This Chocolate Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting recipe makes a delicious two-layer dark chocolate cake covered in a silky cream cheese frosting! It's dense, it's moist, and it's perfect to make when you are looking to impress!
If you love recipes that combine vanilla and chocolate flavours, don't miss this Vanilla Cake with Melted Chocolate Frosting.
Why This Chocolate Cake with Cream Cheese Recipe Works
- Recipe name: Chocolate Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting
- Ready in: 2hrs 10 minutes (plus 4hrs cooling time)
- Serves: 12 slices
- Main ingredients: Oil, cocoa, flour, eggs, sugar, coffee, butter, icing sugar, cream cheese.
- Perfect for: A show-stopper birthday cake!
- Why I love it: This rich chocolate cake is super easy to make because it is an oil-based recipe that comes together in one bowl, which is such a win.
- Calories: 879kcal
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If you make this cake for a special someone's birthday, add to the celebration with these Smarties Cookies and these Chocolate Condensed Milk Truffles!
Jump to:
- Why This Chocolate Cake with Cream Cheese Recipe Works
- Key Ingredients
- Variations
- How to Make a Chocolate Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting
- How To Decorate Chocolate Layer Cakes
- Storage
- Expert Tips
- Chocolate Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting FAQs
- More Easy Chocolate Cake Recipes
- Happy Baking, With Love, Kitty
- 📖 Recipe
Key Ingredients
- Sunflower oil - This recipe uses oil for extra moistness. Choose a neutral-tasting oil, such as sunflower or canola.
- Self-raising flour - If you don't have self-raising flour, you can make your own by sifting together cake flour and baking powder.
- Cocoa powder - Choose an unsweetened quality cocoa powder for this recipe.
- Strong-brewed coffee - I make a cup of strong coffee with ground espresso beans and a French press. You can also brew espresso or use ground espresso powder mixed with hot water.
- Cream cheese - Choose a full-fat cream cheese for this recipe, such as Philadelphia, and make sure it is at room temperature to avoid lumpy frosting.
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
Variations
Once you nail the cake layers, you can get creative with the frosting flavors! Try making this recipe for Dulce de Leche Frosting, this Whipped Ganache Chocolate Frosting, or this recipe for Raspberry Cream Cheese Frosting. My collection of Easy Buttercream Frosting Recipes has so many more ideas for you!
How to Make a Chocolate Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting
Chocolate Cake
- Step 1: Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F) and line 2 x 22cm (9-inch) round cake tins with oil and parchment paper. Add the eggs, sugar, and oil to a bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a whisk attachment and beat at medium-high speed until well combined.
- Step 2: Sift together the flour, cocoa powder, salt, and bicarbonate of soda. Add the dry ingredients to the egg mixture, and beat at medium speed until just combined.
- Step 3: In a jug, mix together the buttermilk, brewed coffee, and vanilla. Slowly pour this into the egg and flour mixture while the motor is running at low speed.
- Step 4: Mix until just combined and lump-free.
- Step 5: Pour the cake batter into the prepared cake tins and bake in a preheated oven for about 40 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.
- Step 6: Once baked, allow the cakes to cool in their tins for about 10 minutes before turning them onto a wire rack to cool completely. This is optional but recommended for easier decorating to wrap the cooled cake layers in plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.
Cream Cheese Frosting
- Step 1: Add the icing sugar and room-temperature butter to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Beat at medium speed until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs.
- Step 2: Add the cubed cream cheese and beat at medium-high speed until well combined. Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula, then mix for 2 to 5 minutes until the frosting is light and fluffy. Add the frosting to a piping bag.
- Step 3: Secure the first cake layer onto a cake plate with a bit of frosting. Pipe a layer of frosting over the cake's surface and smooth it out with a spatula. Place the second layer of cake onto the first layer with the cut side facing down. Pipe the frosting over the top and sides of the cake, then use a spatula or cake scraper to even it out. Place the cake into the fridge for about 30 minutes to firm up.
- Step 4: Pipe another layer of frosting around the entire cake, then use an offset spatula to swirl it. Serve and enjoy!
How To Decorate Chocolate Layer Cakes
For stress-free decorating, I recommend making the cake layer a day in advance, wrapping it in plastic wrap, and chilling it in the fridge overnight. They will firm up in the fridge and won't be as hard to work with! I also recommend covering the cake in a crumb coat and letting this set in the fridge before adding a final decorative layer of frosting. For easier cake recipes that don't require much decorating, try this Chocolate Nut Cake or this Chocolate Sheet Cake with Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting.
