Chocolate Cake with Swiss Meringue Buttercream
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This chocolate cake recipe is soft, moist, fluffy and richly chocolatey. This has become our go-to chocolate cake. It is always a big hit with everyone who tries it – grown ups and children.
The Swiss Meringue Buttercream frosting is lighter in sweetness compared to traditional American buttercream which makes the cake really shine with intense chocolate flavor.
Wait until you see the next picture. CRAVINGS BIG TIME!!
If you have never tried Swiss Meringue Buttercream, learn how to make it here. It pipes beautifully and it sure tastes amazing! I call it wedding cake frosting – it’s just THAT good!
Ingredients for Chocolate Cake Recipe:
2 large eggs, room temperature
1 cup sour cream
1/2 cup canola or extra light olive oil
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups (190 grams) all-purpose flour, *measured correctly
1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
1/2 Tbsp baking soda
1/2 Tbsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
3/4 cup very warm/hot water
1 Recipe for Swiss Meringue Buttercream Frosting
Semi-sweet or milk chocolate bar to grate for decor
How to Make Chocolate Cake Recipe:
Prep: Preheat Oven to 350˚F. Grease 2 (9″ round) cake pans. Grease the sides with butter and line the bottom with parchment paper.
1. In a large mixing bowl, with an electric mixer, beat together 2 eggs, 1 cup sour cream, 1/2 cup oil and 2 tsp vanilla until smooth.
2. In a second mixing bowl, sift in 1 1/2 cups flour and 1 cup cocoa powder. Add 1 1/2 cup sugar, 1/2 Tbsp baking soda, 1/2 Tbsp baking powdered and 1 tsp salt and whisk to combine. Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients and whisk until smooth without any lumps, then gradually add 3/4 cup hot water while beating and stir until well combined and smooth.
3. Divide batter evenly between 2 prepared cake pans and bake at 350˚F for 20-25 minutes (mine was perfect at 23 minutes) or until tops are set and a toothpick comes out clean when inserted into center. Cool cakes in pan for 15-20 minutes then run a thin spatula or knife around the edges to loosen from the pan and gently invert onto cooling rack and let cool completely to room temperature before frosting.
Cooks Tip: The cake layers have a very soft crumb so it is important to let them rest in the baking pans and let them firm up slightly before transferring to prevent broken cake layers.
5. While cakes cool, make your frosting. We used this Swiss Meringue Buttercream frosting. Reserve about 1 cup of frosting to pipe roses or poofs over the top.
How to Assemble Chocolate Cake:
1. Carefully place your first layer onto the cake platter and cover with a generous layer of frosting. Gently transfer the next cake layer over the top and frost the top and sides.
2. Finely grate a bar of chocolate and pat the crumbs halfway up the side of the cake and sprinkle around the top rim of the cake. Pipe roses or puffs around the top rim of the cake.
Make-Ahead Tip: Cake can be covered and stored at room temperature for about 24 hours. If storing longer, cover and refrigerate. Bring to room temperature before serving to soften the buttercream.
Chocolate Cake with Swiss Meringue Buttercream
Ingredients
- 2 large eggs, room temperature
- 1 cup sour cream
- 1/2 cup canola or extra light olive oil
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, *measured correctly
- 1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
- 1/2 Tbsp baking soda
- 1/2 Tbsp baking powder
- 1 tsp salt
- 3/4 cup very warm/hot water
- 1 Recipe for Swiss Meringue Buttercream Frosting
- Semi-sweet or milk chocolate bar to grate for decor
Instructions
Prep:
- Preheat Oven to 350˚F. Grease two (9" round) cake pans. Grease sides with butter and line the bottom with parchment paper.
How to Make Chocolate Cake Recipe:
- In a large mixing bowl, combine: 2 eggs, 1 cup sour cream, 1/2 cup oil and 2 tsp vanilla and beat with an electric mixeruntil smooth.
- In a second mixing bowl, sift in 1 1/2 cups flour and 1 cup cocoa powder. Add 1 1/2 cup sugar, 1/2 Tbsp baking soda, 1/2 Tbsp baking powdered and 1 tsp salt. Whisk to combine. Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients and whisk until smooth without lumps, then gradually add 3/4 cup hot water while beating until well combined and smooth.
- Divide batter between 2 prepared cake pans and bake at 350˚F for 20-25 min (mine was perfect at 23 min) or until tops are set and a toothpick comes out clean when inserted into center. Cool cakes in pan for 15-20 min** then run a thin spatula or knife around the edges to loosen from the pan and gently invert onto cooling rack and let cool completely to room temperature before frosting.
- While cakes cool, make your frosting. We used Swiss Meringue Buttercream frosting. Reserve about 1 cup frosting to decorate the top.
How to Assemble Chocolate Cake:
- Carefully place first cake layer onto platter and cover the top with a generous layer of frosting. Gently transfer the next cake layer over the top and frost top and sides.
- Finely grate a bar of chocolate and pat the crumbs halfway up side of cake and sprinkle around the top rim of the cake. Use reserved frosting to pipe roses or puffs around top rim of cake.
