Chocolate Cake and Whipped Cream
Looking for a chocolate cake that’s rich, moist, and totally fuss-free? This chocolate cake with whipped cream frosting is exactly that—made with everyday ingredients and topped with a light, cloud-like whipped cream instead of buttercream. Whether you’re baking for a celebration or just need a reliable go-to chocolate cake, this one never disappoints. Bonus? It comes together without any fancy mixers or hard-to-find ingredients.
Whipped cream is light, airy, and delicate, and it deserves a cake that’s just as soft and fluffy. That’s exactly why this moist chocolate cake pairs so perfectly with it. The result is a rich yet not heavy, indulgent yet not overwhelming cake, making every bite feel like a cloud of chocolate bliss.
When I ran my cake business, I never added this cake to my menu simply because whipped cream is perishable. It’s not the kind of frosting that sits well for long, and I wanted to ensure every cake reached my customers in perfect condition. But one day, I took this cake to a family dinner for a friend’s daughter, who absolutely loved whipped cream. I figured, why not make something special just for her? So I frosted it with stabilized whipped cream.
Well, let’s just say—I didn’t expect the reaction! Everyone at the table loved it and was immediately disappointed that I didn’t offer it on my menu. Even after I explained how perishable whipped cream frosting is, I still received a few special requests for it later on. Some customers were even willing to pick it up right before their party just so they could enjoy this cake exactly how it was meant to be—fresh, light, and irresistibly good.
So while this cake never officially made it to my menu, it’s proof that sometimes, the best cakes are the ones people can’t stop asking for.
Why you’ll love this recipe?
- Ridiculously Moist: Sour cream and oil keep this cake tender without being greasy.
- No Butter, No Problem: Made with oil, so no creaming or softening needed.
- Frosting Light as Air: Whipped cream frosting makes it feel indulgent but not heavy.
- Versatile & Crowd-Pleasing: Bake it in different pan sizes (hello, tall 7-inch layers!) or even as cupcakes.
Ingredients and substitutes
- Cocoa Powder: Use unsweetened natural cocoa powder. Don’t substitute with Dutch-process here—it will alter the rise.
- Hot Water: Blooming the cocoa in hot water deepens the chocolate flavor.
- All-Purpose Flour: Regular flour works best. You can use cake flour, but it’ll be a bit more delicate.
- Baking Powder: Gives this cake a good lift.
- Salt: Enhances the chocolate flavor.
- Sugar: I use white sugar, but you can sub up to 25% with brown sugar for a slightly deeper flavor.
- Vegetable Oil: Keeps the cake soft. Any neutral oil works—canola, sunflower, even light olive oil.
- Eggs: Bind and add structure.
- Sour Cream: Adds richness and moisture. Greek yogurt is a great substitute.
- Vanilla Extract: Balances the flavors.
Step-by-step: Chocolate cake with whipped cream frosting
- Step 1 – Oven and Pans: Preheat the oven to 325℉/165℃/Gas Mark 3. Grease and line two x 9-inch round baking pans with parchment paper. (I used three 7-inch round cake pans for a taller cake.
- Step 2 – Bloom the cocoa: In a bowl, Combine the hot water with cocoa powder until smooth. Set aside to cool.
- Step 3 – Dry ingredients: Combine the flour, baking powder, and salt in a bowl (except sugar). Set aside.
- Step 4 – Wet ingredients: Whip the eggs with sugar until light and airy or at the ribbon stage. Then, add the oil, sour cream, and vanilla extract in a large mixing bowl.
- Step 5 – Combine: Then, add the bloomed cocoa mixture and combine well. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and combine well.
- Step 6 – Bake: Pour batter into the prepared baking pans. Bake for 30–35 minutes in 9-inch pans or 25–30 minutes in 7-inch pans. Insert a skewer in the center—if it comes out clean, it’s done. Cool in the pans for 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Step 7 – Whipped cream: In the bowl of a stand mixer with the whisk attachment whip the heavy cream for a minute. Then add the powdered sugar and pudding mix until almost stiff peaks. Add the vanilla extract and whip until stiff peaks.
- Step 8: Assemble the cake – Place one cake layer on your board or stand. Spread a thick layer of whipped cream. Repeat with the remaining layers. Frost the top and sides with whipped cream. Decorate as you like—with cocoa powder, chocolate shavings, or berries.
