This is the chocolate cake I reach for when it has to work.
It’s soft, deeply chocolatey, and incredibly moist—but strong enough to stack, carve, and hold its shape without collapsing. No guesswork. No fragile layers. Just a reliable, bakery-style chocolate cake that delivers every time.
Need this in a different pan size? Get precise, tested ingredient quantities for every pan size from 4-inch to 12-inch rounds here.
🎂 Free Download:
Not ready for the full master recipe yet?
Get my Chocolate Cake Pan Size Quick Guide and scale your cakes without guessing.
⭐ What Bakers Are Saying
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ “Amazing! I’ve been looking for chocolate cake sturdy to stand yet moist in texture. This ailed it and bonus I could make enough mixture for 4 cakes. I used all the weight measurments you listed. Thank you.” – Kat
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ “Fantastic recipe! I used your cake in my novelty cake and got rave reviews! It’s so moist and chocolatey I didn’t need the simple syrup at all! It was sturdy and I will be making this my ‘go to’ chocolate cake recipe! Thank you!” – Kathy
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ “Hi, I love this recipe and have used it for a couple of celebration cakes as well as a wedding cake. Had loads of compliments so thank you… ” – Amanda
Not convinced yet? Check out more in the comments section below!
Recipe in a Glance
- Texture: Soft, fine crumb but sturdy enough for stacking
- Flavor: Deep chocolate, not overly sweet
- Ease: Beginner-friendly (no fancy techniques)
- Time: ~1 hour + cooling
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
This chocolate cake is based on my Fluffy and Buttery Vanilla Cake, which has been one of the most popular recipes on my site. After getting tons of requests for a chocolate version—this is it.
It’s the kind of recipe every baker needs in their back pocket. It works for birthdays, celebrations, or even wedding cakes—and pairs well with almost any frosting.
Taste and Texture
The cake has a soft crumb but it is sturdy enough for stacking and carving. It is not fudgy but it is definitely moist and has a concentrated chocolate flavor without being too sweet.
Thanks to the cocoa dissolved in boiling water; it gives the cake an extraordinarily full and intense chocolate flavor. I used the same method in making my favorite basic chocolate cupcake.
Overall, I thought this chocolate cake is great to be in a baker’s back pocket. It is great for any special occasion and any frosting will work with it!
Baking in Different Cake Pan Sizes
Here is a chart of the amount of ingredients you’ll need depending on pan size:
Follow the same procedure as written in the recipe but you may need to adjust the baking time. Remember that the time indicated below is only a guide as not all ovens are the same.
⭐️PRO TIP: Use a thermometer. ⭐️
Cakes are done at 200–205°F (93–96°C)—this is the most accurate way to avoid dry, overbaked layers.
Want a quick cake sizing cheat sheet for reference?
👉 Download the free Chocolate Cake Pan Size Quick Guide here:
For the purpose of testing, I baked each size in two different cake pan heights:
- For the 6-inch cake recipe, I used a cake pan that is 3 inches in height (6×3).
- For the 8-inch cake recipe, I used a cake pan that is 2 inches in height (8×2).
6-inch Chocolate Cake for Stacking
For the 6-inch cake recipe, I divided the batter into two 6×3 pans.
This is the exact baking pan I use and I really do recommend this brand (not sponsored – I just really love their baking pans!) .
This yields tall layers (about 3 inches each before leveling). After torting each cake into two layers, you’ll have four layers total—perfect for a tall, bakery-style cake.
After filling and frosting, the final cake can reach over 5 inches tall.
TIP: If you only have a cake pan that is less than 3 inches in height, an alternative is to line parchment around the cake pan for added height, just like what I did in my Vanilla Cake.
8-inch Chocolate Cake
For the 8-inch cake recipe, I divided the batter into three 8×2 pans.
Each layer bakes up close to 2 inches tall. The cakes rise right to the top, and using cake strips helps minimize doming for more even layers.
You can also use two 8×3 pans—just increase the baking time.
This time, I used cake strips, and you can really see the difference in terms of doming!
Tired of guessing how much batter you need for different cake sizes?
Here’s how to NEVER mess up cake sizing again. If you’ve ever ended up with too much batter—or worse, not enough—this is exactly why I created this guide.
This recipe has already worked for thousands of bakers:
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ “When you say “best chocolate cake” you seriously aren’t kidding – this was AMAZING. I made this with an orange-flavored version of your swiss meringue buttercream, and everyone absolutely loved it. The crumb and the texture are lovely, it’s the perfect density for stacking, and the flavor is wonderfully bitter-sweetly chocolatey (not sugary)… – Molly”
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ “I’ve used this recipe 3 times, and it comes out perfectly every time! I recently made this for my brother’s birthday and the cake turned out moist, sturdy, and delicious (and not too sweet)! – Uma”
The Master Recipe for Sturdy Yet Moist Chocolate Cake gives you:
- Tested ingredient amounts for 4-inch to 12-inch cakes
- Scaling charts (no math needed 🙌)
- Visual doneness cues
- Pro tips for consistent results every time
👉 Grab it here.