Notes
**Giving the layers time to rest will make cake layers most stable for transfering.
If you make this recipe, I’d love to see pics of your creations on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter! Hashtag them #natashaskitchen
If you are a chocolate lover, this chocolate cake recipe is for you! I hope you have a delicious week, my friends!
Natasha Kravchuk
Hi! I'm Natasha Kravchuk. Here you'll find delicious, trusted recipes with easy step-by-step photos and videos. 
Hey natasha, what is the replacement of sour cream in this cake? I ll make this cake tonight but i dont have sour cream.
Hi Saadeya! I have not tested an alternative. The closest thing would likely be Greek yogurt.
what other frosting does this cake taste good with? I’m not a fan of buttercreams so would like to make this with an other frosting…
also which cake do you like better as in flavor\texture and how moist it is, This cake or your classic chocolate\coffee cake?
Hi Alina! You can use another frosting of your choice, I have plenty on my website to choose from, just use the search bar above.
If you have never tried Swiss meringue buttercream, it’s quite different from traditional American buttercream and significantly less sweet and lighter.
The classic chocolate cake is one of our go-to’s and we make it often. You may even enjoy that frosting more.
This is the BEST cake and frosting recipe! I made it last night for friends and they all agreed it was excellent. This is the cake and frosting recipe I’ll use from now on. Thank you Natasha!!
Hi Michelle! That’s wonderful to hear. So glad you loved the recipe. Thank you for the review. 🙂
This recipe, including the icing, is AMAZING! Made everything exactly per the recipe for DSIL’s birthday and it was the “best cake he ever had!” My husband even raved over it, and he isn’t a cake eater – and he requested that I “save that recipe!” Thank you so much! I would post a pic, but this review doesn’t allow it.
Hi Laura! That’s awesome. I’m so glad to hear that it was enjoyed. If you have Instagram or facebook, you can tag me in the picture. #natashaskitchen 🙂
Hi i have a question how about 2 8 inch pan is it ok thank you
Hi Miluse, I have not tried this in an 8″ pan to advise. If you would like to alter your pan size, you can try using this guide HERE to help you.
Hey, thanks for the recipe. Can you add powdered strawberries to the cream?
Hi Ren! I have not tested it myself but I think it could work. Let us know how it turns out if you experiment.
Love all your recipes! Thanks! Will this cake hold a curd well between the layers?
Hi Carol. Yes, it should. I would be more concerned about the type of curd you use than the cake itself. This cake for the most part is moist but stable enough to stack. Let us know it turns out!
Can you make this in a 13×9” pan instead of 9” pans? I would like to make it for Christmas and can get more servings with 13×9” pan
Hi Kathy, I haven’t tested that but I think it could work. If you experiment, let me know how you liked the recipe.
Hi Natasha, can this be frozen? I was hoping I can freeze the cake layers and frosting separately and then to defrost them both to assamble?
Thank you!!
Hi Dorina, you can refrigerate up to a week and I haven’t tried freezing but I have read that you can freeze up to 2 months.
I made this cake recipe for my boyfriend’s birthday, and the whole family loved it! The directions were easy to follow, the cake and frosting had a good balance of flavor and sweetness, and it was moist but not too rich. I tend to end up running out of frosting for extra decorations on most cake recipes, but maybe that’s user error. You won’t regret trying this cake!
Hi Tanya, thanks for sharing! I recommend making sure that the ingredients were followed exactly as it is to get great results but good to know that your family loved it!
Hi Natasha,
I made this cake for my daughter’s 5th birthday. It was a big hit. I watched a video of the Swiss Meringue Buttercream recipe on YouTube. I searched for a perfect cake to pair it with. I came across this recipe and it worked like a charm.
So glad you found this recipe. Thank you for the feedback. 🙂
Made this for my son’s 18th birthday and it turned out amazing. The cake was moist with great flavor and the Swiss Meringue frosting complemented it perfectly.
That’s great! So glad it worked out well for you. I love this frosting.
Hi Natasha,
How is this chocolate cake different from your other chocolate cake recipe that is eggless. I see a huge difference in the ingredients but want to understand if the texture/firmness/flavor are different. I have tried the other one several times but want to give this one a try
Hi Kruti, these are 2 different chocolate cakes. The biggest difference is that the classic chocolate cake has coffee and this one does not and then of course the frosting is unique.
Could you please tell me how much ml is the 1 cup of sour cream? Thank you!!!!
Hi Natalia. 1 cup is about 236 ml however, I would recommend measuring the sour cream in grams not ml. It is 230 g for 1 cup. In the future, you can use the conversion tool that I have available in the recipe card to do this for you. Click on “metric”. I hope that helps.
Hi Natasha, is this the same type of frosting used in “korzinochki” desserts?
Hi Yana, no it is not. In my Meringue and Raspberry Korzinki recipe, it is only a meringue, which does not include butter.
Hi Natasha. I LOVE your recipes. Can you make cupcakes with this recipe? I need to make for my daughters soccer team. Thanks!
Also – how does Swiss meringue icing do with gel colors? Have you ever tried coloring it?
