I turn to this homemade Chocolate Birthday Cake with Buttercream Frosting recipe every time I'm tasked with making a birthday cake! This easy cake recipe is made from layers of moist chocolate sponge covered in decadent melted chocolate frosting.
If you love Easy Birthday Cake Recipes for Home Bakers, you can't skip this Vanilla Buttercream Cake or this Naked Carrot Cake.
Why This Homemade Chocolate Birthday Cake with Buttercream Frosting Recipe Works
- Recipe name: Chocolate Birthday Cake with Buttercream Frosting
- Ready in: 2hrs 5 minutes (plus 4 hours cooling time)
- Serves: 12 slices
- Main ingredients: Flour, eggs, sugar, sour cream, icing sugar, cocoa, chocolate, oil, and butter.
- Perfect for: A from-scratch birthday cake for chocolate lovers, decorated simply with cookies and no fondant work required.
- Why I love it: This cake just tastes great! Moist chocolate sponge covered in a chocolate fudge buttercream frosting.
- Calories: 357kcal
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If you're making this as part of a birthday celebration, you can't miss out on making some cookies and cupcakes too! These Milk Chocolate Chunk Cookies and these Lindt Chocolate Cupcakes are winners.
Jump to:
- Why This Homemade Chocolate Birthday Cake with Buttercream Frosting Recipe Works
- Key Ingredients
- Variations
- How to Make a Homemade Chocolate Birthday Cake with Buttercream Frosting
- How to Layer a Homemade Chocolate Birthday Cake
- Expert Tips
- Homemade Chocolate Birthday Cake with Buttercream Frosting FAQs
- More Easy Chocolate Baking Recipes
- Happy Baking, With Love, Kitty
- 📖 Recipe
Key Ingredients
- Sunflower oil - This cake uses oil and butter for extra moistness! Use a neutral-tasting vegetable oil, like sunflower or canola.
- Self-raising flour - If you can't find self-raising flour, you can use cake flour or all-purpose flour mixed with baking powder.
- Coffee - Coffee enhances the chocolate flavor without making the cake taste like coffee. I used ground espresso made in a French press. You could use instant espresso powder.
- Nestle caramel treat - The cake layers are sandwiched together with store-bought caramel treat, much like dulce de leche. You can leave it out if you prefer.
- Biscuits - I bought a box of mixed biscuits and used these to decorate this cake. You can do the same or even pick one bicsuit or cookie type for decorating.
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
Variations
I loved decorating this cake with an assortment of biscuits; I think it looked super cute! You can leave the cake plain, decorate it with these Condensed Milk Chocolate Truffles, or keep it simple with sprinkles.
Chocolate on chocolate is always a great combination, but if you'd like to try other Easy Buttercream Frostings for Homemade Cakes, then don't skip this Pistachio Buttercream or this Nutella Buttercream.
How to Make a Homemade Chocolate Birthday Cake with Buttercream Frosting
Instructions for Moist Chocolate Cake
- Step 1: Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F) and line 2 x 22cm (9 inches) round cake tins with oil and parchment paper. Add the oil, butter, and sugar to a bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Beat at medium to high speed until light and fluffy, for about 4 minutes.
- Step 2: Add the eggs to the butter and sugar mixture one at a time. Beat well between each addition and scrape down the sides of the bowl often.
- Step 3: Sift together the salt, cocoa, and self-raising flour, then add the flour mixture to the egg and sugar mixture. Beat at low speed until just combined.
- Step 4: Add the sour cream, warm coffee, and vanilla extract to a jug and whisk to combine. Slowly pour this into the cake mixture while the mixer is running at low speed. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and mix again, making sure it is lump-free.
- Step 5: Divide the cake batter between the two prepared cake pans and bake in a preheated oven for 35 minutes or until a cake tester inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.
- Step 6: Allow the cakes to cool in their tins for 20 minutes before turning them onto a wire rack to cool completely.
How to Make Chocolate Buttercream Frosting
- Step 1: In a heatproof bowl set over a pan of simmering water, melt the chocolate and butter. Set aside to cool slightly, then add the melted chocolate mixture to a bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment. Add the golden syrup and vanilla extract to the chocolate mixture and mix briefly.
- Step 2: Sift half of the icing sugar over the frosting mixture and whisk to combine.
- Step 3: Add the sour cream and beat until the frosting is well combined and homogeneous. At first, the mixture will look lumpy. Continue beating at medium-high speed. Sift over the remaining icing sugar and beat at medium-high speed until the frosting is fluffy.
- Step 4: With the mixer running at medium-high speed, add the cream and salt, and beat until fluffy. The frosting is now ready to use on cakes or cupcakes.
- Step 5: Secure the first cake layer to a cake plate with a thin layer of frosting. Pipe a layer of frosting over the cake surface, then smooth it with an offset spatula.
- Step 6: Place the second layer of cake on top of the first layer, with the cut side facing down. Pipe the frosting over the top and sides of the cake, then use a knife to create swirls. Press the biscuits into the sides and on top of the cake.
How to Layer a Homemade Chocolate Birthday Cake
The most important rule when layering cakes is to let them cool completely before decorating. Buttercream is temperature sensitive - frost a warm cake and the icing melts, compromising the structure (think top layer sliding off, not the look we're going for!).
I also prefer to let cakes rest overnight before decorating, since this lets air escape from the sponge and helps avoid air bubbles peeking through your icing.
The frosting also needs the right consistency: too stiff, and it won't spread; too runny, and it won't "glue" the layers together. For more baking tips, read this post: How to Know When a Cake is Done Baking.
Expert Tips
- Before baking, ensure that all of your ingredients are at room temperature; this is important not only for the baking of the sponge cake but also for the icing.
