5 Lip-smacking Chocolate Cake Recipes For Every Occasion (Congratulations Guaranteed!)

Why the World Loves Chocolate!

It's not hard to figure out why we like chocolate- it tastes good, smells nice, and its smooth texture feels awesome when it melts in our mouth.

But there's more to chocolate than that. Food researchers have been curious about the psychology behind why people love chocolate so much. Studies show that certain chemicals in chocolate help relieve stressful situations. (It may be guilty pleasure, but it's pleasure alright!)

Chocolate releases dopamine into regions of the brain associated with stress relief, including the frontal lobe, hypothalamus, and hippocampus. As a result, chocolate lessens your anxiety. That's why people crave chocolate when they're stressed or when they need reassurance or comfort.

Experts have also found that the cocoa beans from which chocolates are made contain chemicals that trigger serotonin production in the body. Serotonin is a hormone responsible for feelings of joy and happiness. Endorphins are another hormone that affects a person's mood, and chocolate helps release those too.

How could something as simple as chocolate be so complex? Well, it is! And while the research on this flavorful ingredient is still on, we bring you five decadent chocolate cake recipes to satiate your chocolate craving.

Gluten Free Chocolate Cake

This chocolate cake recipe will produce a confection so moist and rich, you'll never tell it's gluten free. It is supremely easy to make and allows you to combine any flavors you like.

Ingredients-
For the cake-

• 1 cups all-purpose gluten free flour or cake mix
  
• teaspoon xanthan gum (optional)
  
• 2 cups granulated sugar
  
• cups cocoa powder
  
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
  
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
  
• 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
  
• 1 cup buttermilk (or a mix of 1 cup unsweetened coconut milk and 1 tablespoon white vinegar)
  
• cup softened butter
  
• 2 large eggs at room temperature
  
• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
  
• 1 cup freshly brewed strong hot coffee
  

• 1 cup softened butter
  
• 3 cups powdered sugar
  
• cup unsweetened cocoa powder
  
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  
• cup heavy whipping cream
  

1. Preheat the oven to 350 F.
   
2. Take a 9-inch square or round deep pan for cake, and line it with parchment paper. Grease the parchment paper lightly with butter, sprinkle a little flour, and set the pan aside.
   
3. In a large stand mixer bowl, take gluten free all purpose flour, xanthan gum, salt, baking powder, cocoa powder, baking soda and sugar, and mix all the dry ingredients on low speed until combined well.
   
4. Take a medium-sized mixing bowl, whisk together the eggs, buttermilk, butter and vanilla extract with a hand blender on medium speed for 3-4 minutes or until fluffy.
   
5. Slowly pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients while the mixer runs on low speed for around 4-5 minutes or until everything is well blended.
   
6. Add hot coffee to the batter and mix on low speed for another 1-2 minutes until the batter becomes a little thinner.
   
7. Pour the batter into the prepared cake pan and bake it for 30 minutes.
   
8. Remove the cake from the oven and let it cool for 8-10 minutes in the pan before placing it on a wire rack to cool completely. In the meantime, prepare the buttercream.
   

1. Add the butter to the bowl of a stand mixer and beat it for 2-3 minutes on high speed until it is completely smooth.
   
2. Add sugar, cocoa powder, vanilla extract, and heavy cream to the butter and mix on medium speed for 5-7 minutes or until the frosting is fluffy and light. Divide the frosting into and portions.
   
3. Frost the cake with chocolate buttercream. Keep it in the refrigerator for an hour or two before serving.
   

Chocolate Walnut Carrot Cake

This Chocolate Walnut Carrot Cake is an ideal weekend treat. The creaminess of the frosting and the chocolate, combined with the spice of cinnamon and ginger, truly brings this classic cake recipe to life, while the finely shredded carrots give it a wonderfully silky texture.

Ingredients-

• 1 cups all purpose flour
  
• cup cocoa powder
  
• teaspoon baking powder
  
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
  
• 1 cup unsalted softened butter
  
• cup brown sugar
  
• 3 large eggs
  
• 1 cups finely grated carrots
  
• cup roughly chopped dark chocolate (70% cocoa solids)
  
• teaspoon ground cinnamon
  
• teaspoon ground dry ginger
  
• cup walnut pieces
  

• cup unsalted softened butter
  
• cup full-fat cream cheese
  
• 1 teaspoon vanilla essence
  
• 1 cups icing sugar
  
• cup cocoa powder
  
• cup walnut pieces
  

1. Preheat the oven to 350 F. Take two 8-inch round cake pans, and line them with parchment paper. Grease the parchment papers lightly with butter, sprinkle a little flour on them, and set the pans aside.
   
