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
Subscribe to the Charlotte’s Lively Kitchen mailing list to get your FREE printable grams to cups and cups to grams conversion charts for twelve popular baking ingredients
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
Marie says
I’ve made this cake several times and it is lovely. I want to make it again for my sons 3rd birthday but as I’m making a cars theme cake I want green icing to pipe on grass. What light coloured buttercream icing would you recommend with the cake instead of chocolate buttercream? Thanks
Charlotte Oates says
I would recommend using my white chocolate buttercream. You could also use my vanilla buttercream.
Chris says
I noticed there wasn’t any baking powder won’t it be needed thanks
Charlotte Oates says
No. There is raising agents in the self-raising flour and no additional baking powder is needed.
Andrew Greig says
Hello, I plan to cover this cake with white fondant icing for a big birthday celebration. Will it be OK to coat the cake in chocolate buttercream and then add the fondant icing on top ?
Many thanks.
Charlotte Oates says
That’s the way I do it.
Claudia says
Hello, tried the recipe.Flavor was there but wondering where I went wrong. Came out super dense kind of a hard brownie with a fudgy texture…
Charlotte Oates says
I’m sorry to hear that happened. It sounds as though the raising agent hasn’t worked as expected. Was your self-raising flour old? The raising agent can lose its power over time so if it is, then this might explain what happened.
Claudia says
Charlotte, no I had just purchased it.
Sandra says
Hi Charlotte
Can I use dark chocolate instead of milk chocolate in this recipe?
Charlotte Oates says
Yes, it’ll have a richer, darker flavour, but it’ll bake just the same. You can also switch to dark chocolate in the buttercream too if you prefer.
Anna says
Is this a good cake for carving into a shape?
Charlotte Oates says
It’s not a sturdy as something like a Madeira cake, but I’ve had no trouble carving it into simple shapes.
Helen says
Hi Charlotte
Just wondering how finely the chocolate needs to be grated?
Hope you can help.
Charlotte Oates says
I use the coarsest part of my grater.
Claudia says
Hello, recommended to your AMAZING chocolate cake 🙂
Wonder if this is a recipe I can pull of for a somewhat tall cake (tall enough to pull off a fault line) in a 12″ cake pan. Also if I want to bake in advance, to store how long after baking do I wrap it?
Charlotte Oates says
That should be fine as long as you keep the individual layers thin and just pile several on top of each other. Wrap it as soon as it’s cooled to room temperature.
Elayne Allen says
Iv used this recipe a few times now and always people comment how delicious it is , it’s my go to every time , and the cake converter is excellent too , great job
Mike says
Hi Charlotte,
Thank you for posting this recipe and the chocolate cake calculator. I’m new to baking but set myself the challenge of making a birthday cake for our son. I made a three layer, 7-inch drip cake using this recipe for the sponge and your chocolate buttercream for the layers. Converting the quantities for three 7-inch tins was very easy with the calculator. I then added Swiss meringue buttercream for the sides and a chocolate ganache for the top and drip. It all came out really well, everyone loved the cake itself.
Melanie Morris says
If I need this chocolate cake ready and fondant iced for delivery for a birthday on Friday, how far in advance do you think I can get away with baking and assembling the sponge layers please? I will be crumb coating it. Many thanks for your help, love the recipe!
Charlotte Oates says
The sponges are good to eat for up to a week after baking. I usually bake mine two days before they are needed and then decorate the day before, but you could go a day or so earlier.
vic says
What depth should the tins be please?
Charlotte Oates says
I use sandwich tins which are approx. 3cm deep.
Servanne says
Will this bake OK if you only use one (high sided) cake tin?
Charlotte Oates says
I find that people have mixed results using a deeper tin (it seems to depend on the tin and the oven). In some cases it’s perfect and in others it can dip a little in the middle after baking. I recommend always using sandwich tins to ensure a good result. If you do decide to to give it a try then it’ll need to bake for c. 50 minutes.
Alina Carrasco Toft says
Can this cake be frozen?
Charlotte Oates says
Yes.
You can either freeze the undecorated sponges or the finished cake.
If you’re freezing the sponges, I recommend wrapping them in clingfilm to protect them.
For the finished cake, either freeze it in an airtight container or pop it into the freezer on a dish for a couple of hours until the buttercream is firm and the wrap it in clingfilm. If you go for the second option, make sure you remove the clingfilm before you defrost the cake so it doesn’t stick to the buttercream.
Chloe says
This really is the best chocolate birthday cake! Thank you x
Caz says
This and the vanilla all in one are my go to birthday cake recipes. Easy and fantastic every time, so glad I found them
Emma Crilly says
Hi Charlotte
Ive just used this recipe without the chocolate as im making for someone who has a soya allergy is it ok to do this ? Also the buttercream i won’t be adding chocolate
Charlotte Oates says
The recipe will work well (as in it will still bake well). However, it is designed to take a lot of the chocolate flavour from the actual chocolate rather than the cocoa powder so you may find that it’s not as flavoursome as expected. I hope you still enjoy it.
Nathalie Bevan says
Hi, I presume you can just decorate all over with the chocolate buttercream recipe?
Charlotte Oates says
Yes, that’s absolutely fine.
Deborah Mccabe says
Hi I baked the chocolate cake the sponge was a bit dry and could have been softer any tips would be grateful, thanks
Charlotte Oates says
It sounds as though it may have been a little overbaked. I’d suggested checking it a little earlier in future.
Suzy says
Thank you for this amazing recipe, it has never failed to impress all that try it!!
I’d like to know if this type of Chocolate Cake recipe could be paired with Vanilla Swiss Meringue Buttercream, and if it would compliment it? Thanks!
Charlotte Oates says
I’ve not tried that particular combination, but I would expect it to be delicious.