This easy recipe makes a moist and fluffy chocolate cake covered with chocolate frosting, then finished with chocolate ganache. The ganache is dripped down the sides of the cake, then topped with sprinkles and swirls of frosting. This cake is impressive and yet simple to put together!
Homemade Chocolate Drip Cake
This chocolate cake is everything you could ever want in a cake. Fluffy and moist chocolate cake covered with whipped chocolate frosting then finished with a chocolate ganache that is dripped down the sides and topped with even more frosting. This cake is perfect for birthdays, anniversaries, you name it! And the best part is that while the finished cake looks super impressive, it’s actually simple to put together. I’ve included step-by-step instructions below along with photos to help you make the best cake ever.
They say the proof is in the pudding, but in this case, the proof is in the cake. My husband hardly ever eats any of my desserts. He is the most particular person when it comes to chocolate cake. But I’m a little embarrassed to tell you that the two of us actually ate this entire cake over 4-5 days. Yes, it is that good. Try it. You’re welcome.
What is a Drip Cake?
A drip cake is a cake that has ganache across the top and dripped down its sides. The base can be any kind of cake – vanilla, chocolate, you name it. The ganache is usually made with either regular or white chocolate. For this recipe, we are using dark chocolate to make a rich ganache that is spread over the top of the cake and then dripped down the sides. It’s easy to do and it looks fancy too!
What You’ll Need
Even though this chocolate cake looks all kinds of fancy, the truth is that you only need a few simple ingredients to make it. Here’s what you’ll need. Be sure to scroll down to the recipe card for specific amounts.
- Granulated sugar
- Vegetable oil – Oil tends to make cakes more moist than butter. It also makes the crumb and texture a bit more tender.
- Eggs
- Pure vanilla extract – Be sure you get a high-quality REAL vanilla extract.
- Sour cream – Sour cream helps keep this cake moist.
- Dry Ingredients – All-purpose flour, baking powder and baking soda, salt.
- Natural Unsweetened Cocoa Powder
- Espresso powder (optional) – Sometimes I like to add espresso powder to chocolate cakes, it helps intensify the chocolate flavor. The espresso powder is optional, or can be substituted for a fine ground coffee or omitted.
- Brewed Coffee – Coffee helps bring out the chocolate flavor, but don’t worry, the cake don’t taste like coffee at all. I recommend using hot coffee.
Ingredient Substitutions
I don’t recommend ingredient substitutions whenever possible, but know that sometimes they are necessary. Here are some suggestions:
- Sour cream – If you don’t have sour cream. I recommend substituting with non-fat Greek yogurt. The recipe calls for light sour cream, but you can also use full-fat sour cream.
- Brewed Coffee – If you don’t want to use coffee you can also use milk.
Can I use a Dutch-processed cocoa powder for this recipe?
Yes, you can! I have tested this recipe with my favorite Dutch-processed cocoa powder from Rodelle. In order to make this chocolate cake with dutch processed cocoa, adjust the baking powder to 2 teaspoons and then ADD 1/2 teaspoon baking soda (so 1 teaspoon total). The amount of cocoa powder is 1 to 1 with a regular unsweetened cocoa powder.
How to Make Chocolate Drip Cake
Are you ready to make the best chocolate cake ever? Here’s how to do it:
Prepare Your Pans for Baking
Believe it or not, how you prepare your cake pans can have a huge impact on the finished product. Why? Because a properly prepped cake pan allows your cake to bake throughout and also makes it easier for you to remove the cake from the pan after it’s cooled. Here is how I prep my pans for this chocolate cake recipe:
- Line the pans. I recommend lining the bottom of my pans with parchment paper or a Silpat silicone baking mat. This helps the cake easily release from the pan.
- Grease the sides of the pan with Crisco vegetable spread
- Add flour.Coat the grease with a mixture of flour and cocoa powder. Lightly dust and then empty any remaining flour out of the pans
- For flat cake tops. I recommend using bake even stripes to help make these cake flatter on top, which means less of a dome and less wasted cake!
Make the Chocolate Cake
1. Prep: Preheat your oven to 350F. Prep your cake pans.
2. Mix wet ingredients: Start by combing the granulated sugar with the, eggs, oil and vanilla extract and beat them together until fluffy. Then add sour cream and beat until well combined.
