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This Death by Chocolate Cake is for SERIOUS chocolate lovers only! Featuring three layers of moist chocolate cake, chocolate fudge sauce, chocolate frosting, and chocolate chips, this cake is a chocolate lovers dream come true!
Death by Chocolate Cake Recipe
What in the world could possibly be better than homemade chocolate cake? DEATH BY CHOCOLATE CAKE. That’s what!
This sinfully decadent dessert begins with three luscious layers of chocolate cake. Each layer is slathered in rich chocolate buttercream, then enrobed in a layer of hot fudge. Finally, the entire cake is coated with chocolate shavings, then sprinkled with mini chocolate chips.
Chocolate HEAVEN ↓
P.S. This cake may look fancy, but I promise it’s simple enough for anyone to throw together! I timed myself the last time I baked this and, much to my surprise, found I had it baked, frosted, and ready to be served in less than 2 hours. Not too shabby!
How to make Death by Chocolate Cake
Tips and Tricks for Recipe Success:
- For the hot fudge layer you can make your own using this recipe, or use your favorite store bought brand.
- I suggest using high-quality chocolate for this recipe.
- This recipe calls for vegetable oil, but you may use an equal amount of melted coconut oil in its place, if preferred. I do not recommend substituting oil with melted butter.
- For best results, make sure your eggs, egg yolks, sour cream, and milk have all come to room temperature before you begin baking.
- When you measure your flour, be sure you’re not packing it into the measuring cup. Packed flour will yield a dense and dry cake.
- The cake layers should all be baked on the middle rack of your oven. If there’s not enough room in your oven to bake them all in an even row at once, you can bake them in two batches.
- For the rich chocolate frosting, you’ll want to make sure your butter is VERY soft before creaming it.
- The cakes should be completely cooled before adding the frosting and hot fudge sauce.
- The assembly is a two part process: you’ll place one cake level on a large plate, top it with a thin layer of frosting, then add the hot fudge, then add another cake level and repeat. Once you’ve added the final cake level you’ll want to leave the top bare and place the cake in the fridge to set for one hour. Once it’s set, you can finish frosting it and add the edible decorations.
This cake is literally chocolate on chocolate on chocolate on more chocolate. This cake is intense. This cake is a chocolate lovers paradise.
Next time you’re craving chocolate, treat yourself to this death by chocolate cake. Trust me, you’ll love it. And it’ll keep, covered in the fridge, for about a week. Meaning you could technically eat death by chocolate cake 7 nights in a row. A blessing and a curse if you know what I mean 😉
More Chocolate Cake Recipes:
- Ultimate Chocolate Cheesecake
- Chocolate Zucchini Cake
- The Best Chocolate Sheet Cake
- Super Decadent Chocolate Cake with Fudge Frosting
- Easy Single Layer Chocolate Cake
- Triple Layer German Chocolate Cake
If you try this recipe, let me know what you think! Leave a comment below, and don’t forget to snap a pic and tag it #bakerbynature on instagram! Seeing your creations makes my day ♥
Death by Chocolate Cake
Ingredients
For the chocolate cake:
- 1 and 1/2 cups granulated sugar
- 1 and 1/2 cups light brown sugar, packed
- 2 and 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (not packed!)
- 1 and 3/4 cups unsweetened cocoa powder, sifted
- 3 teaspoons baking soda
- 1 and 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 and 1/4 teaspoons salt
- 3 large eggs + 2 large egg yolks, at room temperature
- 1 and 1/2 cups whole milk
- 1/3 cup full-fat sour cream
- 3/4 cup vegetable oil (you may also sub in melted coconut oil)
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 and 1/2 cups hot water
- 1 cup chocolate chips
For the chocolate frosting:
- 2 cups unsalted butter (4 sticks, 16 ounces), VERY soft
- 4 and 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar, sifted
- 3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder, sifted
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 3 tablespoons heavy cream (more if needed)
- 2 tablespoons hot fudge sauce
Garnish:
- 1 cup hot fudge sauce sauce (please see post for more on this)
- 4 ounces semi-sweet or dark chocolate, shaved
- 1 and 1/2 cups chocolate chips
Instructions
For the chocolate cake:
- Preheat oven to 350°(F). Cut out three 9-inch round segments of parchment paper to line your cake pans with. Spray each pan generously - sides and bottom - with nonstick cooking spray, then place the parchment paper cut out in the bottom of the pans and spray again. It's important to make sure every bit of pan and paper are sprayed so your cakes don't get stuck. Set pans aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, or in a large bowl using a handheld electric mixer, combine both sugars, flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder and salt; mix on low until dry ingredients are thoroughly combined. Use your hands to break up any large clumps, if needed.
