Our Favorite Chocolate Cake Recipe (a PSA)

The formula

Every ingredient resolved to grams, expressed against the recipe's own base — next to the median of all 76.

	this recipe	typical
fat	173%	101%
total sugar	310%	232%
egg	71%	48%
leavener	6%	4%
salt	3%	2%
liquid	117%	200%
dairy	117%	117%
chocolate	111%	67%
flour strength	1.0	1.0

Adapts cleanly: egg-free, gluten-free, nut-free (documented swaps, applied on the dish page)

Ingredients

Weights computed by us.

28 g	2 tablespoons unsalted butter ((for greasing the pans))
210 g	1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour ((plus more for pans))
400 g	2 cups sugar
64 g	3/4 cups cocoa powder ((Hershey's Special Dark is especially good for this recipe!))
9 g	2 teaspoons baking soda
4 g	1 teaspoon baking powder
6 g	1 teaspoon salt
245 g	1 cup buttermilk
109 g	1/2 cup vegetable oil
100 g	2 extra large eggs ((at room temperature))
4 g	1 teaspoon vanilla
237 g	1 cup freshly brewed hot coffee ((the stronger the better))
170 g	6 ounces semisweet or bittersweet chocolate ((baking chocolate or chocolate chips are both fine))
226 g	2 sticks unsalted butter ((at room temperature))
50 g	1 extra large egg yolk ((at room temperature))
4 g	1 teaspoon vanilla
250 g	1 1/4 cups confectioners' sugar
15 g	1 tablespoon instant coffee powder ((optional))

Method: 10 steps, published by thewoksoflife.com — open the original ↗ or use bake mode for a follow-along with a screen that stays on.

“I really appreciate the practical tips you included here! It’s such a great reminder that baking doesn’t have to be perfect — even a slightly “mauled” cake can be saved with frosting and still taste amazing. Your friendly tone makes the instructions so easy to” — a cook, 5.0★

“1st layer goes flat side up so the 2nd layer can rest perfectly flat on it without a wobble. (But the cake sounds delicious!)” — a cook, 5.0★