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chocolate layer cake
This fluffy, chocolaty cake is a blank canvas for your favorite frosting and decorations.
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Prepare Ingredients
Gather Baking Equipment
Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 325 degrees. Spray inside bottom and sides of each 9-inch round cake pan with vegetable oil spray. Line each cake pan with 9-inch round piece of parchment paper.
In medium bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
In large bowl, whisk together milk, oil, eggs, and vanilla.
Add flour mixture to liquid mixture and use rubber spatula to stir until just combined and no dry flour is visible. Do not overmix.
Use rubber spatula to divide batter evenly between parchment-lined cake pans and smooth tops. (Spread batter out to edges of each pan to create even layer.)
Place cake pans in oven. Bake until toothpick inserted in center of each cake comes out clean, 34 to 36 minutes.
Use oven mitts to remove cake pans from oven (ask an adult for help). Place cake pans on cooling rack and let cakes cool completely in pans, about 1 hour.
Run butter knife around edge of each cake to loosen cake from pan (see photos, below). Remove cakes from their pans and discard parchment paper. Assemble and frost cake (click here to learn how to frost a layer cake). Cut cake into wedges and serve.
Remove cake from pan 1
Run butter knife around edge of cake to release cake from pan.
Place cooling rack on top of cake pan. Hold bottom of cake pan with 1 hand and place other hand on top of cooling rack. Turn over pan so cake falls onto rack. Remove cake pan.
Remove Cake From Pan 2
Carefully peel parchment paper away from cake and discard. Place cutting board or serving platter on top of cake and flip cake right side up onto cutting board or serving platter.
Remove cooling rack.
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Food for Thought
How to Cut Parchment Paper or Cardboard Rounds for Cakes
Lining cake pans with parchment paper rounds prevents cakes from sticking and makes them easier to remove. Cardboard rounds help with moving frosted cakes from one place to another. Here’s how to cut parchment rounds:
Place cake pan on sheet of parchment paper or piece of cardboard. Use pencil to trace around bottom of pan.
Cut out parchment or cardboard with scissors, following traced line.
What is Dutch-Processed Cocoa Powder?
A process called Dutching, which was invented in the 19th century by a Dutch chemist and chocolatier named Coenraad Van Houten, gives cocoa powder a more chocolaty flavor and deeper brown color. Dutching also raises cocoa powder’s pH level (pH tells us how acidic or basic something is). Dutch-processed cocoa powder, sometimes called alkalized or European-style cocoa powder, is the best choice for most baked goods, including this chocolate cake. Using a natural (unalkalized) cocoa powder creates a drier cake that is a lighter brown color.
Natural Cocoa
Lighter color, drier texture
Dutch-Processed Cocoa
Darker color, moist texture
