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
Melissa says
We love this birthday cake in this house! Used for many occasions! Planning to use it for my sons first birthday on Friday. Due to social distancing we are having to have lots of small gathering over the weekend! Want the cake to feed roughly 20 people. Should I just do 4 layers to double up and make a tall cake?!
Planning on decorating like Pixar’s up movie! Wish me luck!
Charlotte Oates says
You could go for 4 layers, although that would be quite tall. Alternatively you could go for a slightly larger tin (22cm) and 3 layers. This would need a 7 egg mixture, if you use the calculator linked below the recipe it’ll tell you the quantity of each ingredient you need.
Sabrina says
Hi, I was thinking of using this cake recipe to make a black forest. Do you think it would be better to use dark chocolate or shall I stick with the milk chocolate? Thanks
Charlotte Oates says
It depends on how rich you like your chocolate. I personally like milk chocolate the best so that’s why I used it in the cake. However, it works just as well with dark, it just has a richer, even more chocolate flavour.
Ali says
The cake and the buttercream are flipping delicious and your cake tin adjustment tool worked perfectly, even for the huge double layer traybake I made… I may never go back to buttercream made just with cocoa
Lauren Wilkes says
Hi I’ve just made this cake with brand new ingredients but it hasn’t risen. It’s about 2.5 cm high for each layer. Is it correct this recipe doesn’t have baking powder in it? Many thanks.
Charlotte Oates says
This cake is usually around 3cm tall for each layer. It sounds as though it has risen, but perhaps not quite a much as expected. I would still expect the sponge inside to taste good .
The cake is designed to only use the raising agents in the self-raising flour and doesn’t need any additional baking powder. I’ve tested it adding baking powder and it tends to sink in the middle if you do.
Sinead says
Hi, I my cake tins are 22cm / 10 inch. Could you please advice what measurements I need?
Thanks
Sinead
Charlotte Oates says
If you have a look below the recipe there’s a link to a calculator which will tell you the quantities you need for a different tin size.
Louise says
Hi Can I make this cake today for a birthday in 3 days time? Would you recommend freezing it and decorating it the day before?
Charlotte Oates says
It’ll be fun, just make sure you store it in an airtight container until you’re ready to decorate it.
Louise says
I made this cake for My brothers birthday and it was absolutely delicious and turnt out really well. Thank you so much. Im going to attempt to make your birthday sponge for my Sons 1st Birthday at the end of the week!
Jessica says
I’m gonna make this cake for my son’s birthday next week, how many layers do you think I need to bake to get a 10cm high cake?
Charlotte Oates says
I would go for three layers. It may end up a little taller than 10cm, but I think two layers would be too short.
Debra Hallowes says
Hi I made your chocolate birthday cake , used the calculator as I used a 23cm tins but my cakes haven’t risen where did I go wrony
Charlotte Oates says
Hoe old was your self-raising flour? If it has been sat in the cupboard for a long time it can lose some of it’s raising powers.
Charlotte says
Hi. I’ve just made this recipe and the cakes have come out really flat? Any suggestions as to what could have caused it?
Charlotte Oates says
By flat so you mean the top surface was flat and not slightly domed as some cakes are? or do you mean the cake was thin and didn’t rise?
If it’s the first, then that’s how the cake is designed to be. I like my sponges to be as level as possible so that the top of my cake looks smooth when I decorate it.
If it’s the second then how tall were the sponges? Mine usually rise to about 3cm each (so not a huge amount, but definitely not flat. They should look as they do in the pictures). If yours are shorter than that it sounds as though the raising agents in you self-raising flour weren’t working as they should be. Was it a new bag of flour? Older flours can lose their raising powers over time.
Charlotte says
Hi. Sorry, yes, I meant flat. They were about 1 inch and quite heavy and dense. The flour was in date but had been open for a while?
Charlotte Oates says
It does sadly sounds as though the raising agents weren’t doing what they should have. If you were to give it another try with the same flour I’d suggest adding 1 and extra tsp of baking powder into the mixture to give it a bit of extra lift.
