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It is cake time!! Specifically simple chocolate birthday cake with whipped chocolate buttercream frosting…YES.
Yay!!
So…..
My power went out while writing this post and ALL the words were lost. Ugh. I am actually re-writing this via candlelight and the hotspot on my phone!
I had written so much!
Things like how this big three-layer cake was for my mom’s birthday.
And how for all birthdays around here, two layers simply won’t do.
Nope, not two.
Three.
Because when cake is involved… three layers are always better than two.
More layers mean more frosting, which is just all around awesomeness.
This is my all time favorite chocolate cake.
I know the ingredients by heart and could probably make this cake in my sleep. It is that easy.
This cake never fails and the frosting will forever be my family’s favorite.
It is almost mousse-like. So light and fluffy. My mom could not stop saying how incredibly moist and delicious it was.
She even did the roll the eyes to the back of her head thing. I LOVE when she does that!
Well, I have to cut this one short, sorry for the very quick post. As I said before, our power is completely out and I only have limited time on my phone’s hotspot before my battery dies.
Ten percent to be exact, gotta wrap it up!
Hopefully the photos will do the talking.
Oh, and did you notice? The gotta little love from the amazing WoodenSpoons Kitchen! What do think? I will be talking about it more soon, but the battery is now at 3%.
Watch the How-To Video here:
(2 LAYER CAKE) Simple Chocolate Birthday Cake with Whipped Chocolate Buttercream.
Servings: 16 servings
Calories Per Serving: 539 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Ingredients
Cake For 2 Layers
- 2 eggs (at room temperature)
- 3/4 cup buttermilk
- 1/4 cup plain greek yogurt
- 1/2 cup canola oil
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
- 1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 3/4 cup hot black coffee
- 1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips (optional)
Whipped Chocolate Buttercream
- 3 sticks (1 1/2 cups) salted butter (softened to room temperature)
- 3 cups powdered sugar
- 3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 3-4 tablespoons heavy whipping cream
Instructions
- 1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease 2 (8-inch) round cake pans. Line with parchment paper, then butter/spray with cooking spray.
- 2. In a large mixing bowl, beat together the eggs, buttermilk, greek yogurt, canola oil, and vanilla until smooth. Add the flour, sugar, unsweetened cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt and mix until there are no longer any clumps of flour. Add the hot coffee and mix until combined. The batter should be pourable, but not super thin. Stir in the chocolate chips, if using.
- 3. Pour the batter among the 2 cake pans and bake 20 to 25 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. Invert the cakes onto a cooling rack. Cover and let the cakes cool completely before frosting.
Whipped Chocolate Buttercream
- 1. In a large mixing bowl, beat together the butter and powdered sugar until the butter is light and fluffy, about 4 minutes. Add the cocoa powder and vanilla and beat, scraping down the sides as needed, another 2 minutes or so, until there are no streaks of white. Add 3 tablespoons of the heavy cream and whip the frosting for 2-4 minutes or until light and fluffy. If desired add the remaining tablespoon of the heavy cream (I normally do) and whip until combined. Taste the frosting and add more powdered sugar if you like a sweeter or thicker frosting.
- 2. Place 1 layer, flat side up, on a plate or cake stand. With a knife or offset spatula, spread the top with frosting. Place the second layer on top, rounded side up, and spread the frosting evenly on the top and sides of the cake. Decorate with sprinkles, chocolate curls, or whatever your heart desires.
Notes
*To quickly bring eggs to room temperature place them in a bowl and fill with warm water. Let them sit five minutes.
(3 LAYER CAKE) Simple Chocolate Birthday Cake with Whipped Chocolate Buttercream.
Servings: 30 servings
Calories Per Serving: 385 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Ingredients
Cake For 3 Layers
- 2 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 2 1/4 cups granulated sugar
- 1 1/2 cups unsweetened cocoa powder
- 2 1/4 teaspoons baking soda
- 2 1/4 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 3 eggs at room temperature
- 1 cup + 2 tablespoons buttermilk
- 1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons plain greek yogurt
- 3/4 cup canola oil
- 1 1/2 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup + 2 tablespoons hot black coffee
- 3/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips (optional)
Whipped Chocolate Buttercream
- 4 sticks (2 cups) salted butter softened to room temperature
- 4 cups powdered sugar
- 1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 4-5 tablespoons heavy whipping cream
Instructions
- 1. Preheat the oven to 350° F. Grease 3 (8-inch) round cake pans. Line with parchment paper, then butter/spray with cooking spray.2. In a large mixing bowl, beat together the eggs, buttermilk, greek yogurt, canola oil, and vanilla until smooth. Add the flour, sugar, unsweetened cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt and mix until there are no longer any clumps of flour. Add the hot coffee and mix until combined. The batter should be pourable, but not super thin. Stir in the chocolate chips, if using.3. Pour the batter among the cake pans and bake 20 to 25 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. Invert the cakes onto a cooling rack. Cover and let the cakes cool completely before frosting.
Whipped Chocolate Buttercream
- 1. In a large mixing bowl, beat together the butter and powdered sugar until the butter is light and fluffy, about 4 minutes. Add the cocoa powder and vanilla and beat, scraping down the sides as needed, another 2 minutes or so, until there are no streaks of white. Add 3 tablespoons of the heavy cream and whip the frosting for 2-4 minutes or until light and fluffy. If desired add the remaining tablespoon of the heavy cream (I normally do) and whip until combined. Taste the frosting and add more powdered sugar if you like a sweeter or thicker frosting.2. Place 1 layer, flat side up, on a plate or cake stand. With a knife or offset spatula, spread the top with frosting. Place the second layer on top, rounded side up, and spread the frosting. Add the 3rd layer and spread the frosting evenly on the top and sides of the cake. Decorate with sprinkles, chocolate curls, or whatever your heart desires.
