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It is cake time!! Specifically simple chocolate birthday cake with whipped chocolate buttercream frosting…YES.
Yay!!
So…..
My power went out while writing this post and ALL the words were lost. Ugh. I am actually re-writing this via candlelight and the hotspot on my phone!
I had written so much!
Things like how this big three-layer cake was for my mom’s birthday.
And how for all birthdays around here, two layers simply won’t do.
Nope, not two.
Three.
Because when cake is involved… three layers are always better than two.
More layers mean more frosting, which is just all around awesomeness.
This is my all time favorite chocolate cake.
I know the ingredients by heart and could probably make this cake in my sleep. It is that easy.
This cake never fails and the frosting will forever be my family’s favorite.
It is almost mousse-like. So light and fluffy. My mom could not stop saying how incredibly moist and delicious it was.
She even did the roll the eyes to the back of her head thing. I LOVE when she does that!
Well, I have to cut this one short, sorry for the very quick post. As I said before, our power is completely out and I only have limited time on my phone’s hotspot before my battery dies.
Ten percent to be exact, gotta wrap it up!
Hopefully the photos will do the talking.
Oh, and did you notice? The gotta little love from the amazing WoodenSpoons Kitchen! What do think? I will be talking about it more soon, but the battery is now at 3%.
Watch the How-To Video here:
(2 LAYER CAKE) Simple Chocolate Birthday Cake with Whipped Chocolate Buttercream.
Servings: 16 servings
Calories Per Serving: 539 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Ingredients
Cake For 2 Layers
- 2 eggs (at room temperature)
- 3/4 cup buttermilk
- 1/4 cup plain greek yogurt
- 1/2 cup canola oil
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
- 1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 3/4 cup hot black coffee
- 1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips (optional)
Whipped Chocolate Buttercream
- 3 sticks (1 1/2 cups) salted butter (softened to room temperature)
- 3 cups powdered sugar
- 3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 3-4 tablespoons heavy whipping cream
Instructions
- 1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease 2 (8-inch) round cake pans. Line with parchment paper, then butter/spray with cooking spray.
- 2. In a large mixing bowl, beat together the eggs, buttermilk, greek yogurt, canola oil, and vanilla until smooth. Add the flour, sugar, unsweetened cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt and mix until there are no longer any clumps of flour. Add the hot coffee and mix until combined. The batter should be pourable, but not super thin. Stir in the chocolate chips, if using.
- 3. Pour the batter among the 2 cake pans and bake 20 to 25 minutes, until the tops are just set and no longer wiggly in the center. Remove and let cool five minutes, then run a knife around the edges of the pan. Invert the cakes onto a cooling rack. Cover and let the cakes cool completely before frosting.
Whipped Chocolate Buttercream
- 1. In a large mixing bowl, beat together the butter and powdered sugar until the butter is light and fluffy, about 4 minutes. Add the cocoa powder and vanilla and beat, scraping down the sides as needed, another 2 minutes or so, until there are no streaks of white. Add 3 tablespoons of the heavy cream and whip the frosting for 2-4 minutes or until light and fluffy. If desired add the remaining tablespoon of the heavy cream (I normally do) and whip until combined. Taste the frosting and add more powdered sugar if you like a sweeter or thicker frosting.
- 2. Place 1 layer, flat side up, on a plate or cake stand. With a knife or offset spatula, spread the top with frosting. Place the second layer on top, rounded side up, and spread the frosting evenly on the top and sides of the cake. Decorate with sprinkles, chocolate curls, or whatever your heart desires.
Notes
*To quickly bring eggs to room temperature place them in a bowl and fill with warm water. Let them sit five minutes.
(3 LAYER CAKE) Simple Chocolate Birthday Cake with Whipped Chocolate Buttercream.
Servings: 30 servings
Calories Per Serving: 385 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Ingredients
Cake For 3 Layers
- 2 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 2 1/4 cups granulated sugar
- 1 1/2 cups unsweetened cocoa powder
- 2 1/4 teaspoons baking soda
- 2 1/4 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 3 eggs at room temperature
- 1 cup + 2 tablespoons buttermilk
- 1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons plain greek yogurt
- 3/4 cup canola oil
- 1 1/2 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup + 2 tablespoons hot black coffee
- 3/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips (optional)
Whipped Chocolate Buttercream
- 4 sticks (2 cups) salted butter softened to room temperature
- 4 cups powdered sugar
- 1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 4-5 tablespoons heavy whipping cream
Instructions
- 1. Preheat the oven to 350° F. Grease 3 (8-inch) round cake pans. Line with parchment paper, then butter/spray with cooking spray.2. In a large mixing bowl, beat together the eggs, buttermilk, greek yogurt, canola oil, and vanilla until smooth. Add the flour, sugar, unsweetened cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt and mix until there are no longer any clumps of flour. Add the hot coffee and mix until combined. The batter should be pourable, but not super thin. Stir in the chocolate chips, if using.3. Pour the batter among the cake pans and bake 20 to 25 minutes, until the tops are just set and no longer wiggly in the center. Remove and let cool five minutes, then run a knife around the edges of the pan. Invert the cakes onto a cooling rack. Cover and let the cakes cool completely before frosting.
