38 of the Best Chocolate Cake Recipes for Any Occasion
Looking for the best chocolate cake recipes that combine rich flavors and easy baking processes? You’re in the right place!
Here are 38 of the best chocolate cake recipes that are perfect for any occasion, whether you’re celebrating a birthday or simply craving a sweet treat. These easy chocolate cake recipes ensure that every bite is full of homemade goodness. We even have vegan chocolate cake recipes!
With simple steps, you can whip up classic chocolate cakes that taste like they came straight from a bakery. Whether you’re an experienced baker or a novice in the kitchen, these ultimate chocolate cake recipes are designed to deliver decadent and satisfying desserts every time.
If you’re new to baking, fear not! Our collection includes chocolate cakes for beginners that are straightforward and foolproof, like the Chocolate Mayonnaise Cake, or Chocolate Buttermilk Cake. With step-by-step instructions, you’ll be able to create bakery-style chocolate cakes that rival the best patisseries.
These recipes include tips for making chocolate cakes with ganache, and regular frostings,ensuring smooth and glossy finishes. The result is a variety of rich chocolate cakes that are both moist and flavorful, perfect for any celebration.
10 Helpful Tips to Make the Best Chocolate Cake!
- Use High-Quality Ingredients: Opt for the best cocoa powder, chocolate, and vanilla extract for a richer, more flavorful cake.
- Measure Accurately: Baking is a science. Ensure you measure your ingredients accurately using a kitchen scale for the best results.
- Room Temperature Ingredients: Use eggs, butter, and milk at room temperature. This helps them blend more easily and creates a smoother batter.
- Don’t Overmix: Overmixing can result in a dense cake. Mix until the ingredients are just combined for a light and airy texture.
- Sift Dry Ingredients: Sifting flour, cocoa powder, and baking soda helps to remove lumps and evenly distribute the ingredients.
- Add Coffee: Enhance the chocolate flavor by adding a bit of brewed coffee or espresso powder to your batter.
- Use Buttermilk: Buttermilk adds moisture and a slight tang that complements the chocolate flavor perfectly.
- Bake at the Right Temperature: Ensure your oven is preheated to the correct temperature and use an oven thermometer to avoid under or over-baking.
- Check for Doneness: Insert a toothpick into the center of the cake. It should come out clean or with a few moist crumbs, but not wet batter.
- Cool Properly: Let the cake cool in the pan for about 10 minutes before transferring it to a wire rack. This helps prevent it from breaking apart.
Get ready to enjoy these amazing chocolate cakes from the best bloggers:
photo: pieladybakes
This Brick Street Chocolate Cake is perfect for any chocolate lover. And yes, this is THE famous brick street chocolate cake recipe that everyone in the south raves about and loves.
Get the full recipe at Pie Lady Bakes.
photo: pieladybakes
This mayonnaise cake recipe from the 1950s will quickly become your favorite chocolate cake for that special occasion!
An easy recipe, if you follow my tips to make this incredibly moist cake, you can say goodbye to all those old dry chocolate cakes of the past.
Get the recipe at pieladybakes!
Photo: avocadoskillet
This Vegan Salted Caramel Chocolate Banana Cake (gluten-free) tastes so good it is hard to believe that it is vegan with minimal added sugar.
To make this cake all you have to do is mix your wet ingredients, pour in your dry ingredients, and mix again.
Get the full recipe from Avocado Skillet
photo: pieladybakes
This one bowl Chocolate Buttermilk Pound Cake has a hot water frosting, and will feed a crowd with 12+ slices of moist yummy chocolate cake.
You can also bake it in a 9 X 13 pan, making it perfect for parties, potlucks and picnics.
Get the recipe at Pie Lady Bakes
Photo: asweetalternative
This chocolate black bean cake is sweet and fudgy, with a brownie-like texture. If you haven’t made a cake with black beans before, this recipe is an easy and delicious one to try.
This cake is gluten-free, vegan, refined sugar-free, and grain-free. It’s perfect for special occasions and makes a great nutritious addition to a holiday dessert table.
Get the full recipe from A Sweet Alternative
Photo: texanerin
This dairy-free chocolate cake is ultra-rich, moist, and chocolaty! It doesn’t use any specialty ingredients and can be made with all-purpose, gluten-free, or whole wheat flour. It’s also easy to make vegan! With instructions for cupcakes, too.