Hi Summer, yes, use gel food color for best results. I have not made this recipe in cupcakes. I think it would work. I also have this CHOCOLATE CUPCAKE RECIPE you could try.
Hi Natasha! If I’m using two 6″ pans do I need to adjust the SMBC? Thanks!
Hi Chit, It depends on how much frosting you like to have and how elaborate your decorating will be. I would make the full batch and if I had any leftover, I would store it for another project.
If it were possible to give this recipe 20 stars I would! This is easily the best chocolate cake I’ve ever had. My husband made it for my birthday a day ahead of time. It was rich, moist, and very chocolate-y. The Swiss meringue buttercream was the perfect frosting for this cake—rich, smooth, and thick but not too sweet. I can’t wait to make it for friends and family! Thanks for the recipe.
That’s so great! It sounds like you have a new favorite, Laura! Thank you for your excellent review!
Keep trying but sugar stay grainy, any idea what I am doing wrong. Thanks
HI Mary, are you possibly using coarse grain sugar?
Hi Natasha,
Can you put chocolate ganche over the Swiss Meringue. Will try this today. How long will it keep making it today, they’re eating it on Saturday. Since it will be travelling on Thursday
Thanks
Sandy
Hi Sandy, I would probably refrigerate if it will be traveling and not eaten for several days. It will keep refrigerated for up to 5 days but will seem more dry after 2-3 days. Make sure to let it come to room temperature again before serving to soften the layers and frosting.
I’m 12 and I’ve never cooked a cake, but I followed this recipe and it turned out great! thank you for sharing! I baked it with my younger siblings for my dads birthday present!
That’s just awesome! Thank you for sharing your wonderful review, Josiah! Happy Birthday to your Dad!
Hi Natasha, thanks for this recipe. I’m planning to make this cake this weekend. Can I put fondant decorations on top of this and on the sides? Let me know if it works.
Hi Mary, I haven’t tried fondant with this myself to advise.
could you replace the water with hot brewed coffee instead ?
Hi Britney, I suggest using this Chocolate Cake recipe which was tested to work best with coffee.
Hi Natasha,
I have to make a few 6″ cakes and I’d like to use this recipe. How should adjust the bake time?
Thank you so much in advance!
Hi Lynn, I haven’t tested it that way so I can’t say for sure but the bake time with be slightly less.
Hi Natasha , can i use 15″by 10″ pan and double the recipe? how long should i bake it for then ?
thanks
Hi Mira, I haven’t tested that yet to advise. I imagine that will work but I cannot advise on the time and measurements. Please share with us how it goes if you do an experiment!
Is the frosting in a box or can
Hi Peggy, we made it fresh using this recipe HERE.
Hi Natasha!
I have a question, can I use a bundt pan for this recipe? Thanks!
Hi Christine, I haven’t tested that so I can’t say for sure.
I made this cake for New Year’s Eve and it was devine!!!!! So delicious!!
Hi Cristina! I’m so glad you enjoyed that!
Hi Natasha
I just wanted to check back in with you and say that I successfully used this chocolate cake and Swiss meringue buttercream recipe to make a 3 tier wedding cake (6, 9 and 12 inch with 3 layers per tier). I used 1.5 portions of the recipe for a single inch high layer of the 6 and 12 inch cakes at a time – times 3, and then just used the single recipe portion to make 2 x inch high 9 inch layers at a time – times 3, because they had a 9 inch kitchen cake in addition to the 3 tier cake. The outside frosting was just the plain vanilla SMBC, and the filling was SMBC whipped with melted dark chocolate and sprinkled with crushed honeycomb. The wedding planners said to me that they try wedding cakes at every single wedding they plan and attend and that this cake was hands down the best they have tasted. So thank you so very much for this recipe! It is a masterpiece. I am not on the social medias but I would love to email you some pics!
Wow, thanks for sharing that with us. I would have loved to see some photos of your masterpiece! You can share it on my email at hello @ natashaskitchen.com (no spaces). Thanks for your awesome feedback!
Hi Natasha,
Can I use Greek yogurt instead of sour cream?
Yes, that would work!
After mastering the Swiss Meringue Buttercream, I did a test run on the chocolate cake by halving the recipe and making one layer.
Simply put, this cake is DEVINE!
Natasha, you are right – it doesn’t need to be enhanced by coffee. And the combination with the Swiss Meringue Buttercream is perfection in itself! Thank you! I will make the complete cake for my son’s birthday next week. You have made my son very happy and me a happy mom!
Awww that’s the best! Thank you so much for sharing that with me. I’m all smiles
Hi Natasha, I just mate the cake and Swiss Meringue Buttercream and I will assemble cake tomorrow. I left Buttercream in the fridge overnight as It did not worked out quit well- it is not as thick and fluffy – I don’t know why. I only used hand mixer..not sure if that makes a difference? But look forward to assemble cake tomorrow.
HI Daniela, once the buttercream is refrigerated, it’s best to let it come to room temperature to re-whip since it will harden with refrigeration.
