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.
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
Nikki says
Hi, thankyou so much the cake is amazing .
I just have a few questions about the decoration part did you use the chocolate butter cream on top of the cake before adding the icing sugar ?
Dose the cake have to be kept in the fridge when you have added the Chocolate butter cream ?
Today is Wednesday and I wanted to prepare for birthday party that is on Saturday. Today I wanted to make the sponge cakes 3 layers . Should I keep them in the fridge or out then in the freezer and then do the butter cream Friday night and then decorate the cake after ?
Or is it better to do Saturday morning?
Thankyou again
Charlotte Oates says
1) I coat the cake in a thin layer of chocolate buttercream before adding the fondant.
2) You can store it in the fridge, but it’ll be fine at room temperature as long as your room isn’t too warm.
3)The sponges should last for a week after baking if they’re stored in an airtight container. So you’re fine to bake today for a Saturday birthday. I usually bake two days before and decorate the day before.
Kristie says
Hi Charlotte, could I substitute the grated chocolate for chocolate chips?
Charlotte Oates says
I don’t use chocolate chips in the cake as they’re heavier and much more likely to sink to the bottom of the cake.
If you don’t want to grate chocolate then you’d be better to melt it and then add it to the cake mixture.
Nelson says
Great, i did a 9inch square version , came out perfectly.
Joanna Burke says
I’ve used your recipe before and it came out brilliantly! Do you know if the sponges are suitable for freezing?
Charlotte Oates says
Yes, they can be frozen. I’d recommend wrapping them in clingfilm to protect them.
Jan says
did you make 2 layers or one layer – I’m going to make a square farmyard for my granddaughter’s second birthday?
Gen says
I tried this last night as a test for my little girl’s upcoming birthday party. I followed the recipe to the letter and the batter tasted amazing! It’s hard to find self-raising flour where I live so I had all-purpose and added baking powder (as per the advice to make my own self-raising) After 30 mins in the fan-assisted oven at 140 degrees the middle was still totally liquid (the outside was cooked though) what could I be doing wrong? Could it be the flour or the oven? I ended up leaving it in another 15 mins (checking regularly) and eventually increasing the temperature to 180 degrees and it finally cooked, but of course, the outside is now very dry and crumbly and overcooked 🙁
Any advice?
Charlotte Oates says
I’m sorry to hear that. I have a few questions to hopefully troubleshoot what happened:
* Did you bake the cake in a deep tin or sandwich tins – I always recommend sandwich tins and cakes cooked in a deep tin need longer.
* How did you line your tin? Did you use a baking belt? – Baking belts tend to lead to cakes needing longer to bake.
* Did you use the grams or cups measurements?
* What country do you live in? The fact SR flour isn’t available suggests not the UK.
* How much baking powder did you add to make SR flour? It should be 2 level tsp.
Genna says
Hi Charlotte, thank you so much for your help! I am sure it is something I did wrong! Here are my responses in case something jumps out as being the key issue.
* Did you bake the cake in a deep tin or sandwich tins?
– I thought it was a normal cake tin, but now you ask perhaps it’s deep!? It is one that opens (loose bottom) and measures 20cm across and 7cm deep.
* How did you line your tin?
– Baking paper, no belt (although would like one!)
* Did you use the grams or cups measurements?
– I used grams
* What country do you live in?
– Switzerland (Geneva specifically and I cannot find SR anywhere at the moment (COVID lockdown isn’t helping!)
* How much baking powder did you add to make SR flour? It should be 2 level tsp.
– I should have mentioned I made only 1 cake, so I used the calculator (so I ended up using 1 tsp of baking powder!)
Charlotte Oates says
There’s nothing that jumps out here that could have been the cause. The most likely one is that the deeper tin stopped as much heat getting to the surface of the cake leading it to cook more slowly.
If you do buy a baking belt don’t use it for this cake. Baking belts help cakes that normally dome on top to bake more evenly. This cake is already designed to be flat so could sink if you add a belt.
Genna says
p.s The recipe itself is 5 stars, I can’t edit it but I would suggest it tastes amazing (I just can’t seem to cook!)
Paula says
Hi Charlotte!
This is my absolute go to chocolate cake recipe- everyone I make it for loves it! I just wanted to ask a question about the 20com size. If I wanted to make it a bit deeper but still keep the same size tin should I just use the quantities for a 24cm tin for example? Hope that makes sense! Thank you!
Charlotte Oates says
That should work, although I sometimes fine that when people try this as a deeper cake it can sink a little in the middle after baking (it doesn’t happen for everyone, but is extremely rare in sandwich tins, and a little more common when making a deeper sponge). If you do decide to try it then remember to increase the cooking time as this is mostly determined by the depth of the cake. I’ve not made one with that amount of mixture so I’m not 100% sure what the cooking time would be, but I’d probably check it after 40 minutes if I were to try it.
Paula says
Thank you Charlotte!
Grace says
Hi Charlotte, I made the cake on Friday and ate it on Sat, but it turned out quite dry. I used 4 medium eggs instead because I didn’t have large ones at home. Do you think this was the reason it turned out dry?
Thanks!
