My Chocolate Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting recipe will take your gathering to the next level. Made in 45 minutes, celebrate birthdays, holidays, and special occasions with a soft and spongy cake, rich in chocolate flavor, and topped with luscious cream cheese frosting.
Indulge your senses with the heavenly delight of homemade chocolate cake topped with rich and creamy, cream cheese frosting. This delectable dessert promises to captivate both the hearts and palates of all who taste it. Rich, moist layers of chocolate cake, infused with deep cocoa flavors, harmonize perfectly with the tangy sweetness of the velvety cream cheese frosting, creating a symphony of taste and texture that is simply irresistible.
I’ve been making this cake for years and it’s always a family favorite. The cream cheese frosting balances out the spongy chocolate cake, and even my non-chocolate loving husband loves this cake. This dessert recipe will leave you wanting it for every occasion. Whether you’re celebrating a special occasion or simply craving a decadent treat, this chocolate cake with cream cheese frosting recipe is sure to be a showstopper at any gathering.
Jump to:
Reasons to Make this Recipe
- Made With Indulgent Flavor – Chocolate cake is rich and deep in flavor. The combination of cocoa powder with butter, sugar, and milk craft a taste that’s comforting and satisfying.
- Perfect for Celebration – Chocolate cake is a classic dessert for all celebrations. Whether it’s for a birthday, holiday, wedding, or even for yourself, it will be enjoyed by all guests.
- Sharing Joy – Bringing a delicious dessert to share with loved ones bring joy. The act of sharing homemade treats can strengthen bonds and create lasting memories.
Ingredients
For the Cake:
- Butter – Unsalted butter is best for this recipe at room temperature.
- Water – Hot water is used in this recipe as it helps to dissolve the cocoa powder and ‘bloom’ the cocoa to bring out flavor.
- Oil – Canola oil was used for this recipe.
- Sugar – The amount of sugar needed for this cake might seem excessive; however, trust me that it’s the correct amount of white granulated sugar.
- Cocoa Powder – I used unsweetened cocoa powder for this recipe!
- All-Purpose Flour – You will want a good quality all-purpose flour that has been sifted and/or whisked before measuring.
- Eggs – Eggs at room temperature work best any time you plan to bake.
- Buttermilk – You will want to use buttermilk for this recipe since it acts as a tenderizer which makes baked goods moist.
- Salt – A tiny bit of salt will help balance out the flour and sugar.
- Vanilla Extract – This is what gives you the rich taste of the cake. Don’t skimp!
- Baking Soda – This is what you need for the cake to rise. Fresh baking soda works best (nothing older than 6 months from opening).
Cake Frosting:
- Cream Cheese – Offering a tangy twist, it’ll pair well with the chocolate cake!
- Butter – Unsalted butter is best for this recipe at room temperature.
- Vanilla Extract – This is what gives you the rich taste of the cake. Don’t skimp!
- Confectioners’ Sugar – You’ll want to sift this to remove any lumps that will be formed in the frosting.
How to Make Chocolate Cake
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and then spray three 9-inch round cake pans with non-stick cooking spray and set to the side.
In a saucepan over medium heat, combine the butter, water and canola oil; heat until the butter is melted.
In a large KitchenAid stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, combine the sugar, cocoa powder, and flour; whisk to blend.
Pour the melted butter mixture into the dry ingredients. Mix on low until smooth.
Mix in the eggs one at a time, then pour in the buttermilk while the mixer is set to low speed. Add the baking soda, salt and vanilla extract to the batter and mix for 30 seconds or until incorporated.
Divide the batter evenly between the prepared pans. Bake for 35-40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
Let cool in the pans for 15 minutes. Run a knife around the edge of each cake layer and invert onto a wire cooling rack. Allow the cake layers to cool completely for at least 2 hours before frosting.
How to Make Cream Cheese Frosting
Using a KitchenAid Stand Mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, combine the cream cheese and butter in the bowl of an electric mixer. Beat on medium-high speed until well combined and smooth, about 2-3 minutes. Mix in the vanilla extract.
Gradually beat in the confectioners’ sugar on low speed until incorporated. Increase the speed and beat until smooth.
Once the cake has cooled completely, use an offset spatula to frost the cake.
FAQs
This chocolate cake recipe can feed up to 6-8 people depending on the size slices you cut.
The cake will be good for up to 5 days in the refrigerator in a sealed container.
Achieving the perfect spongy texture is easy! To ensure it’s cooked to perfection, follow the recommended baking time while keeping an eye on it towards the end. A toothpick inserted into the center should come out clean with just a few crumbs. Cooking times may vary depending on the size pan that you use. You may need to cook the cake longer if the toothpick when inserted into the cake comes out with batter still on it. This could happen if you have a thicker cake pan.