- Take time to prepare your cake tins; there are many ways to line cake tins but my preference is to brush the tins with sunflower oil and then line the tins with parchment paper. First, cut a circle for the base of the cake tin and then a strip for the side of the tin. This way, you ensure that you never have to worry about your cakes getting stuck in the tin!
- Set the oven to the correct temperature and check the temperature using an oven thermometer.
- When creaming the butter, oil, and sugar together, ensure that your butter is at room temperature and is soft! This process can take some time and must not be rushed. The creaming is done when the mixture is light in color and fluffy.
- Adding the eggs into the creamed butter and sugar must be done slowly. Wait about a minute between each addition and scrape down the sides of the bowl before adding the next egg.
- When adding the wet and dry ingredients in alternating additions, do this slowly and ensure that you scrape down the sides of the bowl regularly so that the mixture is beaten evenly.
- Once all the ingredients have been added, mix on high speed for about 30 seconds to ensure there are no lumps left in the chocolate cake batter.
Homemade Chocolate Birthday Cake with Buttercream Frosting FAQs
Firstly, pick a good recipe. Once you have chosen a quality recipe, be sure that you do not overbake the cake. You should remove the cake just as a skewer inserted into the centre of the cake comes out clean.
Regarding storage, never allow your cakes to sit uncovered as the air will dry out the sponge. It is fine to allow the cake to cool without being covered but once it has cooled, wrap it in plastic wrap to avoid the sponge from becoming dry.
Cakes can be left unfrosted overnight, however, be sure to wrap the cakes tightly in plastic wrap. This will prevent the cake from drying out overnight. I prefer to allow my cakes to rest overnight before stacking, wrapped in plastic wrap, and left in the fridge.
To best store a cake, place the cake in an airtight container or on a cake plate covered with a cake dome at room temperature. When stored like this, cakes can last for up to 5 days. If you are worried about extremely hot weather, store the cake in the fridge and allow the cake to come to room temperature before serving.
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 Baking Recipes
I hope you loved this simple cake recipe, and the next time you're on cake duty, you need to try more recipes from my collection of The Best Chocolate Cake Recipes for Beginners. This Whole Nut Cake and this Rich Chocolate Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting are winners.
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 this Marble Bundt Cake!
📖 Recipe
Homemade Chocolate Birthday Cake with Buttercream Frosting
Equipment
- 2X 22cm round cake tins (9 inches)
Ingredients
Moist Chocolate Cake
- 100 grams unsalted butter
- 100 ml sunflower oil
- 340 grams sugar white, granulated
- 4 eggs
- 340 grams self-raising flour
- 50 grams cocoa powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 160 ml strong, brewed coffee
- 250 ml sour cream
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Chocolate Buttercream
- 100 grams dark chocolate
- 100 grams milk chocolate
- 90 grams unsalted butter
- 1 tablespoon golden syrup
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 450 grams icing sugar sifted
- 90 grams sour cream
- 2 tablespoon heavy whipping cream
- 1 tin Nestle caramel treat for filling
- Assorted biscuits for decorating
Instructions
Chocolate Cake
- Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F) and line 2 x 22cm (9 inches) round cake tins with oil and parchment paper.
- Add the oil, butter, and sugar to a bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Beat at medium to high speed until light and fluffy, for about 4 minutes.
- Add the eggs to the butter and sugar mixture one at a time. Beat well between each addition and scrape down the sides of the bowl often.
- Sift together the salt, cocoa, and self-raising flour, then add the flour mixture to the egg and sugar mixture. Beat at low speed until just combined.
- Add the sour cream, warm coffee, and vanilla extract to a jug and whisk to combine. Slowly pour this into the cake mixture while the mixer is running at low speed. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and mix again, making sure it is lump-free.
- Divide the cake batter between the two prepared cake pans and bake in a preheated oven for 35 minutes or until a cake tester inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Allow the cakes to cool in their tins for 20 minutes before turning them onto a wire rack to cool completely.
Chocolate Buttercream
- In a heatproof bowl set over a pan of simmering water, melt the dark chocolate, milk chocolate, and butter. Once melted, set the mixture aside to cool slightly, then add to a bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment.
- Add the golden syrup and vanilla extract to the chocolate mixture and mix briefly.
- Sift half of the icing sugar over the frosting mixture and whisk to combine.
- Add the sour cream and beat until the frosting is well combined and homogeneous. It will look lumpy at first, just continue beating.
- Sift over the remaining icing sugar and beat at medium-high speed until the frosting is fluffy.
- With the mixer running at medium-high speed, add the cream 1 tablespoon at a time, beating until fluffy. Add the frosting to a piping bag.
Assembly
- Use a sharp knife to trim the domed tops off the cake layers if necessary.
- Secure the first cake layer onto a cake plate with some frosting. Pipe a layer of frosting over the surface of the cake and smooth it with an offset spatula.
- Pipe a ring of frosting around the circumference of the bottom cake layer and fill this with the Nestle caramel treat.
- Place the second layer of cake onto the first layer with the cut side facing down.
- Pipe the frosting over the tops and sides of the cake and use a knife to create swirls in the frosting.
- Decorate the tops and sides of the cake with your chosen biscuits. Slice, serve, and enjoy!
Notes
- I multiplied this recipe's quantities by 1.5 to make a larger birthday cake pictured here and baked the layers in 3 x 25 cm cake tins.
- Press the cookies into the frosting just as you have frosted the cake. Frosting hardens and you want to cookies to stick into the frosting while it is still 'wet'.
Brett says
The perfect chocolate birthday cake recipe! Thanks for sharing Kitty