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
Mel says
I made this for my daughter’s birthday cake this weekend, as I needed a chocolate cake I could put fondant icing on and it came out amazingly well. Very easy to bake, easy to decorate and absolutely delicious. A permanent addition to my recipe file!
Charlotte Oates says
That’s just what it was designed for. I’m so glad you enjoyed it 🙂
Jess Smith says
What size tin do I need to make a ten inch chocolate cake
Charlotte Oates says
You’d need a 10 inch/25cm tin.
Nelly says
Hi Charlotte, I’m going to try this yummy looking cake for my nephews birthday but I do need to make it a few days in advance, will that be ok or is it more of an eat it as fresh as possible kind of cake? Thanks!
Charlotte Oates says
I usually make mine on a Thursday for a Saturday party and it’s still good to eat for a few days after the party. If you need to bake it even further in advance then you can freeze the sponges, just wrap them in clingfilm and defrost them thoroughly before decorating.
Debbie says
Hi. I want to make a digger cake for my grandson, which means I have to dig a crater on the edge of the cake, will this recipe be ok for this. Can I cook this a week before and freeze? If so will it taste as good.
Many thanks
Charlotte Oates says
Yes and yes. Wrap it it cling film if you’re going to freeze it and the defrost it thorough before decorating.
Hollie says
Hi, I used your all in one birthday cake recipe to pratice making my daughter’s 1st birthday cake – it was lovely! Yesterday I made a Hungry Caterpillar themed cake using this chocolate recipe…was amazing!! Thank you! I love baking but new to decorating with fondant but the cake worked a treat for it!!! Thank you! xx
Amy Sherwood says
Just a message to say that I’ve made the chocolate cake with chocolate butter cream for my son’s birthday today, I shall comment further later when we’ve tasted it but I must say it looks and smells delicious
Charlotte Oates says
I hope you enjoy it and that your son has a very happy birthday x
Amy Sherwood says
Delayed reply with the verdict…..sorry, but I must say it was gorg!! Everybody loved it, my father in law also asked me for the recipe. Thank you so much x
Holly says
Hello,
Would this recipe work if baked in a ceramic dish? I have a large rectangular lasagna dish that I use for birthday cakes. The previous recipe I have used for the past few years has always gone down well but personally I think it is a little dense. When I used your all-in-one vanilla birthday cake recipe earlier this year (in round tins) I was very happy with it so I would like to try your chocolate recipe too. The amounts I think would be about right if I used the whole 2 layer recipe as one layer in my ceramic dish but woukd it turn out ok?
Many thanks.
Charlotte Oates says
It should be fine. As long as your dish is quite deep you can put two layers in the one dish. It’ll take 45-50 minutes to cook.
Holly says
I did it! It was great! And your chocolate buttercream that I filled it with was sooooo good.
Thanks very much!
Annarella says
Charlotte I agree with you and your other commenters – this is an anazing recipe! I made a pirate ship cake last weekend and it was fabulous! I also made 36 cupcakes with the recipe for 24: I wanted the cases less full to decorate them to transport easily. I used your calculator and it worked a treat, in 3 batches so it could fit into my Kenwood mixer. I used 12 eggs altogether! It only took 15 minutes to make each batch while the previous lot was baking. The 2 rectangles rose evenly and came out of the tins neatly. I used the whole of both cakes without needing to level them to stack! I froze them for easier cutting which worked fine. Best of all, it tasted divine and got rave reviews from all my family!
Charlotte Oates says
I’m so please you enjoyed the cake. Freezing them to make them easier to cut is a great idea. I’m going to give that a try next time I make a shaped cake.
Maggie says
Wow what a lovely cake! Decided this year instead of spending £60+ each on 2 cakes for my sons birthday within a month of each other I thought for the first time ever I would attempt to make them. And this is the recipe I used. What Can I say, the feedback was amazing!!! Everyone asked for the recipe totally shocked it was my first attempt and some even said I should go into business!! Fab fab faaaaaab recipe!! So wish I could post a pic! Today I’m attempting my other sons cake… wish me luck and Thank you xxx
Charlotte Oates says
Thanks so much for your lovely comment 🙂
I’d love to see a picture of the cakes. You could email me (my email address is on my contact page) or share it with me on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram.