3. Combine dry ingredients. Then alternate adding half the coffee and half of the dry ingredients to the batter at a time and beat until incorporated. Slowly adding the coffee and the dry ingredients will prevent you from overmixing the batter.
4. Pour the batter into prepared pans. Divide the batter evenly among the cake pans.
5. Bake.These cakes bake at 350F for 20-24 minutes. Rotate your pans in the oven halfway through baking to allow for even baking. Cool to room temperature before frosting.
Make the Frosting
For this cake, I made my traditional chocolate frosting with Rodelle Baking Cocoa. It’s a Dutch-processed cocoa powder with one of the highest concentrations of cocoa butter on the market. It gives this frosting an extra rich and deep chocolate flavor. You can make this buttercream with any type of cocoa powder, but Rodelle is a high-quality ingredient and it really comes through in the taste.
My secret for making my frosting recipe is that I start with cold butter, not room-temperature butter. I spend several minutes beating the frosting in the beginning. Essentially, the mixer is softening the butter for you, but this base gives you perfect whipped and fluffy frosting.
- Whip the cold butter. Cut the butter into pieces. Using the paddle attachment, whip butter for 3-4 minutes, scraping down the bowl occasionally. Beat until the butter is very soft and whipped.
- Add cocoa powder and beat until combine.
- Add powdered sugar, whipping cream and vanilla extract. Alternate adding 2-3 cups of powdered sugar at a time with the liquid ingredients. Add a pinch of salt if needed. With each addition of powdered sugar, be sure to beat the frosting really well.
- Beat until fluffy Once all ingredients have been added, whip for 3-4 minutes until the frosting is light and airy. If the frosting is too thick, add additional heavy whipping cream 1/2 tablespoon at a time.
Make the Chocolate Ganache
- Melt the chocolate. Microwave the chocolate together with the heavy cream in 30 second increments, stirring as needed.
- Allow the chocolate to cool. I like to drizzle the ganache on the side of a glass to see how far it will fall down the glass, if it’s too fast, the ganache is probably too hot still.
Assemble
If you’re new to making layer cakes, I have a full cake tutorial from start to finish. I’ve also included a video of this recipe which might help.
- Level your cakes. Remove any domes with a serrated knife. Place a dollop of frosting on your cake board and place the bottom layer of cake over that.
- Add frosting between the layers. You’ll need 2-21/2 cup of frosting for the cake layers. You can put this in a large piping bag and cut off the tip about 1 inch up from the bottom or measure out and spread with an angled spatula. If using a piping bag, pipe in circles working outside edge to the middle. Spread evenly with an offset spatula. Repeat for the second and third layers.
- Frost the cake. Use the offset spatula to press any excess frosting onto the edges of the cake to create a crumb coating. To finish, pipe the frosting along the outside edge of the cake using a large open round tip or a cake icer tip. Then use an offset spatula or icing smoother to create a smooth edge.
- Chill the cake. Refrigerate the cake for 15-20 minutes. Be sure that your cake is completely cold before drizzling the ganache.
- Drizzle the ganache. Use a small squirt bottle or using a spoon, hold it directly over the edge of your cake. Squeeze out more ganache for a longer or thicker drizzle. Add sprinkles if desired. Let it set.
- Add sprinkles and rosettes. To pipe the rosettes on top, use a large piping bag fitted with a large open star, fill the piping bag with the remaining frosting, and pipe the border of the cake.
How to Adjust For Different Pan Sizes
I’m frequently asked how to make recipes in pan sizes other than what is in the recipe. Here is how to make this chocolate cake in some of the most common alternate pan sizes:
- For two 9-inch cakes: Bake for 28-32 minutes. Baking times will vary due to how full the pans are, type of pans and true oven temperature. Please note these did “crust” a little more on the outside edge due to extended baking times and they rose quite a bite in the middle, so you’ll lose more of the “dome” of the cake.
- For two 8-inch cakes: This should be baked for approximately 25-30 minutes and about 2 1/4 cups of batter per pan.