The frosting can be made ahead of time and should be stored in the refrigerator for up to 1 day before using. You will need to remove the frosting from the refrigerator at least an hour before you’re ready to spread on the cake. The frosting will harden in the refrigerator making it challenging to spread onto the cake.
Tips and Tricks
Here are a few of my favorite recipe tips and tricks when making a chocolate cake with cream cheese frosting.
- Butter – 1 Cup of butter equals 2 sticks.
- Cocoa Powder – Sift the cocoa powder before mixing to reduce lumps and to create a smoother texture.
- Cooling – Make sure the cake is completely cooled before frosting. Always place the cooked cake on a wire rack to cool.
- Frosting – I used an offset spatula to help spread the frosting onto the cake. You can also put the frosting into a piping bag and pipe a design onto the cake.
- Buttermilk – If you don’t have buttermilk, you can make your own by using 1 cup of milk and 1 tablespoon of lemon juice or vinegar. Let it sit for 5 minutes until it begins to curdle. You will never know it’s not the real deal.
- Cake Pans – If you don’t have four 9-inch round cake pans you can also use two 10-inch round cake pans.
- Layering of Cakes – You can make 2 9-inch round two-layered cakes OR one four layer cake. Totally up to you.
If you make this chocolate cake with cream cheese frosting recipe, I would be honored and love for you to take the time to leave a ⭐ star rating and comment! I spend hours developing and testing these recipes, and always love to hear feedback and user experience!
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Chocolate Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting
Equipment
- KitchenAid Stand Mixer
- Measuring Spoons
- Stovetop
- Pot
- Oven
- Cake Pans
- Offset Spatula
Ingredients
For the Cake
- 1 cup unsalted butter
- 2 cups water
- 1 cup canola oil
- 4 cups sugar
- 1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 4 cups all-purpose flour
- 4 large eggs
- 1 cup buttermilk
- 1 tablespoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
For the Cream Cheese Frosting
- 8 ounces cream cheese
- 5 tablespoons unsalted butter at room temperature
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 cup confectioners’ sugar sifted
Instructions
For the Chocolate Cake
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Spray four 9-inch round cake pans with non-stick cooking spray and set to the side.
- In a saucepan over medium heat, combine the butter, water and canola oil; heat until the butter is melted.
- In a large KitchenAid stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, combine the sugar, cocoa powder, and flour; whisk to blend. Pour the melted butter mixture into the dry ingredients. Mix on low until smooth.
- Mix in the eggs one at a time, then pour in the buttermilk while the mixer is set to low speed. Add the baking soda, salt and vanilla extract to the batter and mix for 30 seconds or until incorporated.
- Divide the batter evenly between the prepared pans. Bake for 35-40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Let cool in the pans for 15 minutes. Run a knife around the edge of each cake layer and invert onto a wire cooling rack. Allow the cake layers to cool completely for at least 2 hours before frosting.
For the Cream Cheese Frosting
- Using a KitchenAid Stand Mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, combine the cream cheese and butter in the bowl of an electric mixer. Beat on medium-high speed until well combined and smooth, about 2-3 minutes. Mix in the vanilla extract.
- Gradually beat in the confectioners’ sugar on low speed until incorporated. Increase the speed and beat until smooth. Frost, using an offset spatula once cake has cooled completely.
Notes
- Cake Pans – If you don’t have three 9-inch round cake pans you can also use two 10-inch round cake pans.
- Layering of Cakes – You can make 2 9-inch round two-layered cakes OR one four layer cake. Totally up to you.
- Butter – 1 Cup of butter equals 2 sticks.
- Cocoa Powder – Sift the cocoa powder before mixing to reduce lumps and to create a smoother texture.
- Cooling – Make sure the cake is completely cooled before frosting. Always place the cooked cake on a wire rack to cool.
- Frosting – I used an offset spatula to help spread the frosting onto the cake. You can also put the frosting into a piping bag and pipe a design onto the cake.
- Buttermilk – If you don’t have buttermilk, you can make your own by using 1 cup of milk and 1 tablespoon of lemon juice or vinegar. Let it sit for 5 minutes until it begins to curdle. You will never know it’s not the real deal.
Magnolia
This is so yummy. Thank you very much for sharing!
Katie
Thanks so much for the feedback! I'm very much a new baker (that is from scratch), so I'd love to see a cake tutorial! I love cream cheese frosting that's why I went with it! lol. Lessons learned. 🙂
ButterYum
I'm so sorry your cake didn't turn out as well as you hoped it would. Maybe I'll do a cake tutorial on my blog… after so many years of baking and making cakes, I've learned a few good tricks.
Also, in my opinion, cream cheese frosting is too soft to cling properly to the sides of a cake. It kind of slowly slides off when left at room temp.