If you don’t need your cake to be dairy-free, don’t worry – this cake doesn’t have any unusual ingredients. Just use regular milk instead of dairy-free milk!
Get the full recipe from Texanerin
- OLD-FASHIONED CHOCOLATE POUND CAKE
Photo: crinkledcookbook
Old Fashioned Chocolate Pound Cake is easy to make and about as rich and decadent a chocolate cake that you’ll find anywhere.
The ingredients for old-fashioned chocolate pound cake are typically in the pantry, this is an easy-to-fix dessert to make. It’s impressive and is delicious to serve plain or with fresh fruit and or ice cream.
Get the full recipe from Crinkled Cookbook
Photo: fitandfull
Indulge in a decadent Chocolate Orange Cake, where the rich combination of smooth dark chocolate and zesty orange creates a symphony of flavors.
Imagine sinking your fork into a luscious creation that seamlessly blends the rich, velvety indulgence of chocolate with the vibrant burst of citrus.
Get the full recipe from Fit And Full
Photo: jcookingodyssey
This is the best eggless chocolate orange cake recipe with step-by-step pictures out there.
It is an easy, simple, and tasty cake recipe that is made with basic baking ingredients. This moist, delicious, and flavourful chocolate sponge cake is filled and topped with creamy chocolate and orange frosting and decorated with candied orange slices.
Get the full recipe from J Cooking Odyssey
Photo: thepracticalkitchen
It’s velvety, moist, and decadent, with simple ingredients like unsweetened cocoa powder, whole milk, brown sugar, and sour cream (!!!) for extra tenderness.
It bakes in a standard-sized loaf pan and the chocolate flavor is so rich and dreamy that there’s no frosting needed — just a simple dusting of powdered sugar to finish and your chocolate pound cake is ready to serve.
Get the full recipe from The Practical Kitchen
Photo: savvymamalifestyle
This Chocolate Kahlua Cake is a moist, boozy bundt cake. Its base is a yellow cake mix, then add vodka and Kahlua with a glaze to the top! It makes an excellent Christmas dessert too.
We’ve served it for birthdays or casually with a cup of coffee. It’s light and fluffy because it doesn’t have a rich frosting.
Get the full recipe from Savvy Mama Lifestyle
Photo: melaniecooks
You’ll love how easy it is to make this Chocolate Cherry Dump Cake with cake mix and cherry pie filling.
This cake tastes as amazing as it looks! It’ll be a big hit at your next celebration. This recipe makes a delicious sheet cake with just a few ingredients.
Get the full recipe from Melanie Cooks
Photo: homanathome
In the meantime, you definitely want to try this double chocolate version. It’s topped with chocolate chips, which melt down during baking and turn into this amazing sort of gooey frosting.
The walnuts add a crunch, which I really enjoy, and the base is deeply chocolate flavored and kind of light and fluffy. It’s seriously so good!
Get the full recipe from Homan At Home
Photo: dinneratthezoo
This decadent chocolate coconut cake recipe is topped with a creamy coconut marshmallow sauce and finished off with a layer of chocolate frosting.
If you’re a chocolate lover, you’ll most definitely enjoy this cake. It’s loaded with different flavors and textures and is a unique addition to any celebration.
Get the full recipe from Dinner At The Zoo
Photo: theforkedspoon
This velvety rich Chocolate Sheet Cake is just as easy to make as your favorite boxed cake mix but tastes a million times better!
There is something truly special about a homemade chocolate cake that’s moist beyond imagination, rich, and sinfully delicious. Super chocolaty, Perfect cake for feeding a large group.
Get the full recipe from The Forked Spoon
Photo: thecountrychiccottage
Crock pot double chocolate lava cake. Um. Yes please. This recipe is so good and you will fall over at how easy it is to make! Dive into a heaping helping of this great dessert warm out of the crock pot with a scoop of ice cream on top!
Your entire family will rave about the delectable dessert and I won’t even tell them how easy it is! Have a party coming up for spring? Add this to your menu so you don’t have to heat up the kitchen!
Get the full recipe from The Country Chic Cottage
Photo: vintagekitchennotes
This is a fantastic moist cake for chocolate lovers! A sweet and irresistible cake that can be made ahead and frozen.
It has a silky crumb, rich chocolate flavor, and a thick ganache frosting that complements it perfectly.
