Ok, who doesn’t like chocolate cake? I mean, I guess if you are one of those people who doesn’t like chocolate, ok. But really, chocolate cake is so yummy!
Here’s a recipe for chocolate cake from scratch that came with my kitchen aid mixer. I have used it a couple times for birthdays and modified it a bit over the years.
There aren’t any artificial preservatives, dyes, or anything like that in it that you would possibly get with a box cake. And it tastes so much better! This recipe is specific to the kitchen aid, but you could still do it with an electric mixer.
I always top the cake with cream cheese frosting, but that’s my favorite type of frosting. It’s very creamy and has a sweet flavor. The texture makes it easy to spread without leaving a lot of lines on the cake.
Cream cheese frosting also takes color really well if you need it. I like to use the Wilton brand gel food coloring for everything. It doesn’t take much of the gel to have a rich and vibrant color.
Step by Step
Preheat the oven to 350F. Grease and flour two 8 or 9-inch round cake pans by spreading with a bit of butter or cooking oil, then sprinkle in some flour until the grease is coated. This really helps the cake come out of the pan without any problems.
Combine the dry ingredients (flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt) in the mixing bowl. Attach the whisk and stir for a minute until everything is mixed together.
Add the butter, milk, and vanilla. Switch to the flat beater and stir on speed 2 for about one minute.
Pour in the eggs and melted chocolate and mix on speed 2 for another 30 seconds. Then increase the speed to 6 for an additional minute, or until everything is well combined. It may help to scrape the sides and mix again.
Divide the batter into the two prepared cake pans and bake for about 35-45 minutes. You want the cake to be set and a toothpick inserted in the center should come out clean.
Remove the cake from the oven and set the pans on a cooling rack until the cakes have cooled completely.
Once the cakes are cool, prepare the frosting by whisking the cream cheese and butter in the stand mixer until they are creamed together.
Slowly add the powdered sugar, 1/3 cup at a time, until it is all mixed in. Then add the vanilla extract and stir just until it’s combined.
Place the bottom layer of the cake on a serving plate and frost only the top. Then, to help keep a neater serving plate, use small pieces of parchment or wax paper under the edges of the cake.
Set the top layer on the frosted bottom layer.
Scoop the frosting onto the cake and frost the top and sides.
Use extra chocolate and shred it through a zester to add a bit as a garnish on the cake.
Recipe
Chocolate Cake and Cream Cheese Frosting
Ingredients
- 2 cups flour
- 1 1/3 cups sugar
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 cup butter
- 1 cup milk
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 eggs
- 2 oz semisweet chocolate bars or chips (melted)
- 4 oz butter
- 4 oz cream cheese
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees
- Grease and flour two 8 or 9 inch round cake pans
- Combine dry ingredients in mixer bowl
- Add butter, milk, and vanilla
- Attach flat beater and set speed to 2 for 1 minute
- Add eggs and chocolate and continue on speed 2 for 30 seconds
- Increase speed to 6 for another minute
- Pour batter into pans and bake for 30-45 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean
- Cool 10 minutes in pan, then transfer to cooling rack
- Combine butter and cream cheese in electric mixer
- Slowly add in powdered sugar until creamy, then add vanilla
- Frost the cake as desired
Shop This Recipe
When making any recipe, it’s essential to make sure you have the correct equipment. The following items are hand-selected for this recipe and are all items I have personally used and/or recommend.
These are affiliate links. See disclosures for more information.
You make me want to just eat baked goods all day long. Ha. Not that that is necessarily a bad thing 😉
Ooh, chocolate cake – my favourite!! This one looks absolutely scrumptious too… you’ve made me want to go and eat cake now!
Cream Cheese frosting is so underrated!! It is my absolute favorite. I fell in love with it on red velvet cakes and it has grown to be my go to, no matter the flavor of the cake.
I’m the complete opposite, I don’t love chocolate cake and I can’t stand cream cheese frosting! But this one doesn’t look typical, your cake looks more like a malted chocolate flavor rather than a store bought kind!
Yum! I’ve never tried a cream cheese frosting on chocolate cake before, but you have me intrigued! And grating the chocolate with a zester – genius!
Looks wonderful. Do you know of a way to convert to a sheet cake?
I’ve never tried it. I would think you could make the batter and put it in a large pan and bake that way. Your baking time may vary since it’s a different shape.
You stole the words outta my mouth – who doesn’t love chocolate cake?! This recipe seems easy enough to follow so I’m going to give it a try. Cream cheese frosting is my fav too.
Yummm!!! I love cream cheese icing. I am not a huge whipped icing fan so I always opt for a cream cheese icing or frosting. Not sure I ever had it on chocolate cake though. I will have to give this a try.
I can always find room for a fresh baked cake. Cream cheese frosting is also a favorite of mine! Looks delicious!
Ahh I wish I was eating this right now! I’m a sucker for cream cheese icing!