3-Layer Chocolate Cake with buttercream frosting

Why You'll Love This Cake

This easy homemade chocolate cake is moist and delicious.  Rich chocolate layers are frosted with decadent chocolate buttercream frosting.

Imagine sinking your fork into a slice of moist, velvety chocolate cake that practically melts in your mouth. That's what awaits you with this triple layer chocolate cake. Each layer is rich and chocolately with just the right amount of sweetness.

Whether you're a chocoholic or just someone who appreciates a good dessert, this cake will have you coming back for seconds. If you love chocolate desserts, try my Chocolate Chess Pie, Dark Chocolate Brownies, and Easy Chocolate Muffins!

Readers' Tips

• Lydia wrote, "I made this cake for my dad's birthday. It is soo good! We put nutter butters on it and everyone wants a piece. I tried putting a picture, but it turns out I'm not good at Pinterest yet. Anyway, thanks for sharing the recipe! 🙂 "
• Melissa added, "Great recipe!!! I added instant coffee to the boiling water before pouring it into the cocoa. And I used a dark Dutch pressed cocoa. I have been trying chocolate cupcake recipes and my hubby said this is definitely the best by far! I made it into cupcakes instead of a cake. It made 44! I didn't use the frosting recipe. I used a vanilla buttercream!"

Key ingredients

Let's take a quick look at the ingredients for this cake. Each ingredient in this recipe serves a specific purpose in creating the perfect texture, flavor, and structure for your triple layer chocolate cake. All ingredients should be room temperature for the best results.

All-purpose flour - flour is the main ingredient. It provides the essential structure and texture, ensuring that the cake holds its shape while remaining tender and moist. The type of flour used can significantly impact the final result - so don't get tempted to use self-rising flour.

Unsweetened cocoa powder - another key ingredient is the cocoa powder! It's what gives this cake its rich chocolate flavor. We use the unsweetened version because we are adding just the right amount of sugar to the cake batter.

Unsalted butter - butter adds richess, flavor, tenderness, and moisture to the cake. Stick with unsalted butter because we will add just the right amount of salt needed.

Granulated sugar - basically, sugar provides sweetness and makes the cake enjoyable and satisfying to eat! But you already knew that, right 🙂

Large eggs - eggs provide moisture for the cake, and they also act as binders, holding the ingredients together and preventing them from separating during mixing and baking. Neat!

Pure vanilla extract - largely a flavor enhancer, vanilla extract is a small yet key ingredient for this cake.

Baking soda and baking powder - These two work together to help the cake rises while baking. It's what makes it light and fluffy!

Powdered sugar - this is for the chocolate buttercream frosting -- truly, the icing on the cake! 🙂 Also known as confectioners' sugar or icing sugar, it gives the frosting its decadent sweetness. We'll add a little milk for the perfect consistency for spreading it on the cake.

Substitutions and Additions

For a deeper chocolate flavor, try using dark cocoa powder. For an extra touch of decadence, add chocolate chips or chopped nuts to the batter.

Reader Tip: Melissa adds instant coffee to the boiling water before mixing it with the cocoa powder. She says it gives the cake an even richer chocolate flavor.

How to Accurately Measure Dry Ingredients

Have you ever heard someone say, "I never measure ingredients, I just eyeball it." That's fine and dandy, but when it comes to baking, precision is important. Using the proper measuring technique can make or break the outcome!

So, here's how to properly measure those dry ingredients so you get the best results!

1. For ingredients such as flour, cocoa powder, and powdered sugar, spoon the ingredient into the measuring cup, pile it slightly above the rim, then level it off with the back of a knife. For baking soda and baking powder, fill the measuring spoon and level off the top.
2. Here's a great YouTube tutorial on How to Measure Dry Ingredients.

How to Make a 3-Layer Chocolate Cake

For the absolute best results, please follow the actual recipe card!

Step 1. In a large mixing bowl, blend the butter and sugar until creamy (6-7 minutes). Blend in the eggs and vanilla extract until well combined.

Step 2. In another large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.

Step 3. In a medium bowl, whisk the unsweetened cocoa powder and boiling water until no lumps remain.

Why use boiling water? The hot water blooms the cocoa powder, helping bring out a deeper, richer chocolate flavor. It also helps the cocoa dissolve smoothly into the batter.

Step 4. Gradually incorporate the dry ingredients and chocolate mixture into the bowl containing the butter and sugar, alternating between the two.

Step 5. Evenly spread the cake batter into the three 8-inch round cake pans and place them into the oven. Bake 22-28 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean (not ooey gooey with cake batter).

Step 6. Remove the cake pans from the oven and let them cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Then one at a time, turn the cake pans over to release the cakes onto a wire rack to cool completely (20-30 minutes). Cakes should be completely cool before frosting them.

Step 7. After the cake layers have completely cooled, make the chocolate buttercream frosting.

Step 8. Add the frosting between each layer and then top the cake with frosting! I like to leave the sides unfrosted because I think it makes the cake unique and shows off those rich chocolate layers 🙂

How to Make Even Layers

Here are some tips to get those cake layers even. When your cake layers are even, they fit together seamlessly, making assembly much easier. Uneven layers can be challenging to stack and frost evenly, potentially leading to a lopsided or unstable cake.

• If you want perfectly even layers, use a kitchen scale to weigh the batter and ensure each pan gets an equal amount. This is especially important if you're making a multi-layer cake.
• Use an offset spatula to spread the cake batter evenly in each pan and smooth the surface before baking.
• Gently tap each cake pan on the countertop a few times to release any large air bubbles. This helps the cake layers bake more evenly.
• If your cakes have a slight dome or uneven tops, you can use a cake leveler or a serrated knife to trim them to an even height.

Make Ahead Tips

To save time, make the cake layers the day before. Let them cool completely, then cover the pans tightly with foil or plastic wrap. They'll be ready to frost the next day.

You can also make the cake layers and freeze them a month in advance! Make the cake layers but don't frost them. Once the layers have completely cooled, wrap them in plastic wrap and place each layer in a freezer bag. Freeze the cake layers for up to 1 month. When you are ready to assemble the cake, remove the cake layers from the freezer and let them thaw on the countertop. Then, make the frosting and frost the cake layers.

Baking Tips for Success

• Ensure your ingredients are at room temperature for a smoother batter and better texture.
• Don't overmix the batter; mix just until combined to avoid a dense cake.
• Use a toothpick or cake tester to check for doneness; it should come out with a few moist crumbs when inserted into the center.
• Grease and flour your cake pans to prevent sticking. You can also add a round piece of parchment paper to the pans before filling.

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If you tried this recipe, please rate it and let me know in the comments. I'd love to know how it turned out for you.

This recipe was originally published in 2020 and was updated in 2026.

Nutritional information is provided as a courtesy to my readers. I'm not a nutritionist and I don't guarantee the accuracy of this data. The data may differ according to the brands I used versus the brands you use. To calculate the data yourself using your brands, try using an online nutrition calculator or app.