Tips for Success
- Don’t skip blooming the cocoa—it’s a game changer for flavor.
- Make sure your eggs and sour cream are at room temperature.
- Cool the cake completely before frosting.
- Chill your mixing bowl before whipping cream—it helps speed up the process.
- If making ahead, frost just before serving or keep it chilled.
- Chocolate Fudge Cake
- Death by chocolate cake
- One bowl chocolate cake
- Chocolate ganache cake
- See all chocolate cakes or see all layer cakes
Frequently asked questions
This cake is best eaten within 2 days. The whipped cream frosting is fresh and doesn’t have stabilizers, so after about 48 hours, it can start to deflate or separate a bit. Store the frosted cake in the refrigerator. Keep it in a cake carrier or loosely covered with plastic wrap or foil to prevent the whipped cream from absorbing fridge odors. Bring to room temperature for 10–15 minutes before serving for best texture.
Yes, here’s how:
Cake Layers: Bake up to 2 days in advance. Wrap tightly in plastic wrap and store at room temperature or refrigerate.
Whipped Cream Frosting: Make the day you plan to serve the cake, preferably within a few hours of serving for best stability.
Fully Assembled Cake: Can be assembled up to 24 hours ahead and stored in the fridge.
Pro Tip: If you need to prep further in advance, freeze the unfrosted cake layers (well-wrapped) for up to a month. Thaw overnight in the fridge, then frost the day of serving.
Of course! While whipped cream frosting adds a light and fluffy texture to the chocolate cake, you can certainly switch it up with buttercream frosting if you prefer a richer and creamier taste. Keep in mind that buttercream frosting can be a bit more stable, especially in warmer climates, so it might hold up better if you’re serving the cake outdoors or at an event.
Chocolate Cake with Whipped Cream
This light and refreshing chocolate cake with whipped cream is simple, and yet decadent. Three layers of incredibly moist chocolate cake layers with whipped cream filling and a light sprinkle of grated chocolate. An easy recipe that takes five minutes to mix with a bowl and whisk before you bake it for 30 minutes. Perfect for a weekend dinner or for a family celebration.
Ingredients
- ¾ cup (65 g) Cocoa powder
- 1 cup (240 ml) Hot water
- 1¾ cups (220 g) All-purpose flour
- 2 tsp Baking powder
- ½ tsp Kosher salt
- 1 cup (200 g) Sugar
- ½ cup (120 ml) Vegetable oil
- 2 large Eggs
- 1 cup (240 ml) Sour cream use a whisk to ensure no lumps
- 2 tsp Vanilla extract
- 2 cups (480 ml) Heavy cream no less than 38% fat
- ¼ cup (4 tbsp) Powdered sugar, icing sugar confectioners sugar to taste
- 2 tbsp Vanilla pudding mix or cornstarch
- ¼ cup (120 ml) Simple syrup optional to keep the cakes moist.
Method
- Step 1 – Oven and Pans: Preheat the oven to 325℉/165℃/Gas Mark 3. Grease and line two x 9-inch round baking pans with parchment paper. ( I used 7-inch round cake pans for a taller cake)
- Step 2 – Bloom the cocoa: In a bowl, Combine the hot water with cocoa powder until smooth. Set aside to cool.¾ cup Cocoa powder, 1 cup Hot water
- Step 3 – Dry ingredients: Combine the flour, baking powder, and salt in a bowl. Set aside.1¾ cups All-purpose flour, 2 tsp Baking powder, ½ tsp Kosher salt
- Step 4 – Wet ingredients: Whip the eggs with sugar until light and airy or at the ribbon stage. Then, add the oil, sour cream, and vanilla extract in a large mixing bowl.½ cup Vegetable oil, 2 large Eggs, 1 cup Sour cream, 2 tsp Vanilla extract, 1 cup Sugar
- Step 5 – Combine: Then, add the bloomed cocoa mixture and combine well. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and combine well.
