Chocolate Butter Cake Layers

Oct 13, 2026 · By VanillaGoods

Baking Cakes cupcakes Vanilla: Extract Easy

Two bare, level rounds of chocolate butter cake layers stacked on a cooling rack with one slice cut to show the crumb

Deep, moist chocolate layers made with cocoa bloomed in hot coffee, sturdy enough for any filling and frosting. The base for black-and-white, salted caramel and raspberry cakes.

Prep 25 min

Cook 35 min

Cooling 1 hr

Total 2 hr

Yield 12 slices

Diet —

Ingredients

Adjust yield

slices

1 ¾ cups (220.0 g)all-purpose flour
¾ cup (65.0 g)Dutch-process cocoa powder
1 ¾ cups (350.0 g)granulated sugar
1 ½ tsp (8.0 g)baking soda
¾ tsp (3.0 g)baking powder
½ tsp (3.0 g)fine sea salt
2.0 (100.0 g)large eggs
¾ cup (180.0 ml)buttermilk
½ cup (120.0 ml)vegetable oil
2.0 tsp (10.0 ml)pure vanilla extract
¾ cup (180.0 ml)hot strong coffee

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Instructions

Heat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Butter two 8-inch round pans, line the bottoms with parchment and butter the paper; dust with flour and tap out the excess.
Whisk the flour, cocoa, sugar, baking soda, baking powder and salt in a large bowl.
Whisk the eggs, buttermilk, oil and vanilla, stir into the dry ingredients, then stir in the hot coffee until smooth; the batter is thin.
Divide between the pans and bake 30 to 35 minutes until a toothpick comes out with moist crumbs.
Cool in the pans 15 minutes, run a knife around the edges, turn out onto a rack, peel off the parchment and cool completely before filling.

Tips

Hot coffee blooms the cocoa; you will not taste coffee, only deeper chocolate.
Do not overbake; cocoa cakes go from moist to dry in a couple of minutes.
Level domed tops with a serrated knife before stacking.

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Recipe FAQ

How long does it take to make chocolate butter cake layers?

Plan on 25 minutes of prep and 35 minutes of cooking, plus 1 hour to rest. The recipe makes two 8-inch layers (12 slices).

How should I store chocolate butter cake layers?

Wrap cooled layers tightly and keep at room temperature up to 2 days or freeze up to 2 months; frost them cold from the freezer for the cleanest crumb.

Can I make chocolate butter cake layers ahead?

Bake the layers a day ahead, wrap and chill; cold layers are easier to fill, stack and frost.

Can I use a different form of vanilla?

Yes. This recipe uses 2 tsp pure vanilla extract (10 ml). Each teaspoon of pure vanilla extract can be swapped for 1 teaspoon of vanilla bean paste, the seeds of half a vanilla bean, or 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla powder. Paste and seeds add the classic dark specks.

Deep, moist chocolate layers made with cocoa bloomed in hot coffee, sturdy enough for any filling and frosting. The base for black-and-white, salted caramel and raspberry cakes.

Estimated · per serving

Nutrition

Per serving = 1 of 12 servings this recipe makes.

294 Calories / serving

11.1g Fat

47.3g Carbs

4.5g Protein

30.3g Sugar

Whole recipe (12 servings): ~3528 cal · 133g fat · 568g carbs · 54g protein · 364g sugar

Estimated values per serving, calculated from standard ingredient data. Not verified Nutrition Facts; actual values vary with brands, measurements, and preparation.