2. Take a large mixing bowl, add eggs, sugar, and butter, and beat them with an electric hand blender for 5 minutes on medium speed or until frothy. Add carrots to the mixture and combine well.
   
3. Take a medium-sized mixing bowl and add dry ingredients- flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, dark chocolate, and nuts, and mix well with a stirrer.
   
4. Add the dry ingredients to the egg-sugar-butter-carrot mixture and combine wet and dry ingredients with the blender for about 5 minutes on medium speed, or until the batter smoothens.
   
5. Pour the batter evenly into two prepared cake pans. Bake them for 28 to 30 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean from the center without crumbs. Transfer the sponge cakes to a wire rack and let them cool to room temperature.
   
6. For the cream cheese frosting, take a medium-sized mixing bowl. Add butter, cream cheese, vanilla, icing sugar and cocoa, and beat with the blender on low speed for 3-4 minutes, or until very smooth and creamy. Use half the topping mixture to sandwich the sponges and spread the remaining on the top. Sprinkle walnuts and refrigerate for an hour before serving.
   

Triple Chocolate Layer Cake

This triple chocolate layer cake is one of the best homemade chocolate cake recipes there is. It has a fudgy, super moist chocolate base, and a light-textured upper deck. We call it the triple chocolate layer cake even though it only has two layers, and that's because chocolate is used three times in this recipe- the chocolate cake, chocolate frosting, and chocolate chips. Of course, you can prepare this as a sheet cake as well.

Ingredients-

• 1 cups all purpose flour
  
• cup unsweetened cocoa powder
  
• 1 cups granulated sugar
  
• 2 teaspoon baking soda
  
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
  
• 1 teaspoon salt
  
• 2 teaspoons espresso powder (optional)
  
• cup unsalted softened butter
  
• 2 large eggs at room temperature
  
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  
• 1 cup buttermilk at room temperature
  
• 1 cup freshly brewed strong hot coffee or hot water
  

• 1 cups unsalted butter, softened
  
• 3 cups confectioners' sugar
  
• cup unsweetened cocoa powder
  
• 5 tablespoons heavy cream
  
• teaspoon salt
  
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  
• Semi-sweet chocolate chips
  

1. Preheat the oven to 350 F. Take two 9-inch cake pans, line them with parchment paper, then lightly grease the paper with butter and sprinkle some flour onto it.
   
2. Take a large bowl and add flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, espresso powder, and salt and whisk all the dry ingredients with a spatula. Set aside.
   
3. Use a stand mixer with a whisker and large mixing bowl and add butter, vanilla and eggs, and combine them on high speed for 3-4 minutes or until mixed well. Add buttermilk and mix until combined.
   
4. Pour dry ingredients into wet ingredients, add hot water or coffee, and whisk all the ingredients on low speed for 4 minutes or until the batter is completely combined. Make sure the batter is thin.
   
5. Evenly divide the batter between both the cake pans. Bake for around 30 minutes or until the toothpick test comes out clean. Remove the spongy cakes from the oven and let them cool on a wire rack. Check the internal temperature of the cake with the help of a Food Thermometer. Make sure that the cake completely cools. Let's make the frosting in the meantime.
   
6. To make the chocolate buttercream- Use a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment; beat the butter on low speed for about 3-4 minutes or until creamy. Add confectioners' sugar, heavy cream, cocoa powder, salt and vanilla extract. Beat the ingredients on low speed for around 45 seconds, then on high speed for about 45 seconds more. Make sure not to over-whip the buttercream; it should not be too thick or too thin.
   
7. Assembling and frosting of the cake- If your cakes are a little uneven on the surface, use a large serrated knife for leveling. Sandwich both layers generously with frosting, but reserve a larger portion of the frosting for the top and sides. Place the cake on the cake stand. Spread the remaining chocolate buttercream frosting all over the top and sides of the cake with an icing spatula and bench scraper. Garnish the cake with chocolate chips.
   
8. Refrigerate your triple chocolate layer cake for an hour and serve chilled.
   

One Bowl Sour Cream Chocolate Cake

You can't bake a simpler cake than this. Most of the ingredients used in this recipe are easily available in any household in the United States, and it does not require multiple gadgets or vessels either. This easy-to-make, moist and fudgy one bowl sour cream chocolate cake does not need any frosting or filling. And the figurative icing on the cake is that you can store it in an airtight container for up to 5 days in the refrigerator. What more do you need!

