Go Back
+ servings

World's Best Chocolate Cake Recipe

So I found this recipe and when I saw that it was called the “World’s Best Chocolate Cake”, I knew that I had to try it out and see. I really did like the cake part- it was really rich and moist.
Prep Time1 hour 15 minutes
Cook Time35 minutes
Total Time1 hour 40 minutes
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Keyword: chocolate cake recipe, homemade cake
Servings: 15
Calories: 645kcal

Equipment

  • round cake pans
  • Mixing Bowl
  • Hand mixer

Ingredients

Cake

  • ½ cup unsalted butter
  • 4 ounces unsweetened chocolate broken into pieces
  • 2 ½ cups flour
  • 2 ¼ cups sugar
  • 1 cup cocoa
  • 2 teaspoons baking soda
  • ½ teaspoon baking powder
  • 1 ½ teaspoons salt
  • 1 ½ cups sour cream
  • 3 eggs
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla

Frosting

  • 4 ounces unsweetened chocolate broken up
  • ½ cup shortening
  • ½ cup unsalted butter softened
  • ¼ cup sour cream
  • cup milk
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • 1 pound powdered sugar
  • ½ cup cocoa powder

Instructions

  • Heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour three 9-inch round cake pans.
  • In a microwave-safe glass bowl, melt butter and chocolate together in microwave on HIGH until melted and smooth, about 1 to 1 1/2 minutes, stirring half-way through. Set aside. Mix flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl until blended.
  • Add sour cream, eggs, 1 cup water, chocolate mixture and vanilla; beat 30 seconds on low speed, until dry ingredients are moistened. Increase to medium; beat 2 minutes. Pour into prepared pans.
  • Bake at 350 degrees for 32-40 minutes or until cake layers spring back when pressed (I baked mine for 35 minutes and it was a little too much . . . but every oven is different!).
  • Cool layers in pans for 10 minutes. Remove cakes onto rack to cool completely.
  • In a microwave-safe glass bowl, melt chocolate in microwave on HIGH for 1 minute. Stir until smooth. Set aside. Beat shortening, butter, sour cream, milk, vanilla, salt, 1 cup of the sugar and the cocoa powder in a medium-size bowl until creamy. Gradually beat in remaining sugar and melted chocolate until thick and smooth.
  • Place a cake layer on a pedestal (I just used a large plate. . . I have yet to invest in a pedestal!) Spread with about 2/3 cup frosting. Top with second layer; spread with about 2/3 cup more frosting. Top withremaining layer. Frost top and sides. Garnish with chocolate curls and berries if desired

Notes

You can use your own chocolate buttercream frosting for this cake. This is the recipe that came with the cake and it is very thick. Just add more milk to get to the consistency you like. 

Nutrition

Calories: 645kcal | Carbohydrates: 87g | Protein: 8g | Fat: 35g | Saturated Fat: 19g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 80mg | Sodium: 476mg | Potassium: 342mg | Fiber: 6g | Sugar: 61g | Vitamin A: 602IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 82mg | Iron: 5mg