Easy and Moist Triple Chocolate Cake
This triple chocolate cake gets its chocolate three ways: dark cocoa in the sponge, chocolate chips stirred into the batter, and a glossy ganache over the top. The sponge is the easy one-bowl kind, made with oil, buttermilk and hot coffee, which is why it stays so moist for days. You do not need a mixer, and the batter comes together in about fifteen minutes. If you love rich chocolate cakes, our chocolate raspberry fudge cake is another showstopper.
Why you'll love this
- Incredibly moist. Oil, buttermilk and hot coffee keep the crumb soft for days.
- Three layers of chocolate. Cocoa sponge, chips and ganache.
- One bowl, no mixer. Everything is whisked by hand.
- Deep, dark flavour. Hot coffee blooms the cocoa without making it taste of coffee.
- Celebration-ready. A two-layer cake that looks the part.
- Forgiving. A thin batter that is hard to overmix.
Key ingredients & how to use them
- Dark cocoa powder — three quarters of a cup gives a deep colour and rich flavour. Natural unsweetened cocoa works too; the cake will be a little lighter.
- Granulated and light brown sugar — a cup of each. The brown sugar adds moisture and a soft caramel note.
- Oil and melted butter — oil keeps the crumb tender and moist, butter adds flavour.
- Buttermilk — its acidity reacts with the baking soda for lift and gives a tender crumb. A cup of milk with a tablespoon of lemon juice works as a substitute.
- Hot coffee — a cup, the step that makes this cake. It blooms the cocoa, deepening the chocolate taste, and thins the batter for a moist bake. Hot water works if you prefer.
- Room-temperature eggs — they blend smoothly into the batter.
- Chocolate chips — the second layer of chocolate, half in the batter and half on top.
- Chocolate and cream for ganache — the third layer: a simple two-ingredient frosting.
How to make it (step by step)
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1
Heat the oven and prep the pans
Heat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease two 9-inch round cake pans, line the bases with parchment and dust the sides with a little cocoa powder so the layers release cleanly.
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2
Whisk the dry ingredients
In a large bowl, whisk the flour, granulated sugar, brown sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt together until evenly mixed, breaking up any lumps of brown sugar or cocoa with your fingers.
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3
Add the fats and eggs
Add the oil and melted butter and stir until the mixture looks like damp sand. Add the room-temperature eggs and mix until the batter is thick and smooth.
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4
Add vanilla and buttermilk
Stir in the vanilla and buttermilk until combined. The batter will be thick at this stage.
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5
Stir in the hot coffee
Slowly pour in the hot coffee (or hot water), mixing gently, until the batter is smooth and quite thin. Hot liquid blooms the cocoa, deepening the chocolate flavour, and the thin batter is what makes this cake so moist. Fold in half the chocolate chips.
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6
Bake the layers
Divide the batter between the pans and bake for 30 to 35 minutes, until a toothpick in the centre comes out with a few moist crumbs and the tops spring back. Cool in the pans for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a rack and cool completely, about 1 hour.
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7
Make the ganache
Put the chopped chocolate in a heatproof bowl. Heat the cream until it just simmers, pour it over the chocolate, wait 2 minutes, then stir until smooth and glossy. Let it cool and thicken for 20 to 30 minutes, until spreadable.
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8
Fill, frost and finish
Set one cake layer on a plate, spread with a third of the ganache, top with the second layer and cover the top and sides with the rest. Scatter over the remaining chocolate chips. Slice with a warm knife.
Troubleshooting
- The cake sank in the middle. It was underbaked or the oven door was opened early. Bake until a toothpick shows moist crumbs, not wet batter.
- The batter looks too thin. It is supposed to be thin after the hot coffee goes in. That is what makes the cake moist.
- The cake is dry. It was overbaked. Start checking at 30 minutes.
- The chips sank. Toss them in a teaspoon of flour before folding them in.
- The ganache is runny. It needs more cooling time. Let it thicken at room temperature, stirring now and then.
- The ganache split. The cream was too hot. Whisk in a tablespoon of warm milk to bring it back together.
Why hot coffee makes a better chocolate cake
Cocoa powder contains flavour compounds that are locked inside dry particles. Pouring a hot liquid over it — called blooming — dissolves those particles and releases a much deeper, rounder chocolate flavour than mixing cocoa with cold liquid. Coffee does this especially well because its own roasted bitterness amplifies the chocolate. The amount here does not make the cake taste of coffee; it simply makes it taste more chocolatey.
The hot liquid also thins the batter dramatically. A loose batter bakes into a very moist, tender crumb, which is why one-bowl cakes made this way stay soft for days. If you cannot have caffeine, decaf coffee works exactly the same, and plain hot water still blooms the cocoa well.
