate ganache... Basically every chocolate cake recipe I make!
I've developed this recipe to be super moist and soft because I seriously can't stand a dry cake. It has an oil base instead of butter which keeps it soft for days, and I've added buttermilk to really keep that crumb soft.
The vanilla buttercream is my go-to American buttercream that I've created and tested so many times. It's so easy to whip up and is super creamy because I really don't like an American buttercream that is stiff and hard.
If you're looking for the sheet cake version, try out my fudgy chocolate sheet cake!
Why I love this cake!
- Chocolate Lovers 🤝 Vanilla Lovers: this cake is perfect for both chocolate and vanilla lovers! No need to fight over what flavor of cake you want because you have the best of both worlds.
- Super Simple: the chocolate cake is one of my favorite recipes ever! It is really easy to whip up and you don't even need a stand mixer to make it.
- Perfect Birthday Cake: obviously I had to cover the top of this cake in rainbow sprinkles! I think it's an amazing birthday cake to make for parties, but you could swap out rainbow sprinkles for seasonal sprinkles.
Grab your ingredients
- Oil: the secret to this moist chocolate cake? Neutral oil! Using oil instead of butter is going to make this cake extra soft, squishy and moist. Use a neutral oil like vegetable oil, sunflower oil or canola oil - basically an oil that doesn't have a strong flavor.
- Cocoa Powder: I've only tested this recipe with Dutch-processed cocoa powder. Natural cocoa powder and Dutch-processed cocoa powder react differently with leaveners (baking powder and baking soda), so I don't recommend swapping them out in recipes.
- Buttermilk: I love using buttermilk in my cake recipes because it makes the crumb extra soft and moist (wow, I've said the word moist a lot, sorry about that). You can swap it out for Greek yogurt, sour cream or full-fat yogurt in a pinch.
How to make a chocolate cake with vanilla frosting
- Step 1: Preheat the oven to 350°Fahrenheit and line two 8-inch cake pans with parchment paper. In a large bowl, whisk together all of the dry ingredients. Set aside.
- Step 2: In another bowl, or a large jug, whisk the wet ingredients (except the water!) together until smooth.
- Step 3: Pour the dry ingredients into the wet and whisk until just combined. Pour in the hot water and mix once more.
- Step 4: Pour the chocolate cake batter into your prepared pans and bake in the oven for 35-40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Let cool in the pan for 10 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack.
- Step 5: In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, or in a large bowl with a hand mixer, beat the butter and confectioners' sugar on low speed until combined. Increase the speed to medium-high for 2-3 minutes.
- Step 6: Add the vanilla extract and salt and mix once more. Pour in the heavy cream and mix until the frosting is spreadable. Frost your cooled cake and enjoy!
Ella's Baking Tips & Tricks
- Kitchen Scale: I always recommend using a kitchen scale when you bake, not only does it mean fewer dishes but it's way more accurate! It's so easy to add too much cocoa powder and flour if you're using measuring cups, which will make your cake dry.
- Let the Cake Cool: make sure the cake has cooled completely before you frost the cake. A warm cake and frosting is not going to be a fun time (it'll melt the frosting).
- Switch Up the Frosting: Want a different frosting? Check out my chocolate cake with chocolate cream cheese frosting, chocolate coffee cake, Nutella filled cake, Oreo frosting, strawberry cream cheese frosting, or fudgy chocolate frosting.
- Swirly Top: my favorite simple decorating trick for layer cakes is the swirly top you can see above! Place your cake on a cake turntable and use a small offset spatula. Place the tip of the small offset spatula on the edge of the cake, and slowly spin the cake turntable to get that swirly pattern! If that made zero sense, you can watch me do that in my Instagram reel.
Storage & Make Ahead
You can make the cake layers ahead of time. Once cooled completely, tightly wrap in plastic wrap and store in the fridge for 2-3 days. You can make the frosting ahead of time, just place in an airtight container in the fridge. I recommend rewhipping it with a stand mixer or handheld mixer before using though!
Store the cake in an airtight container in the fridge for 4-5 days. Let come to room temperature before enjoying. If you don't have a big enough container for the cake, I recommend pressing a piece of parchment paper on any cake slice that is exposed. This will help it not dry out in the fridge!
To freeze, slice the cake and tightly wrap in plastic wrap, and store it in a ziploc bag for up to 2 months in the freezer. Let thaw in the fridge before enjoying. I froze and defrosted this cake and it worked really well!
Try these layer cakes next!
