This chocolate birthday cake is simple to make, tastes delicious and is perfect for decorating for a special celebration.
PLUS – Need a different shape or size of cake? Take a look below the recipe to find the ingredients and instructions you need to bake this in pretty much any size of round, square or rectangular tin.
Skip to the recipe | Recipe FAQs | Calculator
One question I’ve been asked a lot in the past is whether I can recommend a really good chocolate birthday cake recipe, and I couldn’t… until now.
I hate getting questions that I can’t give a helpful answer to, so over the past few weeks I’ve been a busy bee trying to perfect my chocolate cake recipe. Now this couldn’t be just any old chocolate cake, it had to be perfect for a birthday which meant it…
1) Must be simple to make
I get a lot of comments on my all-in-one vanilla sponge birthday cake and the ones that always makes me smile the most are when people say that they never bake and the simplicity of the recipe has given them the confidence to do more in future. I wanted this chocolate cake to be that simple to make… a cake even the novice-est of cooks can make.
This cake is so simple… chuck it all in and mix it up. The only piece of culinary skill you need is a bit of grating!
2) Must be suitable for decorating
When I make birthday cakes for my boys I love to go to town on the decoration. In order for the cake to work as a decorated cake it can’t dome too much on top or sink in the middle and it must be sturdy enough to be carved into various shapes for decorating without crumbling.
3) Be chocolatey
This is actually the big reason I’ve not been able to recommend chocolate cake recipes until now. All the cakes I’d made in the past with the right texture (see point 2) used just cocoa powder and they simply weren’t chocolatey enough. To give this cake some extra chocolate-iness it includes lots of actual chocolate grated into the cake mix alongside the cocoa powder.
Chocolate Birthday Cake Frequently Asked Questions
If it’s your first time making this recipe or you have a question, please take a moment to have a read through my FAQs for some extra tips and allergen information.
- What should I use to decorate this cake?
- How much fondant icing do I need?
- Can I freeze this cake?
- How far in advance can I make this cake?
- How long does this cake last and how should it be stored?
- Can I bake this cake in a single deep tin and then cut it in half?
- Can this cake recipe be used for multiple tiers?
- Can I use this recipe to make cupcakes?
- Is this cake recipe suitable for carving into shapes for novelty cakes?
- Can I make this recipe in a difference size tin or with more or less layers?
Ingredient FAQs
- Can I use butter or oil instead of margarine?
- What can I use if I don’t have self raising flour?
- Can I add other flavours such as orange or mint?
- Can I use dark chocolate or white chocolate instead of milk chocolate?
- Can I use a different flavour buttercream with the cake?
- What is this recipe free from? Who is it suitable for?
What should I use to decorate this cake?
This cake is filled and coated in chocolate buttercream and then covered in fondant.
If you wanted you could also add a layer of jam in the middle either in addition to or instead of the buttercream. I find both raspberry and cherry jam compliment the chocolate sponge well.
I usually use ready-made fondant icing from the supermarket, usually the supermarket own brand or Dr Oetker. I tend to find there’s little variation in the different brands so whatever you can find in your local store should be absolutely fine.
How much fondant icing do I need?
You don’t need to cover this cake with fondant, it tastes amazing with just buttercream.
However, if you’d like to cover it to make a novelty cake then you can use my fondant calculator to work out exactly how much you’ll need.
How far in advance can I make this cake?
I usually bake it a couple of days before I want to serve it and the decorate it the day before.
You can bake it further in advance if you need to, but remember that it won’t last as long after you actually serve it.
How long does this cake last and how should it be stored?
This cake is good to eat for up to a week after baking as long as it’s stored in an airtight container. There’s no need to store it in the fridge unless it’s a very warm day or you live in a hotter climate than the UK.
Can I freeze this cake?
❄️ Suitable for freezing
You can bake the cake in advance and then freeze the undecorated sponges. I recommend wrapping them in clingfilm to protect them while they’re in the freezer.
Make sure you defrost them thoroughly before decorating.
Can I bake this cake in a single deep tin and then cut it in half?
Personally I recommend always baking this cake in sandwich tins as that way you’re most likely to get the perfect sponge, as promised.
I find that results can be mixed if it is baked in a deeper tin. It works perfectly for some people, but others have found the sponge a little more prone to dipping in the middle as it cools.
If you decide to use a deeper tin and this happens then don’t worry, the cake will still be good to eat. Simply add a little extra buttercream to fill the dip.
