The Best Triple Chocolate Layer Cake

The BEST Triple Chocolate Cake — This is the chocolate layer cake to beat out all others. It’s rich, decadent, and everything you want in a triple chocolate cake! 

Layered Triple Chocolate Cake Recipe

This is the chocolate layer cake to beat all. The best. It’s rich, decadent, and everything you want in a chocolate cake. I want another piece right now.

The cake is tender, very moist, and springy thanks to the tenderizing effects of buttermilk and using oil rather than butter. The chocolate flavor is deep, intense, and comes from both cocoa powder and coffee. Rest assured, the cake doesn’t taste like coffee. The coffee simply intensifies and rounds out the chocolate flavor.

The chocolate cream cheese frosting is very thick, decadent, and perfectly tangy from the cream cheese. When you’re mixing the frosting, it will be very thick but that is what you want. Thin it with only as much cream as you need for a spreadable consistency.

I topped my homemade chocolate cake with mini semi-sweet chocolate chips and melted chocolate. As long as I was going overboard with chocolate cake and chocolate frosting, I figured why not? The mini chips add a perfect amount of texture to this otherwise velvety smooth cake and frosting.

Another nice thing they do? Cover up any frosting spreading imperfections. You’re welcome.

What’s in Triple Chocolate Cake? 

For the homemade chocolate cake, you’ll need: 

• All-purpose flour
• Granulated sugar
• Unsweetened cocoa powder
• Baking soda and baking powder
• Kosher salt
• Buttermilk
• Canola oil
• Eggs
• Vanilla extract
• Freshly brewed coffee 

And for the decadent chocolate frosting, you’ll need: 

• Unsalted butter
• Cream cheese
• Unsweetened cocoa powder
• Vanilla extract
• Salt
• Confectioner’s sugar
• Cream
• Mini semi-sweet chocolate chips
• Melted chocolate 

How to Make Triple Chocolate Cake

To make this chocolate layer cake, you’ll first need to prep the chocolate cake batter. Sift the dry ingredients into one bowl and mix together the wet in another. Combine the two, being careful not to over work the batter (note that it will be very thin).  

Pour the batter into two 9-inch round cake pans and bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. The homemade chocolate cake will need to cool for roughly 30 minutes in the pans before being inverted to cool completely on a wire rack. 

Once the chocolate cake layers have cooled, make the chocolate frosting. To do so, beat the butter and cream cheese until light and fluffy (this will take a few minutes). Add in the rest of the ingredients, but add only just enough cream to get the frosting to a spreadable consistency. 

To frost the chocolate layer cake, place one of the cake layers flat side-up on a plate or cake stand and spread the top with frosting. Place the second cake layer on top and finishing frosting the top and sides of the cake.

Sprinkle the cake with chocolate chips and refrigerate for 1 to 2 hours before serving. Drizzle with melted chocolate just before serving to really wow your guests. 

Can I Use a Buttermilk Substitute in This Chocolate Layer Cake? 

You can’t substitute the buttermilk for something else because not only does it keep the cake tender and moist, but it also helps the cake rise.

Can I Omit the Coffee? 

If you’re absolutely opposed to using coffee, you could use water, noting that the cake will lack the chocolate oomph you want in a chocolate layer cake. Use coffee and trust me on this one!

Tips for Making the BEST Chocolate Cake

I adapted the recipe from Ina Garten (and it’s almost a straight double recipe of my Chocolate Cake with Chocolate Ganache, which has been a reader and personal favorite over the years). Ina calls for using 8-inch cake pans. I used 9-inch pans and the batter was just barely contained when the cakes rose in the oven. I highly recommend using 9-inch rather than 8-inch pans. Just the thought of overflowing cakes onto the bottom of the oven gives me massive anxiety.

I baked my cakes for 38 minutes. Her baking estimates are for 35 to 40 minutes in 8-inch pans. In theory I thought using 9-inch pans would reduce the baking time but in reality, I still needed 38 minutes. As always, bake until done whatever that means in your oven, with your climate, ingredients, and pans.

When frosting the cake, I highly recommend using an offset spatula. A knife will do the job, but an offset spatula makes frosting the sides of the cake a million times easier and speeds up the whole process. 

More Homemade Chocolate Cake Recipes: 

The Best Chocolate Cake With Chocolate Ganache — One of the best chocolate cakes I’ve ever had and the easiest to make! Nothing fussy or complicated and delivers amazing results every time!

Coca-Cola Cake — One can of Coke in the cake and another can of Coke in the frosting! Easy no-mixer cake that’s supremely moist! Tastes like a Texas sheet cake spiked with Coke!

The Best and The Easiest Molten Chocolate Lava Cakes – One bowl, no mixer, so easy! The warm, gooey, fudgy chocolate center is heavenly! Better than any restaurant versions!

Slow Cooker Hot Fudge Chocolate Cake – Super soft, gooey, rich, and fudgy! The cake makes its own hot fudge sauce while cooking in the slow cooker! The easiest cake you’ll ever make and it tastes amazing!

Turtle Chocolate Poke Cake – The flavor of the famous candy in a decadent chocolate cake with tons of caramel and pecans! Easy, super soft and moist, and a crowd favorite!

S’mores Poke Cake – A supremely moist and decadent chocolate cake topped with graham crackers, marshmallows, and hot fudge! Campfire not required for this fun and easy twist on smores!

Better-Than-Anything Chocolate Cake – Worthy of its name and one of the best cakes you will ever eat! Doesn’t get any better than chocolate, caramel, whipped topping, and candy in an easy, no-mixer cake!

Flourless Chocolate Cake – A classy, elegant cake that’s ultra rich, fudgy, and tastes better than what you’d get in a fancy restaurant and it’s so EASY!