Get the full recipe from Vintage Kitchen Notes
Photo: soyummyrecipes
This chocolate cake with chocolate mousse frosting is ridiculously easy to make but insanely delicious. And frosting makes the cake is just moreish. Simply indulgence.
It’s so ridiculously easy to make this cake. You don’t have to spend ages in your kitchen. It won’t take more than 20 minutes. Promise.
Get the full recipe from So Yummy Recipes
Photo: bakewithjamie
The sour cream and extra-virgin olive oil in this chocolate sour cream pound cake make this cake incredibly moist.
Topped with a chocolate ganache that includes both semi-sweet chocolate and milk chocolate make this dessert divine. While it looks fancy, it’s a breeze to whip together!
Get the full recipe from Bake With Jamie
Photo: roamingtaste
This classic Gauteau au Chocolat Fondant – French Chocolate Cake is made with just five ingredients.
A fudgy texture and indulgent chocolate flavor, this cake is ideal for satisfying your sweet tooth and adding elegance to any occasion.
Get the full recipe from Roaming Taste
Photo: mychefsapron
This cake gives you that nice balance of fixing your chocolate cravings while staying within the realm of nutritional baking.
It’s also gluten-free, low-carb, Keto-friendly, refined sugar-free, and beautifully chocolatey with a moist and lighter crumb.
Get the full recipe from My Chefs Apron
Photo: grandbaby-cakes
This buttercream is amazing! It’s fluffy, full of raspberry flavor, and has a beautiful natural color.
The ganache is the perfect balance to the sweet and tart raspberry buttercream, and let’s be honest, who can resist a glossy chocolate topping? Plus, with some fresh raspberries for garnish, it’s as gorgeous as it is delicious.
Get the full recipe from Grand Baby Cakes
Photo: bonnibakery
This Chocolate Fudge Cake is dense and intensely chocolatey. this is a showstopping version of an absolute classic dessert.
Moist layers of rich chocolate cake with generous helpings of fudgy chocolate frosting – the ultimate chocolate fudge cake!
Get the full recipe from Bonni Bakery
Photo: ellasbetterbakes
The perfect chocolate Oreo cake. This is a great recipe for Chocolate Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting.
This chocolate cake with cream cheese frosting is light yet moist, intensely chocolatey but not dense, layered and topped with a sweet cream cheese frosting.
Get the full recipe from Ellas Better Bakes
Photo: recipepocket
Making brownies with a cake mix is a quick way to whip up something sweet when you don’t have time to make it from scratch.
It is so simple it just takes five minutes to prep and five ingredients to make. This recipe is an easy shortcut for making fudgy brownies.
Get the full recipe from Recipe Pocket
Photo: bakingcapture
This chocolate mud cake is exceptionally moist and insanely delicious. This chocolate mud cake is a simple chocolate cake recipe, easy to bake but with a WOW factor thanks to the topping.
The chocolate ganache frosting is the key to effortlessly adding decoration and creating a beautiful dessert to impress your guests.
Get the full recipe from Baking Capture
Photo: cheneetoday
Moist chocolate orange cake recipe with an easy chocolate orange cake frosting! it’s as simple to make as any other chocolate cake!
If you love Terry’s Chocolate Orange, this dark chocolate orange cake is for you! And for more rich chocolate goodness
Get the full recipe from Chenee Today
Photo: simplyfiveingredients
The simplest cake you’ll ever make, this chocolate zucchini cake recipe is where easy meets delicious!
With a deep chocolate flavor and a lovely moist crumb, this cake is a great way to get your veggies while enjoying dessert.
Get the full recipe from Simply Five Ingredients
Photo: foodmeanderings
This old fashioned mayonnaise cake was something we grew up with and therefore it’s comfort food.
It’s also a rich and delicious, decadent cake, so why wouldn’t you want it for your birthday? But it made me wonder: why put mayonnaise in a cake?
Get the full recipe from Food Meanderings
Photo: thecookinchicks
Oreo Dirt Cake is one of the best desserts taking only minutes to prepare. Deliciously addicting, this dirt cake is loaded with chocolate goodness in every bite.
Moist chocolate cake combined with hot fudge, pudding, Cool Whip, and crushed Oreos! The ULTIMATE sweet tooth lovers’ dessert!
