Let me show you a new to me recipe for the best Dark Chocolate Cake With Whipped Cream Frosting. Birthdays will never be the same around here!
I come from a long line of pie lovers… which means you won’t find cake at most of our family gatherings, even birthdays. We snub our noses at store bought cakes and are proud to be on TEAM PIE… So it’s no surprise to me that I only have a handful of cake recipes here on Lovely Little Kitchen. But this Dark Chocolate Cake With Whipped Cream Frosting is a game changer for me! I made it for my husband’s birthday recently after he specifically requested a cake (WHAT?) and I’m so glad he did.
It’s so easy to make, requiring one bowl, regular all-purpose flour, and a hand mixer. Nothing fancy, and nothing I can’t handle even though cake is something I probably make once a year. And it’s so delicious!!! Super moist and fudgy, with a rich chocolate flavor without being too sweet.
The frosting I paired with it is my homemade whipped cream with some dark chocolate cocoa powder added to it. It keeps beautifully in the fridge so you can make it even a couple days ahead of time.
Since I’m not too fancy with my cakes, I kept the decorations simple by smoothing out the sides, dragging a spoon in a spiral shape on top, and tossing on a few sprinkles. We can do this! I even piped a few dots of extra frosting around the bottom edge to cover up a slight gap. Frosting covers a multitude of sins, my friends.
The recipe for this Dark Chocolate Cake came from my neighbor, who found it on the side of the Hershey’s Special Dark cocoa powder container. I adapted it just slightly, and didn’t use the frosting recipe as written because I wanted something lighter than a traditional buttercream.
If you have something special coming up to celebrate, this is your cake! I tried to list some cake making tips and tricks that were helpful to me in the recipe below, but I’d love to hear what works for you all too. Happy Baking!
Dark Chocolate Cake With Whipped Cream Frosting
This super moist and decadent Dark Chocolate Cake With Whipped Cream Frosting made a cake lover out of me! Try it and you’ll see!
- Prep Time: 30 mins
- Cook Time: 35 mins
- Total Time: 1 hour 5 mins
- Yield: 12 servings 1x
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Bake
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
For the Cake
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 3/4 cups dark chocolate cocoa powder (unsweetened)
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 eggs
- 1 cup whole milk
- 1/2 cup oil (I used avocado oil)
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1/4 teaspoon coffee extract
- 1 cup boiling water
For the Chocolate Whipped Cream Frosting
- 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
- 1/4 cup dark chocolate cocoa powder
- 2 1/2 cups heavy cream
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
For the Cake
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees, and spray two nine-inch baking pans with baking spray. Cut four 1 inch by 12 inch strips of parchment paper and arrange them in an “X” across each of the baking pans. This will give you “tabs” to remove the cakes from the pans after they are baked.
- In a large bowl, mix sugar, flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
- Add eggs, milk, oil, and extracts. Beat the ingredients together with a hand mixer on low speed, and then gradually increase to medium speed for about 2 minutes.
- Slowly stir in the boiling water by hand. The batter will be very thin. Don’t worry!
- Evenly divide the batter between the two baking pans and bake for 33-35 minutes. A toothpick inserted into the center should come out mostly clean, or with a few crumbs attached.
- Let the pans cool on a cooling rack for 10 minutes, and then place into the freezer for 1 hour.
For the Chocolate Whipped Cream Frosting
- Over a large bowl, sift powdered sugar and cocoa powder together. Add heavy cream and vanilla extract. Beat on low speed (carefully at first) and gradually increase the speed to high as the mixture thickens. After about 3-4 minutes, you will have stiff peaks in the cream and it will be ready to use for frosting.
To Assemble
- Place a few more strips of parchment or wax paper around the edge of your cake plate or pan. This will keep the surface clean while you are frosting. Place the first cake (domed side down) onto the center of the plate.
- Remove the cakes from the freezer, and use the tabs to lift them out.
- Scoop about 2 cups of frosting on top of the cake and spread to the edges in an even layer.
- Place the second cake (domed side up) on top of the frosting layer. Add more frosting to the top of the cake, and spread to the edges and down the sides. Keep adding more frosting until the cake is completely covered.
- Use a knife or offset spatula to smooth the edges. I like to drag a spoon around the top of the cake to make a spiral design. If desired, reserve 1 cup of frosting to pipe around the bottom edge of the cake to cover any gap after you remove the parchment paper strips. Add chocolate sprinkles.
- Cover (if possible) and refrigerate until ready to serve. I think this cake tastes best served cold on the day after it is made, which is nice because you can make it ahead and have it all ready to go.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 Piece
- Calories: 553
- Sugar: 49g
- Sodium: 430mg
- Fat: 29g
- Saturated Fat: 13g
- Unsaturated Fat: 13.3g
- Trans Fat: 0.6g
- Carbohydrates: 68g
- Fiber: 1.8g
- Protein: 6.3g
- Cholesterol: 89mg
This looks incredible!
