Three layers of rich, dense chocolate cake all held together by thick layers of homemade chocolate frosting – Death by Chocolate Cake is the definition of sinful indulgence! Treat yourself to this chocolatey masterpiece today.
Death by Chocolate Cake Recipe
You know when you have that real chocolate craving? The kind of craving where a chocolate chip cookie simply won’t do the trick? If you need something truly rich with decadent chocolate, this death by chocolate cake is calling your name!
Layered cakes are always one of my favorites to serve, as they’re always so pretty and picturesque. This layered chocolate cake is no different! I adore how gorgeous it is to slice into and serve, and it always garners a ton of compliments, especially from fellow chocolate fanatics.
Don’t let the layers scare you off, though. This death by chocolate cake is actually pretty easy to bake and assemble! Homemade cakes are my greatest weakness, as box mixes simply can’t quite master the same level of denseness and moistness of a good ol’ homemade chocolate cake. Oh, and as for the homemade frosting, you’ll find yourself licking the spoon!
Why You’ll Love this Double Chocolate Cake Recipe:
- Richly chocolate. The amount of chocolate in this cake just may be the end of you… Hence the name! If you’re a chocolate lover, this cake recipe is sure to be your new favorite.
- Layered. Layered cakes aren’t just pretty, they’re also downright delicious! After all, who doesn’t love layers of perfectly baked chocolate cake and homemade frosting?
- Topping friendly. You can pipe extra frosting into little designs on the cake, add sprinkles, or even birthday candles! This chocolate cake is wonderfully customizable.
How to Make Death by Chocolate Cake from Scratch
Be sure to see the recipe card below for full ingredients & instructions!
- Preheat the oven and grease cake pans.
- Combine the flour, sugars, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.
- Whisk the eggs, milk, Greek yogurt, water, vanilla extract, and melted butter together.
- Combine the wet and dry ingredient mixtures.
- Fold in the chocolate chips.
- Pour the batter into the three prepared cake pans.
- Bake, then cool.
- Make the frosting while the cakes are baking and cooling.
- First, cream the butter.
- Then, sift in the powdered sugar and cocoa powder.
- Add in the vanilla extract, salt, and heavy cream. Mix until stiff peaks form.
- Assemble the frosting and cake layers.
- Pipe designs on top as desired.
While you can use any unsweetened cocoa powder you prefer, I like to use natural cocoa powder here because the baking soda helps to neutralize the acidity of natural cocoa powder, letting its rich flavor shine.
It can be tough to tell when a chocolate cake is done baking by sight alone. center of each cake layer. If the toothpick comes out dry, the cake is cooked. If the toothpick is wet with batter, the layers will need a few more minutes to cook through.
A dry cake can be caused by 2 things. You may have measured the ingredients incorrectly, or you might have overmixed the batter. It’s important to scoop and level your ingredients if you’re not using a scale, and it’s important to have a light hand when mixing the batter. With a chocolate cake, there is also the risk that you’ve overbaked the cake because it’s hard to tell when the cake begins to brown, so be sure to toothpick test the cake often towards the end of the bake.
Let the cake layers cool for as long as they need to! If they’re still warm when you assemble the cake, the frosting will melt and the whole thing will pretty much fall apart. My rule of thumb is to wait until the bottom of the cake pan is room temperature – that’s how you can tell they’re ready to be frosted.
If your buttercream looks curdled, it is likely too cold. Place the buttercream in a heat-proof bowl set over a pot of simmering water until the edges begin to melt, then whip again until it comes together.
Recipe Tips and Tricks
- To create the perfect cake consistency, avoid over mixing the cake batter!
- The butter must be softened, not cold or melted, to make the perfect frosting.
- All chocolate chips are delicious! I like to use semisweet for this recipe, but dark or milk chocolate chips will get the job done as well.
More Cake Recipes We Love
Slice into an indulgent chocolate dream with this easy-to-make death by chocolate cake!
If you make this recipe be sure to leave us a comment or rating. Enjoy!
Death by Chocolate Cake Recipe
Ingredients
For the Cake
- 3½ cups all-purpose flour 420 grams
- 2 cups granulated sugar 400 grams
- 1 cup brown sugar 213 grams
- 1½ cups unsweetened cocoa powder 126 grams
- 1 tablespoon baking soda 18 grams
- 2 teaspoons baking powder 8 grams
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt 3 grams
- 5 large eggs 250 grams
- 2 cups milk 454 grams
- 1 cup plain Greek yogurt 227 grams
- 1 cup water 227 grams
- 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract 12 grams
- ¾ cup unsalted butter 170 grams, melted (1½ sticks)
- ¾ cup chocolate chips 128 grams
For the Frosting
- 2 cups unsalted butter 452 grams, room temperature (4 sticks)
- 4 cups powdered sugar 452 grams
- 1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder 84 grams
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract 8 grams
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ cup heavy cream 114 grams
- Chocolate chips optional, for garnish
- Chocolate sprinkles optional, for garnish
Equipment
- Kitchen Scale (optional)
- Piping Tip Set (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease 3 9-inch round cake pans with butter or nonstick spray. Set aside.
- Add the flour, sugars, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt to a large bowl and whisk until combined.3½ cups all-purpose flour, 2 cups granulated sugar, 1 cup brown sugar, 1½ cups unsweetened cocoa powder, 1 tablespoon baking soda, 2 teaspoons baking powder, 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- In a separate bowl, whisk the eggs, milk, Greek yogurt, water, vanilla extract, and melted butter together.5 large eggs, 2 cups milk, 1 cup plain Greek yogurt, 1 cup water, 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract, ¾ cup unsalted butter
- Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix with a hand mixer until just combined.
- Fold in the chocolate chips.¾ cup chocolate chips
- Pour the batter evenly among the 3 cake pans.
- Bake for 35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean. Let the cake cool for at least 10 minutes.
- While the cake is baking and cooling, make the frosting. Start by creaming the butter until smooth with a hand mixer.2 cups unsalted butter
- Sift in the powdered sugar and cocoa powder. Mix until well incorporated.4 cups powdered sugar, 1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- Add in the vanilla extract, salt, and heavy cream and mix again until the frosting reaches a smooth and creamy consistency with stiff peaks.2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract, ½ teaspoon kosher salt, ½ cup heavy cream
- Transfer 1 cake layer to a cake stand and add a layer of frosting on top. Add on the 2nd cake layer, another layer of frosting, and the 3rd layer of cake.
- Frost the entire exterior of the cake.
- Pipe designs on the top of the cake if desired. Add chocolate chips and sprinkles to the top and sides of the cake, if desired.Chocolate chips, Chocolate sprinkles
Notes
- You can use sour cream or plain regular yogurt in place of the Greek yogurt.
- To create the perfect cake consistency, avoid over mixing the cake batter!
- The butter must be softened, not cold or melted, to make the perfect frosting.
- All chocolate chips are delicious! I like to use semisweet for this recipe, but dark or milk chocolate chips will get the job done as well.
- Nutritional information does not include optional ingredients.
This recipe sounds great. Will the chocolate chips in the cake batter melt? I don’t see them in the end product itself. Thank you.