Rich & Chocolatey Decadent Chocolate Layer Cake For Any Occasion

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You can’t go wrong with a slice of cake for dessert, and this decadent Chocolate Layer Cake is sure to be a winning option! Chocolate buttercream frosting fills and covers the cake that is perfect for any occasion!

A slice of chocolate cake on a white plate with a cake stand in the background with the whole cake. Text overlay says"Rich & Chocolatey Decadent Chocolate Cake". Similar photos of the recipe from various angles are used throughout but with different text overlays unless otherwise described.

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Chocolate Layer Cake

The full ingredients list and instructions are found in the printable recipe card at the end of this post. I highly recommend reading the blog post all the way through so that you don’t miss any tips or substitution suggestions; to ensure that you have all the ingredients and equipment required, and to understand the steps and timings involved.

Most people love chocolate cake, right? So it’s always a safe bet to make as dessert after dinner or to go onto a dessert table at a party.

This rich and chocolatey cake is so decadent and delicious that whomever you serve it to are going to love it!

The cake batter is simple to whip up, and once the three layers of cake is cooked and cooled, they are sandwiched, stacked and covered with a yummy chocolate buttercream frosting.

Make this cake for a special occasion and decorate it with fruit, or for a kid’s birthday and cover with sprinkles, or just keep it plain and simple as a special treat!

Rich Chocolate Layer Cake

Ingredients & Equipment Used In This Recipe

While most ingredients can be bought in grocery stores, for your convenience, any specialized or notable ingredients (and equipment) needed for this recipe have been listed below and linked to Amazon or other stores if available online. The complete list of ingredients with measurements is found in the recipe card.

Recipes on The Purple Pumpkin Blog use both cup measurements and/or weighted measurements. American cups and kitchen food scales are handy pieces of equipment to have in your kitchen as it means you’ll be able to make all of the different recipes on my blog. I try to give American, imperial, and metric measurements in my recipes. You can mix cup measurements with weighted measurements, but never mix imperial (pounds, ounces, pints, etc.,) with metric (kilograms, grams, litres, etc.,).

Mixing the buttercream

More Recipes Using Chocolate

One of the hero ingredients in this dish is chocolate, so here are some more recipes using the same:

More Cake Recipes

Looking for more cake inspo? Check these recipes out next:

Super Moist Decadent Chocolate Layer Cake

Recipe Tips

  • Make the cakes the night before serving and cover the baking pans with foil or plastic wrap once cool to the touch. Cakes will be ready to frost the next day.

How Do I Make Chocolate Layer Cake?

Just check out the printable recipe card below with full ingredients and instructions. Any demonstration photos do not print out to save your ink.

Recipe for Decadent Chocolate Layer Cake

Chocolate Layer Cake

Yield: 12
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 28 minutes
Total Time: 48 minutes

You can't go wrong with a slice of cake for dessert, and this decadent Chocolate Layer Cake is sure to be a winning option! Chocolate buttercream frosting fills and covers the cake that is perfect for any occasion!

Ingredients

For the Cake

  • 1 cup unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
  • 2½ cups granulated sugar
  • 4 large eggs, room temperature
  • 2 tsp real vanilla extract
  • 3 cups all-purpose flour
  • 2 tsp baking soda
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • ½ tsp salt
  • 1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 2¼ cup boiling water

For the Frosting

  • 1 cup (8oz/225g) unsalted butter, room temperature
  • ½ cup (4oz/100g) cocoa powder
  • 3½ cups (16oz/450g) powdered sugar
  • 1-2 Tbsp whole milk or heavy cream
  • 1 tsp real vanilla extract

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 180C/350F/Gas 4. Grease and flour 3 (8-inch) round cake pans, then line bottom with round parchment paper. Set aside.
  2. Using an electric handheld or stand mixer, cream the butter and sugars in a large mixing bowl. Add in the eggs and vanilla and mix until well blended.
  3. In a separate large mixing bowl, sift or whisk the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.
  4. Mix the cocoa powder and boiling water in a medium bowl until well combined and no lumps remain.
  5. Alternating between the two, slowly add the dry ingredients and chocolate mixture to the bowl with the butter and sugar. Mix on low speed to incorporate ingredients.

    Chocolate mixture added to cake batter
  6. Divide the cake batter evenly between the three cake pans and place in the preheated oven. Bake for 22-28 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean.

    Cake Batter in Pan
  7. Remove from the oven and set aside to cool for 10 minutes before transferring the cakes from the pans to a wire rack to cool completely. (Cakes should be cool to the touch before frosting).
  8. To make the frosting, use an electric mixer to mix the butter and cocoa powder in a large bowl until well blended. Add the powdered sugar to the bowl and mix at low speed until all of the sugar is combined. Stir in milk and vanilla extract, if using, to reach desired consistency.

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  9. To assemble the cake, place the first layer top-side down on a cake plate. Add one-third of the frosting to the top of the cake layer and spread it out evenly.
  10. Take the second layer and level off the rounded top with a knife or cake leveler. Place the second layer on top of the first layer, top-side down. Add another one-third of the frosting to this layer and spread out evenly.
  11. Repeat this with the 3rd layer, and spread the remaining frosting out on the top layer. Slice and serve immediately. Enjoy!

    Moist Chocolate Layer Cake Recipe

    Recipe for Decadent Chocolate Layer Cake

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Nutrition Information:
Yield: 12 Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 488Total Fat: 20gSaturated Fat: 11gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 7gCholesterol: 108mgSodium: 385mgCarbohydrates: 71gFiber: 2gSugar: 43gProtein: 7g

This site uses Nutritionix to provide estimated nutrition. Nutritional information is always approximate and will depend on the quality of ingredients used and serving sizes. If you need exact calories and macros, please do your own calculations.

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Make It A Meal!

You’ve made the dessert, but what about the rest of the courses?

Here are additional recipes to make a full meal!

There are 500+ Recipes on The Purple Pumpkin Blog for you to enjoy – please feel free to check them out too!

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