Classic Chocolate Cake

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Homemade Chocolate Cake with Chocolate Swiss Meringue Buttercream

This classic chocolate cake paired with chocolate swiss meringue buttercream will soon become your favorite homemade chocolate cake. An oil-based cake batter with whipped eggs makes for a light and airy cake frosted with a smooth, velvety and rich chocolate frosting. A surprisingly simple and easy recipe to make.

Can you have enough chocolate cake recipes? I think not. Often the main ingredients are the same and yet one small ingredient or one specific process can give you a completely different recipe. That’s what fascinates me so much about baking. It’s a weird science that can be fun and stressful all at the same time.

This cake is a family favorite and I can honestly say my favorite of all cakes to bake too.

About this classic Chocolate cake

This cake is very rich, light and airy with a soft crumb. Perfect to use with a light frostings such as whipped cream or Swiss meringue buttercream.

This is a very popular cake with my customers. It is quite stable and works wonderfully for birthdays and other celebration cakes. I’ve used it for tiered wedding cake covered in fondant too.

I call it a classic chocolate cake because it is very versatile. The light texture of this cake is especially delicious with Swiss meringue buttercream as well as light mousse type fillings. I have tried it with chocolate buttercream, ganache as well as with caramel, dulce de leche, and chocolate mousse.  The chocolate I am using for this Swiss meringue buttercream is Callebaut 70% Cocoa but you can use 56 % or more.

Ingredients and substitutes (Save/Pin)

• All-purpose flour – Yes, regular plain flour (maida) is all you need for this cake. Do not use any self-raising as those contain more leavening.
• Cocoa powder – I always use the ordinary unsweetened Dutch-processed cocoa powder. You can find this in the regular baking aisle.
• Oil – Any cooking oil will work as long as it has no flavor. That way it won’t affect the flavor of the cupcakes. For example, olive oil has a strong olive oil smell which we definitely don’t want.
  Buttermilk – You can make buttermilk at home and it takes just five minutes – here’s how to make homemade buttermilk in 5 mins.
• Sugar – I prefer to use fine grain or castor sugar for baking such cakes so the sugar dissolves easily in the batter.
• Eggs – Always use large size eggs when baking unless specified. The size of eggs varies significantly these days, so as a guide one large egg weighs between 50 to 60 grams.
• Vanilla – A good quality vanilla will make a huge difference in anything you make. Premium vanilla can be expensive, which is why I make my own homemade vanilla extract, bean paste or sugar.
• Chocolate for buttercream – The chocolate I am using for this Swiss meringue buttercream is Callebaut 70% Cocoa ad you can see that the frosting is quite darker than regular Swiss meringue but you can use 56 % or more.

Swiss meringue buttercream

A Swiss meringue buttercream is probably the one I have made most. It’s my go-to buttercream and for good reason. So simple and easy to make and yet so light and airy with just the right sweetness. If you have not tired a meringue buttercream, you are in for a treat.

For the purpose of convenience, I have given you the recipe below. However, I do have a detailed step by step and video tutorial with tips and troubleshooting on how to make perfect Swiss Meringue Buttercream every single time.

I am using dark chocolate with 70% cocoa for this buttercream because we wanted a less sweet frosting. You can use 56% and above. You can even reduce the chocolate to 150 grams (8 oz) instead of 200 grams.

Swiss Meringue Buttercream (SMBC) – No-Fail Recipe Video tutorial

A step by step recipe tutorial with progress pictures and video tutorial on how to make my NO-Fail Swiss Meringue Buttercream Recipe. Here is everything you need to know on how to make this silky smooth, buttery and glossy SMBC every single time with tips, tricks, troubleshooting, and frequently asked questions.

What other frostings can I use for this homemade chocolate cake?

You know my love for frosting by the variety I have for you on this blog. There are so many other choices for frosting. Such as:
Swiss or Italian Meringue Buttercream
French or German Buttercream Frosting
Chocolate Buttercream Frosting, Vanilla Buttercream Frosting.
I have over 30 plus frosting recipes on this blog. And I highly recommend checking them out.

30 Plus Homemade Buttercream Frosting Recipes

Need a buttercream recipe in 5 minutes? Have a buttercream related question? Wondering what buttercream to use for your cake? It’s all here in one place. 30 plus homemade buttercream frosting recipes for you to explore. With recipes, tips, trick, and troubleshooting, as well as popular questions, answered.

Useful Tips and Tools

• If you bake often, it would be a good idea to invest in a cake mixer. Because often we try to mix by hand and then we are too tired to give it enough creaming or mixing. So, if you are making this cake go ahead and remove that K-Mix or Kitchen Aid from your kitchen cabinet. You don’t have to buy an expensive stand mixer, a simple hand mixer works great too.
• Personally, I believe in measuring ingredients by weight, which makes my kitchen scale one of the most valuable items when baking.
• And the same goes for my measuring cups and measuring spoons. It’s always a good idea to have these handy and use them when baking rather than trying to guess measurements.
• Also, I think one set of baking pans is a must for anyone a home baker. For this cake, you will need 3 x 8-inch round pans. 
• Once baked, always invert your cakes on a cooling rack. This enables air circulation and prevents the steam from pooling at the bottom of the pan.
• Lastly, every oven works differently. So the baking times are just guidelines. In the case of cakes, a skewer inserted in the center is a great indication. If the cake bakes too quick or too slow compared to the time given it might be a good idea to check if your oven needs calibration. An oven thermometer is a great little gadget to help keep the oven temperature in check. All you need to do then is adjust the temperature accordingly.