- For 6-inch pans: A full recipe will make four 6-inch layers, filling each one with about 1 1/3 cup of batter and baking for approximately 22-28 minutes. A half batch makes two 6-inch layers, and you can follow the recipe for my mini chocolate cake.
- For 10-inch pans: I’ve never tested this with 10-inch pans, but I would recommend a 2-layer cake so you still have nice thick layers. Try baking for 18-20 minutes and assess additional time needed from there.
How to Store a Frosted Cake
This cake is best stored at room temperature in an airtight container such as a cake carrier. If you live in a hot or humid environment, store in an airtight container in the refrigerator, and serve it at room temperature.
Can I Make this Ahead?
You can prepare the cake layers up to 2 days in advance. Wrap them tightly in plastic wrap with a piece of parchment paper on the top and bottom of the cake layer. These can also be stored in an airtight container. Cake layers can also be frozen, or double-wrapped in plastic wrap.
The frosting can also be prepared 1-2 days in advance and kept in an airtight container at room temperature. You’ll need to remix it prior to using it.
Easy Chocolate Drip Cake
- Prep Time: 90 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour 50 minutes
- Yield: 12 slices
- Category: Cake
- Method: Baked
- Cuisine: American
Description
This Chocolate Cake Recipe truly is the BEST EVER! You HAVE TO try it! It’s a 3-layer, super moist chocolate cake with a rich, melt-in-your-mouth chocolate buttercream frosting. And to top it all off, this cake is covered with a chocolate ganache drip. It’s chocolate overload and you won’t regret it.
Ingredients
For the cake:
- 1 ½ cups (285g) granulated sugar
- ½ cup (118 ml) vegetable oil
- 3 large eggs, at room temperature
- 1 tablespoon (15 ml) pure vanilla extract
- ½ cup (118 ml) full-fat sour cream, at room temperature
- 2 cups (280g) all-purpose flour, sifted
- ½ cup (40 g) cocoa powder, sifted
- 1 tablespoon (5g) espresso powder (optional)
- 2 ½ teaspoons (9 g) baking powder
- ½ teaspoon (2 g) baking soda
- 1 teaspoon (5 g) salt
- 1 ¼ cup (296 ml) hot brewed coffee
For the frosting:
- 3 cups (689g) unsalted butter, cold
- 1 ½ cups (167g) cocoa powder (natural unsweetened or dutch processed)
- 9–10 (1171 g) cups powdered sugar
- 3–4 tablespoons (44-58ml) heavy whipping cream
- 1 tablespoon (15ml) pure vanilla extract
- Pinch of salt
- Chocolate sprinkles (optional)
For the ganache:
- 2 ounces (56g) dark chocolate
- 6 tablespoons (88ml) heavy whipping cream
Instructions
For the cake:
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Prepare three 8-inch round baking pans, line the bottom with parchment paper and grease the sides. Prepare the bake even stripes if desired.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine the sugar, vegetable oil, eggs and vanilla extract. Beat on medium speed until well incorporated. Next mix in the sour cream and beat until well combined.
- In a separate bowl, sift together the dry ingredients. To the batter, alternate adding half the dry ingredients followed by half of the coffee and mix just until the flour starts to incorporate. Repeat with remaining ingredients. Use a spatula to scrape down the sides of the bowl and stir the batter from the bottom to the top to ensure it’s well mixed.
- Divide the batter evenly between the three pans, about 1 2/3 cups of batter per pan. Bake at 350°F for 20-24 minutes. Rotate your pans in the oven halfway through baking. Test the cake for doneness by inserting a toothpick into the center of the cake. If the toothpick comes out clean, your cake is done. Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely.
For the frosting:
- Cut the butter into pieces. Using the paddle attachment, whip butter for 3-4 minutes, scraping down the bowl occasionally. Beat until the butter looks light in color. Next, beat the cocoa powder into the butter until well mixed.
- Alternate adding 2-3 cups of powdered sugar at a time with the liquid ingredients: vanilla extract & heavy cream. Add a pinch of salt as needed. Ensure all the powdered sugar is well combined and beat for 2-3 minutes before adding additional powdered sugar.