Vanilla version is also available here.
Ingredients & Substitutions
Shop efficiently (treat this as your grocery list) and gather your ingredients at home without running circles in your kitchen. (i.e. One trip to the fridge to get all your dairy needs.) You can still find the full printable recipe at the end of this post.
***The ingredient quantities listed below are for the 8-inch recipe. ***
REFRIGERATED:
- butter. 340g of unsalted butter, at room temperature. What is Room Temperature Butter?
- eggs. You need 300 grams of eggs (weight is without shell). That is about 6 large eggs, at room temperature.
PANTRY:
- Dutch processed cocoa. Sometimes called alkalized cocoa; it is unsweetened cocoa that has been treated with an alkali to make it pH neutral. You need 180grams.
- water. 710g or about 3 US cups of boiling water.
- flour. 500g of all-purpose flour – measured by weight and not by cups. This recipe uses a lot of flour and any excess amounts will make your cake dry and too dense. I don’t recommend using cake/pastry flour as we need a higher protein content to make this cake sturdy.
- baking soda. 14 grams or 1 tablespoon. Baking Soda loses its leavening power over time so always check yours is still good.
- baking powder. 3 grams or 3/4 teaspoon. Baking powder do expire so always ensure your batch is still good.
- Salt. 9 grams or 1.5 teaspoon of fine sea salt/ table salt.
- sugar. 600 grams or 3 cups of granulated white sugar. You can use caster sugar in place of white granulated sugar, but be sure to measure by weight, not volume, as the finer grain size means it packs differently in a measuring cup.
How To Make The Best Chocolate Cake for Stacking & Carving
The steps to make this chocolate cake are actually simple.
STEP 1. MISE EN PLACE. Prepare your oven by preheating it to 350 F (175 C). Note that I am using a conventional oven (no fan).
Grease and line the bottom of each cake pan with parchment paper. Instead of dusting the pan with flour, use cocoa powder.
In a separate bowl, prepare the flour mixture by sifting together your dry ingredients: flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
STEP 2. Preferably in a bowl with a spout, whisk the cocoa and boiling water until smooth. Set aside to cool while you make the batter.
STEP 3. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter and sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy. This process takes about 8 minutes – the butter should turn very pale yellow, almost white in color.
STEP 4. Add eggs, one at a time, beating until each addition is incorporated. Scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl.
STEP 5. Add the flour mixture four times, alternating with the cocoa mixture in three parts, beating until each addition is incorporated.
STEP 6. Divide the batter in your pans and bake until a cake tester inserted into the centers come out clean. Cool the cakes in the pans on wire racks before using them.
NOTE: Not sure what’s medium, medium-low, or low speed in your mixer? Read this Stand Mixer Speed Control Guide.
Freezing and Make Ahead
After the cakes have been removed from the pan and have completely cooled down. Double wrap each layer with plastic/saran wrap and keep in the fridge for up to 2 days. I did this when I used the vanilla version of this recipe for a wedding cake.
If longer than 2 days, I suggest keeping them in the freezer instead. If freezing, double wrap it with plastic/saran wrap then wrap again in foil. The first layer keeps the cake tight and fresh and the aluminum foil ensures no condensation will seep in.
When you are ready to use the cake, transfer the wrapped cakes from the freezer to the refrigerator one day before assembling. Take them out of the freezer container to thaw, but leave them wrapped in plastic wrap/aluminum foil.
The cakes take at least 8 hours to thaw completely in the refrigerator. Make sure you’re thawing the cakes while they’re still in the wrapping. Condensation forms as foods thaw. This way the condensation will form on the wrapping, not the cake.
Frequently Asked Questions
Technically, yes, but I don’t recommend it for this recipe. The Dutch Process Cocoa powder is in the recipe mainly for flavor and color. If you use natural cocoa powder, your cake would be lighter in color and you may notice a subtle tanginess or a slightly bitter edge to the flavor. This is due to natural cocoa’s acidity, which may not be fully neutralized by the remaining ingredients in the recipe.
No need to totally cool it down. Just set it aside while you make the batter, so that’s about 10 mins.
Given that proper stacking has been done, this chocolate cake like its vanilla version is sturdy enough for multi-tiered cakes. There have been many reviews that they’ve used this recipe for tiered cakes.
Yes, this sturdy chocolate cake can hold the weight of fondant.
Coffee enhances the chocolate flavor so the answer is yes. A couple of readers shared in the comments below that they have successfully replaced the water with coffee in equal amounts.
I’ve actually tested this recipe across different pan sizes, including 10-inch and 12-inch.