Hi Natasha. What is the diffrence between this chocolate cake and your more recently added chocolate cake (added in 2019). I know the other recipe does not have eggs and uses olive oil, coffee and vinegar but I absolutely love this one as the crumb is so soft. Is the other cake denser or is it as fluffy as this one?
Hi Lucrecia! We love both! The other cake does seem like a slightly lighter version with no buttercream but it is still airy and fluffy! I recommend reading through a few of our reviews and comments for the recipes!
Hi Natasha
I very much like this recipe – it reminds me of a red velvet without the food colouring – very decadent! I have made this a few times but am struggling a bit with the cooking times. I have a new oven and am still trying to get used to whether it is true to temperature or not and just wondered is your temp in fan forced or non fan forced oven? Also the Swiss buttercream is an absolute dream frosting – I will be using this recipe for a wedding cake later this year
Hi Suzi, mine is an electric oven and it is fan forced. I wonder if yours is convection. If it is, you will have to make modifications to your recipes (usually reducing temperature by about 25 degrees F) unless a recipe specifically says “convection”. All of our recipes use a regular conventional oven (not convection).
I made this cake on Sunday, followed everything to a T, and it was absolutely amazing!!!! Never made Swiss Meringue Buttercream, followed Natasha’s instructions and it’s my new favorite now!
I’m so glad you found a new favorite! Thank you for that great review, Elena!
Hi Natasha,
I’m running out of parchment paper. Can I use aluminium foil instead? Thanks!
Hi Lala, I haven’t tested this with foil but I suspect it would stick.
Thank you Natasha for the recipe. My second time to bake your recipe and my family loved it. The first time was the mango cake and it was really delicious and what I like the most is that it’s not too sweet. Keep on sharing your recipes. More Power! ❤️👍😊
You’re so welcome, Michelle. I hope you love every recipe that you try!
Thank you the recipe looks wonderful, just went into the oven. Quick question, I used an 8oz bag of unsweetened cocoa,dry ingredients I stick with weight. I see yours is in a measured cup, which makes a difference in volume. Should I have stuck with the cup as opposed to weight ?
Thank you!
Hi Molly, I added metric measurements which should help. If you click “metric” in the recipe card, you will see the metric measurements.
I just made this cake with recommended Swiss meringue frosting for my husband’s birthday and it was a huge hit! I also added a bag of chocolate chips (coated in flour first so they would suspend in batter), loved the crunch it added would definitely do this again!
I’m so happy you enjoyed that. Thank you for sharing that with us!
Hi Natasha! What happens if my batter is too smooth, did I overbeat it? Should gradually add a bit more flour?
Hi Hadicha did it bake well with that texture? I’d love to know the outcome of that to better troubleshoot, it’s hard to say without being there.
I added a little bit of flour, though it didn’t make that much of a difference… But the cake came out great!! I baked both of them separately beause I had only on cake pan. There was no problem doing it that way 🙂 Then I made the frosting with four medium eggs and it was enough for the whole cake, plus some extra! I loved this recipe, thank you! I got a lot of compliments from family and friends <3. They thought it was bought from a store XD Lots of love!
I love it! Thanks for sharing that with us, that is definitely useful information for the others who want to do the same. I appreciate your awesome review!
My oven can only bake one layer at a time, can the batter sit on the counter until the first is done?
Hi Felicia, I honestly haven’t tried that but if it is the only option, let me know how it turns out if you experiment.
Hi Natasha, I am looking to use this cake batter for a wedding cake. How would the cooking times vary for an 8in and 6in cake?
Hi Megan, I honestly haven’t tested it that way so you will have to make some estimates and experiment. If you are dividing into 2 pans – one an 8″ and one a 6″ pan, both would take longer to bake as they will be taller cakes. My only concern is that it might be too much batter for 2 smaller pans.
Hi Natasha! I tried this recipe and it turned out great. I wasn’t able to use the frosting recipe on here because i bought the wrong whipping cream. Instead I used the frosting from your chocolate cake recipe and just didn’t add coco powder. It turned out great! I think I put the frosting on too early though, because it started melting. It was much better the second day. I am looking forward to trying this recipe again with the correct frosting!!!
I’m so glad you caught that in time Jasmine! Thank you for sharing that awesome feedback with us!
This is a delicious recipe!!! I made the cake part and it was really easy. When it was time to make the frosting I tried adding the heavy whipping to make it thicker….I later found out I bought whipping cream instead of HEAVY whipping cream. To fix this I found another recipe on Natasha’s kitchen for chocolate frosting that didn’t require heavy whipping cream!!! I’m so glad I found that or it would’ve been a disaster!!! Even thought I used a different cream the cake still turned out amazing! I also noticed the cream melting a bit. I don’t know why…
Anyway thank you for the awesome recipe I can’t wait to try it with the correct frosting next time
I’m so happy you enjoyed that. Thank you for sharing that with us, Jasmine!
Hi Natasha,
Would you foresee any issues with doubling the ingredients for this recipe?
Hi Kate, I haven’t tested that but is should work! If you experiment please let me know how you like this recipe!
Hi can i bake this cake in one tall baking tin instead of two?
Hi Raimonda! I haven’t tested that but it should work. You may need to bake that longer!
