chocolate birthday cake recipe

When Dolly Parton said in an interview that her mother often made her chocolate birthday cakes, I knew I had to create a cake worthy of her celebration. That’s what we did. I tasked my test kitchen with developing the most decadent chocolate birthday cake possible. It had to be fluffy and soft, yet with a deep cocoa flavor. And best of all, I couldn’t skimp on the frosting.

This 3-layer chocolate birthday cake is truly amazing. It’s rich and special, and for those lucky enough to receive it along with a glowing candle, even Dolly is a real treat.

Learn how to make a chocolate birthday cake and sing birthday songs. This is a special treat.

chocolate birthday cake ingredients

The chocolate birthday cake ingredients list includes many ingredients needed for baking. We’ve highlighted the important ones here. Keep scrolling to see the complete ingredient list and step-by-step instructions for the recipe.

• All-purpose flour: This will give the cake structure and soft bread.
• Granulated sugar: The sweetness and gentleness of the cake.
• Unsweetened cocoa: This type of cacao provides a deep, rich, slightly tart chocolate flavor. Adding the rest of the ingredients will increase the chocolate flavor and make it even more chocolatey.
• Instant espresso granules: If you often make chocolate desserts, you’ll know why this is here. Chocolate is often added to espresso because it enhances the cocoa or chocolate flavor without overpowering it. It’s a bit like vanilla extract (also found in this recipe). There’s a lot of magic going on behind the scenes.
• Warm, freshly brewed coffee: Like espresso, coffee enhances the flavor and depth of chocolate. It also adds moisture to the dough.
• Baking powder and baking soda: These are leavening agents and give the cake its fluffy rise.
• Vegetable oil: The main fat in this cake is oil instead of butter. This will keep the cake soft and moist.

For chocolate buttercream you will need:

• Unsalted butter: This needs to be softened so you can whip up a nice buttercream.
• Sifted powdered sugar: This type of sugar adds body to the frosting and doesn’t leave a grainy texture.
• Unsweetened cocoa: It uses a large amount of cacao to give it a deep and robust flavor.
• Vanilla extract: This will help enhance all the flavors in the frosting.
• Whipped cream: The cream makes the buttercream easier to spread.

Lastly, you’ll need sprinkles and candies for decoration. Here are some other ideas:

What’s the secret to the best chocolate taste?

If you want the most chocolatey chocolate birthday cake, there’s one thing you need. It’s espresso. Good quality chocolate or cocoa has a mix of sweet, bitter, and fruity flavors. Espresso enhances these, adding dimension and amplifying the cocoa, making it stand out above the sugar and other ingredients. We’ve used this trick in many recipes, including chocolate mousse, brownie pudding, and chocolate lava cake.

Don’t like espresso? do not worry. You’ll never know it’s there. It really balances out all the flavors and hides in the background.

What type of chocolate is best for a chocolate birthday cake?

This recipe uses only cocoa powder. I chose to use unsweetened cocoa powder because it adds a richer cocoa flavor and deeper color. Unsweetened cocoa powder is also acidic and will react with baking soda. If you use another cocoa, such as Dutch-processed cocoa powder (neutral), you will lose some of the baking soda’s leavening power.

What kind of frosting can I use on a chocolate birthday cake?

We obviously think this chocolate buttercream is by far the best choice, but you can mix and match if you want another option. Instead of chocolate, try vanilla buttercream or buttermilk frosting. You can also make an easy turtle birthday cake with homemade caramel frosting and sprinkles with pecans. I can’t argue with the peanut butter frosting either.

How do you store chocolate birthday cake?

This chocolate birthday cake must be stored in the refrigerator with a tight-fitting lid after frosting, as the frosting contains butter. Also, don’t leave the cake at room temperature for more than 2 hours. (If the frosting is too soft, the layers may slip.)

How far in advance can you make a chocolate birthday cake?

This chocolate birthday cake layer can be made ahead of time, packaged and stored at room temperature for up to 3 days or frozen for up to 1 month. You can add moisture to the layers by brushing on a simple syrup before frosting.

The buttercream can also be made up to 2 days in advance. Store in the refrigerator and let sit on the counter until ready to use, about 1 hour. Next, mix the frosting in a stand mixer until soft and come to room temperature. Just don’t overdo it.

More decoration ideas

We love using sprinkles on chocolate birthday cakes and other birthday cakes. But you can also get creative. Use colorful frostings and gels to create unique designs or write birthday wishes. Glue chocolate candies to the edges to create a fun border. Edible flowers are always sweet. Be sure to source from a reputable producer. Finish with a drizzle of dark and white chocolate for a classic or art-inspired finish.

Contributions by editors Kimberly Holland.