Pro tips
- Bring the eggs and buttermilk to room temperature first.
- Line the pans with parchment for clean release.
- Cool the layers completely before frosting.
- Use a warm, dry knife for neat slices.
- Weigh the batter into the pans for even layers.
- Use good-quality chocolate for the ganache; it is the star of the finish.
Variations
- Sheet cake. Bake in a 9x13-inch pan for 35 to 40 minutes and pour the ganache over the top.
- Cupcakes. Bake for 18 to 20 minutes; makes about 24.
- White chocolate drizzle. Drizzle melted white chocolate over the ganache.
- Mocha. Add a teaspoon of instant espresso to the ganache.
- Berry. Fill with raspberries or strawberries between the layers.
- Without coffee. Use hot water; the cake will be slightly less intense.
Storage
Keep the cake covered at room temperature for up to 2 days, or in the fridge for up to 5 days — let refrigerated slices come to room temperature before serving so the ganache softens. Unfrosted layers freeze well for up to 3 months, wrapped tightly; thaw overnight in the fridge before frosting.
Serving ideas
Serve slices with a scoop of vanilla ice cream, whipped cream or fresh berries. For a chocolate dessert table, pair it with our fudgy brownies and chocolate sponge cake.
More recipes to try
Three kinds of chocolate set a high bar, so the follow-ups have to earn it. The mocha mousse cake brings coffee into the same deep flavor and eats lighter, while the chocolate raspberry fudge cake goes richer with fruit cutting through. When I need a plainer base to build on, I bake a chocolate sponge cake instead.
Recipe
Easy and Moist Triple Chocolate Cake
A moist one-bowl triple chocolate cake: dark cocoa sponge made with buttermilk and hot coffee, chocolate chips in the batter, filled and covered with chocolate ganache.
Ingredients
- 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 cup light brown sugar
- 3/4 cup dark cocoa powder
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- 2/3 cup neutral oil (vegetable, canola or avocado)
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted
- 2 large eggs, at room temperature
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 cup buttermilk
- 1 cup hot coffee or hot water
- 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips, divided
- 8 oz (225 g) semi-sweet or dark chocolate, finely chopped
- 1 cup (240 ml) heavy cream
Instructions
- Heat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease and line two 9-inch round cake pans.
- Whisk the flour, both sugars, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt in a large bowl.
- Add the oil and melted butter, then the eggs, and mix until smooth.
- Stir in the vanilla and buttermilk.
- Slowly mix in the hot coffee until the batter is smooth and thin, then fold in half the chocolate chips.
- Divide between the pans and bake 30 to 35 minutes until a toothpick shows moist crumbs. Cool 10 minutes in the pans, then completely on a rack.
- Pour simmering cream over the chopped chocolate, wait 2 minutes, stir until smooth, and cool 20 to 30 minutes until spreadable.
- Fill and frost the cake with the ganache and scatter over the remaining chocolate chips.
Tips & notes
- The batter is meant to be thin after adding the hot coffee.
- The total time includes about 1 hour of cooling before frosting.
- Hot water can replace the coffee.
- Unfrosted layers freeze for up to 3 months.
Watch how to make it
Nutrition · per serving (estimate)
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Frequently asked questions
What makes this a triple chocolate cake?
The chocolate comes in three forms: dark cocoa powder in the sponge, chocolate chips folded into the batter and scattered on top, and a chocolate ganache used to fill and cover the cake.
Will the cake taste like coffee?
No. The coffee deepens the chocolate flavour rather than adding a noticeable coffee taste. Use hot water instead if you prefer.
Why is the batter so thin?
The hot coffee thins it on purpose. A loose batter bakes into a very moist, tender crumb, which is the hallmark of this style of chocolate cake.
Can I use regular cocoa instead of dark cocoa?
Yes. Natural unsweetened cocoa works well; the cake will be slightly lighter in colour and a little less intense.
Can I make it in one pan?
Yes. Bake it in a 9x13-inch pan for 35 to 40 minutes and pour the ganache over the top for an easy sheet cake.
What can I use instead of buttermilk?
Stir 1 tablespoon of lemon juice or white vinegar into 1 cup of milk and let it stand for 5 minutes before using.
How do I know when the cake is done?
A toothpick inserted in the centre should come out with a few moist crumbs, and the top should spring back when pressed lightly.
Can I make the cake ahead?
Yes. Bake the layers a day ahead and keep them wrapped at room temperature, or freeze them. Make the ganache on the day and frost when the layers are fully cool.
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