How to Make A Classic Chocolate Cake (Save/Pin)

Prepare

• Preheat the oven to 160 C / 320 F
• Grease and line 3 x 7-inch or 2 x 8-inch baking pans
• Have all your ingredients measured and ready for baking.
• Mix the coffee in the boiling water to dissolve and set aside to cool.
• Combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cocoa powder, and salt.

Mix batter

• Place whole eggs in a mixer bowl with the whisk attachment.
• Start by whipping the eggs at low speed.
• Gradually add the sugar.
• Once all the sugar has been incorporated ­ turn the mixer up to medium for two minutes.
• After two minutes turn the mixer up to medium-high until you reach ribbon stage – light and fluffy
• Gradually add in the oil ­
• Followed by the buttermilk and vanilla
• Lastly,­ add in the flour in three batches – still using the whisk attachment.

Bake

• Divide the batter equally between the prepared baking pans.
• Use cake strips so you have a nice flat top.
• Bake until a skewer inserted into the center comes out clean – 30 to 40 minutes
• Let cool in the pan for 10 minutes then invert onto a baking rack.
• Let cool completely before decorating.

Prepare buttercream

• Combine water and cocoa powder until you have a paste. Set aside to cool completely (gives a deeper darker chocolate color to the meringue)
• Place egg whites and sugar in the bowl of the stand mixer.
• Using a whisk place the bowl over a double boiler and constantly whip until all the sugar has dissolved and the egg whites are fairly warm (about 160 F)
• Take the bowl off the heat and on the whip the egg whites until you have a thick meringue with stiff peaks.
• Let the mixer continue to whip on medium-low until the mixer bowl feels cool to touch.
• Then gradually add butter one cube at a time with the mixer medium speed,
• Once all the butter is in whip on medium-high for 2 minutes.
• Add the cooled chocolate paste – combine well
• Lastly, add the vanilla and melted cooled chocolate.
• Combine well until everything is well combined.

Assemble

• Once the cakes are cooled
• Level the cake layers by cutting off any domes
• Place one cake layer on the cake stand or cake board
• Brush with simple syrup ( just sugar and water boiled together)
• Top with a cup of chocolate buttercream and spread with an off-set spatula
• Place the second cake layer on top, brush with simple syrup and more frosting followed by the last layer.
• Place the cake in the fridge for 15 minutes if necessary so the layers stay together.
• Spread more chocolate buttercream around the cake and spread with a spatula.

Decorate

• I’ve used a frosting comb to create a pattern on the outside but you can choose to create a smooth or rustic finish too.
• Place any remaining frosting in a piping bag and with a round tip and pipe small kisses as I have done.
• I made two cakes instead of one and ran out of frosting for piping. So, I melted some more chocolate (70% cocoa) and added it to the leftover frosting before piping. The amount of frosting in the recipe below is more than you need so you will have enough for decorating and piping.

Storage

• The cake will stay fresh for up to four days at cool room temperature, longer if kept in the fridge. 
• It can be frozen for a month or more. 

Tips for making this homemade classic chocolate cake

• Whipping the eggs well with sugar will make the chocolate cake light and airy.
• I have used Dutch-processed cocoa powder but regular cocoa powder would work as well.
• If you make this cake without a stand mixer or hand mixer, use a good whisk and make sure there are no lumps.
• Coffee is a great way to add a light hint of flavor but you can add more if you prefer.

10 Tips to Successfully Baking a Cake from Scratch (Recipe included)

Learn how to bake a cake from scratch every single time with these 10 tips, step-by-step progress pictures, video tutorial, and more than 50 cake recipes. Understand cake ingredients and how they work before you can use them to get the best results with desired outcomes. This article is going to make you a better baker.

Frequently asked questions

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Classic Chocolate Cake

Author: Veena Azmanov

5 from 20 votes

Print Pin Rate

Prep Time: 2 hrs

Cook Time: 40 mins

Chilling Time: 2 hrs

Total Time: 4 hrs 40 mins

Calories: 849kcal

$20

Adjust Servings Here: 12 servings

Description

This classic chocolate cake paired with chocolate swiss meringue buttercream will soon become your favorite homemade chocolate cake. An oil-based cake batter with whipped eggs makes for a light and airy cake frosted with a smooth, velvety and rich chocolate frosting. A surprisingly simple and easy recipe to make.