Recipe
Chocolate Cake with Vanilla Frosting
Equipment
- 2 8" round cake pans
Ingredients
Chocolate Cake
- ¾ cup (65 grams) cocoa powder dutch processed
- 1 ¾ cups (350 grams) granulated sugar
- ¾ teaspoon (¾ teaspoon) vanilla extract
- ¾ teaspoon (¾ teaspoon) kosher salt
- 2 (2) eggs room temperature
- 2 cups (220 grams) all purpose flour
- 2 teaspoon (2 teaspoons) baking soda
- 1 teaspoon (1 teaspoon) baking powder
- 1 cup (240 ml) buttermilk room temperature
- ½ cup (120 ml) vegetable oil
- 1 cup (240 ml) very hot water
Vanilla Buttercream
- 3 sticks (339 grams) unsalted butter room temperature
- 4 ¼ cups (508 grams) confectioners' sugar
- 3 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ cup (60 ml) heavy cream
- Sprinkles
Instructions
Make Cake
- Preheat your oven to 350°F/175°C. Butter or grease two 8-inch cake pans and line it with parchment paper.
- Combine the flour, cocoa powder, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl with a whisk.¾ cup (65 grams) cocoa powder, 1 ¾ cups (350 grams) granulated sugar, 2 cups (220 grams) all purpose flour, 2 teaspoon (2 teaspoons) baking soda, 1 teaspoon (1 teaspoon) baking powder, ¾ teaspoon (¾ teaspoon) kosher salt
- In a large jug, whisk together the buttermilk, oil, eggs, and vanilla extract.¾ teaspoon (¾ teaspoon) vanilla extract, 1 cup (240 ml) buttermilk, ½ cup (120 ml) vegetable oil, 2 eggs
- Slowly pour in the ingredients from the large jug and mix until just combined.
- Slowly add the hot water and mix. Your batter will be very thin and it makes a lot of cake batter!1 cup (240 ml) very hot water
- Pour the batter into the prepared pans. Bake for 35-40 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean when inserted
- Allow the cakes to cool for 10 minutes before removing from the pans. Let them cool completely on a cooling rack.
Make Frosting
- In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and confectioners' sugar together on low speed until well combined.3 sticks (339 grams) unsalted butter, 4 ¼ cups (508 grams) confectioners' sugar
- Increase the speed to medium-high and beat for 2 minutes until it becomes very thick.
- Stop the mixer and add the salt and vanilla extract into the bowl. Beat on medium-high speed for another 2 minutes.3 teaspoon vanilla extract, ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- Turn the mixer to your lowest speed and pour in the heavy cream. Beat until it becomes very creamy and spreadable.¼ cup (60 ml) heavy cream
- Assemble your cake and enjoy!Sprinkles
Save This Recipe! 💌
I'll email this recipe to you, so you can come back to it later!
Brianna says
Hi! My husband is wanting a chocolate cake with vanilla frosting for his birthday but he wants chocolate chips in the cake. Do you think it would be possible to add mini chocolate chips to this cake? And if so how much? Thank you!
Ella Gilbert says
Hi Brianna! Hm, I think that they might sink unfortunately. This is a very thin cake batter so I imagine the chips will all sink to the bottom when baking!
JORDAN DAVID RODGERS says
Hi Patsy, I want to make this cake in a double layer rectangular pan would you double the ingredients?
Ella Gilbert says
Hi Jordan! I haven't tested this, but I recommend making the cake batter twice. Then bake each cake layer for 35-45 minutes in the oven. Let me know if you try it!
Jordan Rodgers says
It came out great we are testing recipes for a spiderman cake for my son's second birthday your frosting recipe is the best I've had
Ella Gilbert says
Thank you so much for your review!
Jessica says
I’m making this recipe today. Well at least the cakes. Can I make the frosting ahead of time as well? I don’t need the cake until Friday.
Ella says
Hi Jessica! You can make the frosting ahead of time. Place in an airtight container in the fridge, and when ready to frost take it out and let it get to room temperature. You'll probably have to rewhip it with a stand mixer or a handheld mixer! If it isn't as smooth, add a splash of heavy cream and mix.
Jamie says
The cake turned out great! Thank you for the recipe!
Ella says
Thanks Jamie for your review!
Alyssa says
This cake turned out amazing. Everyone loved it. Thanks for the recipe!
Callum says
Just wanted to say that the cake tastes amazing, however when I went to make it the sponges barely rose during the baking process, if at all. They still appear to be the same size as when the batter went into the oven. I measured everything on a weighing scale and all of the chilled ingredients came out of the fridge well in advance, so I'm really not sure how this happened. Do you have any advice? It would be greatly appreciated.
Ella says
Hi Callum! My first thought would be the leaveners, have your baking soda or baking powder expired? Even not putting the lid on them correctly can cause them to expire quickly! This cake isn't super tall but it should rise a bit in the oven. Let me know!
Z says
Hello!!