Zoe Knight says
I am not a natural baker and I’m not a massive fan of cooking, but- I wanted to make my son’s 1st birthday cake. His 1st birthday is Friday, so I decided to make this ‘trail run’ cake last week (just incase I failed, and had to go buy one) this cake did not disappoint at all! I was super impressed with myself at how good a job I did.
My family commented oh how delicious the cake tasted, soft, moist and not too sweet. The cake lasted less than 24 hours in my house- that’s how delicious it was!
I am definitely making this cake again tomorrow ready for my son’s birthday. Might even mix it up and do half vanilla and half chocolate.
Thank you for sharing your delicious recipe x
EMMa says
Great chocolate cake recipe, I’ve also used the lemon sponge recipe and both have turned out as light sponges that receive rave reviews and demands for cake every week at the office keep coming!
Recipe was easy to follow
Suzanne says
Never baked before lockdown but the last couple of months I have tried your recipes and they’re easy and delicious, my favourite being the lemon cupcakes with the lemon centre. It’s my daughters 20th birthday next week so I’m making her a chocolate cake, she prefers buttercream to fondant icing so would this birthday cake work or would you suggest your easy chocolate cake?
Charlotte Oates says
They’re both very similar, so whichever you like the look of (or whichever flour you can get as the birthday cake uses self-raising and the easy chocolate cake uses plain).
Lynsey Williams says
What part of the oven did u put it in with being gas mark 3 would u say middle
Charlotte Oates says
Yes, I’d pop it in the middle.
Emma says
Does this cake freeze well?
Charlotte Oates says
It does, wrap the sponges in clingfilm before freezing to protect them and defrost them thoroughly before decorating.
Jann says
Very tasty, simple recipe. Everyone loved It!
Nicola says
Hi Charlotte, I’m making my sons birthday cake using your recipe. Just doing a practice run today ready for next week.
How long does the cake last? If i make it on monday would you ice it then too or ice on the actual day of his birthday?
Thank you x
Charlotte Oates says
I normally bake two days before, and decorate the day before. I find the cake is still good to eat about 5 days after the party.
Leeann Lavery says
Hi I am going to do a 20cm vanilla cake 3 layers then a 10cm chocolate 2 layers on top will this need to be supported?
Thanks for help
Charlotte Oates says
I would use some dowels of straws in the bottom layer to add a bit of extra support.
Stacey Patterson says
Hello I see you have chocolate buttercream inside the cake do you have a recipe please.
Charlotte Oates says
Yes, there’s a link to it just below the recipe in the notes section.
Charlotte Oates says
Here you go
Chocolate Buttercream
debbie stirland says
Hi How do you top the cake with anything before putting the fondant on
Charlotte Oates says
I usually use a thin layer of chocolate buttercream. This helps the fondant to stick and add flavour to the cake.
Laura Fearon says
I only have medium eggs should I use 5?
Charlotte Oates says
Using 5 medium eggs will give you a bit too much egg, but it should still work OK. Alternatively, you could weigh out your eggs until you have about 233g (it’ll be about 4.7 medium eggs).
Zoë says
This is the best chocolate cake recipe I’ve ever found. It’s a fail safe that tastes fantastic and is loved by all!
The size converter works perfectly too!
Stacey says
So simple and tastes great! It’s never failed to please!
Amy says
Hi Charlotte, love this cake recipe and have used it multiple times for my family’s birthday cakes. Is it possible to melt the chocolate instead of grating it (i make it as 3 layers so grating 150g of chocolate takes so long) or will it ruin the cake?
Charlotte Oates says
Yes, I’ve tried it and it’s fine. Make sure you allow the chocolate to cool to room temperature before mixing it into the other ingredients.
Amanda says
Thoroughly enjoyed by everyone and easy to make – using sandwich tins it took about 5mins longer which was fine. thank you ☺️
Is there a way to upload a photo for you to see?
Charlotte Oates says
Unfortunately I don’t have a way for you to upload a photo on here, but you can email it to me [email protected] or message me on Instagram, Facebook (@charlotteslivelykitchen) or Twitter (@charlotteslk)