The Best Homemade Chocolate Cake with Chocolate Frosting (Old-Fashioned Family Recipe)
This homemade chocolate cake comes together with simple pantry ingredients like cocoa powder, sugar, and flour — plus one cup of boiling water that “blooms” the cocoa for a deeper, richer chocolate flavor and an unbelievably moist texture. Finished with a smooth, creamy chocolate frosting, it’s an easy, from-scratch recipe that tastes just as indulgent as any bakery version.
Stephanie’s Recipe Rundown
Why You’ll Love It: This chocolate cake is everything a homemade dessert should be — rich, moist, and full of deep chocolate flavor thanks to one cup of boiling water that makes the cocoa bloom. It’s simple to make, yet tastes like it came straight from a bakery. Time Needed: About 1 hour total — 10 minutes to prep, 35 minutes to bake, and a little time to cool before frosting. Skill Level: Easy! No fancy equipment or advanced baking skills needed — just a bowl, a whisk, and a love for chocolate. Flavor & Texture: Soft, ultra-moist, and fudgy with a light crumb. The frosting is smooth, creamy, and perfectly chocolatey — the kind you can’t help but swipe a spoonful of. Would I Make This Again? Absolutely! My husband said it was the best chocolate cake he’s ever eaten — and I couldn’t agree more.xoxo Stephanie
The Story Behind This Homemade Chocolate Cake
When our family hosted a German foreign exchange student, she celebrated her 16th birthday while staying with us. I wanted to make her day extra special so I reached out to her mom to ask what her favorite dessert was — she said chocolate cake with chocolate frosting.
Having been to Europe many times, I knew that the task of baking a chocolate cake couldn’t just be from a box! I wanted to make something that felt like home, so I grabbed the recipe book my grandma gifted to me in 2003 and got to work.
The cake turned out insanely good — super moist, rich, and chocolatey. My husband took one bite and said it was the best chocolate cake he’s ever eaten!
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Chocolate Cake | Best Chocolate Cake from Scratch
Secret Ingredient — Hot Water for Moist Chocolate Cake
Have you ever heard of adding boiling water to a cake recipe? I hadn’t either! Out of all the cakes I’ve made over the years, I’d never seen one that called for it — so of course, I had to find out why. After a little research, I learned that adding boiling water “blooms” the cocoa powder, bringing out a richer chocolate flavor and giving the cake that extra-soft, ultra-moist texture that makes it so good.
Chocolate Frosting | Rich, Creamy & Easy to Make
This homemade chocolate frosting is smooth, rich, and so easy to make — just butter, cocoa powder, powdered sugar, milk, and a splash of vanilla. It whips up creamy and spreadable, perfect for layering between cake rounds or piling high on top.
I baked the cake in two 9-inch round pans, which gave it that classic bakery-style look with perfectly even layers. Once the cakes had cooled completely, I spread a thick layer of creamy chocolate frosting between them, stacked them together, and covered the top and sides with even more frosting.
This cake turned out amazing and all of the German foreign exchange students that came to our house to enjoy the cake loved it as well!
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Q: Why is my homemade chocolate cake dry?
→ Over-baking or skipping the hot water can cause dryness.
Q: Can I use coffee instead of hot water?
→ Yes! Coffee intensifies the chocolate flavor.
Q: Should I refrigerate chocolate cake with frosting?
→ Only if your house is warm — otherwise, room temperature is fine for 2–3 days.
Q: Can I make cupcakes with this recipe?
→ Yes, bake for 18–22 minutes at the same temp.
Printable Recipe Card
The Best Homemade Chocolate Cake with Chocolate Frosting (Old-Fashioned Family Recipe)
Ingredients
Chocolate Cake
- 2 c granulated sugar
- 1 3/4 c all-purpose flour
- 3/4 c cocoa powder or dutch processed cocoa powder
- 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp salt
- 2 eggs
- 1 c whole milk
- 1/2 c vegetable oil
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 c boiling water
Chocolate Frosting
- 1 stick butter (1/2 cup)
- 2/3 c cocoa powder
- 3 c powdered sugar
- 1/3 c whole milk
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Instructions
Chocolate Cake
- Preheat oven to 350°F and grease two 9-inch round cake pans
- In a large bowl, combine sugar, flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt and stir
- Add eggs, milk, vegetable oil and vanilla extract and beat with an electric mixer on medium speed for 2 minutes. Then stir in boiling water (the batter will be thin)
- Evenly pour the cake mix into the two round cake pans
- Bake for 30 to 35 minutes. Once baked all of the way through, let the cakes cool for 10 minutes before removing the cakes from the pans and placing on a wire rack
Chocolate Frosting
- In a microwave safe bowl, melt the butter
- In a large bowl, combine melted butter and cocoa. Alternately add powdered sugar and milk to a spreading consistency
- If the frosting is too thick to spread with a butter knife, add a small splash of milk until the desired consistency is reached
- Stir in vanilla extract
- Frost chocolate cake and enjoy!
Nutrition
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Stephanie—home cook, DIY addict, seasonal decor fanatic, and proud chicken wrangler living in a Victorian house that’s always a project. Whether I’m cooking with garden-fresh ingredients, herding mischievous chickens, or tackling another DIY, I’m here to share the fun (and chaos).
My favorite chocolate cake, ever!