Charlotte Oates says
Normally a cake made with smaller eggs is slightly more moist. The most likely reason it’s dry is that it’s a little over-baked. All ovens operate slightly differently, so it may been a little less time in your oven.
Helen says
My new favourite chocolate cake recipe! I’ve stayed away from making chocolate cake because a lot of them aren’t chocolatey enough but this is perfect. I was worried it would be too sweet but it’s just right. Can’t wait to try more of your recipes!
Marevana says
Absolutely amazing! I have been using your vanilla cake recipe for birthdays for years now and I love it and so does everyone else! This year my husband wanted marshmallow frosting, so thought a chocolate cake would go best. Thought to use this recipe since I have had so much success in the past. And it was amazing! Best chocolate cake ever! Really don’t understand comments about not rising or being dry, mine rose lovely and was not dry in the slightest. Thank you Charlotte!
Jess says
I made this this morning, absolutely delicious! The bake time of 30 minutes was perfect. The cake is moist and spongey and not at all crumbly, the buttercream glided on great. The used melted cooking chocolate in the sponge rather than grated and it worked perfectly. How long would you say it’ll keep? Also, as I’ve used buttercream should it be kept in the fridge?
Charlotte Oates says
It usually keeps for up to 7 days after baking if it’s stored in an airtight container. It should be fine at room temperature as long as the room isn’t too warm. If you tend to have the heating on a lot then it’ll be better in the fridge. If you do store it in the fridge, allow it to come back up to room temperature before you eat it as it tastes better that way.
Jemma says
Hi Charlotte, how much fondant would I need to cover this cake please?
Thank you!
Charlotte Oates says
Have a look at my fondant calculator
How Much Fondant Do I Need To Cover My Cake?
Sue says
I tried this once and it did not rise at all and was very stodgy so I tried it again but added baking powder and it rose but then collapsed in the middle and fell apart when I took it out of the tin. Complete waste of time.
Charlotte Oates says
I’m sorry to hear that the cake didn’t rise well for you. How old was the flour you used? Sometimes the raising agent in the flour can lose it’s power if it’s older.
I always recommend not adding additional baking powder to this recipe because, as you’ve described, it tends to rise too much in the oven and then collapses in the middle.
Lynn says
Hi I’ve make this cake so many time love it,how long will it stay fresh as I am making it 3 days before my husbands birthday
Charlotte Oates says
It is usually good to eat for about a week after baking.
Jay says
What did you put in the middle
Charlotte Oates says
Chocolate buttercream.
Sana says
Hello Charlotte love your chocolate recipe, but just wanted to know if you have a raisin sponge cake recipe, as I have tried many other raisin cake recipes none of them cake out good.
Charlotte Oates says
I don’t have a specific raisin cake recipe. However, you could try switching the white chocolate for raisins in my white chocolate cake (the cake sponge is designed to suspend the white chocolate chips rather than them sinking to thew bottom). It’s not something I’ve tried with raisins but it should work. I’d recommend soaking the raisins for a few hours before adding them to the cake to keep them moist during baking. You could just go for water or making things more interesting with tea or maybe even some rum.
OXH says
Made this cake yesterday. It was sooo dry even though I did respect the quantities and cooking time/temp. If I knew, I would have poured syrup over it. On the up side, it did raise pretty flat which is great for fondant decoration. Sadly I did not enjoy the taste of it and neither did the kids.
Claire Newman says
Hi, I am going to try this for my daughter’s birthday cake. I’ve been using your vanilla sponge for her last few birthdays. I’ve only got normal chocolate, not cooking chocolate-do you think it’ll go too grainy? It’s milk chocolate not particularly high quality.
Charlotte Oates says
It depends on the brand. Most will be OK. As long as you grate it (as per the recipe) you should be OK.
Pam Shute says
I have made this recipe many times for my families birthdays in the last six months it has kept me busy in lockdown! It is excellent, moist and so easy to make. I have do ne the vanilla and chocolate one.
Diane says
Hi Charlotte, do you know if I can substitute the flour to gluten free self raising flour, and keep all other ingredients the same? Would I need to add more liquid to keep it more moist?
Many thanks
Charlotte Oates says
It’s not something I have tried. However, I have received comments from others who have who have said that it works well with gluten-free flour.
Margaret petrie says
I’ve used gluten free flour and works amazing. Found melting the chocolate works best no need for extra moisture
Ian says
I have made this about 3 times now with variations on the icing and filling. Every time someone tries it, they ask for one for their birthday too!
Great recipe!!
Joanna says
Hi, I am planning on making cake tonight and icing tomorrow with fondant.
I don’t have any cake boxes or airtight containers. Could I just use clingfilm?
Charlotte Oates says
Wrapped in clingfilm is fine.
Elizabeth says
How do I cover a sponge cake with fondant icing?
Charlotte Oates says
I don’t have a guide on here, but you may find this video helpful.
Sonia says
Hi I’m planning on making this for my son’s birthday. I wanted to ask if I could make it the day before and keep in fridge. Would it still be OK for the next day? Thanks
Charlotte Oates says
It’ll be absolutely fine. Make sure you allow it to come up to room temperature for a little while before eating it as it tastes best that way.