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
Louise says
Hi Charlotte I was wondering if you can use your all in one recipe for an 8inch deep cake tin rather than two separate tins?
Thanks
Charlotte Oates says
It should be fine. It’ll need cooking for longer so don’t check it until it’s been in the over for 45 minutes.
Jackie says
Hi
How long should i bake in 10″ round tin?
Many thanks
Charlotte Oates says
If you use the ingredients recommended in the calculator then the cooking time will be the same as in the original recipe.
Louisa says
Baked this cake last night and iced just with your buttercream recipe and had so many compliments! Easy to do and perfect to eat! Thank you.
Elaine says
Hi I want to make your chocolate birthday cake for Sunday this week. When do you think the earliest I can make this ?
Charlotte Oates says
I usually bake mine on a Thursday for a Saturday party and it’s still good to eat a few days later as long as it’s stored in an airtight container.
Dovile says
Hi, can I use regular flour? How much baking powder should I put? Planing to make of two layer cake (10″) – one vanilla and one chocolate. How long and at what temperature should I bake it? Thank you. This recipe looks amazing.
Charlotte Oates says
You can. Nigella has a guide to converting plain flour into self raising flour here https://www.nigella.com/ask/self-raising-flour
Anne Bolton says
An absolutely fabulous chocolate cake! I doubled up the ingredients, divided between two 20cm tins and baked for an hour (I was sat in front of the oven keeping an eye lol). The smell of chocolate in the kitchen is divine and the cakes are moist but firm enough to now buttercream and fondant ice for a Dan TDM theme cake. Thank you so much for providing what will now be my go to chocolate cake recipe
Charlotte Oates says
I tend to sit and stare at the oven when I’m baking too! I’m so glad you like the recipe.
Isobel Hughes says
Hi Charlotte can this recipe chocolate birthday cake be used as cupcakes.thanks.?
Charlotte Oates says
Yes, I’ve actually got it published as a cupcake recipe. You can find it here.
Tracey says
Hi,
I’m just about to go shopping so I can start baking this evening ahead of decorating it for my dad’s 60th tom.. I plan to use a deep 14″ tin and although I have calculated for 2 layers my plan is to 1/4 the quantities and cook 4 thin layers. Could you advise on cooking time, I was intending still to cook at 140 fan.
Thanks! 🙂
Charlotte Oates says
I’ve not tried it as a thinner cake, only a thicker one so I’m not sure of the exact cooking time. I’d suggest trying 20-25 minutes. Alternatively you could make 2 layers and then slice them in half to get 4 thin layers.
Erin says
Hi,
I also love this recipe :-). How far in advance can I bake and decorate. For a birthday party on a Sat, is baking on the Wednesday too early.
Erin xx
Charlotte Oates says
It should be fine. I normally bake it on a Thursday for a Saturday party but we’ll then happily eat any leftovers for a few days afterwards. Just make sure you keep it in an airtight container if you can to stop it drying out.
Debbie says
I made this for my daughter’s birthday and we all loved it! When putting butter cream in the middle I also sprinkled some chocolate chips. This worked really well as it gave a bit of texture to the cake. I have bookmarked this page because I will definitely make it again. It was moist and firm enough to hold the fondant icing. Thank you!
Charlotte Oates says
Great idea, I might try that next time too!
michelle says
how do you make your chocolate butter cream please ive followed other recipes for it online and it just doesnt seem to be thick
Charlotte Oates says
Hi Michelle. You can find my chocolate buttercream recipe here.
Michelle says
What sort of chocolate would you recommend ? Also do you think if I did a chocolate and a vanilla I could stack then? Would the chocolate withstand the vanilla?
Charlotte Oates says
The chocolate would withstand the vanilla just fine. Add a couple of dowels or straws cut to the height of the cake for a little extra support and put the vanilla layer on a thin board the same size as the cake.
I’ve used a few different chocolates to make this cake. I tend to go for ones in the baking aisle as they tend to cope with heat better (Dairy Milk for example is terrible for baking as it tends to go grainy). The ones I use most often are Lindt, Green & Black’s, Dr Oetker or Aldi own brand.
Carly Townsend says
If using Lindt or Green & Blacks should they be a baking version or is the normal bars of these brands perfectly OK?
Charlotte Oates says
Both Lindt and Green & Blacks normal chocolate are great for baking.
Karen Mitchell says
Hi Charlotte
I gave bars of galaxy in the cupboard – likely to go grainy?
Charlotte Oates says
It should be OK as long as it’s finely grated. I wouldn’t use it for the buttercream though as it find it quite temperamental to melt.