Gave this a trial run before making it for my daughter’s bday. Glad I did coz I took it out a tad bit too early and the middle sank in. Lesson learned. Though boy is that middle part so rich and delicious! Since it was just a trial cake I couldn’t care less abt how it looks, just know that it’s still amazing in my belly. So I only made half in a cake pan and used the other half for cupcakes. The cupcakes came out excellent. I ate one without any frosting and it was great. Froze the rest for future use. Took one out to try with the Swiss meringue buttercream recipe and it defrosted quickly and tasted just as great.
I am going to try your other frostings to go with this as unfortunately the SMBC did not turn out too well for me. But the white chocolate recipe you use for your dark chocolate cupcakes looks yummy too!
I’m so happy you enjoyed that. Thank you for sharing that with us Arantxa!!
It was a hit! During my trial run I used a 10″ inch pan and the middle was undercooked and sank (but oh so delish). This time around I borrowed some 9″ pans and it was perfect! Iced it with white chocolate cream cheese icing from your cupcake recipe and it was nice and light and fluffy. It did take longer to be done, I kept checking after 22 mins and I think in the end it cooked for maybe 26-27 mins However, lesson learned, no more double layer cakes for kiddos (4 y.o. party) as almost all of them ate just one half of the cake and we saw so much precious cake go to waste! I had also made cupcakes with the batter from my trial and those also came out amazing. So happy to have found this recipe. So easy too! Love love love. Thanks so much!
You’re so welcome, Arantxa! Thank you for sharing that with me & Happy Birthday to the Kiddo!
I made it last week and it’s already gone 🙂 Moist and delicious. I made Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting with it (because I was afraid can mess up Swiss Meringue Buttercream). It turned out great – chocolate on to of chocolate 🙂 My husband and son love this cake.
Thank you for your recipes. Time for the next one I am going to try. They all are delicious!
Awww that’s the best! Thank you so much for sharing that with me. I’m all smiles!
Hello Natasha 🙂
This cake looks delicious. I have a question: besides Swiss Meringue Buttercream Frosting what frosting from your recipes will work for this cake?
Thank you
Hi Svetlana, the cupcake frosting would work well or the frosting from our pumpkin cake. I hope you love it!
hie natasha ..I am a bit confused on the gramms of flour ..you said 1 1/2 its 190 gramms ..I did follow the recipe and it turned out to be very good ,moist ,chocolatey and fluffy bt the butter ddnt fit into 2 pans it was not enough.so I wnt to knoe which metric were you using bcs on some recipe 1 cup = 150gramms and half cup is 75 gramms which is 225 grmms so m a bit lost there ..I would happy if you can help me there ,thank you !
Hi, I’m glad you enjoyed the cake, but I wonder if maybe you were using smaller sized pans? Make sure to use 9″ round cake pans that are at least 1 1/2″ tall up the sides.
I made this cake for my husband’s birthday and was very disappointed. It’s TOO sweet. Also, when you make cream you need to watch to make sure not to over mix. If you over mix the cream it will not be as fluffy as it suppose to be.
Hi Hope, I’m sorry to hear that, but I am always happy to help troubleshoot. Usually with Swiss Meringue buttercream, there is risk in under-mixing rather than overmixing. Did you make any substitutions or modifications in the recipe. We love desserts that are not overly sweet so I wonder if any substitutions were made.
I cannot wait to make this. I was wondering if I could use either espresso powder or brewed coffee in place of water to rev up the chocolate? I only question this because your recipe uses sour cream vs buttermilk which already adds a little tang to the recipe.
Hi Maria, I didn’t think it needed it in this recipe but it could be a good experiment to use coffee instead because you are correct, coffee does amplify the flavor of coffee.
This is such an easy and delicious cake!
Did you go to school for cooking or baking?
My request for you to post a blog how eggs or other ingredients important for certain recipe. For example: eggs are essential because they hold structure. Also, how do pan size materrs for baking? Does it matter if you bake it in glass or silver pan?
Do you use cake turntable?
Hi Lana, I will definitely keep that in mind as I am writing out my recipes. The pan size definitely matters for baking, otherwise you would have to make adjustments in baking times and some recipes do bake up differently in different types of pans. I don’t use a cake turntable only because I don’t have one yet! 😉
Can i bake the cake, without adding the salt. Would it still come out great.
Hi Natasha. I have used this recipe to make cupcakes and they have turned out great. Do you think this batter will support a ferrero rocher chocolate baked in the center?
Great question! I believe it should, however, I have not experiemented with that so I can’t advise. I’d love to know how you like it if you experiment.
Hi, My husband has celiac disease and so I only bake things that are gluten free. Will this cake turn out just as nice using gluten free flour? I usually use Bob’s Red Mill 1 for 1 flour.
Hi Sue, I haven’t tried making this one specifically gluten free so I can’t say how it will turn out. If you experiment I would love to know how you like it!
Could you please put the metric measurement for this recipe??