- Once all ingredients have been added, whip for 3-4 minutes until the frosting is light and airy. If the frosting is too thick, add additional heavy whipping cream 1/2 tablespoon at a time.
For the chocolate ganache:
- In a microwave-safe bowl, combine the chocolate and heavy whipping cream. Melt the chocolate in the microwave at 50% power in 30-second increments and stir until completely combined. Allow to cool.
To assemble this cake:
- Level the cake layer by removing any domes. Place a dollop of frosting on your cake board and place the bottom layer of cake over that.
- Using 2-2/12 cups of frosting in a large piping bag (about 1 cup per layer), pipe the frosting in circles working the outside edge to the middle. Spread evenly with an offset spatula. Add the second layer of cake and add the remaining frosting. Place the third layer of cake on top.
- Use your offset spatula to press any excess frosting onto the edges of the cake. To finish, pipe the frosting along the outside edge of the cake using a large open round tip or a cake icer tip. Then use an offset spatula or icing smoother to create a smooth edge. Refrigerate the cake for 15-20 minutes.
- Use a spoon or piping bag to drizzle the ganache along the edges of the cake. Allow the ganache to set completely. To pipe, the rosettes on top, use a large piping bag, fill the piping bag with the remaining frosting, and pipe the border of the cake. Garnish with chocolate sprinkles.
Notes
Ingredient substitutions:
- Sour cream Use plain yogurt or plain Greek yogurt.
- Brewed Coffee: I recommend using milk instead, but only if needed.
- Cocoa powder: I prefer to use Hershey’s Special Dark Cocoa Powder for the cake and regular or Dutch-processed cocoa powder for the frosting.
Storing
- Storing a finished cake: This cake is best stored at room temperature in an airtight container such as a cake carrier. If you live in a hot or humid environment, store in an airtight container in the refrigerator, and serve it at room temperature. This cake can be made up to 2 days in advance if stored properly.
- Preparing in advance: Prepare the cake layers up to 2 days in advance. Wrap tightly in plastic wrap with a piece of parchment paper on the top and bottom of the cake layer. These can also be stored in an airtight container. Cake layers can also be frozen, double double-wrapped in plastic wrap. The frosting can also be prepared 1-2 days in advance and kept in an airtight container at room temperature. You’ll need to remix it prior to using it.
Cake Pan Sizes:
- For two 9-inch cakes, they baked for 28-32 minutes. Baking times will vary due to how full the pans are, type of pans and the true oven temperature. Please note these did “crust” a little more on the outside edge due to extended baking times and they rose quite a bit in the middle, so you’ll lose more of the “dome” of the cake.
- For two 8-inch cakes, this should be baked for approximately 25-30 minutes, and about 2 1/4 cups of batter per pan and 1 batch of my best chocolate frosting.
- For 6-inch pans: a full recipe will make four 6-inch layers, filling each one with about 1 1/3 cup of batter and baking for approximately 22-28 minutes. A half recipe will make 2 6-inch layers, follow this recipe for a mini chocolate cake.
- For 10-inch pans: I’ve never tested this with 10-inch pans, but I would recommend a 2-layer cake so you still have nice, thick layers. Trying baking for 18-20 minutes and assessing additional time needed from there
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 Slice
- Calories: 1178
- Sugar: 123.2g
- Sodium: 391.9mg
- Fat: 65.7g
- Saturated Fat: 42.1g
- Carbohydrates: 151g
- Fiber: 5.2g
- Protein: 7.9g
- Cholesterol: 186.3mg
I ended up using your moist vanilla cake recipe and then used this recipe for the icing and decorating tips since I wanted to do a vanilla cake with chocolate icing. Unfortunately, the ganache turned out chunky and I followed the recipe and instructions exactly. I found another set of instructions on another site about warming up the cream first then adding the chocolate which is what I’ll try next time. The chocolate frosting was a bit hard to smooth over the cake, but it was my first time attempting to decorate a cake, so I’ll just have to practice more. The cake tasted so incredibly good though! My husband and coworkers loved it.