Lisa says
Hi Charlotte can you please help me. My little girls 2nd birthday is Tuesday and I really want to make a Minnie Mouse cake. I need it to feed 20+ people. I really want to make a simple cake, vanilla spoke. Want to cover it in white icing which I am not sure how to do and then maybe decorate with icing in the shape of Minnie Mouse. Please give me some help and need to do this weekend. It would be so appreciated
Charlotte Oates says
Hi Lisa. My vanilla sponge recipe is perfect for birthday cakes and I’ve had a lot of great feedback on it. If only serves 12 but if you head over to the calculator (linked at the bottom of the recipe) you can get the ingredients for a larger cake. To feed 20+ people I’d say you’d probably need something along the lines of a 28cm round cake or 25cm square cake with 2 layers, or if you went up to 3 layers then a 23cm round cake or 20cm square cake. To cover it with icing I’d suggest making some vanilla buttercream (there’s a link in the recipe to the too) to cover it with and the covering it with fondant icing (which you can buy ready made from the supermarket). If you search for minnie mouse cake on Pinterest you’ll find loads of ideas, I think the ones with are red with white spots and a simple black minnie outline look really effective. You could then get some minnie mouse candles to top it off. I hope that helps, let me know if you have any more questions.
Jo says
Hi, thanks for this recipe – I made a test version for my son’s birthday cake and it was delicious! Finally a good chocolate birthday cake recipe! I do have just one question, would this cake be freezable? I need to make four layers (yikes) for his cake ahead of his party this weekend, planning to ice and decorate on Friday but it would help if I could make a layer or two today (weds) and freeze until then – do you know whether this cake would be ok when defrosted?
Thanks again for sharing the recipe!
Charlotte Oates says
I haven’t actually tried freezing this cake so I’m not 100% sure. The recipe is very similar to my vanilla cake which does freeze well so I would think it would be OK. Make sure you wrapped tightly with cling film if you do.
Sarah says
Hi Charlotte, Just wanted to say a big thank you for the chocolate cake recipe. I’ve made it for my dad’s 70th birthday (you’re never too old for choccie cake) and it’s delicious!!
Charlotte Oates says
That’s great, I’m so glad you all enjoyed it xx
Jacqui Bellefontaine says
Made this cake with just a minor tweak (plain chocolate melted rather than grated it- sorry couldn’t help myself) and I can confirm it really is a very good chocolate cake. I shall be making it again and again!
Charlotte Oates says
That’s great Jac, I’m so glad you enjoyed it xx
Sarah Bragg says
Hi Charlotte,going to use this for Patrick’s birthday cake. He wants a pokeball cake so going to do 2 domes. Will estimate how much to make from your calculator but how full should the tin be/ how much does it rise? Speak soon, Sarah
Charlotte Oates says
You always go for the ambitious shapes! I usually fill my tins about 2/3 full but I’ve never used a spherical tin so I’m not sure if they would rise as much given that the sides go out at the top. Do you line your tin? (I’m guessing not given the shape). I’ve not tested it in unlined tins (to be sure it’ll come out easily), you’d definitely need to grease them really well.
Charlotte Oates says
Text me if you’ve got any questions as I’ll spot that quicker than I’ll spot a comment on here xx
Claire says
Hi, I’ve just made this in a 20cm deep tin planning to cut in half. It was still raw in the middle after 45 minutes so I left it another 10 and it’s still raw in the middle, but now has a massive crack in the middle of the top which is also domed. Any idea what might have gone wrong? I should think I should be able to cover up these issues by trimming bits off here and there when it’s finally cooked, but I’d love to make a lovely flat cake in future!
Charlotte Oates says
Hi Claire, I’m not totally sure as I haven’t tested the recipe in the particular size tin. I usually use two sandwich tins and don’t have a problem with doming and cracking so maybe switch to splitting the mix into two tins and hopefully it’ll work better.
Claire says
Well it was a resounding success! Many compliments about how this was actually a nice cake and not at all dry (seems it’s what people expect from a children’s birthday cake!) the addition of chocolate is definitely worth it. Will be making it for my next birthday child.
Charlotte Oates says
Excellent. That’s great news xx
Melanie says
Hi this cake looks amazing. I recently tried your vanilla cake and got very good feedback, so going to try this one today. I was just wondering how do you cost the cake. I’m doing a 10″ square using this recipe and your chocolate buttercream but I’ve no idea how to work out costings and hoping you’d be able to help. Thanks.
Charlotte Oates says
Hi Melanie, I’m not sure what you mean, what are you using the costings for?
Jess says
Hi, I never normally post comments to anything online! But I made this chocolate cake for my son’s birthday and must report that it was absolutely delicious! I don’t usually make chocolate cakes because I find they never taste as good as I want, and I’m certainly no baker! But I followed this recipe to the letter and was so pleased with the results and had of compliments on it. I’ll definitely make it again and will also be attempting the vanilla one for my daughter’s birthday party tomorrow!
Charlotte Oates says
That’s brilliant! I’m so glad you enjoyed x