If you want to cook the mixture for two layers in one deep tin it will take 45-50 minutes to bake rather than the 30-35 specified in the original recipe.
Can this cake recipe be used for multiple tiers?
Yes. I’ve seen plenty of pictures of this sponge being used to make 2 or 3 tier cakes from my readers.
If you want to make a cake with tiers, I recommend using dowels or straws in the lower tiers to add additional support.
Can I use this recipe to make cupcakes?
Yes, I’ve turned this recipe into a chocolate cupcake recipe.
Is this cake recipe suitable for carving into shapes for novelty cakes?
Yes, it’s quite a sturdy sponge so can be carved into some basic shapes (I wouldn’t recommend carving it into anything too intricate or complex).
If you want to carve the cake, I recommend waiting for at least a day after baking as the sponges will be softer when they’re fresh out of the oven. I’d also recommend chilling the sponges before carving as this will help firm them up and make it easier to get the shape you’re after.
Can I make this recipe in a difference size tin or with more or less layers?
Absolutely!
This cake can be made in a variety of tin shapes and sizes. If you look directly beneath the recipe you’ll find my cake calculator that will tell you how to adjust the ingredients for any size of round, square or rectangular tin.
Can I use butter or oil instead of margarine?
You can substitute the margarine for butter, just make sure you leave it out of the fridge for a while before making your mixture so that it is soft and mixes well with the other ingredients.
You cannot substitute in oil as this cake is not designed to be made with oil and would require other adjustments to ensure it turns out sucessfully.
What can I use if I don’t have self raising flour?
You can make your own self-raising flour using plain (all-purpose) flour and baking powder.
You can find the instructions here.
Can I add other flavours such as orange or mint?
You can add other flavours such as orange or mint. I’d add 1½ tsp of a good quality extract into the cake mixture along with the other ingredients.
Can I use dark chocolate or white chocolate instead of milk chocolate?
You can substitute the milk chocolate for dark if that’s what you prefer.
I wouldn’t recommend substituting in white chocolate as it doesn’t bake in the same way. Also the chocolate flavour in the sponge comes from the combination of cocoa powder and actual chocolate. For a white chocolate cake you’d need to substitute the cocoa powder for additional flour and the grated chocolate alone will be insufficient to give a strong white chocolate flavour.
If you’d like to make a white chocolate cake then take a look at the recipe I designed specifically to overcome these two issues and give a cake that’s packed full of white chocolate flavour.
Can I use a different flavour buttercream with the cake?
Absolutely! You can use whatever flavour you like. Take a look at all of my buttercream recipes for some inspiration.
I think it goes particularly well with my white chocolate buttercream, classic vanilla buttercream or coffee buttercream.
What is this recipe free from? Who is it suitable for?
The ingredients I used to make this recipe are all free from the following allergens. However, please check any labels carefully for allergens you need to avoid as brands can vary, and product recipes can change over time.
- Suitable for Vegetarians
- Tree Nut-Free
- Peanut-Free
- Sesame-Free
- Sulphur Dioxide and Sulphite-Free
- Lupin-Free
FREE GRAMS TO CUPS CONVERSION CHARTS
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Chocolate Birthday Cake
INGREDIENTS
- 200 g self-raising flour
- 40 g cocoa powder
- 230 g caster sugar
- 4 large eggs
- 230 g soft margarine - you can also use softened unsalted butter too
- ¼ tsp vanilla extract
- 100 g milk chocolate - choose something from the baking aisle in the supermarket as it will cope well with the heat in the oven without going grainy.
- 2 tsp milk
INSTRUCTIONS
- Pre-heat your oven to 160ºC/140ºC fan.
- Line your tins (2x 20cm sandwich tins) with liners or greaseproof paper.
- Grate the milk chocolate (100g).
- Put all of the ingredients into a large bowl (200g self-raising flour, 40g cocoa powder, 230g caster sugar, 4 large eggs, 230g soft margarine, ¼ tsp vanilla extract, 2 tsp milk and the grated chocolate) mix on a low speed until fully combined.
- Divide the mixture evenly between the two tins and spread it out so it’s pretty even (it doesn’t have to be perfect as it’ll even out in the oven, but roughly flat is good).
- Put the tins in the oven and cook for 30 minutes. After 30 minutes put a skewer in the middle and check if it comes out clean. If it does it’s done, if not pop it back in for a couple more minutes and check again.
