Homemade Chocolate Cake
At 60 cents a slice, Homemade Chocolate Cake with Peanut Butter Frosting is one of my favorite desserts! The rich chocolate flavor of the cake compliments the nuttiness of the peanut butter. We are talking pure perfection! Did you know there is a science behind our love affair with chocolate and peanut butter? Dynamic sensory contrast is the official name. What does this mean? It is simple. Our taste buds love when food have contrasting textures. Keep that in mind the next time you over-indulge – it really is not our fault! Read on for step-by-step instructions and 4 helpful tips!
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Lets Talk Ingredients
I love the ingredients that make this cake moist and dense.
- Buttermilk: The buttermilk introduces moisture and keeps the cake tender.
- Applesauce: Adding the applesauce keeps the cake moist and fresher longer.
- Coffee: And our final ingredient worthy of discussion is a cup of strong coffee. It intensifies the chocolate flavor of this super moist Homemade Chocolate Cake! Our preference is Eight O’Clock Columbian coffee from the whole beans. (This is not a sponsor plug – just the coffee we enjoy every day.)

Making the Homemade Chocolate Cake
- Sift Dry Ingredients: Start with sifting the dry ingredients twice into a medium size bowl.
- Wet Ingredients: Using an electric mixer, blend together the wet ingredients, except for the coffee, in a large mixing bowl.
- Mix Together: Slowly mix in the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients adding the coffee to keep the flying flour to a minimum.
- Prepare Pans: Spray two 8-inch x 2-inch round cake pans evenly with a non-stick spray that includes flour or add a little cocoa powder to the cake pans shaking to coat.
- Pour in Pans: Evenly distribute the cake batter into the cake pans.
- Bake: Place in 350 degrees oven and bake for 35-minutes.
- Cool: Let the Homemade Chocolate Cake cool completely before frosting. This is the hard part. See my recipe Fluffy Peanut Butter Frosting for the recipe and tips for frosting a cake. Slice and enjoy! You can thank me later.
4 Helpful Tips
- Frosting the Cake: I like to place the cakes in the refrigerator overnight to reduce crumbs getting into the peanut butter frosting.
- Parchment Paper: Cutting a piece of parchment paper and placing it in the cake pan can make it easier to remove the cooled cake. (I still spray the cake pan sides for easier removal.)
- Spatula: If once cooled the cake is not removed from the cake pan edge, gently use a spatula to loosen the edges.
- Baking Spray: Using a Baking Spray contains the non-stick oil mixed with the flour. One spray takes care of coating the pan with a non-stick spray and then adding flour to the pan.
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Homemade Chocolate Cake
Pin RecipeEquipment
- Flour sifter
- Two 8-inch x 2-inch round cake pan
- Medium bowl
- Mixing bowl and mixer (ie., stand up mixer or hand mixer)
Ingredients
Cake Dry Ingredients
- 2 cups Flour
- 2 cups Sugar
- 3/4 cups Cocoa Powder special dark
- 2 tsp Baking Soda
- 1 tsp Baking Powder
- 1 tsp Salt
Cake Wet Ingredients
- 1 cup Buttermilk shaken and at room temperature
- 1 cup Unsweetened Applesauce
- 2 large Eggs at room temperature
- 2 tsp Vanilla
- 1 cup Freshly Brewed Hot Coffee
Instructions
Oven Preparation
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
- Spray two 8-inch x 2-inch round cake pans evenly with a non-stick spray.
- Add a little Cocoa Powder to each cake pan and shake to coat.
Cake Preparation
- Sift the cake ingredients twice into a medium bowl.
- Using an electric mixer, blend together the wet ingredients (except for the coffee) in a large mixing bowl.
- With the mixer on low speed, slowly add the dry ingredients scraping down the bowl sides as needed.
- Add the coffee and stir just to combine.
- Pour batter evenly into prepared pans.
- Bake for 35 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.
- Cool in the pan for ten minutes then remove to a cooling rack to fully cool.
- Top with your favorite frosting and enjoy!
Recipe Notes
- Frosting the Cake: I like to place the cakes in the refrigerator overnight to reduce crumbs getting into the peanut butter frosting.
- Parchment Paper: Cutting a piece of parchment paper and placing it in the cake pan can make it easier to remove the cooled cake. (I still spray the cake pan sides for easier removal.)
- Spatula: If once cooled the cake is not removed from the cake pan edge, gently use a spatula to loosen the edges.
- Baking Spray: Using a Baking Spray contains the non-stick oil mixed with the flour. One spray takes care of coating the pan with a non-stick spray and then adding flour to the pan.
Oh, that looks so-o good. With a good cup of strong coffee. Umm, nice thought for a rainy Sunday.
Perfect for a rainy afternoon! Definitely lifts the spirits in the right direction!
Looks delicious!!
Thank you! I could not stop eating this cake! 🙂
You had me at chocolate Bernice!
It really does not get much better! The peanut butter frosting is a perfect compliment. But I would imagine a nice chocolate frosting would be great for an over the top chocolate experience!
I think the peanut butter frosting is a nice contrast
It really is! We greatly enjoyed this combination.
Looks wonderful
Thank you! We enjoyed every bite. 🙂
Very very tempting! 🙂
Give it a try! It is awesome!! The combination of chocolate and peanut butter frosting is over the top with goodness! 🙂
Looks delicious!!!!!
Thank you! We really enjoyed this cake.
I bet. 🙂
💕💕💕
If you keep posting these delicious cakes, I’m coming over!!!
This cake is heavenly!!! I am trying to make more cakes instead of purchasing them – we are often disappointed. You pay a lot of money and they are not good.
Can’t beat homemade!
So very true!!
The applesauce is such an interesting addition. I will try this one.
I love adding applesauce when I am baking. I hope you enjoy the cake! 🍰🍰🍰
Perfect 👌🏻
Thank you! We are pleased with the results. Of course I could not stop eating the cake!
Yum! We love chocolate cake! 💕
Me too! And I absolutely love this version. So rich and moist! Enjoy!!
This is really and amazing recipe i have tried this recipe home and it came out good, in my experiments at home I’ve came up with this recipe of white chocolate raspberry cake. https://bit.ly/2rhkBaj
Thank you! It is an awesome cake. Your cake is beautiful!!