- In a separate bowl combine the eggs, egg yolks, milk, sour cream, oil and vanilla extract; mix until completely combined.
- Pour mixture into the dry ingredients and beat on low until just incorporated. Pour in hot water and continue mixing until completely combined; about 1 minute. The batter will quite thin. Quickly fold in mini chocolate chips.
- Divide batter evenly among prepared pans. Bake in preheated oven for 28 to 30 minutes, or until a wooden toothpick or cake tester inserted in the center of a cake comes out clean or with just a few moist crumbs attached.
- Cool cakes for 10 minutes in the pan before removing from pans and transferring to a cooling rack. Cool cakes completely before frosting.
For the chocolate frosting:
- In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, or in a large bowl using a handheld electric beater, cream the softened butter on medium-speed until completely smooth; about 3 minutes.
- Turn the mixer off and sift the powdered sugar and cocoa into the mixing bowl. Turn the mixer on the lowest speed and mix until the sugar/cocoa have been absorbed by the butter; about 2 minutes. Increase mixer speed to medium; add in vanilla extract, salt, heavy cream and hot fudge; beat for 3 minutes. If your frosting appears a little too thin, add a little more confectioners' sugar; If your frosting needs to be thinner, add additional heavy cream, 1 tablespoon at a time.
Assembly:
- Using a serrated knife, carefully trim the raised top of each cake, making each one an even, level surface. Transfer 1 layer to a large plate or cake stand.
- Spread a thin layer of frosting on top, then add a 1/2 cup of hot fudge sauce; top with another cake layer, and repeat, thinly spread it with a layer of frosting, then adding a 1/2 cup of hot fudge sauce. Top with the final cake layer and place cake in the fridge to set for 1 hour.
- Once set, finishing frosting the top and sides of the cake. Sprinkle the sides and top with chocolate shavings, then gently press the mini chocolate chips around the sides and on the top.
- Slice and serve, or keep refrigerated for about a week.
Hey there, I’m planning to make this cake for Thanksgiving. In regards to hot fudge sauce…Is it the one in the jar or the one you squeeze out of bottle(like Hersheys)
Hi Wendy! I suggest a thick fudge, like one you’d find in a jar 😉
This was a hit! I made this for my son’s birthday …it was gone in seconds! This was a big deal for me as this was my first ever homemade cake Thank you Ashley foe sharing your passion, your ideas and your time.
I just made this and it is delicious! I did forget to put the mini chocolate chips in the batter, so mine wasn’t a true ” death”. I look forward to trying your chocolate cheesecake.
Loved this recipe, easy to make and tastes great as well. I made this for my team’s birthday event and everybody in my team liked the cake. Thanks for the recipe Ashley.
I had two quick questions about the recipe:
1. After we pour the hot water in the batter and combine it and then fold in the chocolate chips, do we intent to melt them before pouring the cake batter, or is it fine if there are still chunks of chips in the batter. If we want the chocolate chips chunk to remain in the batter, how do we avoid sinking of the chips to the bottom of the cake?
2. I made the frosting as directed in the recipe above, still when I started frosting the cake, I felt it was a little grainy(i think due to the cocoa powder), do you have any suggestion why that will happen?
I read somewhere you can coat/toss the chocolate chips with flour first to help keep them from sinking to the bottom when doing cupcakes, so I would think would help here.
Can I use this recipy to make cupcakes?
I made this cake twice. Once for my husband’s birthday, back in March. He was BLOWN AWAY by the awesome taste. He kept saying “This is the best chocolate cake I’ve ever had.” Pretty high praise from a guy whose Mother was a pastry chef for a living. The second time was when I had my 15 yr old god daughter helping me make “family dinner”. I got the ingredients, baked the layers, and let the butter soften. She made the butter cream, assembled the layers and frosted it according to the recipe. Turned out great a 2nd time also! MAKE THIS CAKE!! You’ll never regret it although your hips will curse you……
Can I use butter instead of oil?
Hi,
Was wondering if I can use buttermilk in place of the milk?
Absolutely fantastic! Me and my two year old made this cake together! Next time I think we may try the coffee!
Can you make this cake in a rectangular pan? If so what size? Thsnks