- Once cooked, remove the cakes from the oven and leave them to cool in the tins for 10 minutes.
- After 10 minutes, remove the cakes from their tins and pop them onto a wire rack to cool completely before decorating.
NOTES
NUTRITIONAL INFORMATION
Any nutritional information provided is the estimated nutritional information per serving. Please refer to my guide to Charlotte’s Lively Kitchen nutritional information if you would like to learn more about how this is calculated.
What are the ingredients for a different size of tin?
The ingredients are calculated so that the depth of each cake is the same as in the original recipe. This means that the cooking time and temperature don’t need to change.
Round Cake
Cake Ingredients
- 0 g self-raising flour
- 0 egg(s)
- 0 g soft margarine or butter
- 0 g caster sugar
- 0 tsp vanilla extract
- 0 tsp milk
- 0 g cocoa powder
- 0 g milk chocolate
Buttercream Ingredients
- 0 g butter
- 0 g icing sugar
- 0 g milk chocolate
- 0 g cocoa powder
- 0 tsp vanilla extract
Square or Rectangular Cake
Cake Ingredients
- 0 g self-raising flour
- 0 egg(s)
- 0 g soft margarine or butter
- 0 g caster sugar
- 0 tsp vanilla extract
- 0 tsp milk
- 0 g cocoa powder
- 0 g milk chocolate
Buttercream Ingredients
- 0 g butter
- 0 g icing sugar
- 0 g milk chocolate
- 0 g cocoa powder
- 0 tsp vanilla extract
Carly simms says
Round
Carly simms says
Hi there,
would you have the quantities for a 12 inch tin please? And cooking time. Thank you very much it looks amazing xx
Charlotte Oates says
Round or square?
Carly simms says
Round Charlotte 🙂
Charlotte Oates says
Hi Carly,
I’ve not tried that size of cake before but it should work OK. The ingredients you’ll need are…
450g self raising flour
520g soft margarine
520g caster sugar
9 eggs
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
4.5 tsp milk
90g cocoa powder
225g milk chocolate
Stella says
Hello Charlotte,
I am baking your recipe for my flatmate’s birthday this weekend and i had a small question for you.
As i only have 1 baking tin, could i bake half of the mixture first and then the other half? Will the waiting time affect the texture of the cake??
Thanks,
Stella
Charlotte Oates says
Personally I wouldn’t as the raising agent in the self-raising flour starts to work as soon as it mixes with the wet ingredients and you need to get it into the oven quickly for it to rise properly. If you leave it sitting around while half bakes the second half probably won’t rise as well as if it had been cooked immediately. If you have a deeper tin then you could put all of the mix in one tin and cut it in half after it’s baked. If you take this approach then it will take longer to cook so don’t check it until it’s been in the oven for 45 minutes.
Karen hay says
H Charlotte
Should there be baking powder in this?
Thanks
Charlotte Oates says
No, it doesn’t need any as long as you use self-raising flour. I tried a version of this with extra baking powder and it puffed up too much and ended up cracking and collapsing.
Karen hay says
Hi Charlotte
I gave now done the vanilla sponge three times and love itI would be using a 23 cm tin can I please have the recipe for that? Also could I use chocolate orange?
Thanks
Karen
Charlotte Oates says
Hi Karen, for a 23cm round cake you’ll need to multiply all of the ingredients by 1.25.
Personally I wouldn’t try using a Chocolate Orange. I’ve attempted to cook with it before and it really doesn’t like heat, sadly going bitter and grainy. If you want to add a hint of orange then you could grate in some orange zest or add some orange extract. Without trying it I’m not too sure how much you’d need, if I were doing it I’d add about 1/2 tsp, have a little taste of the batter (assuming you don’t mind cake batter as it contains raw eggs – I taste mine but I know some people won’t) and add more if needed.
Karen Hay says
Hi Charlotte
Apologies for messaging again , i worked this out to be
250g self raising
50g cocoa powder
287.5g caster sugar
5 eggs
287.5 marg
125g chocolate
2.5tsp milk
Is this right? Also will i replace the vanilla with the orange extract? I plan to use the vanilla butter cream so i can add food colouring to make it orange? I am going to make a pumpkin face on the top for halloween this would work ok wouldn’t it?
Thank you!
Karen
Charlotte Oates says
Yes, those seem right and you should be fine to simply substitute the vanilla extract for the orange (although you may want to check the flavour to ensure the orange comes through as strong as you’d like it).
You absolutely fine to colour the buttercream. Makes sure you use the gel colours (in the little pots) rather than the watery colours in the little bottles. Add the food colouring before you add the milk to the buttercream as then you can get the consistency just right.
Karen Hay says
Thank you very much 🙂
Janette Shaw says
Hello Charlotte. I am looking to buy some cake tins. In your recipe it says 2 x 20cm tins. Just seen their are 20cm-8cm and 20cm-4.5cm. Can I use same recipe for the deep tin as well as the two shallower tins? Hope that makes sense. Thanks Janette
Charlotte Oates says
I’ve not tried it in a deeper tin but it should work. If you put all the mixture into one deep tin then it’ll take longer to cook, I’d suggest not checking until it’s been in the oven for 45 minutes (if you check it sooner then it won’t be set in the centre and is likely to sink). I hope that helps.
Mary L says
Hi Charlotte l made the chocolate cake for a fund raising and got a lot of good feedback ,so easy too .Thanks a million
Charlotte Oates says
That’s great Mary, I hope you raised lots of money x
Jennifer says
Can you give me the quantities for a 10inch cake tin please? Thanks
Charlotte Oates says
For a 10″ cake you’d need to multiply all of the ingredients by 1.5…
300g self raising flour
60g cocoa powder
345g caster sugar
6 large eggs
345g soft margarine
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
150g milk chocolate
3 tsp milk
Christine percival says
I tried your chocolates cake but twice but it is not rising properly it’s rising to about one inch and I follow your recipe right please help x
Charlotte Oates says
That does sound a little shorter than mine usually are (although only a little as the weight of the grated chocolate means they don’t rise really high). Unfortunately I’m not too sure what could have happened as I’ve made this cake many times and not had the same problem.
Pippa says
Thank you so much for coming up with this recipe! I’ve just used it to make my 5 year old a Lightning McQueen birthday cake and had so many nice comments about how good it tasted. I’ve had to forward the link to quite a few of the people who tasted it already! So much better than just adding cocoa to a Victoria sponge cake recipe and much easier to carve into a car shape too – didn’t just end up with a pile of crumbs! It’s still really moist 4 days after I made it (and 2 days after cutting it) so think I could risk making it a little more in advance next year to take the stress levels down :-). Your calculator is fantastic too – helped me get a good idea how to scale up this recipe. Thank you!
Charlotte Oates says
Thanks Pippa. It was designed to be chocolate-y and easy to carve so I’m glad you think I got it right 🙂
I’ve been asked to create a calculator specifically for the chocolate cake, it’ll be ready in the next couple of weeks.
Kate says
Hi Charlotte,
I was looking at making this chocolate cake and making it two sizes so I could stack it, do you think this would work with this recipe. Would the bottom layer be heavy enough to take the weight of another layer?
Thank you,
Kate
Charlotte Oates says
I’ve not tried it but it’s a pretty study cake so should be fine for 2 tiers. If you’re unsure then you could add a few straws/dowels cut to the height of the cake into the bottom layer to add additional support for the top tier.
Mary says
Hello Charlotte, l made your Chocolate Cake for a fundraising and got good feed back ,Thanks so much a cake that never fails
Charlotte Oates says
That’s brilliant, I hope it helped you raise lots of money x
Nell says
Hello Charlotte thank you for sharing this recipe with us, I’m sure it’s lovely as your vanilla sponge recipe. Can you please share the ingredients for different size and shape tins too please.
Charlotte Oates says
I definitely will, I just need to find a spare hour or so to do the calculations and write up the post. I’ll let you know when it’s ready. In the meantime if there’s a particular size of cake you need working out then let me know.
Nell says
Thank you so much, thinking of baking a 10″ square mine craft cake for my friends son birthday.
Charlotte Oates says
Hi Neil. For a 10″ square cake with 2 layers you’ll need to double the ingredients from the original recipe.
Kylie Roxbrough-green says
Hi there. Your reciepe is fab I get so many comments on how nice it is. But do you have the ingredients for a square 8 inch tin please
Charlotte Oates says
Hi Kylie. I’ve finally gotten around to creating a calculator so you can easily work out the ingredients you need for different sizes of tins. You can find it here. I hope you find it useful.
Sarah says
This is a great recipie. Thank you. My kids always request a chocolate birthday cake but with a fondant design. This turned out both tasty and easy to ice in fondant.
Charlotte Oates says
So do mine, that’s why I had to figure out the perfect cake recipe for them! I’m so glad you enjoyed it 🙂
Tara says
I know this is a reallllly basic question, but how to you make the chocolate bitter cream?
Charlotte Oates says
I’ve got a recipe here https://charlotteslivelykitchen.com/chocolate-buttercream/
Nell says
Hello Charlotte, I have tried your all-in-one vanilla cake and absolutely loved it. Looking forward to trying the chocolate too! Can you please kindly provide quantities for different size tins please. Thank You!
Charlotte Oates says
I’ve finally made the calculator. You can find it here.
Katie Ware says
Hi Charlotte, I’ve used your all in one vanilla sponge birthday cake recipe before and it went down a treat. I am doing a cake sale for charity on Sunday. Will be raffling 2 6″ cakes ( one vanilla and one chocolate) what quantities should I use for the chocolate cake, and am I ok to us one 6″tin and cut the cake in half?..
Charlotte Oates says
Hi Katie,
I’ve not tried making this cake as a deep cake and then cutting it in half before but it should work. It will take longer to cook so I’d check it after 45 minutes rather than the 30 recommended in the recipe.
The quantities for a 6″ chocolate cake are…
100g self raising flour
20g cocoa powder
115g caster sugar
2 large eggs
115g soft margerine
1/8 tsp vanilla extract
50g milk chocolate
1 tsp milk
I hope your cake sale goes well and you raise lots of money for your charity xx
Valia says
Hi Charlotte.
I live in Europe, is tsp, a tea spoon or a table spoon?
Can i use a normal spoon?
Thanks for your answer!
Charlotte Oates says
Hi Valia,
A tsp is a teaspoon, you would see tbsp for tablespoon. I always use a measuring spoon to ensure I get the right quantities but as long as your teaspoons are a pretty regular size then it should be fine to use just make sure the contents of the spoon are flat and not heaped.
Caroline says
so easy and so so tasty and so chocolatey! I made a 13 (yes13!) egg version for my sons birthday. and it was all eaten. I am not known for my love of cooking. being in the kitchen usually puts me in a foul mood. but people kept coming up to me with a surprised expression saying ‘Caroline – that was really good!’ – and that made it all worth it. thank you x
Charlotte Oates says
Loved this! Thanks so much for taking the time to comment, I always know I enjoy a recipe when I post it but it really make me smile to know that others have too x
Kate - gluten free alchemist says
Always good to have a great chocolate cake recipe up your sleeve……. I have a favourite GF birthday cake recipe too…. but I suspect it wouldn’t hold up to carving for shapes (I’ve never actually tried though….)
This looks great though….. love the chocolate grated into it!
Charlotte Oates says
Thanks Kate. I’ve had the same problem in the past – a lovely chocolate cake recipe but completely unsuitable for carving and decorating. It took quite a lot of baking to get the balance of chocolatey, not too dry and sturdy enough for carving. I just hope everyone who tries it agrees.
Darlene says
I am so looking forward to trying out your birthday cake recipe as I like to bake. But I always use buttercream icing on my cakes as I have never tried using the rolled icing but I am going to give it a go how simple is it.
Charlotte Oates says
Hi Darlene, I always use a layer of buttercream underneath the fondant as it helps to get the fondant smooth and I also prefer the flavour (I use fondant because I can make it look pretty, I only eat the cake and buttercream). Using fondant isn’t too tricky as long as you take a bit of time and care over it. If you’re not too sure what you’re doing then there are loads of tutorials on You Tube which will show you what to do. I sometimes find a I have a few lumps and bumps which I hide under the decoration!
Cheryl says
Hi Charlotte,
I am so happy you have done another cake recipe, if it’s anything like your vanilla it will be absolutely delicious. When u say butter what brand would you recommend as I have tried butter before and it makes my cake taste salty, so I normally just use stork.
Charlotte Oates says
Ooh I hope you enjoy it!
It doesn’t matter which brand of butter you use as long as you choose unsalted (I’ve added the unsalted bit into the recipe now). I usually use stork too as I’m terrible at remembering to get the butter out of the fridge before I start to allow it to soften and the cakes with stork rise well and have a great texture.
Kou says
Hi Charlotte, can this recipe be adapted to an A4 size? I have an A4 baking tin as I want to make a rugby pitch and I cannot find a recipe.
Many thanks
Charlotte Oates says
Hi Kou, to make an A4 cake (2 layers) you’ll need to double the ingredients. I hope that helps.