- Step 6 – Bake: Pour batter into the prepared baking pans. Bake for 30–35 minutes in 9-inch pans or 25–30 minutes in 7-inch pans. Insert a skewer in the center—if it comes out clean, it's done. Cool in the pans for 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Step 7 – Whipped cream: In the bowl of a stand mixer with the whisk attachment whip the heavy cream for a minute. Then add the powdered sugar and pudding mix until almost stiff peaks. Add the vanilla extract and whip until stiff peaks.2 cups Heavy cream, ¼ cup Powdered sugar, icing sugar, 2 tbsp Vanilla pudding mix
- Step 8: Assemble the cake – Place one cake layer on your board or stand. Spread a thick layer of whipped cream. Repeat with the remaining layers. Frost the top and sides with whipped cream. Decorate as you like—with cocoa powder, chocolate shavings, or berries.¼ cup Simple syrup
Notes
- Don’t skip blooming the cocoa—it’s a game changer for flavor.
- Make sure your eggs and sour cream are at room temperature.
- Cool the cake completely before frosting.
- Chill your mixing bowl before whipping cream—it helps speed up the process.
- If making ahead, frost just before serving or keep it chilled.
Equipment you will need
Nutrition
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The recipe is a little confusing as it states to mix your sugar with your dry ingredients, and then says to whip your eggs with the sugar. I couldn’t do that because it was listed to add that to the dry ingredients and already mixed in with my flour. I think I will attempt it again leaving the sugar out of the dry and mixing it with the eggs. And see if it turns out better. It takes good but I had no fluff or rise really to my layers. And yes I added the baking powder, so my guess is not being able to really fluff the eggs with the sugar.
Yes, it’s best to whip the sugar with the eggs for a light and airy cake, Mandi. Thanks
Hi! I’m excited to test out this recipe – I’m trying to make this tomorrow afternoon and then the frosting day after tomorrow (when I’m going to serve the cake). Any tips on how to store the cake one day before assembly so it remains moist?
Appreciate your help in advance! 🙂
Just wrap the cake in plastic and leave it at room temperature to prevent it from drying out.
Thank you! Can I leave out the cornstarch in the whipped cream?
Yes, you can only use powdered sugar or granulated sugar.
I only give this 3 stars because you did not use Stablized Whipped Cream that is easy to make and the Whipped Cream will easily last one week on the cake. If you use Stablized Whipped Cream you can omit the Vanilla pudding, simple syrup and save on some calories. Just increase the powder suger to 1/2 a cup for the sweetness you are looking for. Stablized whipped cream is simply whipping cream, powder sugar and unflavored gelatine. (Google for directions) It give stiffer peaks once in the fridge.
Hey Sandra. Thank you for your suggestions.
Your recipe for the frosting mentions simple syrup but in the instructions doesn’t say anything about it. Would that be used to sweeten the frosting?
Simple syrup is just sugar and water boiled together – it keeps the cake moist. You can read more here
Hi Veena, I’m new to baking is this recipe for 3 layer of cake, as in 3 separate round pan ? Or do you bake just 1 round pan and cut it into 3 layer?
Hey Katie. I baked 3 x 6-inch round cakes then stacked them with whipped cream. You can also use 2 x 8-inch round cake pans for a shorter cake. Alternatively, you can bake this in one 7-inch round cake pan and then cut it into 3 layers before decorating. Or bake in one 8-inch pan and cut into two layers before decorating. I hope this helped. Thanks
What an amazing cake! I wish I could bake like this; it’s restaurant worthy, indeed!
Thank you, Sara.
Wow that looks so delicious…yummmm!
It really is so delicious. Thanks
Hi veena, can we make this cake with whipped cream frosting and coat it with swiss meringue butter cream outside? I have to use some fondant outside. And for inside filling, I want whipped cream. Do you recommend this?
Sehrish, whipped cream is soft, delicate frosting, and SMBC is made with butter so it’s a heavy icing. You can frost whipped cream over SMBC, not the other way round. Also, fondant is very heavy over fondant!
Thank yoy for response. I will not frost outside with whipped cream… only in the layers. Ang swbc for covering the cake, then i have to out fondant strip on the top for some design.
OH my….My son saw this and said he wanted it for his birthday cake! Looks divine!
Thank you, Mary. I think he will love it.
I love the whipped cream on this recipe, chocolate cake is always the best!
So true, Chocolate Cake is the best.
I loved the tips that you shared, so helpful to every beginner baker like me.
Thank you, Megha. Glad you found these useful
This looks great. Can you use unsalted butter instead of oil? If so, how many grams of butter would you need?
This one works better with butter but I do have 12 plus chocolate cake recipes – some are with oil such as this Chocolate birthday cake and Simple moist chocolate cake