Cant wait to try it.
Thank you Izzy! I hope you enjoy!
Just made them today. It was amazing! The cake is moist and the frosting is not too sweet!
This recipe does not double well. I used 4, 9 inch pans and they didn’t fill even close to halfway. Bummed.
I made this cake last night and it is so yummy!! I just had another slice for breakfast and just as you stated, it’s even better the next day. Thank you for the recipe! This will become a new staple.
We absolutely love this cake. It’s a big hit. We have made it about 7 times already!!
That’s so great JoAnn! Thanks for letting me know! I think you hold the record!
Frosting tastes like a Wendy’s frosty! So good
You are right, Nicki! Glad you liked it!
I accidentally used heavy whipping cream instead of heavy cream for the frosting and I very watery. Anything I can do to fix it?
Ali I’m sorry that happened! Heavy whipping cream should be fine, but if it turned watery it may be because it was whipped too long and has started to separate. Unfortunately you just need to start over with the frosting…
Made this for my granddaughter’s 18th birthday. It was a hit!
This is awesome. I can imagine how moist it must be by the last slice. Thanks for sharing. Beautiful cake.
Wishes for tasty dishes,
Linda
Have made a cake in a while and was dreaming of something chocolate. Perhaps I just found the answer to my dreams! Ha!
Hope you try it out Aimee!
Your site gives comfort in every way: food, photos, atmosphere, everything… Thank you so much !
Thanks!
nice cake
Thank you!
very nice
i like whipped cream a lot better than heavy american style buttercream, too (: i’m definitely team cake, but that probably also has something to do with the fact that pie is a lot more finnicky than cake to make (for me, at least).
Agree Heather! For me working with the cake layers slightly frozen made all the difference.
Does this have a heavy coffee flavor? Would it be okay if I left the coffee extract out?
No it doesn’t at all. The coffee extract just enhances the chocolate flavor. You can leave it out if you want to though. Hope you enjoy!!!
I just made this cake and realized it says dark cocoa powder and I have regular cocoa powder at home and that’s what I used . :/ do you think it will turn out as good ?! I didn’t realize till after I started making it and didn’t want to stop and run to the store. I hope it’s still good !
I think it’ll still be good! Let me know what you think…
I LOVED IT!!!!! I Baked this for a co-worker’s birthday and everyone was licking their plates clean! I am keeping this gem in my pocket 😊 Great recipe that is moist and the frosting makes it so light. Thanks for sharing.
I LOVED IT!!!!! I Baked this for a co-worker’s birthday and everyone was licking their plates clean! I am keeping this gem in my pocket 😊 Great recipe that is moist and the frosting makes it so light. Thanks for sharing.
Oh yay!!! So happy to hear that Paula!
Could you use one hot cup of coffee rather than the one cup of boiling water with 1/4 teaspoon extract?
I think you really could. Good idea! Let me know what you think if you make it!
“Just to say “thank you” We all enjoyed your delicious food and the evening was everything we hoped it would be. Thank you so much.“
Just made it~ Delicious!! Moist, light, & chocolatey…YUM!!
Yay, so happy you liked it!
I will be making this cake for my Godfathers 70th birthday this weekend. The family loves chocolate but we’re a no buttercream team lol, so I am really looking forward to the chocolate whipped cream.
Enjoy!!!
Trying it now.. waiting fir the result
I just made this cake tonight.. it’s totally Amazing!!! Best cake I’ve ever had!!
Jealous!!! So happy you like it too. Enjoy!!!
This looks amazing, I can’t wait to try! What percentage was the cream you used? I can’t find “heavy cream” in any of the stores around me, but did find 35% whipping cream
I am making this cake for my dad to take to a group meeting. Will the whipped frosting last 48hrs assembled?
You can definitely assemble it ahead of time. Just make sure you keep it refrigerated. Hope everyone enjoys!
Thanks Julie! The cake looks delicious
The cake itself was delicious and moist! Found a chocolate cake that is for a repeat! We have 6 in our family, so this will be made often 🙂 However, the biggest problem was the “whipped frosting.” Totally fail, as it melted quickly and never stood in its place despite how whipped it was. I normally make whipping cream (rather than store bought), so I’m a pro at whipping the heavy whipping cream. The room temp was normal. I applied the cream on the cake quickly and stuck in freezer, yet in an hour it’s running down the plate and beyond. I pick up the glop (making the plate messy and ‘professional’) and reapply the fresh cream. Again, after in freezer for awhile, it does it again. Very very disappointed because I knew this cake would have been absolutely my recipe to keep (both cake and frosting)!!!! What are the possibilities that went wrong?
Perhaps your cake wasn’t cold enough. As you know from making whipped cream many times before, if you apply heat it will run. You could also try the gelatin trick (I forget the exact amount to add but if you Google ‘stabilize whipped cream with gelatin” you’ll get the full directions). I tend to add gelatin when I want to use the whipped cream for applications like this (frosting a cake where it needs to keep its shape at room temperature for several hours) rather than simply putting it in a bowl to spin on top of pies or tortes. Hope this helps! I’m planning to make this cake tomorrow and will try adding gelatin use to be safe.