Hi Mona, We are currently working on adding metric measurements to all of our recipes but it is taking some time as we have to add them one at a time. Thank you so much for being patient! In the meantime, check out our post on measuring which should help
Hi Natasha.. should the measurements for the Baking Soda and Baking Powder be in teaspoon instead of tablespoon? Seems like an awful lot of rising agents here if it is really 1/2 TBS each.
Those measurements are correct. it is a fairly large cake.
Hi Natasha,
I make this cake yesterday for my boy’s birthday. I follow exactly your recipe except reduce the sugar, the cake turn out light, moost and fluffy but it somehow taste a bit bitter. Could you tell me whats went wrong? Thanks in advance
Hi Karen, It is likely due to reducing the sugar. There is a good amount of cocoa in this recipe so cutting down the sugar would make the cocoa flavor more pronounced and bitter tasting as cocoa is bitter without sweetness. I hope that helps to troubleshoot. Happy birthday to your boy! 🙂
Thank you so much for the advice 😃
My pleasure!
I feel totally out of place but for the sake of time, in case of an emergency, if I was able to make the frosting but had to use chocolate cake mix (from a box) to make the chocolate cake, what would you recommend adding to a generic boxed chocolate cake mix to make it better?
Hi Mila! I feel the possibilities are endless when it comes to a boxed cake mix. Sometimes it may be easier to start fresh. I don’t have the exact measurements but I’ve read before that using milk instead of water will make the cake richer. Using more eggs should elevate it more but you’d have to add flour and sugar to offset the liquid ingredients. You can add vanilla flavoring or any extract honestly. Some even use sour cream. I hope this helps you a bit. We do have this very simple sponge cake recipe you can try. It only requires 4 ingredients!
I made this for a top wedding cake and it was absolutely amazing! I had 4 cakes and 3 of the recipes came from Natasha’s kitchen and were just perfect 👌
That’s just awesome!!
And I forgot to mention that I made it with half of the sugar, and we could hardly tell the difference 🙂
Good to know, thanks for sharing!
Thank you so much for this amazing recipe! The cake is super moist and the chocolate flavor is perfect. I made this cake for my mom on Mother’s Day and she said she didn’t want me to make any other cake but this one from now on. I just made it again last night, and we only have 1/3 of the cake left! Thank you so much again. 🙂
You’re welcome Kayli! I’m glad to hear how much you and your Mom love the recipe. Thanks for sharing your fantastic review!
Hi Natasha, so I made the cream but it does not look as thick as yours does :/ it’s more on the thinner side. Not sure what I did different. When I mixed the egg whites (after being on the stove) after about 15 min it was quite of a sticky cream, was yours on the sticky side?
Hi Silvia, (assuming everything was done per the recipe) – if the whites are not 100% at room temperature before adding butter, it will take longer to beat together. If the bowl feels at all warm, refrigerate for 10 -15 min increments and rewhip for a few minutes to thicken it up.
Hi Natasha! Do you know if I can use this on медовик? To put it between the layers. Just want to check first and dont want to ruin the cake.
Thanks in advance.
Hi Lena, are you thinking about the medovik with the thin dry cookie layers? A buttercream is not idea for those cakes since the layers will not readily absorb the moisture from a buttercream like they would the frostings I have listed. I haven’t tested it with this specific Swiss Meringue though so I can’t say for sure. If you experiment, please let me know how it goes 🙂
Yes, that is the type of medovik I was thinking. Thank you for your advice.
Blessings.
Can I make this cake with your cream cheese/heavy whip frosting you use for the strawberry cake? Thanks! Love your recipes!
Hi Yuliya, yes I do think that would work 🙂
Hi natasha, to make this plain white vanilla cake would I leave out the cocoa powder?
Hi Karlina, I haven’t tested it that way and since baking is so much a science, it is difficult to make that recommendation. That may work well but given how much cocoa is in this cake, it will likely need to be replaced with more flour. If you experiment, let me know how you liked it 🙂
Hi Natasha,
I make tiered cakes as a hobby, with fondant covering, decorations and all. For these I usually use white cake from a package that is specially for tiered cakes. Last time my daughter wanted a chocolate cake (two tiers) and I just put cocoa in my mix. The cake turned hard, not fluffy and not nice. 2 questions: 1) can I use this recipe for a tiered cake? and 2) Can I put all the batter in one pan and then cut it in layers or not? Thank you! (I have already made your Swiss meringue cream before and it was great).
Hi Gergana, I think it would work but without experimenting I can’t share and specific advice on that.
Hi Natasha! Our family absolutely loves your chocolate cake, and it is our go to cake. It’s never fails and so easy to make. Thank you! I have a question, can I try to make the batter the same way and just bake it as a cupcakes? Do you think it will work or should I use different recipe for a batter? We just so I’m love with this recipe but I need to make a cupcakes for a band kids. Thank you!
Hi Saniya, we typically use one of our 2 posted chocolate cupcakes recipes for cupcakes and this one is closest in texture to this cake recipe. I think it would be worth experimenting though to make this into cupcakes, I just haven’t tried to give you specific instructions on it.
Thank you for the recipe!I want to decorate this cake ombre style.Do you think I can use cocoa powder to color the frosting?