Notes
*To quickly bring eggs to room temperature place them in a bowl and fill with warm water. Let them sit five minutes.
Hey, I had a thought, there could be a good side to this power outage. Kinda the perfect time for cake!
Lastly, if you make this Simple Chocolate Birthday Cake with Whipped Chocolate Buttercream be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
This post was originally published on January 17, 2014
Would this cake work for decorating? My little 6 year old wants a chocolate cake with rainbow frosting…..I have the buttercream frosting ready to go, but need a great cake. thanks.
Hey Cheryl! I would think so, but I have never really tried so I cannot say for sure. Let me know if you try it. Thanks so much!
Hi! I made this cake today for a friend’s birthday tomorrow. I refrigerated it and now I’m wondering if that was a mistake?! Or will it be ok if I leave it out for a few hours to bring it to room temp tomorrow?
Thanks for your help!
Hey Becka! Keeping this in the fridge is totally fine. Just take it out 30 minutes to and hour before serving. Hope it is a hit! Thanks!
This cake recipe is incredible!!! I added some kahlua coffee OMG amazing! My family could’nt sop eating it!
Hi, I searched for chocolate cake recipes, found this one, and now I’m going to make it this evening for a party tomorrow night. Do you think it should be refrigerated if it won’t be eaten until tomorrow night (24 hours after its baked and frosted)? Also, your mention 3 layers but the recipe is 2 layers. I would like to make 3 layers, can I do that with this recipe? Thank you! Jeanne
HI! The 3 layer recipe is below the 2 layer, let me know if you still do not see it. And yes, you can keep this in the fridge, but remove it 30 minutes before eating. Hope you love this and let me know if you have any other questions! thanks!
Thank you so much for your quick reply! Even though I didn’t realize there were two recipes listed, I ended up following the correct one for three layers. The layers came out beautifully. I’ll make frosting and frost them tomorrow afternoon. Many thanks again for a great recipe!
That is awesome! THANK YOU!
Hi Tieghan!
This cake looks amazing and I can’t wait to make it for my friend’s birthday tonight! Could I use espresso instead of coffee for this recipe? If so, how much would you recommend? Thanks!!
Hey Ariel! Yes that will be fine. I would use 1/2 cup expresso and 1/4 cup water. Thanks!
Thanks for your quick reply! I made this last night and it was AMAZING! Everyone at the party was raving over it. Another fantastic recipe, Tieghan!
This cake looks absolutely amazing!! I would love to make it for my dad’s birthday but my family doesn’t like coffee. Does it have any coffee flavor? Can hot water be subbed for the coffee? Thanks!! 🙂
HI! No it does not have a coffee flavor and I think it really works with chocolate, but yes, you can use hot water too. THANKS!
Can’t wait to try this cake! It looks delicious! Can you substitute vegetable oil for the canola oil? Do you have to refrigerate this cake?
Hi! I have never tried vegetable oil and I really like to use canola. If you like vegetable oil than I think it will be fine. No the cake does not need to be kept in the fridge. Thanks!
This is my new go to chocolate cake recipe!! Its absolutely delicious! I made this for my husbands birthday and everyone loved it, especially him! We just got married and chocolate cake is his favorite so I’ll be making it for many years to come!!Thank you for this recipe!! :))
Oh that is awesome! So happy the cake is a hit! 🙂 THANKS!
Hi,
iM just wondering if theirs a any chance you could provided the gram measurements for the two layer cake? Its just that im in Ireland and I think the American cup measurements are different.
This cake looks amazing and id love to make it 🙂
Hi am thinking of making this for my daughter’s b’day and topping it with ganache…do u think it will work well? TIA
Hi! Yes, I think ganache on top will be great! Hope your daughter as a great birthday! 🙂
nice game
Hello, I’d like to know if I can cover this cake with fondant for a birthday? Also, is there a substitute for Canola oil?
hi! I think that would be fine and I personally think you you need to use canola oil, but melted coconut oil might work too. Hope you love the cake!
Hi! I discovered your awesome looking cake while looking for a recipe for my son’s first birthday. Do you think it would work as a tiered cake? I was thinking 3 layer on bottom, and 2 layer as the top?! I saw in an earlier comment you suggested making the icing thicker, I thought that might help the structure. I’ve never made a tiered cake before but keen to give it go! Many thanks
Hi! I do think it would work, but I have never done so. If you try it, I would love a photo! Let me know how it goes and I hope you love the cake!!
Hi there! I was wondering how tall the 8 inch cake when iced comes too.Thanks
The three layer maybe about 9-10 inches and the two layer about 7-8 inches. Let me know if you have any other questions. Hope you love the cake!
Thinking of making this in a large rectangular dish as another reviewer suggested. Do I need to alter baking time or temperature? Would still like to do it in layers… maybe make two two-layer cakes in singles and stack them? Is this realistic? Thanks for the recipe – can’t wait to try it!
Hey Irene,
are you using 2 8×8 inch square pans?? If so, yes, this will work! Hope you love the cake!!
Hi!
Wow – you are quick 🙂 Actually I was thinking to try a 9 x 19 inch dish as you’d suggested to another reviewer. Would I need to alter anything to adjust for the bigger size?