Chocolate cake with cream cheese frosting

This chocolate cake with cream cheese frosting is the easiest cake you can make at home. Whether you want to make a birthday cake or serve a beautiful dessert during a holiday – this cake recipe has got you covered!

Why you should try this chocolate cake with cream cheese frosting

• Soft and moist chocolate cake layers – By adding vegetable oil, melted chocolate, and enough liquids, we achieve extremely soft and moist cake layers. Even after refrigeration, the cake stays soft!
• Perfectly sweetened frosting – In this recipe, I use my all-time favorite cream cheese frosting, which has just the right amount of sweetness. I have also used it to decorate my Lemon curd cake and as a filling in this Red velvet cake.
• Can be made without special equipment – If you don’t have a hand mixer, you still can make this cake. You will need a metal whisk and a bit more time, but the result won’t disappoint.

Ingredients you will need

For the cake layers

• Flour – You can use either all-purpose flour or cake flour.
• Dutch-processed cocoa powder – Just like in this Chocolate pound cake and my Chocolate Bundt cake, I use unsweetened cocoa powder in this recipe. 
• Baking powder
• Salt
• Whole milk – Bring it to room temperature before using.
• Butter – Use room-temperature unsalted butter.
• White sugar
• Vanilla extract
• Vegetable oil – Use vegetable oil such as canola or sunflower seed oil.
• Unflavored vegetable oil works best in this chocolate cake recipe.
• Chocolate – For rich chocolate flavor, use semi-sweet or dark chocolate.
• Eggs – Use room temperature eggs.

For the cream cheese frosting recipe

• Cream cheese – Use cold full-fat cream cheese (I use Original Philadelphia cream cheese).
• Heavy whipping cream
• Powdered sugar
• Vanilla extract

Cooking tips

• Use a digital kitchen scale. Different types of flour or cocoa powder can have different densities, so measuring by weight provides more precise measurements and helps achieve consistent results. It also eliminates the need for multiple measuring cups and reduces the chances of measuring errors.
• Don’t overmix the cake batter. Overmixing can lead to gluten development in the flour, resulting in a denser and tougher texture in the cake. To prevent this, mix the ingredients just until they are combined and no dry ingredients are visible in the mixture.
• Don’t overbake the cake layers. Overbaking the cake layers can result in a dry and crumbly texture. It's crucial to keep a close eye on the cake as it bakes and check for doneness using a toothpick or cake tester. Insert the toothpick into the center of the cake layer, and if it comes out with a few moist crumbs clinging to it, the cake is done.
• Don’t overwhip the cream. Overwhipping can cause the cream to separate, resulting in a grainy and lumpy texture. Whip the cream just until it reaches a thick and fluffy consistency, making sure to stop as soon as it holds its shape.
• Assemble the cooled cake. Before assembling your chocolate cake with cream cheese frosting, ensure that the cake layers are completely cooled. If the cake layers are still warm, the frosting can melt and slide off, resulting in an unstable and messy cake.

Step by step directions

Bake the chocolate cake layers

1. Preheat the oven to 160C (320F) and line the bottom and sides of three 6" (15cm) round cake pans with parchment paper. Or you can butter and flour the sides of the cake pans.
2. Combine the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt. 
3. Beat the butter with sugar and vanilla for 5 minutes on medium-high until the mixture becomes pale and fluffy. 
4. Add the oil and beat until fully incorporated. After, add the melted chocolate and beat again.
5. Add eggs one at a time and beat until the mixture looks homogenous and emulsified.
6. Add the dry ingredients in three parts – alternating with the milk, starting and ending with the dry ingredients – while beating on low until a homogenous and silky consistency is reached.
7. Divide the batter evenly between the pans and bake for 27-30 minutes.
8. Let the cakes cool down in the pans for 5 minutes. Then, transfer onto a cooling rack to cool down completely. 

Make the cream cheese frosting

1. Beat all frosting ingredients on medium to a homogenous consistency. Scrape the sides of the bowl and beat until thick and fluffy.
2. Use right away or store the cream, covered with plastic wrap so it touches the cream, in the fridge until needed.

Assemble the cake

1. Place the first cake layer on a plate and add ¼ of the cream on top. Spread evenly and place the second layer on top. Repeat the process.
2. Place the last cake layer and spread cream on the top and sides of the cake as a crumb coat. Refrigerate the cake for 2 hours. 
3. Apply the final frosting and decorate it to your taste. I went for a semi-naked look and used the rest of the cream for piping decorations on top of the cake. Refrigerate for 1 hour and serve.

How to make this chocolate cake in different sizes

This recipe is for a 6” (15cm) cake, but it is easy to make a larger cake if you measure all your ingredients using a kitchen scale, not cups!

Let’s say you want to bake a 7” (18cm) cake. All you need to do is multiply each ingredient measurement by 1.4. So, if for a 6” cake you need 200g of flour, for a 7” cake you will need 200 x 1.4 = 280g of flour. One large egg without a shell will be approximately 50g. This recipe calls for 2 eggs which are 100g in total. Multiply 100 by 1.4, and you will know that you need 140g of eggs to make a 7” cake. 