If you use heavy whipping cream, sugar and chocolate pudding mix to make the whipped cream, it will hold up better and not melt as bad.
I can’t find the receipe for the Dark Choc cake with Whipped Cream Frosting. Could you please email it to me, because it looks absolutely delicious ?
Thank you
Stasha
Thank you for this amazing recipe! It is by far the most amazing cake ever! I don’t even like dark chocolate and this is the best cake I have ever had! I made it for my husband’s birthday, a friends birthday and today for my mom’s birthday! ❤️❤️❤️
That’s so awesome Corrine! Always nice to have a go-to cake you know everyone will love!
Hello,
Have made this about 10 times over the last few weeks and my family and friends say this is the best chocolate cake they have ever eaten!
I’ve made 2 today, as little gifts for family.
I use mascarpone cheese and double cream for the frosting and add walnuts to the middle and top!
Thank you!
Oh my goodness – you are a cake baking queen! I love how you do the frosting… sounds delicious!
I have used the Hershey recipe for years! It is the absolute best! I will try the whipped cream!
Hope you love it too!
Hi…this cake looks beautiful! When translating this recipie to cupcakes they did not rise. I tripled checked and even did it a second time. All my ingredients were new. Any idea for why this happened and how do I make this into cupcakes?
Hi! I’m not sure how they would work as cupcakes… I’ll have to try that soon.
Hi Julie,
Made this tonight – trying to find a good recipe for my sons 2nd bday this coming weekend. It was so delicious, but I had major problems getting it out of the pan. Even though I oiled (with coconut oil) the pans. Any idea on the issue? Could it be my pans or the oil? Will dusting the pan with flour help? I also couldn’t get the tabs to work – they just ripped!
Hi Maggie – Sorry yours stuck! I have never had trouble with this cake sticking… I like to use coconut oil whenever possible too, but you may want to try a nonstick spray made specifically for baking for this one. It’s like a mixture of oil and flour and it works so well!
I too had the same problem. Just greasing the pan and using the crisp cross parchment strips was not enough. I love the recipe; it’s my go-to chocolate cake. ( I make it Gluten free with no issues other than that it’s probably more tender than wheat flour cakes. ) So, to prevent sticking and ripping, I thoroughly grease the pans, then trace circles of parchment to line the bottoms. Once the cakes are baked, all that’s required is to run a knife around the edge to loosen, then gently invert the pan and the cake will come loose. You just peel off the parchment and voila!
Recipe is good..it tastes yum… But i had the same problem. It was not coming out of the pan. Even i greased it properly with oil and flour. When i inverted the pan it broke off.
I haven’t tried making the chocolate cake yet, but I have made the chocolate whipped frosting several time, it’s amazing!
Glad you enjoy it!
Planning to make this for husband’s birthday this weekend! I do have a question, can you substitute the avocado oil for coconut oil?
Mary, it is a wonderful cake and I hope it will be loved by all! I do have a slight hesitation with substituting coconut oil for the avocado oil – because the coconut oil will harden with refrigeration (like butter would), it could change the texture of the cake… You could substitute any mild flavored oil that is still liquid even when chilled, such as vegetable or canola oil. The coconut oil could be just fine, but I just can’t say for sure since I haven’t tried it yet. Thanks for your question!
Just made this cake for my friend’s birthday and it was so soooo good!
I used reg cocoa powder since my friend isn’t a dark choc fan and I subbed one cup of coffee for one cup water since my grocery store didn’t have the extract.
It came out perfectly! I let it sit in the fridge for a day before icing and it was perfectly moist.
Thank you for sharing this recipe! Will definitely be making this again!
Feeling very jealous right now, and wishing I still had some cake! Next time I will try one cup of coffee instead of the hot water and extract.
Any thoughts on making this in a 9×13 pan? I’m guessing just up the bake time a little. I’m taking it to a dinner party an hour’s drive away and I’m afraid in our over 100 degree heat right now, it won’t fare well as a layer cake.
Holly, sorry I’m just answering your question… not sure exactly on the adjusted baking time here but I’m sure it could be made in a 9 by 13. Or you could assemble on site. Hope you enjoy!
I love baking and am always in charge of making all birthday cakes in my family. I made this for my dad’s birthday and it was a huge hit. My sister in law actually said she thought it was the best cake I’ve ever made. So today, I’m making it again…this time just for me so I don’t have to share! Great recipe! Thank you so much for sharing!
That’s such a great compliment Steph! Thanks for letting me know that it was a hit, and enjoy the next one even more!
Can I use vegetable oil instead of avocado oil? How will it turn out with vegetable oil?
Yes, vegetable oil will be just fine. Enjoy!