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Better Together Chocolate Vanilla Birthday Cake. Because sometimes you just want chocolate and vanilla. Now you don’t have to choose! Soft and fluffy vanilla cake, sandwiched between two layers of soft and fluffy chocolate cake, and frosted with both chocolate and vanilla buttercream. Truly the best of both worlds!
Fridays and cake are honestly just the best combo. It’s a combo that doesn’t happen too often, but when it does, it’s good.
If you follow along on Instagram, then you know that my favorite (and only) little sister turned ten years old yesterday. Yes, yes, yes, Asher is TEN and I have no idea how or why time has to go so fast. Also, if Asher is ten that means in five years I am going to be about to turn thirty, and oh my gosh, this scares the living hell out of me…
Anyway, Asher is ten, and obviously we needed cake to celebrate. Here’s the thing though, like may kids, Asher only likes chocolate cake (or vice versa and your kid only likes vanilla cake). And when I say chocolate cake, I mean specifically this chocolate cake with chocolate cake layers, chocolate frosting, and chocolate sprinkles (please excuse the bad photos, old post, amazing recipe). So basically it’s a cake with nothing but CHOCOLATE.
Do you see a theme here?
Asher loves her chocolate. Just like my mom, just like my brothers, and just like me. Thanks mom for making all seven of your kids chocolate freaks.
Every year for Asher’s birthday I always, always, rack my brain and try to come up with a cake that she would love, but I always run into the same problem. Asher only wants a chocolate cake and nothing else. She wants it moist, soft, fluffy, and frosted with double the chocolate frosting.
Classic and delicious. I really can’t blame her for requesting this every single year (ahh, more like every single day).
But you guys, I write about food and I can’t write about the same chocolate cake every year. I have to switch it up, bring you a new recipe, share something different and delicious.
You know?!
Enter this cake. It’s a dream cake for both chocolate and vanilla cake lovers, and it’s quickly become a new favorite.
In full disclosure though, Asher still prefers an all chocolate cake, and yes, she is requesting that I make her favorite chocolate, chocolate cake for her birthday party tomorrow. So, I guess I didn’t really sell her on this cake as her birthday cake, but she still ate it and loved it…and I hear my dad ate her vanilla leftovers.
Point is, this cake is delicious. And if you love both chocolate and vanilla cake, you NEED to make this cake. It’s the best of both worlds. It also allows you to not have to choose between two very delicious flavors.
Cool. Cool. Love it.
The details.
To keep things simple and easy, both the vanilla and chocolate cake layers are made from one batter. You’ll make one big batch of vanilla cake batter first. Then remove some of the vanilla batter. Next, stir the chocolate into the rest of the vanilla batter to make the chocolate batter.
I made two chocolate layers and one vanilla layer, because in our family we much prefer chocolate to vanilla…as if you couldn’t tell. But you could also do the opposite. I included steps in the recipe notes if you would like to go this way.
For the chocolate layers, I use a little cocoa powder and a splash of coffee. The coffee highlights the chocolate and makes for the perfect rich and moist chocolate cake every single time.
For the frosting, I made two simple vanilla and chocolate frostings and then layered them throughout the cake.
Truth? My original idea for the design of this cake was to cover the cake in the swirls that you see on the top third of the cake. I wanted the swirls to resemble roses and I wanted to mix and match vanilla roses with chocolate. I’m sure from my description that you have no idea what I was going for…just try to picture a cake frosted in roses.
I attempted this and failed. So miserably, like it was so bad. I spent thirty minutes trying to pipe roses onto the side of the cake. When I stepped back to look at the cake, it was so bad that I just took my spatula and wiped away all the swirls. Thirty-plus minutes of work all gone in less than sixty seconds.
I really, really wish I would have taken a photo though, because I ended up turning my mistakes into a simple cake design that I kind of love.
I left some of the swirls on the top of the cake and just simply frosted the remainder of the cake with swirled chocolate frosting. It’s nothing fancy, but I like it, and it just goes to show you that if something doesn’t work the way you originally envisioned, try something else. I always find that if I stick with something, I usually end up loving the end result. I might shed a few tears along the way (for real), but giving up is never the answer.
As you can imagine, this cake is everything delicious.
You cannot go wrong with chocolate and vanilla, and combining them together in cake form is the best. These cakes are soft, buttery, fluffy, moist, and filled with rich chocolate and vanilla flavor. The frosting is light, not too sugary, and extra whipped, almost like a mousse.
SO GOOD.
Bottom line?
Whether or not it’s your birthday or just another weekend, this cake should be in your near future plans. It’s easy to make, delicious, and perfect for celebrating everything from Friday nights, to birthdays, to Labor Day (which I am just now realizing is Monday).
Trust me. Make it. You’ll love this one. It’s classic, but with a fun twist, and just mouth-wateringly good.
Enjoy!
If you make this Better Together Chocolate Vanilla Birthday Cake, please be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! I love hearing from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every one of you. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to also tag me on Instagram so I can see! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
Better Together Chocolate Vanilla Birthday Cake
Servings: 18
Calories Per Serving: 3426 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Ingredients
- 3 cups all purpose flour
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 3 sticks (1 1/2 cups) unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- 4 large eggs
- 1/4 cup greek yogurt
- 1 1/2 cups whole milk or buttermilk
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 3/4 cup cocoa powder
- 1/4 cup hot black coffee
Frosting
- 4 sticks (2 cups) salted butter, softened to room temperature
- 4 cups powdered sugar
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1/4 cup heavy cream
Instructions
- 1. Preheat the oven to 350° F. Butter 3 (8-inch) round cake pans and line with parchment paper.2. In a medium size bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.3. In the bowl of a stand mixer (or use a hand-held mixer) beat together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. With the mixer on low, beat in the eggs, one at a time, until incorporated. Add the greek yogurt and vanilla and beat until combined. Slowly add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients with the mixer on low, alternating with the buttermilk and ending with flour until just combined.4. Remove 1/3 of the batter (about 3 cups) and spread in 1 of the prepared cake pans. Set aside. 5. To the remaining batter, beat in the cocoa powder and coffee. Divide the chocolate batter evenly between 2 cake pans. Transfer all 3 cakes to the oven and bake 25-30 minutes, until the tops are just set and no longer wiggly in the center. Remove and let cool five minutes, then run a knife around the edges of the pan and turn the cakes out onto a cooling rack. Cover and let the cakes cool completely before assembling.6. To make the frosting. Beat the butter and powdered sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer until the butter is light and fluffy, about 4 minutes. Add the vanilla and beat until combined. Remove 1 cup of the vanilla frosting and set aside. 7. To the remaining frosting, add the cocoa powder and cream and whip the frosting for 2-4 minutes more or until light and fluffy. 8. Place a chocolate layer on a plate or cake stand and spread the top with chocolate frosting. Place the vanilla cake on top and spread with vanilla frosting. Add the final chocolate layer and frost the top and sides of the cake with chocolate frosting. If desired, you can alternate between chocolate and vanilla frosting to create a marbled, swirled look. Slice and serve.
Notes
To make 2 vanilla layers and 1 chocolate:
4. Remove 2/3 of the batter (about 6 cups) and spread in 2 of the prepared cake pans. Set aside.
Adjust these two ingredients:
6 Tablespoons cocoa powder
2 Tablespoons coffee
5. To the remaining batter, beat in the cocoa powder and coffee. Pour into one cake pan. Transfer the cakes (all 3) to the oven and bake 25-30 minutes, until the tops are just set and no longer wiggly in the center. Remove and let cool five minutes, then run a knife around the edges of the pan and turn the cakes out onto a cooling rack. Cover and let the cakes cool completely before assembling.
6. To make the frosting. Beat the butter and powdered sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer until the butter is light and fluffy, about 4 minutes. Add the vanilla and beat until combined. Remove 2 cups of the vanilla frosting and set aside.
Adjust cocoa powder in frosting to: 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
7. To the remaining frosting, add the cocoa powder and cream and whip the frosting for 2-4 minutes more or until light and fluffy.
8. Place a vanilla layer on a plate or cake stand and spread the top with vanilla frosting. Place the chocolate cake on top and spread with chocolate frosting. Add the final vanilla layer and frost the top and sides of the cake with vanilla frosting. If desired, you can alternate between chocolate and vanilla frosting to create a marbled, swirled look. Slice and serve.
This post was originally published on August 31, 2018
Hello, I am keen to make the chocolate and vanilla Bday cake for our 2 young children.
I’m not keen on using the coffee for our two young children.
I Was wondering if I could use hot water instead of coffee please?
Cheers,
Stella.
Hey Stella,
You can use water in place of the coffee. I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
Hihi! I would like to make this cake but a 2 layer cake instead. I have one 7-inch cake pan and another 9-inch pan. I do not have 8-inch pan. So in order to make a 2 layer cake, which do I use? 7 or 9 inch? Also, how do I reduce the recipe? Reduce 1/3 of the recipe to bake the 2 layer cake.?