For an 8” cake, you will need to multiply each ingredient measurement by 1.8, and for a 9” cake, you will need to multiply each ingredient measurement by 2.4.

As for the cream, it’s a matter of taste how much you want to use in between the cake layers and how much you want to use to frost and decorate the cake. You will need to adjust the amount of cream to your personal needs, keeping in mind the desired taste and consistency.

Possible variations

• Raspberries - Add a layer of Raspberry coulis between the cake layers. The tartness of the raspberries pairs beautifully with the rich chocolate cake layers and creamy frosting.
• Peanut Butter - Swirl creamy peanut butter into the cake batter before dividing it into the pans. You can also add chopped peanuts for added texture. Spread a thin layer of peanut butter between the cake layers along with the cream cheese frosting for a delicious peanut butter and chocolate combination.
• Salted Caramel – Drizzle store-bought or homemade Salted caramel between the cake layers. The combination of rich chocolate, tangy cream cheese, and sweet-salty caramel is simply irresistible.

FAQ

More chocolate dessert recipes you may like

Chocolate ice cream

Double chocolate cookies

Easy chocolate cupcakes

Recipe card

Chocolate cake with cream cheese frosting

This chocolate cake with cream cheese frosting is the easiest cake you can make at home. Whether you want to make a birthday cake or serve a beautiful dessert during a holiday – this cake recipe has got you covered!

Print Pin Rate

Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 50 minutes minutes

Chilling time: 3 hours hours

Total Time: 4 hours hours

Servings: 14 pieces

Calories: 422kcal

Author: Anna

Equipment

• Digital kitchen scale
• 3 6" (15cm) round cake pan
• A stand mixer or a hand mixer and a large mixing bowl
• Rubber spatula
• Parchment paper

Ingredients

For the sponge cake

• 200 g all-purpose flour
• 20 g Dutch-processed cocoa powder
• 2 teaspoon baking powder
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 180 ml whole milk at room temperature
• 70 g unsalted butter
• 190 g white granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 30 g vegetable oil
• 30 g semi-sweet chocolate melted
• 2 large eggs at room temperature

For the cream cheese frosting

• 700 g cream cheese cold
• 110 g heavy whipping cream
• 95 g powdered sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

MetricUS Customary

Instructions

For the cake

• Preheat the oven to 160C (320F) and line the bottom and sides of three 6" (15cm) cake pans with parchment paper. Or you can butter and flour the sides of the cake pans.
• In a bowl, combine the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder and salt. Set aside.
• In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment (or use a bowl and a hand mixer), add the granulated sugar, butter and vanilla. Beat for 5 minutes on medium-high until the mixture becomes pale and fluffy. Scrape the sides and the bottom of the bowl a few times during the process.
• Then, add the oil and beat until fully incorporated. After, add the melted chocolate and beat again.
• Add eggs one at a time and beat until the mixture looks homogenous and emulsified.
• Add the dry ingredients in three parts – alternating with the milk, starting and ending with the dry ingredients – while beating on low until a homogenous and silky consistency is reached. The pattern should look like this: dry/milk/dry/milk/dry.
• Divide the batter evenly between the pans and bake for 27-30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
• Remove from the oven and let cool down in the pans until safe to handle. Then, place the cake layers upside down onto a cooling rack to cool down completely. If you want to assemble the cake the next day, wrap cooled cake layers in plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.

For the frosting

• Place all the ingredients in a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment (or you can use a hand mixer) and mix on low until no dry powdered sugar is left. Then, beat on medium to a homogenous consistency. Scrape the sides of the bowl and beat until thick and fluffy.
• Use right away or store the cream, covered with plastic wrap so it touches the cream, in the fridge until needed.

Assembling the cake

• Place the first cake layer on a plate and add ¼ of the cream on top. Spread evenly and place the second layer on top. Repeat the process.
• Place the last cake layer and spread cream on the top and sides of the cake as a crumb coat. Refrigerate the cake for 2 hours. You can also wrap the cake with plastic wrap and leave it in the fridge overnight to assemble the next day. In that case, keep the cream leftovers in the sealed piping bag in the fridge.
• When well chilled, apply the final frosting and decorate to your taste. I went for a semi-naked look and used the rest of the cream for piping decorations on top of the cake. Refrigerate for 1 hour and serve.

Video

Notes

Store the cake in the fridge for 4 days.

Freeze the cake layers for 2 months. 

Nutrition

Nutrition Facts

Chocolate cake with cream cheese frosting

Serving Size

 

1 piece

Amount per Serving

Calories

422

% Daily Value*

Fat

 

28

g

43

%

Saturated Fat

 

16

g

100

%

Trans Fat

 

0.2

g

Polyunsaturated Fat

 

2

g

Monounsaturated Fat

 

7

g

Cholesterol

 

95

mg

32

%

Sodium

 

318

mg

14

%

Potassium

 

154

mg

4

%

Carbohydrates

 

37

g

12

%

Fiber

 

1

g

4

%

Sugar

 

24

g

27

%

Protein

 

6

g

12

%

Vitamin A

 

968

IU

19

%

Vitamin C

 

0.05

mg

0

%

Calcium

 

114

mg

11

%

Iron

 

1

mg

6

%

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

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