Ingredients-

• cup unsalted butter
  
• cup unsweetened crushed chocolate
  
• cup bee-honey
  
• 1 cup all purpose flour
  
• cup sweetened cocoa powder, divided
  
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
  
• 1 cup granulated sugar
  
• teaspoon salt
  
• 2 large eggs at room temperature
  
• cup sour cream
  
• cup whole milk
  
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  
• cup heavy whipping cream
  

1. Preheat the oven to 350 F. Take a 9-inch springform cake pan, line it with parchment paper, lightly butter the sides, and set the pan aside.
   
2. Take a small saucepan and use the boiling water to melt butter, chocolate and honey together. Make sure not to put it on the stove directly. Stir frequently until a smooth paste is formed, and allow it to cool to room temperature.
   
3. Take a large-sized mixing bowl and add flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, sugar and salt, and whisk all the ingredients with an electric hand blender for 1-2 minutes. Add eggs, sour cream, milk and vanilla and beat the mixture with the blender for 3-4 minutes on medium speed. Add the honey-chocolate- butter mixture and blend for 2 more minutes or until the batter is smooth enough. Don't overwhip it.
   
4. Pour your cake batter into the springform pan and smoothen the surface with an icing spatula. Bake for about 40-50 minutes or until the cake passes the toothpick test. Remove the pan from the oven and allow it to cool for 15 minutes on a wire rack. Transfer the cake to a wire to completely cool.
   
5. Top the cake with freshly whipped cream and dust with cocoa. Refrigerate your One Bowl Sour Cream Chocolate Cake for an hour and serve chilled.
   

Classic Chocolate Cake

If you don't want to bake a fancy cake that requires an elaborate process and many ingredients, this classic chocolate cake recipe is the one for you.

Ingredients-

• 1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
  
• 2 cups all purpose flour
  
• 2 cups granulated sugar
  
• 1 teaspoons baking powder
  
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
  
• 1 teaspoon salt
  
• 3 large eggs, at room temperature
  
• 1 cup unsalted melted butter, at room temperature
  
• cup sour cream
  
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  
• 1 cups boiling water
  

1. Preheat your oven to 350 F. Take a 9-inch round cake pan, line it with parchment paper, then lightly grease the paper with butter and sprinkle a pinch of flour onto it.
   
2. Take a medium mixing bowl. Add the cocoa powder and boiling water to it and combine until smooth. Set aside.
   
3. Take a large-sized bowl, add flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt and whisk them with a spatula until mixed well. Add eggs, butter, sour cream and vanilla extract and beat all the ingredients with an electric hand blender on medium speed for 2-3 minutes. Add the water-cocoa powder mixture to the batter in a steady stream for 2-3 minutes on low speed or until the batter is thin and smooth.
   
4. Transfer the batter to the cake pan and bake for 35- 40 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean from the center of the cake. Remove the cake from the oven and allow it to cool in the pan for 10 minutes on the wire rack. Remove the cake from the pan and let it cool completely. You can enjoy the cake immediately, or refrigerate it for an hour and sift sugar and cocoa powder on top before serving.
   

Baking Tips

1. Baking time varies for every recipe, so one must keep a close eye on the baking process for best results.
   
2. Sometimes after baking, cakes sink in the center during the cooling process. Level the cake with a serrated knife to make it more presentable.
   
3. If used in moderate quantities, espresso powder enhances the flavor of a chocolate cake, and the cake does not taste like coffee. Try this hack for a flavorful cake.
   
4. To get a super moist chocolate cake, avoid baking it at a high temperature for too long. It makes the cake dry. Simply preheat the oven and bake the cake at a low temperature.
   
5. When mixing ingredients for the batter, if you don't add ingredients in the order specified in the recipe's instructions, you may end up with different results. When baking a cake, follow the recipe carefully for desired texture and sponginess.
6. You can use yogurt instead of eggs in the batter if you don't like eggs. Yogurt will give you the same rise and sponginess.
   
7. Don't use butter in your triple chocolate layer cake batter, use oil. Cocoa powder is a drying ingredient and the cake needs oil for the right amount of moisture.
   
8. Hot liquid enhances the flavor of the cocoa powder and helps it dissolve properly. If the volume of your dry ingredients for the batter is large, you need hot water or coffee to break up the lumps of cocoa powder in all that flour. If you don't drink coffee, you can use hot water.