Grandma's Chocolate Cake Recipe

This chocolate cake recipe has been in my family for as long as I can remember. My grandmother wrote it on a faded index card, and it's been the default birthday cake in our house for decades. It's simple enough for a beginner baker but produces the kind of moist, deeply chocolate cake that tastes like you spent hours on it. The secret? Hot coffee in the batter — it enhances the chocolate without making the cake taste like coffee.

Ingredients

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 3/4 cups granulated sugar
• 3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp salt
• 2 large eggs, room temperature
• 1 cup whole milk
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 cup hot brewed coffee

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease and flour two 9-inch round cake pans.
2. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
3. Add eggs, milk, oil, and vanilla. Beat on medium speed for 2 minutes until smooth.
4. Reduce speed to low and slowly pour in the hot coffee. The batter will be thin — this is normal.
5. Pour batter evenly into prepared pans. Bake 30-35 minutes until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.
6. Cool in pans for 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely before frosting.

Frosting

For a simple chocolate buttercream, beat 1 cup softened butter with 3 1/2 cups powdered sugar, 1/2 cup cocoa powder, 1 tsp vanilla, and 3-4 tbsp milk until smooth and spreadable.

Printable Recipe Card

Use our free recipe card maker to generate a printable card for this recipe. The Classic template with warm white background perfectly matches the grandmother-inspired feel of this cake. Download as PDF and add it to your recipe binder.