Name: Classic Chocolate Cake
Total time: 140 min
Ingredients: 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, plus more for greasing the pan; 2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting the pan; 2 teaspoons baking powder; 2 teaspoons baking soda; 1 teaspoon kosher salt; 2 cups sugar; 2 cups water; 4 ounces unsweetened chocolate, chopped; 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract; 2 eggs, lightly beaten; Chocolate Frosting (see Note)

Active Time:

45 mins

Total Time:

2 hrs 20 mins

Yield:

12 servings

In 2018, Food & Wine named this recipe one of our 40 best. If you're looking for a classic chocolate cake that's easy to make and hits all the right chocolate notes, this is it.

Frequently asked questions

What mixing method is used for chocolate cake?

To make chocolate cake from scratch, most recipes with butter use the creaming method: Softened butter is beaten with the sugar until light and fluffy, the eggs are incorporated, then the dry ingredients go in. Here, another method is used entirely — and it's perhaps even simpler than the standard way. First, the sugar is boiled in water just until it's dissolved, then the butter and chopped chocolate are stirred in until everything's melted. Once the chocolate mixture has slightly cooled, the vanilla and lightly beaten eggs are added, followed by the sifted dry ingredients. Piece of cake!

What type of frosting is best for chocolate cake?

Classic chocolate cake demands a rich, creamy frosting that packs a lot of chocolate flavor. Two popular choices are chocolate buttercream and ganache. The Chocolate Frosting that adorns this cake is a perfect hybrid of both types — and it comes together in minutes.

Notes from the Food & Wine Test Kitchen

Longtime F&W Test Kitchen supervisor Marcia Kiesel was credited for this chocolate cake, but the recipe originated with her friend, Joyce Cole, a waitress at the Beekman Arms in Rhinebeck, New York, who got it from her mother. It's very moist, very chocolaty, and easy to make. The secret is unsweetened chocolate in the batter, which lends the cake a rich, deep flavor. The thick, creamy frosting hits just the right balance, but Kiesel says, "The original was served right out of the pan, no frosting at all, and that's my favorite way to eat it." The cake is best baked the day before serving.

Ingredients

6 tablespoons unsalted butter, plus more for greasing the pan
2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting the pan
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon kosher salt
2 cups sugar
2 cups water
4 ounces unsweetened chocolate, chopped
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 eggs, lightly beaten
Chocolate Frosting (recipe above)

Directions

Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter and flour two 8- x 1 1/2-inch round cake pans. Line bottoms of pans with parchment paper. Sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl; set aside.
Combine sugar with 2 cups of water in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil over high heat and stir until sugar dissolves; pour into a large bowl. Add chocolate and butter and let sit, stirring occasionally, until melted and slightly cooled, about 15 minutes. Stir in vanilla.
Beat eggs into chocolate mixture by hand or at medium speed with an electric mixer, until combined. Add dry ingredients all at once and beat at medium speed until smooth. Divide batter evenly between the prepared pans and bake until top springs back when pressed lightly and a cake tester comes out clean, about 25 minutes. Cool cakes in their pans for 25 minutes, then invert onto a rack to cool completely.
Set one cake, right-side up, on a serving platter. Using a metal spatula, spread one-third (about 1 1/4 cup) of the Chocolate Frosting evenly over cake. Top with second cake and frost top and sides with remaining frosting.