HI Brittny! Thanks for your comment. Curious what type of chocolate you used? Maybe it didn’t get warm enough. If you use chocolate bars, you shouldn’t have an issue with chunky ganache. The method you mentioned about heating the cream first is another way to make ganache, so give it a whirl! Regarding the frosting, spend more time whipping it so it will be easier for you to frost
hi may I know if this is suitable for wedding cake? if yes, what’s the best buttercream to frost on the outside as I need a white base color
Yes, I think this cake would be great for a wedding cake. You would probably love my Vanilla frosting
will swiss meringue frosting work? and will the 9-10 cups of icing sugar be too sweet? could I lessen it?
Swiss Meringue frosting will work, but for Swiss meringue you won’t using the icing sugar of course. If you are making the icing as written, you can lessen the sugar but if will change the yield, and consistency. Generally speaking I use 2 cups of powered sugar for every 1/2 cup of butter, but each recipe is tweaked according to the results I am looking for.
thank u. I will do a trial bake on this recipe with vanilla frosting! will let u know how it turns out to be..
for a 2 tier cake, I can double both cake and buttercream recipes? how about the vanilla frosting?
I can’t say for certain on the frosting because it depends how much you need for decorations. Here is my vanilla layer cake which has a recipe for 3 layer 8-inch cake. You may need 1.5x this for a 2 layer cake with 8 inch and 6 inch rounds.
I only have 2 9” pans. Do I need to modify the recipe?
You can find the answers to your question in the above blog post under “ Can I bake this in 9 inch pans”. It’s also listed directly in the recipe card. There’s no modifications to the cake recipe only different baking times.
This sounds amazing! I would love to make this for a party of about 20 people. Do you have any tips for making this in a different size/shape?
Hi Robin- what sort of shapes are you looking for? For 20 people, I would consider making 2 9×13 inch pans by doubling the recipe. That would be the easiest way. See my Moist Chocolate Cake for instruction.
Thank you for doing this. Your work is so lovely and it’s really kind of you to share.
You’re welcome Karen!
I plan to make this cake on Friday for a birthday party on Saturday, but instead of using the coffee, I was considering using Kahlua. What are your thoughts? Have you ever tried a substitute for the coffee? Do I use the same amount of Kahlua as coffee?
Thanks!
Hi Debi- sorry I didn’t see this earlier. I am traveling! I have tried it and have not been as successful as I want to be, still flushing out the recipe. You could try 2/3 coffee, 1/3 Kahlua.
Hi, thanks for sharing the recipe. This recipe is very nice. Can you share the recipe for red velvet cake?
You’re welcome. I don’t currently have a made-from-scratch red velvet recipe.
hi,i normally make cke on d day of celebration and d frosting looks watery and somehow,if I’m to make a cake due for Sunday can I make it on Saturday.thnk u
Yes you can make the cake on Saturday and serve it on Sunday. But I am not sure how to answer your question about the frosting, can you provide a little more detail?
Can I make this recipe into cupcakes? My family loved the cake but now my niece wants them in cupcakes for her birthday.
Yes! Here are some specifics for the chocolate cupcakes which are frosted with a chocolate cream cheese, but you can use any chocolate frosting recipe you’d like.
Julianne, this is the first recipe I have ever made from your site, and it was wonderful! My sister and I combined our efforts to create a chocokate birthday cake for our mom’s birthday yesterday, and we used this cake, Sally’s nutella frosting, Lindsay’s chocolate drip, and topped it off with chocolate hazelnut truffles from SBA. We only have 9-inch round cake pans, so we decided to make another half of this recipe, but accidentally added the full amount of milk/water (which we used in place of the coffee, 3/4 cup milk and 1/2 cup water). So we ended up adding another half of all the other ingredients, and it actually worked out! We made three cake layers, which rose up nicely (we used dutch-processed cocoa powder and followed your instructions over how to do so), and we also got ten cupcakes. We probably could’ve gotten closer to fourteen or thirteen, but when the cake batter tastes that good…well, we just couldn’t resist 🙂 All in all, wonderful recipe, and it’ll be my go-to from now on, because I only ever purchase dutch-processed cocoa powder (Rodelle! Same brand you do!), which seems to be more common here in Canada than natural unsweetened. I like to buy the cocoa at Costco, so maybe if I looked in other stores, I would have better luck finding the natural unsweetened variety.