Hey Claire,
I would us the 7 inch pan. Reduce the chocolate layer by 1/3. Do not reduce the vanilla layer at all.
I think that should work nicely. Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe! Thank you!! xTieghan
I didn’t use the frosting because my son asked for strawberry but the cake was exactly what I was looking for! Easy to make using basic ingredients, and came out moist and delicious. Thanks for sharing!
Thank you Angela! I am so glad this turned out so well for you! xTieghan
Hello! Thinking of making this for a friends birthday this weekend. We are going up north so I would like to make it ahead and for it to be a surprise. If I made it Thursday night, would it still be good if it sat out at room temperature until Saturday night or would you suggest I refrigerate? Or would you suggest I make the cake layers and frosting, store separately and assemble when ready since it would sit for almost 2 days? Haven’t made many cakes before so anything would be helpful! Thank you! Also I love your books, made your strawberry pretzel tart for Mother’s Day ❤️
Hi Danielle,
I would go ahead and fully make the cake on Thursday, refrigerate and then bring to room temp on Saturday before serving. I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
In the recipe notes, you say to reduce the amount of cocoa powder to 1/4 cup of cocoa powder for the chocolate frosting, so would I need to reduce the amount of heavy cream as well?
Can this be made without coffee for a 4 year olds birthday?
Hi Andrew,
Yes that is fine to do. I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
Really wanting to make this during quarantine and am SO CLOSE to gathering the ingredients but just can’t seem to get my hands on heavy cream. Any thoughts for a worthy substitute? Thank you so much. Trying to make a little boy’s shut-in birthday vanilla/chocolatey special!
Hi Lisa,
You could use half and half or whole milk in place of the heavy cream. I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
HI!
I’ve been baking a lot for the past couple of months, due to quarantine, and I was wondering how hard it is to make this cake? I made puff pastry, cream puffs and various other pastries. This is pretty different, but I want to surprise my family.
Slightly off-topic, but what is a good substitute for buttermilk?
Thanks
Hi Noa! I think you should have a great time making this recipe! Also, I would use milk and add a tablespoon of lemon juice. Please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
Amazing recipe!!! I followed every step, though the cake came out a little too sweet for my taste, it was PERFECT otherwise. I baked it for my boyfriend’s birthday. Thank you so much ❤️
I am so glad you enjoyed this one so much Kriti!! Thank you so much! xTieghan
Made this cake with my girls. It is so good! They loved it!
Thank you so much Marquita! So glad you all enjoyed this one! xTieghan
Hi,
The recipe looks great, can’t wait to try it- I wanted to know if I can use egg substitute instead of eggs?
Hi,
The recipe looks great, can’t wait to try it- I wanted to know if I can use egg substitute instead of eggs?
Hi Vedika! I have not tried this recipe with an egg substitute, so I do not feel comfortable recommending it! If you do try it, please let me know how it turns out for you! xTieghan
Absolutely love this recipe. We have made is three times in the last two weeks. Now i’m using two loaf pans and spiltiing out about 1/5 of the recipe to add cocoa powder to (about 4 tbl). I then layer that with the vanilla mixture to make a marble cake. The two flavors together are just perfect. The cake is moist and soft.
Looking forward to trying more reciepes.
Hi Esther! I am so glad this recipe has turned out so well for you! Thank you so much for trying it! xTieghan
Oh gosh, this is exactly what I want, except I’m hoping to do one chocolate, one vanilla layer. My plan would be to make two 9″ layers, using the batter from your three 8″ layer recipe. I’ve had success doing this in the past, with dividing a recipe for three 8″ layers in half to use in two 9″ round cake pans; it seems to work volume-wise. My question is, what might you recommend for the proportion of cocoa powder/coffee to add for one layer/half the batter if I’m making that adjustment? Keep the same (3/4 cup cocoa powder/1/4 cup brewed coffee) or adjust as it will be for one layer only rather than two? I hope this question makes sense! Thank you so much for any help you might be able to give. <3
Hi Jessica,
I am sorry, I am not sure I fully understand what you are trying to do? I would maybe say to use 1/2 cup of cocoa powder and 2 tablespoons of coffee, but I am not confident in these measurements. These are just my best guesses! Hope this helps and best of luck! Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe! xTieghan
Can i replace greek yogurt with other substitite? In your chocolate vanila birthday cake ? Thankyou
Hi!
Yes you can use regular plain yogurt or sour cream. I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan