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
Laura Fearon says
I can’t get caster sugar but have lots of light brown sugar can I use that?
Charlotte Oates says
I’ve not tried it, but it should be absolutely fine.
Leyla Knight says
tried and tested many times.
Its perfectly chocolatey and heavenly!!
Thank you Charlotte
Vikki says
I really need the quantities for a 4 inch cake 10 cm as I want it for a little topper, to put decorations on.
What would the quantities be?
Charlotte Oates says
If you pop your tin dimensions into the calculator (linked just beneath the recipe) it’ll give you the quantities you need.
Laura Fearon says
What depth cake tin for a 20 cm. thanks
Charlotte Oates says
I use 2 sandwich tins which are approx. 3cm deep.
Shona says
I’m going to try this for my sons bday cake next month. How much fondant icing do you use to cover the cake?
Charlotte Oates says
Pop your cake dimensions into my calculator and it’ll tell you how much you need.
Victoria says
Hello, I’ve only got plain flour and baking powder – how much of each should I use? I am a novice baker! Thank you!
Charlotte Oates says
You can use 190g of plain flour and 2.5 tsp of baking powder.
Mimi says
Thank you for the lovely recipe! It was delish and received many compliments. My cake did however turn out quite dry, would you know the reason for this?
Also my buttercream had tiny chocolate lumps (think the cold butter caused the chocolate to solidify. I covered the full cake with buttercream and then with chocolate ganache to create the drip look!
Charlotte Oates says
Dryness is usually caused by overbaking. Next time try removing it a little earlier from the oven or turning your oven down a few degrees.
There are a couple of things that could have caused the lumps:
1) You mentioned the cold butter – really the butter needs to be allowed to sit and come up to room temperature before making the buttercream (this is because it very hard to beat it into a smooth buttercream when it’s hard).
2) After melting, the chocolate needs to sit for a few minutes to come down to room temperature so that it doesn’t melt the butter.
Doing both 1 & 2 should mean that your butter and chocolate are similar temperatures when they are combined so you shouldn’t get the lumps.
3) What brand of chocolate did you use? I always use chocolate from the baking aisle rather than the sweet aisle in the supermarket as I find it behaves better when being melted and combined with other ingredients. Brands such as Cadbury’s have a greater tendency to go grainy.
Gemma says
I’m planning on making this for my sons birthday in a few weeks. How far ahead do you think I could make it?
Thanks
Charlotte Oates says
I find that it’s usually good to eat for 7 days after baking as long as it’s stored in an airtight container. I usually bake mine a couple of days before it’s needed to allow me time to decorate it.
Maureen Worcester says
Hi I use the vanilla sponge recipe all the time with great results, this is the 1st time for me to do the chocolate birthday cake, I notice there is no baking powder in this recipe, and just wondered why ?
Charlotte Oates says
I found that when I added baking powder to the chocolate cake it rose too much in the oven and then collapsed in the middle after baking. The raising agent in the self-raising flour is just enough to give the cake a good rise. I also always use large eggs for my chocolate cake which also helps with the rise as well as giving a little more structure to the sponge.
Helga says
Fun 140C degrees is so low even after after 45 min. It was still uncooked like a jelly.
I had to re-bake another 30 min on 170C. 🙁
Charlotte Oates says
I’m sorry to hear that the cake took longer to bake than expected. Can I ask, did you bake it in one deep tin rather than sandwich tins? The reason I ask that the cake should have been cooked at 30-35 minutes at 140C fan, but you said it needed an additional 30 minutes at a higher temperature, which just that should have been enough for the cake to be cooked through. If you did bake in one deep then then that would explain why it wasn’t cooked through as it would need longer.
Also, it might be worth getting an oven thermometer to check the temperature your oven runs at, in case it’s a little on the low side.
Amy says
Loved this recipe, one of the best I’ve tried
Rach S says
I’m not a baker but thought I’d try a recipe that accommodated what I had in the cupboards. I only had a deep round tin so did it for the recommended time plus extra as suggested but it just didn’t seem to be baking – went really domed then sank. What have I done wrong? Should I just have left it longer? It had over an hour (regularly checked after 50 mins.
Charlotte Oates says
Did you add baking powder to the mix? It sounds as though it rose too much and then dropped. Thos cake doesn’t require any additional baking powder.
Alternatively, you may have over-mixed the cake batter, beating in too much air (either beating for too long or on too high a speed). Additional air in the cake mixture can cause the cake to rise too much in the middle and the sink as it dines’t have enough structure underneath to support the height.
Rachel Stevens says
Thanks for your reply Charlotte, I think I over mixed it as I got carried away with my new stand mixer . However, it turned out lovely and I will definitely make it again!
Rachel Stevens says
Oh, and the chocolate buttercream was to die for!
Bev says
Used this recipe a few times now for my children’s Birthday cakes. I’m an occasional baker but this recipe always comes out really well, cakes not too domed and lovely chocolatey cake. Thank you
Joan says
Lovely taste moist cake
Katie says
I have baked this cake several times it is always a winner with my family. I was wondering what the best way to store this cake to decorate in the next couple of days?
Charlotte Oates says
I keep mine in an airtight container until I’m ready to decorate it.
If you’re leaving it more than a couple of days then you may want to freeze it. Simple wrap it in cling film to protect it and then defrost it thoroughly before decorating.
jo says
can i use chocolate chips instead of grated chocolate?
Charlotte Oates says
I wouldn’t recommend it as chocolate chips are heavier than grated chocolate and so are likely to sink to the bottom of the cake rather than being evenly distributed.
If you only have chocolate chips to use, then I would recommend melting them instead and the leaving the chocolate to cool (but not set) before mixing it into the cake mixture.
Joanna Grant says
Can I make this with chocolate chips?
Charlotte Oates says
I wouldn’t recommend it as chocolate chips are heavier than grated chocolate so you may find that all sink to the bottom of the sponge.
If you only have chocolate chips to use, I’d recommend melting them instead. Leaving the chocolate to cool (bit not set) and then stirring that into your cake mixture.
Helen R says
I have to say that this made the most choclately and delicious cake. I’m an experienced baker and have tried lots of chocolate cake recipes but nothing has come close to this. Thanks so much for the recipe.10/10
Amber says
Hi. I’m wanting to bake a kinder or nutella flavoured cake. Could i use 100g of nutella or kinder chocolate? Would nutella be too runny?
Charlotte Oates says
Adding Nutella to the mix is likely to effect the texture of the cake, I would therefore recommend using a specific Nutella cake recipe rather than trying to adapt a chocolate cake. A simple alternative would be to bake this chocolate cake and the add Nutella buttercream instead of chocolate buttercream, that would add lots of Nutella flavour. You can find my Nutella buttercream recipe here if you’d like to give it a try.
Marie Rushton says
Hi could you use dark chocolate in the sponge instead of milk ?
Charlotte Oates says
Yes