Because the ingredient amounts change quite a bit depending on the size, I put together a master recipe with exact, tested measurements for cake sizes from 4-inch up to 12-inch—so there’s no guesswork involved.
👉 You can check it out here: [link to ebook]
It’s especially helpful if you’re making larger or tiered cakes!
As a rule of thumb, reduce oven temperature by 25 degrees F if using an oven with fan so that would be 325F or 160C. Check if cake is done 5 to 10 minutes earlier than the suggested baking time.
Vanilla Version
If you need to make a cake like this in Vanilla, head on to Fluffy and Buttery Vanilla Cake recipe.
I’ve used this recipe to make a 3-tiered wedding cake so I can say that while it is soft and fluffy, it is firm enough to use in multi-tiered cakes.
❤️ Tried this recipe and loved it? If you made this recipe or any other recipe on this site, please leave a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating + review below – or tag @thebakeologie on Instagram and hashtag it #bakeologie !
Ingredients
- 710 grams boiling water (710 ml)
- 180 grams Dutch processed cocoa
- 500 grams all-purpose flour
- 14 grams baking soda (1 tablespoon)
- 3 grams baking powder (3/4 teaspoon)
- 9 grams fine salt (1 ½ teaspoon)
- 340 grams unsalted butter at room temperature
- 600 grams white granulated sugar (3 cups) *see notes on using caster sugar
- 300 grams eggs about 6 large eggs, at room temperature
Instructions
- Mise en place. Set the oven 350 ℉/ 175 ℃. Set an oven rack in the middle rack of the oven. Note that for all recipes in this website, I am using conventional oven (no fan). Grease and line the bottom of three 8×2 pans (Note 1).
- Make the cocoa mixture.In a bowl (preferably with a spout like a pyrex measuring glass), whisk the cocoa and boiling water until smooth. Set aside while you proceed to the next steps.710 grams boiling water180 grams Dutch processed cocoa
- Make the flour mixture.Make the flour mixture by sifting the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl and whisk them together.500 grams all-purpose flour14 grams baking soda3 grams baking powder9 grams fine salt
- Make the batter. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter and sugar on medium speed until light in color and fluffy, about 8 minutes. Reduce speed to medium-low then add the eggs, one at a time, beating until each addition is incorporated before adding the next one. Scrape the sides of the bowl when necessary.340 grams unsalted butter600 grams white granulated sugar300 grams eggs
- Combine the cocoa mixture and the flour mixture.Reduce speed to low. Add the flour mixture in four parts, alternating with the cocoa mixture (There is no need to wait for the cocoa mixture to be completely cool) in three parts. Beat until each addition is incorporated before adding the next. Be careful not to overmix. Divide the batter between the pans and smooth the surfaces.
- Bake the cakes.Bake for 45 to 50 minutes, or until a cake tester or toothpick inserted into the centers comes out clean. For accuracy, I like to use a food thermometer – it's done when the internal temperature is at 197-200F (92-93C). You can refer to my Complete Guide to Baked Goods Doneness Temperatures so you won't come out with undercooked baked goods again!Usually if you are using cake strips, baking time will take a bit longer. (Note 2)
- Cool the cakes.Let the cakes cool in the pans on wire racks for 1 to 1.5 hours. There's a high chance your cake will fall apart when you remove it from the pan while still warm.Run a metal spatula between the sides of the pans and invert the cakes onto wire racks that have been coated with nonstick spray. Peel off the parchment and reinvert onto wire racks to cool completely.
Hi. I’m planning to use this recipe for 4 tiers wedding cake, 12,10,8,6
mostly I’ll use it for the 10″ cake. my question is, do I need to use the simple syrup to moist it when stacking or it will be moist on its own? my client insisted on not wanting dry cake. Another question, what recipe you recommend for 12″ vanilla cake that will support the 3 other tiers? Thanks
If you are going to bake the cake layers ahead of wedding day, I recommend brushing them with simple syrup as you stack the layers. You can use the same vanilla cake for the 12 inch. The recipe for it can be found in my shop.
Thank you so much for the recipe,can I use castor sugar instead of granulated sugar ?.
Thank you
Yes, you can replace granulated sugar with caster sugar as long as you are measuring by weight – Caster has finer granules. Thank you!
Hi! Amal,
I need to use this recipe for exactly same measurements as yours for my daughter’s wedding cake (the 1st I’ve ever made) Did you get a reply to your questions. Please share with me.
OMG! I baked this chocolate cake with lebourne Cocoa powder on 325 heat. The cake came out so fluffy and velvety in texture and super delicious. I must say this is the best butterbased chocolate cake I have ever baked. Thank you so much for such an awesome recipe. This is definitely a keeper. May I ask what’s the shelf life(outside the freezer) of this cake? Thanks.