Good luck with the next cake x
Sheena Barnett says
Hi Charlotte, this worked amazingly well and was a dream to cut. I used it for a pinata cake. I would only say the cake was so delicious on its own that the icing and chocolate took away from its deliciousness. Mine rose fine. Maybe check temperature of oven if not rising enough? I’ve been searching for the best chocolate cake recipe and have found it!!! Thanks you!
Charlotte Oates says
I’m really pleased to hear that the cake worked out well for you. I designed it to be delicious in it’s own right (I find some chocolate cake isn’t actually all that chcolcately) so I’m glad you agree 🙂
Sukma says
Hi charlotte.. Ur site is very easy to follow gonna try this for my son birthday. One question can I use the 25 cm round tin?..
Charlotte Oates says
If you enter your tin size in here then it’ll tell you the ingredients you need for a 25cm cake.
Jenna says
What size round tins would i need to make a two layer sandwich size like in the pictures?
Charlotte Oates says
I use 20cm sandwich tins.
Laura Campbell says
Wow, this is literally the recipe that has ended my battle with making a good chocolate cake!! I’m a terrible baker, yet this recipe has given me hope!
Thank you so much – I will be using this from now on!!
Can’t wait to try some of your other recipes 🙂 x
Charlotte Oates says
Thanks Laura, I’m really glad you enjoyed it 🙂
Siobhán says
Made this for my son’s 4th birthday and it was a massive success and so tasty, delighted I have found your website!
Charlotte Oates says
I’m glad you enjoyed it. I hope you son had a lovely 4th birthday x
Charlotte Oates says
I’m glad you enjoyed it. My Mum used to make mine too 🙂
Emmanuelle says
Hi there, I just made this cake for my son’s 6th birthday. He wanted a space theme decoration so I needed a good chocolate cake to decorate. Well, not only perfect consistency for decoration but also yummy cake. Thumbs up! Thank you.
Amy says
I was searching for a chocolate cake recipe to make for my sons 1st birthday that would be suitable to be decorated into a Peter rabbit veg garden. This recipe is perfect. I did a test cake the week before and loved it. I will not be using any other recipe again. The calculator is a stroke of genius too. I’ve made a very big rectangular cake and wouldn’t have know how much mix to put in it but the calculator gave the perfect amount.
Thank you.
Charlotte Oates says
I’m so glad the recipe worked well for you and I hope your son had a lovely 1st birthday x
Charleene says
Hi, this recipie looks amazing which I am going to use for my daughters birthday 🙂 I just wondered what advise you can give? How many days should this be made prior to the day you need it, taking in to account time to ice and decorate the cake?
Many thanks
Charlotte Oates says
If I’m making the cake for a party on Saturday then I’ll usually bake the cake on the Thursday and decorate it on the Friday. If I’m making characters to go on the top then I’ll often make them earlier in the week and then they’re ready to go on the top when they’re needed. The cake is always good to eat for at least 3 days after the party as long as it’s kept in an airtight container.
Fiona says
Hi Charlotte,
I just wanted to say thank you for this recipe. After requests for a chocolate birthday cake from my little nephews and my son, I stumbled across this recipe. It is so easy, and so utterly delicious that I have now made it a number of times. Always turns out perfectly and tastes so yummy.
I’m pleased to see that I can make and freeze ahead. My 4 year old (to be) nephew wants a star wars cake this weekend and I’m super busy, so it’s helpful to be able to make the cake in advance. Thank you!
Charlotte Oates says
That’s fantastic, I’m really glad you’ve enjoyed it. Good luck with the Star Wars cake!
kim smith says
Hi Charlotte,
Can you tell me if this chocolate recipe is for a 10″ round tin
Thanks
Charlotte Oates says
This recipe is for an 8″ round tin. However, if you have a look under the recipe there’s a link to a calculator where you enter the size of the tin you have and it’ll tell you the ingredients you need to make the cake.