Storage
Store any leftover cake in an airtight container at room temperature, out of direct sunlight, or in the fridge if it is very hot, for up to 4 days. Bring the cake to room temperature before consuming it.
Expert Tips
- Check the true temperature of your oven with an oven thermometer before baking the cakes.
- Allow the cake to cool completely on a cooling rack before decorating, or, as suggested above, allow the cake layers to rest in the fridge overnight.
- For a fluffy, silky buttercream, make sure the butter and cream cheese are at room temperature.
Chocolate Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting FAQs
You can bake this cake in different-sized cake pans; just adjust the baking time. Larger tins will take less time to bake, and smaller tins will take longer. For a better understanding, read How to Tell When a Cake is Done Baking.
The butter and cream cheese need to be at room temperature before you begin making the frosting; otherwise, it will have cold lumps of butter that can't be beaten out.
To freeze this cake, cut the frosted cake into individual slices and wrap each slice of cake in plastic wrap. Freeze for up to 3 months. Defrost the cake in the fridge overnight, then bring the slices to room temperature before consuming.
More Easy Chocolate Cake Recipes
This easy chocolate cake, covered in cream cheese frosting, is the perfect recipe to impress! If you are new to decorating layer cakes, this is a great recipe to try, as the tips above really help you through the decorating process! See my post, The Best Chocolate Cake Recipes for Beginners, for more chocolate cake ideas!
Happy Baking, With Love, Kitty
Please leave a star rating and comment below if you tried this recipe! And if you're wondering what to try next, have a look at these Raspberry and Chocolate Cupcakes!
📖 Recipe
Chocolate Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting
Equipment
- 2x 22cm (9 inches) round cake tins
Ingredients
Chocolate Cake
- 240 ml sunflower oil
- 500 g sugar white granulated
- 6 eggs extra-large
- 500 g self-raising flour
- 1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 100 g cocoa powder
- 500 ml buttermilk
- 150 ml strong brewed coffee
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Cream Cheese Frosting
- 600 g powdered sugar
- 100 g unsalted butter
- 250 g cream cheese
Instructions
Chocolate Cake
- Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F) and line 2x 22cm diameter (9 inch) round cake tins with oil and parchment paper.
- Add the eggs, sugar, and oil to a bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a whisk attachment and beat at medium-high speed until well combined.
- Sift together the flour, cocoa powder, salt, and bicarbonate of soda. Add the dry ingredients to the egg mixture, and beat at medium speed until just combined.
- In a jug mix together the buttermilk, brewed coffee, and vanilla. Slowly pour this into the egg and flour mixture, with the motor running at low speed. Mix until combined and lump-free.
- Pour the cake batter into the prepared cake tins and bake in a preheated oven for about 40 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Once baked allow the cakes to cool in their tins for about 10 minutes before turning them onto a wire rack to cool completely.
- This is optional but recommended for easier decorating! Wrap the cooled cake layers in plastic wrap and place them in the fridge overnight.
Cream Cheese Frosting
- Add the icing sugar and room temperature butter to a bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Beat at medium speed until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs.
- Add the cubed cream cheese and beat at medium-high speed until the frosting is well combined. Scrape down the sides of the bowl using a rubber spatula and mix again for about 2 to 5 minutes until the frosting is light and fluffy. Add the frosting to a piping bag.
Decorating
- Use a sharp knife to trim the domed tops off of the cake layers if necessary.
- Secure the first cake layer onto a cake plate with a bit of frosting. Pipe a layer of frosting over the surface of the cake and smooth this out with a spatula.
- Place the second layer of cake onto the first layer with the cut side facing down.
- Pipe the frosting over the top and sides of the cake and use a spatula or cake scraper to even this out. Place the cake into the fridge for about 30 minutes to firm up.
- Pipe another layer of frosting around the entire cake and then use an offset spatula to swirl the frosting. Serve and enjoy!
Notes
- To avoid lumpy cream cheese frostings, ensure the butter and cream cheese are at room temperature.
- To avoid crumbs in your frosting, first cover the cake with a crumb coat and allow this to 'set' in the fridge for about 30 minutes before the final frosting.
- I recommend allowing the cake layers to cool in the fridge overnight before decorating.
Johan says
Thanks for sharing this recipe. Looks super decadent. You use 2 x 22cm tins. What is the height of each layer after baking, please?
Cat Spiller says
Hi Johan! It's s delicious cake recipe! I'd say about 8cm high 🙂
Debbie says
This dark chocolate sponge was so moist! And went so well with the cream cheese frosting, easy recipe to follow and I’ll definitely be making it again