Get the full recipe from The Cookin Chicks
Photo: savingdessert
Guinness Chocolate Cake – lightly sweet, moist chocolate cake with interesting spicy notes from the stout Guinness Foreign Extra stout beer.
No worries if you’re not a fan of the “black stuff”, you probably won’t notice the subtle beer flavor.
Get the full recipe from Saving Dessert
Photo: bakedcollective
This one-bowl vegan chocolate cake is the perfect snacking cake for any occasion! With no eggs, butter, or any dairy at all required, you probably have everything you need to make it right now.
We finish the cake with a vegan chocolate frosting (made with mashed sweet potatoes!) for a rich, light finish.
Get the full recipe from Baked Collective
Photo: sweetashoney
This Keto Flourless Chocolate Cake is the most delicious keto chocolate cake recipe made with no flour, nut-free, and perfect for celebrating any occasion.
This chocolate cake is also gluten-free, with a dairy-free option, and contains only 3.5 grams of net carbs per slice.
Get the full recipe from Sweet As Honey
Photo: scarlatifamilykitchen
This chocolate whiskey cake is layered with rich salted caramel buttercream and topped with a silky dark chocolate ganache.
This rustic naked layer cake can also be made into a single-layer cake, a bundt cake, or even cupcakes. A chocolate lover’s dream!
Get the full recipe from Scarlati Family Kitchen
Photo: theconsciousplantkitchen
This Vegan Chocolate Banana Cake is an easy, moist, fudgy chocolate cake with a delicious banana flavor and a rich chocolate ganache.
If you are after a delicious banana cake that can use all your over-ripe bananas, this is the chocolate cake you need.
Get the full recipe from The Conscious Plant Kitchen
Photo: garlicandzest
If you’re craving an old-fashioned chocolate snack cake, this one is a classic. The aromas are intense with this amazing glaze.
If you want a tried and true chocolate buttermilk cake recipe, this one has been around for more than 50 years and it’s always moist and tender.
Get the full recipe from Garlic And Zest
Photo: senseandedibility
This decadent version of a popular Latin American cake is sure to become your new favorite.
Begin this cake early in the day or the evening before you plan to serve it. Chocolate Tres Leches is the decadent chocolate version of a cherished Latin American cake dessert.
Get the full recipe from Sense And Edibility
Photo: semihomemadekitchen
Indulge in the ultimate winter comfort dessert with our Hot Chocolate Poke Cake! Poke cakes are one of the easiest and best ways to jazz up a box of cake mix!
This rich and decadent treat combines the flavors of hot cocoa in every moist, fudgy bite – a delightful way to warm up your taste buds on chilly days.
Get the full recipe from Semi-Homemade Kitchen
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the top recipes for making a rich chocolate cake?
- There are many great recipes for making a rich chocolate cake. Some popular options include using high-quality cocoa powder, melted chocolate, and buttermilk for a moist texture.
- Adding espresso powder or brewed coffee can also enhance the chocolate flavor. It’s important to follow the recipe carefully and use the best ingredients possible for the richest taste.
Which ingredients are essential for creating a moist chocolate cake?
- To create a moist chocolate cake, it’s important to use ingredients that add moisture and richness. This includes buttermilk, sour cream, vegetable oil, and melted butter.
- Using high-quality cocoa powder and chocolate can also contribute to a moist texture. Be sure to follow the recipe carefully and not overbake the cake, as this can dry it out.
What are some tips for ensuring a chocolate cake remains fresh and delicious when serving?
- To ensure a chocolate cake remains fresh and delicious when serving, it’s important to store it properly. Keep the cake covered at room temperature for up to three days, or in the refrigerator for up to a week.
- Be sure to wrap tightly with plastic wrap or store in an airtight container to prevent drying out. When serving, consider adding a scoop of ice cream or whipped cream for added moisture and flavor.
THANKS SO MUCH for following and being part of the Pie Lady Bakes community! We’re all about sharing easy-to-make vintage recipes that remind us of the ones our moms and grandmas used to make.
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Judy
★★★★★
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Judy Kahansky
Judy Kahansky is an experienced writer and baker, creating delicious desserts (including pie!) for over 40 years. She loves to take classic and vintage recipes and update them to fit the busy lives of her readers. When not baking, Judy and her husband Mark are passionate golfers, travelers and dog lovers, spending as much time as they can with their sweet pup Millie.