Hi, I haven’t tried using cocoa powder. To make this chocolate, I have only come across recipes that add melted and cooled chocolate. I could be wrong though – maybe do some google research on adding cocoa to swiss meringue buttercream.
Thank you for advise! I used melted chocolate and it worked well!
You’re welcome, I’m glad to hear that!
Can I not use the sour cream? Or what can I use instead of sour cream
Hi Shruti, usually, the next best thing to substitute for sour cream would be Greek Yogurt, but I haven’t tested it in this recipe to be able to recommend it.
I have used greek yogurt and it worked out really well.
That’s so great!
Hi Natasha,
Will a ganache work well with this recipe – like the one you have in the poppyseed roll recipe?
Hi Lucrecia, I think a ganache would work well here.
Thanks Natasha!
My pleasure! 🙂
Is it ok if I make this cake the day before?
Hi Ava, please see the make ahead tip above for more details and here it is also: “Make-Ahead Tip: Cake can be covered and stored at room temperature for about 24 hours. If storing longer, cover and refrigerate. Bring to room temperature before serving to soften the buttercream.”
Hi Natasha! Love ALL of your recipes! Thank you! I would like to make this cake and layer raspberries in between the cake layers, over frosting. Do you think that would work well with this type of frosting? I like to make my cakes a day before and have it sit in the fridge, so it’s nice and moist. Do you think adding raspberries day before would work and they won’t get watery? Thank you in advance for your reply.
Hi Anna, I think that would work to add raspberries between the cake layers. If your raspberries aren’t overripe and pretty fresh, they should still taste and look great after a night in the fridge 🙂
Hi Natasha,
Would adding walnuts to the mixture, mess the cake up or it will still turn out fine ? Btw! I love all your recipes !!
Hi Angie, I do have a walnut cake where I mixed toasted chopped walnuts right into the cake batter and it worked beautifully. It might be helpful to check the proportions 🙂
Hi Natasha, i was looking for a cake recipe for my son’s birthday and i stumbled upon your page. I don’t have a 9″ round cake pans though. Can I use my 8″ springform instead?
Hi Iggy, if you have two 8″ springform pans that should work to divide the batter between the 2 pans. I haven’t tested the full batter in 1 springform pan but I suspect it would overwhelm a single 8″ springform.
Hi Natasha,
How should I adjust the recipe if I want to make 10″ and/or 12″ cake. Thank you!
Hi Ruta, I haven’t tested it that way, but a 10″ cake I would probably leave the proportions the same but you will have a slightly shorter cake and it will bake a little faster. With a 12″ cake, I would increase the cake ingredients by 25% and bake slightly longer.
Hi Natasha, Was wondering how long the swiss buttercream will keep in fridge.
Hi Colleen, you can refrigerate up to a week and I haven’t tried freezing but I have read that you can freeze up to 2 months.
Hi Natasha! Love this recipe!
I’m wondering if one could put berries between the layers & if so any tips you suggest?
Please let me know and thank you! Love your recipes!
Hi, you could place them over each frosted layer similar to the way I have done it with my berry tiramisu cake. I hope you love it! This berry layer cake will also give you good ideas 🙂
Thank you so much! I will be sure to try that and let you know 🙂
Btw, I had a request for chocolate cake with chocolate frosting so I tried making the frosting with 9 oz of cooled melted chocolate mixed in at the end. It was just too sweet!
I don’t know what else to do. I’m thinking this recipe is simply perfection as it is
My pleasure! Please do 🙂
Wow, thank you so much for sharing this recipe! I was looking for the perfect chocolate cake recipe and I think I found it! The texture is so soft and moist and the flavor is delicious, everyone loved it! Wish I could share a picture. I didn’t try the frosting this time, as I had a different cake in mind, but the cake recipe itself was so easy.
Do you happen to have a yellow cake recipe that you love ?
Thanks again 🙂
Hi Jay, I’m so glad you loved the recipe!! I don’t have a recipe for yellow cake yet but if I come up with something, I will be sure to share it 🙂 If you wish to share it in our new private Facebook group, I would love to see it! 🙂
Hi Natasha, if I want to omit the cocoa powder, what should I use instead to get the correct consistency of the cake? We don’t like chocolate cakes 😉
Hi Lyuda, I haven’t tried this one without the cocoa and since it is so substantial in this recipe, it’s difficult to guess how it would turn out omitting the cocoa…
I made this cake for my sons birthday, it was very delicious! However, several people at the party including my husband thought it was too sweet. My husbands birthday is coming up, he requested this cake but not as sweet. I was wandering if you could saggest a different frosting that would go well on this cake and would not be as sweet? Thank you!
Hi Katerina, I wonder if you might like a cream cheese based frosting better to help cut the sweetness. We aren’t super keen on overly sweet dessert either but everyone has a different affinity for sweetness 🙂 I would suggest our vanilla cupcake frosting.
Thank’s Natasha!
My pleasure Katerina!
Hi Natasha! This cake looks amazing! I wanted to ask you if there are any other cakes that i can use this icing on? Its just that I am not a chocolate cake person. However, icing looks delish. Let me know if you have any thoughts.