Awesome! I found that this cake, if stored and kept covered in the fridge, stays at its best for about 3-5 days max.
Made this for my grandson’s 4th birthday party as a Bluey cake. 4 layers chocolate buttercream, with Blue orange flavored buttercream on the outside and Bluey sprinkles and cake topper. Was a huge success, looked great but more importantly it tasted good. My son remarked “it’s the best cake you’ve ever made – delicious!”
Perfect recipe and accurate description “Sturdy yet moist and fluffy”. Thank you!
Looked like it was a fun cake! Our family loves Bluey – and this chocolate cake too. Thank you, Angela, for sharing your feedback!:)
I would like to use this recipe to make a 3D firetruck cake but need to make it in a 1/2 sheet pan. Do I need to adjust the recipe or just the baking time?
Yes, you would need definitely needto play around with the amount of batter and baking time. Unfortunately, I have not tried making this in a half sheet pan so I don’t have the exact measurements.
Hi I want to make this cake. Is it possible to share recipe for making two kg chocolate cake please
Hi thanks for the recipe, looking for a sponge for a fondant cake will this work well?
Thanks In advance
Yes!:)
I made this recently and it was a huge it! I used boiling coffee in place of boiling water. It turned out dark, moist with a rich chocolate flavor. It is sturdy and stacks well. I made 3 tiers, 10 inch, 8 inch and 6 inch. To make the 10 inch, double the 6 inch recipe, bake at 325 for about 40 minutes, and use baking strips around the pans. I put chocolate frosting and raspberry jam between the layers. I will definitely make this again!
So is it 3 cups boiling water? I’m making this cake this weekend.
Yes, 3 cups of water. There is no change in the recipe. The glitch happened only when the number of servings was adjusted in the printing option(s) page. That serving adjustment feature in the print page was already removed.
I am following this recipe for my cakes! It’s really study! May I ask if you can help me make a recipe for 12″ cake?
I made this cake for my grandson’s birthday yeaterday. It was so soft and chocklety and delishious. I will definitely be making it again as it was really superb. Well done. This is a keeper recipe.
Gail, thank you so much for taking the time to leave a rating and review! This cake recipe is a keeper for sure. =)
Do I have to make a batch of this cake batter for each tier size of the cake (hope that makes sense)?
Yes, I suggest making a batch for each tier. 🙂
I made this for my granddaughters 2nd birthday, and it was a huge hit! My daughter and her girls even loved it plain, without any frosting! It was dark, moist and delicious, and sturdy enough to stack. I baked a 10 inch tier by doubling the 6 inch recipe and baking the cake layers at 325° for about 40 minutes, using a wet strip around each of the 2 pans. I filled the layers with chocolate frosting and raspberry jam. I used dowels to stabilize it, and covered it in green buttercream, as it was a dinosaur themed cake. I froze the cakes before assembling them, and all went very well. It was my first time baking with metric weights and measures, but I used a scale and was very pleased with results. I will definitely be baking this again. My son in law says it’s the best cake he’s ever eaten! Thank you so much!
Baking using weight measurements is awesome, right?! So glad your family liked the cake. 🙂
They LOVED IT! I forgot to mention that I substituted boiling coffee for the boiling water. Yes, weighing ingredients is the weigh to go….LOL
Hello,
I am going to try this recipe out this week. Can I know if I just have on 6*3 inch pan can I keep the batter out till one layer is done and the bake the second or do you suggest doing half a batter at a time?
Thanks
Hi, Molly! Yes, you can make 1 batch and leave some of the batter out – about an hour or so. Happy baking!:)
Hi Trish,
Thanks for replying. I managed to used one 6*3 tin and two 6*2 tins and split the batter. The cakes tasted good, however they seem to have crumbled at the sides a bit. I did have to bake for more than 60 mins as toothpick test was wet. could that be the reason?
Hi, Molly! The toothpick test should be ok. Did it crumble while you are taking the cake out of the pan?
Hi Trish,
Yes while taking it out of the pan..though I did leave it in for 10 to 15 mins…I refrigerated it after frosting and was able to cut it alright though
I live in a mountain range and have to adjust for elevation with the ingredients. I was concerned the cakes wouldn’t turn out. However, after the adjustments, using DIY cake strips and lowering the bake time to 42 min the layers came out beautifully. Barely any dome. I am looking forward to stacking and decorating my 12 year old daughter’s beach themed cake! Thank you for this lovely chocolate cake recipe!
That’s awesome, Lisa! Thank you for sharing that info. I don’t have much experience in baking with high altitudes. This would be helpful for the other readers who might want to use the recipe. =)
Followed the directions to the letter, the cake fell apart when I tried stacking it. Great flavor, but was not stackable.
Sorry, your cake didn’t turn out well! Were your cake layers completely cooled? You can also try putting the cake in the fridge before stacking them so they are easier to handle.