Ultimate Moist Chocolate Cake Recipe for Decadent Results

This is the best chocolate cake you will ever taste. Guests always rave about its rich chocolate flavor and incredibly moist crumb. It’s the most chocolaty, tender cake I make — and I admit, I can’t keep it in the house long because I’ll eat too much of it myself.

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You will need:

1 cup brown sugar

1 cup granulated sugar

1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour

3/4 cup unsweetened dark cocoa powder (use a true dark cocoa such as Hershey’s Special Dark)

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

1 1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

2 eggs

1 cup milk

1/2 cup vegetable oil

2 tsp vanilla extract

1 cup boiling water

For the frosting:

1 1/4 cups butter, softened

6 cups powdered sugar

1 1/4 cups unsweetened cocoa powder

1/2 cup milk (plus more if needed)

2 1/4 tsp vanilla extract

Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Spray a 9×13-inch baking pan with cooking spray. In a large bowl, sift together the dry ingredients: brown sugar, granulated sugar, flour, dark cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Add the eggs, milk, vegetable oil, and vanilla; beat until combined. Carefully stir in the boiling water — the batter will be very thin. Pour into the prepared pan and bake 30–35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Allow the cake to cool completely in the pan.

To make the frosting, beat the softened butter until smooth. Gradually add the powdered sugar and cocoa powder, then add the milk and vanilla. Beat for about 3 minutes until light and fluffy. If the frosting is too soft, add a little more powdered sugar; if it’s too firm, add a touch more milk. Spread the frosting evenly over the cooled cake.

Chocolate Cherry Variation

Turn this into a chocolate cherry cake by using two 9-inch round pans and two 21-ounce cans of cherry pie filling. Divide the batter between the two pans and bake for the same amount of time. After baking, cool the cakes for 15 minutes, then remove them from the pans and cool completely.

For assembly: prepare the frosting as directed. Reserve about a cup of frosting in a piping bag and trim the tip to about an inch. Pipe a rim of frosting around the edge of the bottom layer to hold the cherry filling, then spoon the cherry pie filling into the center. Place the second cake layer on top and frost the entire cake. With a piping tip, decorate the top edge with two concentric rows of piped circles and fill the center with more cherry filling. Finish by piping a border around the base of the cake for a polished look.

You can also simply spoon a can of cherry pie filling over the frosted 9×13 cake for an easy cherry-topped version.

Now you have the best chocolate cake — rich, moist, and decadent. Enjoy!

Yield: 1 cake

Best Chocolate Cake

Rich, moist, and intensely chocolate — a cake everyone will love.

Ingredients

• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup dark unsweetened cocoa powder (no substitutions)
• 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup milk
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 cup boiling water

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray a 9×13-inch pan with cooking spray.
2. Sift and combine the dry ingredients in a large bowl.
3. Add eggs, milk, oil, and vanilla; beat until combined.
4. Stir in the boiling water — the batter will be thin. Pour into the pan.
5. Bake 30–35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Cool completely.
6. Make the frosting by creaming butter, then adding powdered sugar and cocoa. Add milk and vanilla and beat until fluffy. Adjust sugar or milk for consistency.
7. Spread frosting over the cooled cake. For the chocolate cherry version, assemble as described above.

For more great recipes like my Best Carrot Cake, check the recipe archive on the same site.