Thank you😊
Hi Lena, this frosting is pretty versatile – it works on vanilla or chocolate cakes, or poppyseed cake and all kinds of cupcakes! 🙂
This cake was very delicious! However, for my taste, it was a little too sweet. I was wondering, if I decrease the amount of sugar in the cream, will it affect the consistency of the cream? However, the cake was perfect with a plain cup of strong black coffee!!
Hi Maria, making the cream less sweet would work and I have tested it that way but for this cake, I find that the taste of the frosting disappears when using less sugar since the cake base is quite rich and chocolatey 🙂
Natasha, thank you for this amazing recipe! I substituted esspresso with hot water for the water. Turned out perfect. So moist and the Swiss merengue buttercream is just divine!
You’re welcome! That sounds heavenly, I’m glad you enjoy the recipe! Thanks for sharing your fantastic review!
Hi Natasha,
I found that coffee brings oomph to chocolate cake recipes. Do you think I can use coffee instead of 3/4 cup of water?
Hi Ina, I haven’t tested it in this recipe but I imagine it would still work. I agree, coffee does amplify the flavor of chocolate. If you test it, let me know how you like it! 🙂
l made this cake and it turned out so delicious. very good recipe. thank you!
You’re welcome Luda! I’m glad you love it! 🙂
Hi Natasha! I made this cake yesterday, and boy I am glad I did. This cake is everything I have ever wanted and more. I followed your recipie exactly, making sure I have not skipped any steps and it turned out simply divine! The cake it’s self is light, airy with just enough of chocolate and supper moist. Thos cake was easy to make and was done backing in 18 min. Let me tell you my house smelled absolutely amazing I had a hard time keeping my 2 kids, our dog and even my “I don’t like chocolate husband” out of my kitchen and when they were done baking they wanted to eat it right there in the spot without any icing in it. You could definitely eat this without any icing on it, it just that GOOD! Icing was however was much trickier to make but was well worth the effort! It’s a perfect icing for this lovely cake. Thank you Natasha for this truly amazing, supper yummy cake! Now I can make this cake when I feel chocolate craving and don’t feel guilty at all because my soooo”I do not like chocolate” husband absolutely love it and gobble big slice of it without any problems😊Btw half of the cake was gone at once and it’s only 4 of us I think it will be gone today completely for sure. You, Natasha, is amazing and such an inspiration! May Good bless you and your family and your talent of cooking! Thank you from the bottom of my heart!!! I want to give this cake 10 stars!!!
You’re welcome Saniya! I’m happy to hear how much your family loves this recipe! Thank you for following and sharing your excellent review! God Bless 🙂
Hi Natasha
Did you use natrual cocoa or dutch process cocoa in this recipe.
Hi Jackie, this was regular unsweetened Hersheys brand cocoa powder.
Which cocoa powder do you use? I have found that the brand used significantly affects the taste of the cake.
Hi, you can use your favorite cocoa powder. I used the Hersheys brand cocoa powder here. I buy that in bulk because I go through alot of it in my kitchen for the amount of testing that I do for each recipe, so It’s not super wise for me to buy the most expensive one 🙂
Hello, can I substitute sour cream with buttermilk?
Hi Irina, I haven’t tried that substitution so I can’t say for sure. Since baking is so much a science, it is difficult to make a suggestion without testing that out myself. I’m not sure if the more liquid consistency will adversely affect the batter. It is already a fairly liquid batter using the sour cream.
Looks delicious, Natasha. What pretty decorations you created.
That is such a nice compliment! Thank you Laura! 🙂
OMG…it looks amazing. Can’t wait to try. Thank you for the recipe.
Thank you so much Cookie and I hope you love the recipe 🙂
Can i substitute butter for canola oil?
Hi Nina, I’m not sure I understand your question – do you mean when you grease the pan? Yes that would work fine 🙂
I meant in the batter, can i use melted butter instead of canola oil?
Hi Nina, I haven’t tried that so I’m not 100% sure. I think it is worth an experiment 🙂
I am a chocoholic and as a chocoholic I rejoice that suddenly everybody is posting chocolate cakes. Yum, I will definitely give this beauty a try.
PS: I love Swiss meringue and my idea would be to add cocoa to the cream as well and maybe drizzle some chocolate ganache on top to get to chocolate heaven…
Hi Jenny! I guess it is chocolate cake season! Funny I didn’t notice it until I posted this chocolate cake. Life has been so busy lately with different projects that I haven’t had a chance to peruse other blogs lately. It’s kind of like when someone is pregnant and then they start noticing everyone else that is pregnant. ha ha! Weird comparison there – lol.
I don’t complain, I have so many chocolate cakes I want to try soon, so no worries and thanks for this recipe!
Ha ha! I’m sure your friends and family won’t complain about all of the chocolate cake either! 😉
Hi, Could you please suggest the measurement of ingredients for 1 6″ cake?I am a beginner in baking so want to try with a smaller cake.
If you don’t mind having a little leftover it would probably be fine as it is. Bake the rest as a few cupcakes as a snack?