My husband is a big chocolate fun, and I want to make this for Sunday. Can I bake this in 6 inch pan?
Hi Irma! You sure can. I recently made a 6 inch 2 layer cake. I halfed the recipe for the cake, using 2 eggs. And of course you’ll reduce the frosting. I believe I used 3/4 cups-1 cup of butter, 2 cups powdered sugar and 1/4 cocoa powder and 1-2tablespoons heavy cream with a splash of vanilla. You’ll adjust a little bit to suite your taste.
Thank you for sharing this recipe. How many days in advance can I make this?
My event is Friday and I made the cake part on Tuesday, but when should I put it together?
Thanks
Hi Lore, A day or even two if needed should be fine, but I prefer only one day in advance for maximum freshness!
I made this recipe few days back and it was just the most delicious chocolate cake. Even though I didn’t make the buttercream icing I did enjoy it with chocolate ganache. This will be my go to recipe from now. Thank you so much. Much appreciated??
Woohoo! thank you Kavya!
I made this recipe for my husband for his birthday. He is a chocoholic and it seems like his chocolate cakes are never chocolaty enough. He has been raving about this cake for the past three days and it is nearly gone. He said it’s the best he’s ever had in 61 years! As a lifelong baker and someone who went to culinary school this is one that definitely will be made again, and again, and again. Thank you.
OMG I love this!! Thank you for sharing Kathe!
Tried this cake today. It is so moist and delicious. Thank you for sharing such a wonderful recipe..!!
Woohoo! Thank you Sonia! I am glad you enjoyed it!
Hi. I only have one 8″ baking pan. Can I bake the cake in three batches??♀️
Yes, that will be fine. Wash, grease and flour between batches. Also remix the batter with a spatula before the 2nd and third batches to be sure to reincorporate the oil etc.
Could this recipe be used for cupcakes and , if so, how many would it make? Baking temp and time?
Could I use this recipe to make two 10-inch cakes? I’m making a two tier cake for a sweet 16 birthday party with 10 inch and 8 inch tiers.
Yes! It can be baked in two 10-inch pans
How would you make the frosting so that it uses the same concept but so that it is a coffee frosting instead of a chocolate frosting
Coffee frosting is difficult because coffee is a liquid vs cocoa powder which is obviously not! I always use a very strong brewed espresso in place of some of the heavy cream and then add ground espresso for the actual pop of coffee flavor. I have a chocolate mocha cake that is probably what you’re looking for.
I did not use the cake recipe but made the icing. First off, it was way too much icing for a 3 layer 8” cake – even with piping. Also, my icing was very grainy/chalky. I think it might have been my cocoa – I used scharfen berger but expiration was up next month. I would try this again with melted chocolate instead of the cocoa and would half the recipe. Taste was great.
Hi Debbie, it depends on how much frosting you use between your layers and for the decorations on the top and bottom of the cake. Regarding the grainy/chalky flavor, try sifting your cocoa powder, and spending more time whipped your frosting.
I feel its always better to have to much frosting than not enough! 😉
You are my people 🙂
Absolutely amazing! One question though…..I’m not much of a baker……when I made this last, I stuck to the recipe and it was amazing but my daughter wants to use it as the base for her birthday cake. Could I use this to do several layers with chocolate ganache between the layers and then cover in icing and sugarcraft decorations? I’m concerned it’s that fudgy that it may sink and collapse under the weight of decorations. Thanks so much…..fantastic recipe
Hi Rita, that is AWESOME! I am so glad you liked it! Yes, I think what you’re trying to do will work out, but I would add some frosting in the middle, not just a runny ganache. If it’s a runny ganache, I am afraid the layers will slide around if you don’t have dowels or something in them. The frosting in the middle adds stability and also acts like a glue for the whole cake. I hope this makes sense, I am not too familiar with sugar craft decorations.
Great post, Will the layer cake fit in a 9×13 inch pan? I am looking for the chocolate cake recipe for the Mississippi Mud cake recipe.
Hi there, yes, this can be baked in 9×13 inch pack for approximately 28 minutes
Wow. Inspired. Can’t wait to make this!
Thanks Sharon!