I love this cake recipe!! It is so easy to make and tastes amazing. I am planning to use to cake to make 3 6-inch cakes. How would I adjust the recipe to do so?
Thank you!
Ella says
Hi there! I'm really sorry but I haven't tested this in a 6-inch cake pan so I don't have the answer for you. I do know that Sally from Sally's Baking Addiction uses a chocolate cupcake recipe and bake that into 6-inch cake pans, but I haven't tested that! I'll work on a 6-inch cake recipe in the future.
Kamya says
Is it possible to make this as a large single layer cake? (I'm thinking kids' birthday party, many mouths to feed, and too little prep time!)
Ella says
Hi Kamya! I think you could bake this in an 8x13-inch pan for 35-40 minutes but I haven't tested it! I will be adding a sheet cake recipe to the blog soon since I've had a few requests 🙂
patsy says
can it be cooked in a 13x9 pan how long to cook
Ella says
Hi Patsy! You could bake it in a 9x13 baking pan, I would bake it for around the same amount of time but it might need slightly longer so just keep an eye on it!
Kathi says
Hi Ella,
So good although too sweet for my liking. Will it be ok to reduce the sugar in both the cake and the cream while keeping all other ingredients at the same amount? Thank you for sharing your recipe.
Ella says
Hi Kathi! You could reduce the sugar in the frosting and that should be fine, it just won't be as firm. I haven't tested the recipe with reduced sugar, part of the role of sugar is for structure and moisture, and it helps keep chocolate cake sweet (instead of bitter!). You could probably get away with reducing the sugar in the cake by 10% though! To do that, just remove 5 teaspoons of sugar for each cup of sugar.
Kathi says
Thanks a lot for your response, Ella. I will give it a try. I admit I had a pretty thick layer of butter cream on the cake… Perhaps spreading a thinner layer will do the trick. Love your work!
Ella says
No problem, Kathi! Or if you want a thinner frosting that isn't overly sweet, my cream cheese frosting recipe without butter has a whipped cream base and doesn't use a ton of sugar!
Julie says
We made this for my grandfathers birthday (chocolate cake was his favorite) and it was the best chocolate cake I’ve ever had. Honestly tasted like a giant Oreo in the best way possible. Huge hit!
Z says
Hi!
I’m super excited to try this recipe! Just looking over the list of ingredients and what I have, and noticed I only have natural cocoa powder. I saw in your notes to use Dutch-processed powder. Does natural powder affect the cake’s taste and texture?
Thank you!
Ella says
Hi! So you should be able to use natural cocoa powder here, but the cake won't be as rich tasting or dark in color. Usually you can swap out dutch process for natural, but you can't really use dutch processed instead of natural. They react differently with baking soda and baking powder which is why 🙂
Emily says
It was super tasty! One question on the icing, mine came out "beige". Is there something I can do to make it "white". I know it was because of the Mexican vanilla I used....can you help?
Ella says
Using butter that isn't as yellow (some European style butters are more yellow) would help, using a vanilla that isn't dark, or adding a teeny tiny (I mean, seriously teeny) amount of purple food gel! I've also found beating the frosting for longer will make it whiter.
Emily says
Thank you! I just used it as is, my grandson really enjoyed it. Definitely was asked to make it again soon!!!
Barb says
This recipe is amazing! The batter comes together quickly and the cake is moist and delicious. I substituted a cup of hot coffee for the hot water.
This will be my go to chocolate cake recipe from now on. My husband loves it! I’m about to bake this again but with the espresso frosting!
One question… Can you bake this batter in a Bundt pan? Thank you, I look forward to your recipes.
Ella says
Hi Barb! Thanks so much for your review, I really appreciate it! I haven't tested this particular recipe in a bundt pan, a 10 or 12-cup bundt pan should be able to take all of the cake batter. I would check around the 50 minute mark!
Barb says
Thank you I just made it on a Bundt and 50 minutes was perfect! I love this recipe! Thank you Ella!
Stephanie says
Hi there! I apologize if I missed this in the post, but if I'm doubling the recipe, do I use a different sized cake pan or just add another layer? Excited to try this!
Ella says
Hi there! If you wanted this to be a three layer cake, you could 1.5x the ingredients and bake it in 3 cake pans instead of 2. If you doubled it it would make 4 layers and I think it wouldn't be super stable!
Stephanie Huls says
Thanks so much for the quick reply, Ella! 🙂
Leah says
I absolutely love this recipe for birthday cake and every time I make it everyone asks for the recipe! Can this convert into cupcakes?
Ella says
Hi Leah! So I haven't tried this exact recipe as cupcakes, but I do have this chocolate cupcake recipe! Just swap out the frosting for the vanilla frosting in this cake recipe.