Ingredients

FOR THE CLASSIC CHOCOLATE CAKE

• 430 grams (3.44 cups) All-purpose flour
• 60 grams (0.7 cups) Cocoa powder
• 2 tsp (2 tsp) Coffee powder
• 1/4 cup (1/4 cup) Water
• 1 1/2 tsp (1 1/2 tsp) Baking Powder
• 1 tsp (1 tsp) Baking Soda
• 1/2 tsp (1/2 tsp) Salt
• 4 (4 ) Eggs larve
• 250 ml (1.06 cups) Cooking oil
• 400 grams (2 cups) Sugar
• 250 ml (1.06 cups) Buttermilk
• 2 tsp (2 tsp) Vanilla

CHOCOLATE SWISS MERINGUE BUTTERCREAM

• 180 grams (6.35 oz) Egg whites about 6 whites
• 300 grams (1.5 cups) White sugar
• 1/4 tsp (1/4 tsp) Cream of tartar optional
• 450 grams (1.98 cups) Unsalted butter
• 2 tsp (2 tsp) Vanilla Extract
• 1/2 tsp (1/2 tsp) Salt
• 2 tsp (2 tsp) Cocoa powder
• 2 tbsp (2 tbsp ) Hot water
• 200 grams (7.05 oz) Chocolate melted and cooled

Syrup

• 1/2 cup (1/2 cup ) Simple syrup

ADJUST SERVINGS HERE – 12 servings

Instructions

PREPARE

• Preheat the oven to 160 C / 320 F
• Grease and line 3 x 7-inch or 2 x 8-inch baking pans
• Have all your ingredients measured and ready for baking.
• Mix the coffee in the boiling water to dissolve and set aside to cool.
• Combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cocoa powder, and salt.

MIX BATTER

• Place whole eggs in a mixer bowl with the whisk attachment.
• Start by whipping the eggs at low speed.
• Gradually add the sugar.
• Once all the sugar has been incorporated ­ turn the mixer up to medium for two minutes.
• After two minutes turn the mixer up to medium-high until you reach ribbon stage – light and fluffy
• Gradually add in the oil ­
• Followed by the buttermilk and vanilla
• Lastly,­ add in the flour in three batches – still using the whisk attachment.

BAKE

• Divide the batter equally between the prepared baking pans.
• Use cake strips so you have a nice flat top.
• Bake until a skewer inserted into the center comes out clean – 30 to 40 minutes
• Let cool in the pan for 10 minutes then invert onto a baking rack.
• Let cool completely before decorating.

PREPARE BUTTERCREAM

• Combine water and cocoa powder until you have a paste. Set aside to cool completely (gives a deeper darker chocolate color to the meringue)
• Place egg whites and sugar in the bowl of the stand mixer.
• Using a whisk place the bowl over a double boiler and constantly whip until all the sugar has dissolved and the egg whites are fairly warm (about 160 F)
• Take the bowl off the heat and on the whip the egg whites until you have a thick meringue with stiff peaks.
• Let the mixer continue to whip on medium-low until the mixer bowl feels cool to touch.
• Then gradually add butter one cube at a time with the mixer medium speed,
• Once all the butter is in whip on medium-high for 2 minutes.
• Add the cooled chocolate paste – combine well
• Lastly, add the vanilla and melted cooled chocolate.
• Combine well until everything is well combined.

ASSEMBLE

• Once the cakes are cooled
• Level the cake layers by cutting off any domes
• Place one cake layer on the cake stand or cake board
• Brush with simple syrup ( just sugar and water boiled together)
• Top with a cup of chocolate buttercream and spread with an off-set spatula
• Place the second cake layer on top, brush with simple syrup and more frosting followed by the last layer.
• Place the cake in the fridge for 15 minutes if necessary so the layers stay together.
• Spread more chocolate buttercream around the cake and spread with a spatula.

DECORATE

• I’ve used a frosting comb to create a pattern on the outside but you can choose to create a smooth or rustic finish too.
• Place any remaining frosting in a piping bag and with a round tip and pipe small kisses as I have done.
• I made two cakes instead of one and ran out of frosting for piping. So, I melted some more chocolate (70% cocoand added it to the leftover frosting before piping. The amount of frosting in the recipe below is more than you need so you will have enough for decorating and piping.

Recipe Notes

STORAGE

The cake will stay fresh for up to four days at cool room temperature, longer if kept in the fridge.
It can be frozen for a month or more.

 

Featured recipe below – Swiss Meringue Buttercream Recipe 

Recipe Video

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Equipment

Kitchen Scale

Meas Cups and Spoons

Measuring Spoons

Spatula

7"inch Round Baking Pan

Square Cake Pan 8 x 8

Baking Tray

Oven

Nutrition Information

Nutrition Facts

Classic Chocolate Cake

Amount Per Serving

Calories 849 Calories from Fat 450

% Daily Value*

Fat 50g77%

Saturated Fat 23g115%

Cholesterol 137mg46%

Sodium 386mg16%

Potassium 276mg8%

Carbohydrates 95g32%

Fiber 3g12%

Sugar 60g67%

Protein 9g18%

Vitamin A 1051IU21%

Calcium 81mg8%

Iron 3mg17%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

The nutrition information and metric conversion are calculated automatically. I cannot guarantee its accuracy. If this data is important to you please verify with your trusted nutrition calculator. Thank you

Keywords – basic recipe, cake recipes, cakes, chocolate, Classic, homemade

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