Whipped Chocolate Buttercream
- 1. In a large mixing bowl, beat together the butter and powdered sugar until the butter is light and fluffy, about 4 minutes. Add the cocoa powder and vanilla and beat, scraping down the sides as needed, another 2 minutes or so, until there are no streaks of white. Add 3 tablespoons of the heavy cream and whip the frosting for 2-4 minutes or until light and fluffy. If desired add the remaining tablespoon of the heavy cream (I normally do) and whip until combined. Taste the frosting and add more powdered sugar if you like a sweeter or thicker frosting.2. Place 1 layer, flat side up, on a plate or cake stand. With a knife or offset spatula, spread the top with frosting. Place the second layer on top, rounded side up, and spread the frosting. Add the 3rd layer and spread the frosting evenly on the top and sides of the cake. Decorate with sprinkles, chocolate curls, or whatever your heart desires.
Notes
*To quickly bring eggs to room temperature place them in a bowl and fill with warm water. Let them sit five minutes.
Hey, I had a thought, there could be a good side to this power outage. Kinda the perfect time for cake!
Lastly, if you make this Simple Chocolate Birthday Cake with Whipped Chocolate Buttercream be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
Hi, would love to make this for my son’s birthday, what can I sub for the coffee?
Hey Marina,
You can use hot water in place of the coffee. I hope you love this recipe, please let me know how it turns out! xTieghan
Hi Tieghan!
I love all of your recipes!! So I am making this cake next week for my friends birthday! I have 3 6-inch cake pans and was wondering if the 2 layer recipe would be enough batter for the smaller cake pans? Or if I need to follow the 3 layer one?
Hey Madysen,
You should be able to follow the 2 layer recipe:) I hope you love the cake and happy birthday to your friend! xTieghan
How does this freeze for frosting later? Thinking about making this over the weekend for one less weekday thing to do! Thanks!
Hey Erica,
That would be totally fine to do! I hope you love this recipe, please let me know if you give it a try! xTieghan
Hi Tieghan! I want to make this cake for my sons birthday which is Christmas Day. So as you can imagine, I want to do as much before hand as possible. If I make the cake and freeze it, how should I thaw it? Can I make the icing ahead of time? How would I store it? Any tips please???
Hi Angela,
It really depends how far in advance you are wanting to make the cake. To be honest, I think cakes are better the next day, so if you made the day before Christmas I would just keep covered on the counter. If you are making a few days in advance, I would freeze the cake parts and then assemble and make the icing the day of. I hope this helps! Happy Holidays! xTieghan
I have a question. Can I use instant coffee instead? How can it affect the result? Thanks!
Hey Michelle,
Yes, that will work but you will need to add more liquid in place of the back coffee you are omitting. I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you give it a try! xTieghan
Hi,
I have question and not a comment. I saw that you don’t melt the chocolate chips that go into the batter. Is that because they will just melt in the batter while it’s baking?
Thank you,
Claudia
Hey Claudia,
I like to have a little bite from the chocolate chips in the cake. I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
This cake and frosting recipe was absolutely perfect! I had a staple recipe but it has now been replaced! I made this for dad’s birthday dessert and he said it was ‘very, very, very good’!
I didn’t have any 8in rounds, I only had 9in rounds so I made the 3 layer cake recipe, watched the bake time and made some cupcakes on the side – worked great!
Hey Jessica,
Thanks so much for making this recipe, I am so delighted that it was enjoyed! Have a great week:) xTieghan
Jessica, did you use the 3 layer recipe in two-9 inch pans or three?
Hi! In the UK the buttermilk is more thick like a yogurt, how should I adjust for a two layer cake? Looking forward to making it!
Hey Francesca,
Yes, buttermilk is the same here as well, a pretty thick liquid! You could also use whole milk. I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
hello! how many eggs for three layers?
Hey Maggie,
The recipe calls for 3 eggs. I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you give it a try! xTieghan
I made this recipe for my daughter’s 3rd birthday this weekend and it was a HUGE hit! This is definitely now my ‘go to’ chocolate cake recipe. Thank you!
Hey Dani,
Fantastic! Thanks so much for making this recipe, I am it was enjoyed! xTieghan
This looks beautiful! I have a question: I only have one 9″ cake pan, do you think it would work to leave the batter in the fridge while each cake bakes? Also, do you think this would be too much batter to divide into two batches (instead of three)? I was thinking I’d go for 2 or 4 layers, depending on the thickness of the cake. Thank you!!
Hey Amber,
Just leave the batter on the counter while each cake bakes, this should workout just fine for you. 2 cakes will also work! I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
Please put measurements by weightt rather than cups.
I will add those for you Colin, I hope you love the recipe!
Such a delicious cake! Second time making it, and it was just as amazing! Thanks for all your recipes 🙂
Hey Michelle,
Thanks so much for making this recipe, I am delighted that it was enjoyed! xTieghan
‘best cake you ever made Mama!’. That’s what I got from making this! Looooooove it.
Hey Reena,
Thanks a bunch for giving this recipe a try, I am thrilled that it was enjoyed! Have a great week:) xTieghan
Best chocolate cake I have ever made. So easy and picky cake sister approved. She usually requests a box chocolate cake but she said this one was delicious.
Hey Emily,
I am delighted that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks a bunch for making it. Happy Sunday! ☀️Tieghan
I love all of your recipes that I’ve tried so far. Can this cake be made in two 9” pans or will the layers be too thin?
Hey Margaret,
That will work just fine! I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan